"Come on, give me a foot massage." Penelope gave Morgan a gentle push, pointing towards the bathroom. "There's some lotion in there."

"As you wish, m'lady." Morgan pushed himself up from the couch, heading towards the bathroom.

"Hey there, handsome dude." Penelope reached across the couch to mess up Reid's hair, which he quickly fixed. "Morgan!" he called. "Tell her I don't like people messing up my hair."

"I think that's why she did it in the first place." Morgan sat down on the coffee table, taking Penelope's foot into his lap and starting to rub some lotion on it. "Turn up the football game, Reid."

Reid reached for the remote, complying. "I don't see what's so great about football."

Morgan let out a gentle groan as Reid started to go off about some football statistics. "Hush, we're watching the game."

"Actually I don't think Garcia really cares for football either. It's predominantly a male sport. Did you know that while seventy-three percent of men watch football, only fifty-five percent of women do?"

Morgan reached over to where the kid had his feet on the coffee table, starting to slip off one of his sneakers. Suddenly, Reid moved both feet to tuck underneath himself, his eyes impossibly wide as he stared at Morgan. Accusing, terrified.

"This will be over quickly if you just confess your sins."

"Reid, give me your foot. What are you doing?" Derek glanced up to meet Reid's eyes and stopped himself from reaching forward. His voice gentled immediately. "Hey, what happened?"

"We're all sinners."

"You were going to hurt me."

"What? Reid, what are you talking about? I was gonna give you a foot rub, too." Morgan reached over to place a hand on Reid's leg as a comforting gesture when it hit him: Tobias Hankle. How could he have forgotten that? Reid had told him the way the man had used a thick stick on the soles of his feet, trying to get Reid to confess something, anything.

"Oh, Reid.."

"You told me to stop talking." Reid swallowed thickly. "And I didn't."

Morgan wasn't sure if Reid was just stating a fact, or if this was him showing why he thought… "So you thought I was going to punish you for it? By hurting you the way Tobias did?"

Reid's eyes just wandered after that. To the couch, to the table. Anywhere he didn't have to make eye contact with either of the two others.

"Oh, babycakes." Penelope covered her mouth with one hand as realization hit her too, reaching over to stroke Reid's hair with the other hand. "Baby, this is us. This is me and Derek. You're safe here, always."

"Reid, give me your feet. Both of them, come on." Morgan scooted on the table so that he was nearer to the young genius.

"Why?" Reid was making eye contact again. He still looked scared but, a different emotion as well now. Sad?

"Because you need to learn. Do as I say, Spencer." He patted his knee. "C'mon."

Reid turned his head to look at Penelope, who scooted across the couch to be right next to him. "You're okay." Her voice was gentle, soothing. "I'm here. Its me and Derek." She reminded him once more.

Reid looked back at Morgan, slowly shifting his position to move his feet out from beneath him, placing one foot in his friends lap, and then the other. As Morgan placed a hand around his ankle to hold it in place, every instinct he had screamed at him to go. To flee, to get away from here. To go somewhere safe.

Derek held Reid's there as he slowly pulled off one sneaker, only to have Reid start struggling as soon as it was off.

"Time to confess, Spencer Reid."

"Morgan, Morgan." His friend whimpered, causing him to let go. Reid's feet were tucked up underneath him again as soon as he had the opportunity. His thin frame shook softly.

Penelope shushed the boy, running a hand through his hair. "Sweetheart, shh. Shh. I know you can do this. I know it."

"Are you scared of me?" Morgan sat up straighter, looking back into his friend's eyes. "Reid, are you scared of me?"

"No." Reid's answer was instant, automatic. Of course he wasn't afraid of him. This was Morgan. His big brother, his protector… Reid slowly shifted his body again, slipping his feet back onto Morgan's legs. He tilted his head back, closing his eyes. His hand searched for Garcia's until he found it, feeling a gentle squeeze when he did. This is Morgan. It's Morgan, not Tobias. Morgan.

He felt his other shoe come off and shuddered, squirming lightly. "I'm sorry I disregarded your request for me to quiet down earlier, Morgan." He kept his eyes closed, his head turned away. Morgan felt his heart break.

"Are you saying that because you're afraid of me hurting you, Reid?" He kept his voice quiet, gentle. He slipped off one of Reid's socks, not missing the way Reid screwed his eyes shut tighter, or the way his body pressed closer to Garcia's.

"Confess."

Morgan discarded the other sock before pressing his thumb to the sole of Reid's foot, slowly tracing downwards to his heel. He was gentle; one wrong move and Reid would never trust him—or probably anyone with this again. Once he felt a little bit of the tension leave Reid's legs, he started to massage his feet as he normally would for Penelope, being a little less cautious.

"Morgan?" Reid broke the silence after a few moments, his head still tilted back against the couch.

"Yea, Reid?"

"That feels good."

Morgan and Garcia both let out a small laugh, causing Reid to lift his head, a smile playing on his lips. "And Morgan?"

"Yea, kid?"

"Thank you."

"Anytime."