CHAPTER ONE-HUNDRED-FOUR: GREEN LIGHT !

12x21

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          ONCE SPENCER HAD FIGURED OUT THAT LINDSEY VAUGHN WAS INVOLVED IN ALL OF THIS, HE IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT IT OVER TO EMILY AND FIONA. Of course, he was going insane over this and the fact that he stated that a victim from almost ten years ago was responsible for this didn't exactly make sense.

Emily had tried to call Casey in to tell her what Reid had suspected but Casey didn't answer. They honestly didn't think much of it since Casey was sleeping in most of the time anyways. They'd called Leah and Isaac to see if they'd seen her or Chris and Leah said that they went to go back to Casey and Spencer's place and she hadn't heard from them since.

          Emily had sent JJ and Stephen over to Casey and Spencer's apartment to see if Casey and Chris were there. JJ had tried calling Casey numerous times but all she got was her message. "Hey, this is Casey Willows. You know what to do." JJ sighs, listening to the voicemail again.

         "Went to voicemail again?" Stephen asks. "Yeah," JJ stated. "Casey most of the time answers her phone. And Cassie, Diana's caretaker, she's a professional. She would never let her battery die." JJ told. She'd tried calling both Casey and Cassie and neither of them answered.

          When they arrived at the apartment complex, they headed upstairs and JJ decided to knock. "Casey? Diana? Cassie? It's me, Jennifer." JJ announced.

           JJ had grabbed the keys Casey lent her and once she opened the door, both Stephen and JJ pulled their guns out and entered. They checked around and no one had been around. "Nobody's home." said Stephen.

        "No, the scene doesn't say abduction—" JJ pauses and looks at the ground. "But this might." She knelt over and spotted blood on the ground. Stephen looked over and found Casey's cell phone near it.

         "Oh, God. Casey." JJ spoke and then looked up at Stephen. "We need to call Emily."

Meanwhile, Emily and Rossi were currently explaining the case regarding Lindsey Vaughn nearly ten years ago to the rest of the team. "We first came across the Vaughns ten years ago when Lindsey Vaughn and her friend, Katie Owen were abducted outside of a crowded movie theater by three men." Emily explained.

"Ryan Phillips, the triad's dominant, tortured and strangled Katie." Rossi added. "Jack Vaughn then took matters into his own hands, using his skills to find Lindsey." Emily said. "It ended when Jack murdered Phillips in front of her, Casey and Reid." Rossi told.

"They let them stay in the program after that?" Luke questioned. "Jack was too important a witness to cut loose." Rossi said. "And no one's heard from either of them till now?" Tara asks. "That's right." Emily nods.

Garcia then turns to the screens. "And Lindsey, posing as a nurse named Carol Atkinson, was able to get Diana Reid in and out of the Millburn Correctional Facility." Rossi points to the screen. "And despite all the cameras, this is the only one that picked her up."

"So she knew exactly where they were and how to avoid them." Luke said. The phone on the table began to ring and Garcia immediately answered. "Please tell me you have good news." Garcia said.

         "Well, Diana and Cassie aren't here. And neither are Casey and Chris." JJ tells. "But... we did find blood and Casey's cell phone right next to it." Stephen reveals. "Oh, God." Garcia mutters.

         "Casey's car is gone, so is Cassie's. We found her cell right over here too." Stephen said. "Do you there could've been a chance Casey saw Cassie's cell phone and Lindsey hit her across the head?" He asks JJ. "There's a possibility that that's what happened. Casey would leave Chris here without a fight." JJ told.

         "Garcia, where are we on that APB of her car?" Emily asks Garcia, who shakes her head. "I don't have anything yet." Emily sighs, "Okay. Also, search recent traffic in and out of Spencer and Casey's apartment. Lindsey probably entered as Carol."

          Garcia nods, "Copy, copy."

         "I know Diana's routine. Stephen and I will hit up those places first." JJ told before hanging up. "The rest of us need to find Lindsey ASAP." Emily tells the team, who all try to get their connections to try and help Reid out of there, find Lindsey and find Casey and her son.

           JJ and Stephen spent the last thirty minutes trying to find Diana, maybe with Chris and Casey. But they had to assume Casey was injured. JJ decided to call Garcia to see if maybe she'd found something.

          "Walker, JJ, you're on with Alvez." Garcia informed. "Hey, Luke, no luck finding any of them." Stephen stated."All right. Well, I'm at Casey's car right now. And Cassie's. Forensically, it's a dead end, but, uh, behaviorally we might have something. It's parked down the block from a high school." Luke informed.

        "A high school is where Jack Vaughn killed Lindsey's abductor in front of her, Casey and Spence." JJ told. "Well, placing the car there could be a taunt at us." Stephen figured. "That's what I'm thinking." Luke agreed.

        "I can look into that. I can... Oh!" Garcia exclaimed. "Garcia?" JJ asks. "Oh, uh, uh, per Emily, I was supposed to look at the recent foot traffic in and out of Casey and Reid's building. There is no sign of Carol Atkinson, but a Jaime Lamantia keeps popping up. She lives in Unit 26 down the hall from Reid. She paid six months of her rent up front in cash, and there's been not a peep from her since." Garcia explains.

        "How's Jaime connected to Lindsey?" Luke asks.
        "No, no, there's no connection. You don't understand. They're the same. They're the same person. Carol Atkinson is Jaime Lamantia who is Lindsey Vaughn." Garcia revealed.

        "I'm twenty minutes from their apartment." Luke informs. "Yeah, we're ten." JJ tells.

          JJ and Stephen sound the sirens as Garcia sends them the address. They pull on some FBI vests as Stephen kicks down the door to let them both in. They look around and find Casey tied to a chair, duct tape over her mouth and laying unconscious on the chair.

         "Casey?" JJ immediately puts her gun in her holster. "Oh, my god, Casey." The woman places her hands on Casey's face, trying to wake her up. JJ goes to feel for a pulse and it's steady, causing JJ to sigh in relief that she wasn't dead. "We need a medic here, now." Stephen says into his mic.

           JJ removes the tape from Casey's mouth and Stephen gets JJ's attention. "JJ." The woman stands and they find Cassie lying on the floor. Her body already deteriorating. She was shot in the head, execution style. JJ then brought her attention over to the table of photos of Spencer as well as Casey and their son scattered around.

          Stephen goes to immediately call Emily about what's happened and what they've found.

          Ten minutes later, Casey had been awake and was sitting in the back of an ambulance with a bandage and an ice pack to her head. JJ and Stephen had come to approach her. "Cassie was shot execution style once in the head. She's been dead for a while." Stephen stated as Casey shook her head at the news.

           "How's your head?" JJ asks. "It's just a nick in the forehead. Nothing major. No concussion or anything." Casey stated and then remembered as she removed the ice pack from her head. Her eyes widen. "It was Lindsey. Lindsey Vaughn. From the Chula Vista case almost ten years ago. When I was an intern." Casey informed.

             "We know it's Lindsey," JJ informed. "Spencer figured it out. She was the one in the motel room with him."

            Casey shakes her head. "She took my son. She took Christopher. I knew who she was and she took my son." Casey's eyes fill with tears. If she wasn't already beating herself up for being a terrible mother, she was now. "And I'm not sitting out on this JJ, you know I won't. I don't care if Emily thinks it's for the best. I kindly don't give a damn what anyone thinks right now. If something happens to my son, I will kill Lindsey." JJ nods, understanding better than anyone. "I know."

             Casey Willows now had two missions. Get her husband out of prison, get her son back home.

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           Casey told everyone she didn't need to go to the hospital. Not while her son was out there, taken by Lindsey and afraid. She arrived at the BAU with JJ and Stephen and sat in Emily's office. She paced in the room for a while, contemplating decision after decision after what she'd just heard from Garcia.

Spencer stabbed himself to get into solitary confinement. He had a target on his back now and he'd found a way to isolate himself. But Casey didn't know how long that would last. They could kill him at any moment. And she feared for the worst.

After her son was taken, everything seemed hopeless. One thing after another. But Casey knew one thing, she did not want her husband or her son dying on the same day. So, she had gotten herself a letter of resignation. If something were to happen to either one of them, she'd quit her job forever. And she wouldn't come back.

Casey called Emily to her office once she found out she got back from seeing Reid at Milburn and telling him what was going on. From his mother and son being taken, to Cassie dying to Casey getting knocked out by Lindsey herself and that Spencer was indeed not going crazy.

When Emily arrived up to her office, Casey wiped her tears to which Emily had noticed almost immediately. "Casey?" Emily asked. "What's wrong?"

Casey could answer with a thousand reasons but she looked up at Emily and pulled herself together. "Garcia told me Spencer stabbed himself to get into solitary confinement." She informed.

Emily sighs in relief, "Oh, that's great."
"Great?" Casey raises her brows.
"Well, he found a way to isolate himself without hurting anybody else." Emily clarified.

Casey nods, "Okay. Here." She hands over the Manila envelope. Emily is confused. "What is this?" She asks. "It's my letter of resignation." Casey tells.

Emily sighs and she hates that Casey wants to make this decision but Casey couldn't back out. Not now. "Casey." Casey shakes her head. "No. If Spencer dies, I quit. If my son dies, I quit. Believe me, Penelope already tried talking me out of it."

"We won't let that happen." Emily tells. "Yeah and what if it does, Emily?" Casey questions. "I'm exhausted, this whole year, from Hotch and Vivian leaving to Chris getting cancer to Spencer getting thrown in jail — it has been an emotional roller coaster. If my husband dies in prison, I'm gone. If my son dies at the hands of Lindsey Vaughn, I'm gone. I'm not turning into Hotch. I won't. And I know you tell me that you won't let it happen, but we can never be too sure anymore." Casey explained.

"And you need to let me work in on this. Because if I don't do anything, I'll go crazy." Emily knew how seriously Casey had taken this job over the years. How much she's grown and how confused her younger self would be if she saw Casey now, throwing it away because her husband's and son's lives were more important than this job. Casey couldn't handle if they were both gone and she was still doing this. She would've died right along with them. And Casey swore to herself she would never be like her previous boss. She'd be there for her son, not that Hotch wasn't there for Jack, but she knew she would've handled it a little differently. And Casey knew that this job didn't mean shit unless she had Spencer by her side and a son to come home to. And that was when Emily swore to herself that nothing would happen to either of them so long as she could help it.

         Emily had let Casey join in on the searching since it seemed harmless enough. Casey walked into the room and took a seat in between Tara and JJ. Everyone was surprised to see her walk in but they knew better than to ask questions. Emily followed behind Casey and had a box with her as she took a seat in between Stephen and Garcia. She opened the box and said, "We leave no stone unturned."

         Hours and hours went by with trying to search and search and search regarding Lindsey's whereabouts. Until Tara had found something on her laptop. "Hey, guys." Everyone turned to her as Casey turned her attention to Tara's laptop. "Okay. I got Carol Atkinson crossing the border at Los Indios." She informed and stood up towards the map of Mexico they had up on their board.

        "There's a factory nearby that manufactures non-FDA-approved seasickness tablets. Essentially, scopolamine pills." Tara informed and Luke followed with, "Los Indios is only a 40-minute drive to Matamoros."

        "Looks like we've got Lindsey where we need her." Rossi tells and Casey takes a deep breath in hope. "Now we put the knife in her hand." Emily adds and the team gets back to work.

          The team continued their hard research. Casey had gotten up twice to get more coffee to keep her awake as well needing to use the bathroom for how much coffee she had drank. When she had taken another sip of her coffee from her mug, Luke's cell rang. "Rick, what have you got?" He asks as soon as he answers.

         "Whoa, okay, guys, Jack's gun was used in Mexico the day before Nadie's murder." JJ informed. "What, another cartel hit?" Tara questions. "No. The victim was a Victor Flores. He was a local real estate broker, a model citizen." JJ hands the file over to Rossi as Casey stands up to look at the map. "Point-blank. Back of the head, with a modified hollow-point bullet. That's Lindsey, all right." Rossi stated.

        "Why are we only hearing about it now?" Stephen questions and Casey adds, "Because it was in Monterrey. A different jurisdiction."

         "Okay, so," Tara stands up next to Casey as she faces the board. "She crosses the border at Los Indios, which is very close to Matamoros, drives three hours west to Monterrey, kills Victor, and then drives four hours east to Matamoros?" Tara questions. "All possible within a day's drive." Stephen stated. "Yeah, but, Tara's right, why go to all the trouble?" Casey questioned.

        "And why pick Victor Flores?" Emily questioned. "It sounds too random to be random." Luke gets off the phone. "All right. All right, thanks, Rick. I owe you. Mexican authorities found an abandoned truck last week that matches the one Reid described. It was dumped two states over." He informed.

        "Did it belong to a Victor Flores?" JJ asks and Luke nods, "Yeah. How'd you know that?"

         "Lindsey killed him before Nadie. She must have stolen his truck, too." Rossi tells. "All right, well, we're making some real headway here." Luke stated and Casey nods, taking a breath and reflecting at their progress.

        "Yeah, and it's great. Guys, don't get me wrong, but it's all circumstantial." Emily reminds and then looks over at Garcia. Casey knew not to get her hopes too high. She knew the consequences of that. "Garcia, any luck finding Lindsey's prints from her WITSEC file?" Emily asks.

          Garcia shakes her head, defeatedly. "I called in every favor I can think of and then some. It's gonna take me, like, five more hours to cut through all this red tape." Emily checks her watch. "I have to be at the courthouse in one."

           "Spencer doesn't have five hours," Casey spoke in stern voice, indicating just how sick she was of this. "My son doesn't have five hours. Can't we make this searching go any faster?" Casey questioned.

           "We're doing everything we can." Tara assures, putting a hand on Casey's shoulder. "Yeah, I'm just worried it's not enough." Casey said lowly, walking out of the room to take breather.

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            Soon enough, Emily eventually left for the courthouse, trying to keep her promise to Casey about keeping Spencer safe as well as her son.

            Casey decided to sit over at her desk and felt like she had no choice but to wait all of this out. She had taken a few deep breaths every now and again and even paced to help her nerves.

              But in all luck, after just one hour, Casey finally received good news. The team called Casey in to the conference room and she immediately sat down, taking a breath. JJ sat next to Casey and looked at everyone as they ushered her to tell her. "He's coming home." JJ said with tears in her eyes.

           Casey automatically burst into tears. She covered her mouth, trying not to let the happy and relieved cries out. She felt Luke place a hand on her shoulder and Garcia even began to cry. "We're gonna go get him now. Do you want
to—?" Casey knew JJ didn't even need to finish the sentence. "Of course, of course."

            So, Luke, Garcia, JJ and Casey went to go and get him back home.

            The ride to Milburn felt incredibly long despite it not being too far. Casey wasn't sure the last time she set foot on these grounds. She was the first one out of the SUV and she stepped towards the grounds and through the gate and then stopped herself.

             Casey stopped. That overwhelming fear of not being able to bring him home hurt her. What if this was just another lie? What if she couldn't bring him home and this was just a cruel practical joke on her? What if she wasn't able to see him?

             Casey realized JJ, Luke and Garcia stopped right in front of her, wondering why she didn't continue walking towards the building. "Um... JJ? Can you... can you go and get him, please?" JJ walks towards her. "Casey—"

             "I can't do it, JJ," Casey told. "I can't walk in that building only for me not to bring him home. Please. I need to stay out here." The woman practically begged and JJ turns her head to Garcia. "Stay with her." Garcia nods and gently grabs Casey's arm.

           Luke and JJ go in through the gates and after a painful long twenty minutes, the gates buzzed. Casey was currently pacing, biting her fingernails when she heard the gates buzz. She automatically whipped her head around and to her surprise and shock, here it was. Here he was.

           Spencer Reid was a free man. In the suit he wore when he first got arrested. Hair shaggy and stubble fully grown in. Casey almost didn't recognize him.

         The first person Spencer had given a hug to was JJ when he was released, then his second was to Garcia as soon as he stepped out. But his final hug, he'd been saving for his wife. After hugging Garcia, he turns his head to his wife, who looks guarded and keeping her distance rightfully so.

          A big fear that Casey had and often had nightmares about was if she got to touch her husband again, he'd immediately be taken away from her again. She didn't want that nightmare coming true.

           Casey clasped a hand over her mouth, seeing the man that walked out of those gates and her eyes filled with tears. Spencer hesitantly stood in front of her and Casey watched, seeing him just stand there and ultimately knowing he wasn't going anywhere.

             Casey had then opened her arms to him as she rushed to him and engulfed him in her embrace, wrapping her arms around his big shoulders and running her hand through his hair. Spencer held Casey in his arms, realizing just how tiny she was in his embrace.

             But then again, he wasn't that tiny lanky thing he used to be. He was broader, bigger, maybe even stronger, more traumatized. The list could go on.

              Spencer wrapped his arms around his wife and held her there for so long, like they were the only people in the world at the moment. Luke, Garcia and JJ watched as the scene unfolded and watched as the couple reunited with each other. And knowing they would never let go of one another even if it killed them.

           Casey pulled away first and cupped his face with her hands. "Don't you ever do that again." She warns and Spencer pulls a small, relieved smile on his face. He grabs his wife's hands off his cheeks and holds her hands in his.

          "Let's go get my mom and our son back." Spencer tells and Casey nods, "Yeah." And on the way to the SUV and on the way back to the BAU, Casey holds Spencer's hand and doesn't let go. Neither one does.

           They arrive back at the BAU and Casey swears she hasn't let Spencer's hand go since they have. Of course, with the exception of hugging Rossi, Stephen, Emily and Tara and reuniting with them. When everyone regroups, they decide that their next mission is to save Diana and Chris, wherever they are.

         "So, we know Lindsey convinced Scratch to run drսg across the border." Luke started. "And that Lindsey's been operating from two locations... an apartment next to Casey and Reid and a house in Southeast DC." Rossi stated.

          "And that's where we think she's keeping your mom and son." Stephen told. "Scratch isn't afraid to plot an elaborate trap. I want a full breakdown of that house before we set one foot inside." Emily informs. The rest of the team gets ready to go and before Spencer, Casey and JJ can follow, Emily closes the door and decides to talk to Spencer.

           Emily turns her head to Spencer. "You can't officially go until you're reinstated."
          "So that includes going to my apartment, since it's a crime scene." Spencer tells.
          Emily nods, "That's right. It's sealed and guarded by Metro PD."

         "But we are the residents. We live there, which means we can set foot in if need be." Casey speaks in a suspicious tone. Emily nods, "And that is true. You are both the residents." Emily tells them as if she's warning them to be careful. "You got it?" Spencer nods, "Got it." And Casey nods as well, "Got it, boss."

        Emily leaves with the rest of the team and Spencer stands in front of the closed door. He stands there for a moment, almost like he's waiting for something. And that's when Casey realized what he's waiting for.

       "You all right?" Casey asked and Spencer turned to her in confusion. "Uh, it's open." She reminded Spencer and Spencer then faced towards the door and for the first time within an hour, he let go of Casey's hand. "Of course." He said, opening the door and walking out.

         Casey exchanged a look with JJ, who saw the same thing she did and her heart broke for her husband. He'd been in prison for so long, he'd forgotten about the control he had in his life now. Not waiting for doors to be opened for him, no danger at every corner, a wife and son to come home to. He'd forgotten all of it in the span of two, almost three months. And in time, he'd relearn all of it. Casey knew he would.

         JJ had driven both Casey and Spencer back to their apartment and had seen the crime scene tape on the doors as they went under it to enter. JJ held her badge up to the police and explained, "They're the residents. They're just gonna grab a few things." She cleared up.

        Spencer immediately sat down on the couch and in front of him laid his mother's scrapbook. "What's that doing open?" Casey questioned. Spencer began to flip through it and was caught confused.

       "What is it?" JJ wondered. "This picture was on a different page." Spencer stated and he picked up the one of the tightrope and what his mother explained to him. Behind it, in marker had been written XX•XY.

       "Does that mean something to you?" JJ asked. "Only the obvious, male and female chromosomes, Lindsey's way of telling us she's with Scratch." Spencer stated.

        Another thirty minutes passed and JJ received a phone call. She'd decided to take it outside and when she came back in under ten minutes, the look on her face revealed that she had news and that it wasn't good.

         Casey was the first to turn to JJ and Spencer hadn't even noticed yet. "The address was a trap," JJ informed and Casey furrowed her brows and that had caught Spencer's attention. "Turns out, this wasn't Scratch's doing after all."

          "It was Cat Adams'."

          Casey furrowed her brows and looks at her husband. "That psychopath that had an obsession with Spencer? Her?" She questioned and Spencer stood up. "She has Lindsey under her control and she's the main reason why Diana and Chris have been taken." JJ explained.

         "What does she want?" Spencer asked.
         "Short version?" JJ asks. "You."

          Casey looks over at her husband as JJ tells him that and she immediately shakes her head. "Hell no. Over my dead body. I'm not feeding him to that big, bitchy shark."

           "Emily told us to go with him. He won't be alone. And we'll be there the entire time." JJ told. "This is your only way of getting your mom and son back." Casey sighed and looked over at Spencer. This was a decision he had to make and it was a decision he couldn't say no to. He had to face Cat Adams again.

           The team, of course, had their opinions on this. Concerned for Spencer, concerned for Casey, suggesting they let JJ go and talk to Cat but Emily refused because she knew, if Casey and Spencer lost Diana or Chris or both, they'd lose them from this team forever. She didn't want to risk diverting from the plan. Emily had gotten the team to take a moment before they dove right in to this.

           When Casey, Spencer and JJ flew in to go to Cat's prison, they already wanted this whole mess to be over. But it couldn't really be over unless they got Diana and Chris back in one piece.

           They were taken to one of the interrogation rooms, where Cat was already sitting in, cuffs off and everything. She looked entirely different than the night Casey last saw her. Of course, that was a year ago and she was in a dress and on a 'date'. Now, she was in a jumpsuit and looked psycho out of her mind more than usual.

            Casey looked over at her husband, who was trying his best not to show any emotion but his jittery hands spoke for themselves. Casey turns to her husband and grabs his hand to squeeze it. "I'll be here the whole time." She assures.

             Spencer pulls his act together but before he can go in, Casey pulls him back to her. "Hey." She grabs the chain off of her neck and gets his ring out from it and places it in his left ring finger. "Just so that psycho bitch remembers that you're spoken for." Casey tells.

            Spencer took one last breath and internally told himself that he could do this. It was all to save his mother and son. That was all that mattered to him. All that needed to matter. Getting them both home safely.

            Casey walked into the interrogation room behind him, closing the door behind them. She stands in the corner of the room as Cat smirks her devilish smirk. "Spencie."

             Let the games begin, Casey thinks.

omggggg
so excited for this next one-
but also very nervous cuz yk-

me writing the spasey reunion:

casey realizing she has to deal with cat again-

anywayssss
thank you for reading!!
soooo one more episode of s12, one episode of s13 and an added chapter lmaoooo buckle up bc it's gonna be a doozy
i love you all
-mya </3