Spencer woke to the sounds of an argument over his head. He woke slowly, in stages. The first thing that came to him was sound. Voices speaking over him in low, furious tones. What they were saying, he wasn't sure. He only caught the tone. Next came sensation, to his mind and his body. He felt the clothes against his skin, the semi hard bed underneath him, and the warmth of a hand against his. His mind picked up on the anger in the air around him as well as the worry and confusion and countless other things. It was instinct more than anything else that had him tightening his mental shields until those extra emotions were cut off.
The voices above him became a little bit clearer. Spencer finally caught the words that were being said. "…don't even know who you are!" That was Derek's voice, low and furious with a hint of worry to it. "For all we know, your friend there is the one that caused this."
"Yeah, right." This voice was deeper, more of a growl, and it had very obvious frustration in it. "Cause that makes perfect sense. He knocked your guy out and then knocked himself out as well, leaving himself at the mercy of the Feds and police all around. Right. That makes total sense there, bub. I can see how you became an agent." Sarcasm dripped off the words.
It was with those words that the rest of reality returned for the young FBI agent. He remembered everything. Going to the Unsub's house, chasing him down into the woods, trying to talk him down and seeing that it wasn't going to work. Then this strange man racing out of the trees, throwing explosions at the Unsub, drawing his attention and getting himself shot. Finally, dropping down to help him since it was obvious no one else was going to go anywhere near an obvious mutant. Only, as he'd knelt there, something strange inside of him had pushed up. This odd sensation unlike anything he'd felt. That sensation had reached out just like his empathy and he'd felt an answering touch from the man and then…then the light. Everything had been fire and heat, racing in his veins and in his mind, burning him and yet—healing him. He'd felt like the fire was ripping him apart and making him whole once more. Then, nothing. Darkness.
The hand around his tightened abruptly. Seconds later, a voice was by his ear, so much softer than the others that were still arguing. "Well look who decided to wake up. Bonjour dere, homme. Bout time y' joined de land of de living again."
The strange voice had Spencer's eyes jerking open. A few blinks to battle against the bright light and then he found himself looking into the face of the man from the forest. Red and black eyes looked overtop a pair of sunglasses and right at his face. There was only a vague sense of shock in him at the sight of those stunning eyes. Inexplicably, Spencer felt himself relax more than anything else. He didn't answer right away, his brain still processing things rather slowly.
A squeeze to his hand drew his attention once more. The man was looking at him sympathetically, as if he understood exactly what was going on. "It's okay, y' just take a second. Remy was de same way when he woke up. It'll start to even out in a minute, don't y' worry."
In an absent sort of way Spencer took stock of the fact that this man apparently spoke in the third person. The man—Remy, it would seem—was watching him cautiously. Spencer licked lips that had gone dry and he found himself saying the first thing that came to his mind. "What happened?"
"Je ne sais pas." Remy replied with a half-shrug. "Was kinda hoping y' knew."
With his free hand, Spencer reached up to rub at his head. "I don't know." It slipped past his lips before he could stop it and he couldn't help but think how weak it sounded. But it was the honest truth. He had no idea what just happened. What was going on here? What had that, that light been? He felt…different inside. His mind felt different. It felt—more. He knew that made absolutely no sense and yet it was the only way he could think of to describe it. Like there was more to his mind than there had been before. Like parts of it that he hadn't even known existed were now wide open. He reached into his mind to feel at those new places, the places where he felt that 'more' sensation, and he felt his body jerk with surprise when he came across something. In his mind there was a bundle, a little knot of emotions and sensations, and he knew without being told that this little 'bundle' belonged to the Cajun sitting beside his bed. He knew that as surely as he knew his own name. But, how?
Spencer studied that bundle and felt his shock grow. Whatever the hell had happened had built a link between them such as he had never seen anywhere before. He could feel it, feel how it was wired through every inch of him. They were tied together. He could sense so much because of it. Like the worry that Remy was feeling right now, and the bright and warm feeling of protectiveness that Spencer had felt in friends before, only in Remy it seemed to be multiplied a hundredfold. No, a thousandfold. There was a hint of pain too that Spencer could feel. The longer he looked at that pain, the clearer it became, until he swore that he knew, he knew, it was a headache. Remy's head hurt.
Something came to Spencer and he jerked his eyes open once more. His eyes shot down towards Remy's stomach. The Cajun easily figured out what he was thinking and he gave his hand another squeeze. "Whatever happened between us…it healed Remy." He explained. There was a hint of wonder in his voice, colored just a bit by worry. "De wound's gone."
Their conversation had finally drawn the attention of the rest of the room and Spencer found his bed swiftly converged upon. Derek and Emily were both there, as well as some strange man that Spencer didn't know, but recognized from the forest. He'd come racing out only seconds after Remy had. They must've been there together.
"Reid!" Derek's voice held a wealth of relief to it. "Man, it's good to see you awake. How you feeling?"
"Fine." It was the instinctual response, yet Spencer realized that it was true. He honestly felt fine. Different? Yes. Changed? Yes. But hurt? Injured in any way? No, not at all. In fact, he felt physically healthier than he had in a while. Even the ache he'd had in his leg from where he'd crashed into his coffee table was no longer there. "I feel fine."
Derek reached out as if he would take Spencer's other hand and Spencer instinctively flinched back a little, knowing his shields weren't their strongest at the moment. Touching someone when his shields felt this way was always a risk. He could draw in way, way too much from a person, or it could cause his shields to fall away completely and that could result in quite a lot of pain for Spencer. Sometimes it could even knock him out with the force of it.
Not even seconds after he flinched, the whole room was stunned by the low growl that seemed to come from the other side of Spencer's bed. It took the young genius a second to realize that the sound came from Remy. It was low, a very obvious warning with just a hint of a threat to it. All eyes turned toward him. The Cajun didn't flinch under their stares. It was hard to tell with his sunglasses on, but Spencer was almost positive that Remy was glaring at Derek, watching the hand that still hovered near Spencer's bedside. His body language was clearly displaying just as much warning and threat as the growl had, with the promise to unleash it at a moment's notice.
Spencer didn't even really think about his reaction. He did the only thing that seemed right and he reached his free hand over to curl over his and Remy's joined hands. He didn't even stop to think about the fact that he'd pulled away from Derek because his shields were low and he didn't want to pick up on too much emotion, yet he was now holding on to one of Remy's hands with both of his. Soothingly, he rubbed their joined hands and he looked right at Remy's face. Something in him told him that he had to get Remy calm, now, or this could get very dangerous very fast. It took nothing at all for Spencer to project a sense of calm and reassurance to the man beside him. At the same time, he lowered his voice and murmured to him, using his training as a profiler to try and gauge what was going on and talk him down from it. "Remy, look at me. Listen to me. Everything is okay, do you hear me? There is no threat here. This is Derek Morgan, my friend. He wasn't going to hurt me."
Little by little the tension started to fade from Remy's body. Those around the bed watched with shock and amazement as Spencer stroked their hands and kept up his steady murmur, talking Remy down from whatever anger he had. Derek had drawn his hand back and was watching them, unsure what he should be doing. There was his best friend, his little brother, touching and talking with some guy that Derek had never met before. Some stranger that had just happened to show up while they were trying to talk down an Unsub. Nothing was making sense! Derek knew he'd seen the guy be shot. He'd seen Spencer kneeling with the guy, staunching the blood with his sweater. The next time he'd turned back to them it had been in just enough time to hear the both of them give a cry and then Spencer had slumped over him. The sight of it had been terrifying. He had no idea what had happened to these two!
He'd ridden with Spencer in the ambulance, watching as the young agent stayed unconscious through the ride and through being settled here at the hospital. He hadn't woken for any of the tests the doctors had done—tests that had found nothing wrong with him. Emily and Derek had stayed with Spencer this whole time, keeping watch over him, worrying. Dave, Aaron and Ashley had gone to the station to wrap things up there.
Once Spencer had finally been settled in here, these two had come bursting into the room, one looking almost as if he were chasing the other. The big guy, who'd actually bothered to introduce himself and say that his name was Logan, and the scrawnier one, who hadn't spoken to any of them and had simply gone straight to Spencer's bedside like he was drawn there. Like something was tugging them together. They'd been arguing about their presence when Spencer had finally woken. Derek had no idea who the hell these two really were but he was going to get to the bottom of this.
He looked up now and saw that Remy seemed settled and Spencer was relaxing back into the bed again and he couldn't stop himself from asking "What's going on here, Reid?" He waited for wide brown eyes to lift towards him before continuing. "Do you know this guy? Who is he? And what happened back there?"
Spencer looked at his best friend and he knew he couldn't just brush off his questions. "I don't know him. I've never met him before today." He said the words slowly. "As for what happened…I'm not sure. I don't really know what happened there. I don't know what that was. But, we touched and…there was heat and light."
"Like being filled by de sun." Remy supplied. "Not outside, but inside."
"Exactly. Liquid sunshine raced inside of my veins." He trailed off, unsure of what to say or how to even say it. None of this made any sense.
It was obvious that Spencer either didn't want to finish things, or didn't know if he should. Remy took the choice out of his hands. He knew there was no way they would be able to hide this. Especially not if they wanted any kind of help to see if it was permanent or reversible, or help in understanding just how deep and strong the ties were. "We linked." He told the room. "Don't know how, mais we linked. It's strong, too. Could feel him from de minute Remy woke up."
"This aint the place to be trying to find answers." Logan spoke up suddenly in that deep, serious voice of his, cutting off anything else that might've been said. His eyes drifted over Remy and Spencer. "Why don't we find out when they'll cut you two loose and then we can head to one of our hotels and talk where it's more private? I don't think we need someone walking in for this talk."
It was a logical plan. In that moment, Spencer needed that kind of logic. He latched onto it with obvious relief. "I can leave now." He said quickly. "Whatever happened, it didn't just heal Remy. It worked on the both of us. I feel better than I did when I woke up this morning."
Derek looked like he was going to protest, but Emily put a hand on his arm and shook her head, speaking up for the first time. "It's a good plan, Morgan. Why don't you get Reid checked out and I'll call Hotch and have them meet us over at the hotel." She turned her head to look at Logan and Remy. "We're staying at the Travelodge." It was one of two hotels in the small town.
"Sounds like a plan. I'll call our boss as well and we'll meet you guys over there." Logan agreed.
That was enough for Spencer. He pulled his hands back from Remy far more reluctantly than he wanted to admit to, even to himself. Then he turned himself and slid his legs out of the bed. He was grateful no one had tried to put him in a gown; he was still in his own clothes. That was one plus from all of this. Deliberately he ignored the feeling in his head that told him to move back to the bed, back close to the man still sitting on the other side of it. He didn't know if it was his own want or if he was picking up on Remy's wants through this link. Either way, he didn't care. He was not the touchy, clingy type and he wasn't going to start now with this, this person he didn't know! Maybe the time spent checking out and heading to the hotel, away from Remy, would help him to gain some perspective. Without looking back at the Cajun, Spencer made himself say "We can meet in mine and Morgan's room—number 42. We'll see you guys there." And then he nodded at Derek and his friend took the hint, heading out of the room with him.
As he moved further away, Spencer pushed away the sensations that built inside of him. He ignored the feeling of loss and he fought back the urge to race back into the room. Instead, he lifted his chin and continued down the hall, showing nothing of what he felt inside on the outside.
Back in the room, Remy and Logan watched as Emily slipped out to join her friends, leaving the two of them alone. Remy's hands curled into fists in his lap. He didn't know what was going on and he didn't like not knowing things. It was the unknown things that could come up and bite you in the ass. Whatever was going on here, it wasn't something he'd ever dealt with before and he had no idea what to do. Inside of him he felt this urge to get up and race after the young agent. That protectiveness was burning brighter than ever and it was raging at him for letting the man out of his sight. How could he protect him if he wasn't with him? But the man in Remy was still there and he pushed logic over this strange new need. Surely the man could survive a short trip to a hotel all on his own. He'd survived life thus far without Remy in it.
In a rare show of nerves, Remy ran a hand through his hair and let out a soft sigh. He felt Logan's hand settle on his shoulder and he reached up to pat the man's hand, letting him know he appreciated the gesture as much as he appreciated Logan not pushing anything right now.
After a moment to collect himself, the young Cajun pushed back his unease at being separated from Spencer and he focused on the now. Time to call in to Scott and then time to go and figure out just what the hell was going on here.
Everything moved rather quickly to get the two groups to the hotel. Spencer knew that he was a little out of it on the way over. He didn't really pay attention to the world around him, didn't interact with his friends. He simply sat in his seat with all of his attention turned inwards. The further away from the hospital they got—the further away from Remy he got—the more he seemed to draw into his mind and the more anxious he felt. Emily and Derek both noticed it and they felt their concern grow. When they arrived at the hotel, Spencer looked as if he was moving on autopilot, just following after them as Derek unlocked the door and let them in.
The logical part of Spencer's brain told him that this was a problem, something that he needed to think about and work out a solution to. A puzzle. If he could just think clearly about it, then he could maybe figure out a solution. Only, logic wasn't seeming to work for him. Just the thought of figuring out a way to break this was enough to have Spencer cringing and pulling in on himself. It was like a physical hurt, the idea of breaking this link. He wrapped his arms around his waist without realizing it and instinctively reached out to the bond, soothing himself with the reassurance that it was still there, that he could still feel Remy in his head. He turned his head and looked off towards the wall—towards Remy. He didn't know how he knew, only that he did. Who are you? He wanted to ask. Why are you so important to me? What did this link do to us? I don't even know you. The thought of breaking the link with you shouldn't make me feel so threatened.
"Reid?"
The soft word snapped Spencer out of his circling thoughts. His head whipped around. The look on his face had his friends wanting to cringe. There was a wide-eyed sort of fear that they didn't like to see there. There was no real time for them to comment on it. Just that instant, a knock sounded on the door, and Emily moved to let in Aaron, Dave and…crap. Ashley. The sight of her made Spencer wince again. Ashley was here? Did she have to be here? Couldn't she have been sent to her room or something like that? Even as Spencer thought the question, he had the answer. No, they couldn't just send her off to her room. She'd seen what everyone else had, she'd seen Spencer go to the hospital, and if they all met in his room and left her out, she'd have way too many questions. It was more dangerous to keep her out of the loop than to let her in.
Everyone was looking at Spencer from the instant they came in. Their gazes only served to make him more uncomfortable and nervous. In them, he could see countless questions and plenty of emotions. Those emotions battered against his shields. Feeling it had Spencer backing immediately away from them. Sometimes distance helped. As he did, he closed his eyes briefly and inspected his shields. They were back to their normal strength; so why were their emotions hitting him so hard? Why did it feel like his shields were, at most, only half there? He swore they were close to knocking back down. But how could that be? Unless…unless whatever that light was, whatever else it had done to him—could it have strengthened his empathy? At any other time he would've dismissed the idea as ridiculous. Yet there was no denying what he was feeling. His empathy was stronger. Because of that, his usual shields weren't strong enough. But how was that possible? How had that happened? Was it because of that light? Or had that light triggered a power increase that he would've had on his own anyways? And how was that connected to the healing between them. Because something in Spencer said that the healing was connected, not just a byproduct of whatever they'd done. It felt tied to his empathy somehow. But he wasn't a 'healer'. He'd never had the ability to heal! There were just so many damn questions.
The others watched on in silent concern. Anything that had been being said was cut off as they all watched Spencer back himself almost into the corner. The young genius kept his arms around himself and they could see his fingers working rhythmically against his sides. His eyebrows were furrowed in a look they all knew meant thought but the rest of his body language screamed out something else to the ones in the room that knew to look. Everyone but Ashley knew the signs of Spencer's walls being low; they'd learned to adapt to it over the years. When he was like this they had to be extremely careful not to touch him and to make sure that they kept him in a steady, stable environment. There was always a chance of there being just one too many emotions and his walls giving way completely. It had only happened twice on the job in the entire time he'd been at the BAU. Once, after Georgia, in the hospital. Then again, after that undercover stint with Emily in that cult. The pain, the death, it had just been too much and he'd practically melted into the backseat of one of the SUV's, barely coherent. Both times, his team had been there to help him through.
Other than those moments, he had kept his empathy pretty much under control. The little things that his friends did to help him keep that control had become so ingrained that they didn't even think about doing them anymore. Half the time they didn't notice that they did it. Like how they would shift their stance to make sure that, when introduced to a group, they kept Spencer back just enough that he didn't have to shake someone's hand and could get away with simply waving at them. Or how they would bring him things like tea or coffee when he looked a little frayed, giving him something hot in his hands to focus on. He'd told them once that the heat from the cup could act as a grounding agent. Or the brief touches when they saw he needed it, always laced with some positive and warm emotion to help him stay steady and strong.
But Ashley didn't know any of these things about Spencer. She didn't know what it was that had caused him to look the way he did right then and she couldn't help her concern. "Reid…are you okay?" Her voice was soft in the quiet of the hotel room. "You look like you should still be back at the hospital."
How should he answer this? Looking at her, Spencer knew he should explain some things before the others arrived. She should understand some things first; it was only fair. He'd been watching her for a while, feeling out her response to mutants to try and gauge how she might feel about them, and nothing he'd found so far suggested that she had any problems with them. She seemed more than just tolerant. That meant that he probably wouldn't have to deal with disgust, thankfully. But could he trust her to keep this a secret? There's no real choice right now. She'll most likely find out when the others arrive, because this can't be discussed accurately without bringing my empathy into it. Better to let her get her reaction out now. "I'm fine. I just…My shields aren't as strong as they need to be."
"Your shields?"
He looked to his friends and saw the support on their faces, the strength that he had always found with them, and he used it to finish this. "I'm an empath."
Everyone was carefully watching Ashley to try and gauge her reaction. They were prepared for just about anything. Spencer was watching her emotions. He felt her shock as clearly as he saw it, followed by a sense of realization and understanding, as if this had confirmed something for her. Steady, clear eyes lifted to his and in that look, Spencer knew he was safe. She wasn't judging him, she wasn't afraid or upset. She looked completely understanding. "That makes a few things about you make sense, Dr. Reid. You've always reminded me slightly of a friend of mine at the Bureau."
A friend at the Bureau? Cocking his head, Spencer took a chance, asking "Dr. Bailey?" The woman was the Bureau physician that Spencer saw, the one that Gideon had hooked him up with to help him make sure he passed the medical exams to get into the Bureau without them finding out his secret. She was also a low level telepath.
Ashley smiled slightly at him. "Yes. One of my friends had a friend that came to the academy with him, and Dr. Bailey's her mom. When her shields are low, she does some of the things I've seen you do." She paused briefly before adding "I've never told on her and I won't on you. Your secret's safe with me. But I take it your empathy has something to do with whatever happened tonight?"
That question brought the eyes in the room back to Spencer. He rubbed one hand over his arm in an absent, self-soothing sort of gesture. "I don't know." He answered honestly. "Maybe. There is always that chance. It certainly had an effect on it." Abruptly he cut off. The sensation of Remy in Spencer's head, which had steadily been growing stronger, now pulled at him. He lifted his gaze when he felt it and turned to look at the wall once more, as if he could see right through it. Everyone in the room took note of how the tension in Spencer's body seemed to ease as he spoke his next words. "They're here."
The hotel room grew quiet as they all listened. There was the sound of a car pulling in and being turned off, followed by four doors shutting. Four doors means at least four people are here. If they're all like Remy, all mutants, then this could become very dangerous, very fast Spencer noted to himself. He saw the others were thinking the same thing. All of them shifted so that their guns were easily accessible, making Spencer realize that everyone in the room was armed. He felt the shift in the air that always came when the agents went into 'cop mode'. There was an actual shift in emotions when they did it. Anything extra was sort of locked away to be replaced by a steadiness and focus that Spencer had only ever found in law enforcement and military personnel.
When a knock came at the door, it was Emily who answered it, keeping to the side so that the others in the room would have a clear shot if needed. The first person to come in was Logan, his eyes scanning the whole room with one sweep. Right behind him came a taller, thinner man with brown hair and rose colored glasses. Next was a beautiful woman with flame colored hair. Then, last of all, Remy came in.
The door to the room was shut once everyone was inside. Then, in another surprise for the night, Aaron looked at the guy with the sunglasses and said "Hello, Scott."
"Hello, Agent Hotchner." Scott said with a polite nod. He didn't give anyone time to ask the questions that were so obvious on their faces. "Agent Hotchner and I have known one another for quite a few years. He's helped the family out a time or two."
Just vaguely was Spencer aware of the words being exchanged. He heard as Scott introduced his companion as his wife, Jean. Then Aaron was introducing the people of the room. All of that was just on the edge of Spencer's senses. The rest of him was focused on one thing and one thing only. Mind and body, he focused on the only man that it felt like mattered.
Remy's head turned right to Spencer and the young agent knew, even with the sunglasses, that Remy was staring right at him. A knot of tension inside Spencer that he hadn't even realized was there started to ease at the sight of the Cajun. He wanted nothing more than to reach out to him, to hold hands as they had in the hospital. He wanted the comfort and peace that had come from the skin to skin contact. But touch was not Spencer's way. The need to reach out and touch people had been forced out of him a long time ago and it was a lesson he'd never forgotten. It had him keeping his arms around himself now instead of reaching out. But he couldn't stop himself from opening up to that knot of emotions in his head, that presence of Remy, and basking in the sensations there. This close, they were so strong, so comforting.
He swore he could feel Remy's gaze raking over him and there was concern and protectiveness sharp and hot in this link of theirs, this bond. The Cajun took a step towards him and Spencer didn't back away. "Y'r hurt."
The headache from his low shields pulsed behind his eyes and in his temples. "I'm fine." How many times was he going to say that tonight? Spencer felt the others eyes on him and he repeated his words to them as well. "I'm fine. We should focus on the problem at hand."
"Why don't you two tell us what exactly happened?" Scott asked them.
Spencer looked towards Remy and the other man gave a soft nod in reassurance, as if to say he'd handle this. Then he started explaining what had happened from the moment that he and Logan had been sitting in the car watching, up until he was shot. With those words, Scott interrupted him, his voice low and angry. "Shot?" He snapped out. His glasses lenses seemed to glow for a second. "You were shot? I told you two, I told you to wait for backup!"
"We couldn't exactly let them go in after the guy alone." Logan pointed out. "How were we supposed to know they'd find him that quick? We didn't realize they were that close."
"Still! The situation could've been handled much, much better." With a deep sigh, Scott reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now isn't the time for this. We'll discuss that once we're home. Continue, Remy. What happened next?"
Remy looked over to Spencer and then back to the group. He was casually leaned back against the wall, the picture of relaxation. Only Spencer knew just how much of an act it was. He knew the emotions boiling around underneath. But on the outside, Remy stayed calm, shrugging one shoulder. "Not quite sure what happened next, mon ami. It was like somet'ing in Remy reached out to somet'ing in him and den, den dere was light. Liquid sunshine, like Spencer said b'fore. It kinda filled us both."
"It was like it was in my veins." Spencer spoke up. He was proud that he managed to keep his voice steady. He didn't want them knowing just how unnerved he truly was inside. "It ran through my veins and in my mind, pushing open pathways I never even knew were there, reaching into parts of my mind I've never accessed. Then it was just too much to handle. I think my body passed out from it all."
"Oui, de same here. All dat light and den, just dark. Den Remy woke up in de hospital. Could hear Logan out dere arguing wit' a nurse or someone. Mais, dere was somet'ing else." One of Remy's hands produced a card from his pocket that he began twisting and flipping through his fingers. The gesture seemed to soothe him slightly. Still, he was showing his first external sign of nerves and the group of profilers easily caught that. Remy's voice kept that same confident, even tone though. "It's like dere's a whole new section to m' mind. Dis whole new area. An in it, dere's dis bundle of emotions. A whole section, dedicated to dis man here. Can feel him dere, me. Nonstop."
Spencer licked suddenly dry lips. "It's the same for me. I could feel you from the instant I woke up."
"You've linked." Jean said. She stepped away from Scott, just slightly towards the two young men. Her eyes were looking at them, yet they left Spencer with the distinct impression that she wasn't just looking at them, but at something else that none of them could see. "Stronger than anyone I've ever seen before. I've never seen anything quite like this."
"Can you break the link?" Dave asked her.
Spencer shivered at the question. He didn't even notice that he took a slight step to the right, in Remy's direction, or that Remy had slid just a little more towards the left, towards Spencer. The idea of breaking the link had his whole body going tense. Yet his mind was focused on Jean, watching for her answer. This was what he wanted. Right? So why did the thought of it have fear trying to build inside of him?
Jean turned her sharp eyes back to Spencer and Remy and she stared for a long moment before shaking her head slowly. "No." She finally said. "No, I can't. It's too deep. It reaches into too many different places. It ties you two together in a way I don't understand, but it goes beyond just a simple mind link. It's…it's soul deep. I wouldn't even begin to know how to try to separate you. I'm afraid to even try for fear of destroying you both in the process."
Those words had a sobering effect. The hotel room fell silent under the weight of them. Spencer could feel the emotions that were swirling all over the place. The concern that was thick in the air, both for him and for Remy. Fear, sharp and tangy. Protectiveness, bright and hot and thick. Curiosity, a hint of mistrust, and a vague sort of clarity in the air that Spencer always associated with someone who was thinking hard. That emotion, that feeling, was only ever there when someone was focusing intently on something. He'd felt it countless times when the team was working on a part of their profile and they were all thinking hard about it.
It was Derek who broke the silence. His eyes were on Spencer and there was so much worry there for the man he considered like his little brother. "What are we going to do about this?"
At first, no one answered. Then one voice rose up, soft yet firm. "There's only one solution that I can think of right now." Scott said slowly. His head turned and Spencer knew that gaze was focused right on him. "You'll have to come home with us, Dr. Reid. We've someone back home who might be able to help. He'll be able to look at this link and study it and figure out not only what it is, but he might be able to puzzle out how it formed and from there, how to break it."
Go home with them? Spencer was already shaking his head before Scott finished. "No." he told them. There was no way he could just up and leave with these people! "I can't just pack up and leave. I have a life of my own, a job. I can't simply disappear for however long it takes your people to figure this out. How would I explain that to my work?" Not to mention the fact that he didn't know these people. Did they honestly expect him to go with a group of people he didn't even know? People who had abilities that he might not be able to fight back against? It would be taking a huge risk!
Scott didn't waver. "It's the only way I can see to try to fix whatever this is and to keep you two safe until we do. Who knows what kind of effect it's going to have on the two of you?"
"So look at Remy and study him." Spencer countered firmly. "Let them study his half of things. If a solution is figured out, I have no problems coming out for it to be taken care of. But I cannot simply take off for an unspecified amount of time to a place I've never been with people I don't even know."
Before anyone could say anything, before Scott could give the argument that Spencer saw sitting on his lips, Logan's deep voice broke through, drawing all their attention and silencing the room with one simple question. "Do you really think you can be apart long enough for this to get figured out?" He looked at Spencer and then Remy before looking back again. "The two of ya haven't gone more than two feet apart from one another since we came in the room and I don't know about you, but Rem was all out of sort being apart from you for the short bit from the hospital to here. You really think you'll be able to be apart while we try and fix this?"
Spencer found he didn't have an easy answer for that. Logan's question had stunned him into silence. Could he be apart from Remy? He had barely realized just how much the two of them were gravitating towards one another. Yet, Logan was right. They'd barely been more than a few feet apart since Remy had come in the room. Proof to point, Remy was only a foot away now, at most, and Spencer hadn't even really realized it until just now. He hadn't even noticed that the both of them had been steadily scooting towards one another ever since talk had turned to breaking the link.
The next person to speak up was Aaron, and his words were just as stunning to Spencer as Logan's had been. "They're right, Reid." He didn't flinch as all eyes snapped towards him. The Unit Chief simply met Spencer's gaze head on. "You know they're right. This is something that needs to be taken care of. Until it is, you and I both know that you wouldn't be safe in the field. Not for yourself and not for those around you. There's no telling what this has done to you or what kind of influence it's going to have, especially if we get a case on the other side of the country and you two have to separate that far. Because you know that he can't travel with us and right now, just the mention of it has you two leaning in a little closer."
He was right. The mention of being across country had brought the two unconsciously closer to one another. Spencer floundered for something to say. It felt like his whole world, his whole life, was crumbling apart around him. What was going on here? What had happened to him? "Hotch, I can't just vanish. There's no telling how long this might take to figure out and fix." There was just a hint of a plea to those words. Please, don't make me go. Please don't send me off alone to do this.
"We can put you on personal leave, Reid. I'll take care of the paperwork to put you on emergency personal leave so that you don't have to come back and deal with Strauss. The team can function until you come back." Aaron said. His expression softened and Spencer could see the sympathy there. "I'm sorry, Reid. This is the smart choice here and I know that you see that. It's your safest option."
Derek stepped forward and put a hand on Spencer's shoulder, projecting support and strength. "He's right, kid." His words were almost reluctant, but they were firm. "It's the smart thing to do. Plus, look at it this way. With your genius brain there to help, things should go even faster, right?"
They were saying all the right things, pointing out all the smart reasons for this to be done. Everything that they said made sense. Yet Spencer couldn't stop the feeling of hurt that hit him. His friends were just signing him over to this group of people that he didn't know, expecting him to go off with them to who-knows-where, stuck doing who-knows-what, and they expected him to just be okay with it? To just go with a group of total strangers and trust them to fix this? He wasn't stupid; he knew that fixing something like a link would require the work of a telepath, just as he knew that this Jean woman was a telepath. Obviously they needed one stronger than her. That meant that he would be around, at minimum, two telepaths. Who knew what other powers he would be around! But what else could he do? He knew they were all right. This was the safe thing to do.
Spencer swallowed down the lump in his throat and he lifted his chin just a hair in a gesture that those who knew him knew meant he was gathering his pride and his famous control and locking down everything else. "When do we leave?"