I felt like it needed to be expanded upon with how insecure and awkward Reid was in the club during this ep, and how cute Morgan was with him in teaching him how-to pick-up women. I changed the lines a little bit from the show because I think at this point in my fic timeline Reid is definitely out to Morgan, so instead of saying 'ladies' I'm having him say 'people' cuz we love bi!Reid. Enjoy :)

S4 E9

"I think I might just stay home and man the tip line tonight. Clubs aren't really my thing."

"Not a chance, kid. I need a wingman. Come on, now."

The words that he'd spoken to the team reverberated around his skull now that they were actually at the club. He'd hoped no one would care, and he'd sent Hotch a look of pleading, but it didn't work.

That's why Reid was awkwardly standing around, attempting to ask strangers if they'd noticed the unsub anywhere.

He hated places like this. Everyone judged you immediately on what you looked like and, typically, Reid wouldn't get a second glance. He'd tried the whole clubbing thing a few years back, thinking it would be his best chance at a relationship. He quickly learned though that people either wanted a quick fuck or weren't interested in him at all.

Reid's stomach churned as a wave of self-loathing traveled through him. He used his intellect and words, not his looks. He was no Derek Morgan. And here, in this club, he felt to be at a large disadvantage.

Reid decided he wasn't going to get anywhere, especially with how loud it was, and chose to hide in a corner instead, analyzing people from afar. He was aware of how it probably looked, but he was probably only getting in the way of the rest of the team, so he was better off standing in the corner, watching instead.

He spotted Derek, who was easily slipping fliers to everyone he passed. The man had charisma for days, it wasn't long before all of his fliers were handed out and he was flirting with a woman on the side. A smirk made its way to Reid's lips at this; it was unsurprising. He didn't understand how he did that, everyone was charmed by Derek Morgan.

Shaking his head, Reid stopped that train of thought; now was not the time for a pity party. Just because his people skills were lacking and his looks were low, didn't mean he had no attributes, right? I mean he was smart…

Reid's brows furrowed slightly, eyes dropping to the ground. Was that really all he had going for him? Intelligence? And intelligence which most people found to be annoying or confusing by the way. He let out a sigh, it was no wonder he couldn't get a date.

A hand clapped him on the shoulder, and he jumped hard, spinning around.

"Relax, kid. It's just me." Morgan lead Reid away from the corner, walking further into the crowd of people. "So, how's it going?"
"Uh not good." Reid said, showing Morgan the pile of fliers that he still held in his hand. "I gave the profile to one woman, she asked if I was the unsub. How are you doing?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well, I gave out all my fliers."

Reid smirked, "How many phone numbers did you get?"

"None." Derek rolled his eyes, "I'm working a case here, kid." Reid raised his eyebrows in disbelief, baiting Derek to continue, "Okay, four were offered, but I didn't take any of them."

Reid shook his head in confusion at the man, how could you turn down four phone numbers? He couldn't even get one person to offer theirs up!

"alright, look, let me school you real quick. What you have to do with these people, just take control of the conversation. When you're talking, what makes you feel like an expert?"

"Uhhh…" Reid's mind went blank, so he said the only thing he could think of, "statistics?"

"No. Trust me. No. Something else."

"Uh… we-well when I do magic…"

"See? That's perfect. People dig magic."

Reid furrowed his eyebrows at this. In his experience, he was typically made fun of for doing magic, so he wasn't quite sure what Morgan was talking about. The man started looking around before he nodded towards the bartender.

She was very beautiful and seemed confident, especially with her job.

'Wayyy out of my league' Reid thought to himself immediately.

"I'm gunna give you a chance to work it"

"Wait-"

"Come here." Morgan began leading Reid towards the woman, and he swallowed hard. His palms immediately began sweating and shaking with anxiety.

"Uh, excuse me, sweetheart, whenever you get the chance."

Reid's heart pounded in his chest as the woman glanced up, making eye contact with him.

"Hi, what can I get you?"

"Hi, uh w-we're with the uh… FBI" Reid struggled to show his badge but continued, "We-we're looking for this man. Does he look at all familiar to you?" he asked, sliding her a flier.

"That's not much of a picture." She commented, glancing at the generic sketch.

He glanced at Derek who nodded, encouraging him to do one of his tricks.

"I-I know, you know what might help, actually is, um…" he grabbed a pen from his pocket and Derek clapped him on the shoulder, walking away. "He has a scar on his eye right about there," he stabbed the pen through the paper. Playing it off as an accident, he continued, "Um, w-we also know that he's taken classes where he's learned how to… distract-" he pulled the pen across the paper without making a hole, "and charm his victim." Reid pulled the pen out without a hole being left in the paper. The scar was drawn on and he had done the magic trick successfully.

The bartender smiled, laughing in awe as he set the paper down on the table. She picked it up, flipping it over in confusion before locking eyes with him.

"Okay, how'd you do that?" She asked, gaping.

"That's uh, that's privileged information."

"Huh." She sighed, smiling at him. He awkwardly continued smiling at her, not knowing what to say. She started before he came up with something though, "so what do I do if I see him?"

"You should call us. Even if you just think you see him, you should definitely call us." He said, nodding his head.

"And… if I don't see him?.." Reid's brows furrowed in confusion, but she continued, "can I still call you?"
Reid began nodding, trying not to show his excitement. "Yeah," he attempted to say casually, "yeah you can call me. Yeah."

"Okay, cool."
Reid turned to walk away but she stopped him, "Wait! Haha I don't have your number…"

"Oh um it's behind your barrette." He gestured to her hair and a confused look appeared on her face. Slowly she reached up, grabbing the card he'd placed in her hair.

He laughed and waved, giving a quick 'bye' before turning to leave.

Derek was standing a few feet away, excitement and amusement in his eyes. He placed a hand on the nape of Reid's neck, leading him away from the bartender.

"See, there you go, that's what I'm talking about. That's called game!" Reid laughed, smiling with excitement after the exchange had gone so well. he'd been genuinely surprised at the woman's interest; he was sure his trick would flop.

The two of them hung out a little longer before heading back to the station. However, they were about halfway back when Reid's phone begun ringing.

He flipped it open, "Hello?"

Silence followed. There was a noise that sounded like panting, but then the line went dead. Reid's brows furrowed, immediately redialing the number. It rung and rung before it finally went to voicemail.

"Hey, it's Austin. Leave a message." He immediately recognized her voice; it was the bartender.

"Derek turn the car around; the unsub has Austin."
"What?"
"He has Austin! T-the bartender! She called me but now she's not picking up. I told her to call me if she saw the unsub!"
"Shit." Derek spun the car around, turning on the lights. They raced back to the club and Reid called Hotch to alert him to the situation.

By the time they got back to the club, it was too late, she was gone.

"The bouncer saw Austin go out back. She likes to smoke back here." Reid stated to Morgan as they bounded into the back alley.

"Well based on the witness's description it definitely sounds like the unsub was here. We got Unis at her apartment but no one's home."
Reid dialed up her number again, but this time the phone went straight to voicemail.

"it keeps going straight to voicemail, maybe we could have Garcia triangulate where she is based on the cell phone?" Just then, Reid noticed a buzzing noise coming from below him. He glanced down and spotted it. A cellphone had been shoved inside a planter.

Reid recognized the number as his own on her phone, and a pit formed in his stomach.

"He has her."

They rushed back to the office in a blur, meeting back up with the rest of the team and pulling on their Kevlar vests. They loaded into SUVs, rushing to the address which they'd pinpointed was the unsub's house.

When they arrived, they split into groups, quickly and silently surrounding the house. Reid prayed that Austin was still alive and okay in there. He hoped that they weren't too late.

When they bust through the glass door, a wave of relief washed over Reid. Austin was there, alive. She didn't look physically injured either. Derek chased after the unsub, but Reid immediately collapsed to his knees, carefully removing the duct tape from her mouth.

"Get this off, get it off, get it off" she begged, crying as he undid the duct tape around her wrists.

"Okay, it's okay."

"I called you"
"I know, I know." He said, helping her to stand, they needed to get her to an ambulance, or she was going to go into shock.

"I called you" she repeated.

"I know." He said once more, wrapping his arms around her and leading her away from the house. "It's okay. It's okay."

Once Austin was secure with the EMTs, Reid backed off, leaving her to get some help. They loaded her up to take her to the hospital and part of him wanted to go with her, but he knew they'd be heading back to DC now that the unsub was caught.

His eyes watched as the ambulance pulled away, and he began making his way back to the vehicles. It wasn't long before everything had been taken care of and the team was on their way to the jet.

When they boarded, Reid claimed a seat in the back rather than his usual couch position. It was night, and most people would probably try to sleep, but he wasn't sure he would.

The lights dimmed as they prepared for takeoff and Reid glanced out the window. Just then a body plopped in the seat across from him. It was Derek.

He had a wide smile on his face and a glint of happiness in his eye.

"Sooooo, you and Austin, huh?"
"Morgan, please-"

"Nuh uh pretty boy, you just saved the 'damsel in distress', you know that scores some massive points with her. And even without that she was clearly into you when we were at the club so… you gunna call her?"

Reid sighed, looking back out the window. She probably wanted nothing more than to forget this whole thing ever happened. Plus, he wasn't worth the hassle, he didn't even live in Georgia. And she was way out of his league, there was no way that she could possibly-

"Hey," Derek had leaned forward, placing a hand on Reid's and jolting him out of his thoughts. "where'd you go there, kid?"

He feigned a smile, "oh, uh, nowhere, its fine. I'll probably just leave her alone, I'm sure this isn't a day she'll want to remember anyways so…"

Derek's face softened and his mouth twisted into a frown. Reid looked away, hoping that Derek wasn't profiling him, this was not a conversation he wanted to have.
"Kid. You know she was into you, right?"

Reid couldn't help but snort at this comment. Sure, she liked his magic trick, but he was sure that's where the interest stopped. "Yeah, sure."

"Reid, I'm serious."

"Morgan. It's okay-"

"No, Spencer, it's not. I don't want you thinking that poorly of yourself. It's not that hard to notice how you constantly belittle yourself, and I see that look on your face right now. I want you to stop."

"Derek-"

"You've got a lot going, you're obviously smart but you're also clever and witty and kind and selfless and so many other amazing things."

"Please-"

"Plus, I don't call you 'Pretty boy' for nothing, regardless of how you see yourself, people think you're adorable. Why do you think you have the power to charm Hotch and Rossi so much? None of the rest of us could dream to get away with all your bullshit."
This made Reid smile, thinking about all the times the 'puppy dog eyes' had gotten him out of trouble.

"Really kid, I wish you could see how amazing we all think you are" he said, squeezing Reid's hand, "we all love you for you, and if someone else doesn't see that, they're not worth your time. Okay?"

Reid blinked away a few unshed tears that had made their way to his eyes, nodding and clenching his jaw. He was unsure of what to say but was touched by Morgan's compliments. He didn't know if he could fully believe him, but he let the pit in his stomach leave for now.

"But this girl, she liked you, so I think you should give her a call tomorrow, just to check in." Derek winked, letting go of Reid's hand and leaning back in his chair. Reid nodded again, mouthing an 'okay'.

He looked out the window once more, a small smile still on his face. Maybe he would give Austin a call tomorrow.

Just to check on her.

Thanks for reading :) 3