Part 1 - Family

In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.

- Alex Haley

.

Chapter One

Day 01

"Where's Reid?" Hotch asked.

Dave Rossi was over in the break area, filling his coffee mug. He was thinking about the consult back on his desk. He wasn't entirely certain they were on the right track there.

"I haven't seen him today." JJ said.

"Me neither." Kate added.

Hotch frowned and pulled out his phone.

Dave stirred a little cream into his coffee. No sugar, his doctor had told him to avoid carbs, more or less. He told his doctor he was Italian, carbs were a national pastime. But he really didn't need sugar in his coffee, especially not this stuff.

"What's going on?" Morgan asked.

"No Reid." JJ replied.

"Oh hell."

"He's not answering." Hotch said.

"That can't be good." Kate said.

Dave stepped over to the group, drawn in at last. "It never is when he breaks pattern. So, Kate, want to go with me and track him down?"

"Um sure." She said.

"When you find him let him know he's grounded." Hotch said.

"Yes, Dad." Dave chuckled, dumped out coffee that wasn't worth saving, and escorted Kate to the elevator.

"So why did you ask me to come along?" Kate asked once they were in the car. "I mean everyone else knows Reid a lot better than I do."

"Let me wait to answer that after we see if anything is going on."

Capitol Plaza Apartments were just a few blocks from Union Station. Dave parked there and they walked over, using the spare key Reid left at the office to let them in once no one answered a knock. "It's a studio?" Kate asked.

"Yeah. Just him. I hate to do this." But Dave pulled on gloves, just in case.

"Studios in this part of town are less expensive than you would think. No amenities, older buildings, he must sleep on the couch." She stepped into the tiny kitchen as she pulled on her own gloves. "There's a pot on a timer. It's off but still warm, and full."

"His bag's here." Dave peeked inside, spotted a book and a pile of candy bars. "He rarely goes anywhere without that."

"Does he keep his badge in there?"

"I don't know."

Kate sighed, sat on the floor in front of a wing chair, and started emptying it out. "A book, pencils, a note pad covered in...what the..."

"Those are zeta functions. He does something with them to relax."

"O-kay. A stationary set, a key ring, speedloaders loaded for a .357..."

"That's his primary. He said one time that a revolver helped his aim."

"...a handful of toiletry things and that is it. No wallet, no badge, no phone."

"He took those but left his keys?"

Kate considered this. "Let me check something." She took the keys and went to the door.

In the meantime Dave eyed the box on the end table. "If you were Reid what would you use as a four digit combo?"

"I don't know him that well." She was trying keys in the door. "But for anyone in the unit I'd start with the last four of Garcia's phone number."

Dave entered those and the box opened. "His primary's still here." He said, eyeing the revolver lying in its shaped slot inside the gun case. "But it looks like there's another one missing."

"None of these keys fit this door." Kate said, coming back. She looked at the shaped slot in the foam lining of the box, pulled her own gun and compared the two. "A Glock I think, but a smaller one. Maybe a 26. Okay, so he took his wallet, his badge, a smaller weapon, a house key and was coming back for coffee. I'm thinking he went for a run."

"That's why I brought you with me." Dave said.

"Um, huh?"

"Lately I've been getting the feeling that people back in the office are settling. They're no longer seeing each other as much as they're seeing the constructs of each other; they're seeing the image they have of that person, not who the person really is. Especially with Reid. For some reason they almost get annoyed when he breaks that construct."

"What's the construct?"

"Little brother. Overgrown boy genius. And what's funny is that it seems like he's encouraging it, or at least playing into it. I swear sometimes I think he's become less mature the longer I know him."

"You know, I was wondering about that." Kate said. "When you look at him in the field he's competent, confident, very sure of his skills and his facts. And his body language reflects that, he stands tall, speaks with a crisp clarity, looks you in the eye. Then he turns to the team and his whole affect changes, his voice gets softer, his shoulders pull down, he doesn't look you in the eye. His affect goes from strong young agent to whipped kid trying to, I don't know, appease a bully or something."

"Did he ever tell you about his girlfriend, Maeve Donovan?"

"Was she the one who was shot?"

"Yep. He had a relationship with her for over a year, but he never told anyone except Alex Blake. He was afraid Morgan and JJ would tease him mercilessly over it. And they would have. Even now they don't accept that it was serious."

"Really? She was shot right in front of him!"

"Two weeks after it happened, while he was still on bereavement leave, Morgan called him up to get him to come help with a case out in San Francisco because Garcia wasn't happy with him not talking to anyone."

Kate nodded. "And he needed to stop fooling around and scaring important people. I get it."

Dave nodded. "Last year Reid and Garcia were supposed to take a fitness test. Morgan got it waved then spent an afternoon making them work out just for his own amusement."

"Nice. And a child genus in public schools? Likely not the first time he was bullied by a jock. If I was Reid I'd want to start working out so that the next time it came around I could pass. Preferably by bettering Morgan's time on everything, just to rub it in. And I wouldn't say a word."

"I agree." Dave turned to the neat but full desk. "So, if you were Reid where would you run?"

"Wherever Morgan doesn't go, so he wouldn't catch me." She moved to the desk and the cork board above it.

"Uh huh." Dave opened his phone and put it on speaker. "I have a question for you." He said when the phone was answered. "Where do you go running in the morning?"

"The Mall and the Tidal Basin." Morgan replied. "Why?"

"I'll let you know." Dave rang off and looked over at Kate. "What did you find?"

"A map to the National Arboretum. Which is exactly the opposite direction from the mall from here."

"Let's follow the map and go find him."