Hi Friends!

Good news! I passed my second test! Woohoo! It only took two tries but I did it!

Thanks for all the follows, adds, and reviews! You guys really pump me up and motivate me to write.

Please forgive any mistakes! I'm human and I suck at grammar...oh and sometimes my fingers go faster than my brain and weird things end up on the page.

Enjoy!

Rossi couldn't help but feel his jaw drop at Reid's last words. Yet? So the kid was anticipating that even Rossi would leave him behind in the dust one day?

"What do you mean 'yet,' Reid?"

The boy bowed his head and looked down at his hands which were clasped between his knees, "I…I just…I guess…it's just a matter of time before…"

"Before what?" Rossi asked, although he had already anticipated what the young man was going to say.

"Before you…uh…before you leave," he said quietly, refusing to look up as the words poured out.

"What makes you think I'll leave?"

Reid cleared his throat and turned his head slightly, looking through the curls that had fallen in his eyes, "Everyone leaves me eventually."

Having enough of the poor boy's sorrow, Dave scooted himself over on the couch and wrapped his arm around the kid's bony shoulders. He could feel Spencer tense at the sudden contact but then the kid's body quickly relaxed as he registered Rossi's friendly touch. The older man squeezed Reid tightly as he said, "I'm not going anywhere, kiddo."

That same watery smile from before appeared on Reid's lips, "Right."

"What? You don't believe me?"

"I…I just don't want to get my hopes up."

"Reid…Spencer…I swear to you right now that I'm never going to –"

"Don't," the genius interrupted before the other man could finish his sentence. "Don't say that you're never going to leave. You can't promise that. You can't promise something that you have no control over. And…and there a lot of things that could make you leave…someone new enters your life, retirement, an…an unsub's bullet…So please…don't make a promise that you can't keep."

"Reid, just because something in my life changes doesn't mean you'll be pushed out," Rossi explained. "Look, I know for a fact the others feel the same. Just talk to them. Give them a chance to prove to you that they shouldn't be in that box of yours. Don't give up on them yet."

"I gave up on them a while ago…at least…gave up in the sense that they would turn out to be different than everyone else. Look, I know that they care about me to a point…but I've always known that I would be pushed to the backburner if something better came along. That's my life…it's inevitable…I accepted that a long time ago," the doctor admitted glumly, dipping his head down so that the shadows covered his face.

"See this is what I'm talking about. Spencer, you are automatically assuming that we are going to abandon you like the people in your past. You can't do that…you need to realize that we're different and that no one wants to hurt you. Like I said, just talk to everybody and tell them what you're feeling. Help them to understand where you're coming from before you withdrawal from their lives…before you permanently put them in that little box and write them off completely," Rossi pleaded again on the team's behalf.

"We'll see," was all Spencer said, knowing fully well that he would never just bring this up with any of his teammates. For he was fighting a war inside himself where one part of his brain told him to go ahead and trust what the older profiler said and the other side told him not to be a fool. As always he was leaning towards the cautious side due to having been burned so many times before by people he thought he could trust.

Dave sighed at the boy's noncommittal response. The remaining team members, himself included, were going to be traveling a long rough road to prove to the junior teammate that he wasn't being left behind.

The next morning found Reid at his desk diligently working on the previous case's file. He had arrived earlier than usual due to the restless night he endured. He sensed the others coming in one at a time but he didn't acknowledge any of them. He just wasn't ready for another deep conversation about his feelings.

He was able to get through the whole morning without a single conversation but his self-inflicted solitude was permeated just after noon.

The genius had been keeping his head down as he listened to his some of his co-workers discuss where they should go for lunch. He didn't bother acknowledging their conversation and hoped that they wouldn't ask him to join them. Luck seemed to be on his side, for moments later he could hear their heels clacking against the tile floor of the hallway as they made their way to the elevator. Spencer let out a sigh of relief, happy that he had dodged what might have been a painfully awkward lunch when he felt a presence behind him.

He didn't need to look to know that Morgan was hovering around somewhere off to his right, probably on the stairs leading up to the office suites. In an effort to deter his friend Reid started to busy himself by rifling through the files. Unfortunately a few moments later the heavy thuds of Morgan's footsteps emanated from behind him as he felt the man's stare bore right through his back.

"Hey Reid, you got any lunch plans?" Morgan asked in a booming voice.

Reid cringed and tried to rack his brain for an appropriate response. "I…uh…y-"

"Morgan, a word please."

Reid's observant ears heard a huff of breathe escape Derek's mouth as his shoes scuffed on the carpet, turning his hulking body around to face the older agent. A thankful smile came to Spencer's face before he realized that Dave was probably calling Morgan into his office to discuss what Reid had told him last night.

Spencer squeezed his eyes shut and cursed his own stupidity at sharing something so intimate with Rossi. It was a stupid moment of weakness that caused him to let his guard down last night and now he was going to have to deal with the consequences. Namely a confused and overly concerned Morgan.

Reid swiveled his chair toward the balcony and watched as Morgan met Rossi at the elder's office door. Wordlessly the black man was ushered into the room as the door was shut tightly behind him.

From his view down in the bullpen Reid was able to watch through the open blinds as Morgan refused to sit down and positioned himself by the window. The genius could tell that Derek was upset at Rossi's intervention by the body language the darker man was projecting.

Strangely, the profiler found himself mesmerized with watching his two teammates as they carried on their heated conversation. Reid kept a keen eye on Morgan's features as the other man gazed out the paned glass at him. He observed multiple emotions flit across Derek's face; confusion, hurt, and anger.

At one point the discussion must have taken a serious turn as his best friend's face was painted in anguish. It was at that moment that the muscular profiler whipped his head around and turned to face Rossi, throwing his hands up in the air as if he asked a question. Reid noticed how the other man's arms slowly lowered before he twisted back toward the window.

A sharp intake of breath could be heard as the two men locked gazes again, only this time Morgan's eyes shined with an anguished understanding. The doctor watched as his friend mouthed "Why didn't you tell me?" from his perch above him.

Reid broke eye contact and hung his head in shame. He knew that Derek wouldn't understand why he never said anything. How could he? There was no way that he could have gone to the other man and said, "Uh…excuse me Derek, but I really feel like you're forgetting about me in favor of Savannah." It would have been selfish and inappropriate.

The genius was just gaining the courage to look back up at his friend when a loud thump emanated from behind him. As fast as lighting he swiveled his chair around to find out what had caused the ruckus, freezing solid at the sight of his former teammate.

West stood on the other side of the desk divider with his beady eyes boring into Spencer's face with a vehemence the doctor had rarely seen.

"Bet you didn't think you'd be seeing me so soon…huh?" West asked caustically, bending over to open a drawer.

Reid remained silent as he watched the other man start throwing objects into the box that was situated in the center of the other man's desk.

Upon hearing no response, Damien stood up straight and continued his taunting line of questioning. "Did you miss me?"

Finally finding his voice, Spencer answered cautiously, "Not particularly."

"Aw, that hurts. It's okay though…I sure as hell didn't miss you," he said with emphasis on 'hell.'

Clearing his suddenly clogged up throat, Reid forced out, "What are you doing here? I thought Hotch relieved you of your duties."

"Well that didn't take you long at all…can't wait to get rid of me huh? Excited to have all the spotlight shining on you again, I see," West countered, avoiding the question.

"That's not…I never wanted…look, you did this to yourself," Reid stated in an effort not to fall for the man's goading.

"I did…did I? Look kid, all I wanted to do was utilize my skill set to the best of my ability. You, on the other hand, couldn't handle the competition and needed to be put in your place."

"My place?" Reid sputtered furiously. "Competition? You are two types of delusional if you think that I ever, one, thought of you as competition. And two, thought that you could do the job better than me. Now, I've heard enough of your foolishness for a lifetime, so why don't you –"

"Is there a problem here?" ask a tall unfamiliar agent that had just walked up behind West.

"Yeah Baker…the kid here was just telling me about how much better he is at profiling than I am," West said to the other man.

"Well, honestly that's not a surprise. You had just started the job. No one expected you to be a pro right out of the gates. Really now kid, were you an expert your first day on the job? Not likely…So really, bragging about how you're more advanced than West is pretty childish…don't ya think?" Agent Baker said condescendingly.

"I…I was only responding to his st-state-," Reid stammered before he was again cut off.

"Sure…whatever you say, kid," Baker said, waving his hand dismissively.

His emotions on a rollercoaster ride, Reid suddenly felt seething anger at the superciliousness oozing off of the other two men. He stood up, taking away their ability to look down on him, and raised his voice, "For once and all, it's Doctor Reid and I am not a child. Now why don't you both finish cleaning out Mr. West's desk before I have to call security to come and escort you off the floor."

The clear insult at leaving off Damien's title of "Agent" did not go unnoticed by the other man. The man's face flushed red as his temper took over. He slammed down the paperweight he had been packing and stepped around the divider between the two desks. He could feel Baker's hand on his shoulder trying to hold him back but it didn't stop him from getting up into the younger man's face.

He had just taken a large breath of air to bolster his anger when Hotchner's voice rang out through the bullpen, "What is going on here?"

West immediately took a step back and turned toward the stern man with his arms crossed. His arrogant façade faltered a bit though when he noticed that it wasn't just the unit chief coming down the stairs but the other two alpha males of the team too.

"West, what are you doing in the office today? I was told your hearing was scheduled for tomorrow."

"Cruz told me to come in and clean out my desk. So here I am."

"Yeah, well why don't you hurry it up and get out of here," Morgan growled, clearly pissed that West was allowed on the floor at all.

"And you are?" Rossi quipped, eyeing the other agent.

"I'm Agent Baker, Internal Affairs," he supplied, neglecting to hold out his hand in greeting. "I'm under orders to escort Agent West around the building to make sure he doesn't run into any trouble."

"Well you're not doing a very good job," came Morgan's grumble.

Baker cocked his head to the side at the dark agent's words, "On the contrary, Agent West was doing as he was told when your fellow agent here decided to confront him."

"What? No I didn't," Reid cried, outraged at the accusation.

Hotch held up his hand at the younger agent and said to the two men, "We are not arguing this right now. West, finish cleaning out your items. Reid, take a lunch and be back in an hour."

"Nah, that's alright Agent Hotchner. I'm all done here. No need to send the boy away. Wouldn't want him to accidently get into some trouble when he's out from your watch," Damien said mockingly, handing Baker his box to carry.

"West," Hotch said warningly.

"Aright, alright…I'm out. Come on Baker, I'm kinda hungry."

"Right behind you," the man said, falling in line next to the exiting agent.

The four men stood in perfect silence until the doors to the elevator swished shut, carrying away the man intent on becoming the BAUs archenemy.

"Reid, are you alright?" Hotch asked once he was sure the two were gone.

Spencer gulped down a breath of air as his mind tried to catch up with what had just happened, "Uh…yah…I'm fine."

Morgan snorted, clearly not buying his friend's answer, "You wanna try that one again, Reid."

The genius blinked rapidly as he turned toward the black man, "I really am fine. He just touched a nerve. I-I really didn't think I'd be seeing him again."

"Well unfortunately that's not the last time you're going to have to see him. His hearing is scheduled for nine in the morning and you're on the list to give a deposition around eleven. Do you think you can handle it?" Hotch asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Uh-yeah…I'll be fine. I mean…you'll be there won't you?" Reid asked, hoping for a little moral support during the interview tomorrow.

"I'll be there and so will Cruz, along with a few other of the higher-ups. Of course West will be there along with whomever he chose to represent him," Hotch explained.

"Okay, good. Yah…no…I'll be alright. Just gotta get it over with, right?"

"Yeah kiddo. It's just a formality," Rossi said as he patted Reid on the back.

Reid soon felt embarrassment set in as a silence descended upon the group, "I-I…um…should get back to work. These files aren't going to write themselves."

The two older agents mumbled their agreement and left the boy standing there awkwardly with Morgan.

"Hey, so it is lunch time. Do you want to cut out of here and get a bite to eat? Maybe finish our conversation from yesterday?" Morgan asked, cutting to the chase.

Feeling back into a corner and not yet ready to relieve last night's emotions Reid quickly shut the other man down, "No…I'm not feeling that hungry right now. Besides, I wasn't kidding when I said I had to get back to work…my inbox is stacked ten high."

"Are you sure? We don't have to talk about yesterday if you don't want to. We could just get out of here for a bit and forget about all this drama," Morgan offered, not wanting to let his friend off the hook, especially now that Rossi had told him about the whistle.

"Look Morgan, I know what you're trying to do and…and I appreciate it. But after last night I'm just not up for another round of…I'm just not ready to go through it all again," Reid said earnestly, hoping his friend would understand.

Derek reached out his hand and placed it on Reid's willowy shoulder, "I get it kid…I do. But listen to me."

Reid looked up into Morgan's eyes upon feeling a tight squeeze.

"Regardless of what you think may be happening between me and you, I promise you that I haven't gone anywhere. I am here for you. I've always been here for you. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever change that…not a freak storm of nature, not an unsub, not…not even a girlfriend. Do you get me?" Morgan asked with sincerity ringing in his voice.

He did get it. He could feel the strength of Morgan's words as they left the man's lips. For once his brain wasn't spouting out words of warning, instead it was wonderfully silent and accepting. The genius allowed a small timid smile develop on his face, "I get you. And…and I promise that we will finish our conversation. Perhaps tomorrow after I give my statement."

"That sounds like a plan. We'll get dinner or something. Or better yet, I'll pick something up and we can hang at your place," Morgan proposed, giving his friend one last squeeze of support before he withdrew his touch.

"Aright…uh…we should probably get back to work now," he said sheepishly, gesturing at his desk.

"Yeah, I need to finish up all those file that I didn't get a chance to slip into your box this morning," Derek said with a chuckle as he sauntered off to attend his own inbox.

Reid sat back down at his desk and sighed with a smile. The two men may not have fully repaired their waning friendship but at least they were able to put a Band-Aid on it for now.

The following morning Reid found himself back at his desk chugging away at the paperwork. He worked hard to keep his face impassive, trying in vain to hide the anxiety he was feeling due to the upcoming deposition. To the other agents throughout the office it looked like business as normal but the genius's fellow profilers could tell different.

All morning the young man was fielding random inquiries from Rossi, Morgan, and JJ. Each one going out of their way to interact with him.

What surprised him the most was when Garcia ventured out of her cave to check up on him. He had been diligently writing notes on a consult when a cookie tin plopped down on his desk right in front of him.

He was so startled that he ended up pushing his chair back and rolling over her pink pointed shoes.

"Ouch!" she cried, bending down to massage her foot.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, Garcia. I-I didn't mean to," he gushed.

"I-it's okay…I'll be fine," she moaned, standing up to face him.

"I-I'm so-sorry…you just scared me," he apologized again.

"I know…I just…I couldn't let you go into that meeting today without you knowing that you have my support. I-I'm so sorry I've been distant lately, boy genius. I've been working through my own demons, having nightmares and stuff…and I-I just…I wasn't blaming you but…but…," she babbled, obviously unsure of how to explain her feelings.

"Stop…you don't have to explain. I understand how…hard it is to deal with something so…traumatic," he empathized.

"Thanks," she said in relief. "Uh…well anyways, like I was saying. I was up late last night thinking…and then I remember that you had to speak about that nasty West today...so I decided to make you some homemade chocolate chip cookies!"

The bubbly woman reached out and grabbed the tin. She pulled off the top and held it out to the skinny boy. "Try one! They're delicious."

Happy to oblige, Reid grabbed one and started munching on it. "They are delectable," he said around a mouthful of cookie.

"I'm glad you like them," she said, helping herself to one of the treats.

The two stood there for a few minutes comfortably munching away. Reid was the first to finish his cookie and immediately said, "Thank you."

Realizing that he was thanking her for more than the gift she blushed and said, "You're welcome my sweet. And I'm sorry it took me so long to come around. You know that you light up my life and I will do anything to continue to see you beam."

The phone on Reid's desk rang before he could tell her that he missed her too. "Uh-hold on a second."

"Sure thing sweetness," she said with a 50 watt smile.

"Reid."

Garcia watched as a hint of confusion overcame his countenance.

"Okay, thanks. I'll be right down."

She watched him hang up the receiver and stare at it for a few seconds.

"Who was that?"

"Oh, it was Agent Bellancia down in archives. She said she pulled the files I asked for and set them out in one of the vaults."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yeah…it's just that I don't remember asking for her to gather any for me," he admitted, searching his mind for the missing memory.

"Huh? Well maybe you've been so caught up with all this West drama that you forgot…hmm…you're right. It is strange."

"I think I'll just go down there to see what she found…perhaps someone else requested it and she thought it was for me," he suggested.

"That sounds like a possibility. Well, toodles! Oh and don't worry too much about your meeting later. You'll do fine!" she chirped before kissing her fingers and planting them in the center of his forehead.

"Thanks. I'll see you later," Reid said, feeling a bit more positive knowing that Garcia was back in his life.

The journey down to archives didn't take long; it was just a quick trip down the elevator to the second basement floor. The FBI had long ago banished the dusty books and files down into the bowels of the building figuring that not too many agents would be interested in hard copies anymore. Agent Bellancia, a woman well overdue to retire, was in charge of the ancient texts and ran the department like a drill sergeant.

The metal door whisked open in front of Reid to reveal the cinderblock wall of the secondary basement. The hallway leading to archives was dark and dingy, reminiscent of any good horror movie. Half burnt out florescent bulbs shined through opaque lights in the ceiling, dearly in need of replacement. Lining the walls were various doors leading to storage rooms filled with any number of mystery items.

When Reid finally reached the glass door with Agent Bellancia's name etched in the glass he couldn't help but feel some relief. The actual department itself was always well lit and comforting.

He pushed in the doors and felt his face fall at the sight that greeted him.

"Agent Baker? What are you doing down here?"

The other man looked up at the sound of Spencer's voice and frowned, "I work down here, Doctor Reid."

"No you don't. I'm down here all the time and Agent Bellancia is always the only one here."

"Well sorry to burst your bubble but I'm the lucky one that gets to relieve her for her lunch break," Baker explained snidely.

"Oh," was all Reid could say in reply.

"So, what can I do for you, Doctor Reid?"

"Uh…Agent Bellancia called and said she laid out some files for me in one of the vaults," Reid said. "You know what…I think I'll just come back later and talk to her about it."

"Actually you won't…she needs you to go over them now because those rooms are reserved later for some cadets coming from the academy to do some research. She needs to clean up your mess before they get here," Baker said, standing up with a key in his hand. "Come on. She has you set up over in number five."

Reluctantly Reid followed the other man down the hall, a twinge of worry tingling through his spine.

The two stopped in front of a thick metal door, used especially to seal off the rooms to keep the basement moisture at bay. Baker flicked the light switch on the outside wall before he made quick work of unlocking the door and pulling it open. A rush of air whooshed out from the doorway bringing with it the scent of old texts and stale air. Around the perimeter of the room were overflowing bookcases, bursting at the seams with documents. In the center there was a large wooden table covered in materials that Reid had supposedly requested. The room was lit by a singular light that was flickering at a high speed hanging above the table.

"Here you are," Baker said unceremoniously.

Spencer licked his lips and swallowed, "Uh-thanks."

"No problem," the other man uttered, moving to shut the door behind the doctor.

"Wait! I'm not going to be in here that long. Just leave it open."

"No can do. We've got to keep these doors closed. We can't let the moist air get in and ruin the documents. I'm sure you understand," he smirked, closing the door with a thud.

Of course Reid knew what the man said was true, he had been down here on multiple occasions for research. Except, it had always been Agent Bellancia working with him before and Baker was giving off nothing but negative vibes since he walked in the door.

Reid's misgivings were all confirmed when he heard a click radiate through the room. He rushed to the door and turned the knob in vain, already anticipating what he would find.

The door was locked.

He started pounding on the metal while shouting, "What are you doing? Let me out!"

"Agent Baker!"

"Agent Baker?"

Reid allowed his head to thump against the door in defeat. How could he have been so foolish? He should have trusted his instinct. He balled up his hand and pounded his fist against the door in anger.

Deciding to try calling out once more he shouted the only thing that came to mind, "You're not going to get away with this! You know there are cameras down here."

Reid stopped, listening carefully for any sound on the other side of the door. He held his breath when he thought he heard the pad of footsteps on the other side.

He stepped back, hoping that the other man had realized his folly and was going to open the door.

He should have known he wouldn't have been that lucky.

The next thing he knew the single light in the room went out, plunging the nyctophobic into endless darkness.