A/N: Okay, I know I really don't have any excuse when it comes to how long it took me to post this chapter. I am so, so sorry, but let's just say that among other things, a really bad case of writer's block hit me and I had no idea what I wanted to say. Well yeah, I do know what I want to happen in future chapters, but I didn't know how I wanted to get to that point. Again, I know that's no excuse, and I'm sorry again, but I hope people are still reading this story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: See my profile.
Chapter Nine: Time to Come Clean
Even though they had both just decided that telling Hotch what was going on was really their only option, Morgan still didn't want to answer his boss's question. "Hotch, can't this wait?" Morgan asked exasperatedly.
"You know it can't, Morgan," Hotch told him. "We still have a case to solve here. And I need both of your heads in this. Otherwise, if your performance suffers, I will have no choice but to report your relationship to Chief Strauss."
"Hotch, no-!" Morgan began, but Hotch interrupted him.
"Morgan, I cannot be seen to have been hiding your relationship if it affects your work, you know that," Hotch reminded him. "Otherwise the whole team will be in jeopardy."
"Hotch is right, Morgan," Reid spoke up. "We have to tell him what's going on. I thought we just agreed on that."
Morgan sighed. "I know, Spence. I know. I just… I don't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he's gotten to us."
"Better that than not being able to solve this case because we just let him keep on attacking us like he has," Reid pointed out.
Morgan nodded, reaching out blindly and clutching Reid's hand in his own for support. "Okay. Okay." He looked over at Hotch, nodding again.
"Just tell me, Morgan," said Hotch. "What on earth has gotten you so angry at Masters?"
"He's verbally abusing Spencer, Hotch," Morgan said. Hotch's expression didn't change, but both Reid and Morgan could tell that he was surprised.
"What did he say exactly?" Hotch asked.
"You mean what he said to Spencer himself, or what he said to me behind Spencer's back?" said Morgan, his anger beginning to rise again. "He expected me to join in, Hotch. He expected me to say those things-" Morgan choked up and he fell silent, unable to keep talking. He just couldn't believe that anybody could say those things about Reid. His Reid. His kind, sweet, beautiful, amazing Reid. And if anyone did not deserve to be insulted and abused like that, it was him.
Reid squeezed Morgan's hand as a sign of reassurance. "I'll tell him," he whispered to Morgan. Speaking up again, he said, "I… I don't really want to go into specifics, but at first he was just insulting me to Derek, and then he said no one should be as smart as I am and that I have no right being in the FBI. He said that I, and people like me, deserved to be treated the way he was treating me. And that's just what he said to Derek. Today, he found out I was gay, and… well, let's just say that things would've gotten a whole lot worse if Derek hadn't walked in when he did."
Hotch watched Morgan and Reid for a while, scrutinising them. "We'll need to report this to Detective Gordinski," he decided.
"What? Hotch, no!" Reid gasped. Morgan turned to stare at him like he'd lost his mind.
"Spencer, why the hell not?" Morgan demanded. "He's verbally abusing an agent of the FBI! That's a serious issue!"
"I know it is," Reid said. "But there is something far more important than how Masters is treating me right now. This case. We need to solve this case; it takes precedence. We can't be worrying about anything else right now."
"Reid's right, Morgan," Hotch said before Morgan could protest. "We need to solve these murders first, and any official complaint against Detective Masters will seriously hamper our investigation."
"We're reporting this after the case," said Morgan shortly. "And don't you dare argue with me, Spencer. You know it needs to be done."
"I wasn't going to argue with you, Derek," Reid replied, to Morgan's shock. "What he said really, really hurt me. It played to my weaknesses. And I am sick and tired of lying down and letting people walk all over me. I just don't want whatever Masters has against me to prevent us from solving this case."
"I will make sure that Masters doesn't work with you though, Reid," said Hotch. "I don't want him to try anything again."
"Not arguing with that," Reid muttered.
"I don't want you working with him, either, Morgan," Hotch ordered. "I don't want him saying anything to you that could cause you to retaliate and do something you'll regret."
"I wouldn't regret anything that would hurt Masters," said Morgan darkly.
"That's exactly my point," said Hotch. "Despite you thinking that he deserves it for what he's been saying, I don't want you doing anything you'll regret later. And I don't think Reid would be too happy with you, either."
"No, I wouldn't," Reid agreed.
"I'll make sure he's working with Gordinski or me," Hotch continued. "He isn't likely to try anything in front of either of us."
"Thanks, Hotch," said Reid. "Really."
"Yeah, same here, Hotch," Morgan added. "I understand we're putting you in a kind of difficult position here."
Hotch hesitated before speaking again. "You're in my team, Morgan," he said. "It's my job to protect the both of you, especially in situations like this. I'm going to need the both of you back inside." Without a backwards glance, Hotch turned and walked back into the police precinct.
"I think that's as close to an 'I love you guys' as we're ever going to get from Hotch," Morgan commented as he watched the retreating figure of their unit chief. "You could definitely tell that's what he really wanted to say."
Reid couldn't help but smile at that comment. "Whatever you say, Derek," he said, shaking his head. "We really should get back inside. Hotch and the others are waiting for us."
Reid moved to head back inside, but Morgan held out a hand to stop him. "Hang on a sec," he said.
"What is it?" Reid asked, concerned. Morgan looked around the car park, making sure that no one else was around, before leaning close to Reid and pressing a long, tender kiss to his lips.
"That was as much for me as it was for you," Morgan said. "I just really, really needed to kiss you right then. Get rid of some of this pent-up aggression I have towards Masters." Morgan rested his forehead against Reid's, something they both loved doing. "I love you so much, pretty boy."
"I love you too, Derek," Reid replied, closing his eyes. "I don't think I've ever wanted to solve a case more than I do right now."
"Well, let's go inside and solve it then, shall we?" Morgan grabbed Reid's crutches, and held them out for the genius so he could stand properly. Both Reid and Morgan were well aware that Reid didn't need Morgan's help to do this, but both of them knew that this was something Morgan needed to do. He needed to assure Reid- and himself- that he was right there whenever Reid needed him.
Heading back inside the precinct, Morgan found that the rest of the team was studiously not looking at them, instead focusing on their work. Whether this was because Hotch had said or done something, or whether they just realised that this wasn't something that they should be talking about, Morgan didn't know. Either way, he was grateful. He knew this wasn't going to last, though. As soon as someone on the team got a moment alone with him or Reid, they would ask them. And that wasn't a question that Morgan wanted to answer.
Morgan was also very pleased to find that Detective Masters was nowhere to be seen. He knew this was Hotch's doing, and he found that he'd never been more glad to have Hotch as his Unit Chief. However tough and strict and humourless Hotch could be sometimes, he knew how to protect and take care of his team. He always had their best interests and their well being at heart.
Even though he knew that Hotch would make sure Masters wouldn't be working anywhere near them, Reid couldn't help but glancing up throughout the day, afraid that Masters was watching him or was about to walk into the room. Reid knew that Morgan had noticed this, and he didn't want his lover to worry, but Reid couldn't help himself. He remembered from high school what people like this were like. Masters would come back into the room just when Reid had dropped his guard, just when he least expected it.
However, it wasn't until the very end of the day that the two of them saw Masters again. Even though they knew they were on the clock, and that another body could very well turn up sometime during the night, there wasn't anything else that they could do, and so they were heading back to the hotel. As the team was walking out of the precinct, they walked past Masters talking to another detective by his desk. Masters looked up, watching both Reid and Morgan go with an unreadable expression. Reid almost shuddered. The feeling of Masters watching him creeped him out. He definitely didn't want to know what the other man was thinking as he watched him- probably exactly what to say so that he could hurt Reid the most.
Morgan couldn't talk to Reid on the drive to the hotel. While the two of them were in the same SUV, JJ was in there too, and they didn't really want to talk in front of her. Despite the fact they both knew it was probably impossible, they wanted to keep what was happening from the team for as long as possible. Neither of them wanted to give Masters the satisfaction of knowing that he got to them, and Reid didn't want the team to feel sorry for him. That was one of the things Reid hated more than anything else. It was bad enough that Morgan felt so sorry for him.
"You okay?" Morgan asked when they arrived at their hotel room.
"Even if I say I am, you're not going to believe me," said Reid. "So I'm just not going to answer that question."
"So you really are a genius," said Morgan. "But seriously, answer the question."
"Better than I was," Reid admitted. "Although I couldn't shake the feeling all day that Masters was watching me."
"I noticed that," said Morgan. "I have to admit, I had to keep making sure he wasn't there too. I mean, I trust Hotch to keep Masters away, but the man is as oily as a snake. I wouldn't put it past him to get around Hotch's watch."
"We need a plan, then," said Reid. "We need to think of what to do just in case he does work his way around Hotch."
"Alrighty then. But we're not planning without you being comfortable." Without a word of warning, Morgan lifted Reid's legs and swung them onto the bed. He then cuddled in close to his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around Reid's slender frame.
"What're you doing?" Reid said, chuckling slightly.
"Making you comfortable, of course," said Morgan, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He brushed Reid's hair aside, even though it wasn't in the younger man's face. His fingers were gentle, brushing lightly against Reid's skin. Reid shivered slightly at Morgan's touch. He loved the feeling of Morgan's fingers on his skin; hell, he loved the feeling of any part of Morgan against his skin.
"So, what are… what are we going to do?" Reid whispered, speaking before he lost himself in thoughts of Morgan.
"You, pretty boy, are not going to be anywhere without somebody else on the team," Morgan declared. "I would say you're sticking with me, but with just the two of us around, if Masters came across us he'd probably try something. But if you were with somebody else on the team…"
"He probably wouldn't say or do anything so he wouldn't get caught," Reid finished. "Makes sense. Especially since he doesn't know that we've already told Hotch. I mean, he may suspect that something's up, but I almost certain he wouldn't suspect we've told. I know guys like him. Bullies. They always think they have power over you. They think they have so much power over you, that you would never even dream of telling anyone what they're saying and doing."
Morgan raised an eyebrow, examining Reid's face. "You've been profiling him, haven't you?" he accused.
"It's my job, isn't it?" Reid defended. "And I was always told by Hotch- and by Gideon- that the best defence is a good profile. The better I understand Masters, the better I can defend myself against whatever he says to me."
"All right, all right, genius boy, I get it," Morgan laughed. "You don't need to explain yourself to me. Especially to me. Because I love you, Spence." He touched Reid on the nose with one finger, causing the genius to laugh in shock.
"I know you love me. I love you too," said Reid, pressing a long, slow kiss to Morgan's forehead before kissing his lips. "Which is why I know what you're thinking right now, Derek. No, you cannot hurt Masters to get back at him for hurting me."
Morgan opened his mouth to argue against Reid, but seeing the look on Reid's face, he closed it again. Morgan should've known better than to try and lie to Reid or keep anything from him- Reid knew him better than anybody else in the world. "Okay, Spencer, I'm not gonna lie… I have been thinking about hurting Masters. I have never wanted to punch anybody more than I want to punch him. But can you blame me?"
"No, I guess I can't," said Reid. "It's that whole protective nature of yours, isn't it? You have to keep those closest to your heart as safe as you possibly can."
"Yep, exactly. And you are the absolute closest to my heart. Hell, you are my heart."
"There's some joke in here about the kick-butt, macho FBI agent being all corny and sentimental," Reid laughed, causing Morgan to swat him playfully on the side of the head.
"Oh you're hilarious, pretty boy. Just laugh it up. Really." Which is exactly what Reid did; he continued laughing, more to annoy Morgan than because of the humour in what he had said. "Alright, fine. I know exactly how to shut you up." Morgan's lips met Reid's, pressing hard together until Morgan felt Reid stop laughing and still. It wasn't long until, instead of remaining frozen, the younger man began to kiss back, his lips moving against Morgan's in a steady, slow rhythm.
It was several long minutes before Reid and Morgan broke apart and just watched each other, Reid panting slightly. "You definitely know how to shut me up…" he breathed. "Maybe you should do it more often."
"Maybe I should," Morgan agreed. "Because shutting you up also shuts your brain down, and while I love that brain of yours, you're a lot more forward with me when you're not using it."
"It's because I over-analyse things," said Reid. "It hasn't served me wrong in the past."
"I don't disagree with that," said Morgan. "But maybe, right now, you shouldn't listen to your brain. Maybe you should just listen to what your heart and your body want."
"I think you know very well what my heart and my body want, Derek Morgan," Reid whispered, looking his lover right in the eye.
"Oh, really? Do I?" said Morgan, his hands edging towards the buttons on Reid's shirt. "Is it something like this?" He began unbuttoning Reid's shirt, undoing each button slowly and deliberately, his fingers ghosting over Reid's skin as he did so. Reid almost whined as the rough padss of Morgan's fingers tickled his chest and moved far too slowly to create the sensations that Reid really wanted to feel.
"You are too much of a tease sometimes," Reid said, and before Morgan could react to stop him, Reid had unbuttoned his own shirt and taken it off, throwing it across the room. There was a glint in Reid's eye, Morgan noticed. A look of pure want and need; a look of hunger that Morgan absolutely loved. Because when Reid was in a mood like this, he was capable of nearly anything. "Strip for me," Reid ordered. "Now."
Grinning, Morgan kissed Reid hungrily before sliding backwards off the bed and standing. "Your wish is my command, baby boy," he said. He began to slowly pull his shirt over his head, noticing as he did so Reid unbuttoning his own pants and letting out a long sigh of happiness.
*CMxSRxDMxFF*
True to Morgan's word, Reid was not left alone without another member of the team the next day. While no one else save for Reid, Morgan and Hotch knew the reason for this, the rest of the team knew that something was going on, and so they were perfectly happy to keep Reid company.
That day, it was JJ's turn. "You okay, Spence?" she asked as Reid bent over a file, writing furiously.
"Fine," Reid said without looking up. He was too absorbed in his work to be really paying attention to JJ.
"Are you sure?" JJ pressed. "You seem a bit distracted. Which is unusual for you." JJ always picked up on these kinds of things when it came to Reid. He was her best friend, and like Morgan she had a strong protective instinct for him. Although in JJ's case, that instinct was for a man who was like her brother. Her family.
"It's nothing to worry about, really, JJ," Reid assured her. "Hotch is taking care of it."
"Are you and Morgan…?"
"Yes," said Reid quickly, cutting off JJ's sentence. "Yes, we're all good. We're definitely good, JJ."
"You know, you can tell me what's going on," JJ said to Reid. "You can trust me."
"I know I can," Reid sighed. "But I… I don't want what's going on to get in the way of us solving this case. And Hotch agrees with me. After we've solved this one, well… it'll probably come out anyway."
"And you're okay with that?" said JJ. Reid opened his mouth, but then closed it again when he realised he didn't actually have an answer. He looked down at his twitching fingers- his nervous tic- and thought about it. For a big part of Reid, that answer was no. He didn't want anybody to find out about what Masters had said to him. He didn't want anyone to hear that and feel sorry for him; he didn't want anyone's pity. He hated people feeling sorry for him and trying to protect him from feeling pain like that again, even though he was perfectly capable of protecting himself, thank you very much. But on the other hand, Reid wanted to stand up for himself for once. He wanted to show Masters and any other bully that came his way that he wasn't going to put him with the way they treated him. He wanted to show Masters and the rest of the world that he was strong. And he didn't want Masters to get away with what he said.
"Yes and no," Reid admitted finally. "We'll have to wait and see how I feel about it all when that actually happens."
JJ was about to open her mouth to reply, when Prentiss suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking rather saddened. "You two need to come, now," she said.
"What is it?" said Reid quickly, closing the file in front of him, all thoughts of what he and JJ had been talking about disappearing from his mind.
"There's been another murder," said Prentiss. "And, well… they're also sending an ambulance."
"An ambulance?" JJ repeated, confused. "Why?"
"There was a second victim," Prentiss informed them. "She was with a friend, and the UnSub went after them both. He killed her friend first, and then he went after her, but he didn't bank on her being a competitive athlete. She got away from him. Hotch wants the two of you to head to the hospital to talk to her."
"Got it," said Reid. Feeling hopeful that this girl could lead them to their killer, Reid rose from his seat and followed JJ out of the precinct.
A/N: Well, I hope you all enjoyed this long-awaited new chapter. I promise whole-heartedly that I will post the next chapter a lot faster than this one, especially since I'm on my mid-year uni break until the 23rd of July! And if any of you out there are still reading this story, reviews would be very, very much welcomed. They'd be nice to wake up to in the morning :) (seriously, it's nearly 11pm here in Australia and I'm tired for no reason...)
Note from Diamond Cobra: "Sorry I took so long to beta this guys. I received it last night when I was asleep and was at Oz Comic Con today and then forgot to check my phone/email when I got home ."