Considering that Spencer had run to his friends to hide, he was doing a pretty good job of hiding from them. Sometime during the wee hours of the morning when he knew they were all mostly asleep, he slipped out of the room they'd put him in and vanished up to the roof of the building. It was open and exposed and everything he probably shouldn't be doing right at the moment. He just didn't care. He climbed up there with an ease he wouldn't have had before and he settled himself down near the chimney to sit and watch as the sun came up.

What little sleep he'd managed to get had been full of bad dreams. It definitely hadn't been soothing. Mostly it'd left him more afraid than he'd been when he'd gone to sleep.

There was so much inside of Spencer's mind and he didn't know how to deal with it. Too much information had come in at once on the tail end of some of the worst days that he could remember. So many things had happened and he felt like he was still reeling underneath all of it. All of this, it was too much. It was too much to ask of any one being. They couldn't expect him to really do all of this could they? How could anyone look at him and think that he was going to be some sort of savior? He could barely keep himself safe! How on earth was he going to manage to save everyone else?

All these thoughts bounced around inside of Spencer's mind as he sat there for hours. Long past sunrise.

The worst part was that Spencer knew what he was going to have to do. Even as he panicked, even as he tried to think of a way out of this, there was a part of him that knew what he was going to have to do. And that terrified him.

He stayed up there until he suddenly realized that the emotions in the house below were starting to border on panicked. Only then did he start to make his way back inside.

Sometimes it still struck Spencer as strange just how much his body had physically changed. Dropping down from the edge of the roof to the ground did nothing to him. No ache, no pain, nothing. He landed easily and only marveled for a second at that. Then he was heading back inside.

All of his friends were waiting in the living room for him. They fell silent at his entrance.

Spencer took one look at them and bit his bottom lip. Understanding though they all had been last night, he could see that a night thinking on things hadn't helped much. The way they were all looking at him wasn't bad but it was different. How could it not be? They knew the truth about him now. They knew what he was and it changed how they saw him. He could see the difference in their eyes. The way they watched him like they weren't quite sure. Were they worried about him? Worried about what he might do to them? Spencer yanked his shields up as high as he could and tried to keep himself from feeling too much from them or hearing any unwanted thoughts.

For the most part Spencer had gotten quite good at controlling all that. Gabriel had helped him accept that sometimes he was just going to pick up on a stray thought here or there. Especially around someone like Sam who thought so loudly. Or he'd pick up stray emotions from people like Dean, who felt everything with an intensity that Spencer hadn't seen matched in anyone else. It was just inevitable that he was going to feel or hear things from people like that. But he didn't want to do that here. Here, now, with everything still so fresh and new between them, he didn't want to do it. He wanted whatever happened between them to be free and honest. Not affected by what his powers picked up.

Unconsciously he started to twist his fingers together in what they all knew was one of his nervous gestures. "Uh, morning, guys."

"Where'd you come from?" Derek asked him.

That was a loaded question if Spencer had ever heard one. He opted not to answer literally, though that reply did spring to mind. Instead he tried to give them a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry. I needed to think and clear my head a little. The only place I could think to do that without leaving the wards I've put up was on the roof. I watched the sunrise. But, I didn't think I would be up there so long. I thought I'd be back inside before any of you began to worry. I'm sorry."

"We were just hoping you were okay." Penelope reassured him.

Spencer's smile softened a little as he looked over at her. Despite his extra senses being under control, there was something about Penelope that was easy to pick up. Easy to be around. She had a wonderful, beautiful soul that almost shone out of her until he dialed his vision back a bit. Her emotions, though, weren't hidden the way that most people tried to do. They weren't the in-your-face kind like Dean's could be. They were just, there. Warm and open. Just like her. It relaxed Spencer even without him realizing it and it gentled his gaze when it fixed on her. "I'm getting there, I think." He reassured her. Then, sighing, he looked around the room, eyes traveling over all of his friends. "I owe you all another apology. I shouldn't have dumped this on all of you and for that, I apologize. This isn't your world nor is it something that many humans can be expected to understand." Especially not ones who'd never even heard of the supernatural before.

It was Aaron who answered for the group and his words weren't really that much of a surprise. "You're our friend, Reid, and in a way, our family. We're here for you whatever you need."

"He's right, pretty boy." Derek added in. He looked a little more relaxed than the others. A little more at ease with everything. There was less tension around his eyes and in his body, and the smile he wore seemed honest. "No matter what shit you throw at us, we're family. We'll be there for you no matter what."

Something inside of Spencer eased ever so slightly at those words. They weren't what he'd expected to hear, yet he couldn't deny that they took just a bit of the pain and fear inside and chased it away. Knowing that he had the support of his team behind him, even if there wasn't anything they could do for him in this situation, was enough. It was more than enough. "Thank you." The words came out soft, just a whisper, yet packed with a wealth of emotion.

Spencer cleared his throat and looked away for a moment to try and gather his composure. When he looked back, he hadn't quite succeeded yet, but he was almost there. The smile he wore only shook slightly around the edges. "Why don't I get us some breakfast and we sit and talk? I imagine you've all come up with plenty of questions through the night. Whatever I can, I'll try and answer."

That was how Spencer once more found himself seated in a chair in the living room with all of his friends around him, answering questions he'd never thought to answer with them. To his surprise, they didn't delve in and ask him about this big evil that was supposed to be fought. No, the questions they asked were the kind of questions anyone new to the supernatural world would ask. They asked him about what was real. When he started to explain some of them, they only had more questions.

He wasn't surprised when their questions turned to cases.

"How many things that we come across are actually the work of some of these creatures?" Aaron asked him.

Spencer sat back and cradled his cup of coffee between his hands. Like he'd offered, he had snapped up breakfast for them. An entire spread of finger foods and coffee for them all to enjoy. Spencer didn't want or need the food but he enjoyed the cup of coffee. Holding it, he took a sip as he tried to think of how to word his answer. "Not as many as you might be thinking. Yes, a lot of the creatures out there kill in specified cycles or with certain rituals, but sometimes they can be spaced too far apart to come under our radar, or the creature's hunting zone is large enough that it's spread over multiple jurisdictions." They all knew that kills through multiple jurisdictions could be hard to pin down because many police stations didn't like to work together. "Some of them the local police don't report to us because, well, they're strange, and they already don't like calling in the Bureau. They really don't want to call them in for something that seems so odd. Besides," Here, Spencer couldn't help but grin, knowing how they'd take this next bit. "Hunters are almost profilers in their own way. They track the signs and omens and are quite skilled at spotting a case in either the paper or through the internet. And many of them have no issue impersonating FBI to work their cases."

"They pretend to be agents?" Derek repeated. His eyebrows were up and he looked surprised. Emily and JJ did as well. Surprisingly, Penelope didn't. She was sort of hiding a smirk behind her cup of tea. Dave and Aaron didn't look surprised either.

"How else are they going to get in there and find out the information that they need?" Spencer asked. He shrugged one shoulder. Maybe it would've bothered him at one point. Now, honestly, it seemed like the least of the crimes he knew Hunters committed.

Still, he could see that not everyone was getting it. Spencer held on to his mug and shifted himself so he sat forward a little. "All right, let me explain this a different way. Let's say you're a Hunter and you've found a case that might or might not be a werewolf. We'll use them, they're not that difficult. Now, werewolves turn during the full moon and they attack their victims and eat their hearts." He saw a few grimaces and nodded his head. "Yes, disgusting, I know. But, bear with me. Now, the case you think you've found has seven dead, but we all know the newspapers only publish so much and cops only release so much information. Things like all the bodies missing their hearts isn't really going to be something that they let be known. So, you look at the rest of it, and you see that they all look like they've been mauled. Maybe even it's suspected that a wild animal did this. If you wanted to find out the truth, you have to go investigate. You have to find out the facts. So you're left with two options here."

Lifting up one hand, he held up one finger. "Go there and break into the morgue when it's closed so you can look at the bodies yourself." He held up another finger. "Or impersonate someone with the authority to be able to interject themselves into the case and gain access to the bodies." Dropping his hand back to his lap, he shrugged. "Either way is breaking the law. But, if you go the second route, not only do you get access to the bodies, you also get access to the rest of the case information. One way you're required to steal almost every bit of information you get. The other way they essentially hand that information to you. Which way would you go?"

"Wow." JJ said slowly. She looked surprised, but just a bit contemplative. "I didn't think about it like that."

"You've never had to." Spencer said. He took a small drink off his coffee and gave a second for his information to settle for them. Then he spoke again. "Their jobs aren't easy. What Hunters do, it's an amazing thing, but it isn't easy. It's dangerous in quite a lot of ways. Yet they still do it."

"But why?"

It was Emily who asked that. Spencer couldn't blame her. He could see how hard she was trying to put all this together in her head in a way that made sense and he couldn't blame her for feeling out of sorts with it. It was a lot to take in. However, he knew this answer wouldn't be any easier to hear. "A lot of them get into the lifestyle after a loss." He thought of Sam and Dean, of Bobby. Of the friends they'd told him about, Ellen and Jo. And he thought of other Hunters he knew of. "Some of them lose a partner through possession. They're either attacked themselves, or, more commonly, they lose someone they care about to some demon or creature. Then, in trying to find out what actually happened, they find out about everything else as well. Knowing about all of it, many of them can't just walk away. It's a lifestyle that takes over, completely. It consumes you." It could take over your life completely until there was no room for anything else. He thought of Sam, who'd tried so hard to get away from the life, who'd done everything he could to try and break free, only to be yanked back in. Granted, Sam's situation was unique. Beings far more powerful than him had been trying to push him a certain direction his whole life. But there were plenty of Hunters out there who'd stuck in the life simply because they couldn't let it go. They couldn't live, knowing what was out there, and not try to help.

"This sounds insane." Derek said. "It's like, there's this whole underground organization that none of us even knew about. It's just been there the whole time, picking up our slack. Damn."

"In a way, yes. But also, no. Hunters aren't that organized. They have their connections, places they can go and people they can call on for favors or for help. There's an older Hunter I know who works mostly from home, doing research and providing support for when people call to check out a Hunter's fake credentials. He pretends to be the boss or Unit Chief or whatever is needed. But mostly, Hunters operate alone. They're solitary beings who don't really like dealing with one another, let alone civilians. Plus, when you live that dangerous of a life, you get in the belief that you shouldn't have anyone close anyways. Because having someone close is dangerous. Thy can be hurt, killed, or used as leverage. That's why a lot of Hunters prefer to work only or to only work with another Hunter if needed."

"That sounds like a lonely life." Penelope said.

"It is."

The room went quiet for a few as Spencer's words were processed. He watched his friends and studied their faces as they thought about what he'd said.

Aaron was the one to finally break the silence. He looked just as calm and controlled as he had at any meeting they'd ever held in the round table room. Somehow he always managed to look the leader even when he wasn't trying. It was a skill Spencer envied. Why couldn't someone like Aaron have been picked for the role that Spencer found himself cast in? Why couldn't they choose someone like him? He'd be able to do what was necessary. Aaron was the type who would be able to fight and to lead. Not someone like Spencer.

"Are there any sort of protections we can employ against all this?" Aaron asked him.

Surprise had Spencer's eyebrows going up. Then, to their surprise, he snorted. Why on earth hadn't he thought of this himself? Leave it to Aaron to focus on the safety of his team first. That was just the type of person he was. All of this would no doubt be processed more in depth later on. For now, he was gathering answers, trying to make sure that his friends would be safe. "Absolutely. There are protections against some things. I can show you some sigils to help ward a room and I can mark you with an anti-possession symbol so that there's no way you'll be able to be possessed by demons. I can also make sure that you all know some of the things to fight off something on the off chance it ever attacks you."

That was exactly what he did for the next half an hour. Spencer snapped up a sketch pad and pen and drew the sigils for them that would help to ward a room. He made sure to explain what each and every one of them were and what they did as well as ways to take them down. Then, he walked them through some simple Hunting. Silver for werewolves, salt to repel spirits, things like that. It felt so strange to be teaching all of these things to them and yet it eased a bit of the tension inside of him to know that he was actually helping to keep them safe. He'd been able to be with them before to help keep them safe from things like this. Now, without him there, at least they'd stand a fighting chance on keeping themselves safe. Even if it was only until they were able to get a hold of him and have him come help.

One other thing he did, which he hadn't been sure he'd be able to, was giving them the anti-possession tattoo himself. Instead of sending them out to get their own ink he offered to try and put it on himself.

It wasn't that surprising that Derek was the one to offer to be his test dummy. He grinned and stood with Spencer in the middle of the room, spreading his arms out wide. "Lay it on me, kid."

Spencer chuckled and shook his head. Then, he lifted one hand between them and wiggled his fingers. "Where do you want it?"

Of course Derek picked somewhere obvious. What was it with these muscled men and wanting something like this on display? Spencer reached out to where Derek indicated and laid his palm over the very same spot that Dean and Sam had their tattoos.

It only took a bit of focus and a little swell of grace. When Spencer drew his hand back, the symbol was on Derek's skin just as perfectly as any tattoo. Derek looked down at it and grinned. "Nice. And that'll keep me from being possessed?"

"By demons. No demon will be able to use you as their meat suit without first breaking through that sigil." Spencer confirmed. "And, if they have you long enough to try to break through that sigil, you're already in trouble."

Aaron came next, choosing the back of his shoulder for his. Next was Dave, who surprised Spencer by picking his ankle. When he saw Spencer's surprise he just flashed a grin. "I'm not after putting it on display. Let them work to try and find it."

JJ picked the back of her shoulder as well. Emily, much to Spencer's amusement, pulled up her shirt a little and had him put it around her belly button. She and everyone else laughed at Spencer's blush when he laid his hand against her skin.

Last was Penelope. She debated for a moment before finally shrugging and offering her own ankle as well. "I think Rossi's got it right. I'd rather they not notice it right away and try to get rid of it. An I don't think other people need to see it either."

That was all of them. Spencer had them all marked and he couldn't deny the release of tension he felt at it.

They were all sitting back down when JJ asked him "What about you, Reid? Do you have one, too?"

Spencer smiled. "I don't need one. If any demon tried to possess me, it'd destroy them in an instant. Demons don't really stand up against grace."

"Grace?" Penelope repeated.

"It's what angels are essentially made of. My grace is also mixed with my soul, but actual angels don't have a soul."

Everyone was staring at him again and Spencer squirmed a little underneath it. He knew what was coming even before Emily shook her head and said "I still can't believe it. You're an angel. An angel."

Uncomfortable, the young fledgling ducked his head a bit and stared down at his coffee. "Fledgling." He corrected automatically. When he looked up and saw their confusion, he hurried to clarify. "I'm a 'baby angel' in their eyes. My grace didn't kick in until I died in Georgia. So, essentially, I'm the youngest angel in existence. A kid. That makes me a fledgling to them. Which, if you think about it, makes everything they expect of me that much more ridiculous." He couldn't stop the words that came tumbling out next. They were words that had been playing inside his head most of the morning. "I'm a child in their eyes. My grace is still young and small in comparison to theirs. Yet somehow they expect me to be the one to stop this great darkness that's coming for us. This is something that scares even the archangels. They're afraid that they don't have the power in them to stop this, so what on earth makes them think that I can? What hope do I have when four of the most powerful beings on the planet aren't even sure that they can do it?"

"You can't think of it like that, Reid." Derek said suddenly. He was sitting up in his chair now and had better turned himself towards Spencer. His chair was right beside Spencer's and he leaned forward just enough that the space felt smaller.

"What are you talking about?" Spencer asked.

"Think of it like this, kid." Leaning forward a bit more, Derek fixed him with that steady gaze of his that left Spencer feeling like the man could see straight down to the grace inside of him. For the moment it was like it was just the two of them in the room, no one else. "If they hadn't told you about this big destiny of yours, if there was no prophecy about you and this big bad thing, what would you be doing?"

Spencer flinched. He knew exactly what he'd be doing. "I'd fight." He whispered.

"So why is this any different?"

"Because they're expecting me to save them!" The words ripped their way out of Spencer. He clenched his hands around his mug and his wings shivered behind him. His eyes, when he lifted them, were wide and just a bit wild. "They're not looking to add another soldier to their army, Morgan. It's like they're…they want me to be their general or something. I can't do that! I can't be this big, magical being that's supposed to save all of Creation! They're acting like I'm the only hope of stopping this, and if they're pinning all that hope on me than we're doomed, because there's no way in hell I'm anyone's savior."

"Hey." Derek cut in sharply. "You're a hell of a lot more than you think you are, Reid. Even if you don't see it, the rest of us do." One of his hands gestured towards the silent circle of friends watching them. "You've always been amazing. You're just, more amazing than we realized. I've put my life in your hands countless times before and never doubted your ability to keep me safe. That hasn't changed."

"This isn't a job, Morgan. This is fighting against a darkness that could consume everything as we know it. You'd really want to trust the fate of Creation to… to me?"

"Yes."

There was no hesitation in Derek's reply. Spencer stared at him, stunned. He turned to look at the others, maybe hoping that they would argue, that they might say something about this, but he found them all watching him unwaveringly, no hesitation or argument in their stares.

Derek smiled at him. "We trust you, Reid. I trust you. Sometimes I think there's no one I trust more. If there's anyone out there who has a chance at finding a way to stop this, it's you. I'd put money on it. An not because of some fantastic powers or some great destiny. But because you're you." Reaching out, he laid a hand on Spencer's arm, giving it a firm squeeze. His eyes were serious as they stayed locked on Spencer's. "You are the smartest man I know, Reid, and one of the absolute best. You care about everyone and you are stronger than anyone I've met. No matter what life throws at you, you never let it knock you down. You just keep on going. You're smart, kind, compassionate, and brave. I know you'll do everything in your power to win this. I've got faith in you, Reid. Even if you don't."

Emotion clogged Spencer's throat. There was no way he could hold Derek's gaze after that. His eyes dropped down and he stared down at the mug he still held. Hearing words like that from someone that knew him, had known him over the years in both the good and bad, meant more to him than anything.

"Besides," Derek said, suddenly smiling at him. "It's not like you're gonna be alone for this."

Spencer's gaze snapped back up to him. "What're you talking about?"

"I'm coming with you."

A stunned silence fell over the room. Then, gaping at him, Spencer found he could only say one thing. "What?"