"..I hope to wrap this story up soon so I can start writing some other crap. Keep in mind that you can still enter my CM Ladies Contest. So far, there's not that many entries...R&R...?"

Pain-Chapter 16

Viva New York

Spencer Reid slept through the rest of the drive. He woke up with Penelope Garcia shaking him awake.

"Where are we?" Reid grumbled, trying his best to sit up.

"Look around you." she smiled back. Reid looked around, seeing signs lit up everywhere- all of them flashing the same name.

New York, New York.

Seeing the look of amazement on Reid's face, Garcia continued talking. "Well, JJ said she wanted to show you around after the case we had with the justice killer, and we both felt kinda bad that you couldn't see it. So, I decided that we should take a look around." Garcia smiled.

"Garcia, this is amazing!"

"I know sweetie; I just hope you can handle all of this." she joked. "I called the Smithsonian Museum and booked a tour, by the way," Garcia added slyly.

"Really?" Reid asked, sounding like a five year old child excited to be getting a new toy.

"Yeah, and then I'm taking you out for ice cream. Come on, we have to leave now if we're going to make it in time." With a smile on their faces, Garcia and Reid drove off until the reached they reached the museum's parking lot...

Derek Morgan felt like crying by the time Aaron Hotchner had left his apartment. He was right about Reid, though. He did want him back. He didn't deserve him, though. As he weighed out the pros and cons of begging Reid to take him back, he sighed. He already knew what he wanted, and he knew what he had to do next. Morgan reached for his phone and dialed the too-familiar number.

"Hotch." the other lined answered.

"Hotch, I know what I have to do." Derek answered.

"Good; do you want me to drive?" Hotch asked.

"No, I think I can manage to drive to his apartment-"

"He's in New York." Hotch interrupted.

"Wait-what? Why is he in New York?" Morgan questioned, pressing for answers that he knew wouldn't come.

"He's with Garcia. She told me that he was acting pretty down at work, and she wanted to cheer him up. They were going to go to Las Vegas, but Reid's mom just had a change in medication, and she's still adjusting." Hotch explained. "Do you want me to drive?" Hotch asked again.

"Yeah, sure." Morgan sighed. "How long do you think it'll take for you to get-" A knock on the door interrupted him, though. "Sorry Hotch, someone's knocking on my door." When Morgan answered the door, he smiled.

"Damn, that was fast."

"I never left, you know." Hotch smiled back.

"Alright Mr. FBI, let's go." Wit a small laugh, the two men headed toward Hotch's car...

Garcia and Reid had a blast at the Smithsonian. They went to almost every exhibit, stopped to listen to the employees as they described certain sites, and occasionally they stopped to watch the smiles on people's faces as they discovered a new fact about their favorite exhibits.

Before they knew it, they were back at the entrance of the museum. Spencer's smile was much wider and much more sincere than it was when they had entered the museum. That alone made Garcia's grin grow.

"Come on, let's go get some ice cream." she said with a giggle at Spencer's playful antics.

"Can we get sprinkles?" Reid asked with fake excitement.

"Only if you're a good boy."

A few minutes later, Garcia and Reid entered a small, no-brand ice cream shop. It was furnished to look like an old-fashioned New York diner complete with mini-stools and red-striped booths. They chose to sit down at a booth in the corner where they could look out the window but still have a decent amount of privacy.

Garcia looked up at Reid, whose eyes looked sunken in and a bit more sad than they had just seconds ago. She was about to say something when her cell phone went off. Spencer didn't even seem to notice the sudden sound; his eyes kept their steady, yet unfocused gaze.

"Garcia here." she greeted.

"Hey Baby Girl, I'm here with Hotch right now, and we're headed off to New York. Before you say anything, I know that I don't deserve him back, and I know that what I did was not acceptable. I just...I just can't live without him, though. I'm coming to apologize, and you can't stop me from doing that." Morgan said, his words rushing out of his mouth.

"I know Morgan, I know." Garcia sighed. "Just...Just call me back when you get here, okay?"

The words 'Morgan' and 'get here' stood out to Reid, and they brought him out of his thoughts. "Morgan's coming?" Reid asked in a small voice after Garcia closed her phone shut.

"Yeah sweetie, he's coming." Garcia replied, offering a sympathic smile afterward.

Then, without warning, Spencer began crying. Garcia immediately jumped out of her seat across from him to sit next to him. She pulled her younger friend's head down onto her shoulder, letting the man cry freely.

"I know Spencer, I know." she whispered. "It's going to be okay, though. I promise..."

Derek Morgan grew antsy in the passenger side of Hotch's car. Aaron Hotchner looked over at Morgan, sensing his discomfort.

"It's going to work out; you know that already." Hotch said.

"Yeah, I know." Morgan sighed.

The rest of the car ride was silent as the two FBI agents sped down the streets and freeways until they finally reached New York. Now, all they had to do was reach New York City. With one last look at each other, the two men braced themselves for the emotional roller coaster they were about to ride..

Neither of them knowing how bad it would actually be until it was too late...

"..For some reason, this was really hard to write. And this wins worst chapter name EVER! R&R...? Oh, little warning: less than 5 chaps left...I think..."