AN: Okay, so after bouncing this chapter around to a few people, and finally getting the edits back from my beta (who still isn't sold on it but has given up on convincing me to go another route after being out voted :)) I'm finally getting this chapter up. Thank-you peanutmeg! This has the scene that came to me and I wrote up by itself and ended up inspiring the rest of the story. Thanks to Seditionary for encouraging me to give the scene a story!
There are still a few more days to vote in the 2011 Profiler's Choice Criminal Mind Awards. The final ballot is up at Chit Chat on Author's Corner. come check out the awesome stories that made the ballot, including mine in several categories. So, if you have the time show your appreciation for the author's who work hard to bring you these stories. Voting is open until November 30th!
Reid tucked his cell phone back in his pocket, silently wishing that he had asked Morgan to stay on the line with him, since the confrontation with Rick and Larry had left him a bit more unnerved than he cared to admit. The two former football players had bullied him throughout high school when they were sober; now they were drunk and the alcohol seemed to have strengthened their already immature personalities, so Reid was anxious to leave them.
As he stood leaning against the front of the building, Reid crossed his arms across his chest. To his left, a car pulled up to the curb and a woman that seemed vaguely familiar got into it. Reid smiled - at least he wasn't the only one leaving early. Once the car pulled away from the curb there were only two other people besides himself outside, and they were both smoking cigarettes as they conversed. Hopefully, no one would bother him while he waited for Morgan to show up.
But then Reid heard some loud and unfortunately all too familiar voices. Glancing back over his left shoulder, Rick, Larry and Ned were exiting the front doors of the high school. Ned and Rick already had cigarettes in their hands, and Reid let out a small sigh of relief; they had come outside for other reasons than bothering him. Hoping to stay unnoticed by the three former football players, Reid slowly started moving toward the corner of the building. It would be a little harder to keep an eye out for Morgan from that vantage point, but hopefully the awkward position would mean he would be left alone.
Slipping around the corner of the building, Reid leaned back against the wall, his palms flat against the rough brick. He listened carefully but didn't hear any voices or footsteps coming in his direction. It appeared as if he had slipped away unnoticed, for which Reid was grateful. Letting his head rest against the wall behind him, Reid closed his eyes since it would be awhile before Morgan would arrived. After all, Reid had just gotten off the phone with him and morgan would have to leave wherever he had been and then drive to the school, but he also didn't know where Morgan had been when he had called. Reid had specifically not asked where Morgan had been since he was worried that he'd interrupted something, and he hadn't wanted to risk hearing that worry confirmed.
With any luck, Rick and his buddies were just outside to smoke a cigarette and then they would head back inside. Reid figured he could stay out of sight for ten or fifteen minutes and then check to see if the former football players had left. ~All I've got to do is avoid them until Morgan gets here,~ Reid told himself, softly tapping his fingers on the wall as he mentally tried to keep track of the passing time.
Rough hands grabbing him caused Reid to quickly open his eyes.
"So this is where the pipsqueak decided to hide," Rick said as he wrapped his arms around Reid, trying to pin the younger man against him.
Reacting instinctively, Reid made use of the self-defense training he had been taught in the academy. He jammed his elbow into his attacker's stomach as hard as he could and took a step backward to loosen the older man's hold on him, Reid then managed to duck out of Rick's grasp, only to be seized by the other two football players. Larry and Ned grabbed hold of Reid's arms and held on tightly.
"Let me go," Reid said, even as he struggled against the two men holding him.
"Well look, the runt has some fight in him," Rick said his words slurring together as he absently rubbing the spot where Reid's elbow had made contact with him.
Ned and Larry adjusted their grip on Reid, so that they were facing the same direction as Reid.
"Leaving so soon, Spencer," Rick said. "The night is still young."
"Well if that's the way you feel then feel free to go back inside and enjoy yourselves and leave me be," Reid said, as he tried to free his arms. He contemplated yelling for help, but felt silly doing it. An FBI agent yelling for help. He would definitely be the laughingstock of the reunion then.
"I thought we'd just take a tour of the school grounds. Old times sakes, you know," Rick said, laughing at his own words. "The football field has some good memories don't you think?"
"Not particularly, no," Reid replied. He had no desire to revisit the football field with or without the guys who had humiliated him there.
"Ah, come on. It'll be fun. Let's go relive some memories. What do you say guys?" Rick added, looking at his two friends.
"Right behind you, Rick," Ned slurred.
As Rick started walking toward the football field, Reid felt himself being prodded along. Realizing that no one would be around to hear him call for help at the football field, Reid knew he was running out of time to escape the situation.~Damn the humiliation,~ he thought getting ready to call out for help. Before he could get any sound out though, Ned's hand clamped down over his mouth and muffled the sound.
"You're not going to ruin our tour now are you, Spencer?" Ned asked, as he and Larry prodded Reid along in the direction that Rick had already started walking.
They were about halfway to the football field when Reid gave up struggling against the two guys holding him. It wasn't accomplishing anything other than slowing them down and he wasn't sure what good that would do him. While Morgan was on his way to the high school, the chances that he would come looking for him in this direction were slim. When Morgan arrived and he wasn't out front, the older man would probably go into the building to look for him. Then Morgan would call his cell phone and then - honestly, Reid wasn't sure what the older man would do when he didn't get an answer to his call.
Away from the main building, Rid's only light came from the moon. Even so, Reid could make out the shapes of the field house and the goal posts as the approached the football field. Ned removed his hand from Reid's mouth, but Reid stayed quiet. He wasn't sure what he could say to talk himself out of the situation at this point, and yelling for help wouldn't do any good since only his captors would hear him. Reid knew how well his pleas for help would fall on their ears. Still, he had to do something.
"You know, this hasn't really gone too far yet. Just let me go and we'll forget this ever happened," Reid said, looking between Larry and Ned who still had a hold of his arms.
"What's wrong, Spencer? Don't you want to do a little reminiscing with some old high school pals?" Rick asked.
"My only pal from high school is still inside."
"Oh, I'm hurt by that remark, Spencer," Rick said jokingly.
"Hey, Rick maybe this has gone far enough," Larry said, sounding a bit nervous as they stopped outside of gate surrounding the football field. "He is a fed, after all."
Rick laughed. "Like Spencer here is going to talk. The runt is too worried 'bout what his pals at work would think of him."
Reid felt the glimmer of hope he had felt at Larry's words fade away at Rick's assessment. The guy was right. He didn't want Morgan, Prentiss, or any of the others finding out about this. Though his team members would be to nice to give him a hard time about this all to his face, he knew he would lose face with them. Not to mention they would be angry that this had happened and get over protective of him. As for outside of his team, well, sometimes his work place wasn't any nicer than high school.
Rick led the small group toward the field house. "You remember this place don't you, Spencer. Of course you do. That photographic memory of yours."
"Eidetic," Reid replied, correcting the mistake automatically.
"Like there is really a difference."
"Actually there is ..."
Reid let his words trail off as Rick shot him a glare. Apparently the former high school jock wasn't interested in a 'vocabulary lesson' - Morgan's term for when he started explaining differences between words. Reid craned his neck to look back toward the high school, wondering if Morgan had arrived yet.
"Looking for the cavalry, Spencer?" Rick asked mockingly.
"Rick, please just leave me be. What did I ever do to you?" Reid pleaded, looking back toward his former classmate.
Rick laughed. "What did you ever do to me?" Rick asked his anger sobering him up a bit. "You really need an answer to that? The perfect Spencer Reid. Perfect scores on tests. All the teachers' favorite student. Youngest agent ever in the FBI. That's why you came back tonight isn't it? To show everyone that once again Spencer Reid outshines all of his classmates."
"No. That isn't why I came back," Reid protested, starting to get an idea of how Rick really felt about him.
"Came back to relive some high school memories then," Rick said, reaching up and starting to remove his tie. Reid didn't like where this was heading. "I can think of a way to oblige you."
"Rick, what are you doing?" Larry asked, apparently not liking where his friend was now taking the situation.
"Going to help Spencer relive a few memories - such as being tied to a goal post."
"No, just no - that's going too far," Larry said, dropping the arm that he was holding.
Reid tried to take advantage of the situation and twist his other arm out of Ned's grip. It didn't work, as Ned quickly seized Reid's free arm and held him in a tight grip so he couldn't break free. Reid could smell the alcohol on the breath of the former football player that held him.
"It'll be just like old times," Rick told Larry.
"No way. I'm out," Larry said, holding up his hands before turning and walking away.
Reid thought about calling out to the retreating former jock to help him, but figured it would be just like high school when his pleas had fallen on deaf ears.
Not deterred by his friend's retreat, Rick motioned to Ned. "Bring him over this way."
As Ned tried to maneuver Reid toward the closest goal post, Reid resumed his struggles to break free from the former football player. It was futile though, and eventually Reid found himself with his back pressed up against the metal pole. Rick tied one end of the tie around Reid's wrist, and then while Ned held him against the pole, the former quarter back stepped behind Reid and took a hold of his other wrist. Reid struggled even as he felt Rick wrap the other end of the neck tie around his wrist and pull it tight. The silk material felt cool against his skin.
~I never should have let Morgan talk me into coming here,~ Reid thought as he closed his eyes as Ned finally let go of him.
Having somehow managed to escape the attention of the local police despite the speeds at which he was traveling, Morgan pulled into the parking lot of the Las Vegas public high school. Shortly later he was pulling to a stop in front of the school, his eyes scanning the front of the building for any sign of his friend. Not seeing Reid, Morgan got out of car, pulling out his cell phone as he did so. He didn't like the fact that the kid wasn't out front like he had said he would be. Upon getting Reid's voicemail as he stepped up onto the sidewalk Morgan released a curse.
~Where are you, Kid?~ Morgan asked himself, trying to decide if he should head inside and look for Reid or just wait.
Deciding to start questioning the people outside of the school, Morgan walked toward the closest two people who appeared to be getting in a few extra minutes of conversation before leaving. A few questions later, Morgan was disappointed that they hadn't seen Reid, and after a few questions with various others, neither had anyone else. Frustrated due to the lack of information, the dark-skinned agent was about to continue his search inside when he noticed a man walking around the corner of the building.
"Hey, can I ask you a few questions," Morgan called out to the man and he started walking toward him.
The man visibly jumped at the sound of Morgan's voice, making the federal agent question what the man had been up to.
Trying to look in control, the man met Morgan's gaze. "Um, sure, I guess," he said, trying to sound casual.
"I'm looking for a co-worker of mine who came here tonight, Spencer Reid. He called me for a ride a little while ago and said he would meet me out front but he isn't here."
"Have you checked inside?"
"Not yet," Morgan replied, scrutinizing the man in front of him. "Do you know Dr. Reid?"
"He was an acquaintance," the man said. "Co-worker of yours you said?"
"Yeah."
"So that would make you FBI?" he asked, sounding more nervous.
"Yeah," Morgan said, his senses going on alert. He restrained himself from grabbing hold of the guy even as every fiber in his body told him that this guy knew where Reid was. "Where is he?"
"Look man, we didn't mean him any harm. It was just supposed to be a joke - take Spence down to the football field for old times sake. Rick's jealous that Spencer seems to have everything going for him and a sport injury ruined his dreams. We saw Spencer go around the side of the building and saw a chance. I swear, all we were gonna do was take him down to the field - that was as far as it was suppose to go! When Rick decided to take things further, well that's when I left."
"Taking things further? And instead of helping Reid, you just left him down at the field!"
"I tried to talk them out of it but they wouldn't listen."
"They? How many others are involved?"
"Just Rick and Ned. I'm sorry. I didn't think things would go this far. . ."
"Take me to the football field," Morgan demanded cutting the man off. When the man hesitated Morgan continued. "Unless you would like me to charge you with whatever I can come up with and believe me, I'd make the charges stick."
"Okay, okay," Larry told him. "This way," he said, nodding his head in the direction of the corner he had just come around.
Morgan reached down and drew his back-up piece from its ankle holster before following the guy. Larry looked over his shoulder briefly to see the agent pull out the gun. He swallowed hard and walked quickly toward the football field, all the while mentally telling himself that what they had done had been a really stupid idea, and if he got out this, he'd never drink again.
It wasn't long before they reached the gate surrounding the football field, which was still open. "You stay here," Morgan told the man, as he ducked through the gate. He saw three shadows near the one goal post and headed stealthily in that direction, only sparing Larry, who's name he had gotten while walking down here, one more glance to make sure he wasn't following. He wasn't worried about the guy running off since her was both drunk and scared. His concern right now centered on Reid , and the two guys with him.
Morgan walked silently up on the two guys who didn't even look his way. He could make out the words of the one man, who was currently taunting Reid to beg him to untie him. Morgan didn't need anyone to tell him that these were the guys who had stripped and tied Reid to the goal post back in high school. Unfortunately, that information was only heightening Morgan's anger, and it was a struggle to remind himself that attacking the men with his bare hands - or shooting them- would be a bad idea. Instead, Morgan tried to maintain some level of professionalism, as he leveled his gun at them.
"FBI! Nobody move."
Morgan's shout got Rick, Ned, and Reid's attention. As the first two looked in the direction of the shout, Reid closed his eyes. Morgan noticed how still his friend became and thought he understood the reaction; this wasn't exactly the predicament that he would want a fellow agent to find him in. The fact that Reid was probably feeling humiliated right now only fed Morgan's anger.
Taking note of the gun being leveled at them, Rick and Ned both put their hands up in the air.
"Hey, man. Take it easy. We were just messing with an old high school friend," Rick said.
"This doesn't look like how someone would treat a friend," Morgan countered.
"Where's your sense of humor man," Rick said. Morgan continued to glare at him. "Look, I'll just untie him now, okay?" Rick continued, starting to take a step toward Reid.
"Don't move, and don't even think about touching him," Morgan ordered, freezing Rick in mid-step. "I don't care how much alcohol you've had tonight. At best, you're looking at a charge of assaulting a federal agent although given the fact that you've restrained him I'm pretty sure I could get it bumped up to kidnaping."
"Kidnapping!" Ned said, sounding alarmed. "Look man, it was just a bad joke. We meant no harm."
"Morgan, just let them go," Reid said with a sigh. "They're not worth it."
"See!" Rick said, grasping at the chance of getting out of the current situation without getting arrested. "Listen to your friend. I'll just -"
"I'm pretty sure I told you not to move," Morgan stated as Rick started to take a step toward Reid.
"Morgan, please!" Reid begged softly, just wanting this nightmare to end.
Not liking the idea, but not wanting to make things any harder on Reid, Morgan lowered his gun. "Get out of here," he told the two former football players, gesturing in the direction of the gate with his head. "I don't want to see your faces again. You understand me?"
"Got it," both men said as they quickly edged around Morgan before breaking into a run as they fled area.
As he lost sight of the two fleeing men, Morgan returned his gun to his holster before walking toward Reid.
"Are you alright?" Morgan asked, as he came up behind Reid so that he could untie the younger man's hand.
"I'm fine," Reid managed to get out.
Reid's voice sounded a bit shaky to Morgan. The kid didn't seem physically hurt and Morgan figured he was mostly just feeling humiliated. "Kid why am I always bailing you out of trouble?" Morgan asked lightly, as he stopped behind the goal post and reached for the knots securing Reid's right wrist. The words were an attempt to ease the tension of the situation but Reid's reaction told Morgan they had failed miserably.
"This is your fault! You're the one that convinced me to come when I didn't want to! I knew this was going to happen!"
"You knew you were going to get tied to a goalpost?" Morgan asked, as his fingers fumbled with the tight knots in the tie that was looped around Reid's wrist. He cringed as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Bringing that fact up was not going to make this situation any easier on Reid.
"Well, not this exactly but I knew something was going to happen. This is just like high school all over again."
"Not quite. You had a knight in shining armor come rescue you this time," Morgan said, while wondering why he had chosen those words. Reid was far from some fairy tale princess, and even if Morgan had 'rescued' Reid , he wasn't exactly the traditional knight, either. ~The hero definitely isn't going to get a thank-you kiss in this scenario,~ Morgan thought, though deep down he realized that he did wish he would receive one.
Reid glanced over his shoulder. "Some knight, you can't even get me untied," Reid said shifting as much as his bonds would allow.
"You squirming isn't helping," Morgan told him.
"I'm not squirming," Reid said, shifting more as he tried to get Morgan into view and in the process moving his hands and the knot the older man was trying to untie.
"Yes, you are," Morgan replied, looking up and catching Reid's gaze as the agent looked over his shoulder. He felt his heart skip a beat. Once again he thought about telling Reid how he felt about him. To bare his soul and take a chance. But just like every time before, the words wouldn't come.
"This is your fault, you know! You forced me into coming!"
Morgan felt a twinge of anger at the accusation which he quickly squashed. Reid was upset and he was at least partially responsible for Reid being here. Still, Morgan felt the need to defend himself."I didn't twist your arm to come here, Kid. I just did a little coaxing."
"A little!"
"Okay. Quite a bit, but you still came of your own free will."
"Yeah, right. Nothing seems to be of my own free will when it comes to you. I always want to do whatever I can to make ..." Reid let his words trail off without finishing the sentiment. "You seemed so determined that I needed to come back here and face the past, and I figured I could do that for you. Morgan are you even trying to unite me?" Reid asked, his voice rising in tone slightly as he started to feel a bit of panic, wondering if he had said something to upset his friend.
"What? Yeah," Morgan said, realizing that his fingers had stopped working on the knot as he had listened to Reid talk. Resuming his attempt to untie the knot.
"This is the worst night of my life," Reid said so softly that Morgan just barely caught the words.
"I think you're being a bit dramatic, Kid. This can't be the worst night of your life."
"Yes, it is! The reunion only made me realize just how little I have in common with any of the people I went to school with. A lot of people took no notice of me and those who did couldn't believe I was actually an FBI agent. Yes, there were a few old classmates that seemed to be genuinely happy for me, but Rick and his buddies took every opportunity they had to get jokes in and someone who I thought of as a friend had no problem helping them," Reid said, thinking about some of the things that Parker's comments. "Ethan bailed on me shortly after we finished dinner and I would have called you earlier but that would have meant ruining your night."
"You should have called, Kid."
"You're right I should have because having you mad at me for ruining your night would have been preferable to the embarrassment of you finding me in this predicament. I can just hear you joking about this with Prentiss or Garcia when we get home."
"I won't breathe a word of this to anyone."
"Yeah right."
Garcia's repeated insistence that he tell Reid how he felt echoed in Morgan's mind. Suddenly, it seemed like admitting to Reid how he felt about him was the only way to convince the younger man of the sincerity of his words. Letting go of the knot, Morgan placed one hand on the goal post, and reaching out to place the other hand under Reid's chin, Morgan leaned in close to place a chaste kiss on the other man's lips. He took a moment to savor the softness and the taste of Reid's lips, before finally pulling back.
"I won't tell anyone about what happened here tonight because I love you, Kid. I have for awhile, but I wasn't sure how to tell you. I didn't want to take the chance of ruining our friendship . But now - well you know now. I love you, Spencer Reid and I would do anything for you," Morgan said softly, his mouth close to Reid's ear as he said the words.
The silence that followed was so complete that Morgan could hear the hard swallow that Reid made. But the was the extent of Reid's response - he said nothing and made no further movement. Pushing aside the thought that he had irrevocably ruined his friendship with Reid, Morgan returned to the menial task of undoing the knot in the tie looped around Reid's wrist.