CHAPTER FORTY-TWO: CASEY !

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HOW DID HE DO IT? How did he pull it off? How did he get away with framing the wrong person with no questions asked? It was easy to frame Cooper. He would be the most obvious choice, right? It would be easy to get Casey that way. Her guard would be down.

Adam drove down the road with an unconscious Casey in the bed of his truck. He had thought of the events that led him up to this moment.

     He remembered when he first sent the flowers. A simple gesture and a card to go along with it for some fun. 'To you, C'. Obviously, she never put two and two together.

He did murder five women — five of them were being held at a secret location.

     He paid Cooper Rogers a lot- a lot of money to pretend as if he were stalking her — but Cooper didn't know that the FBI would get involved. It was never part of the deal. Adam went into the interrogation room himself when everyone walked out and told Cooper that if he didn't admit to everything, he would kill him and his entire family.

     Far as he was convinced — all he could do was think of Lucy York, the girl that was turning his life around. He didn't want her to get hurt. But now, she was gone. She was the reason he got into this mess in the first place. Adam had told Cooper that he had kidnapped her and would kill her if he didn't complete a simple task for him. Cooper couldn't let that happen.

Cooper had lied to the FBI about sending the flowers and heart to Casey and about Lucy being dead. Now, Adam was gone and he took Casey with him. Now, as for everyone else, their day carried on and everyone had been unaware of what happened to Casey.

JJ sat outside of a coffee shop as Emily had grabbed their two coffees and headed over to their table. Casey hadn't shown up yet. Emily handed JJ her coffee and JJ thanked the girl. "I barely ever get out anymore with Will and I needing to take care of Henry." JJ stated.

"How are they?" Emily asked. "Everyone's good.
Henry has a slight cold and Will's staying with him. A couple of hours out won't hurt — he understands that." JJ says and Emily decides to check her watch.

"Did Casey say what time she was gonna meet us here?" Emily questioned. "Yesterday was insane," JJ says. "I wouldn't be surprised if she slept in for a bit."

Emily had tried to call Casey and she wasn't picking up. Something inside told Emily that something was wrong and that they needed to check on Casey. "We should probably stop by her apartment. She's not answering her phone. The line keeps going straight to voicemail."

"Huh," JJ says. "That's weird. Casey always picks up her phone." Emily pulls money out of her pocket and places it on the table. "Let's stop by her apartment." JJ nods, "Yeah, I'll drive."

The two women head over to Casey's apartment complex and up to her apartment room. Emily had knocked on the door and there had been no answer. "Hello? Casey, open up, it's Emily and JJ!" Emily calls and she then tries the door as she calls her name once more. "Casey?"

     The door unlocks and Emily and JJ look at one another Emily takes her gun out of her holster and JJ follows. Casey wouldn't leave her door unlocked like that. The two burst into her apartment and check around.

    "Casey?" JJ called and she checked around the front area and her bedroom. "Clear." She says. Emily had checked the kitchen and Casey's closet and now, the bathroom was next.

     Emily took a step back once she saw the shattered mirror and the dried blood on the mirror. "JJ." Emily called and JJ walked in the room and gasped. "Call Hotch. Now." Emily ordered as she stayed the room.

JJ called Hotch, who was in shock to hear the news. Hotch had immediately contacted everyone else on the team but didn't spare them the details. He had informed that it had been urgent and they needed to get to the BAU pronto.

Reid, Morgan, Garcia and Rossi had arrived at the office and headed up to the round table room. "What's going on?" Morgan questioned. "I couldn't tell you this news over the phone." Hotch and everyone looked at one another and realized Emily, JJ and Casey were missing.

"Casey's missing."

The team paused. Morgan couldn't believe what he was hearing, Garcia looked scared and shocked, Reid looked worried and Rossi looked confused.

"What?" Garcia questioned. "Are we sure she didn't just run off?" Rossi asked, hopelessly praying that nothing bad happened to her.

"The police think she's been missing since last night and nothing from her apartment is missing. Emily and JJ are at her apartment now and we need to investigate this. We don't touch on any new cases until we find her." Hotch explained and the team headed down to Casey's apartment complex.

      They had all gotten their FBI vests on and entered the apartment. Everything looked the same... up until you spotted the bathroom. Emily hadn't left her spot — JJ had to get a vest for her. Reid had stood by, looking around Casey's apartment.

      The rest of the team had taken it upon themselves to examine the bathroom. As soon as Rossi walked in, he closed his eyes at the sight. "Oh, Casey." He muttered.

"It's her blood," JJ stated. "We ran a couple of tests." Morgan had a scowl on his face and closed his eyes as if he were in pain. He walked out of the room as he knocked over some of Casey's books off a desk in anger.

Everyone took notice and Hotch looked at his team. "I know this may be difficult for all of us, but we need to figure out who did this and I need to make sure everyone has their heads screwed on for this," Hotch looked over at Reid at the doorway. "Take a moment if you need to." Hotch finished and followed after Morgan.

    Morgan had been angry and had been pacing. "Morgan..." Hotch started. "I'm gonna kill this son of a bitch." Morgan told. Hotch took a deep breath. "I don't know, Hotch. It's different when it's a victim, but when it's Casey..." Hotch was struggling with the sudden realization, as was Morgan, that this wasn't a regular victim — this was Casey.

   "I understand," Hotch told. "But I know that Casey would want all of us to try and find her. If it were you, she'd stop at nothing, no matter how much it would hurt her. She'd want you to." Hotch paused as Morgan calmed himself down. "What's your gut feeling telling you?"

    "I don't know," Morgan admitted. "But all I do know is that when we catch this son of a bitch, I'm killing him. And you're gonna have to hold me back from that." Hotch sighed, "Take a moment before you go in."

     Meanwhile, Reid had stood in Casey's room, looking at the pictures that were tacked on her wall on a board. JJ had walked in the room and took notice of Reid. "Hey." She spoke.

     Reid looked over at JJ before looking back at the board. "I don't like this," He admitted. "I don't like analyzing her life like this. I shouldn't be analyzing her life like this. Like she's a victim. She's not, she's..." Reid was obviously struggling with this. He trusted Casey... for her to be gone, it was a foreign feeling.

     "Casey..." JJ finished for Reid. She was struggling just as much as Reid was. She joined him in the room. "I know." She was afraid. She wouldn't admit it, but she was. JJ didn't know where Casey was, but all she kept doing was praying that she would be okay once they found her.

After, the team had been going over theories about what happened to Casey in the bathroom. "Okay," Emily started. "So, Casey's in here. Her rag's on the floor. The unsub sneaks up behind her. And smashes her head in the mirror."

"He could've drugged her. Why did he choose violence?" Hotch questioned. "Maybe she resulted into violence before he did." Rossi stated.
"Or maybe..." Morgan stepped in the room. "She stopped and looked at him."

The team began to piece it together in their heads. "She knew who he was." Hotch said. "And Cooper did, too." Emily said. "We have to question him," Rossi said. "Because it's obvious he didn't do this. He was in custody all night."

"Okay, I'll head back to the station with Reid, Morgan and JJ. Emily, Rossi, go back to Garcia and try and get as many people as Casey and Cooper knew that would probably be behind all of this." Hotch stated as the team had decided to exit the apartment.

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     Her vision was blurry as soon as she opened her eyes. The excruciating pain in her head was unbearable to deal with. Casey Willows instantly felt woozy as soon as she sat up. She looked around and she looked up to see a single lightbulb above her. The eerie feeling sank in and she saw a door and tried to rush over to it when chains danced together causing Casey to draw her attention to the chains around her wrists.

      It was then that everything began to come back to Casey. She remembered seeing Adam smashing her head against a mirror — that would explain the pain in her head. Casey stood up and looked around her. All there was was a mattress on the ground, the floor looked filthy and a wooden desk was perched near the bed.

      Casey walked towards the door and began to bang on it. "Hello! Adam! Hello!" She yelled. "Let me out!" Casey continues to bang on the door. Casey began to hear keys jingle and immediately backed away from the door.

Behind the other side of the door, Casey couldn't believe her eyes as Adam peeked behind the door. Casey felt small as she crouched back down to the bed and backed away from him. She couldn't even look at him.

"Hey, Cee." He spoke as he sat on the bed beside her. He didn't even sound like the same Adam Casey once knew. He sounded like a monster, he was a monster.

"How's your head?" Adam began to reach for her and Casey immediately flinched and yelled: "Don't touch me!" Adam backed away. "Okay, I'm sorry." Casey pulled her knees up to her chest. "I almost forgot... you don't like being touched."

Casey looked at him. "Why... why did you do this, Adam?" She questioned. Adam looked at her and his expression stiffened and he covered it up by smiling. "Come on, Casey. The smartest kid in our grade and you can't figure it out?" Casey just stared at him.

Adam stood up from the bed. "You're really gonna make me spell it out for you?" He questioned. "Casey, I've liked you since the day I met you. I mean, I was in love with you. And you never noticed. You told me I was like a brother and you betrayed me. I loved you. And that's the thanks I get for it?" Casey was an oblivious person. She didn't know he had been in love with her.

"I was always there for you. Every problem, every moment, every birthday. I was there. But you never gave me a second thought. No, no, you chose Eddie." Casey closed her eyes and she didn't even notice the tears spilling from her eyes as he spoke to her and she just took it.

"And look what happened with him." Adam said. "Stop." Casey muttered... it was so quiet, you could barely hear her. "Why couldn't you see it? You chose someone who raped you. It was obvious I was the better choice." Adam couldn't stand the sight of Casey and he hit the wall, violently, making Casey jump up.

Adam sank down and all Casey could do was pray from him to go away. "I think... we just need to take a breather," Adam stood up. "And I know what to do with that. I'll be right back." He had left, locking the door behind him and all Casey could do was break down.

Suddenly, something inside the wall was heard and Casey could hear the whispers. "Hello? Hello, are you in there?" Harsh whispers were heard. The cries continued as Casey stood up, slowly and hesitantly ushering towards the wall. "Hello?" Casey questioned.

"Oh, God. Oh, thank God. Someone's there. I'm Lucy. Lucy York. I've been gone for nearly three months. Please get me out of here." Casey's eyes widen. "Lucy?" She had thought that she had been dead — due to the news of her being declared dead.

Casey put her ear to the inside of the wall and listened. "Yes, yes," The girl spoke and Casey heard it so clearly. "Adam Brody... he took me here. He said he needed to be with the girl— the girl that looked like me. He wouldn't stop until he got to her. And now, he put all of us in a room. And now that he has her, God knows what he'll do with us. You have to get us out of here." Silence was heard and all that were heard had been footsteps.

"He's coming." The girl said and Casey immediately backed away returned to the mattress as if nothing happened. Adam entered the room with a vial and a heroin needle in his hand and Casey hesitantly watched him.

          "I know," Adam spoke. "I know what you're thinking. But, I swear, the feeling's... euphoric. It's a great feeling and I think you're gonna love it. I'll show you." Adam lifted his sleeve up, took the needle and stuck into his arm and shot up the drug in his arm. Casey squinted and saw the label on the vial. Ketamine.

         Adam took a deep breath and it was obvious that he was already getting the high. Casey backed away towards the wall as Adam approached him. "Come on." Casey began to push with her feet and she tried to push him away but he was too strong. "I don't want it! Stop!" She yelled. Adam had a grip on her and successfully gotten her arm.

        He was right about the feeling being euphoric... it was as if for a moment, she couldn't breathe and she forgot everything in that moment. Casey closed her eyes and laid back on the bed and Adam smirked: "I'll leave you alone for a couple of hours. I'll come back later."

        Casey heard the door close and her vision blurred once more and she closed her eyes. Maybe she could sleep this high off.

       Back at the station, Hotch had decided to speak with Cooper about Casey. Cooper had been hesitant to release any info — in fears of someone watching his every move. "I told you, I can't tell you anything. He will come for me if he does." Hotch was getting sick of Cooper's excuses.

      "Cooper, Casey's life is at risk and right now, she may be somewhere, in pain, scared. Last thing I need right now is for her to be dead in a ditch somewhere. So, tell me what you know."

Cooper paused and took a deep breath. "I can't," He said. "He told me not to say anything." Hotch knew that there was no point in talking to him anymore. "Well, if Casey dies, her blood will be on your hands." With that, Hotch walked out of the room and saw Morgan and Emily standing on the side, watching Cooper and Hotch.

"I don't understand why he's not budging." Emily told. "I don't, either. Have you tried to contact Adam?" Hotch questioned. "I tried, he answered and said he had a family emergency he couldn't get out of. But he would let us know if Casey tried to get in contact with him." Morgan stated. "We have to find her."

       Morgan and Emily watched as Hotch is growing anxious and Hotch turned back at his colleagues. "I'm not stopping until we find her."

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       Casey's high was an intoxicating feeling. She felt like she was floating in the air. And suddenly, she was in a room she didn't recognize. Her vision wandered and suddenly, she recognized that she had been in a bar.

       She spotted a young woman making her way over to a bar stool, her hair was long, her smile was bright, her features were identical to Casey... the thing is, Casey didn't recognize her.

        The woman had started to talk to the bartender. "One scotch and one tequila, please." She asked and her attention then turned over to the man beside the woman. He sat tall and he began to mess with his straw in his glass with his fingers. "What you doing here by your lonesome?" The woman asked.

       The man shrugged and looked down at his glass. "Got stood up." He admitted. "I'm sorry," The woman told. Casey was confused. Where was she and who were these people?

       The woman took a look around and then looked as if she recognized the man. "Hey, you're James, right?" The man took a look at the woman. "James... Willows?" Casey's eyebrows furrowed. "Dad?" Casey questioned. This was what her father looked like -- young. How was this possible? She didn't know.

       "Yeah, yeah." James nodded and the woman held her hand out. "Stephanie," The woman introduced. "Stephanie Gideon." Casey's mouth dropped. "Mom?" This was her mother... but she was dead, how was this possible?

      "Yeah, I know, you sit in front of me in our Psych class." James stated. "Oh, yeah," Stephanie spoke and her drink was then handed to her. "Thank you." Stephanie grabbed a lemon and took a shot and James stared at the woman impressed.

"You wanna dance?" James questioned and Stephanie looked at the man and nodded. "Yeah, sure." With that, the two went to go dance.

Casey saw her parents the way she had never seen them before. Together... happy... in love. Casey was almost upset she never witnessed this growing up. It all suddenly took a turn when the scene switched and Casey saw the two doing drugs and having fun, laughing their asses off about nothing. They were happy — in their own way, she guessed. But then doing drugs had been a problem and it seemed as if they could never get away from them.

The scene switched again and Casey recognized the apartment they had moved into and Casey's home up until she was eight years old. Her father had finished up snorting a line of coke when Stephanie had come out of the bathroom.

"Hey, babe! Babe!" James turned his attention to his girlfriend and Stephanie showed him a pregnancy test in her hand, showing a little pink '+' sign on it. "We're officially quitting." Stephanie smiled.

James looked astonished and grabbed the pregnancy test as Stephanie handed it to him. "Holy shit! Are you... Are you actually...?" Stephanie nodded, "Yeah." James smiled and kissed his girlfriend happily and then kissed his girlfriend's stomach. "We're gonna have a baby!"

Before Casey knew it, the scene switched again and she saw how much her parents fought and how they would fight over childish things and the scene switched more and Casey was now in a park — Stephanie had been six months pregnant and it was noticeable and Casey then took notice of Hotch standing over near a bench and Casey furrowed her eyebrows. "Hotch, wha—? What are you doing here?" Casey spoke.

"Hi," Stephanie smiled as soon as she arrived. "I knew you were gonna show up." Before Stephanie could approach him, Hotch backed away. "Listen... I just... I don't think I can do this anymore." Casey looked at her boss in confusion. "What do you mean?" Casey questioned — but he obviously couldn't hear her.

"What? What do you mean?" Stephanie asked. "You and I," Hotch said. Casey put two and two together and she figured it out. "I mean, Jason would never forgive me and you're getting married and you're having a kid." They were seeing each other.

"But... but you said... you said you were gonna be with me... if I quit. And James... I know he's not going to. But I am willing to, for this baby, for you. That's what I was holding onto, Aaron." Stephanie explained.

Stephanie tries to kiss Hotch but Hotch backs away and Casey could tell that he was hesitant to back away. But he knew he had to. "Stephanie... Haley called me. She wants to talk. I can't lose her." Hotch told.

"But, Aaron." Stephanie wraps her hands around Hotch but Hotch takes her hands. "I'm sorry." He apologizes and he walks away. "Aaron." Stephanie called but Hotch continued to walk away.

Casey stirred out of the vivid dream. "Hotch." She called out. Casey immediately opened her eyes. She was back in the same place she was in before. Trapped in a cage that was called a room.

     Some time had passed and Casey didn't budge from her spot on the bed. She felt like a small child. She's probably lost of weight by now — not that she had much to lose anyways. It had been an hour and suddenly, Casey heard keys jingling and she sat up on the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest.

      Adam had brought the girl a tray of food and grabbed his keys and grabbed onto Casey's wrists. "I'm gonna release one of your hands so you can eat. I don't wanna hurt you. If you do anything..." Casey shakes her head. "I won't." Adam looks at the girl carefully as he lets her go.

      He grabs the tray and hands it to Casey, carefully. On the tray is a juice box and a sandwich. "I know you like sandwiches. And when we were kids, you always liked the apple juice boxes." Casey began to stuff down her sandwich since she hadn't ate in days and she needed energy.

       Adam kept ranting on and on about their childhood that they spent together but Casey was too busy, examining the wall from before and the voice she heard from it. "Adam..." She decided to speak. "If you framed Cooper, what did you do with the women if it wasn't him?" Casey questioned. Adam's posture stiffened. "You don't need to worry about that or them... they're nothing." Adam answered, a little snarlingly but then he took a deep breath and looked at Casey's head.

       "Damn," Adam touched her head. "I think you're gonna need stitches." He chained Casey back up again and then grabbed a bandaid and placed it on her head and got a syringe from out of his pocket.

        Casey immediately backed up. "No, no, please. Please, not again. I don't want it. Stop!" Casey tries with all of her might to kick him off but Adam had already stuck the needle in her arm and drugged her again. This could not have been good for her.

         Suddenly, Casey felt the euphoric feeling again and she felt like she had been flying and she was back in her lucid dream and she had suddenly seen the moment where she was born. In the little apartment they were living in at the time.

         Her mother had been in excruciating pain but the pain had suddenly stopped and baby Casey was born. Baby Casey had been placed in her mother's arms and Stephanie spoke quietly to her baby. James had stayed beside his fiancé, his hand resting on his daughter's head. "Hi. Hi, Casey..." Stephanie whispered.

        "Casey?" James asked. "Cassandra," Stephanie smiled. "I've always liked the name Cassandra. But, we'll call you Casey," Stephanie couldn't stop looking at her daughter. "Casey Willows." James muttered quietly.

        A tear shed down Casey's cheek as she watched the family. How things could've been. It broke her heart. If Casey could take a picture of the moment, she would. The only moment she had seen herself with her parents before her mother died.

        And speaking of which, the moment ended and switched over to a scene of baby Casey screaming her head off and her mother had been passed out on a bed — a needle beside her. Her father had walked into the room and then took notice of Stephanie. She looked pale.

       "Steph," James tries to wake her up, but she doesn't budge. James places an ear to her chest and doesn't hear a thing. "Steph. Stephanie! Steph!" He yelled.

       Casey sniffled watching as her father was carrying her baby self and an ambulance was taking Stephanie to the hospital. The scene switched once more and James was seen sitting in a waiting room with his head in his hands and Casey's uncle, Gideon, had been pacing in the room in anxiousness. He looked younger here.

      James suddenly looked up at Gideon. "I'm sorry, Jason." James apologized. Jason spun around. "You're sorry? You're sorry?! How could be so stupid?"

     "Jason—"

      "No," Jason interrupted. "From now on, I'm looking after Casey until you get sober."

      "Jason—"

      "No. This is what Stephanie would want. I have to trust that this is what she'd want."

      Casey watched as everyone had been at her mother's funeral. The only two people that stayed after the service had been James and Hotch.

      Suddenly, everything came crashing down. She didn't even know if it were true but this was a scary realization. Her mother died from an overdose. She knew that truth but she never wanted to admit it to herself. It was better that way than to face the ugly truth and she covered it up with a pretty lie.

       Casey opened her eyes again and she was in the room once more. She had been awakened from the voice in the closet. Making her way over to the way, she slowly stumbled her way there. She opened it up and spoke: "Hello?" She asked. "You're back. Oh, my gosh. I thought you left. It's Lucy, from before, remember?"

        "Lucy." Casey muttered and she sat on the floor. "Are there... are there more of you?" She asked. "There's me, Danielle, Eden, Serena and Linzy. There's only five of us." Casey began to think. "Five, I thought seven had been missing?" Casey asked. "There was, but he came and took Christina. We don't know what he did with her and Maddy died of dehydration. Could you try and get us out of here?" Lucy questioned.

"I don't... I-I-I don't know how." Casey spoke. "I'm stuck, too." Lucy sighs, exasperatedly. "Do you know how long it's been since you've been here?" Casey began to think about it. Had she been here for a longer period of time?

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Three days. Three days and no one had answers. Or sleep. It was currently 1am in the morning. Everyone else had fallen asleep but Reid was still up. And so had been Hotch and Emily. Emily had been getting more coffee, Hotch had been making calls and scheduling another interrogation with Cooper and Reid had continued his geographical profile.

He had known Casey had lived in an apartment near the park. And he had pieces together that Adam had lived down the road about 20 miles away from the park. How did Casey's stalker make his way to Casey and leave Adam if he was also the opposed target? Why else would Adam also be a target if Casey was the main person that was being stalked?

"'To you, C.'" Reid recited. Oddly enough, Adam called Casey... Cee. Reid had pieced it altogether. Adam had taken Casey. He planned it all and planned to frame Cooper Rogers. He had it.

         Reid's first thought was to go and tell the team but they were asleep and he didn't want to awaken them from their slumber and then he decided that he should go tell Hotch but then stopped himself. He was always the guy that had the answers and everyone else did the saving. Well, this was Casey and he needed to save her. Even if it had to be by himself. He had to prove that he was more than a walking dictionary. That's all he had been good for, right? He had to prove himself... starting now.

            Reid snuck his way past Hotch's office and past Emily and took one of the BAU's vehicles and made his way to Adam's house. Obviously, Reid would be the last person that Adam would be expecting. Reid was anxious but he knew that it had been a matter of life and death. Casey's life.

         With his heart in his hand, Reid knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. It had been at least two minutes when Adam finally answered the door. Adam saw it was Reid and his face faltered. "Adam." Reid greeted.

        "Oh, hey, Reid." Adam greeted back. "Yeah, uh, can I come in?" Reid asked. "Uh, yeah, sure." Adam lets Reid in the home and Reid examines the house. "Nice place." Reid compliments, digging his hands in his pockets.

        "Yeah, I, uh, bought it for cheap. It's nice." Reid looked around the house and noticed something that didn't belong there. Casey's hair tie on the table. The one she never took off and had on her wrist whenever she needed to put her hair up and Reid knew it was hers because there had been a dot of white paint on it from when she told Reid about her repainting her apartment.

         Adam sighed, "This thing with Casey is really screwing with my head, man." Reid looked up, almost trying not to panic but he decided to humble Adam, to tell him that he knew the truth... subtly.

       "You know, stalkers are usually males known to the victim. Most stalking victims were victimized by someone they knew, while just over one-quarter were stalked by a stranger. ... nearly half of all stalking victims said that the person who stalked them was a friend, acquaintance, co-worker or relative." Reid stated.

         Adam looked at Reid and crossed his arms as he raised his eyebrows and scoffed. "What are you insinuating, Doctor?" Adam questioned.

       "You know exactly what I'm insinuating, Deputy." Reid snapped back.

        Reid looked around. "Where is she?"

       "I don't know what—"

       "Where is she?"

        Adam gave in since there had been no use arguing with the doctor. "She's downstairs." Adam walked over to the door and opened it and Reid made his way over and Adam decided to push Reid down the stairs, getting him off balance. He then decided to walk down the stairs and he kicked Reid right in the stomach. Reid was in pain, to say the least.

         Adam grabbed a bat from the staircase and grabbed Reid by his collar and made his way over to Casey's room.
He unlocked the door and Casey sat with her knees up to her chest. "Nice one, C," Adam spoke. "You gained yourself a friend." Adam threw Reid in the room like he had been a sack of potatoes and Reid coughed loudly for air and Adam left.

         And as soon as Adam left, Casey rushed over to Reid's aid. "Spencer!" She cried. "How did you get here?" Casey asked. "I... found you." Casey stood up and helped Reid stand up, as well.

          Casey took a good look at him and in fact, missed him. It felt good to be with someone she knew. And he felt the same. The two didn't care... they had engulfed one another in a tight hug.

          "Are you okay?" Reid questioned and Casey muffled into his jacket. "Yeah, are you?" She asked. Reid pulled away from the hug and looked around. "I will be once we find out how to get out of here."

The team had realized that Reid was gone but tried to get in contact with him and when he didn't answer, they realized something had been wrong. As the rest of the team has been trying to figure out Reid's epiphany, Hotch had gone down to the station to talk with Cooper again.

Reid had put his jacket around Casey as she had been explaining what happened with Adam. "He caught me off-guard. I looked up and he was there. He hit my head across the mirror. It's how I got this." Casey pointed to her head.

"I'm so sorry." Reid felt terrible. He knew what Casey was feeling. After Tobias Hankel, he never wanted anyone on the team to feel the same way he did. But it was too late for Casey. You couldn't say that the team didn't try to find Adam, really, they tried and they were going to, eventually.

"How long has it been?" Casey asked. Reid thought, "Three days." He stated. "Feels like longer." She admitted. "We have been spending every single day trying to find you," Reid assured. "I'm sorry it's taken us this long."

Casey gave the man a small smile — something she hadn't done in the three days she was here. "I know you were trying."

"I figured it out before anyone," Reid told. "I knew I shouldn't have come here alone. But I knew that if I didn't do something..." Casey nods, "I know. But I know they'll figure it out."

        Reid took a notice of Casey's calmness and her pupils under the light looked dilated. "Casey, are you drugged?" He questioned. "He, uh..." Casey lifted her arm up and peeled it through the jacket so Reid could see. "He stuck me with ketamine. And a lot of it. But I remember everything. It was like an out-of-body experience. And I was seeing... things I... I don't even know are true. I just wanna go home."

         A tear fell down her cheek and Casey rested her head on Reid's shoulder. He didn't know how to comfort the girl so he awkwardly rested his hand on her shoulder, holding her close. She needed this. She needed someone she knew to tell her everything was going to be okay. "It's gonna be okay."

         Meanwhile, back at the station, Hotch had gotten into Cooper's head and said that if he ever truly wanted to see Lucy again, he had to tell them who had planned to take Casey. It was then that Cooper admitted everything. Everything from the flowers to now.

         Hotch was angry to say the least. He trusted Adam... with everything regarding Casey. And now, he was the one that was currently holding her captive and he may as well have also taken Reid. He was gonna pay and he was gonna pay big time. Right now, they just had to find his address and Garcia could help with that.

          Suddenly, the keys rattled, indicating that Adam was coming. "Hey, follow my lead, okay? I'll distract him and you act." Reid decided and Casey tried to object but Reid shut her down. "He's not going to hurt you. I'll make sure of it." Reid assured and so Casey hesitantly nodded.

          Adam unlocked the door and Reid stood away from Casey. Adam had been holding a tray in one hand and a baseball bat in the other. He placed them on the desk next to the mattress. "I brought two sandwiches. You like white bread, Doc—" Suddenly, Reid jumped on Adam's back but all Casey could do was watch. Reid had them landing on the ground as Adam had been stronger than him and Adam kicked him in the stomach multiple times. "Stop! Stop it!" Casey screamed.

          "Just for that," Adam starts. "Casey gets two sandwiches, now." Adam wiped his hands on his pants and grabbed his keys from his pocket. "You know the drill." Casey nodded as Adam unlocked her chains. Both Reid and Casey made eye contact and the plan started becoming intact.

        "You know," Reid coughed out. "The most common type of stalking is simple obsessional." He says up on the ground. "The stalker is usually a male and the focus of the stalking is an ex-wife, ex-lover or former boss. In intimate relationships, the stalking frequently starts before the break-up. But your type of stalking is being a rejected stalker."

           Adam kicks Reid in the stomach again and Reid looks at Casey to make her move. She knows.

        "You were rejected because Casey didn't reciprocate the same feelings for you. She ended up liking the football player and started dating him because she didn't like you back. And you were obsessed."

         "Shut up!" Adam kicks Reid in the stomach again. As he does so, Casey eyes the bat on the desk.

        "You became obsessed and your obsession lingered for years and three years later, you finally found her again and your obsession grew even stronger and began to send her flowers, followed by hearts and hurting victims that looked like her and you decided that if you couldn't have her, no one could." Reid continued and Adam hit him again.

          Casey makes the move and grabs the bat carefully so that Adam doesn't hear her.

         "You loved her all through high school and she does this to you? She betrays you? I can see why you took her. But you need to know something — she's smart and probably even smarter than you."

          As Reid speaks, Casey stands up behind Adam and smashes the bat against his head and Adam falls. Casey grabs the keys from off the desk and tosses them over to Reid. "Help them out! Lucy, all of the other girls. They're in the other room. Help them!"

         "Casey, behind you!" Reid shouts and Casey is then pushed into a wall. "Get them out!" Casey shouts as Reid successfully makes his way out.

        Casey is facing Adam and Adam begin to try and punch Casey but she ducks and trips him, her being tripped in the process. Adam had gripped onto Casey's ankle as Casey tries to reach for the bat. Successfully, she grips onto the bat and kicks Adam in the face, breaking his nose as Casey hears a crack to where she kicked.

          Casey stands over him and yells: "Go... to... hell!" She then takes the bat and begins to beat Adam's head in. All of the pain he had put her through. She took all of her anger out on the man and wouldn't stop even if she saw blood. He drugged her, he took away the last bit of innocence she was holding onto. He used her own trauma against her. He made her look stupid. She couldn't stop and suddenly, someone pulled her off of him.

          Reid came rushing back in the room and pulled Casey off of Adam. "Casey. Casey! Casey! It's over! It's over!" Casey dropped the bat and fell backwards and fell onto Reid, who grabbed her hands so she wouldn't be tempted to hit the man again.

          Lucy and the other girls stood in the doorway and saw Adam's mangled face and Casey on the floor with Reid. As Casey sobbed, sirens were heard outside of the building. "Adam Brody, FBI!" They heard Morgan through a loudspeaker.

"They're here." Reid said and he helps Casey up and he takes her to the front of the house.

The girls scatter towards policemen and for help and Casey and Reid are the last ones out of the house. As Casey is outside, she looks behind her at the house once more, recognizing it because she would hang out here with Adam after school on some days. They played over at the swing set, caught fireflies. How could she not have known that she was in a place she once called her second home?

The team had spotted Casey and JJ was the first person to rush up to her and Casey hugged the woman, crying her eyes. She reunited with Emily, Rossi and Morgan. After finding out what happened with Hotch, she couldn't look at him the same way. She still couldn't explain what she saw being in a high like that. Was it real? Was it fake?

Hotch, Morgan, Rossi and Emily examined the place and spotted Adam's body and the damage Casey had done to it in such a short period of time. Casey had been over in the back of an ambulance, a blanket wrapped around her and a doctor checking her out as JJ and Reid stood by.

"Is it bad?" Casey asked. "You'll just need a couple of stitches to your head. And we may need to take you down the hospital for a couple of days until you're feeling better. You're severely drugged, agent." The man tapped the back of the ambulance doors with his hand. "Let's get ready to go." Casey immediately stopped the man. "Wait..."

Casey looked over at Reid. "Uh, can he come with?" She asked. The man shrugged, "I don't see why not." Reid looked over at JJ and JJ encourages him to go and Reid hops into the ambulance with Casey.

The sudden realization hit her and she realized that she was safe. Adam was gone. He was dead. She killed him. She could finally close her eyes and feel safe without somebody watching her like a hawk. She was okay. She was relieved. Casey was alive. She was free.

━━━━━━

Casey had stayed in the hospital for a couple of days after that. After the hospital, she had decided to go and visit a place she normally didn't visit. Her mother's grave.

She had decided to bring the team with her and they all joined over at the gravestone. Casey had held a yellow flower in her hand and place it on the gravestone. Everyone stood in silence for a brief moment up until Casey decided to speak.

"I, uh," Casey sniffled. "I never got to talk at my mom's funeral. I was a few days old, so, it wasn't possible. But I know she would've been a good mom. She would've tried to, at least." Casey knew deep down that maybe if things worked out, maybe her mother wouldn't have been a heroin addict, maybe she could've been there for Casey.

"You know, she held off on heroin up until after I was born. She gave it up for nine months and I knew everyday was hell. I know she loved me because she sacrificed that for me. And I know, she would've still done that." Casey explained. She couldn't defend her actions, but she knew that that was her mother and she still loved her, no matter her mistakes.

"But who knows how I could've ended up if she had lived? My uncle described my mother as someone who treated everybody with kindness. When I was in the hospital, uh, I read this one thing from Anne L. de Stael and it said: 'We understand death only after it has placed its hands on someone we love'. I think I understand it a bit better now. My mother never had a bad thing to say about anybody and she always had a good time. And that's something. I love you, Mom."

        Casey kissed her fingertips and placed them on the gravestone, staying at the gravestone. Everyone had left one by one and the only people left standing had been Hotch and Casey.

        Casey took notice and decided to start up the conversation. "How long did you know my mother?" She asks. Hotch looks at the girl and then back at the gravestone. "A little over eight years before you were born. One day at work, she decides to visit Gideon and she runs into me instead. She was nineteen and I had just gotten hired for the BAU."

       The girl looks over at Hotch and decides to bring it up as she pieced it all together. It was real. But, how could she explain it? "You loved her, didn't you?" Hotch took a look at the girl in confusion but Casey looked at him. "I know."

        Hotch took a deep breath and looked ahead at the fields. "I did," Hotch admitted. "I did love her." Casey looked down. "What happened?" She asked.
       "I loved Haley more." Hotch told.

      Casey looked at the man. She was mad at Hotch. She didn't even know the reason why. She felt as if she had a right. He never told her about her mother or about this, nonetheless and she was angry about that. How could he have kept this secret for this long? And Hotch understood her attitude. She deserved to be mad.

       "And how did that work out?" Casey questioned. "Lost the two women you loved. But you got something against me..." Casey looked at the man. "You knew her better. I didn't know her, at all."

         With that, Casey left the cemetery, leaving Hotch in the despair of the ghost he once loved. He walked away soon after.

OH
MY
GOD
hey lovelies!!!
i know this was a super long one but i am incredibly proud of this one! i mean, y'all know something is up when the title of the chapter/episode is someone's first name lmaooo
y'all the twists were literally so fun to add in
this deadass took me a week to write lmaoo
I AM SO EXCITED FOR MORE 🥳
thank you for reading i love y'all so much😁
also reid and casey content we love 💕
and also:

my friend kamalaskhan 's made this for me and i can't stop staring at it lolll
anyways thank you for reading
i love y'all
-mya <333