A/N: I know it's been months and I'm sorry it's been so long. However, I've had a job change and I gave birth to a beautiful little baby boy. He's 8 months old now and my heart is full. Thank you to ahowell1993, McRaider, ihatechoosinganame, LaRieNGuBleR, NeverIsTheEternal, and Tooker86 for reviewing Chapter 8. Charmony: I can't wait to see you in a few months. Couldn't do life without you.

Chapter 9 (Takes place about three months after Revelations ends)

Whitney closed the door behind her as she listened to the silence of the apartment. Her heart was pounding hard enough that it felt like it was going to pound right out of her chest. She knew that Spencer was supposed to have a late meeting at the BAU, but there was always the chance that he was going to come home early. Her suspicions had been growing over the last few weeks and this was her opportunity to see if she was right. She quickly hurried into the bathroom, searching the drawers and medicine cabinet for anything unusual. Spencer's behavior had been odd ever since he had been rescued from Hankel's clutches, but she suspected that there was more to the story than simple PTSD or ineffective coping strategies. Not finding what she was looking for, she moved on to the bedroom. Rummaging swiftly through the chest of drawers and finding nothing, she moved to the closet and searched through the boxes on the shelf. She sighed as her efforts still came up empty.

"It's got to be in his go bag," she thought to herself.

Just at that moment, she heard his key in the lock and she leaned against the wall, waiting as he came in.

Spencer raised an eyebrow at her as he walked through the door. "Hey Whit. I wasn't expecting you this early."

"Yeah, I know." Whitney sighed and pushed off the wall. "Spence we need to talk."

"Seems like everyone is saying that to me right now. Emily was pretty mad at me today too."

"I'm not mad at you Spence. I'm just worried about you. And so is the rest of your team."

"I don't need anyone to be worried about me. I'm fine." He dismissed her with a shrug of his shoulders.

"No you're not fine." Whitney kept her voice even with an effort. "You're dismissive, curt, even angry over things that don't matter."

"So? I went through a major trauma Whitney. If you can't understand that, then that's not my fault."

"I'm not saying I don't understand it. I am saying that there's something wrong and you're ignoring the problem."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm fine?" Spencer's voice rose at the end of the question.

"Yeah. You're so fine you made Thandie cry and you didn't even notice."

"Don't pull her into this. She doesn't have anything to do with it."

Whitney gaped at her boyfriend. "I cannot believe that just came out of your mouth. You have been devoted to your sister since the day she was born and you're dismissing her just like that?"

"She's just a little kid. She'll get over it."

"SPENCER! Shame on you." Whitney straightened to her full height and glared at her boyfriend. Her clinical mind was rapidly assessing what she saw and the conclusion was beginning to scare her. "Tell me the truth. You're high right now, aren't you?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Spencer snapped at her.

"Yes! I am. Your behavior is erratic and unreliable. You've been evasive with your answers and acting completely out of character. Then there's the clinical signs. You're jittery and your pupils are pinpoint. You are clearly on something."

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

A surge of fury washed over the young woman. "Excuse me? I'm an ER nurse, studying to be a flight nurse, and you have the nerve to tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about? How about the fact that your mother, who is a doctor, agrees with me?"

"Why don't you just stay out of my business? You have no idea what I went through in Georgia. You don't understand anything!"

"I'm your girlfriend, Spencer! You are my business!"

"Then maybe I don't need you!"

Whitney closed her eyes at the harsh words. "Are the drugs worth it? Worth throwing away our relationship? Do they mean that much to you that you'd rather have them than me?" She took a deep breath to steady her voice. "I won't compete with a drug Spencer. It's either me or the drugs. I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this but you're forcing my hand."

"I'm not forcing you to do anything. If that's the way you feel, then lock the door behind you." He slipped past her and disappeared into the bedroom, the door slamming with an ominous finality.

Whitney stood in the hallway, her head bowed, fighting back the tears. She slowly let herself out of the apartment and drove home, feeling emptier than ever before.

Two days later

Whitney sighed as she closed her textbook. She rubbed her forehead, feeling the start of a headache forming behind her eyes. She glanced up at a gentle touch on her shoulder.

"How are you holding up?" Sarah asked softly

"About as well as you are," she replied.

"Have you heard from him?"

"He called last night. I ignored it and he didn't leave a message." Whitney leaned back in her chair as Sarah sat on the desk next to her. "Maybe I should have answered it, but I didn't feel like getting into the same argument that we had on Wednesday. As much as I hate it, I have to stick to my guns about his drug use."

"I understand. I had hoped that Jason telling him he couldn't spend time alone with Thandie and Ezra would have some effect on him but it hasn't."

"How are they taking it?"

"Ezra's quiet. I think he's bothered by it but doesn't want to say anything. Thandie, on the other hand is devastated, and she doesn't understand what's going on."

"I'm an adult and I still don't understand it.," Whitney muttered. "I can't figure out why he just wants to shut us out."

Sarah sighed. "I don't know. He's always been one to keep stuff inside. He was bullied in school and we didn't find out until several months after it started." She turned as her name was called. "Guess I'd better get back to work. It's after midnight and your shift was over at eleven. Why don't you head home and I'll give you a call tomorrow?"

The nurse nodded. "Sounds good. I just wanted to finish reading this last chapter and for some reason it was easier to do that here rather than at my place."

Sarah leaned over, giving the younger woman a hug. "Hang in there, sweetie. It will get better at some point."

"Thanks Sarah."

Spencer sat on his bed, staring at the phone in his hands. He'd typed in Whitney's number several times but couldn't bring himself to hit send. Her parting words rang through his head like an accusing beat.

"Choose. Choose. Choose."

He picked up the small glass vial of Dilaudid, rolling it between his fingers. The drug called to him; its warmth singing a siren's song to his blood. His breathing quickened as he thought of the escape the drug promised. But it was only temporary. The effects didn't last and then he was left feeling empty. He pictured Thandie's face in his mind. The little girl had watched him from the window as he had left his parents' home yesterday. She hadn't even tried to hide the tears as she watched him back down the driveway. His grip on the vial tightened until in a burst of anger, he threw it across the room as hard as he could. The glass shattered, sending the liquid splattering down the wall. In that moment, the irony became crystal clear. He was trapped inside that vial and the only way out was to break the glass. Moving quickly before he lost his will, he found the rest of his stash and a small hammer. Placing the vials on their side, he smashed each one in turn. Then he curled up in bed as he waited for the withdrawals to come.

Whitney sighed as she grabbed her phone. It was the third time today that Spencer had called, but this time he had actually left a message. She debated just deleting it without listening to it but ultimately decided that was merely being childish so she hit the button to play the message. What she heard made her sit straight up before grabbing her keys and her first aid kit and running out the door. Twenty minutes later, she let herself into Spencer's apartment.

"Spencer? Where are you?" She listened for a moment in the silence. "Spencer?"

"In here."

Whitney hurried toward the bedroom, frightened for a moment as his voice sounded worse than it had on the phone. She found him huddled under a pile of blankets, shaking like a leaf. She hurried to his side, alarmed by the sheen of sweat on his face. She knew instantly he had either overdosed or was going through withdrawals.

"What did you do?"

"I quit cold turkey. I couldn't lose you and Thandie," Spencer mumbled hoarsely.

Whitney sat on the edge of the bed, feeling for his pulse as she did. "When was your last hit?"

"Friday morning. I smashed the vials that evening."

"You smashed them?" Whitney shook her head as she pulled out her blood pressure cuff. She pulled back the blanket and stopped in surprise. "Spencer? Why are you handcuffed to the bed?"

"Because I knew the cravings would get to be too much and I didn't want to give in. I tossed the key out of reach but I'm not sure where it landed."

She shook her head at the sheer lunacy of the situation and continued her evaluation. "Ok. We need to get you to a hospital. You need fluids, meds and monitoring."

"No. If I go to a hospital, I'll lose my job."

"Spence, losing your job isn't worth your life. You need medical care."

"Call mom. Ask her if she can help. I can't go to the hospital."

Whitney sighed, ran her hand over her boyfriend's hair and then stood up to make the phone call.

Gideon answered on the first ring.

"Hey Jason. It's Whit. I need to talk to Sarah."

"What's wrong?"

"Spencer quit cold turkey and he's going through withdrawals. He doesn't want me to take him to the hospital but he needs fluids that I can't give him here. Plus, he says he's got rid of all the drugs but without a thorough search of the apartment, I can't be sure."

"Hold on, I'm going to put you on speaker so Sarah can listen in."

"Hey Whitney. What are we looking at?"

"Heart rate is 120. BP 112/83. Respirations 28. He's pale and diaphoretic. Said he's been vomiting but hasn't thrown up recently. Which is good because he cuffed himself to his bedframe so he wouldn't go looking for the drugs. However, I don't know where the key landed after he pitched it." She couldn't keep the wry tone out of her voice.

"Sounds like him," Sarah remarked. "So he needs fluids, and antiemetics. And really, he needs cardiac monitoring but I'm betting he's said no to a hospital."

"He did."

"And we can't force him to go because he's an adult. So we need to find a way to treat him at home."

"Think you could get him to the cabin?" Gideon asked.

"It'd be hard by myself. What are you thinking?"

"Well we know it's clean. The last time he was there was before his kidnapping so there's no chance of drugs being there. It's clean, safe and there's plenty of food. Call Morgan and see if he'd be willing to help you. I'll call Hotch and tell him that Spencer will be out for the week."

"Let me make a couple calls and see what I can arrange medication wise. I'll meet you at the cabin as soon as I can." Sarah added quickly.

"Ok. I'll have to call work and let them know I won't be in Thursday, Friday or Saturday."

"If you can't get Morgan let me know."

"I will. Thanks, Jason."

Morgan rapped quickly on the door as he slung his go bag over his shoulder. He smiled briefly at Whitney as she opened the door. "Hey. How's Reid?"

"He's in rough shape. We're going to take him to the cabin so he can detox there. By the way, did you bring your handcuff key?"

"Yeah, but I still don't understand why you need it?"

Whitney chuckled ruefully. "Spence cuffed himself to his bed and then tossed the key. I have no idea where to find it."

"And with pretty boy's aim…" Morgan let the end of his sentence trail off as he stepped into the bedroom, shaking his head at his friend's appearance. "Boy, you really did a number on yourself this time, didn't you kid?"

Spencer forced a small smile as another wave of nausea washed over him. He let his head fall back against his pillow as Morgan leaned over and released the handcuff from his wrist.

"Think you can walk? Or am I carrying you out of here?"

The younger man gave him a dirty look. "You're not carrying me like a baby." He slowly pushed himself up as his whole body shook from the effort. Morgan threw his arm behind his back to steady him as he gained his feet. Spencer closed his eyes as the room spun around him and he clung to Morgan to keep his balance. The blood roared in his ears and blackness threatened his vision.

"Take some deep breaths kid," Morgan encouraged softly.

Spence nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Slowly, he felt steadier and the darkness receded, allowing him to focus on his surroundings.

"Better?" Whitney asked.

"A little bit," Spencer mumbled.

"Let's get you out to the car before you fall over," Morgan interjected.

"I'm not going to the hospital!"

"No, we're taking you to the cabin. Sarah is setting up everything we need and you can detox there," Whitney answered as she slung Spencer's go bag over her shoulder. "Ready?"

"Do we need to get clothes for you?" Morgan suddenly asked glancing over at the nurse.

"Nope. I had enough stuff here. Plus, we can do laundry at the cabin."

Two and a half hours later Whitney pulled into the drive at the cabin, relieved to see Sarah's car already there. Spencer had slept most of the way, curled up in the back seat.

"Nice place. No wonder Gideon likes to chill out here."

"Yeah it's great. I love hanging out here when Spencer has some downtime. You can't see it in the dark, but there's a little creek and a small pond just down the hill in the back." She looked down at her boyfriend. "I hate to wake him up, but we need to get him inside."

Spencer solved the issue by stirring slightly and briefly opening his eyes. "Are we there?" he mumbled softly.

"Yeah babe. We're at the cabin. How are you feeling? Think you can walk in by yourself or do you need to hang on to me?"

"Better hang on to you. Everything is spinning right now." Spencer slid forward and put his feet on the ground. He groaned as his position changed and even in the dim lighting, his face paled.

"Hang on to me, kid." Morgan once again threw his arm around his younger colleague, steadying Spencer as he stumbled on the gravel drive. A shaft of light suddenly fell across the group as Sarah opened the door.

"We've got everything set up in the master bedroom." She pressed her hand to her son's head. "At least you're not running a fever."

"No, I just feel like I got hit by a truck." Spencer let his head fall against his mother's shoulder. "I'm sorry Mom."

"It's ok sweetie. Let's just focus on getting you well."

Once inside the cabin, Spencer's eyes went immediately to his father. "I'm so sorry, Dad. I really screwed up this time."

Gideon enveloped his son in a hug. "I forgive you son. We're going to get you through this so hang in there."

"Let's get you settled in bed. We need to get some fluids into you." Sarah gently steered her son into the bedroom. She set up the supplies before running her hand over his arm. "You're dehydrated. Finding a vein isn't going to be easy. Where have you been shooting up?"

A wry look crossed the young man's face. "The vein in my ankles. I never go barefoot so it was easy to hide the marks."

"Have you ever used your arms?"

"A couple of times. I used my left one since I'm right handed," Spencer sighed. "There's a good one in my elbow."

"He's got a good one over here," Whitney was examining her boyfriend's hand.

"You're always looking at my veins."

The redhead shrugged. "Good veins equal nurse porn."

A few minutes later, with the fluids running, Spencer relaxed against the pillows and fell back asleep. Sarah held a quick conversation with Whitney before she and Gideon left the trio alone.

"Are you hungry? Jason keeps the cupboard well stocked." Whitney stated as she headed into the kitchen.

"Eh, I could eat a little something. Pretty boy asleep?"

"For now." The nurse sighed. "Morgan, I won't lie to you. The next few days are going to be hell. Opioid withdrawal is as nasty as it comes."

"I know and I'm prepared. There's a reason Gideon told you to call me."

Whitney glanced back over her shoulder as she pulled out a box of pasta and a jar of alfredo sauce. "I figured as much, but I still wanted to warn you."

"Don't worry about me. I'm not going anywhere."

Morgan sighed as the sounds of Spencer's nightmare filtered through his tired brain. Whitney had been right when she said that detoxing his friend would be hell. Between the endless nausea and cold sweats, Spencer was reliving not only his ordeal at the hands of Tobias, but also the captivity he suffered as a five-year-old. Buried emotions and memories were coming to the surface so quickly that it was overwhelming for all of them. He rose, pulling on a shirt and pair of shorts before going to the master bedroom. He leaned against the door jam, watching as Whitney attempted to calm her boyfriend. He caught her eye, asking her silently if she needed help. When she shook her head no, he stayed where he was out of the way. Finally, the storm of emotion passed and Spencer fell back into an exhausted sleep. Whitney rose and stretched, wincing as she moved.

"You ok? He was fighting pretty hard for a minute there."

"Yeah, it's just my foot fell asleep. Got that pins and needles feeling going on."

Morgan turned and followed her into the kitchen. "How much longer before we are through the worst of it?"

"We've been here four days so probably another twenty-four to forty-eight hours. I know it doesn't seem like it, but he's actually doing better." Whitney set the kettle on the stove. "You want some tea?"

"Got anything stronger?" Morgan asked with a grin.

"Not really," Whitney grinned back. Then she sobered. "This is getting to you, isn't it."

The dark-skinned agent blew out a breath. "Yeah a bit. I can't imagine going through something like that as a five-year-old. It was hard enough as a teenager." He chose his words carefully, mildly surprised that the young woman didn't react. "You don't seem surprised."

"Derek, you have handled the last few days without complaint or shirking. Even with all of the gory details of what happened to Spence as a child. That tells me one of two things about you. Either you're so jaded from your job that child abuse doesn't bother you or you've had personal experience. Since I know what kind of person you are, I'm betting on the latter."

Morgan stared at her in amazement. "Did Reid tell you about my past?"

Whitney rolled her eyes at him. "Of course not. He'd never betray your confidence like that. I guessed. Just like I guessed that he had been molested."

A rueful smile touched his face. "Sorry. I'm tired and I guess my brain isn't working. When did you figure out what happened to Reid? I've only known since the team came to my rescue in Chicago."

"After the case in LA with that actress."

"Ah, yes. Lila Archer." Morgan chuckled softly. "He was so out of his depth with her. She just kept flirting with him and he never noticed."

"Oh, believe me, he noticed. He just didn't know how to get her to stop." Whitney sighed as she poured the boiling water into a mug. "He came home thinking he cheated on us because she kissed him before he could stop her. When he told me how he reacted, I knew I had to confront him about his past or everything was going to keep building up." She handed another mug to the agent. "Would you believe that he actually expected me to dump him over what happened?"

"Knowing Reid and how insecure he can be? Yes actually, I can." Morgan leaned his forearms on the counter. "I hope we're getting to the end of this."

"I think we are. His symptoms aren't as bad and he's resting better. I just hope he still has a job when he gets back to the office."

"I think he will. Hotch can be hard headed sometimes, but Reid hasn't done anything to hurt anyone and he quit on his own."

"Yeah, but Dilaudid? I mean, he was buying illegal narcotics. And I know that Jason is going to grill him over his supplier when we get home. I'm just glad he held off when he and Sarah were here."

"I know that. But I really think he's going to be ok."

Three days later

Spencer slowly opened his eyes. His throat was raw, and he felt like he had been run over by a Mack truck, but his head was clear and he could think coherently for the first time in several days. He turned his head to see Morgan stretched out asleep in a chair nearby.

"Morgan?"

Morgan jumped at the weak and raspy voice. "Welcome back pretty boy. You gave us quite a scare." He handed his younger colleague a glass of water, helping him steady it. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a truck," Spencer replied. "We're at my dad's cabin, aren't we?"

"Yeah. We've been here since Sunday. It's late Saturday night now."

"With all the stuff going on in my head, I wasn't sure what was real and what was illusion." He glanced sideways at his friend. "Is Whitney really here?"

"Where else would I be Spence?"

Spencer looked up to see his girlfriend framed in the doorway. "I'm so sorry Whitney. Will you forgive me?"

Morgan stood and slipped out of the room, allowing the couple some privacy. He smiled to himself as he heard them talking softly. Spencer was going to be okay, especially with Whitney at his side.

Whitney leaned against the side of Morgan's car and watched her very tired boyfriend walk toward the front door of his family's home. When he turned to see if they were following, Whitney made a 'go on' gesture. Spencer shrugged and continued up the walk.

"You aren't going in with him?" Morgan asked.

"I will in a minute," she replied as the front door burst open, spilling Thandie and Ezra out with excited shrieks. "I just didn't want to get in the middle of that."

Morgan laughed as Spencer disappeared in the hugs of his siblings and his parents as they joined their children. "Smart woman." He tossed his keys up and caught them as he turned to her. "I need to be heading home now. I told Spencer, and I'll pass it on to you as well, that if you need to talk about anything that happened this week, feel free to give me a call."

Whitney smiled as she hugged him briefly. "Thank you again for all your help and support. I doubt we would have done so well without you."

"You underestimate yourself, but you're welcome." Lifting a hand in farewell to the Gideon family, he climbed into his car and drove off as Whitney walked toward the house. Sarah wrapped her up in a hug as the kids tugged Spencer into the house, and Jason winked at her before ushering them in ahead of him to the welcome home party for the one who had finally come back to them all.