CONSEQUENCES FALL 8

a/n In answer to some reviewers questions, I hope with my hands now back in working order I will be able to get a chapter a week done.

Probably uploading on a Sunday night [UK time]

again thanks to those who have read, reviewed and favourites my little drama. To those that are lurking in the shadows Hi, come and talk to me I don't bite …. well not often anyhoo.

Oooh yeah realised I didn't put a disclaimer in...so here it is.

I don't own the rights to Criminal Minds, Thomas Gibson, Matthew Gray Gubler etc. Only the new Characters are mine. If you want to use them please ask. :-) So lets return to the tale...

Consequences fall chapter 14.

BAU offices Quantico. Wednesday evening.

It was a tired ,but happy team that piled out of the elevator.

Happy... but confused and curious as to why they were back here. Normally Hotch would dismiss them till the morning when they were this fatigued.

The case hadn't been physically demanding, but the stress of the time constraints and dealing with the political sharks had worn them all down.

Especially Hotch.

So it had surprised them all that after Morgan had spoken to him he had ordered them all to return to the offices.

The surprise had increased when Morgan had told them it was Garcia who needed to see them all.

Now after an hour or so of a Stubbornly silent Morgan and a stone faced Hotch, the rest of the team were getting slightly pissed off.

On seeing the emotional state of his companions as they entered the bullpen, Hotch was grateful to Morgan for taking him aside.

Morgan had explained Garcia's request and theorised that this little gathering had something to do with Reid's absence. Hotch had to agree with that assumption, but wondered just what Garcia had been up too. And was it going to come back and bite them all in the ass.

"Seems we are to go to the conference room," Emily informed them holding up a card that had been stuck to her computer screen. The purple and gold glitter left no doubt as to who the sender was.

They trooped after Prentiss up the short series of stairs and along the walkway.

"Oh my God what is that gorgeous smell?" JJ muttered just as Rossi's belly joined the conversation.

"That would be dinner," Prentiss declared taking in the covered conference table. " it looks like we are having Chinese tonight Ladies and gentlemen."

Emily moved towards her normal seat and started opening the boxes and tubs in the centre of the table.

"look?" Morgan instructed holding up another decorated card.

On this one were the words- `Eat, then we will talk. Promise` written in neon green ink and surrounded by butterfly and cat stickers.

"there's a new pot of Reid's blend too," Rossi announced pouring himself a much needed mug of the delicious coffee.

Hotch took in the table and wondered how bad Garcia's news could be if she was softening them up with food and good coffee. But he also knew just how stubborn the seemingly bubbly blonde could be. So he would eat, instead of running off to her sanctuary with the thousand burning questions that needed answers.

"Oh my! this is divine," Prentiss moaned in pleasure as she ate some Kung po chicken. JJ agreed with a nod as she dived into the Special chow mien on her plate. Even Morgan was silent as he ate his sweet n sour chicken balls.

Hotch had to grin at his team of elite profilers, they looked like a bunch of toddlers let loose in a Chocolate store. He had to admit Garcia was right on the money if her goal was to pull the teeth of the groups annoyance.

Even grumpy Rossi was happily munching down and sipping his elixir in silence.

Thirty minutes later the conference room door opened again.

But to the teams surprise it wasn't Garcia who was coming in. Prentiss felt her tummy tighten as Director Carentine entered still in his long Black cashmere coat.

"Evening people," he greeted them as if this was a normal, scheduled meeting between equals. "And congratulations on surviving the Sharks."

Rossi seemed to come to his senses first.

"Evening John. This is becoming a habit," he half joked as he shook hands with one of the top dogs of the whole FBI. "Coffee?"

Carentine looked warily at the pot Rossi had indicated. He remembered vividly the sludge that he had survived on as a Field Agent.

Rossi chuckled at the look of trepidation on the face of the man.

"It s Reid's special blend," he tempted with a grin.

"In that case I would love a cup. Nearly ran outta my stash in the office and - wont give me any outta the bag in the house." he replied comfortably as he settled unknowingly in the chair Reid would normally have taken.

"Hotch, when the kid...sorry! When Reid reappears we need to find out where he gets this stuff." Rossi said setting the mug on the table before Carentine, then retaking his own seat and sipping his own brew.

"I can just see you getting that past the Budget committee Hotch." Morgan laughed, as he imagined a certain female AD face at that request.

Carentine had to laugh at that statement. For unknown to them Carentine and Morgan where both imagining the pinched lemon face of Erin Strauss.

"It wouldn't help anyway Rossi. You cant buy this stuff in stores, its only available online. Through a Coffee Connoisseurs club."

"Why am I not surprised that Reid belongs to a Coffee club?" Morgan announced thinking of the amount of the drink his friend inhaled over a normal day.

"Oh he isn't just a member Morgan. He founded it about two..may two and a half years ago." Carentine explained enjoying the shocked looks that surrounded him. Except Aaron Hotchner's.

So Spencer came clean with Mr FBI, he mused. Wonder how that conversation went.

Before anything else could be said about Reid's online venture, the door opened once again. This time it was a very very nervous Garcia.

Without a thought Morgan was on his feet and hugging his shaking princess.

"Baby Girl! Its okay. Whatever it is we will deal with it." he promised.

So that is the lay of the land, Carentine mused to himself. If Spencer was correct Garcia was just what Morgan needed to forge that raw potential into a productive unit chief.

"Penelope thank you very much for dinner," Hotch spoke softly not wanting to upset his friend more than she already was. "Why don't you come sit down and tell us what's been happening?"

Garcia nodded but didn't move till Morgan guided her to sit between himself and Rossi.

"Okay!...It's nothing Bad...In fact I think its quite wonderful...But I know that some of you are going to be pissed at me...but I had to do it this way...I mean.."

Rossi placed his gun calloused hand on-top of the drumming fingers dancing a tattoo on the table.

"Kitten you need to take a deep breathe. Seriously you sounded like Reid," he joked expecting a punch on the shoulder for his cheek. What he didn't expect was for a whimper to escape their effervescent Technical Diva.

Morgan and Rossi exchanged a surprised and worried look. Had something happened to their injured friend?

Rossi fell silent expecting Hotch to jump in and ask the questions that needed answers.

But to his surprise that didn't happen.

When he looked at his friend it was obvious why not. Aaron Hotchner was terrified. Terrified that the answers Garcia might give him wouldn't be good.

Well,Well, he gleefully thought. It seems Aaron's heart is alive and finally kicking him in the groin.

After the failure of his relationship with Haley, Hotch had put his romantic notions into cold storage, Rossi knew. He had been worried that it would take a major intervention and many, many bottles of Islay whiskey to thaw it out. But if the skinny Doctor has achieved it without, then good for him.

"Okay Baby Girl Just take it easy, bit by bit," Morgan coached in a soft voice, while suppressing his mangled thoughts about Reid.

Garcia looked round the table again, actually focusing on who was there this time. She was, for some reason, really glad that Director Carentine had been able to get there on time. She took in the looks of concern and curiosity and took a deep breathe and blurted it out.

"I HadLunchWithReidToday."

silence reigned for the couple of seconds it took to decipher the actual words.

Then chaos erupted.

"How is he?" Morgan demanded. "Where did this occur?" Carentine asked.

"When s he coming back?" Emily cried. "Why didn't you tell us?" JJ yelled.

"What did he have to say?" Rossi wanted to know.

But none of the questions could be heard in the maze of all the others.

Hotch took one look at the tears in Garcia's eyes and bellowed, "Silence."

Surprisingly even Carentine fell silent in response to the intense demand.

"Penelope the floor is yours," Hotch offered quietly after a few deep breathes to recover his calm demeanour.

Garcia threw her Boss man a small smile of gratitude. And silently asked the fates to bring her boys together.

"He looks much better than on the video," she quickly assured Morgan. "Still a bit shaky on his feet and easily tired. But he really is getting better. He is getting the attention and rest he needs. But it is gonna be awhile before he is able to..."

"Able to?" Hotch asked, trying not to bark out the questions he had whirling in his brain.

"Well...He has been caught up in a situation...The people who stabbed him wanted him as leverage to stop someone he is close to testifying in a case."

Garcia explained. She hoped that this was near enough the truth that the team wouldn't smell the obfuscation.

She had every intention of tell Morgan everything. Hotch too.

But, ill as it made her feel she didn't think she should tell the rest.

Right now her first priority was to keep her Baby Genius safe, while he did what he determined was necessary for his return.

She trusted Reid, sometimes more than herself.

"Close too?!" JJ and Hotchner's voices overlapped in a quite comical way. One that brought a smirk to Carentine's blank face, one that Rossi caught out of the side of his eye.

So you already know all this John. Why are you here? He puzzled mentally while listening carefully to each word Garcia said. For the was definetley something wrong there.

"Look we didn't get in to that, you know. We didn't have a lot of time and it wasn't exactly private with the armed bodyguards," Garcia deflected hoping the mention of the bodyguards would show the team that their boy was safe.

"Body guards?!" Morgan exclaimed rather shocked by this. He had assumed that Reid's safety was being handled by the US Marshall s or WitSec. It hadn't crossed his mind that it was being handled privately.

"Hmm Oh yeah five really hot guys in very nice dark suits," Garcia teased with a little sigh, knowing her Chocolate Adonis wouldn't like it.

"Oh my!" Emily quipped knowing what was going on. "That good PG?"

"Oh Yeah"

"Garcia for the love of all that's holy, please focus," Rossi begged.

Christ knew he didn't want Carentine to see the girls start on them. He would never hear the end of it.

"Garcia What else?" Hotch's deep voice brought Garcia back to what needed to be said and done like nothing else could.

I guess, she mused I was stalling from what comes next.

"Well..hmm...he told me I could..that I could destroy the disc. You know the one I made when he...Mrs Reid has passed away."

Everyone is the team, even JJ felt for the young Doctor who had so adored his sick mother.

"Oh poor Reid. Did he get to see her?" Emily asked thinking that he would have wanted the chance to say goodbye.

"Christ," Rossi whispered. He thought of how Reid's face lit up when he talked about his mother. She was his greatest ally and biggest guilt. "Rest in peace."

"When?" Morgan muttered his head on the table . It seemed as if the fates where toying with his friend and he didn't like how helpless he felt.

Garcia wasn't sure if telling them all together was a good idea, but she really didn't want to go through this more than once if she could avoid it.

When her eye caught Carentine's, she was surprised by the look of approval and the slight nod. She had contacted the Director on a notion, but right now she was really glad she had followed her instincts.

"I'm sorry Morgan...It happened the night of our cookery lesson at Rossi's"

"No No No!" he cried as he got to his feet and started pacing. "Why didn't he say anything? Even ...crap!" he turned away from the group looking down into the quiet bullpen through the dusty blinds.

At Morgan s question Garcia found her eyes focused on the dark penetrating orbs of her boss. But for once she could see past the stare to the pain filled recesses. And this made her hesitate.

"Its okay. Go on," Hotch reassured her realising Profiler or not Garcia knew him. And for some reason was seeking to protect him from what came next.

He had a fair idea why Reid hadn't told anyone on the team. But he prayed that someone had been there for him.

"He talked about being weak... and vulnerable a..round people he doesn't know or know if...if he can trust." Garcia sobbed remembering the broken look her friend had tried to hide as he spoke about this.

At the sound of his baby girls distress Morgan was back at her side and pulled her up into his strong embrace, without thinking. It wasnt till moments later that he realised he had just shown the director of the FBI, one of the top brass that Garcia and he were involved.

He forced himself to look over at the man to get an idea of what was about to fall on their heads.

And found him smiling.

"What? I am here as John, not Director Carentine son." the older man explained then got up to refill his mug.

Morgan smiled back at the man. He wondered what kind of agent he had been in the field. And guesses more like Rossi than Hotch. Though Hotch had been known to throw the rule book out when necessary.

"So is he coming back to work?" JJ asked Garcia. All though from the tone of her voice she really couldn't care less about the answer.

Garcia stared at one of her best friends, the mother of her beautiful god-son henry. Someone she loved as a sister, someone she thought she knew inside out. But someone she was now having to re evaluate.

The tension over the whole lie thing had been bad enough. But now with this personality change and the idea that JJ may have been the reason for all this pain. Penelope was just tired and heartsick.

"He has some things to take care of first...But yes my Junior G-man will be back as soon as he is fit, and ready." Garcia stated clearly. Her eyes she kept focused on her Boss man hoping he wouldn't question her about the `things` here.

Aaron Hotchner wasnt a stupid man. In fact his IQ wasnt that far below his workmate genius. So he had picked up early on that Garcia had planned out her answers. She wasnt lying but she wasnt telling them everything.

And her last comment about `things` she didn't want to be asked about that at all. Something he was sure Rossi would have picked up immediately.

This was proven when Rossi chimed in with.

"So do you know where he is? Did you chip him?"

Carentine just about controlled the impulse to roll his eyes at Rossi's questions. The man as well as being an excellent profiler was also a mischievous jack ass. And an expert at causing chaos and distraction.

Hotchner restrained the smirk at his colleagues actions. He really hoped Garcia didn't blow up and slap him for his impertinence After all this was Reid they were talking about.

He often wondered just what was it about Spencer Reid that caused Alphas to protect him, even from himself. And females—cops,agents, prostitutes- to mother him. The young man didn't seek it out, in fact most of the time he found it extremely annoying. And physicality aside, Reid was not a fragile entity. If he was he would have shattered long ago.

"No I don't," Garcia stated firmly glaring at Rossi. "And I wont track him no matter who asks. My Baby is in very safe and loving hands. He is well protected and looked after."

Garcia smiled to herself thinking of Alessa's stern `EAT` command to her friend.

"Garcia?"

"Hotch trust me on this. He is safe, believe me please. Anyone trying to get near my Baby Genius is asking to be dead."

"That is a very accurate assessment" A familiar English voice agreed from outside the door on the walkway.

Just a short one as I try to catch up on where I had planned to be.

Any guesses who our visitor is? Lol cyber cookies up for grabs.

Should get some more done tomorrow as it is snowing here, and I have had enough falls to last me :-(

Peace x