Hello! :D I wanted to thank the people that reviewed and the many people who added this to their Story Alert list; it means a lot!

I hope Reid doesn't seem to OOC for anyone, and I'm not trying to change his character or anything, but hey, he is a genius. Who knows what's going on in his mind?

Normally, I try to do an update every day, but I didn't get to it yesterday, which I am sorry for. ;_; Me and my dad were moving into our new house, so it was a little hectic with trying to get in time to write, and right now it's midnight, so I'm planning on posting this sometime this afternoon, Friday afternoon. My best writing probably takes place between 1 and 3, but I'm running on 5 hours asleep and was carrying furniture into trailers and out of trailers all day long. I'm just glad to finally be settled in the house, even though, like, nothing is unpacked. xD Anyway, thanks again!

Reviews are welcome~!


The ride to the station was a little awkward, since the team was beginning to notice the change in the young man's behavior even more than they had at the office or on the plane. Reid didn't think he was doing anything to attract attention to himself, but it was actually what he wasn't doing. He wasn't going off on a genius-like rant about the topography of the place they were visiting or why the headlights of a car reflect off the little orange reflectors of the road didn't blind the driver. He was unusually quiet, which was the scariest part of all.

He felt trapped in his own mind. When he shut his eyes he thought about it, when he stirred his coffee he thought about it, he even thought about it when he looking out the vehicles window. It was like an internal pressure was forcing him to cave in on himself and he wasn't able to hold up any longer, which ended in him just falling to the ground and his mind crashing around himself. He had never been in this type of situation before, so the feelings that came across it were odd to him.

If only he and JJ stayed together back at Hankel's house, none of this was happening. It wasn't JJ's fault at all, it was his. He was the one who decided to split up, he was the one who brought it upon himself.

No, no, no, no, he told himself. It wasn't his fault; he couldn't blame himself for anything that happened. That was like blaming yourself for someone else shooting you.

Reid was smart, he knew that logically it was always the one who pulls the trigger is at fault, but that was still hard to admit to himself. He already knew it, but he needed to hear it. Probably not from himself, but someone he could confide in with his issue. Well, maybe some of them. There were still things he wasn't planning on telling anybody. Ever.

He contemplated Morgan, wondering what would happen if he told the older agent. It might be easier to tell him than anybody else, they were best friends after all.

He couldn't tell JJ or Garcia, they were too maternal; Prentiss and Hotch would give him the same remorseful looks like they did to Morgan. Gideon… well, Gideon was someone that Reid could obviously trust, they were teacher and student, mentor and learner, father and son. But maybe that's why Reid couldn't tell Gideon. He was too much like the father figure he never had, and when he did have him, didn't want him.

Reid just sighed, leaning his face against his forearm, which was resting upon the base of the window. He had a distant look in his eyes, like he normally did when he was thinking. It was like the black pupil just enveloped his entire iris, creating a ghostly appearance on the young man. The dark cloud contracted as Morgan's voice intruded on his thoughts.

"Reid," the older man said, glancing over towards the young genius between glances at the road. They were almost to the station, Reid could tell, since the signs continued to say Exit 102 in so many miles.

Spencer shot a look over at Derek and took his hand away from his face, resting it in his lap for a moment. He continued to watch the window for a minute before he turned to face the other agent, who had a questionable look in his eyes.

"Man, you just seem so out of it lately," Morgan said, shaking his head. "This isn't like you, kid. Normally you're like a marker exploded on one of Hotch's dress shirts."

Reid would have quirked a smirk but decided it wasn't work the effort and gave the man a lopsided smile instead. "I don't see a difference in my attitude," he mumbled in defense, the grin dissipating.

Morgan just sighed. "That's because you're not watching it. Are you sure everything's alright, Pretty Boy? Do you want to talk about something?"

Reid's heart could've skipped a beat, but he kept his hopes under control. He wished he could just pour it all out to Morgan right then and there, but this case was what they needed to be focused on right then, not him. Anyway, what would Morgan think about him after he told him all of it? Was there anything that said the man would still have all the faith in him he did right then, before he knew anything? Or would everything change?

It could change for the better, he reminded himself, knowing that was already a possibility, but there was still the chance it could get much, much worse.

So he only bit his lip and eyed the road ahead of him, not letting Morgan see any of the emotion boiling behind his dark brown eyes as he gave the only answer he thought could work: "Not right now."

The other agent gave a quick nod and stopped stealing glances at Reid after he noticed the young doctor was becoming fidgety in his seat. He didn't think asking the question would cause such a problem, but if Reid wanted to talk some other time, that was fine. He just wanted to hear what was going on with him.

Reid checked his watch after pulling back the sweater vest from his wrist, eyeing the analog clock under the fabric. "It's already eight o'clock," he muttered, a little shocked it was so late in the day. "What do you think we're going to do when we get in town?"

Morgan chuckled under his breath. Already changing the subject, huh? "I'm not really sure, but we'll most definitely be spending the night here," he said, looking towards the horizon and the about-to-set sun. "We'll probably go into the station, or some of us will, and talk to the officers there and let them know we arrived and where we'll be staying and maybe go over a couple things that might help us with the profile," Morgan added on, trying to be enthusiastic about going for a murder case.

Reid nodded, keeping his eyes averted from Morgan's. He knew that the older man was trying to make him feel better, consciously or subconsciously, he didn't know. He just turned towards the window, thinking to himself about the case and trying to figure out what was wrong with the world.

Morgan was half-right about his assumptions about the night ahead of them when he told Reid they might go to the station. They did go to the station, but did not go over anything about the profile. Hotch and Gideon went in when the girls waited out in their SUV and Morgan simply pulled their vehicle over when the other suburban stopped. They stayed silent for most of the ride towards the hotel, which was located on South First Street, except for a few murmurs about the landscapes or landmarks from Reid.

Derek Morgan could only be glad that the younger agent had puckered up a little bit instead of being full of gloom like he had been for the past couple weeks. It wasn't this bad before, Morgan reminded himself, when Reid went silent for long periods of time without spurting mindless, well, mindlessness. He was usually hyper like a puppy who's owner just let them run rampant on their property, but now he was like the neighbor's old dog that was too bored to play with the kids and lounged either on the picnic table or on the couches all day long. Anything with a cool breeze, shade, or A/C, really.

It was a little hard to see Spencer like this: calm, silent, obviously upset, and not telling anyone what was wrong. Everyone needed their secrets, Derek knew this, but Reid was like his brother and it kind of hurt him watching Spencer suffer and not knowing what was going on with him.

"Morgan," Reid said, trailing through the older man's thoughts. He picked up his go-bag from the trunk of the SUV, but Morgan was still standing there lost in thought and Reid was ready to go inside.

The agent took his bag quickly and shut the door, glancing towards Reid. "Sorry, I was just thinking," he explained, clicking the car lock and walked into the lobby of the hotel.

"What about?" Reid asked, prying a little.

Derek only shot a look back at him. "Why don't you tell me first?"

He checked the entire group in, fboth of them lashing the desk jockey their badges when she questioned that they were FBI agents. She could see it in Derek, she said so, but Spencer? He was apparently too young.

They took their keys and headed up to the room, Morgan leading the way and Reid absently following. He didn't want to talk about the things going on inside his head to Morgan when they were on a case, it would only give the team two distracted agents. The genius clicked the door shut on his way in and flung his suitcase on the edge of the farthest bed. He always took the one nearest the window, that way he could see the street lights.

"I'm going to take a shower then go to bed," Reid informed Morgan as he walked towards the bathroom, clean clothes in hand.

Morgan placed a hand on Reid's shoulder shortly after he passed him, not applying any grip. "You can talk to me whenever you want, you know?"

Reid remained stopped, Morgan's hand still on his shoulder. He was tired and really did want to sleep, so it's not like he was putting on a front to get Morgan away from him. "I know," he mumbled, stepping into the bathroom and the door snapped shut.

Taking a deep breath, Reid underdressed himself and stepped into the shower, pulling the curtain along the side. He was hoping tonight wouldn't end up as his pour out, he didn't want that. Maybe when they got back to Quantico, Reid could pull Morgan to the side and tell him everything he needed to know, well, the parts that Reid wanted him to know.

But right now, they were in Clayton, New Mexico on a case that needed their full attention. So he let the water and soap run down his body as he stood under the showerhead, letting the clean liquid rush down him as he spent a few minutes trying to clear his head.


And thus, chapter two! I actually finished this before I thought I would! :D And now, I'm going to post this update and crash my terribly tired mind. xD

Thanks for reading!

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