12 years later~

"I hate this case." Morgan muttered, wiping water away from his eyes as the rain continued to pour down.

"I know, Morgan. You've told us a hundred times already." Emily grouched soaked to the bone, with an equally drenched genius nodding his head in agreement.

The BAU had been called to Cedar City, Utah two weeks ago. Young kids in foster homes across the city were disappearing. Two weeks in and there were 11 children missing with no clues of their whereabouts.

"That woman wasted our time, we're sopping wet and we still don't know where any of these kids are." Morgan continued, agitated to the core. To make things worse, the media had gotten wind of the case and the police department had been getting dozens of calls from angry and concerned citizens. They were also getting calls from people claiming they had information. Sadly, most of these people were liars, such as the lady the trio had finished interviewing.

And of course, because the things apparently weren't bad enough, it decided to downpour the moment they stepped outside.

"I think our victims are being taken into a human trafficking ring. I hope JJ and Hotch were able to find something out from their interviews." Reid said quietly, climbing into the SUV and buckling up. The two agents had decided to hit the streets and see if any of the prostitutes knew anything.

"They should have taken you. All the Ladies of the Night have a soft spot for you, Pretty Boy." Morgan grinned, looking in his review mirror just in time to see Reid blush scarlet. Emily's eyes widened and she whipped around to stare at their youngest member in disbelief.

"What? Reid, you dog." She said with a saucy grin.

"No! No, it's not like that Emily! It was on a different case in a completely different state!" Reid stuttered to defend himself. "They saw me as low hanging fruit for some reason." He finished, making Morgan snort. "Shut up, Morgan!"

"We're just messing with you, Reid. No need to get defensive." Morgan commented as they pulled into the police department's parking lot.

"That's weird, Hotch and JJ are back already." Emily noted, seeing the other SUV as they walked inside. "I wonder if something happened."

Heading for the conference room that had been given to them, they found JJ pinning photos of their victims on to the cork board with one hand while the other held her phone. Looking up, she saw them and gave a smile.

"Anything you find on him would be helpful. Thanks Garcia." Hanging up, she turned to the others. "Did the witness have any helpful information?"

"No." Morgan scowled, his bad mood coming back. "She just wanted in on all the chaos. There should be some kind of fine for people like that. How about you guys? Any of the street walkers see or know anything?"

"We didn't get to interview any." JJ said, pinning another photo. "Halfway to the red light district, Rossi called us and said we had to come back. A man came in claiming one of the kids called him. Rossi and Hotch are questioning him right now." The way she said the last sentence made Reid curious.

"Questioning him as a witness or as a suspect?" He asked and knew it was the latter at JJ's uneasy look.

"Rossi said when the man was behaving aggressively when he came in. He actually head-butted an officer when they asked him to calm down. He also knew the name and description of the child who he claimed called him; the two things that weren't released to the media. So he knows something."

"Our profile of the unsub is of a male who is very calm and doesn't panic easily. Aggressive behavior is something people notice." Emily pointed out.

"Our profile also says our unsub is physically fit and strong enough to carry a teenager with no problems. The only things on this man's record are speeding tickets and spending the night in county for a bar fight but I'm having Garcia dig deeper. I could see him being involved in illegal cage fighting thanks to his stature. Trust me, this guy's a bear." JJ told them.

A suspicion was beginning to form in Reid's mind. The probability was low, very low, but with a job like this, Reid learned anything was possible. Without saying a word, Reid spun around and made his way to the interrogation room. Looking through the two-way mirror, he saw Hotch and Rossi questioning a man with a big, burly black beard and a red bandanna tied across his forehead.

Reid let loose a groan and hit his head against the glass. The resounding 'thunk' caught the attention of the three inside the room.

"Is there someone out there?" The suspect asked, looking at the window. "If it's that guy I head-butted coming here to laugh at me, Imma beat him with this chair."

"You're handcuffed to the table." Hotch pointed out.

"The table then. I'll beat him with the table."

"The table that just so happens to be bolted to the floor?" Rossi supplied helpfully.

"Bolts can be ripped out of the ground with enough force." The suspect replied with a sunny smile. "Trust me. They said the same thing about a table in a tavern I was in 3 months back. By the time the fight was a finished, that table was no longer bolted to the floor. I mean, I guess the two of the legs were still bolted but the top came off easily enough. Now the window that that guy got thrown out of-"

"Back to the matter at hand, ." Hotch interrupted, ignoring Rossi's disappointed look. "Why was Annabelle Mason calling you?" Immediately, the man's friendly disposition changed into one of worried panic.

"She was scared. More scared than when her daddy threatened to kill her sisters in front of her. I tried to keep her calm and ask her where she was but she hung up." Brigham finished sadly. "Kids. . .kids shouldn't ever have to feel like that; like they can't speak for fear of something awful happening to them. Please find her. I can't say cops are my favorite people but I know you guys care about kids. If you find her and bring her back safely- her and all the others- I'll never cuss out another cop. Not even for an undeserved speeding ticket. Heck, they can light my bike on fire if it means getting those kids back home."

"Annabelle's father is in prison. He's been there for several years and will be there much longer." Hotch stated, eyes darkening as he re-evaluated the suspect.

"He should stay in there forever." The other man said ominously.

"What my partner is trying to say is that the Mason case was not open to the public according to the records. How did you know Annabelle's father threatened her and her sisters in such a manner?" Rossi asked and Brigham rolled his eyes.

"Because she called me and told me." Brigham told them plainly.

"Little girls don't call bikers." Hotch stated.

"They do if that biker promises to come and make sure they're safe." Brigham snapped back. "Listen, I'm not your suspect. I'm trying to help Annabelle. Stop wasting valuable time. The fact that she's been missing for two weeks and is still alive is amazing!"

Hotch was about to continue his questioning when someone knocked twice on the door. Rossi shared a look with him. One knock meant someone wanted to switch out interrogators but two knocks meant there was new information that both needed to hear.

"Excuse us, Mr. Brigham. We'll be back in a moment." Hotch said abruptly, standing up. Leaving the room with Rossi, he was surprised to find a muttering Reid pacing in the hallway as Emily, Morgan, and JJ looked on in worry and amusement.

"Did you crack the case, Reid?" Rossi asked somewhat sarcastically after Hotch shut the door.

"No. But I can tell you Black Bear isn't our unsub. He's a fighter but he'd rather cut his own arm off before he hurt a child." Reid said absent-mindedly, stopping his pacing to glare at the window.

"Black Bear?" Morgan asked out loud as everyone exchanged questioning glances. "The guy's name is-"

"Acel Brigham is his civilian name. He goes by his biker name; Black Bear." Reid interrupted, still looking through the window. "At least he didn't have metal pole on him this time." He muttered barely loud enough for the others to hear.

"Actually he did." Rossi told him and Reid gave him a blunt look in return.

"With blood specks?" It was asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Yup." Rossi nodded.

"From a bar fight two towns over?" Reid asked dryly.

"Three blocks over but close enough. I take it you know this fine fellow, Reid?" Reid looked at Rossi as if it should be obvious.

"Yes. Black Bear is a part of the B.A.C.A organization. Bikers Against Child Abuse." He elaborated after a moment of confused silence.

"That sounds like a very interesting organization." Emily said slowly with an arched brow of her own.

"Oh, yes." Reid replied with an enthusiastic smile. "They're involved in a lot of child abuse cases. The bikers are safety blankets for a lot of kids. Waiting periods during the court trials can be nerve wracking for kids, especially if they're living with their abuser. Anytime a child feels unsafe, they can call B.A.C.A and a biker will stay with them until they feel better. Doesn't matter when or where. They'll even go to school with the kid."

"Is that how you know Black Bear?" JJ asked quietly. Reid was rather tight lipped about his childhood because of his mother's illness. Maybe a neighbor thought she was abusing him and called the cops?

"What? No. Where did you get that idea?" Reid asked incredulously, clueless to the others' line of thought. "His gang had come to Vegas for a biker convention and ended up lost. They saw me on the football field of my school and stopped to ask for directions."

"I feel like a football field is the last place you would be at." Morgan joked and immediately regretted it as a dark look fell across Reid's face.

"I didn't want to be there. The football team wanted to. . .I mean, Alexa and Harper had told me-look, I only knocked one person unconscious and the linebacker, well, I'm sure that stun gun didn't end his reproduction skills permanently. And regardless of the rumors that spread afterwards, I didn't actually pepper spray anyone so the idea that someone was blinded to the point of their eyeballs falling out is ludicrous. Pepper spray can't-"

"Reid." Hotch barked out, getting the young man's attention. "Black Bear. How did you meet?"

"He stopped to ask for direction to the biker convention. I gave him directions but he's not an auditory learner. It was easier to just guide them there." Reid said casually.

"Wait, weren't you 12 when you graduated?" Emily cut in.

"Yeah."

"You couldn't have had a driver's licenses at 12." She exclaimed.

"Of course not. I rode with Black Bear." Reid replied casually. "What?" He asked, seeing their horrified looks and yelped when JJ punched his arm. "Ow! JJ! What was that for?" He whined, rubbing his throbbing arm.

"You got on the bike with him?! Reid, he could have kidnapped you!" She scolded him, going into full mother mode.

"No. Gretchen and Black Bear mentioned that scenario too. They asked me if my parents would be ok with me running off with strangers. I told them it would be strange for a biker gang to kidnap a kid, especially on the way to a crowed motorcycle convention."

"Oh, yes. Strange right up until you realize they were lying about the convention and handed you off to the black market to be sold." JJ snapped at him.

"That, ah, that thought had never crossed my mind." He told her sheepishly.

"Obviously. Too trusting, even as a kid." She grumbled good naturedly, giving him a quick hug.

"What happened next, Reid?" Rossi asked, interested in the story.

"I took them to the convention. They were really happy to get there on time. Black Bear has no sense of direction. He took me home and gave me his number. He told me I could call him anytime if anyone gave me any trouble."

"And did anyone give you trouble?" Morgan asked, a protective look crossing his face at the thought of Spence being bullied. Just thinking about it made him want to punch someone.

"Just once; some kids thought it would be funny to stuff me a locker. The next day three very big and angry looking bikers went to all my classes with me." Reid gave them a big grin. "I think that was the best day of my high school career. Black Bear impressed my calculus teacher by solving the daily board problem without a calculator, Gretchen threatened to call someone's mom if they didn't stop staring at me and a desk was permanently bent into an almost 90° angel due to a rather aggressive arm wrestling contest. Gretchen won by the way."

"And Black Bear's never felt off to you? He's never done anything that would make you feel unsafe?" Hotch asked.

"Never."

Hotch opened his mouth to say something when his phone went off. "Hotchner." He answered immediately. He stood there quietly for several moments, listening to the person on the other end. "I see. Thank you for informing me." He said brusquely, hanging up and looking at his team. "Another child was just reported missing. Unless Black Bear has an accomplice he's innocent."

"He's definitely innocent." JJ replied, hanging up her own phone. "That was Garcia. Acel Brigham and his biker gang where at a bike show last week in Denver. They only arrived in Cedar City two days ago."

"JJ, make sure the media does not get ahold of this update. Morgan, Emily, you're coming with me to the foster home. Reid, work on our unsub's profile. If you notice anything off, call me immediately. Rossi, get Mr. Brigham to tell you everything he knows and make sure he's released with no problems when you're done." Hotch ordered, ready to move out when Reid stopped him.

"About Black Bear, do you think we can keep him on to help with the case?" The youngest profile asked.

"Reid, he's a civilian. An angry one who's made it known how he feels about cops." Hotch pointed out.

"That's true but he's also made it known how he feels about kids. He wouldn't sabotage the case. Besides, I think keeping him close is the best way to solving this case."

"What makes you say that?" Rossi asked and Reid gave them all a down right devious smile.

"Annabelle Mason called him once. The moment she thinks it safe, she'll call him again. That alone should be enough to keep him on."

"Alright, Reid." Hotch relented. "Rossi will work on the profile and you work with Mr. Brigham. If he wants to stay and help, he can, but Mr. Brigham is free to go whenever he pleases, understood?"

"Of course, Hotch." The genius nodded.

Meanwhile, Black Bear was staring at the wall across from him, looking bored out of his mind. On the inside though, he was fraught with panic. Just remembering Annabelle's shaky voice from that short phone call earlier made him want to vomit. He had never gotten on well with the law enforcement when it came to the open road (so many speeding tickets. . .so many) but he had thought they would take the information he had seriously. Instead, some young upstart cop had the gall to ask if he was intoxicated and he somehow ended up as a suspect. Despite what those uniformed men thought, he wasn't stupid. Black Bear knew how witnesses were treated and he knew how suspects were treated. Just as he was considering yelling to see if anyone would come, the door opened and slim young man stepped inside. Black Bear raised one bushy eyebrow as the man turned to look at him. He certainly didn't look like a police officer. He looked like a college student and, well, Black Bear couldn't put his finger on it, but this young man reminded him of someone. Something about those brown eyes. . .

It clicked when the young man sat down, sighed and gave him a weary smile.

"I thought I told you to keep the dirty side down, Black Bear." He teased.

"Spencer!" Black Bear yelled happily, recognizing the man as that sweet little boy who had helped him and his gang out so long ago. They had always met up when Black Bear went to Vegas but had lost contact years ago when Spencer started college. "What are you doing here, little buddy? You decide to become a cop or something?"

"Something like that," Reid agreed. "I'm working with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. We're helping on this kidnapping case."

"That's good." Black Bear sighed in relief. "You're a good kid and a smart one. I know if you're on the case, those kids will be back home soon."

"I'm glad you have faith in my abilities but I was hoping you would be willing to stay with me at the station and help us out." Reid said, fiddling with his thumbs nervously.

"I don't mind but I don't see why you would need me. Is someone giving you problems?" Black Bear asked suspiciously. Spencer had only ever called him once as a child but Black Bear felt like there were other instances where he could've helped that Reid was hiding from him.

"No one's giving me any problems. I'm not a kid, I can take care of myself." Reid replied, rolling his eyes. "Even if someone was giving me problems I have some strong and sometimes overprotective colleagues to help me out. I want you here because Annabelle Mason contacted you. If we put a trace on your phone, the next time she calls, we can track it."

"You think she'll call me again? She hung up the moment I asked where she was. I heard muffled voices in the background. I'm afraid they took her phone." The older man confessed sadly.

"It's a possibility. It's also possible she heard them coming hid her phone. She may not have had time to explain." Reid pointed out gently.

"Alright, I'll stay. But, uh, could you remove these handcuffs?" Black Bear asked with a sheepish smile.

"Of course! I have the key right here." Reid laughed. "By the way, where're Gretchen and the rest of the guys?" He asked as he freed Black Bear.

"Oh, they're around somewhere. Actually, can I ask a favor?" Black Bear asked, rubbing his wrist.

"Anything."

Two hours later, Hotch came back to find his conference room had filled up with several rough looking bikers. Bikers that were sitting very quietly, listening to Reid talk about the unsub's profile.

"So we know there's more than one person because keeping 12 children alive and together in one place is near impossible without help. However, there is only one person who's doing the kidnapping. Someone who knows the foster care system and houses well enough to be dismissed as part of the background. He'd be strong, with the power to subdue and keep his victims quiet. He has no personal interest in the children and is doing this for monetary gain."

"Reid." Hotch called out through gritted teeth, interrupting the lecture. "May I see you out in the hall for a moment?" The young man gulped and nodded nervously, scuttling quickly to the door.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but why are there bikers in my conference room and why are you telling them sensitive information?" Hotch asked as the door shut behind them, barely holding back a growl.

"Black Bear and his bikers are like family. If Black Bear stayed here without telling them, they'd go crazy and think he had died in a ditch or something. Besides, they're all apart of B.A.C.A so there's a chance Annabelle might call one of them. It seemed easier to have them stay here; just in case." Reid explained softly.

"Perhaps, but are you forgetting all the rules you are currently breaking? These people aren't trained- we can barely call Mr. Brigham a witness! If the higher ups find out we're working outside protocol, we could be heavily penalized or suspended." Hotch said in a low voice.

"I'm aware of the risks but the higher ups won't find out." Reid stated.

"You sound so certain of yourself; I almost feel bad reminding you that this police department has little love for bikers and not much more for us." Hotch replied dryly.

"Oh. Actually, Black Bear and I made a deal with the chief of police. In exchange for staying quiet and letting the gang stay here and help out, the bikers will pay off all their speeding tickets." Reid told Hotch with a smile.

"What?" Hotch deadpanned, not quite believing the chief of police would make such a shoddy deal.

"It's a lot of tickets. Trust me, once they're added up it's enough to keep a mob boss quiet." Reid said with a carless shrug. "Besides, I talked it over with Rossi and JJ and they both seemed alright with it. I tried to call you but you were out of range. Also, Rossi told me that even if by some chance the higher ups do find out, he has enough black mail material to keep them silent." Reid ended brightly.

Hotch groaned.

"What's done is done." He said tiredly, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he walked back to the conference room.

The next several hours were spent both working and getting to know the 'witnesses'. Several of the bikers had staring contests with their phones, afraid that they would miss the call if they looked away for even a second. Others spent their time talking to the team and trading stories about Reid, mortifying the young profiler. Hotch found himself becoming rather fond of Gretchen because she knew how to keep the men inline and wasn't afraid to hit any of them if she thought they were going overboard. Black Bear may have been the leader but it was obvious to everyone who the bikers truly feared.

"I'm so proud of you, little man! I always knew you'd do something great with your life." Gretchen told Reid as she caught him in a bear hug. "Ah, but you're taller than me now, aren't you? I guess I can't call you that anymore, huh?" She ended with a sad smile.

"Woman, half the world's population is taller than you!" Black Bear heckled from across the room.

"And more than half the world's population is smarter than you!" She quipped back with an easy smile as the rest smiled and laughed at Black Bear's indignant, "Hey!"

"You don't have to stop calling me little man if it makes you sad. I don't mind the nickname." Reid told her kindly.

"Sweet! A new nickname for Reid." He heard Morgan stage whisper to Prentiss and quickly intervened.

"No Morgan, no one on this team is allowed to call me that. I'm taller than all of you and none of you knew me when I was short. Besides, you guys have enough nicknames for me already."

A response was on Morgan's tongue but no one would know what it was because a phone began to ring. Quick as lightening, Black Bear snatched his phone up.

"Hello?" He answered nervously and then sagged his shoulders in relief when he heard who was on the other end. "Annabelle! I'm so glad to hear your voice! You scared me earlier hanging up like you did."

As he spoke to her, the team was in motion. Reid was making sure the bikers stayed quiet; Rossi, Morgan and Emily were listening in on the conversation as Garcia was tracing the call and Hotch and JJ had silently left the room to inform the police of what was happening.

"Ah, I know you're scared, Little Queen and I'm sorry for that. But Annabelle, do you remember what I told you?" Black Bear asked her quietly. "You're a queen, Annabelle and no man owns you. You have a fiery spirit and I need you to use that fire to anchor yourself and the other kids with you. Can you do that and keep the others calm? I promise you that help is on the way but you need to tell me where you are." Again, the biker was quiet as he listened to the girl on the other end. "It's fine that you don't know the name of the building. Just describe what you see, sweet girl."

Garcia was able to trace were the call was coming from before Annabelle had to hang up. As Black Bear was reassuring the girl, Morgan, Hotch, Reid and a few officers were on their way to an old warehouse. Luck was on their side and they were able to surprise and subdue the traffickers without a hostage situation. In the warehouse they found not only the 12 children who had been reported missing but several others who had been missing for months and, sadly, some who had been smuggled in from other states.

"Man, the Human Trafficking Unit is gonna go crazy when they hear about this." Morgan sighed as they pulled back into the station. Already, there were news station vehicles everywhere with cameras going off every other second. Thankfully, JJ was distracting the reporters and the team was able to get inside with minimal fuss.

"So did you get them?" Black Bear asked anxiously, the moment he saw the team walk in. "Annabelle hasn't called me back yet. Is she alright? Are the others?" Seeing the worried and desperate look on Black Bear's face, Reid struggled to hide his smile.

"The children are at the hospital and will be taken back to their foster homes once they're deemed well enough. No visitors are being allowed right now for obvious reasons but if Annabelle was able to sneak her phone passed those traffickers, she can probably do it at the hospital as well. Our main unsub was a maintenance worker who was contracted with the state to work on the foster houses. He made friends with a lot of the kids and knew those houses inside out."

Just as he finished talking, several officers came by, escorting men who had taken a beating.

"As you can see, we also got his friends." Reid said after the men had passed.

"I hope they rot in prison and in hell." Black Bear muttered and several of his buddies whooped in agreement. "But let's not focus on them. Let focus on the fact that those kids are alive and safe! It's a good day to be alive!" The big man ended in a cheerful roar that drew the attention of some of the officers. Embarrassed at the attention, Reid tried to hush him but just ended up trapped in a bear hug.

"Black Bear, you're hugging me too tight!" He groaned, feeling his spine pop and sighed in relief when Black Bear released him.

"Sorry, little man. I'm just so happy. Everyone's safe and that doesn't happen very often." The older man said with a small sniffle as watery brown eyes looked down at Reid.

"Are you going to cry, Black Bear?" Reid asked with a teasing smile.

"I-I shouldn't. It's not good for my image. B-but the kids are alright and really, that's a good enough reason to cry, right Gretchen?" He asked turning to see the woman was already weeping. Her and several other bikers. "See? Gretchen agrees with me. If she says it's ok to cry, then it's ok to cry."

And so, the rest of the team walked in to see an awkward Reid trying to comfort a group bikers that were crying their eyes out.

"Damn, Reid! What did you say to them? Why are they crying like someone died?" Morgan asked incredulously as he took in the scene.

"Um, I told them everything was ok. They're crying out of relief, I think." Reid said lamely.

"Well we can't have that, can we? Hey man! No need for tears! We shouldn't be in here bawling, we should be out celebrating!" Morgan said, slapping one of the bikers on the back.

"He's right! Let's go celebrate! Drinks are on me!" Black Bear yelled and received many happy yells in return at the mention of free drinks.

And that's how Reid found himself stuck in a loud bar with his old friends becoming friends with his current ones. He didn't mind them bonding, he just wished it wasn't through stories about him.

"I can't believe you're leaving so soon. I wanted more time to catch up." Gretchen complained when she found out the team would be flying back to Virginia the next day.

"Sorry, Gretchen. It's part of the job. Once we catch the unsub there's no reason for us to stay." Reid shrugged helplessly. "Besides, I'm not sure how wise it was to allow Morgan and Emily challenge Black Bear to a drinking contest."

"I dunno, they seem to be holding up pretty well." Gretchen commented, looking at the two profilers who had just knocked back their drinks and were egging on Black Bear to do the same. "In any case, Black Bear will lose regardless. He doesn't want to get drunk tonight for two reasons. He'd be mortified if Annabelle called and he couldn't answer without slurring; she'd lecture him something fierce, that's for sure." The woman ended in a giggle.

"What's the second reason?" Reid asked curiously.

"Why, you little man! You're all grown up but Black Bear doesn't want to look like a bad influence in front of your friends. He thought about you a lot after we lost contact. He was really worried about you. We all were. We had no idea where you were or if you were ok." She confessed to him quietly, ripping the label off her beer bottle.

"Ah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to lose contact with you guys. I lost some stuff in the move from Vegas to Virgina and there was so much going in my life that by the time I realized I hadn't talked to you guys in a while, it had already been a year. I tried Black Bear's number but he had changed it. I thought about calling the Legion and asking for him but I didn't want to bother you guys." Reid explained in an equally quiet voice.

"Aw, it's alright, Spencer. We figured that was probably what had happened. Life moves on and sometimes people get left in the past, intentionally or not. We're glad we got to see you again." Gretchen told him.

"Really glad!" Black Bear cut in as he sat next to Reid. "I'd probably still be stuck in that interrogation room without you. Man, you FBI agents sure can put it away!" The old biker exclaimed as Morgan and Emily started another round.

"No, those two are on higher level than most humans when it comes to drinking. Anyone else would be dead from alcohol poisoning by now." Reid joked and yelped when a wadded up napkin pegged him in the forehead, courtesy of a tipsy Emily.

He would be sad leaving his old friends in the morning but for now, he was going to embrace the warmth of the friendship they had kindled so long ago.

A/N: Um, certainly not my best work. I know the case could have been expanded on more, but this was meant to be short, people! Short!

I'm sure no one was expecting an update on a completed fic from almost 4 years ago but it's 2015 and reviewers were still asking for a follow up, so I figured 'Eh, why not?' Consider it a late Valentine's gift.

I hope this is what you guys were looking for? Apologies for any grammar and spelling mistakes, it's been 3 years since I've last written and I'm rusty. I also edited the first chapter. It's still the same, I just reworded some parts and edited stuff I missed the first time around.