"Are you okay with this?" Hotch asked again.

Reid tucked his hands into his pockets to hide their shaking. "No, I am anything but okay. But the cameras have already been installed. I have to go through with it now."

"No, you don't. You can back out any time that you want. You say the word and we call it off." Morgan said.

"But then he'll just keep coming." Reid whispered.

"Hotch is going to take the first shift with one of the local detectives."

"I . . . I don't want any of you to see this."

"Reid, we want to make sure you're safe." Hotch said.

"No, I can't do this if I know you have to watch."

Morgan reached over and grabbed Reid's wrist to pull his hand out of his pocket; he gave it a tight squeeze. "If that is what you want, okay. I don't like it and I'm going to make sure they call us immediately."

"Thanks." He quickly reached out and hugged Morgan tightly before stepping back. It was the first time he had initiated contact in a very long time. Spencer knew his friends cared and that was more than he could say about his father.

He tucked his hair behind his ears as he closed and locked the door--silently praying that this would not go on for too long. A moment later he bolted for the bathroom; once inside he fell to his knees and vomited roughly.

***

Across the street the two Special Victims Unit detectives watched the cameras.

"He's getting sick again." Jones stated.

"The stress is really starting to get to him. I'm not sure he can handle this." Betts said.

"When do we call it off?"

"We'll give it at least two more days as long as he holds up. As much as I want to get this guy, if the victim doesn't make it, it's not really worth it." Betts replied.

"But what about other victims?"

"As far as anyone can tell, it has only ever been about his son. There are no other arrests and all his computers and financial records do not indicate that he ever touched another boy. All his files showed that he was obsessed with his son. Actually, based on the amount of information, it was pretty surprising that this hadn't started again before now. Plus, if he was a pedophile, he wouldn't be interested in his son now that he's twenty-six."

Jones took a drink from his water bottle. "I hope he gets help when this is over."

"Yeah, me too."

***

Two days later, Reid staggered through the door to his apartment. He hadn't been sleeping much and they just finished a family annihilator case where five families had been brutally murdered before they caught the guy. It turned out that he had been sexually abused as a child by both his mother and his father. It brought things a little too close to home for him.

Spencer went through his routine of checking his apartment before securing his gun and stowing his messenger bag. He gathered his sleeping clothes and took a shower. Feeling a little refreshed, he walked to the kitchen barefoot with his socks in hand. He started a fresh pot of coffee with the intention of having a cup and offering two to the detectives watching his place. Every night since the cameras were set up, Detective Betts would come over between eleven and midnight and check in with him and make sure he was doing okay. He had a strong suspicion that they could hear him getting sick because the timing would always be about five minutes after. If he didn't get sick, it would be closer to midnight. It was strangely comforting but it still didn't allow him to get more than a few hours of sleep a night.

He smiled when the knock came. The coffee wasn't quite ready yet. When he opened the door he froze.

"Hi, Son. Have you missed me?" William smiled broadly and pushed Spencer further into the apartment so he could close the door.

The only thought running through Reid's mind was how far did this have to go before it would be over for good? He couldn't move a muscle when his father reached up and ran the back of his fingers down his cheek. The smell of Old Spice assaulted his nose.

"I like this look on you. A t-shirt and sweats look so much more inviting than those stuffy clothes you wear to work." William wrapped his arms around his son's waist and started pulling him toward the bedroom. "Why don't you get more comfortable while I take these off?" He instructed while un-fastening his cuffs and taking his tie off.

"Please don't do this dad." Spencer begged.

"Why do you do this every time?" He strode quickly to the side of the bed and backhanded Reid across the face making him stumble and hit his cheek on the night table sending the lamp crashing to the floor.

"I'm sorry." He whimpered rubbing at the blood welling from the cut below his eye. The room was now dim except for the light coming from the hall. It was enough to allow him to see the fury blazing in his father's eyes.

The next thing he knew, William grabbed him by the t-shirt and yanked him up to throw him face down on the bed. He yanked the sweat pants down and quickly started opening his own pants. Reid was frantic; why weren't they coming to stop him? "Please, no." he cried.

Spencer let out a harsh scream when his father managed to enter him. Then all chaos erupted.

"Police, Freeze!" Jones yelled when they burst through the door and rushed to the bedroom.

"What the hell?" William yelled and grabbed Spencer by the hair yanking his head back.

"Get off him!" Betts screamed his gun pointed right between William's eyes. "Cuff him, Jones."

The other detective placed his gun back in its holster and grabbed William's right arm, yanking it back. It was enough to cause William to lose his grip on Spencer and stumble away from him. Once the man was cuffed, Jones roughly shoved him back in his pants and jerked them up tightly.

Spencer had slithered off the bed and was sobbing into the blanket while he listened to everything going on. Detective Betts came over to him and knelt down. "Spencer, it's over." He kept crying.

***

Betts couldn't believe how fast things had progressed. As soon as Spencer had been knocked into the table, he had called back-up and then promptly called SSA Morgan and Hotchner. He knew the kid would need them when this was over.

"Spencer, come on; let's get your pants pulled up before back-up arrives." Betts gently helped him stand and pull the sweat pants back into place. "Sit here on the bed and let me get a wash cloth for your face."

"No!" Panic filled the young man's eyes.

"Okay, why don't we both go into the bathroom then? Okay?" Betts carefully asked. This was a bad sign and he had seen it tear down many victims in his particular line of work.

They made it to the small bathroom off the hall with Reid clinging to the detective's arm around his waist and taking tentative steps. Once inside, Betts pushed the door to but made sure that it was not totally closed. He used a wet wash cloth to hold against the gash on the right side of Spencer's face. It looked like he was going to have a black eye on the other side from the slap also.

Betts was kneeling on the floor in front of the toilet where Reid sat. He used his free hand to hold the young man's icy fingers and ran his thumb back and forth in a soothing manner. "Spencer, I called Morgan and Hotch. They're on their way now." He watched more tears start to flow.

***

It was over. So why didn't it feel like it was over? Spencer was relieved to hear that Morgan and Hotch were on their way. He was relieved that Detective Betts hadn't left him alone but he knew that the man would have to get back to work.

"Reid?" Morgan called from the front door.

"We're in here." Betts yelled.

Morgan pushed the door open and looked down at him. "What the hell happened?"

"He turned violent this time." Betts told him.

"Reid, are you okay?"

Spencer shook his head no and stared at the floor trying to hold in a sob.

Betts stood up and handed the wash cloth to Morgan before leaving the small room. Morgan stepped over and tilted his head up to look at the damage. "You're going to need stitches."

The sob finally broke free. Morgan pulled him into a tight hug.

"Is he okay?" Hotch asked from the doorway.

"No." Morgan replied. "Give us a minute and then he needs to go to the hospital to get stitches.

"I'll go talk to the detectives." Hotch left them alone.

"It's over now." Morgan whispered.

That only produced more tears. Spencer clung to the older man like he was never going to let go.