A/N: Sorry for the delay guys. RL just got in the way for both me and my beta. First off Maxandkiz: thank you for the plug at the beginning of Turning Back Time. Now's my chance to return the favor. If you are interested in a very believable and enjoyable de-aged Reid fic go read this story. Seacat03:Thanks. I had to think for awhile to find something that would make an impression on him. HpDorkFreakaZoid: Welcome to the party. Thanks for reading both stories. Like I said in the PM, Spencer was not being punished for making a stand. He was punished because he broke school rules doing something that could be dangerous and for lying to his father. Kc1997kc: I've never been the youngest but I do know how kids can be. Rain and Storm: yes, I will add the other members of the BAU but not for a bit to keep the timeline consistent. Whatif-Ifonly: Thank you so much. Knowing that I got you emotionally involved tells me I did it right. Guest: Spencer was 8 when he met Sarah and 10 when Sarah and Gideon married. Thanks for the review. Flowerfairy30: I hope this chapter lived up to the sneak peek I sent you. LaRieNGuBler: One of these days, I'll remember which letters to capitalize in your screen name. Glad you are enjoying the story. Charmony: What can I say? I couldn't have done any of this without you. Hugs honey and thanks for all of the editing.

There is one bad word censored with asterisks and once more I just want to reiterate If you or someone you know is being bullied, please have the courage to tell someone about it. Don't just ignore it and hope it goes away.

Chapter 9: Consequences

Spencer sighed as he unbuckled his seatbelt, his hands shaking slightly as he reached for the door handle and climbed out of the car. His heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it might come right out of his chest and his stomach was twisted in so many knots that he thought he might vomit.

"Take a deep breath Son. They can't hurt you anymore."

Gideon placed a steadying hand on his son's shoulders, squeezing gently in support. He easily sensed the tension rolling off the boy in waves, and wished he could take some of the anxiety away. Sarah joined them and Spencer uncharacteristically grabbed her hand for support. She favored her stepson with a gentle and encouraging smile as the trio headed up the sidewalk and into the school office. Once inside, Spencer dropped his stepmother's hand and drew in on himself as he saw Elliot Saunders and his parents inside the conference room along with the four other boys primarily responsible for bullying him.

"Dad, I can't do this," he whispered fearfully. "They'll come after me later for tattling on them."

Gideon stepped around his son, blocking his view of his tormentors. "First off, you didn't tattle. You told something that needed telling. Second, the principal is holding this meeting so that there is accountability on both sides. There is now a record of what has occurred and if they do it again, the record will show that they haven't learned from this and will continue with their bad behavior. So if they do come after you again, you need to tell a teacher, Mr. Thompson, or myself, so that something can be done about it immediately. Do you understand?"

Spencer swallowed hard but nodded. "Okay, I'm ready now."

His father squeezed his shoulders again before leading the way into the room.

"Agent Gideon, Dr. Jacobs-Gideon," Mr. Thompson acknowledged both adults as they entered. Gideon raised an eyebrow at the sudden formalities but kept silent as he shook the principal's hand.

"Look, it's the shrimp." One of the boys poked Elliot's arm. "He looks like he's going to wet his pants," the boy mocked in a stage whisper. All five teens dissolved into laughter as Spencer slouched down in his seat.

"That's enough." Mr. Thompson's voice was laced with steel. "I've called this meeting to address some serious allegations raised by both Spencer Reid-Gideon and his parents with regards to bullying happening on school property."

"Surely you can't believe that my son was involved with it. The younger boy must have done something to instigate it," Elliot's father spoke up quickly. "I'm sure the boys were just teasing."

"That's right, Dad. We were just teasing and joking around. It's not our fault Spencer's so sensitive that he can't take a joke." Elliot snickered as he sent a haughty look in the younger boy's direction.

"If the person that you are teasing isn't laughing, it's not called funny. It's called mean." Sarah spoke quietly but firmly. She turned a piercing gaze on the young man. "And I hardly call shoving a boy both younger and smaller than you into the lockers so hard that it leaves bruises 'joking'. You could have seriously hurt him."

Elliot opened his mouth but then thought better of it and backed down under the steady look.

"Now hold on. You don't have any proof that my son or any of his friends did anything to that boy." Mr. Saunders was on his feet as murmurs of agreement ran through some of the other parents. "Just because some child, who is too smart for his own good, can't handle the pressures of high school is no reason to blame my son, who happens to be an all-state football quarterback, for the kid having issues. I don't care how intelligent the boy is. He doesn't have any business being in a high school. You're only making an issue out of this because the kid's dad is some highfalutin FBI agent."

"Sit down, Mr. Saunders." The principal leaned forward to emphasize his point. "Actually, if the allegations turn out to be true, Agent Gideon could arrest your son for sexual harassment."

"I haven't done anything to that shrimp!" Elliot protested hotly. "He just cries because he's a baby."

"Yeah!" Several of the other boys chimed in. "He doesn't belong with us older kids."

"I am not a baby and I not making this up. You snuck a Polaroid camera into the locker room after gym class and took a bunch of pictures of me in the showers. Then you said if I told anybody about what you were doing that you'd circulate them around the school." Spencer was suddenly on his feet as well, hands clenched at his sides. "Elliot keeps them in a big manila envelope in his locker."

"Is that true?" Elliot's mother suddenly turned to her son. "You have naked pictures of your classmate?"

"NO!" Elliot replied just a little too quickly. He wilted as his mother intensified her look. "It was just a joke."

"Elliot Maxwell Saunders, I am ashamed of you," she snapped. "You are a leader in this school and that means respecting all of your classmates, especially the ones that are younger than you."

"But Mom, he's ten years old. He's not even a teenager yet!"

"Elliot, are you admitting that these pictures do indeed exist?" Mr. Thompson narrowed his eyes at the football star.

Elliot and his friends shifted nervously in their seats and exchanged glances. Finally one of the boys who had remained silent until now spoke up.

"Yes, we took the pictures. They're in Elliot's locker on the top shelf." His tone was resigned but resolute.

"Peter!" Elliot hissed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm doing what I should have done when you first took those pictures. I'm telling the truth. Your mom is right. We should be protecting Spencer, not beating him up." He licked his lips and turned to the principal. "Mr. Thompson, everything Spencer has told you is probably true. We've done everything from slamming him into the lockers to holding his head under the cold water in the shower. I'm sorry and I'm ready to face the consequences for my actions."

"I cannot believe you are selling us out, man! You're my favorite receiver and my best friend. You're supposed to be my wingman, dude!" Before anyone could stop him, Elliot was on his feet and throwing a punch at the boy sitting next to him. Ironically the one to pull him off his friend wasn't his father, but Gideon.

"Not only are you picking on kids half your size, but you're also trying to hit your friend for standing up and telling the truth," the agent spoke grimly as he forcibly sat the teen back in his chair. "I think you need to take a serious look at the way you're dealing with things or you're going to end up in some serious trouble down the road."

"Okay, okay. Look Mr. Gideon, my son made a mistake. There's no reason to blow this out of proportion and cause a huge scene."

"It's Agent Gideon, and I could charge your son with child pornography and possibly sexual assualt." Gideon snapped, annoyed with the man's carefree attitude towards his son's behavior. "It's illegal to take nude pictures of someone without their consent, and the fact that Elliot is either seventeen or eighteen and Spencer is ten means that this could turn into a felony case. If he's convicted, it would result in jail time and being labeled as a sex offender for the rest of his life."

"Do you have any idea who I am? I'm an elected official and a member of the school board. I could ruin your career," Mr. Saunders sneered.

"I don't give a g***** thing about who you are or what you're elected to. I do care about my son and his welfare and if you have a brain in your head, you should care more about your child than your position. Actions like this can lead to more serious problems down the road if they aren't corrected now." Gideon clearly wasn't threatened by the man's blustering.

Spencer slipped out of his chair and tucked himself into his stepmother's side as the events started taking a toll on him. He stared at his nemesis' father, half expecting him to take a swing at his dad. Sarah wrapped her arm around him in comfort as the tension in the room intensified with every second.

"Gentlemen!" Mr. Thompson's voice thundered through the room. "Please sit down." He waited until everyone was back in their seats. "I think we've heard enough. All five of you are suspended from school for a week and you are benched for the rest of the season." He held up his hand as outraged whispers cascaded throughout the room. "I'm not finished. None of you are to have any contact with Spencer under any circumstances and you will each write him a formal apology, just as he had to do. Once your suspension is over, you will serve two weeks of school service every day after your classes are completed." He turned to the one person who had told the truth. "Peter, since you had the courage to admit to your participation, you will only have to do one week of service. Is that clear?"

One by one each of the boys murmured their understanding. The principal leaned towards Elliot and his parents. "Elliot, you and I will go retrieve those pictures and then any further action will be taken at Agent Gideon's discretion."

"Yes sir." Elliot refused to look the man in the eyes. Slowly the room emptied as each boy left with his parents. Elliot led the way to his locker and handed Gideon a thick envelope.

"Are these the only copies?"

The boy nodded slowly. "Yes sir. That's all of them." He shuffled his feet. "We weren't really going to show them to anyone. I just wanted to scare him."

"A piece of advice? The next time you want to scare someone? Don't." Gideon turned on his heel and walked away, his arm wrapped around his young son's shoulders.


Sarah knocked softly on her stepson's door. "Are you okay, Spencer?" she asked as the boy looked up from his book.

"Yeah, I just couldn't sleep," he admitted sheepishly. "I wish Dad hadn't had to go out of town yesterday."

"Jason said that he thought you'd be nervous about going back to school tomorrow." Sarah sat on the edge of his bed, fondly brushing his bangs out of his face.

Spencer nodded quickly. "I mean I know that Elliot and the others won't be there but the whole school is going to know what happened. What if I'm still shunned?"

"Then you learn how to deal with it and you keep your head up. You haven't done anything wrong and you have nothing to be ashamed of. Who knows, you might even make a few friends."

"You really think so, Sarah?" Spencer asked wide eyed.

"Yeah, I really do sweetie," she answered as she pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Listen, I have something for you. Your dad wanted to give this to you tonight but then he was called away." She handed a small package to her stepson. Spencer frowned as he turned the object over in his hands.

"This feels like a book but Dad said no books for two more weeks."

Sarah laughed softly. "Well open it up and see for yourself."

Spencer tore into the paper and his face lit up as he understood what was in his present.

"A collection of Charles Dickens' books on tape? Is this Dad's way of getting around his own punishment?"

Sarah nodded. "He wanted you to know how proud he was of you, both for standing up for yourself and for having the courage to tell the truth in front of the boys that had hurt you." She smiled as the boy threw his arms around her.

"Thank you Sarah," he said as he pulled back. "Can I start listening to them tonight?" he asked hopefully. "I mean, I haven't gotten to read any new books for a long time and I'd really like to start listening to them now."

Sarah laughed and shook her head. "It's bed time Spencer, you know that. Tomorrow is early enough to start listening to them. After school, and after doing any homework you may get."

He sighed dejectedly as he nodded and put them to the side.

"You're welcome sweetie," Sarah replied holding back another burst of laughter as she stood. Then she tucked the blankets around him as he snuggled down in the bed. "I love you, Spencer," she said as she turned out the light.

"I love you too, Sarah."