Title: Nightmare

Author: crazyauthoress

Summary: Spencer wakes up from a nightmare.

Rating: T

Warnings: Slash and spoilers for 2.15 and anything involving Hankle.

Spencer woke up screaming.

His heart was pounding in his chest, making his ribs ache as he scrambled for the light. Flicking the switch, he covered his eyes, blinded by the bright light. He sat there, shaking and whimpering as he tried to push the remaining vestiges of the nightmare away.

It didn't work.

He could still see himself, kneeling next to the cooling body. His hands were covered in blood and the knees of his pants coated in it. He had been crying out and whimpering, begging for it not to be true.

But it was.

He could hear the cackling of someone, someone who's name he wouldn't even think let alone say, in the background. They were taunting him, telling him that it was his fault. They held a vial out to him and he knew what it was. Part of him wanted to reach out and take it, to dull the pain and make him forget.

Suddenly, there was a hand on his shoulder, pulling him out of the nightmarish memories. Unsure of what was happening, if this was still part of the dream, Spencer reacted immediately. He rolled away, curling himself in a tight ball as the images of his nightmares kept playing over and over in his head. It couldn't be true, could it? Had the last months just been a dream, an illusion?

"Pretty Boy!"

The hand was on his back now, but it was stroking his back soothingly, lovingly. There was a voice he knew, a voice he loved, whispering sweet nothings to him. "Hey, hey, it's okay Pretty Boy. You're alright, nothing's gonna get you. I'm here," it said and he forced himself to raise his head and look up.

Right into Derek Morgan's bright, worried eyes.

Spencer stared into Derek's eyes for a moment, swallowing and panting as his heart raced even faster. "D-derek?" he stammered.

Derek nodded. "That's right, Pretty Boy," he cooed softly, placing a hand on Spencer's shoulder carefully, as if the other was going to bolt away from him. "I'm here."

The genius swallowed weakly and dove into Derek's arms, clinging tightly to him. Derek wrapped his arms around Spencer's shaking body tightly, allowing the terrified genius to curl tightly in his lap. He didn't speak, just murmured to him and hummed as he petted Spencer's sweat-soaked hair and back.

Spencer's shaking finally stopped, but he didn't get out of Derek's lap. If anything, he pressed himself closer as his hands groped around, trying to feel for something. "I... it's not there," he breathed out in relief.

Derek frowned lightly and kept stroking his back. "What's not there, Pretty Boy?" he asked, kissing Spencer's hair gently. He wasn't sure exactly what Spencer was talking about, but from the way he had reacted earlier, he could guess what his nightmare had been about.

"T-there's no bullet wound, no blood," he mumbled, looking up at Derek with fear clinging to his face.

Derek's face smoothed out in understanding and he wrapped his arms more firmly around Spencer's warm body. "Of course not, Spencer," he said, kissing Spencer's hair again. "I'm not hurt and you're not either. What was the dream about, Pretty Boy?" When Spencer hesitated, he hastened to say, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Spencer. I just want to know so I can help you."

Spencer was quiet for a moment, thinking before speaking softly. "Y-you were dead," he said, pressing himself more firmly against Derek's broad body. "I-I don't know who did it or why, but I was trying to stop the bl-blood and it didn't work. I was kneeling in your blood and then-" he stopped speaking and started to shake again, his eyes closing tightly.

Derek pressed his nose into Spencer's hair and kissed the soft locks gently. "What happened then, Pretty Boy?" he asked gently.

Spencer swallowed, unwilling to answer, but needing to. "Hankel was there," he mumbled and he felt Derek's breath catch as his arms tightly around him more. "H-he told mt it was my fault... that I killed you. A-and then... he offered me Dilaudid. I-I don't think I took it, but I don't know. Then I woke up."

Derek cooed softly. "Oh, baby," he said, laying down slowly with Spencer still pillowed on top of him. He kissed his forehead gently as Clooney leaped onto the bed, obviously sensing that something was wrong with Spencer. "You're okay, Pretty Boy. Hankel is dead, he can't hurt you again."

Spencer nodded slowly, wrapping his arms around Clooney's soft neck as Derek kissed his neck once. "I've got you, baby," he murmured, stroking Spencer's arm gently. "You're safe."

"B-but..."

"He's dead, Spencer," Derek reminded Spencer,, his voice soft and gentle. "The coroner said so and I saw the wound myself; he's dead and buried, Pretty Boy. Shhh, don't worry. Nothing can touch you while I've got you. You know that."

The genius nodded and lifted his head from Clooney's fur. "Thank you," he murmured, turning around to cuddle closer to Derek as Clooney molded himself around Spencer's thin body.

Derek just smiled, cupping Spencer's chin and pulling him up for a kiss. "You don't have to thank me," he replied, shaking his head as he started to press soft kisses onto Spencer's face. "Spencer, I love you. You never have to thank me for taking care of you. It's an honor, really."

Spencer smiled a tiny smile, his first one since he woke up. "I love you too," he said, resting his forehead on Derek's collar bone. The older male just kissed his hair, stroking his back gently. "C-can we not go back to sleep for a while?"

"We can do whatever you want, Pretty Boy," Derek said, looking over at the clock. It was 2:30 in the morning and they needed to be in the office early tomorrow. He frowned a little, but ignored it in favor of turning back to Spencer. If they needed to, they could call in Hotch and come in late.

"Thank you," Spencer repeated as he wrapped his arms around Derek's chest, pillowing his head on his chest again. Derek relaxed against the pillows, stroking his soft hair in the hopes of lulling him back to sleep where he wouldn't have nightmares. "I love you, Derek Morgan. I really do."

Derek smiled down at the other and tipped his head up lightly to kiss him again. "I love you too, Spencer Reid," he said. "More than you will ever know." Spencer smiled and yawned widely, making Derek laugh. "Try to sleep, Pretty Boy. I'll keep the nightmares at bay."

The genius nodded slowly, yawning again as he snuggled down into the blankets. Derek tucked them firmly around his Pretty Boy's body, smiling as he waited for his breath to even out. As soon as it did, he pulled his phone over and called Hotch.

"Hey, Hotch? … Yes I know it's 2:30, but it's important. Reid and I need to take a personal day; he had a nightmare. … Alright, thanks. … Yeah, yeah. … Thanks again," he said before hanging up and laying down with Spencer wrapped tightly in his arms.

Tomorrow, he'd do something amazing for Spencer, to make him forget everything that happened tonight. He deserved it, after everything he's been through. But for now, the only thing he could do was hold him close. Derek looked down at Spencer and kissed his hair again. "I really do love you, Spencer," he murmured before laying down.

Now it was time to sleep again... hopefully without any more nightmares.