Part 2; August 20, 10: 10 a.m


At first Morgan had thought that Reid was playing some kind of twisted game and was about to say something in the line of, "Come on Pretty Boy, stop playing", but by the level state of the golden eyes before him, he knew it wasn't that.

This version of Reid truly believed that Spencer wasn't there. Fuck, it was clear now his friend was in the middle of a psychotic break.

Morgan knew he had to handle this like he was walking on fine glass; barefoot. He needed to fall into damage control mode immediately and play into this version of Reid's delusion.

"Bummer," Morgan murmured in a disappointed tone, "I told him I'd be coming by. Morgan here, who're you by the way?"

"I'm Alex Myshkin," Alex/Spencer said with a lopsided grin and stuck a hand out. "A good friend of Spencer…. So you're the Agent Morgan."

Derek frowned slightly at the stress on 'the' but didn't push it.

"Yea," Derek replied, "I am, pret- um, Spencer and I had our usual breakfast switch this morning. I was to take him out to his favourite coffee joint."

Alex/Spencer wrinkled his nose, in the same way Reid always did when he found something dissatisfying, "I hate coffee."

Now Morgan was really sure this was bad. What part of the Spencer Reid he knew didn't like coffee? Reid practically lived on the stuff to the point where Morgan had once teased Reid that ninety percent of his blood was coffee. That had earned him a glare and twenty-three minute and fifteen second lecture.

This Alex had to be an subconscious disassociate identity that Reid had suppressed over the years and maybe the hurt from last night had caused the conscious Reid to sink into his own mind and allow this personality to emerge.

Fuck, this was worse than bad.

"Um, okay, may I come in then?" Morgan asked.

"Sure, of course," Alex/Spencer replied holding the door open. "Spence would kill me if I turned his precious Morgan away."

Derek shot the man in front of him a look, "His... precious Morgan."

Alex/Spencer perched himself on a bar stool behind the kitchen counter and gave Derek a sympathetic look. "Typical Spencer, I don't know how many times I told him to just admit it but he never did."

"Admit what?" Derek asked with trepidation lacing his words.

"Oh come on Agent Morgan," Alex/Spencer pinned him with a contemptuous look, "If you're such a profiler, how can you not know the Spencer is in love with you?"

Even though he was expecting something like that, the words said in plain English, seemed to both carve something out of Derek's stomach and hit his head with a bowling ball.

"Granted," Alex/Spencer continued, "He tried to tell himself it was only a crush that started from way back when. But every time you kicked down a door or fly-tackled a criminal or when you'd tenderly hold a child victim, Spence fell deeper and deeper."

Derek tried to not grimace, instead he just turned away for a moment before facing the other. "…I honestly didn't know that… Who're you to him though?"

Alex/Spencer gave a lopsided grin, "Me? I'm the person Spencer has been hiding from you all for years. I'm his best friend. His mother introduced us as children."

At that Morgan felt the cell phone in his pocket vibrate, Hotch was calling and this had to be perfect timing.

"'Scuse me." Derek says fishing the device out and swiping the screen.

"Morgan, where are you. You have fifteen minutes to get back here!"Hotch snapped.

Derek shot an apprehensive look at not-Spencer who was now putting some bagels to toast. "Hi Hotch, Spencer ain't here."

Hotch was silent for a while, "... What do mean Agent Reid isn't there? I can hear someone in the background."

"Yeah man, I know that but…." Morgan said making sure to stress the most prominent words that would clue Hotch in, "Spencer isn't here."

"Agent Morgan," Alex/Spencer called over his shoulder the butter knife up, "Would you like one?"

Pausing to slightly tilt his phone so Hotch could hear, "No thanks Alex, where did you say Reid went again, his boss wants to know."

Alex/Spencer dusted his hand off a towel, "Ah, the famous Aaron Hotchner, the unmovable chief of the BAU. I don't know really, Spence just grabbed his bag and left. He was mumbling about finding some book his mother once to read to him. Hmmm, these blueberry bagels are amazing. Are you sure you don't want one?"

Morgan gave him a strained smile while shaking his head, "Pretty sure. Heard that Hotch."

"…Morgan, I'm sending JJ to you right now and I'll tell her how to handle this. I have to pull Garcia, Seaver and possibly Todd from counter-terrorism for emergency purposes. Prentiss, Rossi, and I will have take lead on this case. Morgan, figure this mess out and do whatever you can to get Spencer back."

"Will do Hotch."

A deep guttery moan came from behind him and Derek turned to see Spencer liking raspberry jam off his index finger.

Every muscle in Derek's body went tight. Was that the sound he would hear in the bedroom, with Spence under him and groaning uncontrollably from the pleasure Morgan was unrepentantly giving him?

Alex/Spencer eyed him, "So, what did the stoic unit chief want with Spencer?"

Trying to look unconcerned Derek shrugged off his jacket not disregarding how the younger man's eyes followed the flex of his chest with a light of interest. Hopefully that was some indication that the same Spencer who had kissed him last night was in there somewhere.

"Nothin' much, just wanted Reid to come in and go over the results of a custodial interview he did a week ago." Derek said casually, "Hey man is there any beer in here? Reid always stocked up for when I come by."

Alex/Spencer rolled his eyes but moved to the fridge and took out a dark bottle, "Really Morgan, it's barely ten o'clock."

"So?" Morgan reached out and took the bottle from him, making sure to let their fingers brush. The slight flush he got from that move made his suspicions about the real Spencer was still in there somewhere. "It's five somewhere man."

"Touché," Alex/Spencer drawled in that same dry sardonic drawl of his. "So, are you going to do it?"

"Do what?" Derek asked after popping the cap.

"Tell Spencer how you feel about him," Alex/Spencer said as he leaned back but still held Morgan's eyes. "Your kindness is killing him you know. Why are you holding back?"

Morgan ran a hand over his head and sighed, "The Bureau specifically prohibits fraternisation. Reid has his whole career before him; this, putting bad guys behind bars is his life, if he's found in delinquency; that will kill him."

"So you're holding back to protect him while he pines away? Do you see how unquestionably paradoxical that is? No Morgan, by staying away you are the one who's killing him." Alex/Spencer said shrewdly.

Morgan was about to say something when the doorbell rang. Damn, JJ had to have driven like a bat out of hell on the wings on the wind to get there so quickly.

Alex/Spencer squinted at the door, "Who's that?"

"Hell if I know," Derek shrugged as he stood up, "I'll get it though."

"Fine," Alex/Spencer replied as he stood up too and went back into the kitchen.

Sighing in relief at Alex/Spencer's apparent disinterest Morgan went to the door and opened it to see JJ standing there with a pronounced discomfort on her face.

"Hi JJ," Morgan said as calmly as he could, "Come in, whatcha doing here?"

JJ smiled even though the edges were a bit strained if you looked too hard, "Thanks Morgan, I came to see if Spence would come by. Henry's been taking my ear off about wanting to see his 'Uncle Penner', where's Spence by the way?"

Good, she was playing the role.

Derek frowned, "You mean Hotch didn't tell you? Reid is AWOL, JJ. He just skipped town."

Shrugging of her coat JJ sported a concerned look on her face, "Really, that's not like him. Do you know where?"

"Who knows," Alex/Spencer said as he ambled out from the kitchen, his lanky body sporting a relaxed grace no one ever knew he had. His hips rolled with confidence and his head was up too. "Spencer was always a law unto himself."

Needless to say JJ was shocked to her core; no one had ever seen Spencer like this before.

A cocky grin crossed Alex/Spencer's face, "Ah, you must be the lovely Jennifer Jeaureu."

JJ smiled a bit and held out her hand to him, "I am, and you are?"

"Alex Myshkin," Spencer said reaching out to shake her hand, "Ty ochen' krasivaya devushka."

JJ"s blue eyes widened a bit and she gave a soft confused laugh, "I'm sorry?"

Spencer's butterscotch eyes glimmered, "So Spence never told you that you're a beautiful woman in flawless Russian before?"

"No," JJ shot a look to Morgan, "And I didn't even know he spoke Russian."

Alex/Spencer shrugged, "His mother used to read a lot of Dostoyevsky when he was younger, but the English version. He was ten when he decided to enjoy it the real language and went to study it."

"T-that's surprising," JJ said looking even more worried now, "Looks like Spence has a lot of things we don't know about."

Alex/Spencer laughed and perched himself on the arm of the recliner, "You don't know the half of it."

"What do you mean?" JJ asked.

"He was in love with you Jennifer…well, once upon a time," Alex/Spencer said bluntly, "Do you recall how much he stammered asking you to the Redskins game? Eventually though it simmered to a fraternal affection. He saw you as a big sister and respected your love for Will."

Now that was like dropping a bolder onto JJ's mind but even with her shock she recovered quickly, "I…honestly didn't know that. But, I've seen him in love with that movie star, Austin I think?"

Alex/Spencer tilted his head, "He was… but then the whole issue with her father shut it down quickly."

JJ frowned, "Are you sure you can tell us this? Reid is a private person, he might be mad with you for divulging his secrets."

A piano hand waved negligently, "Reid knows who I am. I told him a long time ago that I can't hold secrets. I'm pretty sure he didn't tell you that his sexuality is fluid either. He doesn't care about the sex of the gender identity; it's the person behind it he's drawn to."

JJ shifted on her seat and her discomfort was apparent in her face, "Well…that… doesn't surprise me but I think it's better to hear those kinds of things from Spence."

They were both drawn to Alex/Spencer's low chuckle, "Jennifer, do you know that you are the only one Spencer allows to call him 'Spence'."

He then slanted a sly eye to Derek, "… Just like he only allows Morgan to call him 'Pretty Boy' of 'kid' and Garcia with her… well everything. Growing up Spencer hated nicknames; it's so good to know that he found a family in you guys…" Alex/Spencer sighed and shifted on his feet and looked down in such a familiar gesture of Spencer. "…It's so much better than the one he grew up with anyway."

The mention of Spencer's abusive father, his affected mother and how he had to grow up faster than he had ought to, made JJ's eyes start to tear up. Morgan knew it was time to get out before she lost her composure.

"Oh," Morgan said while checking his watch before slipping his mirrored shades on, "I think we need to leave, I spotted our numbers on the fridge. Hey Alex, give us a call us if Spen- Reid shows up?"

Alex/Spencer grinned at the near slip-up, and leant into Morgan, "Will do Agent."

JJ stepped forward in a clear sign to hug Spencer but when she remembered this wasn't Spencer she stepped back with pain at the edge of her eyes. "Thank you Alex, it'll help a lot."

With a nod to the man now behind them Morgan placed an arm around JJ's shoulders- her shaking shoulders- and directed them out.

Admirably, JJ held out to they got to the last floor and only when they were out the door did the tears start to run down her face. Her chest heaved and soft sounds were in her throat but she didn't outright cry.

Morgan pulled her on his chest and pressed his cheek on the topside of her trembling head, "I know JJ…but we'll figure this out."

The ride to headquarters was done in shocked but contemplative silence.


TBC... comments and critiques are welcomed.