AN: I've actually had most of this written for a while now, but I got stuck toward the end. Thanks to all the followers, favoriters, and reviewers who encouraged me to get on with it. BTW, I'm definitely going to set Reid up on a date with some OC from this story. Who do you think it should be?
As Detective Pierson finished his recounting of Reid's story, the members of the BAU looked at one another with a mixture of astonishment, pride, and a hint of embarrassment. Rossi was the first to speak.
"I think it's safe to say that he wasn't mugged."
Garcia grinned widely. She had shed a few tears, and hidden her face against Morgan's shoulder during the worst of the narrative, but now she was all smiles. "I should say not. Our baby boy is a bona-fide knight-in-shining-armor hero! I'm going to bake him cupcakes . . . with sprinkles. He loves sprinkles."
Always the FBI agent, Hotch focused on the case more than on the personal story. "Is the woman all right?" he asked. "And did you catch all the perpetrators?"
Detective Pierson nodded. "She has some cuts and bruises, but Doctor Reid arrived before they got too far."
"Rape or robbery?" Rossi asked.
"Rape," the detective affirmed. "Evidently the three guys were drinking and taking drugs all day and whining to one another about how women never give them a fair shake, or some such nonsense."
"Apparently never occurred to 'em that there migh' be a reason for that," Will pointed out.
Pierson agreed. "Anyway, they decided to show some woman what "real" men they are. It was completely a crime of opportunity; they just grabbed the first female they saw. Trust me; these guys are not master criminals."
"And you got the third one?" Hotch reiterated.
"Oh, that's the best part," Pierson said. "Right after the sketch artist finished working with Reid, he was heading back to the station to put it out over the wire, when he glances over at this guy standing at the nurses's station raising a huge fuss because he hasn't been seen by a doctor yet. And Lahr, the artist does a double take, and then he calls me to come back to the hospital. 'You're not going to believe this, Steve, but the third guy is right here.' I arrested him ten minutes later there in the emergency room. He was so shocked at being caught – plus he was still fairly well plastered, and in pain from the beating Reid gave him – he told us the whole story before I even asked. And then, when I took him into the station, his partner started yelling at him for talking to us, and he ended up confessing to the whole thing as well. I doubt we'll even have to have a trial. This will be one for the lawyers to hash out.
"So," the detective concluded, holding up the evidence bag with the phone and the gun in it, "We're not going to be needing these. They weren't really evidence anyway."
"I'll see that they get back to Reid," Hotch said, offering to take the bag. And then, as Pierson hesitated, Hotch cracked a rare smile. "You can trust me."
"Oh, it's not that," Pierson sputtered. "It's just, well . . ." He looked around at the group helplessly. "I was kinda hoping to give them back to him myself."
Will clapped a hand on his fellow detective's back with a laugh. "Bad news, lover boy. I've seen the type Reid goes for, and they're decidedly female."
"No chance, huh?"
"Afraid not," JJ commiserated. "Do you know who Lila Archer is?"
"Sure, the movie star," Pierson replied, looking confused. "What does that have to do with . . . what, he has a crush on her?"
They all waited a beat, expecting Morgan to jump in with some witty comment about his partner and his brief fling with the popular actress, but Morgan remained strangely quiet. JJ continued in his stead. "Not a crush. They were an item for a while."
"No way." The young detective's eyes widened. "I'm not sure if I'm impressed or depressed. Oh well. Get those back to him, will you?" He left the evidence bag on the desk and started out of the unit.
"Later, cher." Will gave his wife a quick kiss, and then started after Pierson. "Don't you worry, Steve. We'll fin' ya a nice young gentleman of your own," he avowed, holding open the glass door for the other man.
The BAU team was quiet for a moment, each caught up in his or her own thoughts. Finally Kate voiced some of what they were all feeling. "Wow."
"Wow is right," Rossi agreed. "Who'd of thought our little Spencer had it in him?"
"I would have," Hotch declared. "You all don't give Reid nearly enough credit. Now, everyone get back to work. This day keeps getting us further and further behind, and personally I don't intend to come in this weekend to finish paperwork." He turned and headed for his office, taking as a given that they would all comply.
Rossi, JJ and Garcia headed for their respective offices as well, Garcia muttering something about cookies and cinnamon buns. Kate picked up one of the files sitting on her desk and began reading it, but she had barely started when she realized that Morgan was still standing there, looking at her with a strange expression on his face.
"What?" she asked.
For a second she thought Morgan wasn't going to answer her. She could tell he wanted to say something, but for some reason he wasn't coming out with it. She was just about to ask him what he wanted again when he blurted out, "Callahan, you gotta help me."
Kate was at a loss. "Okay. Help you with what?"
"With Reid." He said it like the answer should make perfect sense, but Kate was no more clued in than she had been before.
"What about Reid?"
Morgan dropped down into the chair at the desk across from hers and rubbed his hands over his face. He took another moment to gather his thoughts, and Kate let him take that moment without interrupting. "I fucked up," Morgan finally confessed. "I fucked this up bad, and I don't know how to fix it."
Kate was surprised on several fronts. One, it was rare for Morgan to use profanity, and when he did it was usually in the midst of extreme anger. Second, it was virtually unheard of for Morgan to admit that he had made a mistake. The man wasn't arrogant, exactly, but he was very, very sure of himself. Third, if he were going to acknowledge an error, she wouldn't have expected him to come to her. She and Morgan got along fine, but she was the newest member of the team. They hadn't established the easy-going friendship he had with their other teammates, at least not yet. Still, he was admitting to a mistake, and he had come to her. If she handled the situation correctly, they would be one step closer to having that kind of relationship. She ran through several possible responses in her head and decided that, since Morgan was being straightforward, she would be as well.
"I'm not exactly sure what you think you fucked up," she stated firmly, "but if you think you did, you're probably right."
The dark-skinned profiler looked at her for a minute with surprise on his face, and then he laughed ruefully. "Not pulling any punches, are you Callahan?"
"I didn't see much need to," she told him. "You seem to be beating yourself up pretty well; I might as well join in." Despite her lighthearted answer, her demeanor was solemn. "So what exactly did you f- up?"
Morgan shook his head sheepishly. "He thinks I don't take him seriously, that I don't think he's as much of a man as I am."
"Do you?"
"Of course I do." Morgan's answer was instantaneous, showing Kate that he really meant what he was saying. "Spencer Reid is one of the strongest, bravest, and obviously the smartest man I've ever known. I would, and have, trust him with my life."
"Why don't you tell him that?"
"I have. We all tell him that all the time. It's just, he never seems to believe us. It's like he thinks we're just saying it to make him feel good, but we don't really mean it."
Kate asked, "Do you think he doesn't believe any of you?"
Morgan thought about that question for a minute. "I think he believes Hotch, at least most of the time. And I've seen a few times when Rossi told him he did a good job, and it really seemed to mean a lot to him. And I know he believed it about Alex. They had the closest thing to an equal relationship I've seen Reid have with anyone."
"Why do you think that is?"
"Maybe because they taught together first. Reid wasn't having to try and prove he was just as good as she was; they both already knew it." Morgan was quiet for bit. "Or maybe it was just the way she treated him."
"So I guess the question is, did Reid act differently toward her, or did she act differently toward him?"
"Does it matter?" Morgan asked.
"I think it does," Kate answered. "Because you can't change the way he acts, but you can change the way you do."
"I don't treat him badly," Morgan defended himself.
"No, but you don't treat him like an equal," Kate pointed out. "You treat him like a little brother. Think about it. Would you assume that Hotch was in trouble just because he was late to work? Would you be shocked if you found out JJ had saved someone who was in trouble?"
Morgan sighed deeply. "No," he admitted. "But I don't know how to change. What do I do?"
"Look, Morgan, I haven't been with the team very long. I don't want to come in here and mess up your dynamic. But you could start by trusting him a little. He is a grown man, after all."
"I'll try," Morgan promised as he started to walk away. "Thanks, Kate." He stopped before he got to the stairs and turned back. "Can I ask you a favor?"
"Sure."
"I'm supposed to go over the Reid's after work and take him some food, but now I don't think I should. I don't want him to think I'm just checking up on him."
Kate laughed. "Weren't you?"
"I was," he acknowledged, "but he also really needs some food. His cabinets and fridge were completely empty. Could you take him something and tell him I'll see him tomorrow? Let him see that I know he can take care of himself?"
"I'd be glad to," Kate said. "And, Morgan, I just want you to know, I think you're a good friend. A little over-protective, maybe, but a good friend."
