A/n Once again I thank all my loyal readers and the new ones as well, for their reviews and feedback. I know most people don't like Reid/OFC stories so I thank you for seeing it through.

Hotch and Morgan exited the elevator, and found Gideon standing there waiting for them. He had a cup of wonderful smelling coffee in one hand, and he looked distinctly worried. Well, Hotch couldn't blame him; this had been one of the worst days they'd had together since becoming a team.

"Gideon, I just got a call from Detective Wainwright. The DNA found in the hotel room, and the sample taken from Agent Abbott, match the control sample for Detective Lange. Her sexual assault kit was negative, but the skin under her fingernails matches his DNA. It looks like self defense Jason. "

Gideon was relieved; at least they knew what happened and could deal with it. He called JJ and let her know, then they went to the waiting room to tell Reid. He wasn't there, and Gideon knew there was only one place he could be.

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JJ shut her phone. Her emotions were pulling her in a multitude of directions. The strongest was pity. She felt sorry for Agent Abbott, no one deserved what the woman had endured, but, on the other hand, she felt petty jealousy rise up and grab her firmly around the throat. She hated herself for wondering if this meant Spencer would pay even more attention to the other agent. This was just the sort of thing to bring out the protective side in the young man.

She strode angrily out to the front of the hospital, and as she passed through the doors, she reminded herself that she had to be professional in front of the reporters and cameras. She didn't want to lose her job, or make the BAU look any worse than it already did.

As soon as she made her appearance, the wolves pounced, and she was barraged by questions from every side. Cameras went off in her face and the flash bulbs blinded her. She should have been used to it, but that night, she resented the need to smile and act like nothing was wrong, even more than usual. She waited for a moment, and when they didn't quiet she spoke loudly.

"Ladies and gentlemen please, I'm making a statement for the FBI regarding the shooting of Detective Michael Lange." The reporters quieted, and she felt more at ease as the prepared speech flowed from her, as it was supposed to do.

"The facts I have at this time are that the detective was shot, and killed in the hotel room of Special Agent Karen Abbott. We also know that Agent Abbott was attacked by the detective, his DNA matches the skin found under the Agent's fingernails."

"Agent Jareau, isn't true the BAU had to reassign your case to another team? Is your team unable to do its job, or has the Bureau decided to cut its losses because of Agent Abbott?"

"The case was reassigned because the Bureau wants this man caught, and right now my team has to concentrate on helping our team member through a terrible ordeal."

"But Agent Jareau, you don't expect us to swallow the story that this woman was attacked by a Phoenix police officer, do you, couldn't there be a mistake?"

JJ couldn't believe her ears; did everyone hate the FBI so much that they were willing to disbelieve the evidence and the facts?

"I stand behind my teammate. If she accuses the detective of attacking her, then he was responsible. Why don't you guys do your job, and call your contacts at the ME's office. I'm sure they can tell you what the evidence says."

There were more shouted questions, but she ignored them, and left the microphones behind her to go back into the hospital. She was so angry she could hardly see straight. Her personal feelings were pushed aside, and she began to realize what it must be like for Karen Abbott at that very moment.

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Reid sat holding Karen's hand, and he was ashamed to admit to himself that he was comparing what her hand felt like to the emotions brought up by JJ's hand in his. She had fallen asleep, but still grasped his hand tightly in hers.

When he'd touched her it was like he'd been a victim of the balloon game he'd once played as a child. The kids rubbed the balloons over their hair, and static electricity built up causing their hair to stand on end. It was like that, the hair on the back of his neck stood up, and chills ran up his spine to the top of his head. He'd never felt that way about anyone before, and he was alarmed at what it might mean.

He thought of JJ, and the comfort he felt when she had taken his hand in the elevator. He'd felt like he found his true place and heart. He hadn't wanted to let her go, and when he did lose contact with her it was like a piece of him was lost as well.

He was so confused. He wanted to run away, go some place to think. It didn't make sense for him to be so drawn to a woman he knew nothing about. He couldn't decide what he wanted when Karen was so close, and so vulnerable. He wanted to stay by her side always and protect her.

If only he'd gone to her room as he'd wanted to earlier in the night. Maybe he could've prevented this from happening. God, he was so tired. He couldn't think straight. He began to tell himself that all of his confusion was a result of sleep deprivation, and that if he could only get some rest he could make up his mind. Then, reason raised its ugly head again. The truth was that short of going right up to JJ, and asking her how she really felt about him, he would have to assume she was only a friend, and that meant he could pursue something with Karen.

On the other hand, what if Karen didn't want to be pursued, especially after what happened to her tonight. His head was beginning to pound, and he put his chin on his free hand. His eyelids began to close, and he fought against it for a long time, but soon he was deeply asleep, his hand still holding Karen's.

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Gideon, Hotch and Morgan entered Karen's room as quietly as they could, and found Reid asleep at her bedside. Gideon frowned at the young man's obvious devotion to this woman they didn't know. Hearing the news was going to hurt the young agent badly and Gideon balked at telling him.

"Should we wake him up," Hotch asked in a low voice. He felt responsible for Agent Abbott. He should've seen the instability in Detective Lange, but he'd been so focused on the case.

"We have to; he needs to know what's going on." Gideon stepped to the young man's side, and touched him on the shoulder.

"Reid," Spencer jerked awake, and stared up in confusion and fear. The dark circles were back under his eyes, and Morgan's anger softened toward him when he saw the look of pure misery, and confusion on the younger agent's face.

"What -"

"Reid," Gideon repeated trying to keep his voice low enough not to wake Agent Abbott. "How is she son?" His dark eyes were full of compassion, and something else that Reid had seen before, but he didn't bother to try and work out why. "She's okay, but why are you all here, I thought you'd be working on finding out what happened tonight."

"Reid… we have some news, but let's not talk about it in here, come outside."

"No, I don't want to leave her alone, hasn't she been through enough already?" He looked over to where she lay, the light, dimmed to near darkness, threw shadows over her bruised and blackened face, making her look even more vulnerable. Leaving her alone was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Reid please, we need to talk, and you need to tell us what she told you." Well, so much for keeping anything from Gideon, he always knew what was going on in your head, your heart, and the most private recesses of your soul. It was annoying, disconcerting, and wonderful at the same time.

Reid nodded, let go of the hand that had long since gone lax in his own, and left the room with the other agents. Morgan tried to catch his eye, but he refused to look at his partner. He knew what the other man wanted; he wanted Reid to (a) apologize for blowing up, which wasn't going to happen, and (b) he wanted Reid to spill about how he'd ended up in Karen's hospital room holding her hand.

"I talked to the lab Reid, and they found GSR on Agent Abbott's right hand, and they found Detectives Lange DNA under her fingernails. It looks like a self defense shooting, but we need to know why he attacked her.

Morgan's phone rang. When he saw the number on caller ID he strode off down the hall. "Hey sweetness, I see you're talking to me again."

"I never shirk my duty for petty arguments that would be un-goddesslike of me."

He decided that her tone could wait, now was not the time to deal with her. If not now Derek, when?

"What have you got for me?" He prayed it was about the case, and not more commentary on his lack of understanding.

"Well… it looks like Detective Lange isn't exactly a boy scout. He applied to the FBI back in 2003, and was rejected due to problems with authority. They also said he had real problems with women too. He made Detective last year, mostly due to the fact that Phoenix had a shortage of trained detectives, and they needed him in Homicide. I guess they thought if he partnered with Detective Harrison, who's as straight an arrow as they come, he straighten up. Obviously that didn't happen."

"Thanks Penelope, call me if you find out anything else."

"Of course my prince, why else am I here." He was glad her smart remarks were back, but that something in her voice was still there, and he realized through the clarity that comes from little or no sleep that they needed to talk. It would have to wait, there were more important things to be dealt with.

He shut his phone and rubbed a hand over his face. His head hurt so badly, he was tempted to find a doctor, and beg for a morphine drip. It didn't help that Harrison had recently punched him in the face. He was just happy that he didn't have broken nose, to go along with his shredded ego.

He was angry too, Harrison knew about his partner's troublemaking, and he'd acted like Lange had been an innocent in the night's events. And the Phoenix police, what about them, they put him into this position because of manpower issues. He went to hit the wall, but stopped his fist from actually making contact. He didn't want a broken hand to go with his stinging nose, and screaming headache.

He made his way back to the others. They needed to know that Agent Abbott was an innocent in all of this, at least from his point of view. It bothered him that only Reid had shown unconditional faith in Karen. What did that say about the rest of them?

Speaking of Reid, he knew that the young man wouldn't step up, and apologize for that morning, and it was finally getting through to him that his partner was right. He'd been clueless about the young man, and had no right to treat him that way. It looked like he had two apologies to make, one to Penelope and one to his partner.

It was time to eat some major crow.