Spencer sobbed as he thought of his mother's body, lying limp on the chair. When he first saw her he hoped there was still a chance, but as he tried to take her pulse he became more aware of the injuries she had sustained. He thought of the last time they had spoken, she had not been lucid, and she thought he was one of her students from when she was a lecturer, so when he informed her that he was going to the library she merely smiled kindly at him. That was the image he wanted of her in his mind, sadly the way his mind worked, he never could forget the last time he saw her. He had seen the marks on his father's body, and it saddened him to think that even with the end his father had suffered, he could not mourn him, he felt sorry for him sure, but he did not mourn the loss of him, there was no love between father and son. The man made his life a living hell, and what made it worse was that the older Reid knew it and couldn't have cared less about it. He thought of what was going on in one of the interview rooms with Dr Mitre. He thought it odd when he was moved from his previous facility to Emerson, but thought little of it. He hadn't realised it was across state lines. He feared what the doctor's motive was, moving him with as he too was moved. Was he looking out for him, or was he after something more.

A sudden realisation took him, he was alone, the door was ajar, and the two agents would be gone a few minutes. He could take his chances with them and hope they protected him, but he knew he would be sent back to the sanatorium, the sanatorium he knew he wasn't safe in. There was only one thing for it. He shot out of the chair and casually as he could, exited the room. He saw none of the famous FBI profilers as he walked across the gangway to the one and only entrance and exit of the BAU. He looked at the elevator and pondered would it be worth the wait and the potential bumping into a member of the famous team. He found the stairs and noticed that they were empty of other any other person, he ran down them as fast as he could, tripping over himself twice and slammed into a wall. He came to the ground floor, straightened himself up and regulated his breathing. Once he was satisfied he didn't look like an escapee he took hold of the handle and walked out the door.

He walked through the reception hall and handed the receptionist the visitor's badge, barely thanking her as he did so. He made his way down the hall and to the main door. The place was covered in FBI agents, lawyers, police officers and he found himself thinking it best to return to the office. He had been terrified of SSA Morgan; he was too like the kids who bullied him in school, big and athletic. However he seemed to be able to trust David Rossi, a concept that scared him, he had not trusted anyone is so long. What made him think he could trust the experienced profiler? He continued of the building and was about to look around to see which direction was the exit when two voices behind him caused him to root to the spot with fear.

"Told you."

"Going somewhere kid?"

He turned around and saw both Rossi and Morgan leaning against the walls at either side of the door.

"I…I" The genius stuttered.

"I see what you mean now, Rossi. His eyes." Morgan stared into Spencer's eyes; the younger man broke eye contact immediately and rushed backwards without paying attention to where he was going. He stumbled over an uneven crack in the pavement. "Chill kid, we aren't going to do anything, you're terrified enough as it is."

"What about my eyes?" Demanded Spencer, unsure of where the bravery came from. He assumed it was from the notion he had that now the agents had noticed his attempt to flee, they would automatically assume his guilt.

"Fear, and not of us. Well a little of Morgan, but you're terrified Spencer, we can see that. You truly are frightened of something. Let us help you." David beseeched the young man, whose eyes betrayed his fear. "Hey kid, when was the last time you went for a walk, outside I mean?" Spencer and Morgan both looked at him with near identical looks of bewilderment. "Well?"

"That day, coming home from the library, why?"

"There is a nice walk around here. How about we take it before getting actually coffees? There is this little kiosk just at the entrance to the headquarters; it does all sorts of decent coffee. Sound good?" Spencer noted the darker skinned agent's obvious lack of support for the idea, and was amazed when he said nothing. He nodded and followed the Italian, with Morgan bringing up the rear. For twenty minutes no one said anything. They walked the small pathways through the woodland surrounding the large federal building. There was a small river that flowed into a pond. Trees overturned with age and weather, moss on the rocks, bark and path. Spencer realised just how much he missed the outside world, how much he had cast aside in order to stay safe.

"Dr Reid?" Spencer flinched as SSA Morgan called his name, snapping him out of his daydream. He turned his head slightly to show he was listening though he did not look at the agent. "Why did you attack your nurse?"

"He was there."

"There?" Morgan raised an eyebrow.

"The night I came home from the library, the night I found my… he was there, in a van three doors down from my house, him and another man. They were not from the area and I had never seen the licence plate before. It was a Virginia plate. When he came into my room, he sneered at me as he said my name, I recognised him, then….." Spencer shuddered.

"Then he what kid?" David encouraged.

Spencer took in a deep breath. "Then he said 'your turn.' I didn't want to do it, but I was so scared."

"We know." Spencer looked around and could see the two agents looking at one another. He saw realisation and comprehension in their eyes. The understood, why he was running, why he was scared.

David Rossi looked at him sympathetically. "Now this is all starting to make sense. How about we get you that coffee?"

"Can I stay here a few more minutes? I've really missed this." He pointed in every direction.

"Sure thing Kid." Spencer looked to Morgan as he replied. He saw the genuine sadness in the man's face. He found himself irritated by the man's pity.

"Don't do that." He snapped at the agent, who looked at him with a mixture of shock and bewilderment. "Don't look at me as though I am pathetic and to be pitied."

"Whoa whoa Kid, I never thought you were pathetic, pitied yes, but not that. I'm sorry." Morgan held his hands up as he spoke. Spencer settled once more. "You've got good instincts."

"Gideon scouted him." Rossi informed the other agent, whose eyes, Spencer noticed, opened wider as he stared back at him once more.

"So you're the kid that he was so gutted about?" Spencer cocked his head slightly. "You inadvertently crushed the man; he had great plans for you. You were supposed to be trained especially for our team." Morgan was excited for a moment, and then seemed to remember what had happened and bit his cheeks then.

"I could do with that coffee now." Spencer said sadly, rising from the fallen tree he had been sitting on and wiping down his trousers to remove the moss. His heart crushed at the thought that he could have been working with this group of people, were his life as he knew it, had not taken from him.

"Sounds like a plan. By the way, are you sure you didn't recognise those plates?" Rossi enquired as they began to walk.

"I have an eidetic memory; I cannot forget every licence plate or indeed anything else I ever read." Spencer explained. He grunted as he crashed into the Italian in front of him, who had frozen at yet another revelation of the man's intelligence.

"I can see why he got Gideon's attention." Smiled Morgan wondrously as they started walking once more.

Apologies again everyone. I am a slight bit incapacitated with my hand and cannot type as fast as I would like to. I will keep writing as best I can and will hopefully be able to post again soon.