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

Again, thank you all so much for the reviews. You guys are awesome. I thought some of you would be annoyed with the last chapter and I apologise but that scene with the punch had been the first scene written for the entire story so I couldn't leave it out.

Anyway, I promised I'd still upload today so, here it it, enjoy.

Rossi stared at the file Spencer had brought with him for several minutes as he tried to understand what had happened. He was still in disbelief that Aaron had hit Spencer. Punched him actually. The act seem so unbelievable in context of the two involved yet Rossi had watched it happen.

Spencer didn't deserve it. Rossi regretted not being a more active part in Spencer's defence.

Rossi glanced out of his office window and saw JJ pass his door. He stood up from his desk, grabbing the file as he followed her. As he had thought the team were gathered in the conference room. Aaron made his way in after Rossi. He was looking down at his knuckles quietly.

Morgan stood by the window, looking down into the bullpen as he rubbed his chin.

"Are we going to talk about that?" Garcia was the first to speak. Her eyes were red and Rossi knew that she had been crying at some point.

"W-we shouldn't have done that," she mumbled and Rossi's insides clenched at her admission. She hadn't been any part of this and yet there she was, pouring out guilt on their behalfs.

Rossi nodded and he tried to smile at Garcia.

"That was horrific," he said finally.

"I admit that I shouldn't have lost my temper. But Reid's actions were unforgivable," Aaron said and Rossi could have laughed.

"He's unforgivable?"

"He's an awful person, Dave. Imagine if he pretended to be your son."

Rossi paused. He wished Spencer was his son. He considered the young man his family anyway.

"I wouldn't punch him," Dave said.

"That's beside the point. He's still a liar."

Rossi glared at Aaron. The unit chief's demeanour shifted slightly when Rossi took a threatening step closer.

"Did it ever cross your mind the alternatives?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Spencer is the kindest young man we know. He wouldn't intentionally hurt you," Dave said his voice easing slightly. He glanced at JJ for a moment and then Emily and then shook his head.

"And you treated him like that!?" He continued to shake his head. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Did it not cross any of your minds that Spencer has made a mistake? He told you, Morgan."

Morgan looked down, his hands had started to get clammy.

"He told you that his dad had told him he was adopted. He was nervous throughout our last case because he was trying to connect with his real family. His dad might have made a mistake and given him the wrong numbers."

Rossi shook his head and slowly lowered himself into his chair as he reflected on the day. "How could you hit him, Aaron?" he muttered.

"I didn't think Reid was so stupid as to message a random number claiming to be their brother," Aaron said coldly and Rossi's head fell into his hand.

"If if wasn't a mistake did any of you ever consider his mental state?" Dave looked up slowly with a grim expression. "He's the right age," he muttered. "His mother has schizophrenia..."

Morgan stared at Rossi before he groaned and ran a hand over his head. What had he done?

Rossi was staring at Aaron who was considering what he had said.

"If you'll excuse me," Dave said and he stood up and picked up the file from the table. "I'm going to give Spencer the time he deserved to explain." He nodded at them before turning and leaving.

"Mom?" Spencer's voice trembled as he spoke. He'd gotten through to his mother's doctor and begged him to put her on, despite it being after hours.

"Spencer?"

Spencer sniffled, smiling faintly at the sound of her voice. He wondered why he had searched for any family beyond his mother.

"Spencer? Are you there?"

"I'm here, mom," Spencer mumbled and he smiled when he heard his mother sigh.

"What's wrong? You don't call me like this. Are you hurt?"

Spencer smiled to himself, dropping his head to wipe at his eyes. He winced when his finger got too close to the swelling under his right eye. "I'm not hurt, mom," he said with a soft chuckle.

"Are you sure? You always said you were fine when you weren't."

"I'm... I'm not fine but I'm not injured." Spencer bit his lip and he touched his nose gently. That wasn't quite true. "Mom," he started and he pressed his lips together firmly so as not to start crying.

"Spencer?"

"I think I've lost my job," he said finally and his voice cracked, triggering a quiet sob that had him quickly reaching up to cover his mouth.

"Oh, Spencer."

"I-I don't know when things escalated so much. Dad gave me the numbers for... for my brothers. He sent me my unit chief's number. When I tried to tell him we're brothers he..."

Spencer really did sob then. He covered his mouth and pulled the phone from his face for a moment. Aaron had hit him. Spencer couldn't forget it.

He could hear his mother's voice on the phone as he tried to slow his fast-paced breathing. He pulled the phone back to his ear.

"-Spencer?"

"Sorry?"

"I said that you surely can't lose your job over that?"

Spencer shrugged and didn't answer his mother. Finally he managed to mumble, "he hates me."

"Oh, baby. He who cares so much of what others think is a very afflicted man indeed."

Spencer sniffed. "Who said that?"

"Me."

Spencer laughed a little. He pulled his knees up to his chest and cradled the phone against his face.

"He hit me too."

"Where?"

Spencer paused, allowing the pain under his eye and up his nose throb as he thought. "He punched me."

"In the face?"

"Yea... it's understandable. He thought his brother was dead and he thinks I'm an imposter."

"No. Don't do this to yourself. You didn't deserve it."

Spencer looked down at his knees. "I did."

"No, you did not. You are undeserving or being smacked around. He is undeserving of a brother like you."

Ed had been waiting for longer than they'd planned. He stood up from his bunk and glanced through the small window again before returning to the lower bunk. The scrawny man on the top bunk watched him.

"She not there?"

"She will be," Ed said with a grunt as he fell heavily onto the bunk.

"I never knew why you went for the ugly ones."

"She's not ugly," Ed said, feeling a little defensive for the officer he'd been conversing with.

"Nah... not the prettiest though, or the thinnest." The criminal laughed and Ed's knuckles whitened. The guy had kidnapped a receptionist in 2007, hoping to get some kind of reward from the firm. He hadn't been as tactile as Ed, or as clever, but they still managed to share a cell.

"She's fine," Ed said and his voice took on a slight growl. He picked her for a reason. He'd been cat-calling some of the officers for months before he'd seen her. She wasn't skinny, or even curvy. Her face was plump and her makeup ill-applied. Her trousers were always too tight and her shirt bulged over it. Her smile was somewhat pretty.

The fact was that Ed knew he could charm any female officer he came across, heck, he'd give the men a go if his plans permitted it. He also knew that someone like Jodie, single and probably would be for much of her life, was an easy target to manipulate.

He'd been right. As soon as he started flirting with her she'd responded eagerly. When he suggested finding somewhere private she was eager to accommodate. He told her he loved her and she ate it up.

He told her they could be together and she begged him to make it real. He asked her to get him out so they could have their happy ever after. And sweet, naive Jodie of course agreed.

They'd planned it carefully. Jodie would have to do the risky parts until they met, then it was all over to Ed. He told her to keep her head low and leave later.

She was to hide her keys in the wheel of her car so he could get to their meeting spot twenty miles away. But Ed has no plans of meeting Jodie after that.

"She forgotten you! She got cold feet I bet."

Ed glared at his bunk mate and the man shrunk away.

Ed was about to give up and return to reading when someone tapped on the door. He jumped up with a grin and hurried over. Jodie's plump face came into view and she grinned back at him.

He winked and she gave a quick nod and glanced back. Most of the prisoners were sitting around the benches, talking or laughing amongst themselves. Some officers were joining the conversations, or watching the inmates. Jodie set her face into one of sternness.

"Inmate 13765. Your attorney is here to speak with you."

She pushed the door open and Ed stepped out with a passive look.

"Lead the way."

Rossi was on the second page of the file Spencer had left. The kid had done a lot of research in the last two days. It started with Myles, things which Dave already knew before moving on to Spencer's own childhood. All his legal documents were dated after Myles death, which Spencer had noted.

There were medical bills too. Ones with a local doctor, they looked private. Rossi read through what was listed under three-year-old Spencer Reid. They had clearly been modified to be less suspicious but Dave recognised from the small photo, a grazed bullet wound. It was listed as a dog bite and Dave could have laughed.

He frowned. Why would Spencer have a wound like that at such a young age? The idea that he was Myle seemed extremely viable.

Rossi turned the page and found Spencer's hand writing. He scanned through the notes before turning the page again. Spencer had clipped in a photo of him at six-years-old. Beside it was a poor quality photo of Myles from what must have been an old newspaper article Spencer had printed. It was hard to exactly tell but Myles, sat in his mother's arms, had the same wavy hair as Spencer and the same expression was on each boy. Rossi turned the page and felt himself gasp involuntarily.

Aaron's father looked back at him with a charming smile. He was younger. It was probably taken before he started the murders. Rossi was stunned by how much the man looked like Spencer Reid.

Rossi stared at the man's wavy hair and his brown eyes. The smile was different though. The smile was sharp and it twinged a bite of fear in Dave. The man's lips were like Spencer's too but the way they curved around his teeth was not alike.

Rossi was about to turn another page when there was a knock at his door.

He looked at the photo of Ed for another moment before calling to whoever was at the door.

He shut the file as Garcia walked in with a guilty look on her face and six times the amount of files under her arm.

Rossi watched as she hopped nervously on the spot. "Is there another case?" he asked with a sigh, knowing she'd answer in the affirmative.

"I'm the worst," Garcia said with a small chuckle and Dave smiled too. "The others are in the conference room."

Rossi stood up and glanced at the file for a moment.

He'd read the rest of it on the jet.

Thanks for reading.

Sorry it wasn't very exciting, all the excitement was used up in the last chapters.

Please let me know your thoughts in the reviews.

I appreciate your feedback, you guys have been amazing throughout!

See you next week and stay safe.