" The question that sometimes drives me hazy: Am I, or the others crazy? "

— Albert Einstein

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8.2 ; MAGIC TRICKS.

EVER SINCE SPENCER WAS a child, he wondered what it was like to have a sibling. Being the only child that he was, he was spoiled, in a way, by his mother. All her attention, when her mind was present that day, and love was his and no one else's.

But he craved friendship, even when he was younger. He used to dream up imaginary brothers and sister to play with and then, when he learned how to read, would immerse himself in stories with heroes and normal families with siblings and pets and a white picket fence. He imagined a life where he had all of those things, more importantly, a big family to call his own.

But, now, with Chris staring daggers at his back every time he turned around, he was starting to reconsider his fantasy. He wondered if Caroline's brother was so intense all the time or if his mood was just the product of stress and worry. If this was his normal temperance, Reid immediately felt guilty for Caroline for having to put up with him all the time. But, Spencer could tell he cared about his sister immensely just by the look on his face, so he decided not to think so harshly of the tank posing as a man until Caroline was safe. Then, all the contributing factors would be eliminated and Reid could form an unbiased opinion.

Caitlin, on the other hand, was no where near as over-bearing as her brother. She was quiet, meek even. She kept to herself and watched the security feed a lot, keeping a watchful eye on her older sister through the monitor. If Reid didn't know any better, he would've said Caitlin was clearly traumatized by the fear of losing her sister, but Caroline would've told him if something had happened in her life.

Wouldn't she?

Suddenly, an overwhelming wave of doubt crashed over him. This was the first time meeting her siblings and one hated him while the other just stared blankly off into space like a war victim—Reid was certainly making the impression he feared he always would've when he met Caroline's family.

A weirdo. A freak. Someone not worthy of her or her beauty.

And yet, even though, deep down, he already knew that fact, the wound still ached like it was fresh, cutting deep down to his soul.

"Tell me about the hostages," Gideon's voice snapped Reid out of his thoughts. The doctor rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands as Derek pulled up on of the programs Garcia sent him on a nearby computer. He leaned forward and watched over Hotch's shoulder.

"First, we've got Harry Anderson," Derek said, pulling up a driver's license photo of the sweaty man wearing glasses with the mediocre business suit, "He's a paper goods salesman. Lived in a small home just outside of Dallas for 18 years with his wife. Got no children, no investments, no company retirement portfolio."

"He doesn't take chances," Gideon said, nodding with approval. That's exactly what they needed—someone who would sit and not stir trouble.

"What about the kid?" Chris spoke up from behind them, pointing to the young Indian boy sitting across from Harry Anderson on the train.

Derek clicked through some more files before pulling out the right one. "Okay—kid's name is Josh Patel. He's 20 years old. He just got expelled from Gillet University for driving his car into the library building drunk."

Chris scoffed, rolling his eyes. "He's drunk right now."

"Which is why we don't need him in there right now," Hotch told him placatingly. Reid could tell his unit chief was getting aggravated with Caroline's older brother and his unhelpful attitude.

"The girl on the phone from earlier," Derek said, "is kinda a mystery. Garcia couldn't find much except her name's Elaine Curtis and she lives in a small town in west Texas."

"And the other woman is Dr. Linda Deaton. She's a psychiatrist at Stokes Mental Health Center in El Paso," Derek continued, "where our unsub, Ted Bryar, has been living for the last 9 years."

"His doctor?" Gideon asked him.

"I say probably. She's unmarried, lives in El Paso. She's written several books and papers, mainly published in medical circles. She's a popular lecturer and she's scheduled to speak at several symposiums this year and tonight in Dallas." Morgan paused. "Well that's it. I don't really see how this lineup is going to help us much, Gideon."

His mentor rubbed his eyes and sighed tiredly.

"Well, let's just hope none of them makes the situation any worse."

➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴

        Caroline watched in slight disgust as Ted began to pick anxiously at the thick, jagged pieces of raised flesh on his arm. She had a pretty good idea exactly what the unsub wanted removed, but she had absolutely no way of informing her team about what she knows. Her phone was smashed to pieces and no one had cell reception this far into the Texas dry-lands. All she had was her clinging hope that the team would see Ted's scars and figure it out, like they do everything else.

"Hey," a man's voice hissed to her. She slowly tore her eyes off Ted's scars as she turned to face the nervous man clutching a bible in his hands, "why aren't they helping us?"

Caroline resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She didn't have to explain her team's motives to him. "We're gonna get through this just fine."

"We?" The drunk kid slurred at her, shaking his head. "He isn't pissed at us, lady. You're the government agent."

"He probably thinks we're all agents," Linda interjected. "He believes almost everyone is."

Before Caroline could move to stop him, the drunkard slowly stood up with his hands held defensively above his head.

"I'm not with an government agent," he claimed as Ted turned around to face him, confused. Caroline and Linda were both hissing at him to sit down, but he ignored them. "I'm with you. Big brother, right? Newthink? Newspeak? Hate is love. War is peace."

Ted suddenly stood, aiming the gun clutched in his hands at his chest. "Stop it!"

Linda lurched forward, shielding the drunk boy with her body. "No, Ted," she said calmly, "it's ok. He doesn't mean anything."

"Yeah, chill," the boy encouraged, gesturing with hands to appear open, "I support you. Screw the government."

The unsub was silent for a moment, the gun trembling in his hand. Caroline attempted for the million time to free herself from her restraints but she couldn't do anything except use herself as a partial shield in case he start shooting. She waited for his response anxiously.

"Make him sit down," Ted whispered , gesturing towards his doctor with the weapon. Linda placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and gently pushed him back down in his seat before returning to her own. Once everything was calm and quiet, Ted sat back down in one of the rows and began whispering to himself again, rocking back and forth as he waited.

Caroline swallowed, slightly relaxing back into her seat.

She knew that they dodged a bullet just then, quite literally. It seems like the more time that passed, the more volatile and uncontrollable Ted gets. His temper was especially bad when provoked by the hostages and each time Linda got up and tried to calm him down, she could see in his eyes the doctor was losing more and more control over her patient.

If her team didn't figure out something soon, she was concerned that the hostages and her didn't have an hour until he started shooting.

➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴

"All right, how do we remove a microchip that's not there?" Hotch asked as he rested his back against the door to the command center.

Reid had been wondering that same question ever since he found out that was what Dr. Ted Bryar, a psychopathic genius (according to his doctorate and test scores), wanted—a microchip removed. The method still eluded him as he frowned, his brain working into overtime.

"His speech is lucid. There's no sign of neologisms, word salad, or loosening of associations," Reid said, more to himself than to anyone else. "As long as he can systemize, he'll be able to keep his thinking relatively organized."

"Organized enough to see through any game we try to throw at him?" Even though Morgan's words formed a question, his tone made it sound like he was making a statement.

"And if he's convinced it's in his arm and not in a place like his lower back or his neck," Hotch remarked, shaking his head, "an incision means he's gonna be watching."

"Maybe we can just convince him that he's been looking in the wrong place," Morgan suggested.

Convince him...

Suddenly, Reid's eidetic memory took him back to a few months ago when he had stayed late at Quantico with Caroline to finish up paperwork. Memories to Spencer were endless, he could conjure up any memory because he could remember every single one he's ever had. There were so many that, most of the time, they blurred together creating an amalgamation of shared time and feelings. He couldn't remember them vividly, down to the last detail, or exactly what someone said to him...but when it was with Caroline, it was different.

With Caroline, he can recall every single word she's ever said with perfect clarity. What she wore on a particular day, the sound of her laughing, even how she smelled seemed to be burned into Spencer's brain, leaving an imprint on him. With Caroline, every memory he's ever had with her stuck out like a beacon in his mind, sending wild and uncontrollable signals through his body.

This memory, however, was more potent than most. It had been second time the two of them stayed late after their kiss a year ago and he had been so nervous. Tingly fingertips, clammy palms, racing heart...he was finally alone with her.

Deep down, he had hoped that they'd kiss again. Why not?, he had wondered to himself that night. Practically all the conditions that had led up to their last kiss had been present that night, so in his mind, the possibility clicked. He was almost desperate to feel her silky soft lips on his again.

But, unfortunately, that's not what happened that night. Instead, something far more useful popped up in his mind.

In the midst of all the paperwork they had, they had decided to take a small break, stretching out their sore fingers from all the writing they had been doing. For some reason, Spencer had decided to show Caroline a magic trick he had perfected since he was a child—the disappearing coin trick.

He had taken one of her quarters and pinched it between his fingers, holding it out for her to see. Caroline had smiled and nodded, giving him a look that said "Get on with it already." With a deft movement of twisting fingers, the coin disappeared from his hands and Caroline's smile faltered as she stared at the space where the coin had once been.

"Okay," she had said to him, her brow furrowing in confusion, "where is it? Your pockets? My pockets?"

Spencer had chuckled, pleased that he had truly tricked her. He shook his head with mock surprise as he said, "I'm shocked that you think I would be as cliché to put it in your pockets when actually—"

Spencer leaned forward and brushed his hand against the side of Caroline's face, his fingertips caressing her ear. He felt the cool piece of metal slid from in-between his pointer finger and his middle finger and plop in his palm. He pulled back and revealed the coin to her. She mouth dropped open with a pop sound.

"When I actually hid it in your ear," Spencer grinned at her, twirling the quarter expertly in his fingers.

Then, at that moment, the most dazzling smile lit up on Caroline's face as she said, "Spencer Reid, someday you are going to save someone's life with a magic trick."

And she had no idea how right she had been. Except someday was today and that life would be hers.

"We could fake it," Reid said to the room, a slight bit of excitement trickling into his voice. Everyone, even Chris, turned their full attention to the young doctor, intrigued. "Conceal a chip in the palm, a little slight of hand."

As he spoke, he picked up a small random object, which felt like a button from a coat, from a nearby desk and rolled it in his fingers. It disappeared and reappeared three times to emphasize his point.

"Come on, Reid," Morgan scoffed, watching the button in his hands skeptically, "what are you talking about? A magic trick?"

"Yeah, I'm talking about a magic trick."

Hotch shook his head. "No."

Reid whirled on his heels, facing the unit chief. "I used to do it during college exams," he claimed as his finger twisted and turned deftly to make the button appear translucent in his experienced fingers. "I can make it appear, I can make it disappear—"

"We can't risk giving him another agent as a hostage," Hotch told him, almost sympathetically. The unit chief could see how much this meant to him, in more ways than one.

"Well, we have to do something," Reid fired back hotly, his skin feeling prickly. Typically, he wasn't an angry person. He learned at a young age to keep quiet and he wouldn't get picked on.

But this was Caroline on that train, along with Elle and four other innocent hostages. He could save them, if they'd just let him try.

Morgan stood up from his seat and extended the palm of his hand out to the young doctor. "Alright, Reid. Let's go. Teach it to me."

"What? No."

His coworker sighed impatiently, "Look, if you can do it, I can do it. Show it to me."

"I've been practicing this my whole life," Spencer told him. "We have less than 30 minutes."

Morgan rested a hand on his shoulder, which Spencer shook off. "Reid, I am not about to let you get on that train with an armed psychotic."

"Well, we don't have any other choice, do we?"

From the corner of the room, Gideon murmured, "No. We don't have any other choice."

Reid glanced over at his mentor and he could tell by the look on his face that he meant it. He was going to let him do this, or at the very least, try to do it.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Chris exclaimed, running a hang through his bristly blond hair. "Gideon, there's absolutely no way you're actually considering sending in this—" He paused as he examined Spencer, then scoffed. "—string bean into a hostage situation with no more than a stupid magic trick?"

Gideon rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Mr. Hale—"

"No," Caroline's older brother said, crossing his arms stubbornly, "I cannot let you send in puny Boy Wonder over here to save my sister. I don't trust him."

"That's not your decision."

Slowly, everyone turned to Caitlin, who had been sitting quietly in front on the security feed as she watched her sister over the monitor. The young teenager had been so quiet that Spencer had forgotten she was even in the room. Until now.

She glared at her brother defiantly and Chris stared right back at her, vivid with anger.

"What did you just say to me?" He asked his sister, glowering at the young girl.

"I said that's not your decision," Caitlin repeated slowly, not missing a beat. She slowly stood from her seat and brushed a stray blonde piece of hair from her face. Spencer saw that determined resolve in her eyes and he knew that Caitlin was ready for a fight.

She was more like Caroline than he had given her credit for.

"So, you trust Dr. Reid to get your sister—our sister—back?" Her brother demanded.

Caitlin hesitated before she spoke, choosing her words carefully. "No," she admitted, "but I don't know him, not like Caroline does. She trusts him. And I trust her, so by default, I do trust Dr. Reid." She paused. "Chris, at the very least, trust Caroline. She wouldn't risk her life for him if she didn't trust him."

Spencer Reid was left speechless. Caroline trusts him that much? Her sister trusts him?

Suddenly, a weight that wasn't there before rested on his shoulders. He adjusted the collar of his button-down shirt nervously.

Chris went silent, his anger slowly fading into hesitant acceptance. He sighed.

"Fine. The teacher's assistant goes in. But if anything goes wrong, and I mean anything, I'm calling my friends at the Pentagon and we're storming into that train."

Gideon held up his hands complacently. "Okay."

The full reality hit Spencer like a truck. He was going into that train car and he was going to stare down that barrel of a gun.

He was actually doing this.

➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴

      Dr. Deaton's pacing was starting to drive Caroline mad. The psychiatrist had started to get anxious after her mental patient's talk with the negotiator and began to pace in small steps to relieve her stress. But, instead of having a calming effect, it was just agitating Caroline's nerves. With each step she took, she could hear the wood underneath her foot creak with her extra sensitive hearing. Her adrenaline was pounding and she had no way to release all her pent-up energy except listen to the incessant footfalls of the anxious doctor.

"Hey," Caroline whispered to her, getting her attention. Dr. Deaton paused to look at her and she left out a soft sigh; the doctor had finally stopped for a second. "We need a strategy."

Linda placed her hands on her hips. "I'll try to talk to him."

"You think that's wise?" Caroline asked her, eyeing Ted cautiously. He was currently hitting himself in the head with the butt of the gun, whispering to himself.

Linda didn't respond. She took a couple of gentle, cautious steps towards the unsub. "Ted?"

The unsub's head snapped up, focusing on his psychiatrist. A look of familiarity flashed in his eyes, his shoulders relaxing the slightest bit. Caroline could see he was getting comfortable.

"You feel a little better now?" Dr. Deaton asked him softly. Ted nodded slightly and Linda smiled at him, "You're in no danger here. These people," she gestured to the collective group of hostages, "don't want to hurt you. The FBI agents just happened to be on the train today. They weren't following you, weren't watching you."

"Let them go, Ted," Linda encouraged with a soothing smile, her tone gentle like a mother talking to her young child, "I'll stay with you. You and I will do this together...only you need to let these people go. No one wants to hurt you."

Suddenly, the unsub sprung up from out of his seat, aiming the gun at Linda. "No!"

The doctor held her hands up in front of herself defensively as Caroline instinctively tugged on her handcuffs, trying to feel herself. She carefully tried to move herself in front of the doctor, but she was only able to shield the lower half of her body.

"Don't!" Caroline snapped at Ted as he neared Dr. Deaton. He stopped and stared down at her, an oddly curious expression on his face. She growled, "I will make sure that they never take it out of you. If you hurt one more person on this train, I swear to God, I'll make them leave it in you forever."

Behind Ted, whose face morphed into one of fear than curiosity at her words, the phone started ringing. He glanced behind him then back at Caroline then back to the phone with a pained expression. After a moment, he made his decision and walked over to the phone while Caroline relaxed back into her seat, relieved.

Ted picked up the phone and breathed, "What?"

From where she was sitting, she couldn't hear who was on the other end of the phone and what they were saying, no matter how hard she strained. So she simply sat back and listened.

"I want it out," Ted muttered into the phone as his eyes glued to the movement of police outside. There was a pause.

"No!" The unsub snapped, panic seeping into his voice. "One. One technician."

One technician? They did it, her team did it. They must've figured out someway to convince Ted of his theory.

Somebody over the other end mumbles something and Ted slammed the butt of the gun against a nearby seat, causing Caroline to jump.

"One technician," he repeated, "or every agent on this train dies!"

Caroline stiffened in anticipation. She had working on her handcuffs for the past 40 minutes by using stray bobby pins and pieces of wood from the chairs to try to unlock the chains on her wrists, or at the very least, loosen them enough to wear she could slip her hand out. So far, she had made some progress, but not enough to escape and certainly not enough to fight her way out of here. The hostages only hope was negotiating.

"I want it out now," Ted snapped into the phone, "Right now! Now!"

And that's when Caroline realized they had run out of time. If someone didn't act now, the unsub would start shooting.

➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴

        Reid stood as still as he possibly could as Morgan tightened the straps on his bulletproof vest. He listened to the sounds of Velcro with the calmest face he could manage. Everyone was gathered around him, watching with bated silence. A small breeze had begun to pick up outside and from where he stood beside the command center, he felt it wash over his face, brushing over his clammy face.

"Reid," Derek said to the doctor as he got a firm grip on his shoulders, "do not take this vest off. In hostage situations, S.W.A.T. sometimes won't even tell the negotiator when they're deciding to do in. Do you know why that is?"

"Because the slightest change in tone of voice or choice of words can give the whole thing away," Reid answered perfectly, like he was reciting it out of a textbook. Which, in a way, he was. He had read Hostage Negotiations 101 back in college.

Derek nodded in approval, satisfied with his answer. "And don't make eye contact with Caroline," he added. Reid frowned. "You're a technician. You've never seen her before."

Spencer knew that would be hard. All this time not seeing her face-to-face, worrying if she was okay, drove him insane. To have her right there, sitting arm-length away, and not being able to even look at her would be difficult.

But losing her because he gave it all away or that. He chose that latter decision.

Reid nodded in understanding as Derek continued.

"Now remember, play into this guy's fantasy. Believe it yourself."

"Actually, did you know that dentists and surgeons have been recruited to secretly implant these during otherwise normal medical procedures?" Reid asked him while Morgan stared at him with a dumbfounded look on his face. "This has been happening on and off since the late 1930s."

Derek shook his head confused as Reid smiled, "You told me to believe."

Derek chucked and gave him a pat on the back. Hotch stepped out of the command center and approached the small group huddled around the young doctor. As he neared, he held up a small, green microchip (that he had gotten from a walkie-talkie) which was the size of the tip of Reid's pinky. He swallowed. It was smaller than he originally expected.

"One government issued microchip," Hotch said as he placed the chip in the palm of Reid's white medical gloves. Reid carefully pinched the chip between his thumb and forefinger and glanced up at the group around him. Gideon, Derek, Hotch, JJ and even Chris and Caitlin were all boring holes into his head, waiting with expectant faces.

He realized they wanted him to show them the trick. They wanted proof this would work.

Reid took a deep breath as he nestled the chip in between his second and third finger. He bounced his hand a couple of times, building his momentum, before snapping his fingers. He felt the chip slid out from its hiding place and watched as it fell into the dirt beside it. He picked it up, blew the dust off, and tried again. He got the same result as he did the first try.

"You gotta relax, kid," Morgan sighed, rubbing his the side of his neck. Beside him, Chris scoffed.

"I knew we shouldn't have entertained this idea," He muttered. Reid ignored him.

"The chips a lot smaller than I'm used to doing it with, all right?" Spencer said defensively as he gave himself a third attempt. Like his previous tries, the chip fell to the ground.

"I'm pulling the plug on this," Gideon said, shaking his head.

Reid scooped up the chip and dusted it off. One more time, he told himself.

"Hold on, one more time," Spencer pleaded as he positioned the chip back into its original spot and took a deep breath.

He could do this. He would do this. Caroline's life depended on it, and he knew he would do anything for Caroline.

Everyone watched as Reid's fingers moved swiftly in a flash of white. The young doctor felt something in his palm and carefully unfurled his fists to reveal the microchip sitting in the center of his palm.

Gideon stared at the microchip for a split second before glancing up at Spencer. "Take his chip out. Then get off the train," his mentor instructed. "You understand?"

Reid nodded.

"Tell him you need to get back to the higher authority. Say you have guidelines to follow, whatever. Whatever you do, just do not stay in there with him. That's an order."

"Yes, sir."

Before Spence turned to leave, he paused, casting a glance at everyone standing around him. "Can you guys do me a favor?"

"Anything," Derek told him immediately.

"Could at least one of you look like you're gonna see me again?"

Everyone stared sharing glances with each other, unsure what to say. Reid thought it was going to be JJ or Hotch giving him some words of encouragement, but to his surprise (again), it was Caitlin who provided his reassurance.

"See you when you get back," she told him with a small smile on her face. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes but he could see the effort there.

He nodded slowly, taking in her words of encouragement as he began to walk towards the train.

➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴

        Those 20 feet Spencer had to walk to board the train were the longest 20 feet of his life. With each step he took, a new thought popped into his head.

One—what if he failed?

Two—what if he didn't save anyone?

Three—what if he got Caroline killed?

It took 32 steps to reach the entrance of the train. 32. That was 32 different things racing through his mind all at once, all a varying degree of what ifs and pure fear. As Reid slowly walked up the rusty steel steps to board the train, he forced everything out of his mind.

As he reached for the door handle, there was no more doubt or fear. There was no more barricade and unsubs. There was no Caroline because Spencer knew if he was going to get her and the hostages out alive, his mind couldn't be distracted. He'd be ready for anything.

Without another moment of hesitation, Reid slid open the train door and took a step inside. A blast of warm air hit his face from the broken A/C vent above him as he stood in the doorway. Directly across from him, standing six rows away, was Dr. Ted Bryar, holding a gun to Elaine's side. She whimpered as he dug the barrel a little deeper when the unsub spotted Reid.

He held up his hands slowly, along with the plastic baggie of medical instruments clutches in his left hand. His eyes swept over the room, counting hostages. Dr. Deaton, Josh Patel, Harry Anderson, Elaine Curtis...and his eyes skirted last where Caroline was sitting. All he could see was Elle slumped over in the corner of her row and that's all he needed to see. He couldn't know if Caroline saw him or not, he couldn't look at her. Not yet.

"Hello, everyone," Spencer said softly before clearing his throat. "I'm here to remove a chip from Dr. Bryar."

From the corner of his eye, a flash of blonde hair whipped around as Caroline whirrled to face him when she heard the sound of his voice. He could feel her ocean blue eyes piercing him and he so badly wanted to look at those eyes he desperately craved but he kept his head forward.

Dr. Bryar nodded towards Reid. "Take the vest off. I want to see you."

Elaine whispered as the unsub dig the gun further into her side. Spencer swallowed.

"I don't have any weapons," he told him, "The higher authority doesn't authorize it for technicians."

Which, in a way, was true. Reid didn't have a gun on him, but that was only because Hotch didn't think it was a good idea to give this unsub four guns, in case something went wrong.

"Take it off!"

Spencer worked in slow movements, carefully unfastening the Velcro off his chest. He figured he didn't have much of a choice, he had to listen to Dr. Bryar if he wanted him and everyone else to get out of this alive. So he did as he was told and shed his bulletproof vest, letting it rest in the floor.

"Come closer," Dr. Bryar said, his voice so breathy and thin, Spencer struggled to hear him correctly. He took a couple of tentative steps forward. "I want to see both of your hands at all times."

Spencer did as he was told, keeping his hands raised high to where the unsub could see them. As he neared him, Dr. Bryar nodded to the seat beside him.

"Sit across from me." Spencer sat down slowly and the moment he settled into the hot, musty seat, Dr. Bryar released Elaine, who sobbed in relief. She crawled behind a row of chairs to hide but every now and then Spencer could hear her muffled sobs.

Dr. Bryan sat across from him, extended his scarred arm to him. Spencer was careful not to stare at his scars for too long or look at the hostages. He kept his eyes down as he opened the plastic bag in his hands and began pulling out supplies.

"Why are you so nervous?" Dr. Bryar asked him, watching his trembling hands wipe down his arm with an alcohol wipe.

"I told you. I'm not used to being around guns," Spencer lied smoothly, glancing at the gun being pointed at his chest. The real reason he was shaking was because Caroline was exact two feet and seven inches away from him, a span he could easily cross in two strides and he could be with her. But he was here, with Dr. Bryar.

After he disinfected his arm, Spencer pulled out a slender surgical knife, its sharp tip almost glinting at him.

"This is going to probably sting a little bit," Spencer warned Dr. Bryar, who nodded in understanding.

Reid double checked the chip was in place and ready as he pressed the knife into the unsub's skin. Dr. Bryar let out a soft grunt from pain, but otherwise didn't protest as he slowly dragged the sharp knife through his skin, cutting his arm like butter. Once he made a decent sized incision, Spencer gently curled his fingers, letting the chip fall into his palm. He felt the small chip rest in his hand as he buried his fingers into the cut. Blood smeared on his white gloves as he pressed the chip into the cut gently, covering it with blood. After a second more of moving it around, Reid carefully lifted the bloodied microchip out of Dr. Bryar's arm in between pinched fingers, showing it to him.

He stared at it in wonder, his eyes wide and mouth wide open. Spencer felt a wave of relief wash over him. His plan worked. The unsub was actually buying it.

"I knew it," Dr. Bryar said, smiling like a kid on Christmas. "I knew it."

Reid slowly stood up, the chip still in his hand. "I've got to go to the higher authority. I was supposed to—"

"Not yet!" Dr. Bryar snapped. Reid froze and glanced back at the unsub, who gestures with his gun for him to sit back down. He did as he was told and stared back at the unsub.

Dr. Bryar leveled the gun over his heart. "Turn it on."

"Excuse me?"

Reid hasn't been expecting that one. He mentally chided himself for not seeing through every possible outcome and coming up with something. He had absolutely no idea what to do.

"Turn it on," Dr. Bryan reacted slowly, "or I pull the trigger."

"I—I can't turn it on," Reid told him lamely. Out of everything he could've said, he chose that?

"What? Why not?"

"Because it has to be implanted," Caroline's gentle voice said quickly, covering for him. Reid let out a soft sigh of relief. Even when he was trying to rescue her, she was still covering for him.

It took everything he had not to look at her right then.

"She's right," Reid said as he played along, "The chip derives its power format into electrical impulses fired between neurons. It has to be in your skin to work."

Dr. Bryar paused, his face conflicted. Reid decided if he was going to try again, he might as well do it now.

"Look, I really have to—"

"Sit down!" Dr. Bryar yelled at him. "You're not going anywhere."

Reid went quiet as Dr. Bryar slowly stood up and stepped away, watching him like a hawk. He swallowed.

He suddenly realized he was trapped, just like everyone else. His plan backfired.

Spencer sat in his seat as still as possible as Dr. Bryar finally relaxed, as if he was sure Reid wasn't going to make a break for it. The unsub's eyes went unfocused as he began to stare out the window.

A moment later, the phone rang and Dr. Bryar stared at the device in slight confusion.

"It's probably the higher authority," Spencer said as the unsub cast him an accusatory glance. "I told you, I have protocols to follow. I was supposed to go right back out there. I—I have rules." He paused, trying to think of the best way out of the situation. "You want me to stay, I'm obviously going to stay, but, I mean, you're going to be the one who has to explain it to the man.

"Why can't you all just leave me alone?" De. Bryar muttered.

Josh shot up from his seat and staggered drunkenly forward. "Leave you alone?" He demanded, his voice harsh and slow from the alcohol.

Spencer shot him a warning look. "Stay out of this."

The drunk kid ignored him. "The government does watch us. You got microwaves and satellites. I'm with you, man."

"Do not agitate him," Spencer growled at him and Josh barred his teeth and retorted, "Screw you."

"Dr. Bryar," Reid tried again, facing the unsub once more. He tried to channel Caroline's calm and soothing tone she had when speaking to unsubs, but his tone didn't sound quite as relaxing as hers is, "answer the phone."

"My old man used to have tracking devices in his cars. He said it was for theft, but it's so he could find out where I'd go," The drunkard behind him rambled on as the phone's trill ring continued on in the background. "And what about personal recordings and televisions? You don't think someone's monitoring everything we watch? You know how many patents are issued for devices to monitor people? Look it up, man!"

"Answer the phone, Ted," Caroline soft voice rose from the noise. Reid resisted the urge to turn and look at her.

Dr. Deaton, Ted Bryar's psychiatrist stood and gently placed a hand on Josh's shoulders, leading him to his seat. "Stop it," she told him firmly, "This isn't going to help."

"What the hell do you know?" The kid snapped at her, pushing her away from him.

The psychiatrist sighed, turning to face the unsub. Her face was calm, happy even as she reassured him, "Ted, he doesn't know what he's talking about. He's just a kid."

"Who you callin' a kid?"

"Sit down!" Caroline snapped at Josh, her voice full of authority. The kid narrowed his eyes at her.

"Oh, now you're gonna tell me what to do?" He muttered sarcastically to the blonde profiler. "He'd only have one gun if you weren't here. I'm with him, man!"

Spencer could see the panic, the confusion starting form on the unsub's face. All the yelling was making it hard to concentrate. If that boy didn't shut up and sit down, he could get them all killed.

The phone kept ringing.

"Answer the phone, Dr. Bryar," Spencer said, "It's the higher authority."

Then, something in Dr. Bryar's mind snapped. It could've been the sound of shouting voices or the phone ringing, Spencer couldn't tell. He watched in horror as the unsub slowly stood from his seat with a blank expression on his face and pulled the trigger.

The sound of gunfire erupted in Spencer's ear, causing him to flinch. Immediately, his eyes found Caroline, checking to see if she had been hit. She was sitting in her seat, glancing behind her as she struggled against her cuffs. She looked distressed, but otherwise unharmed. He let out a quiet relieved sigh.

He slowly followed Caroline's eyes to Dr. Deaton doubled over, clutching her side as dark red blood spilled between her fingers. She went pale and her forehead looked clammy from loss of blood. She had been shot.

"Teddy?" She whispered weakly as she stragglers backward. Josh caught her with a wide-eyed expression as he carefully helped her lay down.

The moment Dr. Bryar's back turned, Spencer immediately went to the psychiatrist's side, using one of his handkerchiefs to plug her bullet wound. He ignored the thick feeling of blood sliding over his fingers as he applied pressure. Behind him, he could hear the scuffled of the unsub answering the phone. The ringing finally stopped.

"What?"

Dr. Bryar didn't sound mad or agitated anymore. He sounded weak, quiet.

There was a pause before he said, "I'm tired. I've been fighting you for so long." Another pause. "I said it all ends today. Me, these agents—it all ends today."

Spencer heard the soft click of the phone being placed back into its receiver and swallowed back the lump stuck in his throat.

It seemed that Dr. Bryar just decided on his endgame—killing himself and the hostages, which included Caroline and him.

➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴

         Caroline sat quietly in her seat, watching Ted Bryar rock back and forth in his seat. He hadn't look at anyone after he shot Dr. Deaton, nor said anything after his phone call to the "higher authority". He just sat in his chair, his face devoid of emotion.

Behind her, she could hear the muffled gurgles and soft groans of pain from Linda as the hostages, including her Spencer, worked to stop the bleeding coming from the gunshot in her abdomen. With each soft groan, Caroline's hands tugged involuntarily against her handcuffs, rubbing the irritated red sores on her wrists she had created from trying to escape. The metal dig into her skin and she could feel the hot prick of blood trail down her hand as her wrists cut deeper into the sharp cuffs but it was all she could do. She wondered if she kept digging harder enough, if she just ignored the pain, she could free herself. Her hands were slender enough to maybe squeeze through. She'd have horrible and painful cuts from the metal burrowing into her skin but it would be worth it if she could free herself.

Then she could actually do something and get everyone, especially Spencer, out of here.

Caroline swallowed. Spencer.

She wondered whose idea that was—to send him in. Were they insane or just plain cruel? It wasn't that she didn't believe the good doctor had it in him to stop the unsub, but it was the fact that they—Hotch and Gideon, the people she trusted—sent him in unarmed. The person she cared so deeply about was used a bait, and now he was stuck in this damn train, waiting for the next violent outburst.

She was angry, no, beyond angry. She was outraged.

Spencer's magic trick had been a good idea, and probably his if Caroline had to guess. But her superiors had to have known that the unsub wouldn't just let him walk out of here so easily. He was a paranoid psychotic—everything has to be in his control.

Yet, they sent the man she cared about in here, risking his life. She was furious—and scared. She couldn't lose Spencer, especially like this. Not when he didn't know how she felt.

As she watched Ted Bryar rock uncontrollably in his chair, she figured that they didn't have much more time left before he began to kill everyone off. She might as well try one more time before a bullet goes in her brain.

The phone laying beside the unsub started to ring again. He didn't move to answer it.

Caroline shoved down her fear and anger, forgetting about it. She knew if she was going to do this, she needed a clear head so she emptied out all her thoughts and got a grip on her emotions.

"Ted..." She whispered to the unsub, her voice soft and warm, "no one on this train is an agent but me. No one else," she promised as his eyes glanced up to meet hers. She swallowed. "I'm the only one. You can let everyone else go."

Dr. Bryar paused, as if he was thinking about what she said, then shook his head as the telephone in the floor seemed to ring louder, pounding in Caroline's head.

Spencer's voice came from behind her, meek and quiet. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to listen to his voice one last time.

"Br. Bryar," Spencer pleaded, "we need to get this woman help."

"Who's going to help me?" The unsub snapped.

"The higher authorities can help you," he said slowly, as if he were talking to a wounded animal. "They're—they're not what you think. They're not the enemy. They can help you, Dr. Bryar."

The phone kept ringing in the background as the unsub stood from his seat. He raised his gun. Caroline started tugging on her handcuffs again, her wrists still stinging. If only he was a little closer to her, she could take him out with her legs and maybe wrestle the gun out of his hands. But even then, he still would probably manage to pick off a couple of hostages before she could do that.

Then, Dr. Bryant turned and faced the loud phone. He aimed the gun at the machine and fired three shots into the phone, cutting off the ringing with a sharp sound of electricity breaking as the phone exploded on impact. Caroline swallowed as Dr. Bryar stepped away from the phone, revealing the charred black remains he left behind.

"Not anymore," he whispered as he sat back down in his seat. In the corner, Caroline could hear the pregnant woman sobbing softly. She knew it was the end, just like she did.

Caroline sat back in her chair, glancing out the window. She could see S.W.A.T. beginning to gather around outside and she knew a tactical attack was coming. But the moment Ted saw them, she knew he would start firing. By the time they got in here, all of them could be dead.

"It's not gone," Dr. Bryar muttered. Caroline slowly turned her head to look at him. His head was bowed and his lips were quivering, his eyes focusing on some unknown object across from him. He seemed to be talking to himself. "You said when the chip came out, it would go away. It's—I still hear it."

He rubbed his ears carefully as he paused. Then he frowned, saying, "But you said it was the only one, Leo."

Leo? Who the hell was Leo?

"Dr. Bryar," Spencer's voice came from behind her seat.

The unsub snapped out of his reverie and turned to Reid, leveling the gun in his direction. Her heart thudded irrationally in her chest, panic seeping into her veins.

"Spencer!"

"It's all right, Care," Reid reassured her, his voice even and calm. She began to dig her nails into the palm of her hands as Dr. Bryant walked towards her friend, waving the gun.

"Is there another one?" He demanded, his anger evident on her face. Caroline flinched every time she saw the unsub's finger lace around the trigger.

She heard Spencer scoff. "You know there isn't. If there were, Leo would've told you."

Ted covered his ears with his hands, shouting, "Make it stop!"

"I know what it's like," he told the unsub carefully.

"Make it stop!"

"I know what the voices are like. The voices, they won't stop. They've been taking to you since you were a child."

"You're lying to me," Ted whispered. Caroline glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Reid, resting comfortably on the balls of his feet. He looked calm, despite the fact a gun was being aimed at his head.

"That's Leo speaking. That's not even Dr. Bryar," said Reid, his eyes glancing to the left of the unsub. "Why don't you let him think for himself, Leo?"

Dr. Bryar slowly followed his line of sight, confused. "You...do you see him?"

Reid shrugged and nodded towards the unsub's left side. "Yeah, he's right there."

Dr. Bryan stared at him with a mystified wonder, distracted. Caroline watched as he slowly lower the gun.

"The voices," Spencer continued, "they helped you, right? It's—it's where you got your ideas from." He slowly stood up as the unsub listened intently, hanging onto his every word. "While the other kids were outside on the playground, you were inside reading, studying, learning. They helped you understand things that other people could never realize and then, as you grew older, it became almost a responsibility, right? A responsibility to use that ability, to use your knowledge."

Caroline suddenly felt Reid's hand rest on the back of her chair, sensing his presence hovering over her. She slowly rested back in her chair, tensing her legs. She could see what he was doing, what his plan was.

"String theory—the theory of everything," Dr. Bryar told him.

"Then M-theory encompassing all the strings, unifying the theories. You know, it's funny," Reid's voice chuckled behind her, his laugh shaking her seat slightly, "most people say that M-theory can never be proved, because he mathematical tools do not yet exist. But you see it, right? You can see the different strings unifying the dimensions, the gravitational infinite's cancelling each other out. You see them because you have the tools." Spencer tapped the sides of his forehead gently. "Your mind is that tool."

Dr. Bryar turned to his left and snapped, "Shut up!"

Caroline swallowed. She could see the impatience on his face, his desperation. Reid was getting through to him, but the unsub was still going through a break from reality. Spencer was pushing him and if he wasn't careful, he could snap.

"And I have to believe that if you put your mind to it, you'll realize that only you can make Leo stop. You can make him stop by understanding him, by understanding that he is a liar, and he only wants bad things for you. I need to believe that, Dr. Bryar."

The unsub glanced around him hazily, his feet taking slow, lazy steps as if he were in a trance. The moment he was a foot from Reid, he was in her ranger.

Caroline reared back and planted the heel of her foot into Ted's side, kicking him off balance. He hollered in pain as Reid surged forward and tackled him into the seats across from her, both of them grappling for the gun.

Then, a gunshot rang out.

"Spencer!" Caroline cried out. "Spencer!"

Slowly, the doctor's thin body stood up, his back facing towards her. In his hand, he held a Dr. Bryar's gun. She let out a sigh of relief as her eyes wondered to the unsub, slumped over in the seat with a small bullet wound piercing his stomach.

Just then, Gideon burst onto the train, watching as Reid slowly backed away from Dr. Bryar. Caroline glanced over at the small clammy business man who was clutching a gun, no doubt a gun he had hidden in his suitcase, between his hands, the barrel still aimed at Ted.

"I had to," The man claimed quietly, gripping the gun so tightly his knuckles were turning white, "He was going to kill us. I had to. God forgive me."

Caroline automatically looked over at Reid, her eyes running over his body once, then twice, making sure he hadn't been hit as well. He watched her make her assessment with careful eyes.

When she realized he was okay, that he wasn't hurt, she tugged against her cuffs anxiously, desperate to be free.

"Spence, please," she pleaded, "get me out of these things. The key is in his right pocket."

Reid nodded as he quickly snatched the key from Dr. Bryar's pocket and sat down beside her. Gideon and the rest of S.W.A.T. started entering the train, evacuating Linda and Ted for the ambulance and rescuing hostages. But she wasn't focused on them, she only had eyes for Dr. Reid.

He quietly unlocked her handcuffs, freeing her hands as he gently sat the metal to the side. She rolls and flexed her wrists, checking their movement. They seemed okay, nothing broken, thankfully. Besides being cut up pretty badly and being sore, they were okay. She was okay.

Spencer paused as he gently wrapped his hands around hers, frowning at the deep, raw sores she had created from trying to escape, from trying to get to him.

"Caroline, your wrists..." He murmured in concern as his thumbs carefully brushed over the wounds. His touch sent a shiver through her body and she sighed.

"I don't give a damn about my wrists," she told him as she threw herself into his arms. Slowly, she felt his arms wound around her back, pressing her against him even tighter. She buried her face into his shoulder and took a deep breath.

After everything, he still smelled like coffee.

They stayed like that, in each other's arms, as people came and went. They ignored their stares and hushed whispers. Because Reid was okay and that was all that mattered to her right now.

Spencer Reid has saved her life with a magic trick, just as she always knew he would.

➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴ ➴

"Gideon," Caroline sighed in exasperation, "will you tell Reid that I don't need to go to the hospital?"

She sat on the back of a local policeman's car, the popped trunk lid blocking the sun from her body. Reid sat beside her quietly as he had been the whole time since they left the train. When she went to bandage her wrists in the ambulance and even when Chris and Caitlin (she was still shocked they managed to find her and that Hotch let them stay) attacked her in hugs, Spencer never left her side and she didn't want him too.

Gideon sighed as he leaned against the car. "Regulations are regulations," he told her as his eyes glanced down at her wrists. "You're alright?"

Caroline smiled and laughed softly, "Yeah, I'm fine, Dad."

Gideon nodded slowly as he turned to walk away. He paused and faced her once more. "Caroline?"

"Yes?"

"Don't ever call me Dad again."

With that, Gideon walked away, presumably to go check on Elle in a nearby ambulance, who had finally woken up once the unsub was caught. Like she had suspected earlier, Elle had received a concussion and had to make a trip to the hospital. She was a little groggy and confused on what happened, but she'd pull through. Caroline had a lot to explain to her once she saw her in the hospital, though.

Derek had welcomed her back with a tight hug and a smug remark about being a true damsel in distress. She punched him in the arm for that one. He also told her that he was going to ride with Dr. Deaton to the hospital. As far as anyone could tell, she, and Ted Bryar, were going to make it.

So, the outcome hadn't been all that bad, considering what it could've been.

The blonde girl looked over at Reid after their boss left. "How do you think he'd feel about Mom?" She asked.

Reid chuckled. "Let me know when you're going to do that so I can run."

The two laughed awkwardly for a moment before trailing off into silence. Spencer's leg accidents brushed against hers as they sat in the trunk of the car. The simple brush sent a shiver up and down her leg.

"Um, Reid, you probably saved my life in there," Caroline said.

"Probably?" He gave her a crooked smile that made her breath catch in her chest. "I totally saved your life. And I'm pretty certain that it was caught on tape."

She laughed a little at his enthusiasm before her thoughts had trailed off to somewhere else. Something Spencer had said on the train had really stuck with her and had been bothering her since she had gotten off the train. She decided that if she didn't say something now, she never would.

"You know what you said in there to Bryar?" She whispered to Reid. "That you know what it's like?"

Spencer averted his gaze from her, glancing down at his hands.

"The guy was a delusion psychotic," he told her. "I was playing into his fantasy."

"Spence, you know you can tell me anything right? That I won't judge?"

He nodded, still avoiding looking in her eyes. Caroline carefully placed her hand on his cheek, gently turning his face to look at her.

"You're my best friend, Spencer Reid," she told him quietly as her hand softly brushed his cheek, "and I will always be your best friend, no matter what."

"I know," he said. He rested a hand on her knee and patted it as he stood. "Go to the hospital with your family. I'll see you there, all right?"

Caroline nodded slowly as she watched Reid walk away from her, his hands stuffed in his pockets and a secret hidden in his mind. She wanted to call him back to her, to let him know that she was here, but no words came out.

As Caroline approached her brother and sister waiting for her with eager arms, she threw herself into their arms and closed her eyes as she held them, determined to never let go.

-----

dang @ chris, boiiii whatchu doing being extra to my son. watch yourself hoe. also, LOOK AT MY SPAROLINE BABIES THEY ARE TOO PRECIOUS!

ayyy it's ya girl, back with a double update! i was feeling extra today so y'all are welcome.

huge shout out to everyone who has been reading this since the beginning and still here supporting me. y'all are real ones.

-adaline