Woo hoo! Winter break at last! I'm finally free from that prison they call school...well at least for two weeks! :)

Alright first of all, a huge, ginormous thanks for all the love you guys give me! Whether you're reading, reviewing, or following my story, I appreciate the support! Your comments and overall interest mean alot to me! :D

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds isn't mine...only any non-Criminal Minds characters and the story plot.

Warnings: some language, references to violence, spoilers to season 2 "The Big Game" and "Revelations"

Two days later and Tobias was playing basketball with Benjamin outside in the institution courtyard. They were merely casually shooting hoops and trying to make the ball into the basket.

It was a really good day so far—earlier and the other day they had been working on that book that Benjamin suggested and they were doing pretty well so far. Whether or not Tobias saw himself as a decent writer, even he had to admit that it was fun to write while Benjamin sketched the necessary pictures.

They made a great team.

Also, Tobias had a chance to thank Benjamin for the sketches of both the kingdom and the one of him. Ben had been delighted when Tobias expressed his awe and gratitude.

It was nice to see the other man so thrilled.

And to add to it all, Tobias hasn't seen Father or Raphael for nearly a week. He's been dreading their return but was slowly able to relax as it appeared that he'll be left in peace a bit longer.

Tobias was really grateful for the quiet and ease and especially his luck.

Anyways, it was currently Benjamin's turn to shoot the basketball. He eyed the basket with sharp focus, as if calculating the chances of making the shot. Then he grinned to himself and threw the ball in the air. It flew for a moment before hitting the rim and bouncing off the basket.

Tobias prepared himself in case Benjamin got depressed or upset but thankfully he didn't. The older man just smiled, shrugged, and commented, "Oops, I must be losing my touch. Oh well! Your turn Tobias!"

Benjamin scampered off to retrieve the ball before tossing it to Tobias. Tobias grinned and attempted to make the shot. The ball fell a few feet short and swooshed past the net of the basket and hit the wall behind it.

"Oh…so close!" Benjamin grabbed the ball and began dribbling it in place, "It seems like the basket doesn't like us! You wanna take a break?"

"Sure, okay."

Tobias followed Benjamin and the two sat down on an empty bench. The courtyard was bustling with inmates running around playing games or just talking to others (or themselves). The guards kept a wary eye on everyone, especially if some of the prisoners were interacting with one another.

Tobias and Benjamin sat in comfortable silence for a moment, just watching the other inmates until Benjamin commented, "Isn't it funny how everyone here is so…weird? I mean I see people talking to themselves or they're twitching all crazy-like. There's literally something wrong with everyone here…no offense to them or anything. Yet sometimes I think we're the only normal ones in this place."

Tobias nodded thoughtfully, "I suppose so."

"Well…I mean I'm not really normal—I'm considered unstable because I killed those people for 'no justifiable reason'." He made air quotes when he said that. "But it's not my fault that I have…what's it called again…mixed bipolar disorder…yeah that's it. I can't help myself. It's not like I can control my emotions—they just…happen."

Yeah they do. And I've seen most of it.

Tobias looked sympathetically at Benjamin. He wished that he could somehow help him.

Suddenly Benjamin's shoulders slumped and he appeared dejected. Tobias was alarmed as the man asked in a sad voice, "You don't hate me for it, do you Tobias? Do you think I'm a freak?"

Tobias was taken aback. What?! No I don't! You said so yourself that you can't control it.

He was just about to form his thoughts into words when Benjamin released a depressed sigh. "You do, don't you? You hate me because I'm a freak…a monster. You're probably only hanging out with me because you feel sorry for me."

As Benjamin began to sink into himself, Tobias hurriedly tried to think of a way to pull him out, "No! I don't hate you Ben! Honest! I don't think you're a freak or a monster! If I did, then I wouldn't be sitting with you right now! I like hanging out with you!"

Benjamin looked at him with teary, doubtful eyes, "You're just saying that. You just feel sorry for me and you're too nice to call me crazy. I am though. I am crazy. I mean what kind of normal person has weird mood swings? I'm a demented son of a bitch…just like those guards say. I'm worthless." He curled into himself and hugged his knees tightly to his chest.

Tobias wasn't sure what to do. He's seen Benjamin depressed before but never to this degree. Obviously reassuring words won't do it today.

But what else can he do?

Feeling slightly defeated, Tobias looked to the ground and quietly muttered, "I'm not all that nice you know. You forget that I'm here for a reason too."

Tobias didn't realize that he had spoken this aloud until Benjamin looked at him in alarm, releasing a bit of tension from his body. "What?"

Deciding that it was probably best to continue, Tobias said, "I've done some bad things that landed me here…and a few others too. I…took part in murder."

Benjamin's eyes widened as he became intrigued, his depression momentarily forgotten. "You did? How? When? What other people? You've never told me about how you wound up here! What happened?"

Tobias took a deep breath. It was now or never—he might as well tell him. And whatever happens afterwards…

"I had a job where I would give computer assistance from my home. If someone called me, I could easily enter their computer system and fix the problem without needing to leave my house. I could hack into their system, look at their files, and activate their computer camera at any time even if I wasn't helping them. My father and an archangel named Raphael decided to take advantage of that.

"They convinced me to spy on people with their laptops to catch them when they committed sins. I didn't want to but they made me. We would do it every day and once someone did something wrong…we killed them.

He paused for a moment when Benjamin released a small, low gasp, "Well actually I…took no part in the murders but my father and Raphael would kill them in horrible ways. They kidnapped an adulteress once and they had her ripped apart by some dogs we had. It was awful to watch…so awful."

Tobias shuddered but continued, "And the worst part was that with each murder, Father and Raphael would make sure that they were recorded from the sinner's laptop and they would have me post it on the Internet afterwards even though I wanted no part of their…plans. Their goal was to send a message about following God but no one listened; people thought the online videos were fake and they enjoyed them."

Tobias pressed his lips together before he softly adds, "There were so many comments on how 'cool' it was when in reality it was just wrong. I mean there were people who got their throats slit and flesh was torn apart! Who on earth would find that entertaining? It was just…sick."

Silence befell the two. Everyone else in the courtyard was bounding with energy while Tobias and Benjamin sat still, the latter absorbing what he had just been told.

Tobias began to grow nervous. Maybe it was a bad idea to tell Ben about what he's done. What could the man be thinking of him now?

"Whoa…" Tobias was slightly surprised when Benjamin spoke up in awe, "What your father and Raphael did was hard core. But…you said you took no part in those murders, right?"

When Tobias nodded in confirmation, Benjamin continued, "So…you're here just because you're considered a stalker and an accessory to murder?"

Tobias thought for a moment. I never really thought of it that way but I guess so. "Yeah…"

Benjamin looked amazed and incredulous, "But that's not fair! If you didn't kill those people then you shouldn't be here! Only your father and that Raphael guy should pay for what they've done—not you!"

Before Benjamin could get himself passionately worked up, he stopped and grew anxious when he realized something, "Oh wait a minute! If you're here, then so is your father and Raphael!"

He looked at Tobias expectantly and took the startled look in his eyes as a 'yes', "Oh damn, they are! Have I met them before?! Are they around here somewhere?!" His blue eyes quickly scanned the courtyard to find some indication of Father or of Raphael.

Lucky for us they don't seem to be in sight…nor have they been around for about a week.

"Well, um," Benjamin's eyes darted to Tobias when he started speaking, "yes…they are here. I don't think they're outside right now but they're here. You haven't met them before, though."

And thank goodness you haven't.

Benjamin started growing excited, "So if they're not here…where are they now?"

Tobias shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe they're in solitary confinement. We all share a room but sometimes the guards take them away and I'm left alone. This usually happens around the time they give me my medicine for the day."

Benjamin furrowed his brow, "Really? That's a weird situation. What's your dad like? What's Raphael like? Is he really an archangel? If Raphael is an archangel, does he have powers given to him by God? How does he know you and your father?" He leaned forward eagerly with each rapid-fire question.

Contemplating for a moment, Tobias responded, "My father is…vicious. He gets angry easily and he's violent. He…used to beat me and still does when he can. He always preaches to me about our faith in God and he makes sure that I don't sin and that I follow the Bible. If I don't, then he beats me. One time he even burned a cross into my forehead when I was a boy."

To prove that he wasn't lying, Tobias brushed some of his bangs out of his face, revealing the scar. He purposely grew out his bangs so that no one could ever see it—no one would ever see the evidence of his shame.

And yet ironically he was showing it to Benjamin.

But he didn't mind—he had a feeling that Ben wouldn't judge.

His friend took a sharp intake of breath when he saw it but otherwise said nothing.

Tobias re-covered his horrid mark and continued, "As for Raphael…he really is an archangel. He was sent down to earth by God in order to help redeem us mortals from sin. For some reason, he chose me and father to help him cleanse the sinners of the world. His intentions are -in their own ways- good, but his way of cleansing is…wrong. Raphael was usually the one who committed the murders.

"The archangel is…calm. Nothing ever bothers him and he never shows anger, sadness, happiness…anything. He's never ever appeared guilty whenever he killed. He just…feels nothing. It's kind of unnerving."

Tobias paused for a moment to think, "I'm not sure if he has special powers. If he does, then he's never shown them to me before. But he knows a lot. He seems to know whether or not you're a sinner and he always knows what to do to redeem yourself. Raphael is very mysterious with his methods and he has an odd way of deciding your fate. He and my father are a powerful team when it comes to killing sinners. They were pretty much unstoppable until they were caught."

Benjamin took in Tobias's information before speaking, "Again…whoa. Both your father and Raphael sound like intense characters. I don't even know them and I'm already freaked out by them…no offense or anything since one of them is your dad. How could you stand living with either one of them?"

"It was hard," Tobias admitted, "trying to deal with both my father's beatings and Raphael's strict teaching was difficult. In a way, I'm glad that I'm here since I now have more time to myself and they don't bother me as much as they use to."

Benjamin nodded thoughtfully, "In a way I guess you're right."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm glad you're here too. If you weren't then I wouldn't have anyone to talk to. It sucks that we met each other in such a horrible place under horrible circumstances but still…it's kind of worth it. I like that we're friends." He then gave Tobias a small, tentative smile.

Tobias was momentarily silent, completely unprepared for Benjamin's sentiment.

Benjamin liked him and considered him a friend.

He assumed that Benjamin liked him -why else would he hang out with him- but he didn't think that Benjamin really thought of him as a friend.

An acquaintance maybe but not a friend.

It's been a long time since Tobias has had any friends. When he was younger he isolated himself in school because he was afraid of getting close to anyone. He feared that once he grew attached to someone, they would leave him.

Like how his mom had.

And of course Tobias felt like he couldn't relate to anyone in his age group. None of the kids were as religiously active as he was nor did any of them understand what he went through with his father. Tobias was afraid of being judged by his peers so he chose to keep to himself, to alienate himself.

But Benjamin doesn't judge him. In some ways, he can even understand Tobias.

Benjamin and I are friends.

As that thought dawned on him, Tobias returned Benjamin's smile, "I like it too Ben, I really do. I'm happy that we're friends."

Once Tobias said that, Benjamin's smile grew as his eyes brightened, "Really? You mean it?"

Tobias only had to nod once and it made Benjamin happier. He then unexpectedly gave Tobias a quick hug then pulled away. "This is one of the best days of my life! I know I tend to over-exaggerate but I'm not this time! I thought that I would be an outcast once I started coming here but I'm not! I have a friend and you're a really good one, Tobias! You really are! I couldn't have asked for a better person to stay in prison with me!"

Benjamin's eyes briefly widened, "Oh that came out wrong! I don't want you in prison with me! I mean, I do…but then I don't…but…uh…bleh! I'm not making any sense! What I mean to say is that even though prison sucks, I'm glad that at least I have you for company. That's what I meant to say!" He looked sheepishly at Tobias, "Sorry if that sounded kind of crappy—I'm not too good with saying nice stuff."

Tobias just smiled, "That's okay. I know what you meant. Ditto for me too."

Benjamin grinned and then stated, "Cool! So you wanna shoot some hoops again, amigo?!" He eagerly stood up and grabbed the basketball from the floor.

At Tobias's quizzical look, Benjamin helpfully adds, "Amigo is Spanish for friend. I took Spanish in high school but I got an 'F' since the teacher was mean. But I still know a few words. You want me to teach you?"

Tobias smiled and nodded as he stood up. Benjamin grinned and replied, "Awesome! I guess we could start tomorrow. But first I'm going to make this shot!" He positioned himself as if he was going to shoot the basketball but then caught himself, "Oh hold on a moment! I have something for you!"

Setting down the ball for a moment, Ben dug through his pocket and handed Tobias a red and white object—it was an origami Shuriken.

Tobias found himself beaming with delight as Ben excitedly said, "Isn't it cool?! I managed to make it yesterday in my room since the guard was cool enough to give me the construction paper! I told you I could make a Shuriken!"

Tobias chuckled, "I didn't doubt you for a minute Ben."

Benjamin smiled brightly, "Cool! It's for you! Do you like it?!"

Tobias nodded, "Of course I do. I like it as much as your drawings. Thank you."

"No problem! Okay…now I'm going to make this shot!" Once he picked up the basketball, Benjamin tossed it in the air and whooped for joy when it successfully went in the basket.

Tobias clapped for support and Benjamin jokingly bowed before handing Tobias the basketball. Putting the Shuriken in his pocket, Tobias clutched the ball and eyed the basket. After a moment of contemplation, he threw the ball and somehow made the shot.

"And the crowd goes wild!" Benjamin exhaled loudly through his mouth to imitate a group of sports fans at a game. "And NBA player Tobias has won the game! Wow what a shot! Woo Hoo!" He then pretended to be cheering like an actual crowd while Tobias chuckled slightly with amusement.

They continued playing until the guards yelled for them and all the other inmates to get back inside. Both men said good-bye before separating and being escorted to their own rooms. Tobias was smiling to himself as he was led back and he couldn't help but agree with Benjamin; this was a great day—probably one of the best days of his life.

But of course he should've known it'll all come to an end.

After all, nothing good ever lasts for him.

Uh oh.

What's gonna happen?

Well I'm not telling you...feel free to guess but otherwise I'm sure you have your own ideas.

Thanks for reading this chapter! I hope you liked it! Chapter 12 will be up soon! Bye! :D