The next morning, JJ had the two of them into work early. The one thing she didn't want to do was make him late today of all days and cause him to stress. She sat in her office, keeping an eye on Spencer out in the bullpen. He kept himself busy, going through the case files in the stack on his desk, blocking out everything around him.

Hotch walked up when he came in, tapping him on the shoulder.

Spencer jumped slightly before turning to face him. "Sorry. Yes?"

"I'd like to see you in my office."

He nodded, setting his case file down and following him to the office, closing the door behind him. "What's this about?" he asked, sitting in the chair in front of his desk.

He sighed, shifting uneasily in his seat. Spencer knew that bad news was ahead.

"Chief Strauss wants you to do your psych evaluation today."

He chewed on his cheek. "But it's only been six days. What… why would she order it if the case just ended?"

"I guess her mindset is the sooner, the better. She thinks since the team spent six days on the case as opposed to only a couple of days, you might be affected by it-"

He laughed nervously. "Of course I'm affected by it. I was mugged walking home from the train at 2 in the morning. Anyone would be affected by it." He paused. "…She wants to suspend me for firing my gun off-duty, doesn't she? Even if it was self-defense."

"I wish I could say I had an answer for you, Reid, but she didn't let the conversation get that far. She's very cautious when she's talking to profilers, because she knows what we're capable of."

He leaned back in the chair, biting down on his lip. He sighed, drawing into his mind. She was going to suspend him – of that he was positive. For how long was the question. Then there's the psych evaluation. She could order him off the job for weeks, maybe even months, if she saw it as the right thing to do. She'd rather he get beaten to near-death than have fired his gun to save himself.

"Reid? REID."

He snapped out of it, looking over at Hotch, who seemed to be worried about him. "I'm sorry."

"Worst case scenario, if you do end up being suspended, I'm making you a deal. If the team is called on a case, I'll involve you. You obviously won't be able to travel with the team, but you know this team isn't complete without your help. You can still stay with members of the team, because you're still part of our family whether you're on the job or not. You don't have to set foot in your apartment again until a time when you're ready, and if that time doesn't come, we're more than willing to help you move."

He nodded slightly, exhaling. "Is it wrong to be slightly terrified right now?"

"Having had to do an evaluation with Strauss before? I would be too."

"Anything else?"

"If you'd like, I can ask you some of the questions on the evaluation, so you can prepare your answers-"

Before Hotch could finish his question, Spencer put his hand up, shaking his head. "As much as I'd appreciate it, it wouldn't be fair. Obviously judging by my appearance right now, fairness isn't on my side, but I can't go in with prepared answers and expect to pass. She may not be a profiler herself, but she'll see right through it, know you helped, and not only take it out on me, but you as well. I know you love Jack and he'd love spending the extra time with you, but two team members suspended is the last thing we need right now, especially with her having a vendetta against this team."

Hotch shook his head with a light-hearted laugh. "Always looking out for everyone, aren't you?"

He shrugged slightly, biting down on his lip and groaning. "Though obviously I'm an imbecile when it comes to remembering that I shouldn't move my shoulder." He pushed himself out of the chair, sighing. "Wish me luck?"

"Good luck."

He walked back out to his desk, sitting down and flipping open his case file. He noticed a fresh cup of coffee sitting in front of him and raised an eyebrow, looking around. The only other people on the team that were there were Emily and Derek. Emily seemed to be buried in her work, so he eyed Derek, who held his own cup up in a silent 'cheers'. He smiled slightly, mouthing a thank you and taking a sip. He was glad that he had been able to cry in front of Derek, and that it was never going to leave the two of them. Not only that, but the one time he broke in front of the team would never be brought up again, because that's how their family worked. He silently dreaded the second that Chief Strauss came in, since she'd want to see him immediately. Rather than focusing on that, he enjoyed his cup of coffee and tried to set everything into the back of his mind.

The morning went by quietly until Spencer's phone started ringing. Everyone paused their work to look over at his desk. He closed his eyes and swallowed, before taking a deep breath and answering his phone.

"Spencer Reid."

"Agent Reid, I'd like to see you in my office."

He chewed on his lip. "Yes ma'am. Right away." He hung up and took another deep breath before pushing himself out of his chair, not even glancing at his teammates before walking down the hallway.

"I don't like this," Emily muttered, leaning back in her seat. "I don't like it at all."

Derek sighed. "That makes two of us."

Spencer walked to her office door, knocking.

"Come in."

He tried his best to keep his face when he went in, taking the seat in front of her desk.

She reached over, closing the door and walking to her desk. "Do you understand why you're here, agent?"

He nodded. "A multitude of reasons. You want an accurate story of what happened to me last Tuesday. You'd like to know why I fired my gun while I was off duty. You want to know what my doctor's said, though I'm sure you collected the injury reports. You want to know why I allowed my team to spend so much time on this case when it's quite obvious it was personal, and finally, you want to know why I haven't been to my apartment in a few days."

"That about sums it up. Proceed."

He swallowed, trying his best to keep eye contact. "The team got back extremely late from the case in Arizona, and rather than have one of my coworkers up further past their personal limits, I decided to take the subway. I didn't want to inconvenience anybody or be responsible for them falling asleep at the wheel after dropping me off, so it was the best decision. I got off my subway stop and after walking a few blocks, a set of hands grabbed me and slammed me into the wall, while another starting punching me mercilessly. The first unsub was able to throw me to the ground with such force that it dislocated my shoulder, while the other hit my head against the pavement so hard, I required eighteen stitches on my forehead." He lifted his hairline to prove his point.

"At which point you fired your weapon?"

He bit his lip, shaking his head. "No. I let it go on, because I figured all they wanted was to get my wallet. They could have it, considering I don't have much to take. When it dawned on me that they weren't going to stop, I did the one thing that made sense in my mind. I took my weapon out and I shot it into the air."

"Did you look where you were shooting?"

He sighed, knowing he couldn't lie about it. "No, ma'am. At that point, I had been hit in the face so many times that I couldn't see, and if I tried opening my eyes, the pain was blinding."

"So you shot, not knowing where you were aiming?"

He shook his head. "I've told you before, when you're being tortured, there's no end in sight. I chanced that I was aiming correctly, and perhaps we can focus on the fact that I did, in fact, simply fire a warning shot. They took everything I had on me, including my credentials, and I was slipping out of consciousness. I had to find a way to stop it before they did kill me."

She frowned. "Unfortunately, Agent Reid, we can't simply focus on the fact that you didn't hit one of your attackers-"

"I understand," he spoke up. "And I'm willing to take whatever punishment you deem fit for doing so, because firing my weapon off duty, even if it was in self-defense, was reckless."

She stilled before writing on her notepad and looking back up at him again. "Do you remember anything after firing the shot?"

"I um… I set the gun down on the ground and tried getting up. That was my priority. I needed to get up so I could go home, get some sleep, and come to work in the morning. I didn't care about my physical appearance at the time, I just wanted to stick to my routine. But… I was stuck. I couldn't move a single muscle in my body without going through excruciating pain." He closed his eyes, quickly shaking his head and glancing at her. "The next thing I knew was I had an EMT shaking me on the shoulder, which was my way of knowing I was still alive. He talked to me and I felt everything in the process. After I was loaded into the ambulance, my next memory was waking up in the hospital."

Again, he saw her taking notes.

"Agent Hotchner was my emergency contact, since I don't have family out here, and he showed up at the hospital to take me home and make sure I got some rest. He came back the following morning with the officer and the sketch artist, who were able to give you the statements I'm sure you already have."

"How did your team become involved with this case?"

"I'm not… I'm not entirely sure. I know the case came across Agent Jareau's desk, and she takes cases based on where the greater threat is. I'm sure the fact that there were seven other victims was more important than somebody she knew being hurt."

"Did you ask anyone on your team to take this case?"

He shook his head slightly. "Absolutely not. And I wouldn't have requested it of them, either. In fact, I didn't want any of them to even know what happened. The case file told them everything before I had an opportunity to come up with my own reasoning behind the bruising and the injuries. I only found out when Agent Jareau came to my apartment to check on my injuries herself."

She paused. "How did you become involved in this case?"

His first instinct was to tell her that JJ wanted his help, or that Derek was going to give him information. Instead, he shook it off. "I requested to be a part of it."

"Knowing that you had a personal bias?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yes. Agent Morgan put me through a cognitive interview for information, at which point I put myself into the case, ignoring my personal time I took off to heal, ignoring my doctor's orders to relax, and wanting to put an end to these crimes not only for myself, but for my fellow victims. I felt their pain and I knew what they were feeling, and I couldn't sit back and wait for an answer to be found, so I decided to find it myself."

"And when you questioned your attackers-"

He swallowed. "I lost my professionalism along the way, and I let it get personal. It's my fault for throwing myself into the investigation, and nobody on my team should be at fault for it. I allowed myself to come to work, I found my own way, and I worked this case, even though I was injured."

"So you didn't request that your team back off this case?"

He had, but he didn't want the team to be in any trouble because of him. "It's my fault, and I take full responsibility."

She pursed her lips together in thought before writing down more notes. "Why haven't you been in your apartment in several days, Agent?"

"Personal reasons. One of my attackers decided to single me out and target me, and to be honest, it's what I'd prefer to somebody else getting hurt." He shrugged slightly, avoiding his urge to curse at the pain. "He came to my apartment, kicked open the door, rummaged through my things, and stole my gun from a locked drawer – the same gun he used to shoot at Agent Hotchner, which is probably sitting in evidence as we speak. I'm currently looking for a new apartment and staying with team members as they offer, not wanting to impose on anybody."

She finished writing and looked up at him. "You may go while I think about this."

He nodded slightly. "Thank you, ma'am." He got up, walking back out to the bullpen and taking his seat.

"What's the verdict?" Emily asked nervously.

He sighed. "Only time will tell."

It had been an hour before Chief Strauss walked into the bullpen, avoiding eye contact with the team and walking up to Hotch's office, closing the door behind her.

Derek chanced a look over at Spencer. "What'd you get, kid?"

He shook his head slightly. "Not enough to know what she's thinking. She doesn't have any indicators in her body language, nor does her facial expression say anything."

Emily rolled her eyes. "It says something alright. 'I have a stick permanently shoved up my a-"

"Emily!" JJ snapped.

"Oh come on, we're all thinking it."

Derek laughed softly, shaking his head as Garcia walked in, setting a box on Spencer's desk.

He raised an eyebrow, looking up at her. "Yes?"

"You said it yourself, when I'm stressed, I bake, and one of my babies being hurt is definitely means for stress." She took the cover off, showing him. "You're the only one I know who would appreciate my Whovian cupcake decorations."

He smirked. "Thank you."

She closed the container before leaning over, running a hand through his hair. "How did it go?"

"I did what I had to. I told her the truth, I told her that I injected myself into the case, I told her that I insisted the team stay on it-"

"But, Spence, you didn't. We requested your help, made a deal for you to work the case, and pushed you to let us keep working on it. You didn't-"

"I did what I had to so I could protect my family," he said, looking around at all of them, "and whatever she decides, I don't want any of you to feel guilty. I was attacked, I chose to work this case, and if she asks, I forced the team to keep working until they were caught. I don't mind taking the blow on this one, because I know if the tables were turned, all of you would do the same."

Garcia pouted. "For a genius, sometimes, you're really thick-headed."

"Thick-he- what does the thickness of my head have to do with anything?"

She shook her head, smiling. "And sometimes, you're an adorably clueless genius."

They all went quiet when Spencer's phone rang. He saw Hotch's number on the caller ID and eyed all of his co-workers, before picking it up and answering.

"Yeah, Hotch?"

"Come to my office, please."

He sighed. "Right away, sir." He hung up and raised his eyebrows at his teammates, before getting out of his chair and walking up the stairs and into the office, closing the door behind him.

"Have a seat."

He nodded, taking the seat in front of his desk. Surprisingly, Chief Strauss was in Hotch's usual seat.

"I've finished going through the details on your psychological evaluation, as well as looked at all the factors in the story you gave not only to me, but the police officers and your co-workers."

He sighed, nodding, bracing himself for whatever was coming to him.

"And it's quite clear to me that you care very much for this team, and you're in the right state to return to them-"

He wanted to thank her, but could sense a 'but' coming.

"However, at times your behavior was irresponsible, bordering on completely reckless. You chose to have your team work a case so you could get your answers. Not to mention you fired your weapon carelessly, not worrying about harming one of your attackers."

He cringed, urging himself not to speak up against this: he knew better. Surprisingly, he stayed quiet while she finished talking.

"Because of your actions, Agent Hotchner and I have agreed on a three-week suspension, effective immediately."

He squeezed his eyes shut, nodding. He knew Hotch didn't agree to it. He knew Hotch fought tooth and nail for him, trying to keep him there on the team, and giving him something to hold onto when he desperately needed something solid. He also knew that he couldn't solely blame Chief Strauss, because the bureau did have standards for his actions, which included suspensions. He reached in his pocket, taking out his ID and setting it on the desk. "I-I don't have my gun or badge on me, considering what happened. If they end up being recovered, you can take them as well."

"Do you understand your punishment, Agent Reid? This is not because of your team, nor is it the chain of events that occurred."

He sighed. "I understand," he spoke softly. "As you said, I was reckless and irresponsible, and those actions can't go unnoticed, no matter what the circumstances. It's not based on my psychological evaluation, which you believe I passed, but on the bureau's standards." He bit down on his lip. "Thank you for your time, and I'll see you in three weeks. May I go?"

She gave him a nod and he got up, walking out to his desk and grabbing his bag, shouldering it and holding out a hand to JJ. "Key?"

Without a word, she reached in her pocket, taking out her house key and holding it out to him. With a quick nervous smile, he took it, grabbed the box from his desk, and walked out to the elevators.

"What happened in there?" Derek asked.

JJ sighed. "Nothing good."

After Strauss left, Rossi walked to Hotch's office, closing the door behind him.

"Yes, Dave?" he asked, not looking up.

"She gave the kid three weeks for firing his weapons in self defense? Three weeks?! From what I hear, Agent Greenaway actually shot an unsub and just had to do a psych evaluation."

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "My hands are tied, Dave. Reid lied through his evaluation. He decided to take the blame for everything involving the case, saying that he injected himself into it and he insisted that the team stay on the case. She said that three weeks is the average suspension time for firing your weapon off duty-"

"You have to know that's a complete crock, Aaron. She did it because she's anti-Reid," he shook his head, "scratch that. She's anti-this team."

He gave a slight shrug. "I tried, Dave. I argued for him and tried to get him off with another psych evaluation and probation. Unfortunately, she wasn't having any of it. She insists that three weeks is what the bureau gives in this type of situation, and I'm on thin ice with Strauss as we speak. I tried my hardest, but it wasn't enough to her."

"There's no way around it?"

He shook his head. "Three weeks is the maximum that a section chief can assign without involving the director. He wouldn't even know about the suspension, and going to him would only aggravate her more, causing her to take it out on this team."

"The kid's going to hate this."

"I know."

He sighed, looking out at the bullpen. "And they're going to be pissed."

"Trust me, I know."

"Do they know yet?"

"No, but I know he's staying with JJ, so even if they don't find out here, she's going to get her answer tonight."

He raised his eyebrows, exhaling. "We'd better hope no cases come across JJ's desk in the next three weeks, or we're screwed."