AN: This chapter is shorter than usual, but I hit a good stopping point, and the section is going to be long, so I didn't want to keep going. If you're so inclined, tell me in your reviews what you think really happened.

By the time Morgan got back to the BAU it was lunch time. Because the consult with the other team had put them behind, and because it had taken longer than it normally would with two of their team members missing, everyone had decided to order sandwiches from a nearby deli and eat in the office. The team knew each other so well that any one of them could order for any other and have an excellent chance of getting exactly the right thing, Therefore Morgan wasn't at all surprised to find a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with mustard, tomato and lettuce sitting in front of an empty chair in the conference room where the others had gathered to eat. He unwrapped the waxed paper and took a huge bite before his teammates started peppering him with questions about Reid.

"Give him a second," Hotch ordered them all as Morgan took a swig from the water bottle which had also been provided for him. Morgan nodded his thanks as settled into his chair.

"Okay, now I'm ready," the dark-skinned profiler informed them. "But I'm not sure how much I can tell you."

"Just share what you know," suggested Hotch.

So Morgan recounted what had happened at the hospital, emphasizing the nurse who had flirted with Reid and downplaying how much all of the nurses had ignored him.

"But what actually happened to him?" Garcia broke in, unable to wait any longer. "Is our Boy Genius okay?"

"That's two separate questions," Morgan replied. "As to the second, he assured me he was 'fine.'"

Rossi and Hotch shook their heads, while Garcia put a hand up to her mouth in horror and JJ uttered a quiet, "Oh, no."

Kate looked around the table at them as if they had suddenly started speaking a foreign language. "What's wrong with all of you?" she asked. "Isn't 'fine' a good thing?"

The team members all considered one another before JJ was silently elected to explain. "Normally, yes," she told their newest team member, "but this is Reid. When Reid says he's 'fine' it means he's anything but. He told us he was fine both times he was shot."

"And when he was infected with Anthrax," Morgan added.

"Even after Maeve died," Garcia put in, tears shining in her eyes. "Oh, our poor baby."

Morgan gave her a one-armed hug. "It's not as bad as all that, mama," he consoled her. "He does have some broken ribs and fingers, a mild concussion – he emphasized mild - and a bunch of stiches in his arm, but he was moving under his own power, and they did let him go home from the hospital."

JJ formulated a puzzled expression. "Why did you leave him alone, Morgan? If he has a concussion, one of us should be there to make sure he's okay."

"Hey, I wanted to stay," Morgan defended his decision. "Reid absolutely refused to let me. He said he was going to sleep all day and made me promise that we would all leave him alone."

Before he had even finished talking JJ had pulled out her cell phone. "I'm going to check on him and make sure he's okay."

Morgan put his hand on her phone before she could dial. "JJ, I know you're feeling all Mama Bear protective, but he seemed pretty adamant that he didn't want anyone waking him up until tonight. Besides, I guess the guy who mugged him took his phone, because he said he didn't have it."

Garcia went from sad to angry in flash. "Who was it, Morgan? Did they catch the guy? When I find out who dared to hurt our Boy Wonder, I'm going to make him sorry he ever even left his house yesterday, much less performed a criminal act against one of my babies."

"Yes, Morgan, what did happen?" inquired Rossi.

"I don't know," Morgan said simply.

Everyone spoke at once, demanding to know what Morgan meant and how he could possibly not know what had happened. He held up his hands as if warding off physical blows. "Don't blame me," he exclaimed. "Reid refused to tell me what happened."

Hotch took charge as only he could. "What exactly did he say, Morgan?"

Morgan took a deep breath. "He said he didn't want to give me one more thing to tease him about."

"I told you," Kate declared. "I told you that you were hurting his feelings with all of your teasing."

"But we wouldn't tease him about getting mugged," JJ professed.

Morgan agreed. "No, we wouldn't pick on him when someone had hurt him. He knows that. I don't know why he was so vehement about it."

"Maybe he wasn't mugged," Garcia exclaimed. "Maybe he was saving a beautiful damsel in distress and was beaten by nefarious characters. Or maybe he was on a top secret mission like JJ was and he's not allowed to tell us what really happened."

Morgan chuckled. "I'd like to believe something like that, my charming storyteller, but I'd guess the answer is something much more realistic." He snapped his fingers as an idea hit him. "Maybe the mugger was female. He doesn't want us to know he was beaten up by a girl."

"Or maybe it's exactly what he said and he doesn't want you guys making fun of him," Kate suggested irritably.

Hotch stopped them before they could hypothesize further. "We don't profile team members," he reminded them. "When he's ready, he'll tell us. Until then, we all have a lot of work to do, especially since Reid isn't here for you to slip your files to." He gave them all a look that invited no argument. Without another word, they all returned to their desks.