the strong man stands up for himself, the stronger man stands up for others

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

AU: Inhuman Academy, Alpha/Beta/Omega

NCIS:

Kate Todd: wings (Transport), Omega

Jimmy Palmer: animal morphing (Shifter), Omega

NCIS Los Angeles:

Eric Beale: light manipulation (Molecular), Omega

Marty Deeks: illusion (Mentality), Omega

Flashpoint:

Spike Scarlatti: self-detonation and reformation (Physical), Omega

Sam Braddock: telepathy (Neuro), Omega

MacGyver:

Angus MacGyver: power augmentation (Fundamental), Omega

Hawaii Five-0:

Danny Williams: fire and heat manipulation (Elemental), Omega

Adam Noshimuri: omniscience (Mentality), Omega

Criminal Minds:

JJ Jareau: ice and cold manipulation (Elemental), Omega

Spencer Reid: essokinesis (Mentality), Omega

Numb3rs:

Charlie Eppes: psionic blast (PhysMen), Omega

Spencer Reid had been bullied for much of his life. Since he'd graduated high school, he'd not been tormented like that, but that didn't mean people didn't try. Spencer only ever had to tap into his power and make his eyes glow red for them to leave him alone. He'd never used his powers on another person, didn't ever plan to start, but that didn't mean he had to put up with their bullshit.

Spencer also didn't need an Alpha at his back to protect him, he was good at protecting himself. He had a sharp tongue for a reason, just because he was shy about using it didn't mean he couldn't. Sure, having an Alpha at his back made the bullies more hesitant to deal with him, but Spencer had sent bullies running far longer than he'd had Derek.

Spencer could deal with bullies all by himself; happened to be very good at it.

This didn't mean he expected others to deal with their own bullies and it also didn't mean he wanted them too. He was never going to stand by and watch as someone else got hurt, no matter how much he knew or didn't know them. So, he didn't understand why Sam Braddock, the new transfer from the Canadian Inhuman school, expected him to.

Spencer knew from the moment he saw Sam that the blonde boy had been abused, he'd seen the same signs in Marty when they where introduced. Perhaps not physically, but emotionally and mentally definitely. Knowing what he knew about abuse victims, Spencer's immediate reaction to finding out had been figuring out how bad the abuse had been and knowing how to handle it when Sam lashed out.

Spencer had kept an eye on any of the group he'd suspected of any form of abuse, but he suspected Tony, Marty, Mac, and Sam were the worst off. Spencer was also quite sure he knew what to should any of them need help. Spencer also kept an eye on a couple of the kids he suspected of being bullied.

Like little Charlie Eppes, Don Eppes' younger brother, a Third Year in the Academy, but younger than all the rest. Charlie had gone to college at age nine but ended up at the Academy when his powers came in a year later and triggered his brother's in response. Charlie was bullied for being the youngest and smarter than the majority of the school and Spencer was usually the one to run across him when the older ones would decide to bully Charlie again.

Spencer usually seemed to be the one who ran across any of the ones in his large group being bullied. So, it didn't surprise him when he came across Sam having a panic attack while Toth and his crew tormented him.

"Hey!" he shouted, "Leave him alone!" Spencer came rushing forwards, thinking it that those bullies were going to make him miss his meeting with Professor Rossi, and stood in between Toth and Sam.

Toth backed up, looking at Spencer like Spencer was the scum of the Earth. "Reid."

Spencer's eyes narrowed. "Toth. I thought you got suspended. After the last time you picked on us, Headmaster said you'd go to a psych ward next time."

Toth growled and raised a hand. "Headmaster doesn't have any control over the board though. And guess who has pull with it?"

Spencer's eyes flickered and turned red, Toth's friends hesitated and moved back. Toth glanced back at them and snarled. "Cowards."

Spencer laughed. "Sure, cowards for leaving a fight they know they're going to lose." He stepped forward and the other kids raced off.

Toth stood his ground and waited, twisting the pencil around his fingers. Finally, he huffed and turned. "This isn't over Reid!"

Reid's eyes narrowed further. "Yes. It is."

Spencer turned and knelt down, quick to check Sam over, though he knew very well that panic attacks could last a long time. He was very thankful that a crowd hadn't formed in the wake of Sam's humiliation. That wouldn't be good for anyone let alone a boy with an abusive past. Spencer knew immediately what he had to do, and didn't hesitate to do it. His eyes flickered red and he waved a glowing hand, easily warping reality to create a new storage room around the pair.

He sat down carefully, hesitant to make any noise, even as his head spun and the room around him got new black dots in the interior. Spencer closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a few moments, counting his heart beats to calm down. When he opened his eyes, the spots vanished and he moved over to Sam.

"Sam, can you hear me?" Spencer asked softly, hoping Sam wasn't so far into his own head he was unaware of what was going on around him. Sam's head picked up minutely and he stammered out something that sounded like Spencer's name, but it was too faint for him to make out.

"Sam, I'm right here, okay? Do you think it would be okay if I came over to you?" Spencer asked. Sam's body shook and shivered, but his nod was clear as day, so Spencer slowly and carefully crawled over to sit next to the blonde boy. Spencer held out his hand, just a little bit, and carefully warped reality once more, making a bottle of water appear in his hand. He set it down gently and sighed. "Sam, I'm going to take your hand now, is that alright?"

Sam didn't respond for a while, and Spencer knew he needed to take this slow. Just as Spencer was about to prompt Sam again, Sam nodded and Spencer smiled.

"That's good Sam, that's really good. Okay." Spencer took Spencer's hand and was nearly shocked at how cold Sam's fingers where. "You're so cold." he murmured to himself.

Spencer pulled off his jacket and set it aside for a moment, then prepared himself to help his new friend through his panic attack. He took Sam's hand again and didn't flinch when it was squeezed harshly. Spencer had dealt with worse from broken glass and desk drawers when his mother had her fits.

Sam's breathing was ragged and thready and faint and Spencer feared Sam would pass out at this rate. "Sam? Can you hear me?" Spencer asked quietly.

Sam's eyes flickered white and Spencer worried he'd lose control of his powers if this continued. "Sam, I need you to calm down. Can you take a breath for me? We'll do it together. Ready?"

"C-Can't." Sam gasped out, breathing getting threadier.

Spencer shook his head. "You can. It's easy. I'll help you." He nodded, "Just copy me, Sam. Ready?"

Sam nodded and Spencer began to breathe in. Sam copied him after a moment of struggle. "Good, that's good. Now, hold, two, three, four. And out, two three four. Good, Sam. You're doing so well. Think you can do it again?"

Sam nodded. Spencer smiled. "Good. Breathe in, two, three, four. And hold, you're doing good Sam. Out, two, three, four."

Spencer helped Sam through several more rounds of breathing before Sam had it under control and his eyes had stopped glowing, indicating that the blonde was no longer in danger of losing his tightly reigned control. Spencer stepped back, but Sam refused to let go of his hand. Sam leaned back and closed his eyes, his head thumping against the wall.

Spencer was perfectly content to lay there as long as Sam needed him too, so he settled in to wait. Eventually, Sam looked at Spencer and sighed. "Thank you."

Spencer hummed, "No problem, Sam. Toth is an asshole. I can get him out of school again on harassment charges."

Sam shook his head and nodded. "You could. But then he'd come back angrier. So, I think we should do something different."

Spencer smiled. "What did you have in mind?"

NCIS~NICS Los Angeles~Flashpoint~MacGyver~H5O~CM~Numb3rs

Spencer had accepted the idea not because he thought it was a good idea, but because Sam swore up and down that he wouldn't get hurt.

Sam's next question was for Sam to tie his mind to Spencer's mind. Spencer had of course agreed, and Sam got a new maroon colored tie in his mind to go alongside the others. Spencer was worried as Sam headed down the hallway to his next class (and to catch Toth in a trap of his own making).

Don't worry, Spencer. I know what I'm doing. Sam reassured his friend.

Spencer chuckled. I know you do, but that won't stop me from worrying. You're sure you won't get hurt?

Sam's reassurance was not in words but in feeling. Spencer sighed. "Okay." So, he continued as normal, running over the plan in his head. Everyone had been informed, the Omegas anyway. They'd all agreed that it may not be a smart idea to inform the overprotective Alphas of a plan that would likely get one or more of them hurt.

The plan went like this. Sam would put himself back out as bait since he was Toth's most recent "favorite" victim. The other Omegas of the group would watch Sam's back because God only knew what kind of trouble Sam could get into in five minutes.

Once Toth had begun shoving Sam around, a few of the others would fake going to get Jules to intervein and get Toth to back off. The said others would be the ones less inclined to violence; Eric, Jimmy, Mac, and Charlie, and, in reality, would be getting the rest of the Omegas. Meanwhile, Spencer would bait Toth into a fight and the ones left behind would back him up. Spencer hadn't been sure about this, but the others were on board, so Spencer made Sam promise that he wouldn't get hurt and allowed it to happen when the promise was made. Danny hadn't liked the idea either, but he did agree Toth needed to be dealt with, so he allowed it as well and promised to keep Steve out of their hair.

So, the plan commenced without issues. Sam was pushed into his lockers right on schedule and he felt an amused flicker from Spike's magenta tie as he came rushing through the crowd, smoke floating off his skin like wisps of cloud. Don't get him wrong, Spike absolutely hated Toth for laying hand on Sam, but he also found it amusing that Toth was so stupid as to pick on one of the most powerful Inhumans in the world.

Perhaps it was a testimony to how much they trusted each other that they were okay with this plan.

Spencer came around the corner as planned and walked right into a circle of students. He knew Sam and Toth would be in the middle of the circle while Spike would be trying to get through Toth's bodyguards on the other end. Spencer hummed, heaved a sighed, then slipped right between the other kids as he made his way through the crowd.

Spencer slipped himself between Toth and Sam, just as he had before, and noticed that Toth had more people than usual. He logged that information for later. It had startled the bully and his cohorts enough that Spike was able to slip away from his captors and kneel down next to Sam. They whispered to each other as Spencer glimpsed Mac and Charlie rushing down to the science wing.

Toth growled. "I told you it wasn't over, Reid."

Spencer snarled, "I told you it was." Without taking his eyes off of Toth, Spencer called back to Spike, "How's he doing?"

Spike answered promptly, helping Sam to stand, "He's got a few scratches, but he'll be fine."

Spencer's eyes narrowed on Toth. Toth began running his mouth. "None of you should even be here, you know. Omegas are the weakest of the Secondary genders. Half of them refuse to start getting a handle on their powers they're so afraid of them. Inhuman species should rest on the shoulders of the strongest of us. On the Alphas."

Spencer had heard the Alpha Supremacy bullshit before, but he'd never paid much heed. He was enough as he was. Who cared about being enough for anyone else? "I'd debate you claims in biology class, but I doubt your tiny brain could handle such complicated arguments. Any biology major could tell you that the Inhuman genes are far more stable in Omegas. When comparison tests were run, Omegas outnumbered Alphas on a three to one ratio."

Toth growled, "Tests can be tampered with, Reid, even you know that. Alphas are superior to Omegas, the Inhuman gene is stronger with them. Alphas are strong! Omegas are pathetic."

Silence fell and Toth reared back and threw a tranquilizer dart at Spencer's shoulders. Spencer wasn't the least bit surprised when twin bursts of fire and ice came slashing through the air to cut the dart down. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not feeling too pathetic." drawled the Jersey accent of one Danny Williams. Toth spun around and came face-to-face with a wall of pissed off Year Three Omegas.

Charlie Eppes was standing in the back, far away from the action that would get him in trouble with his brother, but still there to offer support through his powers. Adam Noshimuri and MacGyver stood in front of Charlie, both leveling Toth and his cohorts with angry glares. Marty Deeks and Eric Beale stood closer together, both silently agreeing to tag team if they had too. Kate Todd and Jimmy Palmer also stood closer together, Kate looking fierce and angry, Jimmy looking equally angry, but nervous at the same time. In front of the group stood JJ Jareau and Danny Williams, skin steaming, eyes glowing, and narrowed gazes fixed on Toth.

Spencer smiled, watching as understanding dawned on Toth. "See, Toth, we're pretty tired of being used as your punching bags. I don't know about the rest of them, but I'm done with bullies."

Toth's cohorts raced away again and Spencer knew they'd never have to deal with them again. Toth growled, looking between the bigger group of Omegas and the three in front of him. Finally, he growled and stalked away, pushing past other kids as he did.

Spencer huffed, Good riddance. Laughter echoed in his head, but Spencer didn't have to wonder where it had come from.

Charlie Eppes rushed over to help Spike gently check over Sam as Danny and JJ met Spencer. "That went well." Spencer rubbed at his arm awkwardly.

"It was a good plan, Spence. I think Sam's going to grow into a good tactical leader someday." JJ replied with a smile.

"Bonus points for the fight he braved. I don't know many who'd willingly get slammed into lockers." Danny added in.

Spencer glanced at Sam, watching as Adam Noshimuri wandered over to help as well. "Yeah, definitely award-winning. And Toth's not going to mess with us again."

Danny grinned. "Not once. And even if he does, we've got crazy kids willing to take on someone three times their height and body mass willing to step up."

JJ, Spencer, and Danny all shared a laugh as Marty came bouncing over with a black eye and a split lip and Kate Todd on his heels. "The henchmen shouldn't be much of a problem anymore."

JJ raised an eyebrow. "They do that to you?"

Marty shook his head, "No, got these on the track field. Some idiot decided I was veering into his lane and tried to do something about it."

"Sam's headed for the nurse, he should be fine, but Adam refuses to take any chances," Spike said as he wandered over as well. He glanced around at the crowd. "Where are Toth's friends?"

Marty grinned wide and nodded towards the south hall. "Mac, Eric, and Jimmy decided that they didn't get to get away clean."

The gathered Omegas looked over and sure enough, there was Mac tying up Toth's cohorts with what looked like fishing wire while Eric and Jimmy stood watch over them; Jimmy baring a pair of sharp-and-dangerous looking fangs and Eric with brightly glowing fingertips that held small balls of light at the end. Everything about the scene screamed "don't mess with us" and Spencer couldn't help but burst into laughter again.

As the small group calmed down again, Kate sighed. "You know, I'll bet that Ziva probably already knows about this."

Danny nodded, "Steve finds out everything I'm involved in eventually."

Jimmy and Eric had joined them at this point and we're both cringing at the thought of their respective partner's responses to this. "I don't think Tony would like this either."

"Can't hide anything from Callen for long." Eric agreed.

Spencer smiled, "We can all agree the Alphas wouldn't like it. But I think it was very worth it. Agreed?" he asked.

The rest nodded, "Agreed."

Spencer nodded back. "Then we can cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let's just get back up to our floor. Time may wait for some, but early morning classes wait for no one."

The rest laughed as they headed back up to their floor.

Spencer smiled as he spoke quickly and quietly with Spike.

Strong Alphas may be, but the strong man stands up for himself. It's the strong man who stands up for others.