Work Text:
The Bull Pen is alight with buzz this morning. Hotch, Derek and Garcia were walking past people. Each holding files meant for J.J’s office. There was a recent string of murders nearby and so the lobby was filled with witnesses. Police taking notes and double checking alibis. Spencer’s at his desk going through his own work among the sudden chaos.
Hotch’s attention is drawn to a certain police interview. Derek and Garcia stop in front of him, focusing on each other. He catches onto some words the police man says, some he doesn’t. Either way the woman was being shown the door within a few minutes.
It isn’t until she passes Spencer’s desk does the woman pause, eyes snapping towards Spencer with zero hesitation. Hotch’s grip tightens on the file in his hand. The others noticed the witness's shift in demeanour as soon as he did.
Spencer looks up from his note taking, eyes locking with hers. As if an unspoken bubble popped, the woman strides over towards him. She stops in front of him and lifts her arm, leaving it right in front of his mouth. It’s then Hotch remembers what he overheard the police say as he was bringing her in an hour prior.
“I’m bringing in a vampire witness. Said she saw something the other night.”
A vampire. Like Reid. Spencer leans over towards her wrist. Garcia’s breath hitches beside him and Morgan takes a step forward. Most likely to stop whatever malpractice problem is about to be left on his desk.
Instead of biting down on her wrist, Spencer speaks. “I’m good, miss.” He says and smiles. His fangs descend from his gums and he leans back.
“You smell alone.” She states and retracts her arm. “Where’s your coven?” He asks.
Spencer strengthens his shoulders. He’s putting up a wall. “Out of state.” His smile turns fake.
The woman doesn’t see it, but he does. She hums and nods, taking a step back. “You tell them to come back and claim you. Or someone else is going to do it.” He states. Spencer just nods and she walks away out of the BAU. The second she’s gone he retracts his fangs and sighs.
“What was that?” Morgan asks immediately, walking over. Setting down the files in his hands on a nearby desk, Hotch follows. Garcia is right behind him, quickening her pace to match his.
“What?” Spencer blinks, looking over at them. “Oh her? She was a witness.” He says, scooting his chair closer to his desk.
Reid isn’t this oblivious. “Why’d she try to get you to feed from her?” Hotch asks, tone calm. Inside though, he doesn’t know what he feels about what just happened. Ignoring the malpractice lawsuit that could have transpired, the whole thing confused him.
Vampires are known to feed off other vampires for specific nutrients they can’t get from human blood. It’s not uncommon for them to bond over sharing their own blood with one another. It’s regularly seen in certain power dynamics. Was she trying to make a statement? Was this some kind of insult he isn’t aware of? Should he have stepped in?
Spencer’s reaction to his question only confirms that this isn’t something they were meant to see. Or take note of. The man looks away from them, pulling out one of his notebooks. He doesn’t open it, instead playing with the edge. “It’s a vampire thing.” He states.
Morgan scoffs. “No shit.” He says, leaning over the other’s notebook. Morgan pushes himself into Spencer's space. “What kind of ‘vampire thing’?”
“Should I start the process of a restraining order?” Garcia questions. She goes to reach out before retracting her hands.
“No! No, it’s fine. Really.” Spencer startles, looking over at her and past Morgan. “She was asking if I wanted to be a part of her coven. That’s all.” He rambles off quickly. Garcia and Morgan look taken aback. Hotch would too, but he’d fast to stifle his reaction.
“You have a coven.” Hotch states.
Spencer doesn’t talk about his personal life with him. But on two or more occasions he’s overheard him telling Morgan about things. Things the two can relate over. So this wasn’t something he’s told Hotch himself. It’s on his file. A simple ‘next of kin’ line under a pile of documentation. Diana Reid. Spencer’s mother.
Spencer doesn’t reply right away. When he does it’s slow and calculated. “Technically I don’t.” He says. He picks up his pencil and twirls it in his hands. His speech picks up like he does when he’s reciting statistics. “Legally I’m part of my fathers coven. Socially and among the vampire community I'm considered covenless. Human relatives aren't taken seriously as being part of a coven.”
He stores the ‘technically covenless’ in the back of his mind for now. “How does she know that?” Morgan asks.
Spencer blushes, twirling his pencil faster. “Ah well, because I don’t smell like I have a coven.” He mumbles.
Garcia looks seconds away from asking more questions, but is stopped by J.J walking up to the four of them. “We have a new case.” She announces, gesturing to them to follow. Spencer basically springs from his seat hot on her heels. Garcia is quick to follow.
“Did you know he was covenless?” Hotch asks quietly.
Morgan shakes his head. “I always thought he just wasn’t comfortable talking about them.” He says. He nods in understanding.
“I’ll look into it.” Hotch states. He turns away from the younger man and starts heading towards the briefing room. Morgan doesn’t need to question him. He probably wants answers too.
.
“David, what do you know about vampire covens?” Hotch asks one late night. The two of them were looking over past cases. It was a past time only the two of them shared. Reliving their wins, their losses. Learning from mistakes they had made in the past. Making sure to be ready in the future.
It died down enough for Hotchner’s mind to start floating. Quiet always made him think. Now more than ever with Haley and Jack in protective custody. No longer can he fill the quiet with his son's giggles and chatter. Which means his mind finds something else to listen to.
Right now his thoughts on what Spencer said a few weeks ago is at the forefront of his mind. It’s the loudest and it demands his attention. “Hmm?” Rossi looks up from choosing between two past cases. He sets them both down, turning towards him. “What about vampire covens?”
“What do you know about them?” He asks again. He sets his hands to work and starts clearing off his desk of nicknacks. Erasers and loose pencils, left over paper clips.
Rossi eyes him for a second longer before leaning back in his own seat. “There’s a lot to know. Their structures aren't like the normal nuclear family. There’s the sire, who takes on a parental role usually. Though it’s common for sires to just be a natural dominant force within the coven. Then there’s interwoven relationships between members. Coven siblings, fledglings, blood bonds and mates are the most common you’d find.” He explains. “They can be a handful of people or as large as a small town.”
Hotch nods. He’s run out of things to move as he stands and opens up a random box. He’s been meaning to organize this thing. “How integral are they to an individual?” He questions.
“Well, a lot of our vampiric unsubs don’t have covens or are abused within them. Their coven members died or something else happened. It can be a trigger for people. Why? Is there a case involving one I haven’t heard about?” Rossi asks.
Hotch pauses in his shuffling, looking up. Rossi has a brow raised. “It’s not that. Just something Reid said.” He answers.
Rossi leans forward at this, setting his elbows on his desk. “What did the kid say?”
He sighs and falls into his seat. Raising a hand he sets his fingers on his forehead and leans down. This was none of his business. But if this will affect Spencer and then the team…then it’s his job as his supervisor to know, right? “Reid doesn’t have a coven.” He states.
Rossi doesn’t reply right away, a small silence stretching between them. Then he chuckles dryly. “You're worried about Spencer?”
“I’m concerned this may impact him during cases.” Hotch replies quickly.
Rossi’s chuckles turned quickly amused. “Aaron, I've known you for years, you're worried about him.” He points at him, a smug smile on his face. “This would have affected Reid a long time ago if it was going too.” He adds.
“But you said they were integral to a vampire.” He says. Hotch remembers a case where an Unsub killed anyone who looked like the man who killed his coven mate in a car crash. An unfortunate event leading to nine murders. At first he thought it was as simple as losing a friend. But it was deeper than that. It was family.
“They are. It’s also none of our business if Spencer has one or not. That’s his personal life.” He explains.
“I guess you're right.” Hotch sighs. “You made it seem like…a big deal. But if Spencer doesn’t feel the need to have one, it isn’t my problem.” Or what he’s paid to do. The rest of the night goes by uneventfully. He goes to sleep with one less worry upon his shoulders. Spencer’s fine. This isn’t something he needs to keep an eye on.
.
Hotch can’t keep his eyes off of Spencer. Now that he knows the man doesn’t have a coven he’s starting to notice things. Things he brushed off before. More ‘incidents’ pop up now that he knows he’s supposed to be looking at them. Where Spencer being covenless is as clear as day.
While interviewing a potential unsub Spencer unseeths his fangs. Hotch always thought it was a power move. A way for Spencer to show others that he’s in charge. But it never fit his character. Now he understands it. Unseething fangs isn’t always for dominance among vampires.
“I just don’t understand.” Spencer starts off. He’s meeting the man’s eyes head on, every so often looking away. Morgan stands off in the corner he’s constantly flicking his eyes too. “We have eye witness reports of you being at the Roadhouse that night. You couldn’t have been home.” He says.
The unsub doesn’t bulk against being called out. Instead he levels Spencer’s stare, flashing his own fangs. “Lot of folks look like me.” The man states. He sniffs the air, smiling. “Lot of ‘em smell like me too.” He adds, quieter.
Spencer licks his top fangs. “They do?” He asks.
“What is he doing?” Prentiss questions beside him. Hotch turns his attention to her and Rossi. They were in the room with the two way mirror waiting for an error. A way to nail this guy down for the five abductions. All women, brunette and in their early twenties. Garcia had determined that they looked a lot like his divorced wife. She was the stressor. The victims are a way to still have the woman who left him.
“You can’t out man this guy. Spencer’s going to make him get aggressive and deny everything.” Prentiss continues.
“I don’t think this is a dominant display.” Hotch voices. He narrows his eyes on the intersection before him. The way Spencer moves in the seat across from the other man. Like there was another conversation going on they weren’t privy too.
Rossi steps forward onto Prentiss’s right. “The Unsub craves control and won’t let go of his past relationship. But he’s also registered as a sire for around ten young men. Submissive men who look up to him.” Rossi explains.
Prentiss’s eyes widen as the words sink in. “He’s playing into the unsubs fantasy.” She says.
“Exactly.” Hotch hums.
Turning back to the glass, they continue to watch on. “—the house?” Spencer asks.
The unsub smiles, leaning even closer. “I can take you there if you want. Got a sire waiting and everything.” He practically groans.
“That’s enough.” Morgan calls, pushing himself into the conversation. Unknowingly playing his part of Spencer’s pseudo sire. “You're not taking Reid anywhere. Not until you tell us what you’ve done with the five women you kidnapped.” Morgan states.
The unsub thrashes against the cuffs chaining him to the chair, hissing up at Derek. Spencer stands and the Unsub stops, eyes snapping towards him. “He already told us where he’s keeping them.” Spencer says. He retracts his teeth and his posture shifts. No longer looking interested in the man before him. His stare is cold and calculated. “There at Alex Smith's house. He stinks of his claim and has the property to keep them.”
The next few hours are spent going to Alex Smith’s property, rescuing the abducted women and rounding up the other men involved. It’s only the next day when they're flying back to the BAU that anyone says anything about how Spencer figured it out.
“We checked everyone listed as part of his coven.” Morgan brings up. He’s looking at Spencer as if he holds the world's secrets in his hands. “Alex wasn’t part of it.”
Spencer looks over from his book. Everyone was staring now. “Not legally, no. But he has the man’s claim all over him. And Alex had a violent history with his own mother being abusive. Then I got close to him when we were at the Roadhouse and knew they spent time together. But I thought it was just because they were vampires in the same small town. The accusation wasn’t solid so I never brought it up. But when the Unsub was talking to me I realized something.” Spencer begins to explain.
Hotch sets down his own book at this point. What did he miss? What did Spencer realize that none of them did? “What was it?” He asks.
Spencer smiles awkwardly at him but continues. “He said he had a sire for me if I went ‘home’ with him. He was abducting the women to force them to be his divorced wife. To be sires to the men he has in his coven. And so I connected Alex Smith’s past with the unsubs need for his mate, and realized that Alex was his first coven child. He was keeping the woman because they were for him.” He says.
It makes total sense. A twisted coven fantasy made by two men who were missing a vital part of themselves. A mother figure and a wife. “Good work, Reid.” Hotch says. Morgan reaches over and messes up the man’s hair, Spencer swatting him away.
.
Another ‘incident’ with Spencer he catches onto is outside of work hours. Hotch gets them a hotel nearby the precinct while they were in another state. Sleeping in hotels is normal for the team. They spend more time in them than they do in their own houses.
What wasn’t normal is when he’s passing out room keys, the lady working the front desk calling out to the group. Hotch turns, expecting something to be wrong with the reservation.
“You!” She points to Spencer, heels clicking across the floor as she walks over. Spencer looks behind himself as if she was talking to the wall behind him. The lady laughs and he blushes.
Morgan whispers something about Spencer being a ‘ladies man’ to Prentiss and she hides her smile behind her hand. “Here. For if you need anything.” The lady says and holds out a flyer.
“Oh, thank you?” Spencer takes the flyer offered to him. The lady nods once before turning on her heels and walking back down the hall. Before Spencer could read the flyer, Morgan snatched it out of his hands.
“That was the fastest I’ve seen a man get a girl's number.” Morgan says as he looks down at the flyer.
Hotch looks over, half expecting it to be the ladies number. The other half of him thinks it’s some flyer with a discount to a better room. Wouldn’t be the first time they were given discounts for better rooms with the way they move as a group. He doesn’t expect to see the words ‘Looking for a coven? Contact us!’ In big bold red letters.
Morgan is more vocal about it than he is. “This is the second time a woman has called you out, Spence.” Morgan barks a laugh, bewildered.
Spencer snatches the flyer back, blushing wildly. “Oh you have him all upset, Derek!” Prentiss pokes fun. Though he can see the concern in her eyes. It looks like Hotch is the only one noticing things now.
“Let’s go to our rooms.” Spencer says, begging to walk off.
Hotch looks over at Rossi. The man mouths ‘Not our problem’.
Spencer’s not doing anything differently and yet he feels the whole team's eyes on the back of his neck. Like pressure choking him from behind. Most of it’s coming from Hotchner himself. He wouldn’t be a behavioural analyst and genius if he saw the way Hotch moves around him. Like he’s trying to read a book but it’s in another language.
It comes to a head one night while the whole team is out for drinks. Garcia picked out a vampire friendly bar and told everyone to meet her there. So Spencer shows up, a little surprised to see Hotch here too. The man looks so out of his element it’s almost funny. Except that he keeps staring. Waiting for something Spencer is unsure will show its head at all.
“And for you?” The bartender asks, looking over at him.
“A ruby blood wine, please.” He orders from the ‘pire menu. She hums and starts grabbing mixers. It gives the team enough time to chat. Chatting that somehow starts with questions.
“So, Spence.” Derek starts, leaning towards him. “I’ve been wondering about something for a while now.”
“Morgan.” Hotch warns. Wait, warns?
“Come on Hotch, you’ve been wondering too.” Derek says, looking undeterred.
Garcia and J.J walk over with their respective drinks they got earlier. “Wondering what?” Garcia asks.
“About Spencer and his covenless self.” Derek states.
“Oh, we’re actually talking about this?” J.J questions and goes to sit next to Rossi.
Oh. He understands the stares now. It makes sense. “Is this about that witness from months ago?” Spencer sighs. He didn’t think anything of it was the time but looking back, that’s when all this started. “I said it was nothing.”
“I mean…it’s a bit weird, right? Vampires and covens go hand in hand.” Prentiss says as calmly as she can. He can tell by the way she’s watching for a reaction she knows this is a territory there not meant to be in.
“I agree with Prentiss, baby genius, I was concerned when you said you don’t have a coven. One google search tells you it’s uncommon.” Garcia says as she settles on his right.
“You guys don’t have to be worried. It’s a choice.” He tries to explain without giving it all out. Revealing this part of himself. They're his coworkers. They don’t need to know this part of himself.
He turns towards Hotch, Rossi and J.J, hoping for a safe. J.J looks as interested, though far more reserved. Rossi looks fully bored with the conversation as a whole. It’s when he glances at Hotch does Spencer realise he’s a goner. The man looks seconds away from interrogating him himself. After a second he opens his mouth and his thoughts turn to reality.
“Other vampires have tried to help you out regarding not having a coven. It comes up during cases.” Hotch explains slowly.
Derek pats him on the back. “If it’s really that personal I won’t push, but I feel like something's going on that we need to know.” He offers up.
Sighing once more Spencer looks anywhere but at his team. “Legally I have a coven with my father. By vampire standards I don’t because humans don’t count.” He starts slowly.
Hotch cuts in, eyes narrowed. “You’ve already said this.”
He agrees, but they didn’t really hear him. “I…I see the team as my coven.” Spencer gives into the questions. The bandaid comes off harsh and it stings, but he gets it off. “I refuse to get a traditional one because it wouldn’t matter. It wouldn’t be real to me. Because I have a human one.” The words float heavy in the air and he’s ready to choke on it.
Then Garcia speaks up. “Awwww!” She coos, wrapping her arms around him. “I love you too, Spencer!"
“Really?” Derek laughs, looking surprised. “You see us as a coven?” He smiles, patting his shoulder.
“It’s hard not too…” Spencer mumbles.
Prentiss stands up and walks over, leaning against the bar counter. Between Garcia and Hotchner. “But we can’t do everything a coven does.” She points out.
He shrugs. That never really mattered to him. “Well you kind of do?” He says, thinking back to when he started feeling this way. “Penelope and Derek act like coven siblings, J.J acts like a high blood maiden, Prentiss would be a fang bearer and uh…Rossi and Hotch are the sires.” He explains quietly.
“I’m a coven sibling!?” Garcia grins. She looks like she’s hung the sun for her. Spencer tries to bury himself in his hands.
Derek leans onto him even more. “Oh this is gold.” He quips.
“Blood maiden?” J.J questions. The woman looks over to Rossi, who’s now looking like the topic is the most intriguing book he’s ever read.
“Blood maidens are seen as caretakers within a coven.” Rossi explains. He takes a sip of his whisky, eyes sparkling. “They are also known as blood mothers. Women who help emotionally regulate vampires in her coven. There’s multiple, but the high blood maiden is seen as the boss among her rank.” He continues.
J.J sets down her drink and glances over. Her smile meets her eyes and he feels like disappearing into the floor. Prentiss turns her attention to Rossi now. “And Fang bearer?” She questions.
Rossi meets her with facts Spencer wishes he didn’t have. “Physical protectors. Vampires who are trusted to keep territorial lines and deal with other covens face to face.” Prentiss snorts at this, looking way too happy with her new found knowledge.
“I shouldn’t have said anything.” Spencer groans into his hands.
“Well, you definitely broke Hotch for one.” Derek states, shaking his shoulders.
“What?” Spencer voices. Looking up at Hotch the man’s staring at him with wide eyes. The unblinking man doesn’t so much as move.
After a few moments of Spencer staring, Hotch clears his throat. “I didn’t think you thought of us this way.” He says.
Swallowing thickly, Spencer tries to repair any damage he’s done. “If you're uncomfortable with it, just forget I said anything—“
“It’s fine.” Hotch waves him off.
“Your drink sirs.” The bartender announces as she sets Hotchner’s drink down in front of him. She moves onto him, setting down his bloody wine before darting off again. Hotch takes his drink and practically chugs it. Slowly picking up his own drink, Spencer takes a sip.
Hopefully this wouldn’t change anything.