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….

The call wasn't what he expected, especially not at three in the morning. He'd barely closed his eyes after just getting home from a long case that had had a bittersweet ending. Though they'd caught the Unsub, they'd only been able to save one of the three children the psychotic woman had taken hostage. He could still feel the scorching heat of the flames that had engulfed the vacant barn before anybody could rescue the other two beaten and starved kids. He was actually thankful for the annoying ringing of his cell phone, for it served as a distraction from the haunting memories.

The drive to the hole-in-the-wall bar was quiet externally, but his mind was flooded with questions. An assortment of alcohol, cigarette smoke, and a mixture of colognes and perfumes assaulted his sense of smell immediately when he stepped through the door. His eyes found, almost instantly, the person to whom the caller had been referring. He pushed his way through the drunken crowd who was apparently attempting to ignore the bartender's shouts of 'Last call!'

'Hey, there.'

Spencer Reid's glazed eyes slowly focused on him. 'What are you doing here?'

'The bartender over there called. Said you'd had quite a bit to drink. Come on, let's get you home.'

'No. Leave me alone.'

'Reid, this isn't an optional sort of thing. Get up.'

The younger man hardly put up a fight and leaned heavily against his companion, allowing himself to be led to the SUV. Once he'd gotten Reid buckled safely into the passenger seat, David Rossi climbed in on his own side, started the ignition, and pulled out of the parking lot. He figured Reid had fallen asleep, as there was no sound from him.

'Pull over.'

'What?'

'Pull over, Rossi. Now.'

Spencer barely waited for the vehicle to stop completely before he had the door open and was struggling to get out. Dave reached over and released the seat belt. He fought a smile when the lanky man fell from the car.

'You alright?'

'Remind me to never drink again.'

'I certainly will. Can I ask what made you drink so much?'

'Nothing important.'

'Really? I could've sworn, in my day, nobody drank that much with the sole intention of forgetting "nothing important."'

'Yea, well, this isn't exactly your "day," now is it?'

'Spencer, please. Just tell me what's going on.'

'The last time I trusted somebody, I got my heart tore apart.'

Dave stayed quiet in hopes Reid would continue. He wasn't disappointed; in only a few moments, the passenger spoke again.

'I had a girlfriend. Sophie. Shock, I know. Almost five months. We had a date the other night. Correction: we were supposed to have a date. She called off half an hour before and said she didn't think it was working out. She'd already met somebody new. I've seen pictures of him. He's another Morgan. I thought I'd finally found someone, and she'd left me for someone who looks like Morgan. Do you know how that feels? Yea, not the greatest. I was lonely before, but now…I might as well be the last person on Earth, with the way I feel.

'Plus, Mom's condition's getting worse. The doctors have tried increasing her medication, but nothing is working. I feel even worse about not visiting now, because what if something happens and I'm not there? I don't want to have to live the rest of my life with those regrets. It makes matters worse with the fact I haven't talked to my father in almost a month. He hasn't called; he won't answer my calls. I've even tried calling his office. They haven't seen or heard from him, either.'

'That…I'm sorry to hear that.'

'Don't be. It's just making me wonder if being in the BAU is really the right choice anymore.'

'Well, Spencer, I don't really know what to say. All I know is we'll miss you if you decide to leave to be closer to your mother.'

'Will you miss me, or will you miss my brain?'

'Your brain is only a bonus to having such an amazing young man, such as yourself, on the team. Spencer, the team is really all I have left, but it's not really a team to me anymore. It's my family. And you are an important, integral part of that family. If you leave, it'd be like losing a son, to me. But you've got to do what's right for you, and if packing up and moving to Las Vegas is what's right, then you do it. Just know that I'm always going to be here for you.'

'Thank you, Rossi.'

'Another thing: If you want, I can look into what's happening with your father for you.'

'That'd be great. Hey, this isn't my house!'

'No. This is mine, as you already know. You can stay here for the night.'

'Thanks.'

'Come on in.'

The genius's eyes grew, as per usual, as Rossi led him inside to the guest room. Dave grinned when Spencer fell onto the plush bed, Chuck Taylors still on and all. A quick glance at his face told Dave on thing: the young man was completely asleep. Dave pulled the duvet over the lanky shoulders and instinctively ran a gentle hand over Spencer's hair; he couldn't believe that the younger of the two felt so lonely, so isolated, shut off from the world, at such a tender age.

'You'll be alright, Spencer. I've got faith in you. So much faith. You'll be alright.'

With tht, he turned off the light and closed the door softly. Dave had meant every word he said. Spencer really had become like a son to him – a sometimes annoying, socially-awkward, yet still lovable son. And Dave felt so very lucky for that.