A/N: I'm back from my two month hiatus! Believe it or not, I have been trying to come up with something to post the whole time, but was in a Criminal Minds block. Today I was searching the forums for inspiration, and stumbled upon a plot bunny provided by ArwenLalaith. This is unbeta'd, so please let me know if you spot any mistakes. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is a fantastic work of art. Unfortunately, it is not MY fantastic work of art.
Warning: Spoilers for I guess, The Fisher King (1&2), Elephants Memory, The Instincts and Memoriam. One swear word.
Word Count: 300
Happy reading!
One of the most difficult moments in life is when the fog of childhood lifts and, for the first time, we see our parents as people.
For Spencer Reid, that was the day his father left. That was when the ten-year-old no longer saw his dad as a knight in shining armor, but for who he really was. A coward.
Ever since he could remember, Reid had known his mother was very sick. When he was seven he finally worked up the courage to go to the local library, and page through a book about mental diseases. Schizophrenia.
At the time, his mother could still remember to feed herself, and even helped her son with his homework (they both knew he only pretended to need assistance), but it was only a matter of time before she would need to be put on stronger medication, and be monitored constantly. Every day that passed by just prolonged the inevitable. There was no cure for the horrible disease that plagued the small family. No hope.
But for the first decade of his life, Reid's dad was always there. Always there to lend a helping hand. Always there to provide a hug, or a distraction when he needed it most. Always there to tell him everything was going to be okay. Even though he never did get around to telling his father about the ruthless bullies that made his life a living hell, or the incessant worry that he would inherit his mother's illness, William Reid could always make his son feel safe, just by being there. That was a hero in Reid's book.
That hot, July day when the young prodigy's idol left to never return was the worst of his life. The day he saw the truth. He will never forget it.