I'm really looking forward to this story!

They continued to stare at him. You could almost feel the shock in the room.

"Reid?" Morgan asked softly, "Is there anything you'd like to say to us?"

Reid swallowed, and swallowed again. He glanced at JJ.

"Do you know how he is?" His voice was soft, scared.

JJ slowly shook her head.

"Reid." This time it was Emily talking. She sounded hurt. His eyes lowered. Hotch noticed the kid's discomfort.

"He's Reid's brother," he finally said. All eyes turned on him.

"YOU knew?" Morgan cried out and Hotch nodded.

"Reid told me a few years ago. We both mutually agreed we shouldn't tell anyone else. The less people that knew about this...situation, the better."

Reid closed his eyes. Why was Hotch trying to bail him out when he had done so many wrong things? Like not being there to save Billy.

"Reid?" Morgan said quietly. He looked up, tears were in his eyes. "Is that why you didn't tell us?"

He nodded, slowly.

"That, and I was ashamed. And I felt guilty."

"Why?" Pressed JJ. She seemed stunned as well.

"Because it was my fault that Billy got kidnapped."

"Reid," Hotch said quietly. "We've been through this. It's not your fault-"

"I was supposed to watch him! He was only 13 years old, damn it! And I left him alone, to fend for dinner. Alone so I could study." They saw the pained look on Reid's face and Morgan shook his head, feeling the pain himself. "I...I came home and the glass on the door was broken." He swallowed. They all knew what was coming. "I...I walked in and the house was trashed." His throat cloased. "And Billy...I searched for him everywhere. Billy was gone."

He shook his head, as if to clear it.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you all, but I didn't want to bring it up to anyone, to talk about it. I couldn't..admit outloud my failure to protect him." He bit his lip. "He was only 13," he added in a whisper. "Only 13."

Morgan sighed as he felt pity for the kid for what he had went through. The anger and hurt slowly vanished.

"Reid." His voice was filled with sympathy instead of anger. "It's not-"

"Don't SAY it's not my fault, Morgan! I know it is! I was supposed to watch him! And I didn't! And because of that THIS happened to him!" He gestured to the picture. Anger was in his own voice now, anger at himself. JJ was crying, crying at the pain he was carrying. Emily felt tears in her eyes as well.

"We should go to the hospital," said Rossi suddenly. He had kept quiet throughout the converesations, observing everything, profiling people's reactions to the news. Reid's reactions. Trying to understand everything in his own way. "See how Billy is doing."

Reid nodded. He felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety and nervousness. He tried to get up, but he couldn't. He felt like he was frozen to the chair.

"Reid?" JJ asked. They were at the door. He looked at them.

"Can't move." He sounded so scared, scared of everything their hearts went out to him

"Reid," Hotch said, and spoke in a soft tone. "He's not going to blame you. And I know you don't believe me, but it's not your fault." He walked over to Reid and placed his hand out. "He's not going to hate you," he added and Reid slowly nodded and allowed Hotch to help him up.

"I'll go tell Garcia what's happening," Morgan murmured to Emily. "And I'll see you at the hospital." Emily nodded.

They all left, absorbing this new information and as Reid walked his legs were actually shaking.

He knew Hotch said Billy wouldn't blame or hate him but he also knew that wasn't true.

After all how could Billy NOT hate him or blame him when this all happened because of him?

Would he ever really forgive himself? Could Billy? The answer was no to him. No one could forgive him for what he had done, and no one should.

He deserved to live with this guilt. That was his punishemnt. His punishement for changing Billy's life-forever.

With tears rolling down his cheeks he headed towards the hospital-scared to death of what he'd find. Scared of what the future held.