Just watched the newest episode of Criminal Minds (Corazon, 1/19/2011, for future readers). I swear if they write Reid out of the show I will never watch another episode. I'm already upset at the thought that that new agent girl (can't spell her name, sorry) might be a love interest. In any case, I couldn't help but think during this last episode that Reid seemed to be having hallucinations about the case before they ever got it - though that might be just the style it was filmed in, which was confusing. Regardless, I kept going "Jeez, he's psychic!" and wouldn't that just be awesome?
Letters to Spencer
The team gets a strange call from Reid. He says he's leaving but hints to the truth: he's in danger. Now Morgan, Rossi, Prentiss, and Hotch search the clues to find Reid before it's too late. Sort of pre-slash Morgan/Reid.
…
Spencer Reid had known this would happen. He'd planned on it happening actually. He'd known for two weeks that this was coming and he'd waited silently for this day to come. Still, he couldn't stop the fear pooling in his stomach at the sight of the gun, his gun, in gloved hands, pointed at his head.
"Call your team and let them know you're leaving. No funny stuff."
"Of course," Reid agreed placating-ly, picking his phone up from the table. "They'll be suspicious …" He hit send twice and his phone began to connect. "I've got an idea, though. Don't worry." Only one ring passed before it picked up.
"Hey, Kid, what's up?" Morgan asked, though not as easily as he usually would have. He sounded a bit nervous. Reid ignored it for now.
Reid cleared his throat, his eyes darting to where the gun was in the woman's hands. "Hey, Morgan. I was just thinking." The woman next to him clenched down tighter on the gun, but not on the trigger. Reid tried to ignore her like he was ignoring Morgan's nervousness.
Morgan laughed. "No surprise there. Thinking about what?" The nervousness was still there, but Morgan was attempting to sound normal. Reid wished he could talk about that instead of what he had to say.
Reid shrugged. "I was thinking about….old cases….I thought about all the people we weren't quick enough to save….all the people where every clue was right there in front of us, but we couldn't see it, and so we failed to save them."
Morgan sighed, all nerves gone. "Listen, Kid…You can't-"
"-Save everyone," Reid finished hurriedly. "I know, Morgan. I do. Believe me. But that's not it." He hung his head, his hair falling partially in his face. "Listen….I was thinking about that time I saved Elle on the train, and when I helped save you from that bomb," he let out a little laugh, but then frowned. "I was thinking about Keri Derzmond…I was thinking about Lila," he finished softly, gently. "I was thinking about her and I realized….I was her hero once. And I've saved people, all the time I save people but…..When do I get saved? And I know I've been saved a lot. Logically, I know that. But I keep coming back to it."
The woman shifted where she stood and Reid knew his time was running out.
"Everyone needs a hero sometimes, Morgan," he said, again in that quiet and gentle voice. His tone was normal the next he spoke. "I need saving." The woman glared angrily and Reid quickly finished up. "I need a hero, but that hero isn't here. That safety isn't here. And tomorrow….I won't be here either."
"What?" Morgan asked, his voice almost a hiss it was so quiet.
Reid continued, his voice quick like when he was rattling off facts. "I'm leaving, Morgan. I'm leaving Virginia….Tonight. Soon. I'm getting ready to go right now, actually." He gave a wavering smile, lifting his head. "I called to say goodbye. I'm throwing this phone away as soon as I hang up, so don't try to call back, ok? It'll be a waste of time and I won't be here to answer it anyway. I need a fresh start, Morgan. I need to get away." A tear slipped down his face and Reid cleared his throat so the action wouldn't be in his voice. "It was good…a pleasure….working with you all these years, Derek Morgan." He squeezed his eyes shut a moment. "Let the others know, ok? And….I won't be coming in to the office again. I just can't….so don't worry about saving any of my stuff. Just throw it away. All of it. I can't see it again."
"Reid-" Morgan tried, his voice strained, but Reid wouldn't let him. He was already starting to cry.
"I'm sorry, Morgan." And he shut the phone, turning to the cute brunette three feet to his right. "That…." He paused to clear his throat, trying to stop the tears rolling down his cheeks. "That should be enough…..to make them leave me alone." He looked away to the side. "I'll be just like Gideon….and vanish."
The woman smiled sweetly, stepping closer and gently wiping the tears from Reid's cheeks. He did his best not to flinch. "Let's go," she whispered like a promise of better things.
Reid nodded. "Yes. Let's." The woman's smile brightened.
…
…
Morgan shut his phone and stood up. "HOTCH!" he screamed, rushing over to Reid's desk and hurriedly flipping through papers and looking under everything.
Prentiss jumped in her seat, spun to face him, and frowned. "Morgan, what are you doing?" she asked, standing and moving closer to Reid's desk, which was looking more and more disorganized by the minute.
Hotch and Rossi both came out of their offices at the same time, remembering what had happened the last time Morgan yelled like that in here…except no one was on a case this time and the T.V.s were off. "What is it, Morgan?"
Morgan glanced up to see Hotch there and then shook his head. "Reid just called." He started pulling open desk drawers and sifting through all the files and such in them. "He said he's leaving, Hotch. He said he wasn't coming back and not to try and call him again."
"What?" Prentiss balked. "That's not like Reid," she disagreed with a shake of her head. Hotch and Rossi came down the stairs to stand by Reid's desk while Morgan ransacked it.
"No. It isn't," Hotch agreed. "What are you looking for?"
"On the phone, Reid said he wasn't coming back so we could throw away all his stuff. I think he was trying to tell me something. He was talking about….," Morgan trailed off, seeing the magazine he'd just uncovered in one of Reid's drawers. He picked it up and showed it to Hotch, the image of Reid with his hand on Lila's shoulder on the front cover. "This. He was talking about the people he'd saved, and he paid special attention to Lila."
"So he's going to see her," Rossi rationalized.
Morgan shook his head, eyes scanning Reid's desk. He stopped when his eyes landed on the framed picture of the team on the desk and grabbed it almost violently, staring at it in shock and fear. "Shit." He held it out for Hotch.
"What?" Prentiss asked. "What is it?" She leaned over, trying to see the picture.
"He mentioned Lila, but he also mentioned Keri Derzmond." Morgan opened up the bottom drawer of Reid's desk again and pulled out a stack of letters, slapping them on the desktop forcefully and pointing at them. "Reid's been getting fan mail. He's been getting gifts. And now this? Hotch….," he trailed off, shaking his head.
Hotch frowned. "An obsessive fan. A stalker. And they're in his house," he concluded, looking at the magazine still clutched in Morgan's left hand. He lifted his eyes to Morgan's fearful ones. "What did he say, exactly?"
Morgan let out a breath. "He said….He was Lila's hero, and that sometimes everyone needs a hero." He shook his head. "He said he needed saving but that that safety wasn't here." He stopped for a moment.
Rossi took over. "No. He may have said that, but it wasn't what he meant. He meant he wasn't safe where he was. He was probably standing right next to the stalker."
Morgan nodded slowly. Prentiss put her hands on the barrier between her desk and Reid's. "What else, Morgan?"
Morgan opened his mouth and then paled and cursed under his breath. "He said no one should try to call him because after he hung up he was throwing his phone away and leaving Virginia." He turned to look at Reid's desk. "But he also said something….The first thing he said when I picked up was that he was thinking back to all the times we had all the clues and still couldn't figure out who did it and we were too late." Picking up the stack of letters, Morgan waved them between the four of them. "I think he means these. They're from the stalker. There must be something in here that gives him away."
Prentiss grabbed the stack almost gently and looked into Morgan's eyes. "Then we'd best get started and figure this out before Reid vanishes, huh?"
They all nodded in agreement. Prentiss pulled the rubber band off the stack and dropped it on Reid's now messy desk before passing out the letters equally among the team members.
Morgan opened the top letter he'd been handed and stared at the words. He remembered when Reid had gotten this letter…..
…
…
"Mail for you," the girl behind the cart announced as she stopped at the top of the stairs. She grabbed a single letter from atop her many boxes and walked swiftly over to Reid's desk, handing him a simple white envelope with the words 'Spencer Reid' written on the front.
"Oh," Reid let out, surprised. "Thank you." He smiled at her as he took the envelope and she blushed a cute shade of pink that stood out sharply on her pale cheeks. She wrapped a lock of brown hair around her right index finger for a moment before shaking her head and hurrying off to deliver more mail.
Morgan laughed. "Dude. The mail girl has a crush on you," he teased lightly, watching as the young woman pushed the cart out of the room and down the hall.
"What?" Reid asked absently as he opened the envelope and began reading the contents.
Morgan dropped his grin and looked at Reid in bemusement. "You haven't noticed? She stares at you every time she delivers mail to any of us." He laughed once but didn't smile. "I think she's been working up the courage to actually speak to you one of these days."
Reid 'hmm'ed in that way that meant he really wasn't listening and then, "Hey, Morgan. Listen to this: Dear Dr. Spencer Reid…Recently, I read an article you wrote for a criminology journal and I must say I was very impressed. I was so impressed that I looked up other articles you wrote for science, psychology, and statistics and read them too. You have a brilliant mind, Doctor Reid. Keep up the good work. Your Number One Fan." He let out a little laugh. "I've got a normal fan for once. One that sends normal fanmail." He smiled.
Morgan stared blankly at him for a moment. "Huh. Maybe Maggie should write you a letter," he noted. "Might catch your attention longer."
"Who's Maggie?" Reid asked, eyebrows coming together in confusion. Morgan threw his hands up in surrender and turned back to his desk with an exasperated breath. "Wait. Morgan. Really. Who's Maggie?"
…
…
Prentiss unfolded her paper and read the first few lines.
'Dear Dr. Reid,
I hope you liked the flowers I sent. I'm sorry if it was rude to send them to your place of work, but I wanted you to get them as soon as possible so that they would be at their best when you saw them. You deserve nothing but the best.'
Flowers? She lifted her head to the now empty vase on Reid's desk and her mouth formed an 'oh.' She remembered those flowers.
…
…
Maggie dropped by at about nine and set a beautiful vase of sunflowers and carnations on Reid's desk. She frowned at his empty seat before lightly tugging on a few of the flower stems, attempting to make them look even better than they already did.
"Ooh," Prentiss let out. "Nice flowers. Who're they from?" she asked the twenty-something mail girl.
Maggie jumped and dropped her hands. "Oh. I…I don't know," she admitted, her cheeks turning pink from messing with someone else's gift. "They arrived this morning for…S….Doctor Reid." Her cheeks turned an even brighter shade of pink. "There's not even a card….." She looked from the flowers to Prentiss. "Do…do you think he has a girlfriend?"
Prentiss actually snorted at that and Maggie frowned in confusion. "Oh, sorry," Prentiss apologized, still smiling. "It's just, Reid isn't the best with women. They like him well enough, but he's always too oblivious or nervous to notice them." She shook her head. "This is probably someone's way of getting through to him."
Just then, Reid meandered through the door. He nodded to Prentiss. "Morning, Emily," he greeted. He swerved expertly around Maggie to his desk chair and smiled at her. "Maggie, right?" he asked amicably.
Prentiss was pretty sure Maggie's heart nearly burst out of her chest the way her eyes widened. She nodded a few times before forcing out a "Mm….mmhmm….Yes."
Reid nodded happily. "Thanks," he said before finally sitting down at his desk. He tilted his head a bit at the flowers. "I've got flowers?"
Maggie nodded. She kept nodding for a good five seconds before she gasped. "Oh…And, And this," she added, pulling a letter from her jacket pocket. Reid raised an eyebrow as if asking what it was doing in her pocket and she shrugged. "I just….figured I'd bring your mail with your flowers."
"Oh," he said with a tilt of his head as he accepted the letter. "Thank you for this too."
Maggie nodded yet again before scurrying off. Prentiss giggled while Reid opened the letter curiously. "Man has she got it bad," she murmured to herself.
"Oh!" Reid let out. "The flowers are from my fan."
"What?"
Reid lifted his head with a big grin. "I know, right? I've finally got a normal fan. They read some of my work and they really liked it. I've got a fan," he repeated almost giddily, his eyes returning to the letter in his hands.
"Oh, well," Prentiss began uncertainly. "That's good," she managed a moment later.
She watched, interest peaked, as Reid's expression turned from stupidly happy to mildly confused or concerned, to outright panic. A moment after the panic, he shut the letter and quickly slipped it into his desk. He noticed Prentiss watching him and cleared his throat, standing uneasily. "I uh….ahem….I'm gonna just….go use the bathroom real quick. I'll….I'll be right back." With that, he rushed out of the room just as Morgan walked in, nearly knocking the cup of coffee out of his hand.
Morgan watched him in concern until he was out of the room and then turned to Prentiss. "What's wrong with him?"
Prentiss shrugged. "I don't know. He got some fanmail and flowers," she motioned to the flowers and Morgan's eyes followed. "He was happy at first and then he ran away."
Morgan frowned. "Huh," he breathed out, setting the coffee on Reid's desk. "That's odd."
Prentiss moved back away from the divider between her desk and Reid's with an affirmative nod. "Yea. Strange."
…
…
Now with the letter in front of her, Prentiss could understand what had freaked Reid out. After the part about the flowers it read:
'I read the rest of your works, Dr. Reid. All of it. I was moved by the passion you showed in everything you wrote. I also looked up some of the past cases you worked on; I hope you don't mind. I have to say I was most appalled by the Henkel case. I can't understand how anyone could do that to other people, much less to someone like you. You are kind and sweet and perfect. Don't you ever even think otherwise, because it isn't true. As I said before, you deserve nothing but the best.
All My Devotion'
She forced herself to fold the letter back up carefully, without crumpling it. Mentioning Thomas Henkel….This person obviously didn't know them very well. Henkel was taboo. She frowned as she moved on to the next letter. As expected, it was the first major clue pointing towards a stalker.
'Dear Spencer Reid,
You've seemed stressed since my last letter and I can only guess that it's because I mentioned the case. I am deeply and truly sorry to have caused you any pain. Please accept this gift as a part of my apology. I've already put a picture in it for you and everything.
I also get the feeling that you think I'm stalking you. I'm not. I swear. I've been doing the same routine for almost two years now and that routine hasn't changed. I will admit that I do see you sometimes during that routine, but I'm not going out of my way to see you. So if you tell your team you're being stalked, I won't appreciate it. Please understand that I am being as kind as possible when I tell you that anyone you say I'm a stalker to will end up in a lot of pain shortly after. I am simply a great fan of your work and wish to help you in any way I can.
With Adoration'
Prentiss let out a long breath and shook her head. It sounded like this person was beginning to devolve at the first sign of any sort of rejection on Reid's part. She was pretty sure she remembered the day he got the picture.
…
…
Prentiss took a long dreg of her coffee and sighed. Their last case had been particularly gruesome with six butchered women. The only humor at all in the case had been when the unsub mistook Reid for a girl and tried to take him hostage. Morgan had quickly taken care of the man – shot him in the lower right leg and the right hand at the first sign of danger to Reid's life – but they all knew Reid had been within inches of death yet again.
Reid had been silent on the two hour jet ride home and they'd all left him to it. After all, he had his own way of dealing with the stress of this job. When he was ready, he'd come talk to them. Except, when it came to the team, Prentiss wasn't exactly the most patient of people and now it was only a day since they got back and she was already working up the courage to ask Reid about his mood.
The mail girl had just left the room and there was brown packaging paper on Reid's desk. He must have gotten a gift; maybe from his mother. What was the occasion? Reid threw the paper out and began organizing things on his desk that she couldn't see from here.
Prentiss had just walked over to Reid's desk when she noticed him positioning a picture frame. The photo inside was of the whole team and she smiled. "Hey, Reid," she greeted.
Reid gave a tiny jump and turned around. "Oh. Hey," he greeted.
Prentiss motioned to the picture with her cup of coffee. "Nice picture. Is that new?"
Reid looked between Prentiss and the picture twice before a tentative smile graced his lips. "Yea. It's from my birthday party last year," he explained. Prentiss remembered. That had been a really fun day.
"You sure know how to throw an office party," she joked lightly. Reid gave an almost-genuine smile and Prentiss frowned slightly. "Hey…Is something the matter?" She leaned sideways against Reid's desk, casting him a concerned look.
For a moment, Reid looked like he didn't understand what she'd said, but then he cleared his throat and shook his head. "No. No. I'm fine." Clearing his throat again he said, "I was thinking about how I got mistaken for a girl. Maybe I'll cut my hair again. Make it short."
His hair had gotten pretty long recently. It was about how it was when Prentiss first met him. Prentiss gave a broad grin. "Aw, that's alright," she teased. "You be as pretty as you want, Reid. We'll protect you."
Reid pouted and Prentiss laughed just as Morgan walked in. "Don't say anything to Morgan," Reid whispered hurriedly, leaning closer.
"Why not?" Prentiss asked, still grinning like a loon from her joke.
Reid opened his mouth to answer but Morgan stepped up and ruffled his hair before a noise could escape his throat. "Hey there, pretty boy," he greeted in good humor before turning and plopping down in his own chair. "Morning, Emily."
Reid's returning pout made Prentiss cover her mouth to keep from giggling. Ok. She saw his point.
…
…
Rossi flipped open one of the letters he'd been handed and adjusted himself in his seat as he began to read again.
'Dear Reid,
I've included another gift. You should wear it tomorrow at work. I would love to see you in this shirt.
I must admit to you, dear Spencer, that I may have fallen completely head over heels for you. You are the epitome of my perfect man: tall, intelligent, brave, not too strong, kind, loves to talk, successful, and loyal. You would do anything to protect those you care about, and your team is something you care about, so you do everything you can for them.
Please wear the shirt tomorrow.
I hope that, one day soon, we can finally meet so that I can explain to you why I find you so amazing. The written word simply wouldn't do you justice. It isn't enough. It could never be enough.
With Love Always'
The stalker was moving closer and closer to the final stage. This letter meant that the stalker would soon try to initiate contact with Reid, and if Reid didn't accept them when they met, then they would likely kill him.
Rossi set that letter to the side, among the five he'd already read through, and opened the next one. It was dated two days after the last one. Scanning it through, Rossi felt the frown on his face deepening.
'Dear Spencer,
As I thought, you looked brilliant in that shirt. I'd love to see you wear more clothes that I give you.
I don't think I can stand this much longer, Spencer. I see you most days and I wonder what it would be like to speak with you, laugh with you, eat with you, lay with you. I find myself wanting to spend every second of every day with you. I need to meet you again. I need to speak with you in real life. This isn't enough. Hold tight, my white knight, and I will send more gifts soon.
From My heart.'
Whoever was sending Reid these letters saw him every day. They knew he'd worn the shirt the day after he received their letter and replied the day after that. The stalker worked in their building, in their branch.
…
…
Rossi stepped into the bullpen and found Prentiss and Morgan comparing letters at Prentiss' desk. They looked up when he entered.
"What did you find?" Rossi asked. "Any clues?"
The door to Hotch's office opened and he stepped quickly over to them to join the conversation. Morgan shrugged.
"This unsub is a woman," he noted. "The style of writing and the words they use are the kind only a woman would put in a love note."
Prentiss frowned. "She's very self-conscious. Even at the barest sign of being rejected, she begins to lash out at him, even threatening his friends…us," she explained, tapping her fingers on the piles of letters she'd read. "But she's also easy to please. Reid placing that frame on his desk, or eating the candy she sent him,"
"Or wearing a shirt she asked him to wear," Rossi added.
Prentiss nodded. "They make her happy and keep her friendly in her letters." She shook her head. "As far as I can tell, Reid did everything this woman asked him to do. He was keeping her happy and keeping her away."
"She wanted to be closer though," Rossi stated. "In the letters I read, she kept mentioning a growing desire to be closer to him. She wanted to talk to him in person."
"Hotch," Morgan began. "You read the last letters Reid received. Is there anything in them that would tell us exactly who this woman is, or why she suddenly decided kidnapping Reid was the only way?"
Everyone turned their attention to their as of yet silent leader. Hotch nodded, pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket. It was small and torn on one side, like it'd been torn off the bottom of a larger piece of notebook paper. He waved it slightly in the air to make sure everyone looked at it.
"This is what I believe caused the sudden change," he explained. "All the other letters I read were a slow downward spiral, but Reid was managing to keep it to a minimum. And then he received this." He began unfolding the paper, everyone's eyes following his movements. "Unlike the others, it's not signed at all, and it's written, not typed."
He held the paper out and Morgan took it. His eyes scanned the paper before he read aloud. "Tell me it isn't true Spencer Tell me it isn't true It can't be true so tell me it isn't true I can't take it if it's true. I'll kill him. I swear to God I'll kill him." He shook his head, his eyes narrowing. "There's no punctuation at all. And it's hardly legible." He lifted his eyes to the rest of the group. "Something really hit them the wrong way. They were mad. Really mad."
Prentiss took the paper from him and Morgan let it go without a fight. Rossi spoke while she was reading. "What is she denying, though? What doesn't she want to be true?" He shook his head minutely. "And she's mentioning another man. Maybe her husband or boyfriend? She may be trying to tell Reid she'll kill the males in her own life if it will make Reid stay with her."
Hotch shook his head. "No. She wasn't desperate when writing that. She was angry. I have no doubt she was threatening someone on this team. The letter before this one was dated two days ago, so I assume this one arrived either yesterday or this morning before Reid left the office."
"It was this morning," Prentiss announced. "I remember it." She folded the paper up and held it easily in her right hand. "Maggie, the mail girl, she showed up at his desk about an hour after he came in. She said this note was left for him at the front desk and then walked away. Reid had barely read the note before he put it away and gathered his stuff together." She frowned. "He told me he had something important he'd forgotten to do and that he'd see me tomorrow, and then he left."
"Reid knew who it was," Rossi deduced. "He may or may not have known who it was before this note, though probably not since he didn't do anything about her. But something about this note completely gave the stalker away. He probably left to confront them or something similar. So this should tell us exactly who has him."
"There's no name."
Everyone turned to Hotch, who held his hand out toward Prentiss. She placed the note in his hand and Hotch pulled it toward him. Unfolding the note again, Hotch held up the blank side of the paper to his team. "Maggie said this note was left for Reid at the front desk, but there is no name on this side of the note. There was no way of them knowing it was for Reid, even if they'd read the note. There are two other Spencer's in this building, and four others that I've met from other buildings. There would be no way of knowing this was for our Spencer unless-"
"You were the one that wrote it," Prentiss interrupted. Hotch nodded. "So wait…Does that mean it was handed to Maggie in person or Maggie-"
"Maggie lied." This time it was Rossi who interrupted. "She had no reason to lie about how she got the note. If someone had handed it to her, she could've just said so. But she didn't. Maggie wrote that note."
"Now that you mention it, she wasn't blushing today," Prentiss added. "Usually she's really shy around Reid, can barely form sentences when he's in the room. Today she spoke clearly, with no hesitation at all. She was different."
"She was mad." Everyone's eyes turned to Morgan. He'd been quiet for so long that, on some subconscious level, they'd all begun to ignore him, but now they were focused on him again. "She was mad because of what she saw this morning….between Reid and me."
"What?"
…
…
Reid stood in the coffee room with his head on the counter top as he waited for his coffee. Morgan stepped in, a tune kept just behind his lips, and stopped.
"Hey," he greeted, and Reid stood up straight, taking a deep breath. "Something wrong?" he asked in concern.
Reid shook his head, attempting to look normal. But he was about as successful at seeming ok now as he had been when he was addicted to Dilaudid…maybe even less so. "I'm fine."
Morgan stepped closer. "You don't look fine. You look pale."
"Morgan," Reid murmured, turning his face away from Morgan and toward the coffee machine. He listened to it pop and churn for a moment. "I'm fine," he repeated at length. "I've just got a lot on my mind."
That quiet, defeated tone was not the Reid Morgan knew. Something was wrong. "Reid-" he cut himself off when another worker entered the coffee room; a woman not part of their team. He saw Reid's eyes flicker to her almost nervously and sighed.
Morgan grabbed Reid by the upper right arm and began dragging him from the coffee room. "Hey," Reid protested. "Morgan, my coffee-It's-Morgan…!"
He didn't stop walking until they were in an empty hallway. Since it was still early, no one was around here right now. They had a few minutes. Morgan locked eyes with Reid and Reid stopped trying to get away. "Reid," Morgan began gently. "Something is bugging you, and I want to help you out. But I can't if you won't tell me what's wrong. Trust me."
Reid's mouth opened a bit and then he swallowed heavily. "I do trust you, Morgan…I do, but-"
"No buts," Morgan stopped him with a shake of his head. He placed his hands on Reid's shoulders and maintained eye contact. "You can tell me anything, Reid." Reid's eyes turned sad and Morgan took a deep breath. "I promise I won't tell anyone else."
"Not even Hotch and Rossi?" Reid asked incredulously.
Morgan shook his head. "Nobody. Not if you don't want me to."
Reid searched Morgan's eyes and his face for any sign of a lie. When he didn't find any, he shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "Morgan I…" He cleared his throat and took another deep breath. "I'm not…like you and the others."
"What do you mean?"
Opening his eyes, Reid wrapped his arms around himself. "I…It's just…You're always with a different girl every week." His eyes flicked around the hallway, never resting on one spot too long. "And Hotch was married once and he's got this great son. And J.J. got married to Will and had a son. And Garcia's got Kevin. And Rossi's been married several times to all these different women." He stopped to take a deep breath. "And I'm not like them," he said like that was the key point of his whole ramble, his eyes locking with Morgan's again, a message attempting to travel the space between them unspoken.
Morgan tried to figure out what Reid meant, but he couldn't. "Reid…what?"
Reid's eyes flicked to the ground and he let out a haggard sigh. "My fanmail….," he said softly, his eyes now resting on Morgan's chest. "I never have any normal fans, Morgan….and maybe that's because I'm not normal," he said with a shake of his head.
"You may not be normal, Reid," Morgan began, "but that's what makes you special." He gave the smaller male a smile when Reid's eyes looked up at his face. "You're a genius. You know everything. You can read faster than anyone I know. You're a great magician. The ladies love you." He tilted his head a bit to keep eye contact when Reid tried to look away. "Reid….You're you….and that's amazing just by itself."
Morgan lifted his right hand from Reid's left shoulder and gently pat Reid's left cheek a few times before dropping his hand to his hip. Reid's eyes flicked sideways as if he could see his own cheek and then landed back on Morgan's face again. His eyes shimmered wetly and he shook his head.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. Before Morgan could ask what he was sorry for, Reid leaned forward. His lips hit Morgan's for the briefest of moments before he pulled back, looking devastated and ashamed. Reid let out a shaky breath and then pulled further back and away from Morgan and turned to walk back to the coffee room.
He stopped two steps away when he realized there was someone standing at the end of the hall. It was Maggie, the mail girl. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open. Reid dropped his eyes to the ground and hurried past her and out of sight. Morgan followed him with his eyes, unable to blink, speak, or even breathe properly.
Reid had just….
Maggie glanced between where Reid had vanished and Morgan three times before she too hurried away. Morgan took a step forward and placed his hands on the wall in front of him, letting his head hang down.
…
…
Morgan finished speaking and scratched his right cheek absentmindedly as he looked from face to face before him. Prentiss's jaw was on the floor while Hotch and Rossi were wearing their typical stoic expressions. After a long, pregnant pause, Rossi shifted where he stood and brought his eyebrows together.
"So Reid's…what, gay?" he asked, his confusion lacing his words. He shook his head. "I never would've guessed that one."
Prentiss picked her jaw up and shrugged. "Oh I don't know. I kinda figured he might be," she said. "I mean, he's really terrible with women and even when they show interest in him, he rarely shows any interest in them."
"We can talk about this later," Hotch interrupted before anyone else could comment. "Right now, Reid needs our help. We need to save him first, and then ask questions."
Everyone nodded in agreement and headed for the door.
…
…
The black SUV stopped outside Reid's apartment and all four members of the BAU jumped out and rushed forward. There were no cars outside his door, but that didn't mean no one was inside. Morgan and Hotch arrived at the door first and Hotch knocked loudly on the wood.
"Reid?" he called out. "Reid, if you're in there, open the door."
He waited only a moment before nodding to Morgan. Morgan stepped back and promptly kicked the door in. All the lights were off inside as they shuffled in and spread out. Prentiss pulled out her phone and hit send on Reid's number. A moment later, vibrations sounded from the other room. Prentiss hurried over, checking around corners as she went, and found herself in the living room. There was a two person couch, two completely full bookshelves, a medium sized TV, a coffee table, a small side trash can, and a few plants on little tables. She frowned as she reached into the trash can, coming back out with Reid's vibrating cell phone. Sighing, she closed her phone and the vibrations stopped.
"I found his phone," she called out, pocketing the device before moving to find her teammates.
Morgan came from down the short hallway, shaking his head. "Nothing in the bedroom. His go bag is missing, and a few of the dresser drawers were open, but there's nothing pointing to where he went."
"There're no clues in the kitchen either," Hotch stated, walking into the living room while holstering his gun.
"I think I've got something," came Rossi's voice from down the hall in the bathroom. They all rushed over and tried to look into the small room at once. Rossi pulled a yellow sticky note from the countertop and held it out to them. "He's left us a note."
Hotch accepted the note. On the little paper were two words written in blue pen. "Maggie phone," he read off. "Maggie must have her cell phone on her."
"And unless she knows we're on to her, she shouldn't have a reason to dispose of it," Prentiss noted.
"I'll call Garcia," Morgan said, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He hit send twice, calling the last person he called. While it was ringing, he set it to speaker phone. Two rings later and there was a click.
"You've reached the office of the all knowing," Garcia's voice came out of the small speaker. "What can I do you for, my delicious chocolate knight?"
Morgan barely took notice of the banter. "Garcia, I need you to look up someone who works in our building. The mail girl, Maggie."
"What for?" Garcia asked, though they could already hear her fingers typing away at the keyboard. "I didn't think she was your type."
Morgan shook his head. "It's not that."
Garcia picked up on his tone and they could hear the frown in her voice when next she spoke. "What's the matter? I didn't think you guys were on a case."
"Have you found her yet, Garcia?" Hotch asked.
"Oh," Garcia gasped. "Um. Yes. Maggie. Margaret Suthers," she recited, her tone all business now that she was talking to her boss. "She began working for the department almost two years ago and was assigned to the mail room. Her record is spotless. She's got an apartment downtown, no pets, no living family, no relationships…," she trailed off. "Why am I looking her up again?"
"Garcia, I need you to trace her cell phone, find out where she is," Hotch ordered.
"Why?" Garcia asked, even as she brought up the information and began the search.
There was a pause among all four gathered members of the BAU. Should they tell her? Morgan took a deep breath. "She kidnapped Reid."
They all heard Garcia gasp. "What?" she yelped. "Why?"
"She was stalking him first," Morgan explained, his voice gentle where his words were blunt. "Probably for a few months now. And today she forced him to tell us goodbye before going somewhere with him. We need to know where that somewhere is. Do you have her traced yet?"
"Um," Garcia said shakily. "Uh, yes. The trace is almost complete. Just another second and…yes. I've got the address." There was silence on Garcia's end of the phone for a moment and then, "Why would she do this?" she asked quietly.
"This is what stalkers do when they're rejected sometimes," Prentiss said in a tone that was meant to help calm Garcia down.
"So…what?" Garcia asked rhetorically. "She found out Reid wasn't in to girls and went psycho?"
"What?" Morgan let out and he heard Garcia curse quietly on her end.
"Oh. No. Forget I said anything. I didn't-"
"Garcia," Hotch stopped her.
"Yes, sir?" she asked in a small voice.
"Address. Now."
"Yes, maestro."
…
…
Reid stared down at his coffee sullenly. It was prepared just the way he liked it. He looked out the window next to the table where he sat, with Maggie across from him. The sun was beginning to set. Right now, he sat in a small diner named 'Kal's Diner' just north of the Virginia state border. Maggie had stopped for dinner, but Reid wasn't very hungry, so Maggie had ordered a coffee for him just as he would have made it himself at work.
"What's the matter, Spencer?" Maggie asked as she finished off the small burger she'd ordered for herself. "You like coffee."
Reid nodded, turning his attention back to Maggie. "I do," he agreed. "It's just…it's almost seven at night and I'm not sure I should be drinking coffee right now."
Maggie nodded, pushing what was left of her fries around on her plate. "You're right. But we'll be driving tonight. We've got to get further away so that your colleagues can't find us and split us apart." She turned beseeching eyes on Reid. "You don't want that, do you?"
"No," Reid denied with a shake of his head. "I would never," he assured her with a small smile. "But then, shouldn't you get a coffee too? If you're going to be driving?"
The thought hadn't seemed to occur to Maggie, and she studied Reid's coffee in interest. "You're right," she agreed. Maggie lifted her arm in the air to catch the attention of their waitress.
It was at that moment that Reid saw the two black SUVs pull up out front of the diner. His eyes widened and he glanced at Maggie, hoping she didn't notice. Morgan and Prentiss got out of the first SUV, and Hotch and Rossi from the second. For a moment, Reid thought perhaps they should have brought back up, but then he realized that he and Maggie had crossed a state line and his team probably hadn't had the time to ask for help from the Maryland state police, just permission. He saw Hotch nod to him as his team made their way toward the front entrance and quickly turned his head forward again just as the waitress came up to their table.
"What can I get for you?" the waitress asked.
Maggie opened her mouth but then the door opened and she saw Morgan walk in first, followed quickly by Prentiss, Hotch, and Rossi, all wearing their FBI vests. "No," she breathed out.
"Margaret Suthers," Prentiss stated loudly, catching the whole diner's attention. "There's no way out, Maggie, so just let him go."
Maggie seemed to hyperventilate for a moment, and then her eyes hardened. She reached into her purse and pulled out a gun. The waitress gasped and backed away from her, which was the only warning anyone got before she jumped from her seat, ripping Reid with her by the left shoulder. He let out a small hiss of pain when the act twisted his right ankle a bit to the right. She flipped him around in front of her and held the gun pointed at the rest of the BAU as they also drew their guns. The other diner patrons gasped but sat completely still when Maggie yelled "Don't move!"
"Maggie," Reid tried to placate her, but her gun just flipped to face Reid instead.
"You told them," she accused, sounding heartbroken. "I love you. I sent you gifts all the time. I was so nice….and you told them," she repeated, a tear slipping from her eye. "Why?"
"He didn't tell us anything," Hotch said, pulling Maggie's attention back to him. "He didn't have to."
"Stay back," Maggie ordered, keeping her gun on Reid. "Why can't you just leave us alone? We love each other!"
"If you loved him, you wouldn't be forcing him to go with you," Prentiss noted.
For the briefest of moments, Maggie seemed to consider this, and then she glared. "I'm not forcing him," she denied half-desperately. "Spencer came of his own free will."
Hotch noticed how Reid was favoring his right foot and narrowed his eyes. That must have been how she overpowered him. "Last warning, Maggie," he said. "Let him go or we'll fire."
Maggie shook her head. "No you won't," she protested. "Not when you might hit him." She leaned her head against Reid's briefly and shut her eyes, reveling in the feel for that moment. When she opened her eyes, she kept her head on Reid's. "Now just let us leave. We aren't doing anything wrong. You're the ones who're wrong for trying to stop us."
Reid's eyes hardened. His whole team saw it. In the next moment, he'd twisted around in Maggie's arms, brought his right hand up to cup her left cheek, and pressed their lips together. Maggie let out a surprised squeak, but then her eyes were falling shut, her gun lowering, her hold on Reid loosening. Everyone in the diner, including the BAU, watched with wide eyes. And then, only three seconds later, Reid scrambled away from Maggie toward his team. The gun was in his hands. Maggie stared at him with a shocked expression, and then she noticed the gun. In horror, she looked between her now empty right hand and the gun in Reid's hand.
"Spencer," she whimpered. "Why?"
Reid was breathing a bit hard. "I don't love you." He shook his head. "I never did. You were a sweet girl. I did like you as a person…but I never loved you. I'm sorry."
Maggie looked devastated. Prentiss walked forward but Maggie didn't move a muscle. Her eyes were locked with Reid's. Prentiss holstered her gun while the others kept their weapons trained on Maggie and then she pulled out her handcuffs. Maggie didn't even struggle as Prentiss pulled her arms behind her back and handcuffed her. She started to cry and Reid lowered his gun a bit.
"Come on, Maggie," Prentiss said, pushing Maggie forward a bit. Maggie shut her eyes, letting out a short sob before going along with Prentiss out the front door and toward one of the SUVs.
"Sorry about all this," Rossi was saying to the diner manager while Hotch and Morgan moved to check on Reid.
"You ok?" Hotch asked.
Reid nodded, letting both his arms fall uselessly to his sides, still holding the gun. "Yea," he said breathily. He cleared his throat. "Yea, I'll be alright." He smiled. "You guys figured it out," he said happily.
Morgan laughed under his breath, throwing an arm across Reid's shoulders. "Yea, kid. You gave us everything we needed." He motioned with his head toward the door even as a blush began creeping into Reid's cheeks. "Come on. Let's get back." He nodded to Hotch. "Hotch."
"We'll meet you in the car," Hotch said before turning and moving to stand by Rossi who was still talking to the management.
Morgan led Reid outside via the arm across his shoulders and didn't stop until they were next to the SUV that didn't hold Margaret Suthers. He took the gun from Reid's hand even as he slipped his arm from across Reid's shoulders and opened the back passenger door for him. Reid slipped inside and Morgan moved around the SUV to the other side, where the gawking onlookers in the diner couldn't see him. Instead of getting in the front seat, Morgan opened the back driver's side door and got in the back with Reid.
Reid gave him a shocked look for a moment before staring out the tinted windows, looking upset. "Reid," Morgan tried, but Reid wouldn't look at him. "Reid." Again, nothing. Morgan frowned. "Look at me, Reid."
It took a few moments, but Reid eventually turned his head and lifted his eyes from the floor of the car to look at Morgan's face. The moment that followed was increasingly awkward. When he couldn't take it anymore, Morgan sighed and shut his eyes for a full second.
"Look," he began. "I'm sorry…I was more than a little shocked at what you did this morning and then I never got the chance to talk to you about it, and I feel like all of this is sort of my fault."
Reid's eyes widened. "How on earth is any of this your fault?" he asked. "I-" he stopped abruptly, but tried again immediately. "I kissed you," he sort of forced out. "Not the other way around. If anything, I caused this myself."
Morgan shook his head. "Either way. I feel bad about how I responded, or didn't respond, this morning," he said. "I'm not sure how I feel…..about you, that is." Reid's expression fell. "I wasn't expecting you to like me that way, and I've never really thought about how I feel about you…but," and Reid's eyes looked hopeful, "everything that's happened has made me think."
After a long pause, Reid spoke up. "And?" he asked quietly, trying to keep his hope out of his voice. He mostly succeeded.
"Well," Morgan said, "first I'd like to know how Garcia knew before the rest of us that you even liked men." Reid gave a shy smile and Morgan returned it with a smile of his own. "But that can wait. What really matters right now is that I'm glad you're alright…and I'd like to ask you to give me some time." He shook his head once. "I need to decide how I feel about you before I either get your hopes up, or reject you."
Reid nodded slowly. "I completely understand," he murmured. "I'm sorry for how I sprung it on you like that…I didn't even warn you." Morgan stared at Reid for awhile, and Reid's cheeks began to turn pink from the scrutiny. "What?" he asked at length.
Morgan shook his head. "Nothing." He leaned forward, a bit closer to Reid. "Can I try-?" he asked.
Reid's eyes widened but he nodded emphatically, leaning toward Morgan as well. He shut his eyes just as Morgan's lips connected with his own. It was a brilliant kiss. Not completely chaste, but still with mostly shut mouths. That one kiss became two, and then three. Only after that did Morgan sit back in his seat. Reid sat back in his seat as well, looking a bit bemused, and Morgan nearly laughed at him, but he was feeling a bit the same, so he didn't.
The driver's seat of the SUV opened and Hotch got in. Once the door was shut, he turned around before stopping, looking between Reid and Morgan with a confused expression. Morgan smirked and Hotch shook his head. "How's your ankle?" he asked Reid.
"Oh," Reid let out, coming back to himself. "I think it's a bit sprained…but nothing too serious."
Hotch nodded. "I'd like you to see a doctor when we get back anyhow, just in case." Reid nodded. "Are we all ready to go then?"
Morgan and Reid both nodded and Hotch started the ignition. He didn't even seem to mind that Morgan hadn't moved to the passenger's seat. Morgan turned his head slightly to the right and caught Reid staring at him. He grinned and Reid looked away, embarrassment coloring his entire face pink. He watched Reid lean his head against the car window from the corner of his eye. The last vestiges of sunlight changed Reid's hair from a medium brown to something more like fire just before it went out. He looked tired and Morgan wasn't surprised when his eyes slipped shut and his breath evened out.
It was then that Morgan made his decision. Regardless of how he felt about Reid, whether it was platonic or otherwise – and he needed to sit down with himself and take a deep breath to figure that one out – Morgan was going to protect Reid. He wasn't going to let this sort of thing happen again, not if he could help it. He was going to be there for Reid. He would.
Fin. Please review!