A/N: I know this chapter has taken a really long time, and I am really sorry for that! This chapter is really heavy, and I wanted to get it exactly right. And I just started uni three weeks ago, so things are kind of full on for me right now. So I'm sorry again, but finally, here is the next chapter of Chicago! And if you thought Masters was a monumental asshole in the last chapter, you're going to think that even more now... but anyway, read on and enjoy!
Disclaimer: See my profile.
Chapter Eight: He Shouldn't Treat You Like That
Morgan was sincerely glad that when he and Reid returned to the hotel, no one on the team came out of their rooms to see them. Whether it was just a coincidence or the team somehow knew that the couple needed to be alone (because even though they had no idea what Masters had said to Morgan about Reid, they had all sensed the tension), Morgan didn't know. Either way, though, he was pleased.
Morgan wasn't going to take any chances with Reid's knee that night, considering how much pain the younger man had been in that day, so they rode the elevator up to their hotel room instead of taking the stairs. Reid didn't complain about the treatment; in fact, after the conversation Reid and Morgan had had before they'd even starting driving, Reid hadn't spoken at all. Morgan knew that Reid was trying to process what Masters had said about him, and he sincerely hoped that the genius taking it as hard as Morgan suspected he was.
Reid was still silent as the couple entered their hotel room, and Morgan closed the door softly behind them, not wanting to make too much noise and disturb his lover's thoughts. The genius, still silent, moved forwards and sat down on their bed, just staring ahead of him.
Not really sure what to do, Morgan slowly crossed the room and sat down beside Reid. "Pretty boy? Are you okay?" he asked cautiously. Morgan fully expected Reid to say 'I'm fine', Reid's standard answer whenever he wasn't fine; therefore, he was surprised when instead, Reid said nothing. "Pretty boy?"
It wasn't until Morgan got a good look at Reid's face that he realised the younger man was crying. Morgan automatically opened up his arms and the younger man fell into them, leaning against Morgan's shoulder as the tears fell from his eyes. Morgan held Reid close, one hand resting on his back and the other gently stroking the genius's hair.
"Let it all out, Spence," Morgan whispered. "Cry as much as you need to. It hurts, I know it does, and you don't deserve this…"
"I shouldn't be crying," Reid managed to choke out.
"Spencer, this would make anyone cry," Morgan told him. "Don't think that crying makes you weak. It doesn't. It makes you human."
"I hate crying in front of you," Reid whispered.
"Well tough, because you're going to have to," said Morgan. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be here to hold you every time you cry. And besides, who would you rather cry in front of? Hotch?"
Reid couldn't help but laugh a little, even though he was still crying. "There you go, Spence," said Morgan. "There you go." Reid let out a few more long sobs, and then fell silent. "You okay now?"
Reid nodded against Morgan's shoulder. "I think so. I really needed that."
"See? Sometimes crying can be a good thing," said Morgan. "Not that you should ever have a reason to cry. But when you do, it helps."
"I do feel better," Reid admitted. "But I still can't understand why Masters said all those things about me to you. What did I ever do to him?"
"Nothing. Masters is a bastard, that's all. He's always enjoyed bullying other people. He hasn't changed much at all."
"Was he ever not like this?
Morgan shook his head. "Nope," he answered. "At least not since I've known him, and I went through all of high school with him. But enough about Masters. You need to focus on you, at least for tonight. Can you sit up properly?" Reid pulled away from Morgan, looking at his older lover curiously. Morgan loosened Reid's tie gently, slipping it over his head, before slowly unbuttoning his vest and then his shirt.
"I can undress myself," Reid protested, though he didn't move to stop what was happening.
"I know, genius," said Morgan. "I want to do this. Now shut up and do nothing, okay?"
Reid nodded, closing his eyes as Morgan fingers brushed over his skin, carefully removing the younger man's shirt. "You're beautiful, baby. You are so, so beautiful. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Morgan whispered, stroking Reid's hair and kissing his lips softly. "I love you so much. I still have no idea what I did to deserve you."
"You were you," Reid said. "You got me, because you're you. You don't let other people or your past get in the way of who you are. You're so strong, but you're also one of the kindest, most gentle people I have ever met. And I love you, too. That's how you got me."
Morgan kissed Reid again. "You're going to have to take your pants off yourself, pretty boy. There's only so much I can do while you're sitting down."
Reid nodded and did as Morgan bade him, Morgan himself undressing at the same time. When both men were wearing nothing but their underwear, Morgan eased Reid down onto the bed until they were both lying down, facing each other.
Morgan reached out with one hand, tangling his fingers with Reid's. "You relaxed yet?" he asked.
Reid shook his head. "Getting there," he said. "Getting there. So that was your aim, huh?"
"Something like that. You need to relax every once in a while you know, Spencer," Morgan informed him. "And the more relaxed you are, the better you'll sleep, and the more refreshed you'll be to try and solve this case tomorrow."
"And the more able I'll be to deal with whatever Masters decides to through at me," Reid added, sighing.
"Hey, pretty boy, you shouldn't worry about him," Morgan said seriously. "You are a much, much better person than he is. Yes, he's cruel, and a scumbag, and you don't deserve a single thing he says. But if he says anything to you tomorrow, or during the rest of this case, you remember one thing: I love you, and so does the rest of the team."
"I know. I know," Reid whispered, and Morgan pulled him close, holding him against his body. Reid snuggled closer to Morgan, resting his head on his boyfriend's chest so he could hear his heartbeat. Whenever Reid was upset, Morgan's heartbeat had a calming effect on him. It always reminded Reid that no matter what else was happening in his life, he had Morgan; alive, lying right there beside him. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"I don't know what I'd do without you, either," said Morgan, caressing the younger man's hair. "But we don't need to worry about that. All we need to think about is how lucky we are to have each other."
Morgan and Reid walked into the hotel lobby the next morning to find the rest of the team already gathered there, waiting for them. "Morning, you two," said JJ. "Good night's sleep?"
"Quite good, thank you JJ," said Reid. "My knee doesn't hurt me any more. Derek's mum took very good care of me yesterday." Morgan had told Reid before they'd headed downstairs that nobody else on the team knew what Masters had said about him, as none of them had been in the room at the time, and Morgan hadn't wanted to tell them and cause unnecessary tension - they still had a case to crack after all. Reid was rather grateful for that, he didn't want the rest of the team to know and worry about him like he knew they would.
"Let's get this case solved, shall we?" said Morgan, and the team headed out to the SUVs to drive to the police precinct.
A handful of police officers- including Gordinski and Masters- were already gathered in the conference room when the BAU arrived. "Morning, agents," Gordinski said, getting to his feet.
"Good morning, Detective Gordinski," said Hotch. "Let's get back to work."
Reid couldn't help but look at Masters, his eyes drawn to the policeman as if by a magnetic pull. Masters was looking at Reid too, a strange kind of sneer on his face. Reid swallowed hard. He really didn't want to hear what Masters was thinking about him right now.
The team spoke, to the officers, and Hotch handed out assignments. Reid, owing to his knee, was of course made to stay at the precinct. Morgan volunteered to stay with him, and Hotch instantly agreed. Somebody on the team had to stay behind with Reid, both to keep an eye on him just in case and to work with him, and Hotch knew Morgan would be too distracted out in the field away from Reid. He'd just be worrying about the young genius all day.
Reid flashed Morgan a grateful, happy smile as soon as Hotch agreed to let him stay behind. While everybody else thought it was just because of his knee, both Morgan and Reid knew that it was also because of what Masters had said. They didn't know whether he'd say anything again, or if he'd say anything to Reid himself, but both men wanted to be together just in case.
Both of the agents let out a sigh of relief when Masters was assigned by Gordinski to be out of the precinct that morning. Hotch looked at them strangely, but he said nothing. Morgan almost let out another sigh; he knew Hotch would have something to say to the two of them later.
Reid and Morgan didn't speak to each other until they were alone. "How's Gordinski been?" Reid asked.
"Fine, so far," Morgan replied. "I'm not so sure he likes me; he's been avoiding me as much as he can since we got here. But he's not being antagonistic, like he used to be."
"Maybe he finally realised he was wrong about you," said Reid.
"Yeah, maybe…" Morgan was hopeful that this was the case- that even if Gordinski didn't like him (and he was pretty sure he never would) that he'd moved on from their history. Something told him, however, that this silent peace wasn't going to last forever. "I'll be glad when this case is over, though. Working with these guys is much too stressful."
"It'll be nice to finally relax a little," Reid agreed. "Although relaxation is very hard to come by in this job."
"Tell me about it," Morgan chuckled. "Say, Spence… when this case is over, what do you say to sticking around a couple days? Spend some time with my family? I could show you around Chicago."
"I'd like that," said Reid, a smile spreading across his face. "D'you think you'd be able to convince Hotch to let us stay?"
Morgan nodded. "I think so. It's only for a few days, and I'm pretty sure we've both earned the time off."
"Well then, let's solve this one quickly so we can enjoy ourselves sooner," said Reid, and both men returned to work. Neither of them noticed Masters re-enter the precinct and walk past the conference room, seeing them talking alone.
It was twenty minutes later when Morgan rose from his chair, stretching his arms. "I'm just going to go get Garcia to fax some documents to us," he said. "Will you be alright until then?"
Reid nodded. "Will you bring me back some coffee?" he asked.
Morgan chuckled. "Your need for coffee is insatiable, Spencer. But anything for you." Morgan left the room, and Reid hunched over his work once again.
"You know, I was surprised to see you show up this morning," said a voice in the doorway a few minutes later. "I didn't think you'd be up to it."
Reid whipped around, and his eyes grew wide when he saw Masters standing there. "Detective Masters," he said. "Well, as you can see, I am here. My knee's no longer hurting, so I was able to work today."
"Really?" said Masters, entering the conference room and moving closer to Reid. "Didn't think you were tough enough to handle the pain. You certainly didn't look it yesterday."
"That was the worst it's hurt since I actually got shot," Reid informed him. "And I am plenty tough."
"Oh yeah? You certainly don't look it."
"Looks can be deceiving," said Reid shortly. "And I think I've been through enough to be able to apply the word tough to myself."
"Really?" said Masters, dragging out the word in a way that made Reid feel rather apprehensive. "What kind of things have you been through?"
"That's private, Masters," Reid replied. "I don't feel comfortable with telling you those sorts of things."
"Oh, come on, I'm a friend of Derek's," Masters insisted, a sly grin on his face. "Surely you'd tell a friend of Derek's."
"I wouldn't tell anyone I wasn't close too, even if they were a friend of Derek's," said Reid, knowing full well that Morgan and Masters weren't friends at all. "And he wouldn't expect me to."
"I'm sure he would tell me," said Masters.
"He wouldn't," Reid said instantly and confidently. "He would never tell anyone those kinds of things about me."
"Wow, you don't have to defend him so strongly," said Masters.
"I was just telling the truth."
"You know, he was defending you too, yesterday," Masters told Reid. "Rather resiliently, in fact. I never knew him to be that protective of someone."
"Derek's changed since you knew him," said Reid. "He's changed a lot."
"I'll say," Masters exclaimed. "He's gone all soft on me."
Reid chose not to respond to Masters this time; instead he turned away from the man, returning to his work. "What, you going to ignore me?" said Masters.
"I wasn't aware that that comment required a response," said Reid.
"Well, it did," Masters said. "What d'you think about ol' Derek Morgan going soft?"
"I don't think there's anything bad about it," Reid answered. "And he's not soft all the time. He's one of the strongest people out there."
"Mmm, maybe he is…" Masters mused. "But I guess to you, anyone would appear strong. You're probably a weakling, yourself. That's probably why the ladies don't like you."
"You know, I don't really mind that women don't really like me," said Reid. "It's never been a problem for me."
"Why on earth would you-" Masters began, and then it dawned on him. A look like a cross between disgust and horrible glee crossed his face. A look that greatly worried Reid. "Oh," he said, drawing out the syllable. "You're one of them, are you, Doctor Reid? You're gay, aren't you?"
Instantly remembering what Morgan had said about Masters being homophobic, Reid cursed himself for his slip-up. Damn it, he cursed silently. Damn it, why on earth did I let him know that? "Maybe I am," said Reid, trying to sound braver and tougher than he actually felt. "Is that a problem?"
"Actually, yes," said Masters. "That is a problem." He moved close to Reid, getting right into the genius's face so he had no choice but to lean back to get away from him. "Because you see, I don't like people who are like you. I have a huge problem with dirty, rotten little-"
"Masters!" Morgan exclaimed, standing in the doorway to the conference room. "What the hell are you doing?" Morgan sounded angry- angrier than Reid had ever seen or heard him before.
Masters stepped back from Reid, trying to make the scene appear normal. "I wasn't doing anything," he said in an oily voice.
"Don't give me that bull, man," Morgan spat. "You forget what you said to me yesterday, about Spencer? What the hell did you say to him?"
"Just exactly what he needs to hear," Masters replied. "That he's weak. And Derek, did you know your little friend here is gay? That's a delectable little titbit about him, don't you think?"
"Not really," Morgan said through clenched teeth. "It doesn't change who he is as a person, at all. And the man is my best friend, Masters. I already knew."
"And you still friends with him?" said Masters, shocked. "God, Derek. What is wrong with you?"
"Nothing is wrong with me," Morgan almost snarled. He advanced on Masters, stopping inches from the other man's face, smirking when he saw him flinch back slightly. "There would be something wrong with me, if I didn't defend my best friend because some jackass is insulting him. There would be something wrong with me, if I didn't love him for who he is. There would be something wrong with me, if I agreed with you. No, nothing is wrong with me, Masters. Something is wrong with you."
Reid was actually relieved when Hotch and the rest of the team chose that moment to return to the room. He knew Morgan was absolutely livid, and one wrong word out of Masters mouth would have set him off, causing him to do something he'd regret. One look at Hotch's face dampened that relief, though. Reid could tell that Hotch had caught at least the tail end of their conversation. And he may not know the whole situation, but he wasn't happy.
Hotch was even less happy, and possibly even worried, when Morgan turned around and Hotch caught sight of the look of intense anger on his subordinate's face. A look that Hotch could not remember ever seeing Morgan wear before. "Morgan? Anything you want to tell me?"
"No," said Morgan quickly. "I need some air." And he walked out of the room without a backwards glance.
The rest of the BAU team looked between each other, confused, before looking to Reid. The genius tried to keep his face composed, but he wasn't quick enough to hide the hurt in his eyes before the rest of the team noticed. Masters' face, however, was unusually composed. The team had no idea what was going on, but they knew it wasn't good.
"Reid?" said Hotch, narrowing his eyes.
"Hotch, I think I need to talk to Derek, first," Reid said. "You guys work. I have some stuff here that I really think will help solve this case. I'll go after him."
Before Hotch had a chance to protest, Reid had hoisted himself onto his crutches and left the room, chasing after Morgan. Not that Hotch would've protested; he knew Reid was the only one who could calm Morgan down, and he also knew that now wasn't the time or the place to discuss what was going on.
Reid found Morgan leaning against the SUV, his eyes closed and his breathing heavy. "Derek?" he said tentatively. "Derek, talk to me, please." Morgan just shook his head, his eyes still closed. "No? Why not? This is about me too, Derek."
"Just… just give me a minute, Spencer, okay?" Morgan managed to get out. "Let me calm down a little. If I speak now, I'm going to say something really stupid."
"Okay," Reid said, nodding. He yearned to reach out and comfort Morgan, but he didn't think that was a very good idea. He didn't think Morgan would react very well to touching right now.
After a few minutes, Morgan finally opened his eyes and looked at Reid. "Okay," he whispered.
Reid took that as his cue to talk. "Derek, you have to know you can't react like that in there," he said. "You'll end up doing something you'll regret. And Hotch will take you off the case."
"You think I don't know that?" Morgan snapped, but then he sighed. 'I'm sorry, Spence. I know you're right. I just… I got so, so angry with Masters, when I heard him say all that stuff to you and about you. I just couldn't take it. I just snapped. I don't think I've ever even been that angry before. Not ever."
"Have you ever been in that situation before?" Reid asked. Morgan looked up at him, confused. "When the one you love the most, the most important person in the world to you, is threatened, is hurt by someone else, you'd do anything to protect them. Anything to make sure the person that hurt them never did it again. That's why you got so angry, Derek. It's normal. It's… it's instinct, baby."
"Yeah, I guess you're- wait, did you just call me 'baby'?" said Morgan, confused.
"Um- I, yeah, I guess I did," Reid stammered, a small smile on his face. "Sorry."
"No, don't be," said Morgan quickly. "I was just- surprised, that's all. I was under the impression that you weren't one to use pet names with other people."
"I'm not, normally," said Reid. "I don't know, it just… it felt right, in the moment."
"You know, I wouldn't mind if you used them more often," said Morgan, not really able to smile but with a happy spark dancing in his eyes.
"Maybe I will," said Reid, before his expression became serious again. "That anger you felt, that you still feel… it's normal, Derek. Completely and utterly normal."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Morgan sighed. "But he still shouldn't have said those things to you. No one should ever say those things to you. You do not deserve that."
"I know I don't," said Reid. "No one does. But I don't want you to get in trouble for doing something you'll regret. This case can't suffer because Masters has it out for me."
"He doesn't just have it out for you. He hurt you," Morgan pointed out. "Spencer, you can't tell me he didn't hurt you."
Reid opened his mouth to respond, but he realised Morgan was right. Masters' words had hurt him; it reminded him of how he was treated in high school, and that was always painful to remember. "You're right; he did. He hurt me, and I wish we could go home right now and forget that we ever got this case. But we can't. We have to go back in there and solve this case, for those murdered girls. We may not want to work with Masters, but we have to, to finish this case."
"I know, I know, I know," said Morgan. "I've just got to try and keep my mind on the case, and not even think about Masters. I don't know if that's possible, but I guess I have to try."
"Uh, one other thing," said Reid, kind of timidly. He knew that Morgan wasn't going to like what he had to say.
"What is it?" Morgan asked almost wearily. He had picked up on the tone in Reid's voice, and realised that this wasn't going to be good news.
"Hotch wants us to tell him what's going on," said Reid quickly, before he could chicken out. "I don't know that he heard everything you and Masters said to each other, but he definitely caught the end of it, and he knows something's going on. I mean, he wouldn't be a very good profiler if he didn't."
Morgan sighed again, this time resignedly. "We're going to have to tell him, aren't we?" he realised. "Tell Hotch about my history with Masters, and what he's been saying about you."
"We are," Reid confirmed. "You've got to admit, keeping it between us isn't going to help matters much. And you know Hotch; he isn't going to let this go unless we tell him. Also if we don't tell him, he's going to be wondering about it, and we're going to be wondering what he's thinking, and we're going to be focusing on this case even less than we would otherwise."
"Keeping things bottled up definitely isn't going to help much," said Morgan, his face set. Reid nodded his head in agreement; both of them knew what keeping secrets and hurt locked up inside could do. "Telling him is really our only option. I mean, God only knows what he's thinking right now. Probably that we've had a massive fight or something. Even though I can't even imagine fighting with you."
"Neither can I," said Reid. "We're bound to fight eventually, though. Everyone does. But that's not the point. I-" Suddenly Reid cut himself off, falling silent.
"What is it?" Morgan asked, worried.
"Hotch is coming," Reid answered, pointing across the car park. Sure enough, their Unit Chief was striding purposefully towards them, wearing his trademark frown. Whether he was shocked about the unhappy looks on his subordinates' faces, Hotch didn't show it.
"Okay," he said. "What's going on?"
A/N: Hmm, so now Hotch wants Reid and Morgan to spill the beans... wonder what he's going to do once he finds out what's going on, huh? Guess only time will tell :P Reviews would be very much welcomed!
Oh and don't forget about the poll on my profile, asking which of my currently in the works multi-chapter fics you want me to publish next. Currently Infinity is winning, so if you haven't voted yet, please do! :)
Note from Diamond Cobra: "Bio lecture, what bio lecture? Betaing is much more important."
