William LaMontagne JR had been dating Jennifer Jareau for about seven months. The thirty year old man had fallen for JJ quickly, but he had sensed already that maybe JJ wasn't returning his feeling. At least not to the same extent as his own. JJ had called him to let him know what had happened to Spencer, and she had told him not to worry about flying over to see her. William JR ignored her wishes and got on a plane from New Orleans to Washington anyway. He had thought that JJ just hadn't wanted to inconvenience him, but the truth was that JJ truly didn't want William around. She just wanted to take care of Spencer, and find out what was truly going on with the man she cared about so much.

The surgeon had come out to tell the team that they could go see Spencer, only a few short hours after his surgery.

JJ had rushed to Spencer's side, "Spence, are you okay?"

Spencer smiled, "I'm fine JJ, just a little sore."

"You just got beaten shot and almost drowned, I doubt you're fine pretty boy," Derek said.

"Well, even after all that I'm still prettier than you so..." Derek smiles at Spencer's joke.

"You're never leaving sick from work again, do you hear me?" Penelope told him as she moved to give Spencer a hug.

Spencer smiled and nodded, "I hear you loud and clear."

"Reid, we need to talk about what happened," Hotch started, not wanting to waste any time finding this man.

Spencer sighed, "I went home because I felt sick, I got some clean clothing so I could rest and I noticed the bathtub was full of water. I went into the living room and found that the man was standing there, he had taken my gun and my phone. We got into a struggle as I tried getting my gun from him. He shot me, but I managed to get my phone to call Derek, then he grabbed me and punched me into the coffee table. He tried dragging me to the bathroom, but I managed to get away and get my gun. He tackled me and managed to overpower me and get me to the bathroom, he cut my neck and tried drowning me, but I got his knife and stabbed him in the shoulder. Then I ran from the bathroom and that's when Derek and Emily showed up. He left through the window."

Hotch sighed, "we had to know that as well, but I was more asking about why he would have come after you in the first place?"

JJ had grabbed Spencer's hand and had gripped it hard as he told his story, "I'm not sure..." Spencer lied.

"Reid, we know you. You have to have an idea about why this man attacked you," Derek said.

"I'm not sure, maybe because I'm a genius like his other victims."

"Spencer, you know that this man attacks younger people that work for the CIA," Rossi had cut in, "you know that this unsub wouldn't stray from that. He attacked you for a reason."

"You're hiding something from us pretty boy, we can tell."

Spencer shook his head, anxiety filled him, "what's going on Spence?"

Spencer pulled his hand away from JJ's, "I already told you guys, I'm not sure why he'd attack me. I don't know everything-"

"Reid, you knew too much about a secure and confidential CIA case file," Hotch said sternly, "there's no way that that file would have been something you just happened to come across in your studies."

Spencer looked up at Hotch and then looked around at the rest of his team, 'I knew they'd figure it out.'

He knew that it was only a matter of time before they started piecing together all of his story and all of the lies he had told them during the last five years. He had to leave, he had to get away so that they'd be safe, so she'd be safe because they had no idea what they were about to get themselves into.

"I need to rest," Spencer told them, looking away and turning eyes to the window.

"Spence-" JJ tried comforting him by putting her hands back on his.

"I need to rest," Spencer repeated firmly, pulling his hands away again.

JJ backed away from the bed, feeling hurt by the rejection, "alright, we'll let you rest..."

"Pretty boy, you can't keep this from us. You need to confide in us so that we can keep you safe."

Spencer said nothing, just continued looking out the window.

"Come on guys, let's allow Spencer some time to think," Hotch moved towards the door and held it open, "we'll come back in a couple hours to see if you're ready to tell us the truth, until then we'll try to figure it out ourselves."

"It's none of your business Hotch!" Spencer snapped, glaring at his boss from his hospital bed.

"Protecting my agents, and my family is my business Reid."

Spencer looked away and closed his eyes, trying not to cry from the pain he was feeling about what he was already planning to do.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Spencer sat up and carefully removed the IV from his hand. He flinched as he moved with his stitches on his side still feeling sensitive, but he pushed through the pain.

"I have to leave, I don't have a choice. I must protect them, I must protect her.'

JJ had walked away from the rest of the team once they had returned to the waiting room, "I'm going to go home."

That was all she told them before she left through the doors to the stairway and ran down four floors. When she couldn't run anymore she sat down, dropping her purse and covering her eyes.

That's when all the tears came, tears she didn't understand why she was crying because after all, Spencer was going to be okay. However, Spencer was keeping secrets, he had gotten attacked by a man that seemed to personally have it in for him according to what Derek had told them and he was pulling away from her. She knew it had only been his hand, but she felt like it was more than that. Spencer was pulling back himself, who he was or rather who she thought he was, which she was afraid she didn't know anymore because Spencer had never kept secrets. Spencer had never pulled away from her comfort and these feelings that she felt since Spencer got attacked were all so new.

When she had been told that Spencer was being attacked in his apartment she had felt like a wave had hit her, the same wave that had hit her nine months ago when Spencer had been kidnapped by Hankel. However, this time there were no dogs to blame it on, no drug addiction to worry about because after all Spencer was clean at least for now. She had nothing to distract herself from this overwhelming feeling because they couldn't even work on the case until Spencer or the CIA spoke to them.

JJ hadn't heard Derek following her, and she jumped when Derek put his hand on her shoulder. He sat down beside her and silently wrapped his arms around her as she continued crying.

"I think you should tell him, he deserves to know," Derek said once JJ had calmed down and wiped her eyes.

"What are you talking about?"JJ asked.

"I don't have to be a profiler to see what's going on, you two have been doing this little dance for years," Derek explained gently, "especially since Hankel..."

JJ sniffled, "I don't know what you're talking about Derek, I don't know what I'm feeling..."

"I think you do, and when you're able to see it and ready to accept it I think you should tell him the truth."

"The way he's telling us the truth?" She replied angrily.

"I don't know what's going on with pretty boy, but he has been acting odd ever since this morning when the case file dropped into his hands. I'm starting to think that he may have a connection with this case."

JJ looked at him questioningly, "but that would mean that he'd have to have a connection with the CIA."

"I know."

"But Spence can't have a connection with them, he has worked with us since he was twenty one-"

"Ashley Michaels was sixteen years old JJ, and Reid graduated high school at twelve years old. We don't know what he could have been doing in those nine years."

"We know Spence was at the FBI academy from February 2002 to June 2002, and then he started working at the BAU that November..."

"That still leaves almost eight years unaccounted for."

"But he was also in school-"

"For four years JJ," Derek said, "he got most of his degrees out of school, working online and at night and stuff. I got Penelope to get his school admissions before she came to the hospital."

JJ was trying to think, 'what was Spence doing from the time he was sixteen to the time he joined the FBI academy at twenty?'

Just then Emily ran into them on the stairs, "guys, Reid's missing!"

JJ and Derek looked up at Emily with shocked expressions and then looked at each other. They got up and raced upstairs to find that indeed, Spencer's bed was empty, but there was no sign of a struggle.

Spencer didn't bother going back to his apartment to get his stuff, he just checked into a hotel with his secret emergency credit card. Penelope wouldn't be able to find him through it because she didn't know it even existed. Spencer had always faked a hatred of electronic money, always saying he preferred to carry cash only.

"Would you like any room service Sir?" The nice lady at the desk asked.

"No thanks, in fact I'd prefer to be left alone for the rest of tonight and tomorrow. I'll hang the Do Not Disturb sign up."

The lady nodded, "okay, let us know if there's anything you need."

"I will," Spencer sent the lady and charming smile before turning and heading up to his room.

He let himself in and then unpacked his bag. He had stopped to get a couple supplies on his way from the hospital.

Spencer pulled out some new clothing, a laptop, a gun, handcuffs, and hair dye and scissors?