A/N: OMG, I can't believe it took me this long to post again, I'm so sorry. School can really suck like a bitch sometimes! Anyway, I've finally got another chapter up! And I was actually thinking of ending this after the whole drug addiction saga and making this into a series. Make sure you guys tell me what you think in your reviews!
Warning: This chapter contains spoilers for the episode Jones, as well as drug abuse.

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

Reid sat up breathing heavily; sweat dripping from his forehead as he stared into the darkness. Again, he'd had that dream- Richard Connors beating him, stabbing him, burning him, and injecting him with drugs. The dream always ended with the needle going into his arms, and the drug entering his system. And whenever he woke up, he always ached for more. It was the only thing that could make the nightmares go away, to make sure he slept dreamlessly. The only thing that could stop him craving, even if it was only for a little while.

Reid climbed out of his bed and headed straight for the bathroom, where the vials and the needle were waiting for him. He reached for the needle automatically, his hand gripping it tightly. He reached for one of the vials with his free hand, and loaded up the needle. When Reid was holding the needle over his arm, however, he hesitated. Normally at this moment, all he could think about was how he would feel when the Dilaudid was in his system. This time, another thought crossed his mind- her long blonde hair, her blue eyes, her sweet, loving smile, the feel of her lips on his… JJ. The woman he loved, and who somehow managed to love him back.

As he had on the plane, Reid felt stick to his stomach. He was lying to JJ, hurting her with every injection. He couldn't keep doing this to her, but he couldn't tell her either. He just couldn't; it would hurt her, so badly. It would hurt her to discover that he turned to the drugs to hide the pain, instead of to her. But could he turn to her?

Still holding the needle in his hand, Reid returned to his bedroom and sat on his bed, thinking. On the one hand, the drugs helped him in a way that nothing else could- they helped him forget. On the other hand, JJ cared about him in a way that nobody else did. She wanted to help him; she wanted to be with him. And if he was lying to her, keeping the biggest possible secret from her, they couldn't be and wouldn't be truly together.

She wouldn't understand, a voice, fuelled by Reid's addiction and withdrawal, told him. She'd never understand. Never understand how the drugs help you, how you need them. You don't have to tell her. Keep it a secret from her.

No, Reid countered. I have to tell her. I love her, and she loves me. She deserves to know. She has to know.

But what happens when she does know? Will she hang around with you, when she finds out who you really are? Will she want to be with a druggie, an addict?

Reid held his head in his hands, completely torn. He had no idea what to do. Tell JJ or not, keep using or not. Whatever it was, the needle was now lying abandoned on Reid's bedside table. He was too nervous, too confused to be able to inject himself without something going wrong. Instead he lay back down on his bed, trying to sleep even though he knew the dreams would return.

Which was what happened. The dreams did return, and again Reid remembered the beating, the stabbing the burning… but when it became time for Connors to inject Reid, something happened. The dream changed. Somebody came into the room, stopped Connors from giving Reid the drug, someone who held him, and someone who told him that he didn't need the drugs, that he could survive without him. That someone was Jennifer Jareau.

This time when Reid woke up, his breathing was normal. His face was still wet, but this time from tears. Could that dream mean something? Reid didn't hold much stock in dream analysis, but every other time he'd had that dream, he'd woken up with extreme cravings. This time, while he had woken up with cravings, they were for something- someone- else. JJ. He'd wanted her, not the drugs. Did this mean that she could save him? Did this mean that she would stick by him if and when she found out? Did this mean that she would, without a doubt, find out his secret?

When Reid arrived at work, he fully intended to at least tell JJ that he needed to tell her about something. Really, he did. But cases always came in at the most inopportune times, and this time was no exception. The look on JJ's face told him that this was a bad one; that they couldn't afford to have anything distracting them from finding the UnSub.

"Where are we going?" he asked her when she walked past him at the coffee machine.

"New Orleans," she replied, stopping and handing him a file. "It's a bad one."

Reid flipped open the file, reading the information in front of him. "Their throats were cut, and they were eviscerated," he read.

"It's horrible," she whispered. Without thinking, he reached out and touched JJ's hand gently. As if he suddenly realised where he was, he pulled his hand away. JJ noticed however, and gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Spence," she said.

"What did I do?" Reid asked, confused.

"You showed me you cared," JJ replied. "Even after what you went through, you still showed me you cared."

"It's because I do care," Reid replied. He looked back down at the case file, flipping through the information. Something was missing. "There aren't any crime scene photos in here," he realised.

"I know," said JJ. Reid looked up from the file and at JJ. The smile was back on her face. Reid looked at her; with the confused look he usually wore on his face when he didn't understand somebody's social behaviour. "I took them out," she explained. "I took them out of your file, so you wouldn't have to look at them."

"Why?" Reid whispered.

"Because I care," JJ said. "Now we have a briefing to go to."

When they were on the plane, beginning to get into their true work mode, something else crossed Reid's mind- something he hadn't thought about in a while.

"What're you thinking about, kid?" Morgan asked Reid as the team noticed him.

"I was just thinking about this friend of mine from Las Vegas, Ethan," Reid said. "We grew up competing in pretty much everything. We even joined the Bureau together, but on the first day of training he backed out."

"Maybe he couldn't take the heat," Prentiss joked.

"That's not really for us to judge, is it?" said Reid. The team fell silent, and Reid looked away from them.

"Who's the lead detective on the case?" Hotch asked JJ, trying to fill the silence and tension.

"A Detective William LaMontagne," JJ replied. "His father was working the case pre-Cyclone Katrina, and he took over the case when the new victim was discovered."

"And all the evidence from the previous case?" Gideon asked.

"Washed away in the floods," JJ answered. "All we have to go by is the newspaper articles on the previous murders, the latest victim and the crime scene."

The latest crime scene was where JJ, Morgan and Hotch ended up. A rather good-looking cop walked up to them. "Glad y'all could make it," he said in a heavy Southern drawl. "I'm Detective William LaMontagne."

"Jennifer Jareau, we spoke on the phone," JJ said, holding out her head, which LaMontagne took.

"Well, alright then," he said, his eyes on JJ. When the three FBI agents looked at him, he added, "I pictured you different."

JJ didn't react to LaMontagne's obvious liking to her, instead immediately plunging into questions about the case. Hotch and Morgan raised an eyebrow at each other. Either JJ hadn't noticed LaMontagne flirting with her, or she hadn't been interested at all. They followed LaMontagne towards the body dump location. While both the male agents were close by, he would only talk to JJ.

"I'm just so damn frustrated I can't finish this for my daddy," LaMontagne drawled.

"It's not your fault, detective," JJ assured him. "All the evidence you have washed away in Katrina. You can't help that. You'll solve this case for him, don't worry."

The detective gave her a small smile. "Thank you, ma'am," he said.

As Hotch talked with LaMontagne and JJ and Morgan walked around the crime scene, Morgan spoke up. "You do realise he's flirting with you, right?" he said.

JJ nodded. "Yes," she replied, not even bothering to look at Morgan. "Your point is?"

"He's a good looking guy, JJ," Morgan said. "And he totally has a thing for you. You don't want to do anything about it?"

"Nope," said JJ, still not looking at Morgan.

"Why not?"

Finally JJ turned to look at Morgan, and he realised that she was not happy with him pressing her. "I'm just not interested in LaMontagne, Morgan. He's not my type. Can you just stop trying to push me towards him?"

Morgan's expression was one of shock. "Sorry, JJ," he said. "Really."

JJ gave him a small smile. "It's okay." The two of them turned to watch Hotch and LaMontagne talking. "He is good looking, I'll give you that much. But he's just not the guy for me."

While JJ, Morgan and Hotch had been visiting the crime scene, Reid and Prentiss had been sent to the morgue to see the victim's body and talk with the Medical Examiner.

"It's like they were dissected," the ME was explaining to the two agents. "Just like the other victims. I examined them too; I'll never forget it, even… even after all the bodies I've been through this year."

Prentiss's expression softened, however Reid remained indifferent. He moved towards the victim's body, examining it for himself. She looked at him in shock and opened her mouth to speak, but remained silent. She didn't know whether Reid would get even angrier because she talked to him about it, especially when the ME was still in the room. She really hadn't known him long enough to know how to handle this.

When Prentiss and Reid walked back into the police precinct, they saw Gideon standing at the evidence board, mulling something over. He looked up when they walked in.

"Find anything?" he asked.

"The cases reminded me of something," Reid said, startling Prentiss. "A case. A famous case. One that happened in London 100 years ago."

"Jack the Ripper," Prentiss gasped.

"Okay, Reid, you go and tell Hotch, Morgan and JJ what you just told me," Gideon said. Reid nodded and walked back out of the precinct without speaking.

"Hey, Gideon," Prentiss said. "You don't think Reid- no, forget I said anything."

"Come on, Prentiss, do you think I'm not aware that something's going on with him?" Gideon exclaimed. "But this is Reid we're talking about. I've known him for a lot longer than you have. Confronting him like that won't help."

"I know," Prentiss sighed. "But one of us has to help him. And it has to be soon."

Reid hadn't taken long to arrive at the crime scene, where the others had been waiting for him. "What've you got, Reid?" Morgan asked as he approached. JJ gave him a secret smile.

"The killer's emulating Jack the Ripper," Reid said. "He's replicating the killings exactly."

"How do you know that?" LaMontagne asked.

"The kid here has a photographic memory," Morgan replied.

"Eidetic," said Reid automatically, and Morgan chuckled.

As Hotch led LaMontagne away to talk about something, Morgan nudged JJ. "So how about it, JJ?" he said. "Have you changed your mind?"

JJ sighed. "No, Morgan, I haven't. And I'm not going to."

"What're you talking about?" Reid asked.

"Detective LaMontagne over there has the hots for our Agent Jareau," Morgan said, smirking. "He's been flirting with her all day."

"Morgan!" JJ hissed.

"And why does that matter?" said Reid.

"Because he's a good looking, kind hearted cop," Morgan said. "And JJ would be crazy not to go for him."

"I've gotta go," said Reid suddenly, turning and walking away from Morgan and JJ.

"You idiot!" JJ cried, slapping Morgan on the arm. "Why did you have to mention that?"

"What's the harm?" Morgan asked. "I was just joking around!"

"Because to Spence, LaMontagne is everything he's not!" JJ exclaimed. "Normally, yes, he wouldn't care, and he'd even join in with you. But after what he's been going through, do you blame him?"

"Oh, my god." Morgan put a hand on his forehead. "I've been an idiot. I've got to go after him."

"No, leave him," JJ said. "It won't help. He'll probably go back to the station. Leave him be for a while."

"Are you sure, Jayje?" Morgan asked.

JJ nodded. "I know Spencer better than you think I do, Morgan. You running after him will just make him run even further."

Morgan nodded silently and walked over to where Hotch and LaMontagne were still talking. JJ stood in the same spot however, her mind filled with thoughts of Reid. She knew she'd been right when she'd said that Reid had believed LaMontagne was everything Reid himself wasn't. She also realised that Reid was worried about the fact that LaMontagne was flirting with her. She knew he was worried, deathly worried, that JJ would prefer LaMontagne and leave Reid for him. And with his added, secret problems, JJ knew that Reid would be in a bad way right now.

Please, please, please don't worry, Spence, JJ said to herself. I'm not going to leave you, not now, not ever. Please don't do anything stupid.

A/N: What's Reid going to do? I think I keep leaving you guys on cliffhangers where Reid is going to do something stupid, sorry! I promise I'll try and post sooner next time. (sooner being the operative word there!) Anyway, please, please, please review, and make sure you tell me whether you think I should make this into a series (which I personall think would work better) or one long story. Hope I don't leave you guys hanging for too long!