When the Pain is Too Much
Chapter 4

The cruelest lies are often told in silence. -Robert Louis Stevenson

He was relieved to be at work the next day. He had no headache, and coffee and sugar flowed through his veins, keeping him wide awake. But, thoughts of the previous day kept attacking him, like angry hornets inside his mind. Could he really have seen a ghost? As impossible as it seemed, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had.

"Something on your mind, Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"What? Oh, hey. No, just... thinking."

"I can see that. I was refering to what you were thinking about."

"Oh. Just stuff. You know."

"Not really."

CM

JJ watched Spencer carefully. He didn't seem to be as irriatable as he had been. She figured the day off would have done more bad than good, but maybe she was wrong. She was actually suprised that he hadn't showed up at her house. Maybe he was finally starting to heal.

Though, he was very distracted. She wondered what was going on in that briliant mind of his.

CM

"Come in," she called, not looking up from the one of many computer screens. The door squeaked open, then closed softly. Finally, she turned around. "What can I do for you, young Boy Wonder?"

"Do... do you think you could look up a name for me?" he asked softly.

"Is it for a case?" He bit his lip and shook his head. She felt bad for him. She, too, had noticed how hard of a time he'd been having since Emily's death. "What's the name?"

"Chris Willson," he said, opting for the father. She typed furiously. A few moments later, a newspaper clipping apeared on the screen.

"Chris Willson, his wife, Marge, and daughter, Clair were... killed in May by a drunk driver..." she looked up at Spencer. "Why did you want me to look for this?" He hesitated before answering.

"I... I went to Emily's grave yesterday," he admitted. "They weren't burried far from her. I remembered seeing the name Willson in the paper, and the head line was something about a car accident, but I didn't read the story. It made me wonder, but I couldn't find anything when I looked online."

"Oh, okay." He stared at the picture. She could see the hurt in his eyes, probably about having had to tell her about why he was where he was the day before. It was heart-breaking.

So, she stood. He looked up, confused, as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. He stiffened, unprepared for her sudden attack. He relaxed a moment later, and even returned the hug. Finally, she let him go.

"Thank you," he said. She had a feeling it was for more than just typing on a keyboard.

"Your welcome," she mutted, staring after him as the door snapped shut.

A/N: The hug is deticated to 'im. Ami. a. messneger. of. God' who asked me so kindly to pass a hug on for Reid. :) -A