A/N: Hey, there! So-in this chapter, Reid and Morgan finally get to confront the unsub (well, he's not "un" anymore, but, you know...) So, there's a teensy bit of violence and such. Hope you like...

1:57 AM.

The two agents hastily threw on their clothes and hurried out the door, doing last-minute checks to their weapons as they strode to their vehicles. Morgan slid behind the wheel of his SUV, and Reid grabbed his vest and radio from his car, then hopped in beside him. He was buckling his seat belt when Morgan said wryly, "Hope we don't end up having to explain to Hotch what we were doing together at 1:00 in the morning."

Reid glanced at Morgan and shrugged. "It's simple. I came over to watch television with you and was so bored that I conked out on the couch. You didn't have the heart to wake me up." A smart-ass grin crossed his face and Morgan chuckled appreciatively as he guided his car out onto the street.

"Fine, but I'll let you do the talking, since you seem to be so good at lying."

"It's not lying-I was bored and I did fall asleep on the couch. If he asks, I'll just... omit a few key facts for our own good. Like the part about how I woke up when you stuck your tongue in my ear, and how I got up and followed you into your bedroom, and then we took off our clothes and got into bed together. Anyway, trust me, we'll be doing Hotch a favor. He doesn't want to know about our chosen means of stress-relief."

Morgan looked over at Reid, who was obliviously fiddling with his radio earpiece. Stress relief, huh? Still going with that one, are you, pretty boy? Damn, I could have sworn there was a little bit of tenderness between the two of us tonight... Oh, well. He nodded. "Good point."

As they took the highway exit toward Melrose, Morgan's phone rang. It was Hotch. "Yeah, Hotch."

"Where are you?"

"Just outside of Melrose. I'll be at the station in ten."

"Change of plans. They spotted a vehicle matching the description of Dudley Sanford's truck heading into town. I want you to go to Jean Delaney's, but meet up with the detectives at the 1700 block of Rampart Street first-they've got a warrant. I've called off surveillance and am holding back on the local police. We don't want to tip him off."

"Who'll be meeting me from the team?"

"Everyone else is on the wrong side of the highway. There's a wreck up north that's got traffic in a snarl. You'll have to make do with the locals until we get there."

"Uh-I've got Reid with me."

One beat. Then, "Excellent. We'll see you ASAP. In the meantime, be careful."

Morgan clicked off his phone and explained, "They spotted Sanford's truck-now, we're headed straight to Delaney's. The rest of the team's on the way."

Reid nodded. "What did Hotch say when you told him we were together?"

Morgan grinned. "You were right, kid. He doesn't want to know."

Reid returned the grin, but it faded quickly as he trained his focus onto the challenge they were about to face. The vision of Amy Lynne Chappelle's small body, wedged in the wall with her dead gaze fixed upon him-Reid's jaw clenched as he gripped the handle of his gun. Not another dead girl, he thought. Not tonight.

That was just not going to happen.

The two agents parked down from the unmarked police vehicle and conferred with the two detectives. They put on their flak vests and earpieces, and Morgan received the warrant giving them the right to search Delaney's premises. They were soon joined by officers in a police cruiser.

They all strode up to her front porch, and Morgan banged authoritatively on the door, calling, "FBI! Jean Delaney, open up, please, we need to speak with you!" Several minutes passed before the nightgown-clad woman querulously opened her door.

"Good lord, what a racket you're making-it's the middle of the night! What in God's name is going on?" She peered past Morgan's stern face, took in the small battalion of law enforcement, and blinked.

"Ma'am, we've had a report of a vehicle matching the description of one belonging to Dudley Sanford heading this way. He's your nephew, isn't he?"

The woman's eyes grew wide and her mouth opened. "Y-yes-but, what do you want with him?"

"He's a suspect in the murders of the young girls that we interviewed you about. You remember, right? Your students? Another one is missing, and we believe he may have brought her here, hopefully, still alive. Now, please-do not waste any more time. Is he here?"

"No! I haven't seen Dud for days-he's not here, no one is, I swear to you!"

As Morgan dealt with Delaney, Reid and the detectives searched the house, while the locals did a sweep of the exterior premises, but no one had any luck. However, one of the officers came in and announced that the green truck was parked in back, behind the detached garage, and that there was fresh blood on the back seat. He'd also found a basement entrance that appeared to have a bloody thumbprint on it. Reid returned to Morgan's side and listened to the woman's impassioned protests-her nephew had not come in that night, she was sure of it.

Reid laid a hand on Morgan's arm and gestured for him to join him out of Delaney's earshot. Morgan gave him an angry glance, but stepped aside with him, leaving Delaney in the hands of one of the detectives.

"What the hell are you doing? I was finally getting somewhere with her!"

"No, you had her so terrified, she couldn't think straight."

"I got no problem with that, I just want to know where the nephew is before he kills that girl."

"Yes, but she really doesn't know, or, at least, she doesn't know that she knows. Forget it, Morgan, she's telling the truth. She never saw Sanford come in."

"Then, where the hell is he?"

"If you'll give me a minute with her, I think I can figure it out."

Morgan expelled a gust of air, then pinned a sharp look on Reid. "Be my guest. But, you better be right."

Reid went to Delaney's side. She was shaking and crying and she looked helplessly at Reid. "I don't know where he is!"

"Yes, ma'am, I understand that. But, I need for you to be honest with me. Was Mr. Sanford living here?"

Delaney glanced at Morgan's scowl, then turned her focus to Reid. "Yes," she whispered.

"And, where did he stay, when he was here? None of the bedrooms besides yours seem to have been occupied."

"He-he liked his privacy. He preferred to stay in the basement. You can go in and out from the outside, as well as from inside the house."

Reid glanced at the officers who had just returned from the outside. "Did you check the basement?"

"Yeah, but nobody's in there. It's completely clear."

Reid turned back to Delaney. "How do you get to the basement from inside?"

"The kitchen," she said weakly.

Reid strode past the weeping woman and found the door in question. He opened it; a single bare low-watt light bulb lit the area, and there were stairs leading down into a typical basement room. Reid pulled his gun, then looked behind him. "Morgan-I need backup." Morgan gave him a narrow glare, but hastened to him and followed him down the creaky steps. They quickly did a sweep of the room, noting the old couch with blankets carelessly thrown aside, and a dirty plate and glass left on a battered coffee table. At the far end of the exterior wall, a set of stairs led to an exit. "He could come and go as he pleased, and Delaney would never know it."

"Yeah, fine, so he was here, but the cops were right-he's not anymore." Morgan disgustedly replaced his weapon in its holster. "He must have gotten tipped off and made a run for it. Come on, let's go-there's nothing to see down here."

Reid shook his head. "No. Hotch pulled the locals as soon as the truck was spotted coming into town." He began walking along the interior wall, running his hand in an exploratory manner over the wood paneling. "He wouldn't have seen anything unusual when he arrived."

"So, he probably heard us come in while ago-"

"He's deaf, remember?"

Morgan threw his hands up impatiently. "So-he must have felt a lot of strange vibrations as we tromped around above his head. He's gone, Reid, we're wasting time-"

"I don't think so. I think he's still here."

"Where? There's no other room, no doors-"

"This house is in an area that was well-known as a stop on the Underground Railroad. It's possible that there's a hidden room down here, used to hide slaves on their journey to freedom." Reid paused and pressed his ear against the wall, holding his hand up to silence Morgan. "I hear something." Morgan joined him. He listened hard, and sure enough, he could hear the faint sound of a wailing girl.

"All right-let's find a tool and bash through this wall-"

"No, Morgan! If he senses us coming, he'll just go ahead and kill her-we have to find the latch to the hidden panel." Reid was forcing himself to stay calm, to not let his determination get in the way of his rational thinking. He took a flashlight and ran it along the baseboard. It was dusty and discolored, but about two-thirds of the way along the wall, there was a clean spot. Reid pressed his toe against it, and discovered a cut-out that gave way. Inside was a lever. Reid stepped down on it, and a panel of the wall slid open.

"Damn," Morgan breathed. He gave Reid an admiring glance, then Reid pulled his weapon and entered, Morgan following behind. There was an unlit, crudely-built passageway, so low that both men had to walk carefully so as not to bump their heads. Reid ran the beam from his flashlight ahead of them-at the end of the passageway was a door. A line of illumination shone at the base and the wailing sound became louder, now punctuated by muffled screams. Reid listened; he nodded. "They're on the other side."

Morgan looked at Reid. Reid looked at Morgan. He stepped back to give his partner room. Gun drawn, Morgan took a deep breath, then sent a well-aimed kick to the door, and it swung open effortlessly. "FBI! Put your weapon down!" Morgan cried.

A camp lantern illuminated the musty room. It smelled of earth and blood. A middle-aged man was kneeling on the floor between the legs of a nearly-naked young girl, and he looked up, startled confusion on his face. He held a knife, which he was using to cut off pieces of the girl's clothing. Her wrists were bound above her head with rope, secured to a support pole in the middle of the room, and there were dark stains on the floor. She had a bandana tied around her mouth; tears wet her cheeks. She looked at the agents with wild eyes and began frantically trying to plead with them.

The man rose to his feet and took a swipe at Morgan with the knife, but he easily deflected it and knocked it out of his hand. Morgan kicked it to Reid before punching the man hard enough to send him flailing to the floor, then pulled handcuffs from his belt. He flipped the man onto his belly, dropped his weight onto his midsection and wrestled his arms behind him. As he clamped the cuffs onto Dudley Sanford's wrists, Reid went to the girl and freed her from the rope. She pulled the bandana away and threw her arms around him, sobbing hysterically.

Reid held her tightly and murmured softly, "It's ok. It's ok, now. Don't worry, we've got him. Everything's going to be all right." He helped her to her feet as Morgan called for the officers to come collect Sanford, then asked her "Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"My... head," she said between gasping sobs. "He... hit me over the head."

"Ok. Look at me, follow my finger. What's your name?"

"L-Laurel."

"What's your last name, Laurel?"

"Dobbs."

"Ok, Laurel, can you walk?"

"Y-yes. I think so."

Reid unfastened his vest and took off his jacket, then put it over her bare shoulders. He guided her through the labyrinth of the basement and up into the night air. She clung to him until they exited and saw her mother and father waiting anxiously with an officer. At the sight of them, she took off running.

Morgan came to stand beside Reid. They were joined by the detective who had been grilling Delaney, and together they watched the reunion.

"What did Miss Delaney have to say for herself?" Reid asked the detective.

"Long story. Her sister disappointed her parents by getting pregnant at an early age. Jean helped her raise the kid. He was troubled, but she always chalked it up to the challenges of being deaf. Her sister wasn't very responsible, a real party girl, and Jean ended up being his primary caregiver when his mother died in a car accident.

"He got tired of her doting on him and left for a while, but he ended up on her doorstep about a year ago. She gave him money every week, and let him crash in the basement whenever he came around. Said she didn't see him for days at a time."

Reid nodded. "He could come up through the kitchen and secretly observe her giving lessons from the dining room. He could see the girls and feel the vibrations from the piano coming up through the hardwood floors. Delaney probably never even suspected that he was there."

Morgan's lips twisted into a sneer of indignation. "But, she lied about not having any male relatives staying with her! How could she do that, knowing those girls were dying?"

Reid stared at the ground, then raised his eyes to Morgan's. "Her nephew was probably her reason for living. She saw him as she wanted to see him-damaged, helpless, in need of her protection and care. The person she had created in her mind was not capable of murder."

"That's stupid."

Reid shrugged. "I can understand it. Self-delusion can be a powerful tool in maintaining one's sanity." I know. I know what it's like to create your own reality, where everything's okay. The hard part is when you find out that it isn't...

Just then Laurel and her parents came up to them. Laurel was wrapped in a blanket and, with a shy smile, she shakily handed Reid's jacket back to him. He took it and gave her an encouraging smile in return. Laurel's mother stepped forward.

"Thank you-thank you so much for saving our little girl," the woman said brokenly.

"Yes-we just wanted to let you know... how grateful we all are," the dad added as he shook each agent's hand. Laurel nodded as she clung to her mother.

"We're just happy that your daughter's all right," Reid said.

Morgan smiled. "Yeah-this was a good day for us."

"Well, thank you again. God bless you," the mom said as they both threw an arm around their daughter and hugged her. An officer came to lead Lauren to the ambulance that had just arrived. Reid and Morgan watched them walk away. Some of the police cars were beginning to disperse and then Hotch appeared. He strode up to them, a slight smile on his face.

"Good work, you two. Reid, how did you know there was a hidden room?"

"I've done quite a bit of reading about the Underground Railroad. This area figured prominently in its history-it's within easy access of the river, so it was heavily trafficked by escaped slaves before the war. I did some research on Delaney's house-it was built by a Union sympathizer named Barlow, so I figured there was a chance he'd have been involved in helping to facilitate their flight.

"I also knew that Sanford took his victims to a dusty, moldy location where he could spend a lot of uninterrupted time with them. Clearly, he wasn't concerned about his aunt discovering him, which was strange, given that he couldn't count on hearing people approach to warn him. So, I knew it had to be a secluded place on the property where Jean Delaney wasn't likely to venture. When I heard that he lived in the basement, it occurred to me that he'd have had plenty of time to explore-he must have come upon the secret panel at some point, and everything just fell into place for him."

"Guess we're lucky to have a pretty-boy genius on the team, huh, Hotch?" Morgan grinned and playfully ruffled Reid's hair.

"I'd say we're lucky to have both of you." Hotch's smile deepened; Morgan's fond look at Reid wasn't lost on him, even though he chose to disregard it.

"I'm just along to kick in the doors," Morgan quipped.

"Well, you make a good team."

"So-what now?" Reid asked.

"Make your reports, then go home. I'd say you've earned a day off." Hotch turned to head back to meet Prentiss and Rossi, who'd just arrived, to tell them things had been satisfactorily wrapped up for the night.

Reid and Morgan did as Hotch instructed. When they were through dictating their recollections of the night's events, they pulled off their vests and trudged to Morgan's car.

"So... What do you want to do?" Morgan asked.

"Oh... just take me back to my car, then I'll go home. I need to get some sleep."

Morgan glanced around, then said ruefully, "And, I guess you couldn't do that at my place."

Reid gave him an apologetic look, but his voice was firm. "I really just want to be alone right now. I'm sorry." He started to walk to the passenger side, but Morgan caught his arm.

"That's okay, but, come on, kid. Take a minute to enjoy this. We-you-saved a life tonight and took a killer off the street. That's a damn good feeling to have-don't push it away and lock it up as if it wasn't important."

Reid stared at him for a moment, then pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I won't. In fact, maybe we can get together with the team this evening and do a little celebrating. I think I'll be ready for it by then-assuming."

"Assuming?"

"Assuming another case doesn't start up between now and then." A smile crept across his face and Morgan nodded knowingly. He let Reid go, and they got in the car and went back to Morgan's place. They got out of the SUV, paused to look at each other for a moment, then Reid threw his arms around Morgan and gave him a big hug. "Um-thanks for being there tonight. And... well, always." He gave a small, rueful laugh. "Don't know what I'd do without you."

Morgan clamped his hands on Reid's shoulders. "You did good tonight, kid. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks... Well, good night. See you later, okay?" Reid then went to his battered Volvo, got in, waved, and pulled out onto the street.

Morgan watched as he drove away and disappeared around the corner, and he sighed. He locked his car and went into his house, determined to lie down, close his eyes and sleep, in spite of being bone-tired and achy by now.

He took some ibuprofen, stood under a hot shower, then threw himself under the covers and tried not to think about how empty his bed felt without Reid lying next to him.

A/N: This is not the end! We still have to find out Reid's secret from the past. Plus, he has to realize he's falling in love with Morgan. More soon!