A/N: Whoa, hey guys! Sorry for the long wait (and the hella weird update time :P)! I needed a bit of a break from everything to handle some personal stuff, but I'm back and better than ever! This is my favorite chapter I've written so far, so hope you enjoy! :D Thanks everyone for sticking with me!

Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated! :')

xxx

"We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out."

― Winston S. Churchill

21.

"Morgan?"

"What?"

"Take a breath, okay? You've got that whole 'I'm about to kill everyone' thing going on."

With an infuriated sigh, Morgan blinked hard and took a long, slow breath that did absolutely nothing to calm him―not that he thought it would in the first place. His hands clenched the wheel hard enough they ached, and he shook his head. "This is gettin' real old, real fast. I'm sick'a chasin' these fucks around!"

"I know." JJ looked down at her phone, checking to see if anyone had called when she already knew they hadn't. "We all are. It wasn't our fault, though, okay? We couldn't have known they were lying."

"I shoulda. I shoulda...Jesus, move!" Morgan practically punched the horn, startling the driver in front of them enough that they looked up to see the light was green, and JJ made a face like maybe she was trying not to laugh.

Glancing at her out of the corners of his eyes, Morgan scoffed. "Don't look like that."

"I've just never seen you get road rage before."

"I've never needed to! Wh―" He slammed the breaks, jerking them both forward. "Hey! What the hell? You saw that? He just pulled right out―Christ, I didn't know they let toddlers drive!"

"Oh my god," JJ covered her mouth and openly giggled while Morgan let out a 'hmmph!' sound, although secretly he was delighted to hear her laughing, even for a brief moment.

When they reached the bank, the parking lot was far emptier than it had been the last time. All of the employee spaces were vacant, and the two agents exchanged a concerned expression as they got out of the car...what the hell were they going to do if they had run?

"Ohhoh, I swear," Morgan said, opening the front door for JJ and clenching his teeth. "If they―"

The elevator dinged, and they turned around just as it opened, revealing a three men, including the two who had been on the security camera, smiles immediately dropping off their faces faces as their gazes all met the agents'.

"Don't move!" JJ shouted, her gun quickly in her hand, and then both of the men fled in opposite directions, one towards the front exit and the second towards the back. Morgan darted after the first, out the door before JJ could say a word, and when she looked back at the third the elevator doors had already closed again.

"Fuck!" she exclaimed, and then jogged down the hallway towards the back after the other. She couldn't run as well as she usually could have―if she had known this would happen, she would have let Prentiss come instead! "Hey! Stop!"

She burst outside and staggered to a halt, breathing heavily, weapon still pointed out in front of her, and shouted at the top of her lungs at the fleeing suspect, almost halfway across the lot by now. "Stop or I'll shoot!"

The man didn't stop, but he glimpsed back, picked up his pace, and then tripped over something on the concrete, slamming himself headfirst against a parking chock, something that brought his escape attempt to an indefinite halt.

JJ was still for a moment, startled, and then she quickly went over to him, holstering her gun and wrenching his hands behind his back to cuff them. He groaned loudly but didn't struggle as she then flipped him onto his back and pointed the gun at him again. "Remember me?" she panted, and he blearily stared up at her. "Huh?"

She turned when she heard footsteps to see Morgan running up to join her, holding out his arms. "He disappeared." he said as he approached, and then glared at the partially conscious suspect, kicking him in the side with his shoe once he was close enough, jerking him up. "Hey! Wake the hell up!"

The man moaned again, squinting, and Morgan slapped him. "Hey. You with me?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good. Tell me what you know, right fucking now."

"Huh?"

Don't play with me, man, this ain't a game!" He forced a smile when the man averted his gaze, and then suddenly brought out his gun and pushed it under the suspect's jaw while JJ looked away. She didn't care by what means they got answers anymore. Let her be fired―as long as they found Spencer. "Tell me where he is! Spencer Reid! Federal agent! Jeremy Taylor, Wyatt Anderson, Garrett Brown! Don't fuck with me! We saw you and your buddy back there givin' him money and havin' a nice little chat with him the other day."

"N-no, no, I swear!"

"We have footage! What, you wanna see it?"

"I...I didn't want to!"

Morgan scowled. "You what?"

"I had to! They'll kill me, bro, let me go!"

"Oh, no. You're going to jail, bro, for obstruction of justice, accessory to murder, kidnapping―"

"No, no, I didn't help them!"

"Alright, enough with the excuses. I don't care if you did or not, to be honest. Tell me where they took the federal agent they took."

"I don't know! Somewhere in Tennessee, I think, I don't know―I overheard that!"

"Tennessee? Why?"

"They're getting the fuck out of here. On a plane!"

"Where?"

"I swear I don't know!"

"Morgan," JJ murmured, and the other stood up and holstered his weapon. "You better not be holding anything else back."

"I'm not!"

"Good. Get up, come on." He grabbed the suspect by the back of his shirt and dragged him to his feet. "Move. Let's go! Walk!"

Once they were all in the car, with the suspect in the back, Morgan was still fuming as he called Hotch, practically yelling as they pulled out onto the road.

"Did you talk to them?" Hotch asked, the rest of them gathering around the phone as he put it on speaker.

"They ran. But we got one of them."

"Did he know something?"

"He said they're somewhere in Tennessee."

"What the hell?" Garcia exclaimed, outraged. "Why?"

"I have no idea. I guess he doesn't either. He better hope we don't find out if he's lyin'. There'll be hell to pay." A pause. "I...uh...um..."

"Morgan?" they heard JJ ask, sounding worried. "That was cutting it a little close, don't you think?"

"I'm―aw, I'm―fuck!"

"Morgan, what's wrong?" Hotchner frowned, crossing his arms, and there was a clatter as Morgan must have dropped the phone, and when they heard the others' voices they were slightly muffled.

"What?"

"Shit, the―the brakes aren't―they're not―"

"They're not what?"

"Working!"

"Jesus―"

"Hey! What the fuck did your friend do, huh?"

"Morgan, look out!"

They heard a loud clatter, and what might have been JJ screaming, and then they heard nothing but the steadily beeping tone that informed them that the call had been disconnected.

xxx

Spencer didn't know how long he was left alone, but it was far longer than The Man had ever allowed before. The water stayed warm and he stayed content for the whole time, trying to let himself have just this little while to not worry, but he only ever managed a few minutes before he had to chase the thoughts away again, which took a lot longer. When the door opened, he sat up, his eyes still closed, waiting for violence, but when he finally blinked he saw that it was only Brown, again, coming to take his old clothes, although he didn't seem to have new ones yet. Reid must have looked as confused as he felt when the man didn't hurt him, because Brown rolled his eyes and said, "I'm not my brother."

Aren't you? Reid thought, frowning, and Brown looked taken aback as Reid realized he had said it out loud. He quietly apologized and laid back down, facing the wall, both shielding himself from a blow if it came, and, well, maybe he wanted the fucker to see what he was allowing to happen. Brown, as expected, again found himself unable to look away from the younger man's back...from what his own brother had done to him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, suddenly, and Reid didn't move. "Are you hungry? Or...or...?"

Reid ignored him, closing his eyes, wishing he could drown out the man's voice, or maybe drown himself, because this was getting to be so pathetic it was physically painful.

"Whatever." Brown shrugged, and then as he was leaving Reid murmured, "I'm very hungry, sir."

Brown stopped. "Okay...okay. I can try to...I mean, I...okay."

Okay. Reid scoffed as the door shut again, shaking his head, the water lapping against his chin as he lowered it. Nothing is okay.

He spent a few minutes in a blissful silence before someone began yelling, and Reid sat up so fast that water splashed over the side of the porcelain tub. He scrambled to grab the towel hanging from the rack on the wall and wipe it up before anyone saw, and then he stood up straight when he heard footsteps pounding their way towards the room. His eyes stung, and he was trembling, and he had to stifle a sob when He burst into the room, scowling, grabbing Reid's upper arm.

"Do you think this is playtime, pet? Do you think you get to just stay in here and get away from me? Huh?"

"No, sir," Reid mumbled, cringing, because The Man's breath stunk of alcohol, and when He got drunk, He was...Reid didn't have a word that fit how terrifying The Man was when He wasn't sober.

"No, sir! I love you, Master! I do!"

"Lies." Wyatt shoved him, and he fell back into the water with a cry, dazed. "I l-love you, sir!" he gasped, and then, in response, Wyatt dropped to his knees, grabbed Reid's hair, and forced his head below the surface.

"Wyatt! Stop!" Brown exclaimed, pushing his way into the tiny room. He grabbed his brother's arm, yanking it back, and Wyatt only released the kid long enough he could elbow Brown away from him. "Fuck off!"

"Let him go! You're drunk!"

"Why do you fucking care what happens to him, huh?"

"You're gonna kill him!"

"No, I won't. He needs to learn. I can do whatever the hell I want with him!"

"No, you can't!" Brown finally raised his fist and struck it against Wyatt's jaw. Wyatt released the younger man and stood up, scowling, grabbing Brown by his shoulders and forcing him against the door, an arm against his neck. Brown stared at him, wide-eyed, and took comfort from the fact he could hear Reid coughing and gasping and definitely alive in the background.

"Don't you ever fucking touch me again, you piece of shit. You hear me? I will kill you. I will kill you!"

"You can't do this…to him…you can't do this…to me!" Brown wheezed, and Wyatt brought him an inch forward and then slammed him against the wood again. "I can do whatever the fuck I want, to both of you." He kicked Brown between his legs and let him drop to the ground, as if to prove it. "You handed him over, remember? He's with me again because of you. Don't think that that means I'm not still pissed!"

"I've…done…everything…you wanted…I always have!"

"It doesn't change anything, does it? Does it? Does it?"

"No."

"What?"

"No!"

"You son of a fucking bitch! You son of a…" Wyatt trailed off, turning away, and Brown managed to sit up, gasping. Wyatt brought his fist against Brown's chest, but it had hardly any strength behind it, and then he shook his head and lowered it, shaking, and he let out a very quiet noise that sounded…almost like…

"You son of a bitch…"

"I'm sorry." Brown said, breathing hard, and then his gaze went to where Reid was still kneeling in the tub, his mouth open, his wide eyes on them. His Master was…crying? No…that wasn't possible. In two years, The Man had never once showed any sign of weakness. He only had anger and stress and sadism and sexual desires—there were no tears, or pain, not on His part, only on Reid's.

Brown shook his head, just once, because he knew what Reid was thinking. But the damage had been done, and the side of the agent's mouth twitched for a moment in which the only thing he was aware of was the fact that The Man, his abuser, his torturer, his fucking rapist…was crying. In this moment, he was stronger than Him. It didn't matter that it was caused by the drunken stupor He was clearly in. Reid was stronger. Reid wasn't crying. He simply kneeled there, watching while the one who had never done anything but cause him pain, sat limp on the ground, His head on Brown's shoulder, crying, weak. Weak. He was weak. He...was...weak.

Overjoyed at this discovery, Reid, for the first time in what felt like forever, really smiled, and knew He couldn't do one Goddamn thing about it this time.