A/N: I'M BAAACK! And so is this story. AT LAST! I'm SO SORRY that it took me this long! I sort of lost my way to 'CM' for a while. But now I'm back, and INSANELY happy about it. Hopefully you're happy to see me, too.

THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, for all your reviews, listings and love! They're what brought this story and my inspiration back, and I can't thank you enough. (HUGS)

Awkay, it's high time we move on with the story! The chapter is quite tiny, I'll admit. BUT, I hope that it's still worth the wait!

Missing

On February 9th Dr. Spencer Reid was gone. He left behind a letter of resignation, nothing else. No goodbyes, no items to remember him, and certainly no explanation. A blink, and he was gone. It was like some sick magic trick.

The team refused to believe that, of course. While Penelope did whatever digging she could with her computer and Aaron decided to have a spontaneous meeting with chief Cruz JJ and Derek headed towards the genius' apartment. Only to discover that all of Spencer's possessions had been retrieved earlier that morning. The only thing left to remind of the apartment's inhabitant was the already distant scent of coffee and books.

What happened to Spencer?

JJ shook her head with a stricken look on her face. "He wouldn't leave us. Not like this. He wouldn't just…" She trailed off, a lump forming in her throat.

Spencer wouldn't just leave them, or Henry, without saying goodbye or explaining why.

"JJ." The tone of Derek's voice got to her a lot more effectively than the words. It was full of shock and carried a slight tremor.

JJ turned around slowly, unsure if she really wanted to know. First she saw the emotional turmoil on Derek's face. Then the used syringe the man was holding.

No. No. NO. "He wouldn't…"

Derek nodded in agreement. "I know. We'll get this thing examined. And then we'll have evidence that Reid didn't leave willingly."

Going through Spencer's desk felt like a violation. Alex knew and understood that the team's youngest was a very private person. But they needed to figure out what made him leave, or who took him away, so there was little choice.

That she found several books, most of them old and only one written in English, was no surprise. Otherwise there wasn't much, just some neatly organized files and documents, and a handful of photographs hidden to a drawer. A few of them were of the team. One of him and his mom, both of them smiling. Definitely a reminder of happy times. The most heartbreaking discovery was the picture of Maeve. He must've handled it a lot, because the corners were wrinkled.

Or no. That was the second most heartbreaking discovery. The worst was the bottle of anti-depressants, two thirds of the pills consumed.

Spencer had been hiding it right there, almost out in the open. They would've all noticed if they looked carefully enough. Or maybe they just hadn't wanted to see.

At least Spencer had sought helped and accepted it. He faced one of his greatest fears and met up with a psychiatrist, no matter how much it had to make him feel like his mom. At least he was trying to get better. Or had been, anyway. Alex just wished that he'd shared this with them.

How was she supposed to not feel protective of him when every time she met his eyes she felt like she'd been looking at her son?

A coffee mug invaded her line of vision, startling her. "I had a feeling that you need this as much as I do." David stood beside her. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Alex realized that she'd been staring at some unknown spot for a while. "Thanks." She sighed, accepting the beverage. "I'm just trying to make sense of this."

"We all are." David gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We'll bring him back home. And then we'll let him know exactly how little we appreciate being scared like this. I'm not as young as I used to be."

Alex actually managed a tiny smile at that.

"That's better." David smiled as well, even if it didn't reach his eyes. "Now let's go. Garcia had something she wanted to show us."

Penelope wasn't in tears when they entered her office a few minutes later but Alex could tell that the younger woman had been crying earlier. The computer genius had never been one to hide her emotions, which was one of her most endearing traits. Shock was clearly visible on Penelope's pale face. "I… I decided to take a look at his files. Not exactly legal, I know, but… but he's somewhere out there, lost, and I have to…"

"We understand", Alex interrupted gently. She nodded towards the computer screen, seeing a lot of files. "What did you find?"

"See those three files?" Penelope swallowed. "The level of security… It's insane. There's no way I'd ever get them open." And when she admitted that much…

Whatever those files were about, it was extremely high profile.

Unusual tension lingered between Aaron and Mateo as they sat to the latter's office. Aaron's eyes narrowed with suspicion and confusion when he searched the other's face. "Is this about Reid's resignation?" For some reason alarm bells went off in his head.

Mateo's eyes darkened and filled with apology as the section chief prepared himself with a deep breath. Obviously the man didn't like what he'd have to say. "Your team needs to stop trying to look for agent Reid." His mouth opened but Mateo was faster. "I understand that it's going to be difficult. But you need to leave it be, for the sake of his safety."

Disbelief and wrath coursed through Aaron. "He's a member of our team. You can't expect us to…!"

"You'll have to, agent Hotchner", a new voice came from behind him. Sharp and free of remorse. "If you want him to make it through this alive you'll forget that he exists."

The second Spencer began to wake up he realized that he was high. He hated it. He loved it. And then he hated it some more. A lot more.

His head buzzed and when he opened his eyes everything spun uncomfortably. He frowned, trying to will his head to clear faster. Thinking was what he did best, and the inability to process anything was terrifying.

What happened to him? Where was he? And why? What…?

"Well, how about that. I was expecting you to remain unconscious for longer but I should've known that you're too stubborn for that." The clap of high heels sounded uncomfortably loud. "Good morning, Spencer. Welcome to the Farm. And congratulations. You've been selected for project White Dahlia."

TBC

A/N: Sorry about the short chapter! BUT, I felt like it was important to include another smaller piece before the story REALLY goes BOOM. In the next chapter we'll jump ahead in time. We'll see just what'll happen to Reid there AND in the future… (gulps) Poor team! They want their youngest back so badly.

Soooo… Was that worth the wait, at all? PLEASE, do leave a note to let me know! It's been a LONG time and I'd love to hear from you.

Okay, time for me to get at least a little sleep. Until next time! Hopefully I'll see ya all there.

Take care!

Guest (all four of you): GOSH, how happy it makes me that the next chapter is so longed for! I REALLY hope that this update lives up to the expectations.

Colossal thank yous for the reviews!