Title: High Stakes
Author: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Spencer Reid
Fandom: CSI/Criminal Minds
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,295
Warning: ongoing series
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Spencer Reid, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Spencer looked up as Hotch came into the office he was sitting in, the look on the other man's face making his heart race in his chest. "Is there a break in the case?" he asked, his voice cracking on the last word. "Do we know where Foyet has Greg?"

"We think so." Hotch's voice was cautious, but Spencer could tell that he felt whatever they knew was good news. He jumped to his feet, ready to bound out of the door and go after the rest of the team, wherever they were headed. He had to be in the forefront of this.

"Spencer." Hotch's hand was on his shoulder, pulling him back from running out of the room. "We have to be careful. Foyet took Greg because he's laying a trap for you. I don't think that Greg is his intended victim here. I think he's expecting you to walk into that trap."

Spencer nodded slowly, knowing that Hotch was right about his assessment of Foyet. "And if I walk in there first, he'll more than likely be waiting for me," he whispered. "But what if he's got Greg -- and he kills him if I'm not the first person he sees? What then?"

"We'll have to take that chance, Reid." Hotch's voice was quiet, but just as firm as it always ways. "Greg would understand that we have to take some risks to get him out of there. If we leave him with Foyet because we're afraid to make a move, he'll be dead."

Spencer closed his eyes, swallowing hard. He knew that Hotch was right, but his mind still skittered in different directions, searching for a different solution, trying to find some way that he could be the first person through that door, the one who rescued Greg.

What did that matter? a voice in the back of his mind screamed at him. The only important thing was that they got Greg away from Foyet unharmed. It didn't matter who was the one to get Greg away from that bastard, as long as someone did.

The only thing that mattered was Greg's safety. Somehow, his own safety no longer seemed important; all he wanted was to know that Greg was all right, that Foyet hadn't stabbed him or harmed him in any way. As far as they knew, so far, Greg hadn't been hurt.

But what did they know? Spencer thought, trying to calm himself down. They couldn't know much of anything at this point; they might have found out where Foyet was, but it could be a dead end. There was nothing that they could do but follow the lead -- and hope.

Hope was really all that he had right now; he couldn't afford to lose it. He had to believe that Greg was going to be rescued, that Foyet hadn't harmed him, and that the two of them would be safe from that monster after tonight was over.

They were playing for high stakes -- higher than Spencer had ever dreamed they could be. In all of the cases he had worked, he'd never thought that he would one day be in the place of the people he talked to and tried to comfort if their loved ones didn't come home to them.

He had never thought that he would be the one wondering if the person he loved was still alive. He had always sympathized with the people who had been in that position, but he'd never thought of what he would do if he found himself on their side of the fence.

The stakes were high with every case they worked on, he told himself, trying to take a step back and look at the situation as dispassionately as possible. But he couldn't do that. For him, these were the highest stakes he'd ever had to deal with.

So this was how people felt when someone they loved was at the mercy of a killer. It wasn't a feeling that Spencer ever wanted to experience again; he'd never been so terrified in his life, never been so afraid that he was going to lose everything that meant the most to him.

What would he do if he lost Greg? It would be impossible to move on to another lover; there wasn't anyone else in the world who could be like Greg. Spencer was sure that this man was the only person he would ever love, the one he was meant for.

Surely the fates wouldn't be so cruel as to give Greg to him, and then snatch him away. They couldn't be parted like this; he couldn't lose Greg without holding him again, without telling the other man that he loved him, and that he always would.

He couldn't be too late to save his lover. He didn't want to gamble with Greg's life, but he was sure that his boyfriend would understand that sometimes, people who did his sort of job had to be willing to take risks if they wanted to even the odds and come out on the winning side.

Spencer bit his lip, hesitating to leave the room. If he stayed here, then he wouldn't be right there in the thick of the action; he wouldn't know if Greg was dead or alive until the others got back to the office. He'd simply sit here and wait, helpless to affect the outcome.

The stakes had never been higher, at least not for him. But he couldn't hang back because of his own fears of what might happen; that would be letting himself down, as well as Greg. He had to be there, even if he couldn't be right at the forefront of what happened.

He had to be there to hold Greg, to bring him home safely, to find out for himself that his lover was all right. He couldn't sit here and wait to be told; he would feel guilty for the rest of his life if he hung back, even if he told himself that he'd done so to protect Greg.

Spencer took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. He couldn't play the hero. The team wouldn't let him; it would put him in too much danger, especially if they were right and he was the one that Foyet really wanted. They wouldn't let him take that much of a risk.

And besides, Greg wouldn't want him to. His boyfriend would understand that they were playing for high stakes -- but he wouldn't let Spencer place his safety on the table as part of the gamble. He would be the first person to tell his lover to keep himself protected.

It was more than obvious that this had been a ploy to lure Spencer into the foreground -- and at this point, they just had to hope that Foyet would believe Spencer was young and impetuous enough to fall for it. They had to hope that this time, they would have the upper hand.

Spencer opened his eyes, nodding at Hotch. "Okay, I'm ready," he said, his voice strong and firm. "We're going to win this one." As the two men headed for the door, he hoped that he was right. The stakes were too high this time around for them to make any wrong moves.

***