As always I do not own the rights to Criminal Minds, CBS, ABC and their affiliates. This is a fictional story for entertainment purposes only. All Original Fictional Characters are of my imagination and any resemblance to living or deceased individuals is purely coincidental. Do not use any or all parts of this story without prior permission from the writer.

Buried Beneath Still Waters

Chapter 6

Reid woke late that morning to the sound of his cell phone. He was lying uncovered on his stomach his knee bent, with his hands tucked under his pillow. The phone kept ringing and ringing but he tried to ignore it. When it started again he reached for it.

"What?" He barked into the phone.

"Good morning to you too." Morgan chuckled.

"Jeeze Morgan what time is it?" Reid rolled onto his back tried to glance at his watch but couldn't focus on it.

"My time or your time?"

"What difference does it make I can figure it out." Reid rolled onto his back groaned in protest at the onslaught of light streaming in the windows. Drinking the rest of that wine last night has seemed like a good idea then, but this morning not so much.

"Well genius how are you going to know which time zone I am talking about? 11:44 east coast."

"Garcia called you. Don't tell me she didn't."

"Yes she did. Now answer your door."

"Morgan, you should be with your family. Why are you here?" Reid rolled out of bed hanging the phone up before Morgan had a chance to reply.

His hair was sticking up at different angles and he was shirtless. He scratched his chest and licked his lips, as he pulled the door open to find Morgan leaning on the door frame looking out at the lake. Spencer walked away heading to the bathroom. Morgan noticed the two empty bottles of wine, thinking Reid had drunk them both, he shook his head. Morgan tried to put the thought that Reid was trading one addiction for another, out of his mind. When Reid returned he was pulling a t-shirt over his head and he coughed a few times.

"Have a party here last night?" Morgan glanced at the bottles again.

"No just a local police officer came for dinner because I almost burned the place down. I owed a thank you, so dinner was it."

"Oh nice, what's her name? And you sound awful, kid." Morgan put his hand on Reid's shoulder.

"Ryan…Ryan Miller, and I don't sound that bad." Morgan raised his eyebrows at Reid. Spencer didn't get what he was implying because to him Ryan was a completely feminine name, because of the woman he associated the name with. "She is just a friend, Morgan, just a friend."

Morgan tousled his hair, "Right kid, a friend! Get dressed I'm starving."

In the diner Reid was aware of everyone looking at them. Most of them smiled sweetly and he wasn't too worried about problems. A cop sat at the counter and he was the only one to look at them suspiciously. He hunched back over his coffee after Reid and Morgan took a seat in a booth. Places like this one didn't exist anymore and Spencer wondered how it stayed in business. It was a dinning car that had three booths and a coffee counter. Everything dated back to the fifties. The blue/green vinyl covered booth seats and bar stools were lined with aluminum trim. The floor was black and white two inch tiles still in remarkable condition. The counter tops and tables were marble Formica. They were given coffee in ceramic mugs and ordered burgers and fries. Their orders came rather quickly and Reid was impressed by the taste. They were almost finished when Reid heard the radio crack from the hip of the officer. The cop got up in a hurry, rushed out the door with out a word. He drove away with his strobes on. Morgan sat up straighter his instincts kicking in. Reid paid for their meal even though Morgan protested.

"Are you going to be ok?"

"Yes Morgan, I'm fine I am actually enjoying this. It's relaxing."

"But…"

"No but, it's just that I talked to Gideon last night." Morgan raised his eyebrows, refraining from commenting, he gave Reid room to talk. "He's doing alright, enjoying himself, actually he sounds happy."

"Good for him." Morgan sounded a bit peeved and for the first time Reid realized Gideon's leaving hurt everyone in some way.

Morgan took Reid back to the cabin, "Are you sure you don't want me to hang around, you have an extra room I can crash there."

"Morgan, go home. Go back to your mom's, or go on a trip, just go. You're my friend like a brother but seriously you need the time to yourself. Or would you like to stay here and let me explain the space time continuum in great detail?"

Morgan laughed. He threw his hands in the air declining. Morgan too one more look out at the lake as a thought occurred to him, 'Maybe Reid was trying to get rid of him so he could spend time with this little honey he found?' He smiled slyly and patted Reid on the back, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Wow Morgan you leave me a lot of options."

Morgan laughed all the way to his truck.

Reid stood on the porch with his hands in his pockets, looking out at the lake for a long time, wondering if one day he would walk away from all of this like Gideon had. A lonely feeling washed over him. If he had asked Morgan to stay he would at least have company. The dock caught his attention and the boat that sat along the bank. It was covered with a blue tarp and Reid decided he would uncover it so that he could offer it to Doctor Emery. It was a shame to let this go to waste; someone should get some fun out of it.

The dock was about fifteen feet long, made of weathered wood that creaked in places. Reid walked on it gingerly examining the plank boards. He turned around going back to the house and after some searching in the coat closet he found a tool box. He returned to the dock and nailed the loose boards back into place. The work was a little physical and with the sun beating down on him. With these warmer afternoons and the physical labor, he was getting hot. He was only half way through by the time he decided to pull his shirt over his head. He went back to hitting the nails, thinking about Gideon and Ryan. 'God, Ryan, did he really do what he thought he did?' The answer was yes and the bigger question was, 'What did she think of him now?' Sweat poured from Reid's brow as he made it to the end of the doc. He stood and stretched his sore back. Hunching over and swinging the hammer so many times hurt, but he felt good. His frustration over Gideon seemed to vanish. He went to the boat next. A small vessel made for fishing with a 5 horsepower outboard engine. The tarp kept most of the boat free of too much debris. All except a few leaves and some thick dirt on one end. Reid knew that there was no way this spent three years out here. He assumed the landscape people he paid every month took care of it.

After another hour of fighting with the boat and getting the engine started it was tied to the dock ready to go out onto the lake. He went back inside and got a cold bottle of water taking a long sip as he returned to the dock. Mallard ducks floated on the surface and he tossed the remaining bread from the dinner he a Ryan shared, out to them. Taking a seat, he dangled one leg over the edge of the dock as he bent the other, bringing his knee up to his chest. He rested his arm on his knee as he held the water bottle. Spencer scanned the area taking in the things he needed to work on There wasn't much, some clean up of dead leaves near the house and if he had planned to stay he would remove the storm windows and wash everything down. Turning away from the cabin and leaning his back on the post, he looked out at the lake. The sun was above the cabin and created a sea of gold across the water. A gentle breeze was blowing in and cooled his hot, sticky skin. He was dirt covered and sweaty. His hands were raw and blisters were forming on the pads of his palm. The cool water bottle felt good against his hand. Spencer rubbed his shoulder gingerly and the throbbing at his lower back reminded him of exactly how much time he spent idle. Taking stock in all that he accomplished felt good regardless of the pain it caused him. He smiled and for the first time Reid felt completely happy by himself. Normally he relied on the team for that peace in his soul. He still needed them, each of the six members were very special to him and nothing would replace them ever. But this felt good, doing something on his own. ________________________________________________________________________

A/N Special thanks to CSK for helping me with the forensic aspects of the case. Without you Crime Scene Kelly my case would be a bunch of fabricated foolishness. From the bottom of my heart a very big thank you for your time and effort!

Thanks to all of you who are out there proof reading, giving me suggestions and helpful hints. And to you the reader for your reviews and your continued support!