The fact that Scott forced chaperones on them didn't bother Spencer in the least. When Scott told him and said that it would be Jean and Logan, Spencer had just nodded at him. He understood the reason why they needed guards and why Scott had chosen those two. Jean, for her telepathic abilities. She'd be able to watch over their bond if there were any trouble. Logan had most likely volunteered for this. Physically, he'd keep them safe if trouble hit, and he'd watch over them carefully because Remy was a good friend and Spencer was gradually becoming a good friend as well. They had to watch from a distance, though. Spencer could make up an excuse for having Remy with him and he knew his team would back him in that. But he couldn't make up an excuse to have three bodyguards following him everywhere. That meant that Jean and Logan had to set up nearby, parked close in a rental car so that they could watch without being in the way or causing trouble. And without looking suspicious to a group of cops. It was a challenge that Spencer didn't envy.

They arrived in Vegas before the rest of the BAU team did, thanks to the speed of the Blackbird. Spencer realized that when they walked into the police station and he didn't feel the presence of his friends. He also realized that he needed to strengthen his shields a whole hell of a lot more if he was going to be in here. With his empathy having become stronger, his usual shields weren't holding up inside the chaotic emotional storm that always resided in a police station. There were always so many strong emotions in places like this. Pain, fear, anger, despair, lust, disgust, shame, guilt, indignation…the list went on and on. All of them struck Spencer's shields before he even made it to the front door. The only thing that kept him from stumbling was Remy's bracing hand catching him under his elbow. A small inflowing of strength came with that brief touch. Spencer accepted it, using it to bolster his shields, and he gave Remy a shy yet grateful smile. "Thank you."

"Bien sûr." Remy stroked at his arm lightly before letting go. They both knew that they were going to have to be careful about things while here. There was no way they would get away with touching as often as they had grown used to.

When they got inside, Spencer went straight to the front desk. It took nothing for him to switch over to his agent mindset. This was his job and he knew it well. The officer behind the desk barely glanced up when they walked up to him. Spencer chose to ignore that. "Excuse me, but I need to speak with your Captain." He pulled out his credentials and held them up as the officer looked up once more. "I'm part of the BAU team that's coming in to help with the missing child case. The rest of team is still en route."

All it took was mention of the missing child to get the man moving. In short order, Spencer found himself in room with evidence boards waiting and files being brought in and set on the table. Captain Ronald was happy to have them there and eager for anything they could offer.

"The team should be here within the hour, I'd estimate." Spencer told the man, already moving some of the folder that had been brought in and gathering what he would need. "Once my boss gets here, he'll coordinate with you on what you think needs done. While we wait, I'm going to start mapping out the geographical profile and finish preparing the room. Do you have a map I can use?"

"Anything you need, Dr. Reid."

There was something in the man's tone that had Spencer looking up. He took in the expression on Ronald's face, his body language, and he held in a wince. "You know the victim?"

"The missing boy, he's my best friend's son." Ronald said flatly. He turned away from the sympathy on Spencer's face. "I'll get you that map, doctor. Anything else you need, don't hesitate to ask. I'll have your team escorted back here when they arrive."

Well, that was going to make things interesting. There would definitely be some extra pressure to solve this case. Spencer tried not to focus on that. Instead, he focused on just doing his job. First things first, he needed to get the room set up, pictures up on the evidence boards, files sorted and ready. He snuck a quick look up at Remy, who had moved over to stand patiently beside him. Though it hadn't occurred to him before, it did now. This wasn't Remy's job. Often, people who weren't in this line of work didn't handle these kinds of things very well—especially when it involved children, as this one did. "You know, you don't have to stay in here." Spencer offered cautiously.

"We gotta stick t'gether, mon ami." Remy reminded him.

Licking his lips, Spencer tried to think of how to word this without offending the man's pride. "We can handle being a small distance apart, better than we did before."

A soft smile touched Remy's lips. Discreetly, he lifted a hand and brushed his fingers down Spencer's arm, the touch meant to soothe them both. "I know it aint gonna be easy, what y'r gonna be doin' here, cher. I can handle it. Y' aint gotta protect me from dis."

Spencer met openness with openness. "On a normal case, I wouldn't have worried so much. But even our most veteran agents have troubles with cases that involve children. Especially with the things done to them that this Unsub as done to these kids. I'm just trying to save you from seeing things you won't ever be able to un-see."

Emotions thick and sweet like honey flowed over their bond. In those emotions were all the things that Remy couldn't say right now with them being in such a public place. It spoke more than any word or touch. Still, Remy let his fingers discreetly slip up to brush over Spencer's wrist, tracing over his pulse point. "Don't worry fo' me, cher. Worry bout de children."

He couldn't force Remy away and they both knew it. They didn't have the time to waste arguing it, either. Spencer had to respect Remy's decision. He'd warned him; that was the best he could do. With a nod, Spencer turned his attention back to the work. He carried the warmth of Remy's emotions inside of him, though. They helped him to keep his control as he pulled out the photos and he and Remy started to tape them up on one of the evidence boards.

At some point someone came in and brought them a map that Spencer then taped up on another board. As soon as it was up, Spencer directed Remy on which photos to tape up where and then left the man to it, freeing himself up to start the geographical profile. He was just finishing it up when the rest of the BAU team finally arrived.

Remy got to see here a hint at the young genius's life before they'd met. The team came in, already talking and moving, and Remy watched as they didn't even falter at bringing Spencer into their conversation. He was folded seamlessly back into the group as if he'd never been gone. Aaron walked right over to him and he didn't even have to ask before Spencer started explaining what he had on his map. "I've just finished this, Hotch. This here," His fingers traced over a circle he'd drawn on the map. "seems to be the comfort zone. The Unsub should either live or work somewhere within these borders."

"Great work, Reid." Aaron said. He turned over towards the rest of the room. "Morgan, get a copies out to the other officers so they know where to narrow down their search to. Also, get a copy over to Garcia and have her compare it against anyone these families have in common. Also have her try compare it to the list of local sex offenders. Prentiss, Rossi, I want the two of you to go over to the family for the missing boy and speak with them, see what you can find. Reid…" Here he turned once more to Spencer. "How well can you work?"

There was so much asked in that one question. Spencer finished capping his pens and set them down on the table. He glanced briefly over at Remy and then looked back to Aaron. "We can't be apart. So long as he's close, I can do my job, sir."

"I'm keeping you away from the families, then. Take Seaver and head down to the morgue."

After the way that Spencer had tried to shelter him from just the crime scene photos—which Remy could privately admit were things that would give him nightmares for a good long while—it wasn't really surprising when they reached the hall outside the morgue and Spencer asked him to stay there. Again, Remy protested, reminding him that he didn't need protecting. But this time, Spencer didn't accept that as an answer. He looked around to make sure that no one but Ashley was close and then reached out and tucked a loose bit of Remy's hair behind his ear. "I know you're tough, Remy. You're strong, there's no denying that. But trust me when I say that you don't need to see this."

There was something in Spencer's voice that Remy rethinking his argument. He looked at him and gave the only answer he could—he nodded. He knew he'd made the right choice when he felt Spencer's relief. He sat down in a nearby chair and watched as the two agents disappeared through the morgue doors. Kicking his legs out and crossing them at the ankles, Remy adjusted his sunglasses to make sure his eyes were still covered and then he folded his hands in his lap and let his head lay back against the wall. For all appearances he looked to be asleep. In reality, he was closely monitoring the bond, using it to gauge Spencer's mood and general health.

He could feel Spencer's unease, feel how bothered he was by all of this, and he could feel the steady determination and strength that he was coming to learn were so much a part of this man. Spencer may not look that tough on the outside; on the inside, there was a core of strength that Remy was starting to come to see. No matter how much things hurt him, or scared him, or pissed him off, he just kept bearing up underneath it all and continuing on. Remy had heard Bobby telling Hank the other day that it was hard to believe that Spencer was an empath, especially a strong one, because the man didn't really show a whole lot of emotion. He seemed to surround himself in facts, not emotion.

Remy snorted. If only people felt what he felt from the man. Then they wouldn't doubt the man's empathy. They wouldn't doubt his feelings. Spencer felt things. He felt things so much deeper than the average person, it seemed. He just didn't show it. Why, Remy didn't know. He had a few guesses. Nothing concrete, though. But he knew that Spencer felt it. He felt things so deeply it still left Remy stunned sometimes. Like right now. The sorrow that Spencer was feeling was so strong it was almost enough to bring Remy to his knees. Yet it was overlaid by that little twist of emotions that Remy was starting to learn meant Spencer was trying to be clinical, not emotional.

The doors opened suddenly and Remy cracked one eye open. He knew it wasn't Spencer; he could feel that he was still in that room a little ways away. No, it was Ashley who came out. One look at her face told Remy that it had to be bad in there. She had almost no color and her eyes looked just a little wide in her face. She stumbled over towards the chairs and Remy reacted instantly, moving to his feet in one fluid move and catching her before she could stumble enough to fall. With careful hands he guided her down into a chair and then he took the one beside her. He kept one hand on her back, between her shoulder blades, and he pushed slightly until she started to bow down. "Here, petit. Head down between y'r knees. It'll help y' get y'r breath back. Dere y' go, jus' bend on down like dat till de room stops spinnin."

"I'm sorry." She gasped out. She stayed bent, arms resting on her knees and her head tucked down low.

Remy rubbed soothingly at her back. "Aint got not'ing t' be sorry for, petit."

"I should be able to handle this. It's my job. I shouldn't have to run out of the room because I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Dere aint no shame in feeling sick at what was done t' dose babies. It should make y' sick. It should break y'r heart."

She pushed herself up a little, eyes lifting to the door she'd come out of. "It shouldn't interfere with my job, though. Reid's still in there. He kept calm and in control. That's what I need to learn how to do. I just…I don't know how to shut it all off, yet."

Remy dropped his hand off her back. He shifted in his seat until he mimicked her pose, his arms on his knees with his hands dangling between them. "From what Spencer says, y' aint been workin here dat log, cher. An he's got years of experience on y'. He's had time t' learn how t' function wit' de emotions. He still feels it, just like y'."

She turned to look at him. "Really?"

"Oui." Remy smiled kindly at her. He lifted one finger and tapped it against his temple. "Can feel it, me. So don't beat y'rself up about it, d'accord? Dere aint no shame in feelin' what y' do. It's de day y' don't feel not'ing dat y' should worry."

"Thanks." Some of the color had come back to her cheeks and she was calm enough now to offer him a small smile.

Content now that she was calm, he sat back in his chair again, stretching his legs out once more. "Anytime. Remy's always happy t' help a belle fille like y'rself."

The doors to the morgue opened just as Remy was saying that and Spencer came strolling out. His eyes went straight to Ashley. "Judging by Remy's flirting, I assume you're feeling better?"

She flushed ever so slightly and quickly rose to her feet. "I'm fine, Reid. I'm sorry about that in there…"

He waved a hand, dismissing her apology. "Don't be. For my first six months at the BAU I had to go to the bathroom to throw up after cases like this with children.."

Remy rose to his feet and moved to stand at Spencer's side, close but not quite touching. He felt the man relax ever so slightly and knew he'd judged it right. What he'd seen in there had left Spencer tense and aching. It warmed Remy inside to realize that he eased that feeling just by being close. Well, if that was all it took, he could handle that. He wasn't going to be much use for Spencer in other ways on this case; he knew and accepted that. Profiling wasn't his gig. But he'd do what he could to help Spencer through it. That in mind, he stuck close to the man's side as they made their way out of there.

It was no surprise for Spencer when he found himself heading to the Unsub's dump site. As soon as he, Remy, and Ashley had gotten back, Aaron had told Spencer and Remy to go with Derek to view the dump site. It kept Spencer working while keeping him and Remy out of the way of other officers and away from family. Basically, it allowed Spencer to work with Remy with him without doing anything that might muck up their case. This all had to be done very carefully and Spencer knew that. He was willing to go where Aaron sent him without complaint.

Unfortunately, going out this way put Derek, Spencer and Remy all in the same car together, without anyone else around to hear their conversation. This was a moment that Spencer knew was inevitable and yet he was dreading it slightly. The two most protective people in his life and he was going to essentially be between them in a car. Joy oh joy. Derek was in the driver's seat—naturally—and Remy didn't hesitate to slip into the back, leaving the passenger's seat for Spencer to take. The young genius thought nothing of it as Remy leaned forward and rested his chin on the shoulder of the seat, his arm going around the side by the door and draping over Spencer's shoulder so that his hand dangled there. It gave them the contact they both wanted. To better be able to see both his friends, Spencer turned just slightly, putting his back towards the door and the side of his head against his headrest. It put Remy right in front of him. Derek noticed and found himself surprised. He'd never seen Spencer let someone so much into his personal space.

There was no chance for Derek to start the grilling that Spencer knew he wanted to do. Remy spoke up before the other man could get the chance. "So, Spencer tells me dat y'r like his older frère." He turned his head a little to flash his grin over at Derek. "I imagine dat means y' aint dat fond of ol' Remy right about now."

The corners of Spencer's lips twitched. Leave it to Remy to just be that blunt. His words seemed to throw Derek for a second. The profiler recovered quickly and actually smiled a little. "I wouldn't go that far. I'd day I'm more cautious of you. You're in a position where you could easily hurt someone I consider family."

"I know y' aint got no reason to believe me, mais I'll tell it to y' anyways. Hurtin' Spencer is de last t'ing I want to do. I'll do everyt'ing I can, use everyt'ing I am, to keep him from being hurt." Sincerity rang in every single word.

"Safety isn't everything." Derek pointed out. "There's more to life than simply being safe. Reid's had too much crap in his life. He deserves something, someone, that's going to make him not just safe, but happy."

"He is right here." Spencer interrupted. His voice was calm and his expression held amusement to it. He wanted to shake his head at the both of them. "And I don't think it right that you expect him to answer to you on my happiness. One, he cannot guarantee that I'm happy, as no one has that much control over life. Two, my life has not been as bad as you seem to think it has been. I've had my happy moments. I like to think I've become a relatively happy adult. But, if it assuages your fears at all, I will tell you that Remy makes me happy. Does that help you?"

Derek stopped at the light and turned to look at his friend. "A little. But your definition of happy sometimes worries me, kid. You settle way too easily."

"Geeze, try for a little more insulting next time, Morgan. I don't think you got enough that time."

The sarcasm surprised a laugh from the other two men, neither of whom had heard Spencer use sarcasm all that often. Remy bent his hand enough to pat Spencer's shoulder and he flashed a grin at him. "It's okay, mon ami. He cares about y', dat's all. Remy don't take no offense t' dat."

"I don't mean any offense, either." Derek said. "I've just gotten used to looking out for you, kid."

Somehow Spencer managed to resist rolling his eyes. He knew Derek cared; all of this stemmed from the fact that he cared. Yet, at the same time, where had that caring been when he and the rest of the team had just blithely handed Spencer over to the X-Men, not even really knowing anything about them? Where had this protectiveness been then? Spencer knew that it was really the only option open to them at the time and he knew that it had been the smart choice to make. He found as he looked at Derek that he was still hurt by it, though. He quickly pushed that hurt down before Remy could get more than a glimpse of it. There wasn't time for petty things like that. Besides, he wasn't going to mess up one of the closest friendships he'd ever had simply because his feelings were hurt over something. Drawing in a breath, he pushed down his negative feelings and managed to get himself under control in just enough time for them to arrive at their destination. When the car parked, he climbed out and stood straight, 'Spencer' pushed down and 'Agent Reid' smoothly slipping into place.

Growing up the way he did had left Remy with a rather large distrust and distaste for law enforcement. As he grew older, he learned to deal with it, to work around it, and even to ignore it sometimes, but it always sat there. Oh, he knew they did some good. He wasn't so foolish as to believe that all law enforcement was evil. He just didn't trust them. Coming here with Spencer, he'd had to push that feeling down and try not to let it get to him. Still, he was on high alert, watching cautiously around him the whole time. All it would take was one slip for one of these cops to see behind his sunglasses to his eyes. As soon as that happened, there'd be trouble, and not just for Remy. There'd be trouble for Spencer, too, who was so obviously close with the Cajun. The rest of the BAU team would probably get away with being safe. Remy doubted that any of them had seen his eyes at all. He'd had his sunglasses on when he first met them and he'd kept them on this time as well. It was always safer to just keep that little bit of himself hidden for as long as possible around people. Sometimes if he gave them a chance to get to know him first, then seeing it didn't shock them as bad as it might've if they'd seen them right from the start.

Luckily for him, he didn't have to be around the police station that long. To his utter amazement, only ten hours after their arrival, the BAU team found their missing boy, alive, and captured their Unsub. They caught the man at his house, with the boy down in the basement and the bodies of the last two unaccounted for boys buried in his backyard of all places. The bust had been one of the biggest tests of Remy's control since he and Spencer had been bonded. One that he hadn't been sure he would pass. The young genius went with them, of course, which meant that Remy came as well, despite the wariness of the others. It was only Remy promising to stay inside the SUV when they arrived that had them agreeing to bring him. Remy had to exercise more self-control than he'd realized he'd had just to keep inside that car. Only the steadiness of Spencer's emotions allowed him to pull it off. Thank God things went right. If they'd gone bad, if Spencer's emotions had spiked or showed fear, or if there'd been a gunshot, Remy wasn't sure what he would've done. As it was, it was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, staying put here.

He practically had to sit on his hands when the group came back out of the house and he could see Spencer again. His eyes locked on that slender form and they never moved off of him in the bustle of people that came with this arrest. Somehow, Remy kept himself restrained and controlled enough to stay in place until Spencer, Derek and Emily came back to the SUV. He didn't pay any attention as Derek and Emily slipped into the front seats. All of his attention was focused on the man that slid into the backseat with him.

Spencer took one look at Remy and his eyes widened at whatever he saw. Understanding flowed in their bond. "Get us out of here, Morgan."

Bless the agent, he didn't argue. He got the SUV turned on and was quickly backing them away from the house. Remy was still watching Spencer. He was almost vibrating with the need to give in to what his instincts were screaming at him.

Once they were out of immediate eyesight of all the cop cars, Spencer met Remy's eyes and gave him a small nod. "Okay."

That was all the permission that Remy needed. He slid across the seat, right up to Spencer, and he lifted his hands to put them on the man's face. Spencer didn't flinch underneath his touch. He held perfectly still and let Remy run his hands over him just as he had after the Danger Room incident. Remy used his touch to check for any sign of injuries. Spencer held still for it and didn't protest at all to Remy's touch. He just sat there and sent reassurance across the bond. "I'm okay, Remy. Nothing happened."

"Reid?" Emily's voice was both hesitant and worried.

Spencer didn't move away from Remy's hands, though he turned his eyes towards her briefly. "It's okay." He reassured his friends. "Part of this bond seems to have created a sort of protector inside of Remy, one that runs off of basic, primal instincts. One of which is 'protect'. Since he wasn't able to be in there with me in a potentially dangerous situation, he needs to reassure that part of himself that I'm safe and uninjured. I wasn't thinking about it before, but we're actually rather lucky he controlled himself enough to stay in the car at all. This protective instinct that was brought to life in him is amazingly strong." Bringing his eyes back to Remy's, Spencer caught his gaze and held it. "I am okay, though, Remy. There was no trouble whatsoever in there and I'm uninjured. I'm safe. I'm here with you now and I'm safe."

"Don't do dat t' me again." Remy scolded him. He finally stopped pawing at Spencer and settled for catching hold of his slender hands. "Dat aint an experience I wanna repeat again. I aint stayin' back while y' go rushing in t' a dangerous situation. Not ever again."

Something flashed briefly in Spencer's eyes but was gone before Remy could place what it was. He squeezed at Remy's hands. "Never again." He vowed softly. There was a hint of grief that touched his words, gave them just a slight ache. "I won't make you go through that again. I promise."

Don't worry, folks, we aren't done in Vegas yet :)

noobz40: Glad you liked it. I don't put Reid in profiling mode as often as I should, I think. It's just not as easy to write as I once thought it would be.

Hisuiko: Good enough to make you ignore chocolate? I'm truly complimented, m'dear!

IntoTheWilds: Ugh, allergies are just no fun. :/ I'm battling a cold m'self right now after I slept with the window open and the fan on me and the temp at night dropped too low while I was sleeping. Dorky me lol. Ah, well, c'est la vie. I hope you liked this chap and, as I said above, don't worry, we aren't done in Vegas yet :D

Guest: Glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to review!

4: Hey, sweetness. I know the case itself wasn't that interesting, nor was their time at the station, and no, the Unsub wasn't connected to Spencer's past. Mostly, I just needed an excuse to get them to Vegas, lol. That was the best way I could do it. As for your question about distance, yeah, I noticed that myself. I'll try and do some kind of explanation/repair on that in the next chapter. Blegh :/ Anywho, I hope this chapter wasn't too bad and I hope to be able to answer more of your questions in the next. It should definitely be better than this one, IMO.