Chapter 10

The hospital kept Charles overnight just to make sure the antibiotics were working for his shoulder and other injuries. They also prescribed some pain medication for those moments when the injuries would flare up. Reid knocked at the door the next day. "Good morning," he smiled at Charles who was up out of bed, fixing his jacket.

"Good morning," Charles beamed seeing Reid. "I am finally being discharged," he sounded exasperated like he had been locked away in this room for months.

Reid laughed, "You've only been awake for a day, and you only spent a couple days here before that."

"So? You know how much time I have spent in this hospital over my life time?" when Reid looked confused, Charles continued, "Too much time. I hate being in hospitals."

"Well I'm here to rescue you."

"Oh, my knight in shining armor," he put his hand to his forehead like a lady about to faint in awe.

"More like your FBI agent here to help you get ready to go to Quantico with the rest of the team," the agent laughed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorframe.

"More like my FBI agent here to rescue me from this dismal life and take me on many adventures."

"However you want to see it. Ready to go, Princess?" he teased.

Charles rolled his eyes at that, "I prefer prince. You saw my castle upon your arrival," he winked.

"Oh that's what the large building was? I thought it was some mental institution," Reid teased.

"Hey now," he pouted. "That was years ago that that rumor went around town. That was only because no one was allowed near the property and I kept screaming in pain. Telepathy is a nasty mutation to get when young."

"I-I was just joking, sorry," Reid looked down.

"So am I," Charles held out his hand, grabbing the last of his belongings.

"You got everything?" he asked.

"I only had what I had on me when Shaw kidnapped me."

"Oh right. To your home?"

"To the mansion," Charles nodded.

At the mansion, Charles packed a few suitcases. He went over to the study where Reid was sitting in a chair reading one of the books Charles's father had collected. "How's the reading?" Charles asked leaning against the doorframe.

"Hmm? Oh hey. Already done packing?" Reid looked up from the book to Charles.

"Yeah. There's not much to pack yet," he shrugged a bit. When Reid crooked his eyebrow at the telepath, Charles explained, "I don't have a place to stay yet, so I can't bring a lot of these books yet to Quantico."

"Oh."

"You are more than welcomed to bring a couple with you," Charles smiled at him softly.

"Really?" he asked to which the other nodded. "That is amazing!" Reid beamed at him.

Charles laughed softly at that, "Aren't you just adorable?"

"Wh-What?" Reid turned red hearing that comment.

"Aren't you just adorable?" he repeated.

"I'm not that adorable… Hey, Charles?" he looked down.

"What's up?" the telepath looked confused and a little concerned, like he had offended the other. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

"No, it's just… we're going to be coworkers now…"

"Yeah. Is that not a good thing?" he asked. "We get to spend more time together now," he smiled softly, trying to lighten the mood.

"That's good, but it's just…" Reid quietly uttered, glancing down

"You don't want to be more than friends…" Charles quietly continued for him, hearing Reid's thinking too loud.

"It's just… the FBI has this rule about coworkers fraternizing with one another. They aren't allowed to date one another or anything…" the agent explained.

"No, it makes sense. Better to put the brakes on things now. Nothing happened between us, so don't worry about it," the telepath offered a smile to hide his pain. "Harmless flirting," he waved off any worries.

"I do feel bad, though," he said.

"It's okay, promise," Charles assured him, "I think this will be a great friendship. Nothing else, he nodded. "The team is waiting for us right?" he asked.

"Uh yeah," he quietly uttered as he nodded. "Ready to go?" he asked, getting up.

"Yep, I am all packed, and ready to go," the mutant nodded, and grabbed his suitcases. Reid grabbed one of the cases for him and they headed out.

Charles and Reid got to the airport where the team's plane was. "You guys have a private jet?" the newcomer asked, shocked.

"Don't you?" JJ teased as she waved to them.

"Oh, are we playing the rich boy card?" Charles mocked.

"Maybe," she teased. "When you got it, flaunt it."

"Our line of work requires us to travel all over the country. Much easier and faster to have a jet for that," Morgan informed Charles as he leaned down and grabbed Charles's luggage. "This everything?" he asked a little surprised.

"What, I'm so rich I need a lot of luggage?" he teased.

"I-I didn't mean that," Morgan stuttered out.

Charles laughed, "I know you didn't. Yeah that's everything right now. I don't have a place yet to live when I move down to Quantico, so I can't bring everything I would like yet."

"Everything you would like?"

"Uh, all the books and other collectables," he shrugged.

"Do you want Garcia to look for some places for you while we're flying home?" Morgan asked as they boarded the plane.

"Oh no, that's fine. I don't want to be a bother to her. I'll figure something out," Charles assured them. "Thank you."

"If you are sure," Morgan shrugged and put Charles's luggage into the back of the plane.

Charles nodded and sat down as the rest of the team took their own seats inside the jet. "Everyone here now?" Hotch asked as he appeared in the cabin of the plane.

"Yes, sir," Emily nodded.

Hotch talked to the pilot in the cockpit and then took a seat at the table that sat four. Charles and Reid were sitting apart from one another, awkward about their conversation from the mansion. The plane took off, and Morgan commented on the two young team members after a bit of time passed with them in the air, "You guys get in a fight?" he inquired.

"What?" both of them spoke up.

"When we ate out, you guys were sitting close together and talking nonstop. Now, you guys are sitting apart and haven't talked to each other," he noticed.

"Everything is fine," they both quickly said. "Just uh, reading," Reid held up the book he was reading.

"Uh, just uh looking out the window. It's weird to be leaving Westchester. After finishing school, Raven and I thought we would be staying here for quite some time."

"Oh yeah. You guys were going to do your school," JJ said.

"Yeah. I am happy though to be helping you guys on cases, and interning for your team. I think it will be a nice opportunity," he smiled at the team. "Thank you guys for letting me do this."

"Thank you for helping us out with your knowledge on mutations. It will be helpful in the future. We probably will have a lot mutant cases coming up if the population of mutants is growing," Hotch offered a smile back to Charles.

"You will be a great part of the team. No one else can get Hotch to smile even a tiny bit. I think you have gotten him to smile at least twice," Morgan laughed.

"Ever thought about how you were bad company?" Hotch asked him, shooting him a look, causing the others on the team to laugh.

"This is just the start of a great team I believe," Gideon smiled at the team as he sat at a small table of two in the front of the cabin. He waved Reid over to play a game of chess with him. Reid smiled a bit and went to play the game. It was how the two spent the plane ride home when they were not sleeping.

After a bit of time passed, Charles grew a little tired of looking out the window and turned his attention to his new friends. He saw Morgan leaning back in his seat, listening to his music. Hotch and Emily were making small talk. JJ was reading some romance book it seemed to Charles. Gideon and Reid were interesting to watch as their game continued. He saw the chess pieces spread out across the board. "Checkmate in three," Gideon spoke.

"What? How?" Reid asked.

"He'll move his rook to your pawn, then his bishop will move to E3, and then his queen will move over here, and your king will be trapped," Charles studied the board. "Oh, s-sorry," he quickly said, looking down. He felt like he had intruded and maybe insulted Reid.

"You play?" Gideon asked him.

"Yeah. He and I played a lot of chess at the station," Charles nodded to Reid.

"Maybe you can beat the guy," Reid got up from his chair, offering his seat to Charles.

"Pr-Probably not, if you can't," Charles waved his hand.

"You might be able to considering you'll just read my mind," Gideon smiled in a taunting way.

"I do not use my power like that," Charles pouted. "I just was going to watch you two play," he held up in hands.

"Might be fun to play against a telepath," Gideon smiled. "Come on," he gestured to the seat across from him.

Charles turned a bit pink as he took the spot.

Reid tilted his head seeing this and just shrugged it off, not knowing that the two were having a private telepathic conversation about him.