A/N: tag for yep you guessed it, the episode Jones!

Jones

Morgan and Prentiss slip into the seats in front of Hotch who's going through files at the station, signing off on the case before they can leave New Orleans.

"This an intervention?" Hotch asks plainly after the silent stares go on a little too long.

"Yeah, but not for you," Morgan tells him sternly.

Hotch sighs, closes his eyes and the files, pushing them to one side. "What's on your mind?"

Morgan levels him a look and Hotch stares back pretending he doesn't already know.

"Something's going on with him Hotch, you know it, we know it" he nods at Prentiss, "and Gideon knows it."

The emphasis Morgan puts on 'Gideon' is hard to miss, but before he can open his mouth to comment the man himself appears behind them.

"What do I know?"

"That something's up with Reid." Morgan eyes him head on without apology.

The issue of Gideon's lesser involvement with Reid since Hankel has been brewing for a while now with all of them, but none more so than Morgan who Hotch knows would only gladly step into Gideon's shoes if he could, or moreover if Reid would let him. Unfortunately the reality is that they all have their roles in each other's lives and in Reid's Morgan is his big brother, the one person Reid actually looks up to whether he'd admit to it or not, the one person he desperately doesn't want to appear weak in front of if he can help it.

Next to him Hotch sees Prentiss narrow her gaze at Gideon in some kind of silent communication, suggesting to Hotch that this isn't the first time she's broached this subject with him either.

Gideon sighs heavily, gaze drifting between Morgan and Prentiss. "You two working together on this now?"

"We haven't been talking if that's what you mean, doesn't mean we haven't come to the same conclusion." Prentiss promptly clears that up before there's a misunderstanding.

"I told you, I know something's up with him," Gideon aims his glare at her before encompassing the three of them. "He'll deal with it in his own time, what else needs to be discussed?"

"Come on man, not even you believe that." Morgan shakes his head.

"Jason, Morgan's right. We know Reid has a habit of blocking us out when he's hurting." Hotch weighs in. He'd meant to talk to Reid after returning from Denver, but the outcome of that case hit everyone hard and frankly Hotch was afraid his anger at how it ended would too easily be transferred to the kid. "This could be a problem."

"What could be?" Gideon asks only confirming Hotch's long term suspicions that he is well and truly in denial of Reid's declining situation. "He went through a terrible experience, it's probably PTSD."

"Probably?" Morgan latches onto that one telling word like a bulldog and refuses to let go. "You hearing yourself?"

"Morgan," Prentiss warns tapping his arm, but it enlists no response.

"Come on, man you know you're seeing the same things we are. His first night in the hospital up to his first case back he's showing signs of PTSD. He's quiet, withdrawn, a little scared like we'd expect, but after New York?" He shakes his head, adamantly laying his argument out with a passion Hotch remembers he used to possess. "He changed, instantly." Morgan clicks his fingers. "He's moody, late to meetings, snapping at everyone who talks to him and now lying to us and missing planes. Changes like that do not happen overnight."

"What are you suggesting?" Hotch speaks up, knowing Morgan is leading up to something.

His tone is less challenging when he answers, but no less passionate. "I'm suggesting there has to be a cause for that behaviour. One other than PTSD."

Morgan's eyes slide to Gideon on those last few words making it clear whom here he has a problem with, and why. Prentiss quickly speaks up referencing the slight tremors she's noticed in his hands since the case in Denver. Though not happy Hotch is relived he hasn't been the only one to notice. He'd begun to wonder if his own hyper-vigilant behaviour where Reid's concerned is clouding his judgement a little. Morgan confirms on the last appointment he took Reid to, the doctor seemed concerned about the absence seizures, being as they continued long after the initial head trauma.

"I thought the first doctor he saw first said it was normal?" Gideon pins Hotch with a glare, as if the conflicting statements are his fault.

"She did," Morgan answers, "but obviously it's more complicated than that." He shrugs, folding his arms across his chest.

"How about medications?" Prentiss throws out, breaking the tension, "what if his doctor's prescribed him something and he's having a bad reaction?"

"Then it would be in his records, it isn't." Hotch says flatly revealing only as much as he deems necessary and helpful.

Judging by the looks he's now getting he's just raised further questions they want answering, like why he has access to Reid's private medical file and why has he already checked it? The answers should be obvious. They all know by now that Reid doesn't have a mentally competent next of kin, so who do they think acts medically on his behalf when he's hurt in the field? He'd bet most would assume Gideon, which would have been true up until Boston, but during his six months leave Hotch took on the responsibility and for whatever reason Reid's never asked for it to be changed back. As for why has he checked it? If either of the agents in front of him think he hasn't already gone over all obvious causes for this sudden personality change then they need to brush up on their profiling skills.

"Well what if he's taking something that the doctor hasn't prescribed?" Morgan steps around asking him what he really wants to ask, pulling them back to focus on the issue at hand.

"Something over the counter." Hotch nods seeing it as entirely possible, something Reid would do considering his aversion to hospital trips thus far.

"We all know he's smart, but…" Prentiss winces, clearly not being the one who wants to say it, even though they all think it, but by putting into words would make real.

"He can still act like a dumb kid sometimes." Morgan agrees, having no problems calling them out on their secret opinion.

A small smile is shared. They hate to disparage, and mean no disrespect but bottom line? Reid's a kid. A kid they protect for the excellent and frankly unique abilities he brings to the table. No one sees him as a lesser member of the team, but at the same time they fear Reid really doesn't see how far they do go to protect him and Hotch often worries that as he grows up it'll be difficult for him to understand without prejudice the reason why.

"Okay, say it is medication based," Hotch pursues the idea further. "Strong painkillers and sleep aids have side effects like irritability and inability to concentrate."

"Yeah, but both would make him drowsy and does he really look like he's been sleeping a lot recently?" Morgan points out.

"Then he's taking something to stay awake, he was having nightmares before this..." Prentiss shares a quick guilty look with Morgan who looks directly at Hotch, an unasked question in his eyes.

One which goes completely unanswered.

"Bottom line, Reid often doubts his own abilities, fears losing his place on the team and consequentially us. I bet he'd do anything to not let that happen."

"It wouldn't." Gideon speaks up after remaining mostly silent throughout the conversation.

"But Reid doesn't believe that." Hotch argues his point. Satisfied from Prentiss' comment he'd be breaking no confidence he turns to Morgan, "a year ago when you first told me about his nightmares it was because you knew I should know and you knew he'd never tell me."

"Damn." Gideon curses, as if it's finally dawned on him exactly how wrong he's been about Reid's recovery.

"What?" Prentiss looks between the three expectantly.

"We've always known he struggles to deal with his own emotions. We should have predicted he'd choose to hide from us instead of reach out." Morgan sighs, acknowledging his own failure in not realising this sooner.

"So?"

"So," Hotch starts.

"This could be a lot worse than we imagined." And Morgan finishes, resting his head in his head while Hotch pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Guys the jets fuelled and ready, we should get going." JJ interrupts softly, standing just behind Gideon.

Hotch had seen her hovering in the background and respects her desire to stay out of their conversation. She's the closest age wise to Spencer and the only person who likely treats him as an equal. He doesn't disagree that it's important to maintain that level of friendship – especially now.

"Someone needs to fetch Reid." Prentiss looks between him and Morgan, judging one of them to be the best choice.

"I'll go," Gideon says solemnly walking off before anyone can say otherwise.

Morgan eyes him and then he and Hotch exchange knowing glances, both sharing the same thought, wondering if this is the start of Gideon stepping up.

"God I feel awful." Prentiss says once he's out the door.

"We're only trying to help." Hotch reminds her.

"I know, doesn't make talking about him as if he's case right." She says standing, grabbing her bags.

"It isn't." Morgan snaps, "Wouldn't have had to if I'd done something about this weeks ago."

"Morgan we can't blame ourselves," Emily starts, reaching out to rub his arm.

"Oh really, who should we blame then?" He pins her with a hard glare.

Hotch sees where this is going. They're all relieved to have Reid with them again, but the magnitude of what happened is finally hitting them. They watched their kid being beaten, then killed and revived only to be tortured again and again over two days. They witnessed his tears, felt his fear and experienced his pain. There's going to very little he can hide from them now, and that is what's upsetting everyone the most. Each time he looks at his youngest Hotch no longer sees the sparkle of youthful innocence, if it was ever really there to begin with. Now all he sees reflected back at him in those sad brown eyes is his failure.

"Reid is my responsibility, I sent him and JJ to Hankel's house - you should blame me." Hotch excuses himself from the cluster of people still surrounding the small table, disappearing further into the station before they can tell him otherwise.