A/N: Heh, I'm already baaack! It looks like this story has gained a life of its own. Be that a good thing or bad… (grins sheepishly)

First off, thank you so much for all those reviews! (hugs) You wouldn't believe how happy I was to discover how many of you enjoyed the previous chapter. It DEFINITELY adds boost to my inspiration! (hugs again) THANK YOU!

Ah, and yes – also thank you for voting! You definitely made clearing out my head easier and I'm grateful for that. I really hope you'll be pleased with the conclusion I pulled up.

Awkay, because the battery of my laptop is dying I've gotta get on with the story. (inhales deeply) I truly hope you'll enjoy this one!

CHAPTER 2: Out of Control

The following morning dawned, slowly yet surely. Deciding that there was no reason to waste time in the bed Reid pushed himself up, distanced with surprising ease from Lucas' warmth and stood up.

Reid remained by the bed for a moment, listening to the sounds Lucas emitted in his sleep and fighting the urge to slip back under the covers, until he finally found his will once more. Just this once not looking back Reid walked out of the room and locked himself into the bathroom.

Reid closed his eyes as almost painfully hot water washed over him, breathing a bit more sharply than usual. The water ran gently over the bruises, its path crossing every single one of the shame marks. And in a few moments Reid managed to feel comfortingly numb once more.

For a moment of bliss it was deviously easy to forget about everything, to slip into a comforting oblivion where no bruises existed.

Once more Reid pulled as much air as he could into his lungs, finally able to breathe freely. And then he turned off the shower, shivering as cold air immediately sneaked in the caress his body. His silly little flight was over.

Moving in some sort of a fog – as though his mind had been separated from his body – Reid got dressed, combed his hair with a surprisingly steady hand and walked out of the bathroom like it'd been a huge feat.

Reid made it to the kitchen before his autopilot failed and he froze, feeling cold once more.

Apparently Lucas had woken up to him leaving the bed. Because the man was sitting behind a table, a luxurious breakfast sitting on the table before the older man.

It took a moment before Lucas noticed him. The man's eyes were dangerously close to those warm ones that'd once charmed him. "Happy anniversary", the older man said in a quiet, husky tone.

Not sure how he should react to this unexpected twist of things, Reid approached and sat down slowly, cautiously. "Thanks", was what he managed in the end, with a rather clumsy expression that looked between a smile and a grimace.

Lucas, clearly failing to notice the turmoil of emotions inside him, smiled a little. And for some reason the warmth radiating from the older man's eyes made Reid feel like he'd been strangled all over again.

The morning slipped on in almost total silence, with a dream-like hue surrounding it.

Six Weeks Later

Reid wasn't the type to say he hated something lightly. But he did hate hospitals, from the deepest bottom of his heart. And he particularly disliked being a patient.

He fought back a deep sigh and a wince when when Dr. Prue Thompson kept poking his head like it'd been the most interesting thing on earth. "I'm fine", he repeated for the about a millionth time, fighting to keep his tone calm. This time he couldn't keep his expression in control when Dr. Thompson touched the precisely right spot. "The unsub gave me a slight bang to the head when I wasn't paying attention. But I don't have headache, nausea, dizziness or problems with my eyesight." He didn't feel like mentioning that the last thing he remembered was entering that stupid, creepy house and hearing… Honestly, he didn't know what.

JJ – who'd been the only team member able to accompany him while the others were still trying to catch the unsub – gave him a stern look. "Spence, you were unconscious for ten minutes and drowsy for almost an hour after that. You didn't look fine to me."

Dr. Thompson also didn't appear all that impressed by his persistent convincing. "I'm almost sure you have a concussion. And I can promise you that as soon as your head settles a bit you'll have one hell of a headache." She focused on her portable computer for a moment, typing something. "I'm keeping you here for overnight, just to be sure."

Reid opened his mouth for a protest until a much too familiar voice met his ears, making his stomach knot and turn uncomfortably warm. "What if a medical doctor is there to keep an eye on him?" Looking slowly towards the room's doorway Reid saw Lucas stood there. The man flashed a pleasant smile at confused looking JJ and Dr. Thompson. "I'm Dr. Lucas Reichton, I'm Dr. Reid's personal doctor. I know how uncomfortable he is with hospitals, and I'll be able to keep an eye on him at his home for tonight."

Dr. Thompson frowned, and for this one forbidden moment Reid felt something close to hope when seeing the mistrust in her eyes. "I see." The woman's eyes hardened still. "Dr. Reichton, could I have a word with you?"

Reid was beyond thrilled the women didn't see the swift look Lucas darted his way. Because it left nothing to be questioned.

As soon as the doctors had left Reid looked reluctantly towards JJ. He licked his lips and ran a restless hand through his hair when finding her looking back. "It's… I…" Words died into his throat and he looked away, feeling sick to his stomach. This was exactly the conversation he'd never wanted to have, with any of his team mates.

To his surprise JJ's voice was soft. "Spence, it's okay." Looking towards her with a somewhat stunned expression he found her smiling. "As long as he makes you happy it's okay. So wipe that look from your face."
Reid tried to smile but failed miserably. His throat was very scratchy all of a sudden. "I…" He cleared his throat and inhaled. "Thanks."

JJ smiled, then grew a lot more solemn. "He does make you happy, right?"

Reid had absolutely no idea how to answer that one. He bit his lip so hard it almost bled and tried to relax in his bed, casting his eyes towards the ceiling. It was filthy. "I just… want to get out of here", he muttered in the end.

JJ remained silent, but Reid could sense how badly she would've wanted to press further. And a tiny part of him wished, pleaded her to.

She kept her quiet. So did he.

In the hallway Dr. Thompson made sure no one was there to hear before speaking to her colleague. "Dr. Reichton… As Reid's personal doctor I'm sure you're aware of the bruises he's been obtaining. " She went on although his eyes would've made almost anyone back down. "I don't want to accuse anyone, much less press my patient any further with asking questions he's adamant not to answer. So I'm turning to you. Is Dr. Reid in a trouble I should be aware of?"

She could've sworn that for a moment Dr. Reichton's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe that's any of your concern."

She frowned, folding her arms although it gave a blow to her authority. She couldn't control herself around this man, and it irked her. "I'm also his doctor, Dr. Reichton. I have the right to know."

The degrading smile that appeared to Dr. Reichton's face was one of the most chilling things she'd ever seen. "Let me assure you, Dr. Thompson, that Spencer is in good hands. I'm taking him home and looking after him. So you have nothing to worry about." With that the man turned and started his walk towards Reid's room, clearly sealing the conversation. "Have a good day."

A deep frown remained on Dr. Thompson's face as she watched the man's retreating back, all her instincts tingling.

She'd never felt as cold in her life.

Two Weeks Later

Time flew by, another mission followed the previous one. Life went on like nothing out of ordinary was going on.

The fairytale land remained intact until one afternoon.

"This one's from Baltimore. The victim's a John Doe, age approximately 28, killed by strangling", JJ told them, her voice carefully controlled. She showed them the picture of a dark-haired male whose face was so covered in bruises that it was difficult to imagine what he'd looked like. "He'd clearly been beaten up severely before his death – there was bruising from kicks and punches all over his body. The hardest hits had been aimed at his head. According to his autopsy report his cheekbone had been fractured and several of his teeth had been cracked. The force of the strangling had practically crushed his windpipe"

Rossi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Did the bastard torture him?"

JJ swallowed. "There were no defence wounds or signs that he would've been strapped. And it looks like the damage was done over an extensive period of time." Her eyes, not quite managing to distinguish what she was feeling, strayed towards the bruising on the victim's neck. "It's unclear whether the rest of the injuries have anything to do with the actual local police was guessing this could be a case of violence in intimate relationship."

"Shit…", slipped through Morgan's lips.

Exactly a blink later was nearly startled by the sound of a chair screeching furiously against the floor. Looking up with surprise they frowned when seeing Reid practically dashing out of the room. The young man's back was to them, so they couldn't see his face, but the stiffness of his shoulders and steps said enough.

"Reid?" Hotch inquired.

"Sorry", was all the young genius mustered. "I… I'll be back in a bit." So saying he was already out.

Morgan hesitated for only a moment before getting up and going after Reid.

"Hotch." Rossi's eyes were demanding, hard. "What the heck is going on?"

Hotch fought the urge to sigh while glancing towards the room's door. He really wished he'd had an answer.

It took a while before Morgan managed to find Reid from the restroom. A tremor crossed his body as he observed how the youngest member of the team pulled in hungry, desperate breaths. Reid's face and knuckles had barely any color when the brunet squeezed the porcelain washbasin bowl as hard as he possibly could.

A panic attack, Morgan identified in an instant.

He was just wondering if he should touch the younger man – to offer some kind of physical contact – when Reid stiffened completely. For a moment he was almost sure the genius would throw up but then the brunet relaxed, almost closed his eyes. Whatever Reid had just fought with, it'd clearly taken a lot out of him.

It was around then Reid noticed him. The younger man's eyes widened for a fleeting second. "Could you just… leave me alone?"

Morgan shook his head, feeling a fiery bout of determination. They'd all left Reid alone for too damn long. "No chance, kid." He lay a hand to Reid's shoulder and frowned at how the other man shuddered at the contact.

Morgan wasn't sure if he wanted to see, if he really wanted to face just how much their team had ignored. But he came to a conclusion that someone had to. And so – before Reid could do a thing to stop him – he shifted fabric so that he got a good luck of Reid's upper arm. He felt like crying out.

There, sneering back at him, was almost black bruising. Clearly the result of a violent attack.

Morgan was infamous for his temper. But he'd never felt the kind of fury he did then, and it must've radiated from his eyes when they met Reid's. "Who the hell did this to you?"

Reid swallowed thickly, dryly. Something close to fear was written all over the man's face. "It's nothing."

"Reid." Morgan fought – fought so very hard – to keep his voice from shaking, but had a sinking feeling he failed. "This sure as hell isn't nothing!" Even with the risk that he was making a huge mistake he grabbed one of the brunet's utterly stiff shoulders. With some struggle he managed to make the younger man turn towards the mirror. "Take a look at yourself! This… This isn't okay! You can't…!"

Morgan's rant was cut short when he took in the look on Reid's face, the moisture shimmering in the younger man's eyes. The young genius seemed to be shivering violently, the man's shoulder still in his firm hold.

And suddenly Morgan realized that there wasn't anything he could've said Reid hadn't already screamed at himself.

Morgan swallowed thickly, feeling absolutely apoplectic and hepless, useless. He opened his mouth, but in the end nothing came out. Not like any words would've been necessary, though. No words would erase the damage that'd already been done.

So Morgan gave Reid close to ten minutes, his stomach knotting and twisting painfully as he watched the young genius fighting to pull himself together once more. Eventually Reid took a deep, badly shuddering breath and closed his eyes for a moment. When the younger man opened his eyes again the haunted look from before was gone, leaving behind only immense exhaustion. Morgan had no idea how to feel about the change.

He swallowed and hoped his voice wouldn't sound off before talking. "Are you ready to go out?"

Reid nodded somewhat sharply before looking at him through the mirror. Despite all his experiences Morgan found it hard not to look away. The brunet's voice was barely above a whisper when it finally came out. "Don't tell the others."

Morgan frowned, feeling cold settling in. "Reid…!"

"Please!" It was still nothing more than a breath, but nonetheless enough to halt all objections. Reid looked away once more, towards his hands which were again squeezing the sink before the young man so hard that his knuckles had turned white. "This… This is already humiliating enough, okay? So please, don't tell them. Let me handle this."

Morgan wasn't stupid – he knew Reid needed help and fast, before he'd fall even deeper into this mess. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak a word Reid's cell-phone came to life. He'd never seen the kind of a look that appeared into the young genius' eyes. It was filled with fatigue, anger, fear and confusion.

Morgan felt every single muscle of his face tighten. "You don't have to pick up."

Reid's expression was tight and guarded as the man looked at him. "Yes, I do. Trust me, not answering would only make things worse."

Morgan was contemplating whether he should give his own honest opinion, but all his thoughts were cut short as his cell-phone also started vibrating in his pocket. He gave Reid a one more look. "Just don't do anything stupid, kid."

Reid nodded. Morgan wondered when he'd become unable to read the younger man's face.

He turned before accepting the call. He regretted the decision as soon as he heard Reid walk out of the room, talking quietly to the phone. "That was Morgan's voice…"

Less than five minutes later Morgan also exited from the room, pissed off, worried and impatient. The caller was Clooney's carer. The poor dog had started throwing up in the morning and the carer – a rather timid sixteen-year-old girl – had rushed it over to a vet. Apparently it wasn't anything serious and Clooney was already home, but she'd felt it was her duty to report.

Morgan was glad there were still conscientious people in the world, but he couldn't help cursing her timing.

Morgan found Hotch waiting for him by the conference room. The man gave him a demanding look that clearly inquired 'Well?'.

Morgan shook his head, swallowing down a breath of air. His head was really starting to hurt.

Hotch's eyes darkened for a moment, which was a fairly intimidating sigh. The man's cool posture almost faltered. "How bad is it?"

Morgan opened his mouth before realizing that they weren't alone anymore. JJ stood a couple of steps away. Her slightly widened eyes told that she knew exactly what they'd been talking about.

Before either one of the men could say a word JJ nearly whispered. "Reid… When he was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago a man named Dr. Lucas Reichton took him home." It didn't require special skills to detect that she was furious – livid – with herself. "I felt that something was wrong, but I… I thought it was just my imagination."

Morgan's eyes carried a variety of emotions as they met Hotch's. "You said it yourself, weeks ago. We have to do something. Let me call Garcia." Seeing his superior's hesitation he went on. "This is Reid we're talking about!"

After a couple of endless seconds Hotch finally nodded. Morgan didn't waste time when pulling out his cell-phone and hitting the numbers.

"Hello, sweetness. You just reached the all-knowing Oracle."

Morgan composed himself for a second. "I… need you to do me a favor. Run a background check on Lucas Reichton." He swallowed with some difficulty. "And… could you do it fast and subtly?"

"Okay…" Garcia sounded confused, but obeyed anyway. She spoke after a few moments. "Your average story – grew up in a farm with his mother and father, no siblings. Lucas hasn't been a bad boy. A couple of speeding tickets and… Wait a minute." She paused, clearly to read. "He got fired from a hospital five years ago. Apparently he showed up to work in a hangover, and got into a fist-fight with a patient. I've got a psychologist's evaluation here. It says he's got a unstable personality. It was one of the reasons to why he was fired. The patients and colleagues both filed several complaints on him." It sounded like she shrugged."He's a basket case, but doesn't sound like your regular unsub. What bad has he done?" Fortunately she went on before he had to answer. "Hold on. Why does he have the same address as…?"

"Thanks", Morgan interrupted her.

Before he managed to hang up Garcia spoke. "Wait." He heard her swallow, hard. "Is… Is Reid in a trouble?"

A shiver crossed Morgan. "Why would you think so?"

"Because I can tell something's wrong." Her voice was serious, too serious. "And you know the statisics. When something's wrong, it's usually got something to do with Reid. So is he okay?"

Morgan sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "I really hope so."

As soon as the phone-call was over the team exchanged long looks. At the moment no words were necessary.

Ten minutes later Reid called Hotch, saying that he wasn't feeling well and was going back home. It was the first time the brunet called in sick willingly – they'd seen him stagger to work in a fever of 104 F. Another tiny sign of just how off things were.

The others could've sworn the room's temperature had dropped several degrees.

A moment after another ticked by as Reid stood behind the door of his apartment, feeling stupid and furious with himself. Finally bracing himself and reaching out a hand towards the doorhandle he tried to remember exactly when coming back home had become something almost terrifying.

It was disturbing to discover that he couldn't remember the time before Lucas anymore.

Reid was almost surprised by how easily the door opened. Going in was a whole another matter. His legs felt heavy as a distant part of his ailing reason screamed a warning.

He barely had the time to close the door before there was a voice that sent chills down his spine. "So you talked to Morgan."

Reid turned around slowly, as though stalling would've somehow made the situation better, prevented the inevitable. Fear settled into his body, tingling in his veins, as they measured each other up with their gazes. He swallowed and licked his lips, his whole mouth having grown dry all of a sudden. "He wanted to make sure I'm alright." He felt that it was for the best to leave word 'safe' out.

If it was even possible Lucas' eyes darkened still.

Of course he knows, Reid reminded himself, feeling strangely detached although terror was starting to lift its head. He always knows.

"You told him." It was a statement – accusation. Lucas eyes burned with something that didn't look human. In less than a blink the man was stood before him, all over him. One almost unbearably rough hand wrapped around Reid's throat while another one of the older man's knees pressed hard against his crotch. "Didn't I fucking tell you what'd happen if anyone found out?" The older man wasn't screaming – he rarely raised his voice. But that didn't make the tone any less intimidating. "Didn't I?"

Spencer's eyes widened, and it became hard to breathe although the hold on his throat wasn't enough to cause choking. Even with the rush of sheer terror and adrenaline he felt that now a line had been crossed. Lucas had never touched him this way before. All control was gone. "I'm sorry", Reid whispered, detesting how his voice shook. A searing sensation found its way into his eyes when Lucas' knee pressed harder. Oh God…! "Please, I…! I'm sorry!"

Lucas shook his head, slowly. "Don't you get it? Your sorry isn't good enough this time." The calmness on the other man's face was the unnerving type Reid had sometimes seen on the unsubs, on some very dangerous people.

But this wasn't an unsub, Reid came to realize in a chilling moment of clarity. This was Lucas, a man who shared his apartment, his bed, who was supposed to…

Lucas used his free hand to grab the belt of Reid's pants hard and possessively, roughly shaking the young genius free from his thoughts. Reid gave a sharp, petrified gasp that would've probably been a yelp if there'd been any breath left in his lungs.

Leaning so close that he could smell the man's aftershave Lucas hissed into his ear. "I'm going to teach you the rules of this game, Pretty boy. And it looks like I have to do it the hard way."

Reid emitted a tiny whimper that immediately made him feel pathetic and useless when Lucas' determined, experienced hand went on with its investigations. His eyes were still wide and most likely filled with tears as he stared directly at Lucas, with his gaze begging until the very last moment. He fought as hard as he could with one of Lucas' hands still squashing his throat, but he was no match against the taller, bigger man who was filled with something no adrenaline could match.

PLEASE!

But it was too late. Had been from the start.

Reid squeezed his eyes tightly shut as his pants fell and Lucas kept pressing against him. He'd never been shaking the way he was then, not even in the aftermath of the hell Tobias Hankle put him through.

At the moment Reid would've given anything – anything – if he'd been able to scream. But all that came from his wide open mouth was a wheeze.

Neither of them had the chance to notice that in the pocket of the recently cast away pants Reid's cell-phone was ringing, with Morgan's name flashing on the screen.

Reid had absolutely no idea how much time had passed as he sat on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. He was shivering and staring straight ahead with unseeing wide eyes from which tears had dried long ago, leaving behind a dry, itchy sensation. His heart was beating furiously and blood rushed in his ears as he fought to focus on breathing.

In… Out… In… Out…

It didn't help, at all. He still felt like throwing up, like he was about to die. He could still feel Lucas, and had a sickening feel he'd never be able to not to.

And here he'd thought things couldn't get much worse. In some other situation he might've snorted at the his own stupidity.

Finally regaining at least some focus Reid's eyes rose slowly, soon finding a bottle of pills that'd been abandoned before a mirror.

Sleeping pills.

Reid's thoughts began to spin.

Sleep. He really needed some sleep, didn't he? All he wanted at the moment was to close his eyes and rest for a few hours, without nightmares, thoughts or disturbances.

Didn't he deserve some rest after all the shit he'd already swallowed? It couldn't do any more harm, anyway.

Yes. It sounded like a smart idea, like the only logical thing to do. Comforted by the knowledge that something was finally making sense Spencer got up tentatively, immediately wincing at the pain that seemed to be everywhere. For just a second he paused, as though hesitating for some reason, before managing to coax himself into moving once more.

Reid hadn't felt as lucid in weeks – months, years – as he did when taking the bottle and pouring the contents to his palm.

Once again his furiously ringing cell-phone was ignored.

TBC, no?

A/N: Oh man… (winces) Talking about 'from bad to worse'!

So… (takes a deep breath) Thoughts? Comments? PLEASE leave a review to let me know – by now you probably know that I LOVE hearing from you guys! (glances hopefully)

Only two more to go. Dang, this one's rolling around fast! (gawks)

I hope you'll be sticking around for the rest of the ride.

Peace out!