"…So, as you've probably figured out by now, my story 'The FBI's Pawn' was deleted. I apologize for that, but it wasn't just me giving up on the story. I got one of those wonderful emails from FanFic saying it was deleted. I don't know what happened, but it's not coming back up. So, I offer you this OneShot centering around one of the main ideas of 'Pawn': Reid, Neal, and Mozzie know each other from more than just the case their team's worked together. This will be a flashback series of 3, the first one being from when Neal and Reid met and so on. Once more, I apologize, but it wasn't my fault! Hope you guys like this. And you should know this wasn't my original meeting plan with Mozzie, Neal, and Reid, but it won't work w/o 'Pawn'…"

Las Vegas, Nevada: 16 Years Ago

An Acquaintance:

Strategic Planning

Spencer Reid ran out the door as the man behind him yelled and followed after him. "Get back here!" he hissed. Spencer kept running forward, though, gaining pace rapidly. He had snuck in to a casino with fifty dollars and the goal of more than tripling the price. His father's alimony and his mother's paycheck working at the university two days a week weren't cutting it anymore. He still needed more money for food, the house payment, the electricity bill, and all the other essentials the paid for. He had snuck into the casino many times before without being caught, but when they did a security sweep, they found him playing slots and virtual poker games. He had managed to take six hundred dollars of his earnings, and he could only hope that it was enough. As he ran through the streets of Las Vegas, he held on to the money tightly and prayed that he wouldn't get caught.

Suddenly, he heard someone hiss, "Come here, kid! I can help you!" Having no other choice, Spencer turned sharply and jumped into the black car. He could see that the man was bald- by choice; he presumed- with thick-rimmed black glasses and a casual but yet still classy trench coat and plain white shirt. He smiled at Spencer when he saw him look up at him. Spencer quickly looked away, though, still unsure where he should put his trust.

"It's okay, kid. My name's Mozzie, and I'm here to help you. I saw you running from those men back there; what did you do?"

"I…I…." Spencer stuttered, not sure if he should tell the stranger.

"You can trust me. I'm not the bad guy."

"I was running from the casino guards. I…. I snuck in. I need more money for bills." Spencer said, his voice small.

"I can help you." Mozzie responded. "You won't have to go back to sneaking into casinos anymore."

"How are you going to help me?" Spencer asked, obviously still on the edge.

"I can get you a…job." Mozzie started. "It'll be safer, and you won't be alone.'

"You'll be there?"

"In a sense, yes."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Strategic planning, I suppose you could call it."

"And what does that mean?"

Mozzie paused for a moment before continuing. Finally, he sighed and looked at Spencer through the mirror. "You should know I'm a criminal."

"I figured as much." Spencer commented.

"And you should know that I don't hurt children." He added. Spencer stayed silent, unsure of how to respond. "Another kid works with me. He'll be working with you now. His name is Neal, and he's a lot like you. Both of his parents' are dead, though. He has no one, and the Suits tried to put him in foster care."

"Who are the Suits?" Spencer asked.

"The Feds." Mozzie answered.

"Is…is Neal nice?"

"Yeah, he is nice." Mozzie replied, a frown forming on his face. "Why would you ask that?" Spencer didn't answer, though. "Did they hurt you, the kids?" Spencer just nodded shyly. He crossed his arms over his chest protectively and looked out the window. "Don't worry about them, kid. They're just immature idiots who don't have a quarter amount of the smarts you and I do."

'I know." Spencer nodded. 'Mozzie' scared him a little, but he was still eager to meet Neal. He sounded smart, and he doubted that he would try to hurt him like the other kids.

Mozzie smiled at Spencer one more time before the car stopped, and he motioned for him to get out. Spencer followed closely behind Mozzie as he was lead into an abandoned warehouse, where he was sure he had a secret hide-out where he would be 'working' with Neal.

They climbed a few stairs cases until they reached the very top, where a large room decorated with a variety of paintings, scarce furniture, and a hardwood floor lay. A young boy who looked about ten was sitting at a table surrounded by security lay-outs. He looked up at Mozzie and Spencer with a smile on his face.

"Hey Neal, this is…uh…"

"Spencer." The kid supplied. "You must be Neal."

"Yeah, I'm Neal." The boy smiled. "Are you here to help?"

"I…suppose so." Spencer nodded.

"Neal, Spencer needs some help paying bills for his family, so he will be helping plan the next heist. He won't be staying with us, but he will be here o occasion."

"Heist? What kind of heist?" Spencer asked.

"A Paint Heist." Neal replied.

"You're art thieves?"

"It's…a little more complicated than that." Mozzie sighed. "If you want out-" But Spencer cut him off.

"No, I trust you." Spencer said. "Whatever you're doing, I know you'll keep me safe, and if I continue running from casinos, I doubt I will be."

"I appreciate that." Mozzie said, his voice sounding serious. "I won't hurt you, and neither will Neal." With that, Mozzie left the room, heading off to some unknown destination. Spencer walked over to Neal and sat down opposite of him. Neal looked out and passed him a pen.

"Mozzie has to steal back a painting from Kennith Harris. He's a bad man, and he needs to be caught. If we can steal the painting and put it back in its exhibit, the police can dust it for prints and catch him." Neal quickly explained. "This map is a blue-print of his loft we need to find a way to by-pass security and get out quickly."

Spencer glanced at the map and immediately saw the path they needed to take and the ones they needed to avoid. With a smile on his face, he turned to Neal.

"I have a plan."

"…Well, not what I wanted, but I felt I needed to at least explre their experiences from the past since I can't write more of 'Pawn' for whatever reason! R&R?.."