Present day:


„Reid?", Morgan asked tensely, his eyes flitting between his seemingly petrified friend to the stranger who had caused his condition.

He didn't know what was going on but he didn't waste time to move between the two, shielding Reid immediately on instinct.

"What's wrong-?", he started asking, but Reid didn't react. In fact he stared right past his shoulder, tears suddenly welling up in his eyes.

Before Morgan or anyone else could even try to understand what was going on, Reid suddenly sidestepped Morgan and Hotch and took a shaky step towards the man by the door.

Logan´s eyes were fixed on Reid as well; he was completely ignoring both Morgan and Hotch´s stances.

"Hey there, little one.", he gave him a smile that was a mixture between gentle and rueful, completely contradicting the otherwise hard edges of his face.

Reid bit back something that sounded strangely like a sob at the sound of his voice and before anyone could react was across the room and had thrown himself at the man, thin arms wrapped around the strong neck in a vise-like grip. Logan caught the young man easily, holding him in his embrace, making him look like a doll as he held him close to his massive frame.

Morgan watched the scene in front of him change in utter shock, stunned speechless like everyone else.

He had no idea what was going on.

A second ago, Reid had looked like he was about to pass out, …or cry… or run from the room - all because of this guy. And now he was clinging to him like his life depended on it.

Who was that man?

How did Reid know him?

Why didn't they?

It wasn't like they told each other every little detail about their private lives…but wouldn't he have mentioned someone close enough to him to cause that kind of reaction?

Reid was acting like he had just found his long lost brother or…Morgan watched the strange man´s hands wrap around Reid´s waist tighter, one hand smoothing back his hair. It was a quick, casual motion but it didn't look all too brotherly

Plus, he was pretty sure Reid didn´t have any brothers. So that left only the option of…

Morgan unconsciously flexed his fingers into fists, not willing to admit to himself that he suddenly felt jealous. He tried not to but it was surprisingly hard when the seconds ticked by and neither man moved.

Luckily, Hotch eventually seemed to think he should say something.

"Um,… Reid?", he cleared his throat as though he too wasn't too sure what to make of this…or too thrilled by this sudden display of affection. After all, Reid wasn't one for much physical contact…much less public displays of affection of any kind…

Hotch´s voice seemed to snap Reid out of whatever onslaught of emotion had captured him, and he almost hastily stepped out of the man´s embrace, his cheeks showing a hint of embarrassment at his behavior.

He seemed about to reply to Hotch, explain maybe, but was distracted by Logan´s hand on his cheek, keeping him close and focused on him through the gesture.

That was all it seemed to take to make the young man completely forget about the eye´s watching them again, about his embarrassment. His eyes were glued to Logan´s as he grinned down at him.

"What a welcome.", Logan chuckled as he softly brushed his thumb over Reid´s cheekbone: "I´m touched. I thought you´d never speak to me again."

"I wouldn't have ten years ago. Your timing is impeccable.", Reid smiled back at him, ever so slightly leaning into his touch. Morgan noticed anyway.

"What's going on here, Reid?", he asked to his own surprise, his voice sounding oddly strained even to his own ears.

He didn't understand.

Ten years? Who as this guy that he had been a part of Reid´s youth?

Who was he to keep touching him like it was the most natural thing in the world?

As with Hotch, Reid jumped a little at the sound of his voice, like he had been ripped from a trance. This time he wasn't the only one to look around though.

For just the fraction of a second Logan´s eyes seemed to bore into his over Reid´s head, measuring him coolly. Like he could sense the emotions boiling underneath his carefully placed mask…

Then Reid spoke up and both of their attention shifted back to him.

"Uh, sorry guys.", he smiled a little awkwardly, finally stepping back to stand at the strangers side, facing his team: "This is Logan Howlette. We…know each other from when I was younger."

"Much younger.", Logan grinned.

Morgan thought he saw Reid´s smile flicker the slightest bit at the remark, but it was gone too quickly for him to try and decipher it.

"And what brings you here, Mr. Howlette?", Hotch asked when Reid still seemed to occupied with the reunion to do any further explaining.

"Just Logan is fine. The MFBI sent me over here to help with the case you are working on.", Logan explained: "As I can see you´re already working on it. That's good. It is very urgent."

He pointed towards the board with all their case information. Hotch needed only a second to collect himself and be his usual professional self: "We were told you´d be joining us, Mr.….Logan. But we were wondering why exactly you want us to work this case, I'm sure you know it involves mutants and we are not really…"

"I´m not expecting you to go up against any mutants in the field. Not that it really matters how weak you all are -after all the victims are all mutants so you can see it would be risky even for the MFBI. But your team is highly praised, you have some of the most brilliant minds of the country assembled in this room."

"Well, Logan, you don't need to be a genius to figure out how those people were killed and then look for a mutant in need of a manicure.", Emily spoke up for the first time, stepping up next to Hotch.

She didn't look dismissive saying it, just like her usual self -maybe even a little intrigued with him.

Logan gave her an amused smiled, apparently appreciating her wit. Then he nodded slightly, his face becoming more serious, worried almost: "You´re right. I asked to come here because I knew Jonah would be here and I had to see him."

He was met with silence and confused stares at that statement.

"Uh…who?", Emily finally asked not very eloquently, shooting a confused look at JJ, the only one on the team with the initial J. She was pretty sure her name hadn't been Jonah the last time she´d checked though.

Now Logan looked confused, too.

Reid next to him had tensed at his words, suddenly looking distressed. Logan met his eyes, the question clear on his face.

After a moment, Reid cleared his throat: "Uh, Logan. I´m not really known by that name here."

The others just looked more and more confused while Logan suddenly looked apologetic, like he had made a faux-pas.

"Oh… I´m sorry. I didn't think….of course you´re not. I just –they told me how close this team was and I guess I thought they knew."

"Knew what?", Rossi looked between them, with his eyebrows arched, clearly not catching on: That Reid has a middle name?"

What could have been an easy fix, just led to more trouble for Reid.

"That's not his middle name.", Morgan said instantly, his face starting to look wary next to annoyed.

Neither man replied. Reid just bit his lip looked anxious and guilty at the same time, like he didn't know what to say or do.

It only took his team a couple of moment to make the necessary connection between their comments. Then Hotch stepped forward, looking somewhat disgruntled at these news:

"Reid. Why is he calling you that? It´s hardly short for Spencer now, is it?"

Reid didn´t look at him. He seemed desperate to find a proper answer.

"No.", he finally admitted.

"It´s your actual first name? But how…Why would you go by a fake name, Reid?"

Now even Logan wasn't able to calm Reid down. He looked around the room disquieted, meeting all of their eyes but to shortly to read anything out of them.

When he finally managed a smile, it looked strained, not real:

"Um, guys, I´m really sorry to confuse you like this. But it´s not important. What´s in a name right?", he laughed nervously, his smile fading quickly when no one answered him.

"Look.", he said evasively: "Maybe I´ll tell you that story another time…but don´t you think the case is more important right now?"

"Actually."; Logan interjected, his hand heavy on Reid´s shoulder: "You do need to tell them." He frowned when Reid shot him an almost panicked look, his fingers tightening slightly in a reassuring gesture: "It is important for the case. They won't know what dangers are coming at them,…. how they can protect you unless they know."

If even possible, Reid looked even more upset by his words, blanching as his eyes grew wide:

"You mean it´s not over?…They're coming after you…after me?"

He stared at Logan apprehensively, all others forgotten for the moment. The team watched their conversation with confusion and rapidly growing worry.

"I think so.", Logan nodded, frowning: "It´s why I came here. I thought you were safer if I stayed away but now…I'm not going to let anything happen to you." E tension didn't leave him though as he glances over at the other people in the room.

"But they don't need to know…", he said in a somewhat hushed voice, almost pleading with Logan.

Morgan almost couldn't make out his words form where he was standing. Almost. The frightened expression on Reid´s face was enough for him though to grow worried.

He watched Logan shake his head in regret: "They need to know about me. And that is just going to lead to more questions. Tell them. They´re your friends right? They'll understand."

He shot Reid an assuring smile. The young man looked miserable next to scared for the first few seconds before he finally nodded, turning to face them like he was scheduled for a firing squad.

"Reid?"; Hotch was quick to prompt him, also more than suspicious and worried by now: "I don't understand. What are you two talking about? Who is after you? Did you have to change your identity because your life was in danger?"

Reid looked at him, then at JJ only to linger on Morgan's expectant face. Something like guilt and anxiety flashed across his features and he looked away quickly, hugging his own waist, not getting a single word out.

Morgan just wanted to walk over to him and pull him into a hug, calming him. What on earth could be so bad Reid was unable o tell them?

In the end, Logan spoke up for him, his face grim as he explained: "Well, a couple of years ago when we were still closer… my brother and I got into trouble with some very dangerous people. So we figured it would be best if…Reid, is it?…steered clear from us for a while so he wouldn't get caught up in that. I thought it was over since I haven't had trouble with these people in over a decade –but now all these people are showing up dead and some of them are from my past, they are connected to each other…to us."

Hotch nodded quietly, mostly to show he was listening. That made some sense, but brought up a dozen new questions at the same time.

Emily looked at Logan in surprise and also something like awe: "You screwed up so badly that everyone you knew had to change their names? What did you unravel some evil government project?"

"Actually…", Logan began, but then he stopped himself and said instead: "No, it was only him who needed to be protected."

Morgan could practically feel his frustration grow and it wasn't only because this guy seemed to know so much more than him about Reid. Everything he said remained an enigma, just confusing him more.

Finally, he couldn't stand the slow progression of their conversation anymore, bursting out: "Why was Reid the only person in your live you thought needed protection?"

"Because I used to live with Logan and his brother back then.", Reid spoke up for the first time in a while, still avoiding eye contact.

His statement shut Morgan up effectively for a long moment, igniting murmurs from the rest of them.

"I don´t understand anything anymore.", JJ murmured, shaking her head.

After a moment Morgan found his voice back. He stared at the side of Reid´s face, unsure if he was more upset or worried about the situation. How had he not known all this? Why hadn't Reid told him?

"You lived with them?", he asked incredulously: "When? Why? After your dad left and your mom got sick? You never told us you were in foster care."

"…I wasn't…uh…alright."; Reid looked miserable by now, but he sighed in resignation: "Alright. I´ll explain. I probably should have a long time ago. Just don´t freak out, please, ok?"

He shot Morgan a pleading look even though he was clearly talking to all of them.

Then he took a deep breath, brushing a loose lock of hair behind his ear with shaky fingers:

"When…when I was eight my parents got killed. Our house was burned to the ground."

He ignored the gasps around him, the shocked stares and carried on: "I… would have died, too, if it weren´t for Logan and his brother Victor. They saved me and took me in. I lived with them for…years until this whole mess happened. Then they figured it would be best to create some distance. I changed my name and moved here, I started a new life."

Reid flinched when everyone looked at him like he had grown a second head. Morgan´s eye brows were unnaturally high by now and he looked concerned for his friend´s mental health.

"Reid. Your mom she isn't dead. I met her last year, remember?"

Reid gulped, suddenly looking incredibly guilty: "She…she´s not my biological mother."

Morgan was pretty sure his head would explode with any more crazy statements.

He didn't understand.

What was going on? Had Reid lost his mind? Was he pranking them?

He couldn't possibly have lied about every aspect of his life form day one…

"Are you really serious right now?", he asked incredulously, bordering on angry. If this was some joke, he didn't find it funny: "You´re saying your name is not Reid, your mother is not your mother…Next you´ll be telling us you´re not an American either."

Reid flushed furiously at the accusation, looking at him sharply for a second:

"Of course I am. I´m from Mississippi actually.", then he sighed, his shoulders suddenly slumping in defeat: "I was born by Bolton… in 1865."

They were so busy discussing these new discoveries that almost all of them missed the last part of that sentence. Hotch didn't though, and neither dim organ.

"-what?", he asked hoarsely, sure he had misheard.

He looked over at Hotch for support and saw his boss eyes widen slightly in understanding. What had he understood? What was going on?

Everyone one else was deadly quiet suddenly, not moving a muscle as they stared in Reid direction. There was no doubt looking into his face that he was not kidding.

Morgan felt his head spinning, thinking he would wake up at any moment now? This was crazy…1856…this wasn't a vampire movie all out of a sudden, was it?

But the seconds ticked by and Reid did nothing to take back what he had said. He merely continued to stand by Logan´s side like a kicked puppy.

"That's crazy!", Morgan finally managed to say, his own voice sounding strange in his ears, barely audible over the beating of his heart: "Are you seriously going to tell us you´re a hundred and fifty years old?"

"154, actually.", Reid corrected weakly.

"But…", JJ shook her blonde mane in distress, looking at Reid for help: "Spence…how is…you barely look 25…how…?"

She broke off, eyes wide and shiny. Reid returned her gaze, silently pleading with her. He didn't answer.

Hotch did it for him though: "He´s a mutant."


Reid flinched at his boss words, not daring to look into his friends eyes for fear of their reaction. All these years he had kept it a secret…and now it was just out there.

He felt strangely exposed, vulnerable. Logan´s warm hand on his back was the only thing grounding him by now.

When no one said anything after that he finally looked up.

JJ had tears in her eyes but she looked like she was distressed on his behalf. Rossi and Emily seemed surprised but not very upset and Hotch and his usually poker face on. Neither of them looked like they were devastated by the news, just a little shocked.

Could it be that they really wouldn't be mad, that they wouldn't mind his lies and him being different?

With a tiny flame of hope he dared to look over at Morgan -only to cringe when he saw the raw emotion, the hurt and shock in the man´s dark eyes. It turned his stomach, bringing tears to his eyes. Morgan had never looked at him like he did now and it was disturbing.

"Morgan.", he said weakly, automatically lifting a hand towards him but Morgan flinched, shaking his head harshly.

Then he spun around and rushed out of the room.

Morgan runs from the room.


poor reid...but they had to find out...

sorry if the city in mississippi is wrong or if the name doesnt fit into the time period -i kinda slept through american history. i figured, Jonah being a biblical name, it was a pretty safe guess.

so tell me what do you this so far? like it, think its stupid? want more background or more present day explanations?

i will be pretty busy these next few weeks with college...but reviews would likely make me write faster *winks*.

R&R please