(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter.

Things get interesting. You all guessed correctly about charity and poisoning but there was one incy-wincy detail you forgot. I present to you, that detail...

Enjoy

Spencer was thankful for his family who came as soon as Aaron spoke to them all. Spencer was too shaky to make the calls himself but he also didn't want to leave his dads side even while he slept.

They didn't all stay. Spencer didn't mind. He sat by his father's side all night until Morgan and Garcia woke him in the morning with a coffee and five 'get well soon' balloons from Penelope.

"How is he?" Penelope asked, dropping the sparkly balloons in the corner and sitting beside Spencer. She pulled him into a hug from the side which he accepted awkwardly but with a smile on his face.

"Good," Spencer croaked before clearing his throat and blushing. "He slept all night."

"Unlike you," Morgan muttered. Spencer looked up to see his uncle watching him with narrowed eyes. Spencer looked down then at his crumpled shirt and he cringed, putting his arms around himself. "I'm right, aren't I? You didn't sleep."

"Uh-"

"Leave him alone, Derek!" Garcia said, her arm sneaking around Spencer again and pulling him close to her soft breast. "He's been through enough."

Derek put his hands up. "Alright, Mama," he said, casting another glance at Spencer. "He just looks a little rough."

Garcia pulled away from Spencer and gave him a critical once over before smiling sympathetically at Spencer, clearly in agreement with Derek. "You do need sleep, sweet boy."

"I-I did," Spencer said quickly and he shrank into his seat when Derek and Penelope exchanged a doubtful look. "Hey, w-why don't you guys go down to the cafeteria?"

"Alright, if you'll come," Derek said. Spencer glanced nervously at his father.

"I Uh... dad," he mumbled.

"Kid, you need to eat and sleep and ya know, actually move from that seat."

"I will, I promise, I just want to be with dad a bit longer." Spencer gave Derek a pleadingly look and turned to Garcia and looked at her the same way. She caved first.

"Come on, my sculpted Adonis, I saw some nice donuts in the cafeteria," Garcia said with a long sigh but she still smiled at Spencer as she stood up. Morgan kissed his teeth slowly before nodding.

"See you soon, kid."

Spencer watched them go and then looked at his father who was still sleeping deeply. Spencer leaned on the bed, resting his head on his arms and watching his father closely. His eyes were heavy but each time they closed they would snap back open and Spencer refocused on his dad.

When Rossi woke up he found his son drifting to sleep at his side, his body leaning heavily into the bed. Rossi shifted and Spencer jolted up suddenly, blinking and then starting up at his father. Rossi smiles guilty before he saw the dark rings under his sons eyes and he realised what was happening.

"Have you slept?"

Spencer blinked again at his dad and licked his lips.

Rossi snorted. "I take that as a no?"

"No..."

Spencer shook his head, trying to push sleep from his mind. He glanced down at his phone in his lap and saw messages from his team, most of whom seemed to be in the building. The messages mostly seemed to be regarding the disappearance of Charity and Morgan's apprehension of Brandy the night before. Spencer frowned. Morgan hadn't mentioned that. Why hadn't he mentioned it?

"Spencer?"

Spencer dropped his phone and looked up at his dad, forcing a smile on his face.

"Go home, son."

Spencer's smile fell. "Dad?"

Rossi sighed, looking at his son with sternly set eyebrows over his eyes.

"Spencer..."

Eventually, Dave convinced his son to leave his side by asking for things from home. He made sure to be specific. If Spencer thought he was helping his dad out then Dave could manipulate him to actually take care of himself for once. He also mentioned that Spencer was beginning to smell which seemed to shock Spencer into promising to shower.

Spencer took his time getting up and leaving but as he paused by the door to say goodbye he caught sight of his reflection in the door window. He grimaced when he saw his ghostly face looking back, pale, and gaunt. Spencer swallowed thickly and rubbed his face before walking into the hall.

He found the others in the cafeteria and he stood by the door, not wanting them to see how bad he looked.

Spencer looked around at his small family sitting at the cafeteria table, exchanging chips and cookies. He smiled, watching as JJ pulled her Cheetos closer to her chest, eying Morgan who had taken a handful. Morgan leaned back in his chair, munching happily on his hot Cheetos and grinning to himself. Emily, Luke and Tara were the only ones missing and Spencer remembered seeing their texts about coming later.

"Should have seen Brandy's face," Morgan said, pausing to lick his fingers. "No make up or anything and she screamed when I put her in cuffs."

"Good," Penelope said, glowering down at her frosted pink donut. "I hope you weren't easy on her."

"Me!? She didn't give me a chance. She kept kicking me and screaming that I was assaulting her. Dave's next door neighbour came out but when he saw me he helped me get her into the police car."

They hadn't seen him yet so Spencer paused, listening to the team.

"I tried to ask where her mom was but she started crying..." Morgan hid his smirk. "She's not a pretty crier."

"She's not a pretty anything," Penelope muttered, sipping angrily at her straw.

"Put those claws away, Babygirl!"

"What!? I'm only saying... besides, she tried harassing my little genius, how could she think she even had a chance with him!?"

JJ nodded quickly and Spencer felt his cheeks grow warm. He rubbed his neck with embarrassment.

"Her mom seemed to think she could try it with Rossi," Morgan said. He reached out and snatched the Cheeto bag from under JJ's nose.

"Don't blame Rossi though," Aaron said and Spencer glanced at the smiling older man. He hadn't joined the conversation since Spencer had conspicuously arrived. "He probably couldn't see her properly over those plastic breasts."

Morgan spat his drink across the table, laughing loud and deep when he managed to stop choking.

"I never thought you'd say that!" JJ said, laughing and shaking her head at Aaron.

Spencer smiled a little at Aaron's joke. He stepped forward, hoping to make his presence known. He'd ask Derek for the rest of the story another time, right now he just wanted to get home, get his dads things, shower and come back. The team were still laughing when Spencer cleared his throat.

"I'm gonna head home," Spencer said, interrupting the laughter from his team as they all turned to look at him.

"What changed your mind?" Morgan asked and he glanced at Spencer's messenger bag questioningly.

"Dad told me to go home and shower," he said and he shifted his bag, feeling a little uncomfortable under the concerned gazes of his family. "I was also going to get him some real clothes. You know what he's like."

Spencer chuckled. Rossi had even asked him to pack his new Italian leather shoes.

Morgan stood up from the table, dropping the empty Cheetos bag onto the table where JJ grabbed them and gasped upon tipping them upside down and finding them empty.

"I'll take you," Morgan said, leaning over the table to gather his things.

Spencer took a step back. "It's okay. I can drive." Spencer lifted a pair of keys. They were from his dads car which he'd been forced to drive from home after his dad had collapsed. He didn't like driving the expensive car but it was more reliable than his.

Morgan paused. "It's no trouble, kid."

"Really it's fine. I want some time to think anyway." Spencer forced a smile, hoping Morgan would back down and reign in his questions. Morgan looked at him thoughtfully before nodding and retaking his seat.

"Alright," he said, looking back over his shoulder at Spencer. "But call if you need anything."

Spencer rolled his eyes. He wanted to remind Morgan that he was an adult but he shrugged it off. What was the point in arguing. They would always see him as a kid. "Thank you," he said, pocketing the keys and waving to the rest of the team. He turned and hurried to the doors, feeling several pairs of eyes still on his back.

When Spencer left, the team went back to their conversation and finishing their lunch.

After some time JJ went to see Rossi with Penelope, going to see how he was doing before she went back home. Henry and his girlfriend were due for dinner and she wanted to clean the house before then.

Aaron sat back once only him and Morgan remained and he listened to Morgan talking about Savannah coming back home and their taking time from work to be together.

"Aaron?"

"Hmm?" Aaron looked up when he heard the serious tone in Morgan's voice.

"I hate to ask but..." Morgan paused and glanced around himself for a moment. "Was the work separation what drove you and Haley apart?"

Hotch finally tuned in to the conversation.

"I didn't mean to be so forward," Morgan said quickly but Aaron shook his head.

"No, it's fine. And... I suppose it was the main reason." Aaron sighed. "I put the job before her."

"I don't mean to," Morgan said. "And she's constantly at work. When I come home she's about to leave. She said she was going to ask for less night shifts but she's still working most nights."

"You need to compromise too," Aaron said. Morgan frowned, looking at Hotch in a betrayed way.

"How am I supposed to do that with our job?"

"Quit cases," Aaron said simply and Morgan scoffed.

"And be a desk jockey? No thanks."

"You could always retire."

Morgan stared at Aaron for a long moment before shaking his head. "We both like our jobs."

"Enough to lose each other?" Aaron asked and the question shut Morgan up. He sat back in his chair, looking hard at the table and thinking just as hard.

Aaron sighed and pushed his chair back. "I know the job is important. I know that, Derek. But Savannah is more important. Somethings going to break and at this rate it will be your marriage. Go part time, move your days off to correspond with hers. Just don't let her go."

Aaron stood up from the table while Morgan just stared blankly ahead.

"I'm going to see Rossi," he said, his voice softer than before. He waited for Morgan to look up. "Would you rather be alone?"

Morgan sighed. "No, I'll come."

Aaron led the way through the corridors. He was navigating his way to Rossi's ward when he recognised Rossi's doctor stood at a desk, talking to a young woman in scrubs on the other side. He motioned to the man when Morgan caught up and they exchanged a confirming glance and started toward him.

"Excuse me?"

The doctor looked up, peering over his glasses as Aaron approached with Morgan in tow.

"Agents," he said and he turned back to the desk he'd been leaning over and grabbed a clipboard. "Just the people I wanted to see... where's Dr. Rossi?"

"Spencer's gone home to get some things," Morgan said but he was more interested in the clipboard the doctor was glancing down at. "What's that?"

"It's the blood results," Aaron muttered. The doctor looked up, confirming Aaron's assumption. "And?" Aaron asked.

"Your friend had a mixed lot in his system. I'm surprised the overdose didn't kill him." He looked up and saw the grim expressions of the agents and he grimaced apologetically. "By now they should have all made their way out of his system, with a little of our help. Scopolamine does have a nasty bite to it though. It manipulates the mind during its time in the body."

"Why haven't you run an MRI or something then?" Morgan said, his voice suddenly demanding.

"It doesn't damage the mind, only alters it for brief periods."

"Alters? What the hell does that mean?!"

The doctor looked up from his clipboard and scowled at Morgan. "Agent," he hissed, preparing to argue when Aaron held his hand between the two of them.

"Stop," he said and then he shook his head thoughtfully. "Sorry, what was the main drug again?"

The doctor watched Morgan for another movement before he glanced down at his clipboard. "There were large trace amounts of scopolamine in Mr. Rossi's system. Alongside other drugs, the strongest being ketamine, all of which contributed to quite a nasty overdose."

"Scopolo-what?" Morgan was frowning in confusion, looking to his side to see Aaron frowning too.

The doctor sniffed, looking at the board again and reading from it. "It's a powerful dissociative agent. It seems your friend was under its influence over a long period of time. I'd say several days. Obviously, we can't detect anything beyond the last few days but from his state I'd say he's been on and off it for some time."

"What was it called again?"

The doctor lifted his head up, pulling his eyes from the clipboard. Aaron Hotchner was staring at him with wide eyes which flicked down to the clipboard anxiously.

"Scopolamine," the doctor said and Aaron put his hand quickly on the wall. Morgan reached out to grab him, looking at him peculiarly.

"Aaron?"

There was worry in Morgan's frown now as Aaron licked his lips.

"I knew there was something else," Aaron mumbled, shifting his arm across the wall to keep his legs from slipping out from under him.

"What?"

"Don't you remember?" Aaron's voice was raspy and his legs were shaking too much to keep himself upright. The doctor hurried forward to help Morgan hold Aaron up and guide him into a plastic chair against the wall.

"I'll call someone," the doctor said, moving away from them.

"No! No I-I'm fine," Aaron said but the man had already gone. Morgan knelt in front of Aaron, looking at him with worry in his eyes.

"Don't you remember?" Aaron mumbled again and Morgan just shook his head.

"He used it on you." Aaron swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut. His nexts words came out in a whisper. "He used it on me."

"What are you talking about?"

"He used a powerful drug to make us think our reality wasn't real, to make us do things we didn't want and see things we couldn't concieve of! Derek, don't you see! This wasn't Charity and Brandy working alone."

Aaron took a deep breath, his pulse thumping in his throat. Derek grabbed his knee, a slow realisation spreading across his face, turning it cold and pale.

"It's Scratch."

Derek would have fallen backwards if Aaron hadn't grabbed his arm. Morgan put a hand to his chest as he began breathing more rapidly.

"He used scopolamine," Aaron muttered, gripping Morgan's arm tighter to keep him up.

"Why?" Morgan whispered. His hand was still over his heart as if checking it hadn't stopped from the news.

"It's his signature. He must have used Charity and Brandy... to get close to Rossi..."

Morgan managed to steady himself and he sunk slowly down to his knees. He looked up at Aaron, his eyes brimming with fear. "But why... why Rossi? Why now?"

"Revenge? I don't..." Aaron paused and he looked up at Morgan with a scared look in his eyes. His heart began to sink when he remembered it was only him and Morgan there. "Spencer," he mumbled.

Morgan really did fall backwards then.

Thanks for reading. I really liked writing this chapter, I'd been preparing it for a while too. So it's more organised than normal.

See you soon.