A/N: New chapter time! Once again, sadly there is no smut. :( Fret not, though, there should be at least a little bit in next chapter!
Okay, I really need to stop rambling before I reveal too much... on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.
JJ and Prentiss hadn't taken long to visit the latest victim's sister and parents, learning something interesting- Hilary Summers had recently gone through a very bad breakup. This could be just the lead they were looking for. They had already called ahead to Garcia and Reid, who were now looking into every aspect of the lives of both Hilary and her ex-boyfriend.
The two female agents were currently sitting in the SUV in silence, on their way back to the police precinct.
"Hey, JJ," Prentiss spoke up suddenly. "Do you know if there is something weird going on between Morgan and Reid?"
Internally JJ was panicking; she hoped didn't show it on the outside. "How would I know, Emily?" she said, cringing internally at the slight snappishness that was audible in her tone.
"Well for one thing," Prentiss began, "you were overly defensive about it when I asked you just then. You've also been defending them whenever I ask them questions. And you're Reid's best friend, JJ. If he was going to tell anyone what was going on with him, it would be you."
"What do you think is going on?" JJ asked.
"I don't know," Prentiss admitted. "But something definitely is. They're acting weird, even for them."
JJ sighed. "Okay. There is something going on. But I'm not telling you what it is. That's for Morgan and Spencer to do- when they're ready."
Prentiss nodded. "I think I can live with that."
"Just don't tell them I talked to you at all," JJ warned Prentiss. "And keep acting suspicious- because you backing off would make it obvious to them that something's up." JJ looked over at Prentiss. "Are you sure you have no idea what's actually going on?"
Prentiss shook her head. "No, I have absolutely no idea."
"Good," said JJ. "Let's keep it that way, until Morgan and Spence are ready to tell you and the others what's going on."
"Can I ask you one question though, JJ?" Prentiss said tentatively. JJ nodded. "It isn't bad, is it?"
JJ smiled. "No. It's definitely not bad. So if you were thinking that Reid is- using again, the answer is no. He's not."
"I'm sorry for thinking that," Prentiss said. "It's just that when Reid starts acting weird… we worry, you know?"
"Yeah, I know," JJ replied. "And if I didn't know what was actually going on, I might think that too. But we don't have to worry about Spence. Trust me."
The two agents pulled up back outside the police precinct and walked inside. Morgan, Rossi and Hotch had already returned, and Reid had charted Hillary Summers' past with her former boyfriend on an evidence board.
"Did you guys find anything else?" JJ asked the team as she and Prentiss walked up to them.
"The crime scene shows that our UnSub was definitely angry at the latest victim," Morgan announced. "He didn't just dump her; he defiled her."
"And Summers also had a heated argument with a man at her work about a week ago, not long before she broke up with her boyfriend," Hotch added. "From the descriptions I managed to get, it could definitely be our guy."
"I think he is," Reid spoke up. "From what Garcia and I were able to find, it seems Summers' boyfriend, Terry Watson, made a pretty sizable payment on a certain piece of jewelry only a week before our first victim was killed."
"And she rejected him?" Hotch guessed.
Reid nodded, continuing. "Not long later, Watson tried to return the ring, but the jewelry store has a no return policy and they refused. At this time though, Summers and Watson were still together, which was why he didn't kill her earlier."
"Did you find the reason why they broke up?" Hotch asked.
"We did," said Reid. "Apparently, Watson has a history of violent behavior. He was in jail for seven years on assault charges before he meet Hilary Summers. Garcia also managed to unseal some records that show he did a stint in juvenile detention. We also found medical records to show that Summers showed up at the hospital a number of times with suspicious injuries and bruising."
"So Watson did not like women," Prentiss concluded. "We also found out that Summers finally broke it off with Watson two days before her murder, which is why he finally decided to kill her."
"Have we got an address on Watson?" Hotch asked.
"409 Redmond Drive," Reid said.
"Let's go get him, then," said Hotch. He looked over at Reid, who had not risen from his seat once since the team had arrived back. "Are you coming, Reid?"
Reid hesitated for the briefest of moments before answering. "Yes, I'm coming," he said, getting up from his seat and managing not to wince.
The team piled back into their SUVs and sped off towards Redmond Drive, closely followed by a number of police cruisers. The drive only took them fifteen minutes, and soon they pulled up on Terry Watson's street. The BAU, a few cops, and a SWAT team crept closer to number 403, where Watson's large white car, an ostentatious SUV, was parked in the driveway.
"Has anyone got a visual on the suspect?" Hotch said into his microphone.
"I can't make out who it is," one of the SWAT agents replied, "but there is definitely movement inside the house. If he changes position, I should be able to get an identity."
They waited in the street in silence for a moment, not wanting to make any noise to alert Watson to their presence.
Suddenly, the SWAT agent's voice sounded again in everyone's earpiece. "I have a visual on the suspect! He's definitely inside- but he's got a woman with him. She looks badly beaten already."
"Does he know we're out here?" Rossi asked.
"I don't know," Hotch replied. "But we may have to tell him."
"Are you sure that's wise?" said Rossi.
"If we storm the house, I am almost certain he will kill the woman," Hotch said. "But if we try to talk to him, we might be able to coax him out. It's our best shot." Hotch returned to the SUV and pulled out a bullhorn. "Terry Watson!" he called into it. "We have you surrounded. Come out with your hands up, and no one will get hurt!"
"Not a chance!" Watson yelled back. "I'm not stupid, I'm not going out there!"
"We just want to talk, Terry!" Hotch said. "Come out here and we can do that!"
"No way! Me and the girl are staying here. You want to talk, you come in here and talk!"
"Should we do it?" Rossi asked.
"I don't think we have a choice," Hotch sighed, lowering the bullhorn. This was not a favourable situation for them, the suspect had the upper hand, and there was no way to counter that, not without the other girl being harmed any further. "One of us is going to have to go in."
"I don't think we can send Prentiss or JJ," Rossi said. "Sending in a woman might enrage him too much. And Reid won't be able to fight if there's a struggle."
Hotch thought for a moment, sizing up his options. He then looked up at his team. "Morgan, you go in," he decided.
Reid instantly began to panic. Hotch couldn't send in Morgan- he just couldn't! What if something happened? What if Morgan got hurt?
Morgan nodded his agreement, but when looking at the rest of the team, he noticed Reid's expression of absolute panic and worry. "I'll be fine," Morgan said, making it appear as though he was talking to the entire team while actually directing his words at Reid. "Don't worry about me."
Reid opened his mouth as if to speak, but thought better of it and closed it again. Saying something now would reveal everything, and he wasn't ready for that. He just gave Morgan a small nod.
Morgan gave the team one last, small smile before turning and walking towards Watson's house. Reid's eyes followed him, anxiety rising in his chest. JJ eyes flickered between Morgan and Reid, realising what the younger agent must be feeling right now. The man he loved was walking into the home of a murderer that could very well hurt or even kill him. She touched Reid's hand lightly and briefly, trying to comfort him and let him know she understood. He looked up at her, and she smiled at him. He'll be okay, she told him with her expression. Morgan will be okay. He'll come back to you.
None of the team noticed this silent exchange; they were too busy watching Morgan walking away from them and towards the UnSub. Reid had gone back to watching Morgan as well, trying to hold himself together. He had no idea why he was so worried, so scared that Morgan wouldn't come out of there alive. He'd never felt like this before. Never. He had been on countless cases, and countless raids, but this one was different, and the fact that he didn't know why was infuriating and also terrifying.
All that could be seen of Morgan now was his outline as he entered Watson's house. Reid's heart was in his throat, but he managed to appear calm on the outside. The team watched as Morgan moved cautiously towards the UnSub, one hand raised as if in a sign of peace. Then Reid gasped in horror as Morgan lowered his gun and placed it on a table. For the briefest of seconds the team turned to look at him, confused. Why was he panicking so much? Why was he so worried about Morgan?
"What is he doing?" Hotch said, turning to look towards the house again. "Why is he putting down his gun?"
"He's turned his earpiece and microphone off, too," Rossi pointed out. "He doesn't want us to hear what's going on in there."
Because he doesn't want us to worry- because he doesn't want me to worry, Reid thought to himself.
Reid didn't want to look at the house anymore, but at the same time he couldn't tear his eyes away. After a few moments it didn't matter anyway, because Morgan, the UnSub and the woman had moved out of their line of sight.
"What the hell is he doing?" Hotch repeated, slightly angry now.
"There has to be a reason behind this, Hotch," Prentiss said. "I mean, he wouldn't move so we couldn't see him or the UnSub if he didn't have a reason for that."
JJ glanced back at Reid, but looked away again before the rest of the team noticed. While Morgan may have moved because of something the UnSub had said or was doing, JJ knew that at least part of the reason Morgan had moved was because of Reid. He didn't want Reid to worry, seeing what was going on. Hotch, Rossi and Prentiss were already beginning to wonder, about why Reid was so scared that Morgan could get hurt. JJ could tell that Reid was also completely oblivious as to why he was feeling this way too. But she knew. It was because of love.
Both Morgan and Reid had confessed they loved each other; JJ knew this. And while she had believed them, she hadn't realised the extent of their feelings for each other. Now she did-they were truly in love, just the look on Reid's face was enough to prove that.
Suddenly a gunshot ran out, followed only a moment later by another. The members of the BAU took one look at each other before drawing their guns and running towards the house. Hotch went in first, closely followed by Reid.
The first thing they found was the woman, curled up in the fetal position on the floor. Her body was covered in bruises, and JJ immediately moved to help her. The rest of the team continued forward, towards another room in the house. The door was slightly ajar, and they could see movement inside. Hotch beckoned to the others, and two of them stood on either side of the door. Hotch counted down on his fingers- three, two, one…
The four agents burst into the room, but Terry Watson was lying on the floor, blood flowing from a gunshot wound on his chest. He was already dead. Agent Morgan, on the other hand, was leaning against the wall, breathing heavily and with sweat on his forehead.
While Hotch and Rossi bent over Watson's body, Reid and Prentiss moved instantly to Morgan's side. "Are you okay?" Prentiss asked.
Morgan nodded, but then he winced in pain. It was then that Reid and Prentiss noticed the blood coming from Morgan's shoulder. "You got shot!" Reid exclaimed.
Rossi and Hotch looked over at Morgan, and walked away from Watson's body towards him. "It's fine," Morgan hissed, but his team could see the pain etched clearly on his face.
"You need to go to hospital, get checked out," Hotch said to Morgan.
"It's only grazed, Hotch," Morgan said. "I'm fine."
"You've still lost a lot of blood," Reid spoke up, shocking the others. "You need to go to the hospital, De- Morgan."
Morgan turned his head towards Reid, and the younger agent looked at him imploringly, anguish written all over his face. "Okay," Morgan whispered. "I'll go."
The team all gave Morgan's small smiles as JJ walked into the room. "Derek, what happened?" she gasped as she noticed his bleeding shoulder.
"Watson fired at me," Morgan replied. "He… grazed my shoulder, but I managed to get my gun back off him and-" He gestured towards the corpse with his uninjured hand.
"Are you going to hospital, at least? JJ asked.
Morgan gave her a weak smile. "Pretty boy here's already convinced me," he said, indicating Reid with a wave of his good hand. "I'm going, JJ."
As the EMT's entered the room, Hotch motioned them over. "We'll finish up here, and then we'll see you at the hospital, okay Morgan?" He didn't wait for an answer before walking away. Rossi and Prentiss looked back at Morgan before following him.
JJ and Reid lingered by Morgan's side as the EMT's worked on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?" Reid whispered.
"I know you're worried about me, Spencer, but I really am okay." When Reid just gave him a look, Morgan added, "Well I'm in pain right now, but it is just a graze. I'll be fine."
"Do you… do you want me to come with you to the hospital?" Reid asked Morgan tentatively.
"I do, Spencer, yes, but- do you really think that's a good idea? They're gonna get even more suspicious," Morgan said.
"From the way Spence was acting outside, that's already happening," JJ said. "I don't think they know exactly what's going on, but they know that there is definitely something."
"But I want to go with you," Reid declared. "I wouldn't be much help here, anyway- I'd be too busy worrying about you."
A thought struck JJ. "You know, someone is going to need to take Morgan's statement… and if I go with you guys, it might help. You will still get your alone time," she added when Reid opened his mouth.
"That's actually a pretty good idea," Morgan said. "Make sure when you tell the others, it sounds like it was your idea to come with me, and that you're dragging Spencer along with you."
JJ nodded and walked away towards the others. One of the EMT's moved closer to Morgan, but he waved him away. "Can you give us a minute?" he asked. The EMT hesitated, but when he noticed Morgan's expression he backed away.
"I think we need to tell them," Morgan whispered so nobody but Reid could hear him.
"I know we do," Reid sighed. "I just… I'm scared."
"You're- you're scared?" Morgan repeated. "But why?"
Reid turned to look at the rest of the team, who periodically looked over at the two men. "I don't think this is the best place for this conversation, Derek," he said.
Morgan looked over at the others, but when he turned he winced in pain. Reid made a move towards Morgan, concerned. "I think you're right," Morgan managed to choke out. "Let's go."
Reid moved over to Morgan's good side while the EMT moved to his bad one, and the two of them began to help Morgan out of the room. When they walked past the team, JJ began to follow them.
"I'll call you as soon as we get Morgan's diagnosis," Reid said to the team as they walked out of the room. Hotch, Rossi and Prentiss stared after them, worried about their teammate but also wondering what was really going on between him and Reid- and realising that JJ was in on it.
A/N: Okay, I feel kinda bad for hurting Morgan now... I definitely did not intend for it to turn out that way- the Morgan getting shot part, at least. Stupid muse.
Note from Diamond Cobra: "The lack of smut is D=. But I guess it means I don't actually have that much of a job to do, which is a good thing =P. (Don't tell anyone, but Eternal is a great writer...except when it comes to smut. She gets all embarrassed and doesn't write the...less pg words, it's kinda cute. =3)"
Aw, thanks girlie! And the reason I don't write the 'less PG words' as you put it, is because I have no idea which one fits! :P
As always, I love getting your reviews guys, I really want to hear what you think and they make me feel totally awesome!