The Chat.

You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough: - Frank Crane

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

Aaron touched Spencer on the shoulder. "He is fine." But the words he just heard were repeating themselves endlessly in his head. "I told you not to touch him! We had an agreement." Had he known what was going on from the beginning? Was this whole thing planned? Had he and Spencer been manipulated and separated purposefully?

The small amount of trust he had permitted himself to give Floyd was gone. He was now sure that his initial feelings about him had been correct. The man was no more than a sadistic psychopath. He had push and pulled them into a deadly situation so he could watch. So he could seem the hero. It wasn't going to work. Aaron knew exactly what the game was now.

They had to get out of this cave and back into the forest. If Flanders had dealt with whatever it was then all they needed to do now was retrace their original path and find the railway again. Surely it cannot be that hard.

……………………….

Spencer wanted to go back and find Floyd but Aaron was insistent and so he kept going. He thought very briefly about getting to his feet. He stopped crawling and pushed back so he was kneeling. One foot was then put on the floor as he tried to force him self up to stand. He pain shooting through his body made him want to be sick. It felt like every inch of him had been battered. Outside and in. He was sure he was bleeding from places where he had been manhandled and ripped into. With a moan he put his foot back behind him and put his hands back on the floor.

"Spencer?" such a distant voice. "Spencer?" He was being called but the voice was becoming muffled and distant. He could feel his arms shaking and his elbows gave way. As his face hit the floor he let out the smallest of sounds and fell again into that comforting dark place.

……………………

"Spencer!" He was being called. "Get in here now!" His dad.

He looked up at the guy on the motor bike and frowned. "Get on. I will protect you. I will keep you from the bullies."

"My dad needs me. He's calling me in. I have chores to do."

"I said get on the bike." It wasn't a request.

"Spencer! I told you to get in here." An order.

"Get on the fucking bike freak." A hand reaching out and pulling him.

"But I have chores." A small child's voice.

"I have stuff you need to do for me first. Payment for that chemistry homework I did for you."

"I never asked you to do that."

"I still want paying. Get on the bike."

And a hand was shaking him……

"Spence – please we need to go." Aaron's voice pulled him back to now. The strange dream faded and again he put his hands on the floor and started to move forwards.

Aaron desperately wanted to just pick Spencer up and get out of the stinking cave, but he was in too much pain himself. He just made continual encouraging noises and words to keep Reid moving. The aerie silence behind them was very disconcerting. Hotch knew Floyd was down there somewhere, and he knew Floyd had once again proved himself a liar. When at last he could see daylight he permitted himself to rest.

They sat with their backs to the cave wall and listened to the rain crashing through the leaves and battering on the ground – the thunder and lightening had moved away slightly so hopefully the rain would stop soon also. He slid an arm around Spencer and pulled him close. He could feel him relax and rest a head on his shoulder. Slowly the shaking subsided and the breathing became less ragged. They sat in silence. They didn't need to talk. Spencer just wanted the feeling of love and safety. Hotch needed to feel protective.

A sudden movement and Floyd was there crouching in front of them.

"Spence? Are you OK?"

Hotch felt a shudder go through Reid and he held him tighter.

"Flanders." Aaron's quiet yet commanding voice. "I think you need to just go. Go and never return."

He watched a frown form on Flanders face.

"What the hell did I do wrong now?"

Hotch took his arm away from around Spencer who was sitting looking from one man to the other. Aaron leaned forward slightly and punched Floyd firmly in the mouth.

"Hotch!" Spencer started to move towards Floyd who hardly moved from the punch but Aaron pulled him back again.

Floyd just crouched looking genuinely confused and ran his fingers over his lips. "I just nearly died for you two and you do this in return. I am lost – explain."

"You know full well what you did and I am not going to sit here and carry on with your game anymore."

Floyd stood up and took a step towards Reid. Aaron noted that he had his boots back on. "Spence. Come with me." Floyd put a hand out for him to grasp.

"I can't."

Grabbing hold of his arm. "Now. I didn't go through all of that for you to refuse to come with me!"

"I can't stand. I need to stay with Aaron."

He let go of Spencer's arm and looked at Hotch. "Agent Aaron Hotchner. Explain. What the hell is going on?"

"I would like to ask the same question. What was that thing?"

Floyd looked back down the tunnel into darkness. "I dealt with it." Snapping his reply.

Reid pulled his legs up close and wrapped his arms around his knees. He rested his head on his knees and closed his eyes.

"I didn't ask where it was. I asked you what it was."

Flanders ran his fingers through his hair. "How the hell should I know? It was dark. Ask Spencer. He spent lots of time with it. Eh Spence – what was it?"

No response.

"You made a deal with it. You talked to it. You knew what it was. Right from the start when Spence was sleeping. You knew what it was."

Flanders crouched down again and gently stroked Reid's hair. "I didn't know. I swear on Spencer's life. I didn't know what it was."

Reid looked up and pushed Floyd's hand away. "Don't."

"You can stop the pretence now. We know. Just tell us what it was. Reid needs to know."

Flanders stood up and started pacing. "I can't tell you. Yes – yes I talked to it. It pulled me off the tree. I told it to leave Spence alone. That's all I know."

"And why would it listen to you?"

"Because everyone listens to me! Because I told it to. That should be good enough. Reid get up and come with me." He walked back over to Spencer and put his hand on the top of his head. "Stop defying me. Get up off your arse and come with me now." His fingers winding around his hair and pulling upwards.

Aaron put his hands on the cave wall and pulled himself up to his feet. "Let go of him Flanders. You have done enough damage. Leave him alone."

"I saved him." Letting go of Spencer's hair but now crouching down next to him. "Spence I saved you."

"I don't feel very saved."

Flanders slipped an arm under Reid's legs and another behind his back and stood. "I'll carry you if you can't walk. Hotchner you will have to follow."

Spencer wanted Floyd to leave him alone – to go away – to stop talking to him and touching him – yet as soon as he could smell that smell and feel those arms around him he couldn't say no. He knew he had to go with him. "Please Floyd, don't leave Aaron. Help him."

Hotch looked over at Spencer. After all this – after all Floyd had done and all he had done to try and save him – After all of that, Reid would rather be with Floyd.

Flanders took a couple of steps back. "Arm around shoulder then if you cannot walk. But I swear I did not know that thing was in this forest and I made no deal – well I did – but not because I knew what it was."

"I want to know what the deal was first."

"I am sure you do, but something's you know need to be kept private."

Hotch put an arm around Floyd's shoulder. "How can I trust you when you won't tell us the truth?"

Floyd started to walk out of the cave. The cold rain water was refreshing. It had died down now to a light drizzle.

"Then you will have to not trust me Agent Aaron Hotchner and we will be back to square one. I swear the only thing I damaged was myself. Now we need to go home. I have had enough of this place. If that's ok with you two?"

"Reid you trust Floyd to get us out of here safely?"

"Completely."

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The best proof of love is trust: - Dr. Joyce Brothers