A/N I have it on good authority (thanks, Medicgirl) that the web page I researched shake bites on was wrong. Aaron should have tied something around Spencer's arm to slow the progress of the toxin, and the hand should be above the heart, not below it. I've made changes to Chapter 7 now. Sorry about the mistake, and thank you all those who review my fic. I love you all!

Jack Twist said, "I wish I knew how to quit you."

Chapter 9

The Revealing

Morgan left Hotch to sit with Reid. He watched them through the window. He noticed how Hotch touched Reid.

A lover's touch.

Reid had been at Hotch's house on the night of the fire.

Hotch had been at Reid's this morning.

He watched as Hotch stroked Reid's hair from his eyes and held his hand.

He rubbed the back of his head in confusion.

He went to get a cup of coffee and sat and looked through the report he had made.

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Spencer knew Aaron was with him, he could feel his hand. He wanted to speak to him, but movement was difficult. He had something in his throat. He tried to move his hand to pull it out, but he felt so weak. He started to panic, to cough and choke.

Aaron spoke soothingly. Spence turned his head slightly so he could see him.

"It's ok, Sweetheart. The tube is helping you to breathe." Aaron leaned over and kissed Spence on the forehead. "Morgan is on the case for us. I need to go and talk to him. I won't be long."

Spencer held Aaron's hand until he was out of reach. He watched Aaron go with wide scared eyes.

Aaron sat by Morgan. He could see Morgan wanted to ask Aaron, but didn't know what to say. Aaron made it easy for him.

"Spencer and I are….erm…..living together."

Morgan had half been expecting it, but didn't quite believe it all the same.

"H-how long?"

"It kind of started after the case with Cross. There seemed to be an electricity between us. We kind of bonded. I think we both denied it for a long time." Aaron tried to think back to when it had started. "We just needed each other. It really happened when we spent so much time together over the last six months. We finally admitted it."

Aaron looked down at his hands twisting in his lap. He thought, I'm even taking on some of his mannerisms!

Morgan made no comment. He reached over and picked up the report he had written. He gave it to Hotch.

"It's only a prelim. I still need to see if we can get any prints or DNA."

Aaron turned to the back and read the concluding comments.

"Will you be able to get prints? Wouldn't the fire have destroyed any evidence?"

Morgan turned to the front of the report where there was a photograph of the fuse box. "If you look here," Morgan pointed to an area of the box where the metal casing was warped by heat, smoke damaged, but not burnt. "We might be able to get a partial. It depends whether the UnSub wore gloves."

Aaron was torn now. Should he go back to the BAU with Morgan, or stay with Spence. He glanced over towards the room where Spence was lying.

"You stay here, Hotch." Morgan understood how Hotch would be feeling. "I'll get this done. I'll come back as soon as I get any results."

"If you identify the UnSub, I want to be there when you take him down." Aaron said. Morgan nodded and got up to leave.

"And Morgan……."

He turned and looked back at Hotch.

"Thank you!"

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Morgan watched as the CSI processed the fuse box.

"We might be able to get something off here." she said. She showed him a fingerprint brush. "This is a Squirrel Brush. It will use the carbon from the smoke as fingerprint dust. We might get a partial, as long as your UnSub wasn't wearing gloves."

"I don't think he would have been." said Morgan. "I imagine he expected the evidence to be destroyed in the fire."

The CSI smiled at Morgan. "They don't know us CSI's, do they?"

She worked with the brush for a while.

"Look there!" she said at last. "I think we might have a print."

Very carefully, she took the print from the side of the box, and gave it to Morgan.

"Let's see if we get a hit." Morgan placed the print in the AFIS reader. This was so much more than he had hoped for. But to get a hit would be wonderful!

He thanked the CSI and left the computer searching.

He needed a cup of coffee and time to think.

Hotch and Reid?...

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Aaron sat with Spencer in the little side room he had been given. Telling Morgan about the two of them had left his heart beating too fast. He had no idea of how he would take it, or if he should tell the rest of the team.

"Spence, Morgan knows about us."

He felt Spencer flinch. His eyes opened wide.

"He'll be ok with it. He'd guessed anyway!" He smiled at Spence and touched his face gently. "He's a top profiler. We expected it, really."

Spencer sighed softly, tightened his grip on Aaron's hand.

Aaron told Spencer what Morgan had discovered. The explosive charge, and the possibility of a print.

"So now we have proof that the fire wasn't an accident."

Spencer thought back to the fire and the jump from the window. He remembered the floor falling away seconds after they climbed onto the window sill. He remembered the pain when the fence spike impaled his leg. He remembered the snake.

He gripped Aaron's hand, and felt tears in his eyes. He wanted to be able to help find this Unsub. He wanted to be out of here.

He needed to take care of Aaron.

Aaron carefully wiped the tears away. "It's going to be all right, Spence. I love you, and I will find the person who did this to you, and they will be punished. I promise you that."

Aaron took a brush out of the draw next to Spence, and started brushing Spencer's hair. He often did this at home. It seemed to relax them.

He passed the brush through Spencer's soft waves. Spence closed his eyes and sighed with pleasure.

"Everything will be fine, Love. You sleep now, and get better."

When Spence was relaxed in sleep, Aaron went outside to call Morgan.

"We got a print and a hit on AFIS!" said Morgan, still surprised that it had worked. "We are just leaving to bring him in. Do you want us to pick you up on the way?"

"That's great, Morgan. Yes, I want to be there. I'll wait outside."

Aaron went back and told the nurse on duty that he had to leave.

"Please, if Spencer wakes up before I get back, please tell him that I had to go and make an arrest." Aaron wrote it down. He didn't want them to forget. "He will understand."

The nurse took the note and clipped it to Spencer's obs record.

Aaron went outside again to await Morgan.

At last they were going to find out who was behind this. Who was trying to hurt them?

He paced up and down outside the ER, impatient to get going.

Morgan pulled up beside him. Hotch got in beside Morgan, and Morgan passed him a gun. Hotch checked the clip, and kept the gun in his hand.

"Ok, who is the UnSub?"

Morgan filled Hotch in as they drove.