A knock came at Hotch's door breaking him away from his file. The last week had been blissfully case free, consisting of consultations and catching up on paperwork. It was a rare gift, and one that Hotch was only too grateful for given the current circumstances.

He glanced to the door to find Rossi in his doorway.

"Dave. Come in." He said with a small smile. Rossi entered, closing the door behind him. Not his usual move. Hotch's back straightened in anticipation. Rossi sat down on the opposite side of the desk and eyed him carefully. It was a look that only Rossi could give. It was as though he could see right through him, right into his very soul.

"The team are antsy, Aaron." Rossi said simply. Hotch's lips tightened.

"It has been a quiet week. I'm sure we will have a case soon."

Rossi gave him a knowing look. A small smirk crossed his lips. "I think you know why." Hotch's brows furrowed, feigning confusion. "So, are you going to tell me what's really going on? Or am I going to have to keep pretending that this act is actually convincing?"

Hotch scowled. His usual response when he wants someone to back away from a subject. With most people it would work, but David Rossi wasn't most people. "Dave, I don't know what you are talking about." He said cautiously.

"Okay, well let me sum up for you. We are two agents down, one of whom is 'visiting his mother' and the other is 'unwell'. All sounds normal so far, right?"

"Right." Hotch said firmly.

"But here's where things start to get fuzzy for me. No one can get in touch with either of them. Neither are answering calls or texts. Penelope even went to Derek's with a care package and he didn't answer the door. Now, I don't know what you think, but that doesn't sound like Derek to me." Hotch's gaze hardened a little, a sure sign to Rossi that he was getting close to something. "Look, Aaron, the team aren't stupid. They know something is going on. It doesn't take a brain like the kid's to work out that something isn't right here."

"Dave, Reid is in Vegas with his Mom-"

"No, he isn't." Rossi said, placing a knowing look on his boss. "The kid has been home all week. I know as I've driven past his apartment and seen his lights on. I've also seen your car parked outside his apartment block more than once. And if I've done it, then that probably means some of the others have too."

"You've been following me?" Hotch asked unhappily, his scowl deepening.

"Not following you, no. I drove past to see if my theory was correct."

"And what theory is that?"

"That Reid isn't in Vegas at all. That something has happened between him and Morgan, something that upset Morgan enough for him to breakdown the last time I saw him. And it was serious enough for you to have his gun and badge on your desk the next day."

Hotch's eyes widened slightly. It was clear David Rossi didn't miss a trick. Hotch couldn't even remember him entering his office that day. Hotch sighed.

"I didn't know you had seen them."

"It wasn't intentional. I knocked on your window and I caught sight of his gun through the blinds." Hotch put his forehead into his hand now. "So, now we've addressed the elephant in the room, are you going to tell me what's really going on?"

Hotch felt a lump in his throat. It was a strange mixture of relief and utter panic. Relief that he would finally have someone to share this with, instead of shouldering it all alone. But pure panic for what this would mean going forward. He had promised Reid he wouldn't breathe a word of this to anyone. Despite everything, he didn't want anyone treating Morgan differently. And Hotch was inclined to agree. Forgiveness may be a long way off, but neither of them wanted to drag him over the coals any more than he had already had been. The reports from Morgan's therapy sessions had been concerning. He was spiralling into a pit of guilt and self-loathing, so much so that the therapist was concerned he may harm himself. Hotch hadn't told Reid. He didn't deserve the stress of dealing with that. But he had reached out to Morgan and what he'd found did worry him.

He clearly hadn't shaved for a week, didn't appear to be washing. His living room was full of numerous bottles of beer and liquor. He was in full self-destruct mode. And he was more than aware he had no one to blame but himself. Any thoughts of actually returning to work appeared to be long gone. He was ready to give up. For the first time, Hotch actually felt a little sorry for the man.

"I can't, Dave." Hotch said quietly. "I really can't."

"JJ and Prentiss are going round to Reid's tonight. And myself and Garcia are going to Morgan's. And trust me, we will not be leaving until we get an answer." Hotch's eyes widened. "La famiglia e tutto. We won't watch it fall apart. So, let me try this again, Aaron. What's going on?"

Hotch's chest expanded as he took a deep breath then rubbed at his eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. "Fine. But this goes no further." Hotch said firmly.

"I can't promise that." Rossi said honestly. Hotch gave him an exasperated look. "We are family." He said, as if that explained everything. "All anyone wants to do is help."

"I don't think there's any amount of help that is going to fix this." Hotch said sombrely. Rossi's brows furrowed in concern.

"Tell me." He said gently.

Hotch sighed again. "Morgan went to see Carl Buford." Rossi grimaced. "He told him he had some information for him that he would want to know. He assumed it might be concerning some of his victims." Hotch frowned deeply. "But it wasn't. He gave him a letter, supposedly written by Reid. He told him Reid had been communicating with him for months, trying to understand his crimes for 'research purposes'." Rossi sucked a breath in through his teeth.

"And Morgan believed him." Rossi grimaced.

"Yes. He didn't even question it."

"He wasn't thinking rationally, which is understandable given who Buford is to him."

Hotch nodded slightly. "That is understandable... His next actions were not." Hotch's expression darkened.

Rossi looked at him with concern. "He didn't." He said in disbelief.

Hotch gave a stiff nod. "He did. He went straight to Reid's apartment and attacked him. He beat him and put him through his coffee table."

Rossi's mouth dropped open. "No."

"Yes." Hotch said grimly. "Left him with a dislocated shoulder, cracked ribs, a concussion and multiple cuts and bruises."

Rossi's hand went to his beard as he stared at Hotch in shock. "Cazzo." He whispered. "And how is he?"

"He's Reid. So, he's 'fine', as always."

"He's a mess then."

"This has really hurt him. Not just physically. He hasn't told me exactly what was said between them, but I know he's deeply upset. Morgan even threw his PhDs at him, so it obviously got personal. But you know Reid."

"The walls are up." Rossi's lips tightened.

"Exactly. I wanted to press charges-"

"But Reid wouldn't let you." Rossi said knowingly.

Hotch stared at him for a few moments. Rossi's skills as a profiler still managed to catch him off guard.

"No. Nor would he let me fire him. If I did, he would go too. He believes Buford has already ruined enough lives."

"Well, you won't find any disagreement from me there." Rossi said strongly. "So where is Derek then?"

"Mandatory counselling. Five sessions before he can return. It's... not going well." Rossi frowned at him and waited for him to continue. "He's struggling. The counsellor told me he's spiralling. I went to see him last night and he's not good."

"Some would say that's justice." Rossi said simply. Hotch hummed a response. "But you don't think so."

"It's not that. After what he's done to Reid, I know he deserves that and more."

"But it's Derek." Rossi said in understanding. Hotch nodded reluctantly.

"It's just not him to do something like this. He's usually so protective of Reid. I just... I can't get my head around it."

"And you've been dealing with this by yourself all week."

"I couldn't tell you. Reid really doesn't want anyone to know. He practically begged me."

"He's protecting him still." Rossi smiled sadly.

"I think that's a large part of it. He can't forgive him, but he won't see everyone else judge him. And he doesn't want the attention on himself either."

Rossi sat for a few moments and stared at Hotch hard. "You know you are going to have to tell the others, don't you?"

"I won't be doing that, Dave." Hotch said strongly.

"So, what then? Derek comes back in and we expect no one to detect anything is wrong? They already know something is wrong, Aaron. They are piecing together that the two absences are related. They are not stupid."

Hotch sat back in his chair and glanced out of the window into the bullpen for a few moments. Rossi could see the reluctance in his face and he could understand it. Revealing this to the team meant there would be more involvement, more opinions and emotions which ultimately led to more complications. He could understand why he wanted to keep it between the three of them. But realistically, it was never possible. It was always going to come out one way or another. The BAU simply didn't have absences like this. And with the amount of time Reid would need to recover from his injuries, it was always going to raise suspicions. After all, how much could he really do to support his mom when she was in a sanitarium?

"Look, Aaron, they will be angry. Hell, I'm angry! The kid doesn't deserve that. I mean, what the hell was he thinking? You look at Reid, then you look at Morgan. He doesn't stand a chance against him... It's like beating a puppy." Rossi shook his head in disgust then took a calming breath. "But we are adults. And we will hear him out."

"Dave, the team are not judge and jury in this matter."

"I think you will find that we are. We are a family, Hotch. And in my book, when one of us steps out of line, it's the job of the family to determine how it should be dealt with. You can't have a team built on lies. Trust is everything. And if we can't trust one of our own then we need to know sooner rather than later."

Hotch dropped his head into his hand. "Reid won't be happy."

"He will get over it. The kid may be a certified genius but when it comes to his emotions, he can be a self-sacrificing idiot. I won't watch him shrink into himself in order to protect Morgan. He has no blame in this. He needs to know we support him."

Hotch sat for a few moments then sighed again. "You're right. I've not handled this correctly. I should have come down harder on Morgan."

"Aaron, you're not to blame for this either. You did what you thought was best to protect the team." Rossi leaned forward. "But you're not alone in this either. I do wish you had spoken to me. You've been supporting Reid and now Morgan, not to mention dealing with your divorce and everything that entails. You don't have to shoulder this alone."

"I'm so angry with him, Dave. The state Reid was in when I saw him. He looks a mess now, but the evening after, he couldn't even change his clothes by himself. He was still wearing the blood-stained clothing he'd gone to the hospital in." Rossi frowned sadly. "And he wasn't going to tell anyone. If I hadn't let myself into his apartment, he would have just pretended to be ill." Hotch shook his head. "If his neighbour hadn't heard the commotion, I dread to think what might have happened."

Rossi furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"The neighbour heard a thud. I can only assume it was Reid going through the glass table. He passed out after Morgan left. He woke up to paramedics and officers."

Rossi's hand was back to his beard again. "So, he just left him?" Hotch nodded grimly. "God, what was he thinking?"

"He wasn't. He let Buford get into his head and he flipped."

Rossi's lips tightened. "Okay." He said, taking another breath out, forcing himself to calm down. "I'm going to gather the team in the conference room, take a few minutes, then we are going to deal with this." He looked at Hotch sternly. "Okay?"

Hotch scowled and reluctantly nodded.


"I know you've all been wondering what has been going on." Hotch looked around the room at the faces of his team. Garcia's was fiddling with her hands on the table in front of her. JJ was looking at him with a deep frown and Prentiss had a measured and controlled expression, clearly not jumping to any conclusions. Although he had no doubt, many of the suspicions would have come from her ability to profile her team mates accurately. "I understand that the absences of Reid and Morgan have been causing concern. After speaking with Dave, I realised he was right. We are a family; you deserve to know the truth."

Garcia gasped slightly. "Oh god, what's happened? This is bad, isn't it?" Hotch nodded sadly.

He took them through the situation with Morgan and his visit to Buford. Rossi watched as their faces went through a variety of emotions from angry, to upset, to sympathetic. Garcia was clearly struggling to understand why he would go and see the man at all and why he hadn't told her about it.

Their expressions morphed into disgust when he described how Buford had manipulated Morgan into believing that Reid was writing to him. The mention of Richard Maxwell's involvement was news to him and his mouth dropped open as he thought back to Reid's interactions with the man. This had been a clear case of revenge and it had sadly worked very well.

Rossi could tell that Hotch was reluctant to get to the point of the story, but thankfully, so could Emily.

She shook her head. "So... what? Was Reid actually writing to him? What's going on?"

"Emily! Spence would never do that!" JJ said in shock, she looked to Hotch, desperate for him to confirm she was right.

"Jayje! I'm just asking. I mean, neither of them are here, so something has happened."

"No, he wasn't. And you're right, something has happened." Hotch's voice deepened as the severity of the situation hit him once again. "Morgan went to see Reid and when he did, he lost his temper. He... beat him, badly."

Their mouths all dropped open.

"No." Garcia whispered. "No, no, no. He wouldn't. He wouldn't do that." She said in disbelief, seemingly hoping beyond hope that this was all some crazy joke. Her hands were now shaking and her eyes were watering with tears.

"He beat him?" JJ said, practically spitting with anger. "You're joking, right?" Hotch shook his head sombrely. "I will kill him!" She said fiercely. Prentiss put a hand to her shoulder. As always, she was the slowest to react, keen to take in the whole situation before making a judgement.

"What happened?"

Hotch grimaced; he was clearly struggling with this. "From- from what I can understand, Morgan went to Reid's apartment to confront him. When he denied it, Morgan... got angry." Hotch closed his eyes. "He punched and kicked him and... and pushed him through his coffee table." His voice petered out.

"What?!" JJ practically shouted. She was furious.

"Oh my god." Garcia gasped again. "Is Reid okay?" Prentiss' hand went to her mouth in complete shock.

Hotch rubbed at his eyes again in stress.

"He's getting there." Rossi said firmly, stepping in for his colleague. "He dislocated his shoulder, cracked his ribs and gave him a concussion." His expression filled with disgust.

Prentiss' expression now dropped into a severe scowl. "How could he do that to him? Reid, of all people?"

"I need to see him!" JJ said passionately, standing up.

"Reid doesn't know you've been told. I need to speak with him. He didn't want anyone to know." Hotch said quickly.

"No... Morgan! I need to see him now."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Jennifer." Rossi spoke calmingly. "Not right now."

"I don't care whether you think it's a 'good idea'." She said bitingly. "I am going to see him. He doesn't get to do that to him and get away with it." She glanced around the table, her eyes hard. "You can either come with me or stay out of my way."

"I'm coming." Garcia said, voice shaking. "I need to hear it from him. I can't... I can't believe it."

"I'll drive." Prentiss said. She was keeping her anger in check, but one look in her eyes told Rossi how furious she was. As someone who had taken a beating in order to save Reid's life in a hostage situation, it was clear she was protective of the young man. This news was bound to make her angry.

Hotch moved to the door to stop anyone leaving. "We'll all go."

JJ took a step back and looked at Hotch carefully. "How long have you known about this?"

Hotch looked her dead in the eye. "A week." JJ practically laughed in his face and Prentiss' mouth dropped open.

"A week!" She exclaimed.

"And has he been fired?" JJ asked, crossing her arms indignantly.

"No." When he saw JJ's reaction he quickly continued. "Reid said he would leave if I did. He didn't want him fired, he didn't want to press charges and he didn't want anyone to know."

"Oh, Reid." Garcia said sadly. "Did he really think he could keep this a secret from us?"

"And you agreed?" JJ said accusingly. "Well, of course you're going to defend Morgan." She laughed slightly.

"Jayje." Prentiss said warningly.

"What does that mean?" Hotch asked curiously.

"Couldn't have the BAU boys club broken up, could we?" She spat.

"I beg your pardon?" Hotch asked incredulously.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Hotch. You and your favouritism for 'alpha' males. Morgan has always been able to get away with anything he wants. Reid never really stood a chance, did he?!"

"I suggest you stop talking before you say something you'll regret." Hotch warned.

"What? Or you'll fire me? Well, of course! I'm not Morgan, so clearly, I'm dispensable... This is ridiculous."

"JJ, this is not Hotch's fault." Rossi said, trying his best to calm the situation.

"I tried to get Reid to press charges!" Hotch said finally snapping under the pressure. "I collected evidence! I made sure he had everything he needed in case he changed his mind! Trust me, if it was up to me, Derek wouldn't have a job and he would be in a cell right now" He paused for a moment. "But I won't lose Reid as well." He said sadly.

JJ stared at him for a few moments. If anyone knew how stubborn Reid could be, it was her. She could see the stress in Hotch's face. He was clearly being torn apart by all of this. Her gaze softened. "I'm sorry, Hotch... I shouldn't have said that." She said guiltily. "I'm just so angry. I- I can't believe he would do this."

"Join the club." Rossi said dryly. "Maybe it's best if we leave the visits for tonight. Give ourselves some time to process this. We don't want to overwhelm the kid and it's probably best not to see Morgan while we're all feeling like this."

"No." Garcia said, her expression was now stony. "I need to see him. I need to hear it from him." She was clearly in shock; her voice was almost emotionless.

Prentiss put an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, Penelope. Why don't I drive you home?"

"No!" She snapped. "I. Want. To. See. Him!" She punctuated each word as if no one would understand her otherwise. "I have to." She said brokenly. Her seemingly never-ending faith in Morgan was appearing to break and it was devastating her. He was her hero. Her knight in shining armour. Someone she would rely on through thick and thin. The thought that he could so callously beat Reid, of all people, was incomprehensible. She needed to hear it from him. She simply had to.

"Okay, okay." Prentiss said, rubbing her back. "I'll take you. We'll go."

"We'll all go.' Hotch said again. "He won't open the door to anyone but me."


Morgan was sat on his living room couch, slumped against the cushions with a beer in his hand. He'd had his fourth counselling session this afternoon and it had done little to ease his guilt. The counsellor had talked to him about Buford, what he'd done to him, how he'd felt, his aggression and anger management techniques. But it all felt like too little, too late. He'd already destroyed one of the most important relationships in his life and everything else was crumbling down around him. He could barely even look in the mirror anymore without seeing the face that Reid must have seen. A furious, hateful and aggressive person. It terrified him. And if it terrified him, then god knows how Reid must have felt.

He was desperate to see him again. But Reid had made it clear, they were not friends, he didn't accept his apology and he clearly gained no comfort from seeing him. It would do no good to keep prodding at that wound. The best that Morgan could hope for was that he would at least be civil when they eventually worked together again. The thought of it filled Morgan with dread. How could he behave like nothing had happened in front of everyone? How could he go on, knowing what he had done to the youngest member of the team? His best friend? Knowing how much he had betrayed him? Knowing how he'd left him to fall unconscious without any concern for his safety? He made himself sick. No, he couldn't return to the BAU. Not anymore. Things were never going to be the same.

His doorbell rang and he furrowed his brows. He wasn't expecting anyone. He sighed; it was probably Penelope checking in on him again. That was another sore spot. Garcia was someone he trusted with his life. But now he wasn't even answering the door to her when she clearly knew he was home. He felt painfully guilty. He knew she would be hurting, but he just couldn't bear to see that expression on her face if he opened the door and she saw him. The look of sympathy, of care. Especially when he knew he didn't deserve it. He would break and tell her everything. Then she would be disgusted and likely never speak to him again. Losing Reid's trust was devastating enough without adding Garcia into the mix. Even if it was no less than he deserved.

"Morgan?" Hotch's voice sounded from the other side of the door. "I've just come to check in on you."

Morgan sighed. This was another bone of contention. Why was Hotch here when he should be with Reid? The man had wanted to charge him, fire him, never see him again. Yet here he was standing on his doorstep making sure he was okay.

He glanced out of the peephole in his door and saw Hotch standing outside in the pouring rain.

"Hotch, go home. Thanks for coming but I really don't deserve your support, man."

"Morgan, let me in." Hotch said strongly. "We need to talk." Hotch's voice had that stern and serious tone that meant he did not expect to be refused. Morgan rolled his eyes and rested his head against the door, taking a deep breath. He really wasn't in the mood for this. All he wanted to do was drink himself into unconsciousness and never wake up. Another knock startled him slightly, sending a vibration right to his brain. He glanced out of the peephole again then reluctantly opened the door with a sigh.

He saw Hotch standing on the doorstep, but something about him looked uncharacteristically nervous. Morgan furrowed his brows and looked at him inquisitively.

The next moment, Rossi, JJ, Prentiss and Garcia came into view and surrounded the doorway. Morgan's eyes widened in shock and he froze, completely caught off guard.

"May we come in." Rossi stated rather than asked, pushing his way past Morgan into his house. The others followed. JJ's face was set in a mask of fury. Prentiss was frowning deeply and Garcia simply refused to look at him. It broke his heart. His throat tightened and his chest fluttered. They knew. They knew everything.

Hotch was last to enter and closed the door behind him, shutting Morgan in the hallway, surrounded by his angry colleagues. He didn't know whether to feel guilty or pleased. Morgan looked a mess. More so than he had the night before. He had dark circles under his eyes, his beard was growing to be unkempt and he was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. This wasn't the man he knew.

Suddenly, the women jumped and let out startled yelps as a fist hit Morgan square in the face. He stumbled backwards, his hand going to his eye protectively.

"How do you like it?" An angry David Rossi stepped forward, squaring up to him.

"Dave!" Hotch called out in shock.

"Oh my god." Garcia's hands went to her mouth. Once the surprise left her, JJ was nodding in agreement with the action.

"How does it feel, Derek? To be punched in the face by someone you thought was a friend? It doesn't feel good, does it?" Morgan took a slight step away, but Rossi followed him. "But you didn't stop there, did you? You didn't only punch him... you kicked him, insulted him and put him through his own table, right?" Morgan couldn't look at him, he kept moving backwards until his back hit the door.

"Dave." Hotch put a hand to Rossi's shoulder now. He hadn't expected this from the older man.

"But you won't hit me back, will you? Because I'm not an easy target! You can't bully me!" Rossi grabbed him by the t-shirt and shoved him against the door.

"It wasn't like that." Morgan said in desperation.

"Well, what was it like, Derek? Did he hit you back? Did he give you a good fight?" Rossi spat. Morgan shrank in embarrassment, turning his face away. "Look at me, dammit!" He shook him hard and Morgan lifted his gaze. His eyes were stinging with tears. "If you can kick the shit out of the kid, the least you can do is have the balls to face up to me!"

"Did you do it?" Garcia asked brokenly. "Did you really hurt him?" Her eyes were wide, she knew the answer but she was so desperate to be told anything but the truth in this moment.

A tear slid down Morgan's cheek. He closed his eyes and he nodded. Her mouth dropped open for a few moments, then she moved towards him. "How could you? How could you do this, Derek? You're not... you're not that person. How could this happen?" The disappointment and heartbreak in her voice nearly killed him. He opened his eyes and looked at her, his eyes desperate.

"I am so, sorry Penelope."

She stared at him, shaking her head in disbelief. The next second she slapped him hard across the cheek. Her hand went straight to her mouth and she gasped in shock at herself.

"That's enough." Hotch said, getting between Morgan and the group. "Go into the living room. We will be through in a minute."

Rossi shook his head in disgust. Seeing Morgan answer the door and the condition he was in - muscular, fit and strong - just made his blood boil. It was like looking at the playground bully who picked on the smaller kids. Rossi couldn't do anything about the people who had bullied and tormented Reid throughout the years. He couldn't do anything about the torture he suffered at the hands of Tobias Hankel. But he could do something about this. And giving Morgan a taste of his own medicine seemed a damn good place to start.

The team reluctantly moved into the living room and Hotch moved in front of Morgan.

"I had to tell them. They were piecing everything together." He said simply, a hint of apology in his tone.

Morgan looked at him, his eyes filling with tears. "It couldn't stay a secret forever. I always knew it would come out one way or another. I deserve this, Hotch. After what I've done, god knows I deserve this." He took a deep breath and moved around Hotch heading into the living room.

The team were stood around, aside from Garcia, who had placed herself down on his couch, seemingly unable to support herself. They were taking in the room around them. There were empty bottles on every surface. He had clearly been drinking non-stop. Most of the lights in the room were off, save for a small lamp in the corner. The room was incredibly dark. The TV wasn't on and there was a blanket and pillow on the couch as if he had been sleeping there. This had clearly been his sole living space for the last week. Rossi, JJ and Prentiss exchanged glances. Despite everything, they couldn't help the pang of worry the scene created. When Morgan entered the room he looked straight to Rossi, who still seemed to have fire in his eyes, but he backed away and sat down on the couch next to Garcia. A clear indicator that he was ready to talk. JJ and Prentiss remained standing. JJ's arms were crossed defensively and Prentiss uncharacteristically fiddled with her belt.

Morgan sat down in a large chair opposite them putting his head into his hands. Hotch stood in the doorway, overseeing the interactions.

"How could you?" JJ asked. Her voice shaking.

Morgan shook his head. "There is no defence for what I've done, JJ. I know that."

"No. No there isn't! He trusted you. He looks up to you! How could you do that to him? After everything he's been through." She shook her head.

"God, I know." Morgan hid his face in his hands, cringing to himself.

"How did it get to that? Where beating him seemed like the only option you had?" Rossi asked angrily.

Morgan lifted his gaze and tears ran down his face. "I completely lost it. There is nothing I can say that will ever justify it. Buford tried to get into my head... and I let him. I'm so disgusted with myself."

"But why violence, Derek? Of all the things you could have done, why that?" Rossi shook his head, trying his best to keep calm. He felt like grabbing Morgan by the throat and slamming him against the wall.

"Because that's who I am!" He said, breaking down. "That's what I do. I always have. I was an angry kid, I used to fight, get into trouble. That's how I dealt with my feelings when I was younger. I thought I'd left that part of myself behind."

"And he knows this about you." Prentiss said calmly.

"He's the one who got me to where I am today. He got my record expunged and allowed me to leave all that behind. And I thought I had."

"Morgan. You owe nothing to that man." Hotch said firmly.

Morgan laughed. "Really? If he hadn't done that for me, I wouldn't be in the FBI now. I'm clearly still that same kid. Without him, I would probably just be some waster on the street right now."

"Without him, you wouldn't have reason to be angry in the first place." Hotch moved into the room and sat on the arm of the couch. He really didn't want to defend him, but he couldn't listen to him wipe away all of his achievements and place credit on the man who had torn his childhood to shreds.

"But why Reid?" Garcia asked quietly, tears running down her cheeks.

Morgan looked at her, his eyes softening. "When he told me Reid had been writing to him, he made it sound so believable. He knew things about him, things that I didn't believe he could know unless they had been communicating. Looking back on it now, I can't even imagine why I thought it was true. I should have known he was playing me. But at the time, it all made so much sense."

"Did it ever cross your mind that Reid would never do that to you?" JJ asked bitterly.

Morgan sighed. He had no choice other than to be totally honest. "Of course it did." He squirmed a little, knowing that his next words would not go down well. "But there was also this part of me that thought it might be something he would do from a research perspective, not thinking about the impact it would have on me. He gets so excited about research sometimes; I wasn't sure if this was one of those situations."

He expected them to argue with him. He expected them to tell him how wrong he was. But all they did was exchange awkward glances. Prentiss' mind was taken back to her and Reid at Morgan's family's house and how tactless he had been in that situation. He'd spouted off statistics without much thought for the impact they would have on Morgan's worried family. It was entirely innocent. Everything Reid did usually was. But it didn't mean he wasn't capable of unintentionally hurting someone.

Even JJ had been silenced.

"Even if it did turn out to be true, he still didn't deserve what I did to him. It never should have happened. I completely lost it and I will never forgive myself for what I have done." Morgan said sombrely. "You have no idea how much I wish I could turn back the clock."

"Well, you can't." Rossi said harshly. Morgan nodded knowingly. "You can't take this back, Derek. The damage is done. God knows what state his mind is in now."

"You- you haven't seen him?" Morgan asked in surprise.

They exchanged glances. "No, we came here first." Prentiss said reluctantly.

"I needed to hear it from you." Garcia said sadly.

Morgan nodded and dropped his head down in shame. "Look, I don't expect forgiveness from any of you-"

"Good, because you're not getting it." JJ said harshly.

"I just need you to know how sorry I am. As much as you all hate me, trust me, it's nothing compared to how much I hate myself. I can't believe what I've done. I'm disgusted with myself."

"I'm disgusted with you too." Garcia said quietly. Morgan swallowed. Hearing those words from Garcia stung. He closed his eyes and nodded, then looked to Hotch.

"I've been thinking, Hotch. I think it's best if I don't come back. Like you said to me, I've broken your trust and I've destroyed the team. I don't deserve to work for the BAU. And I definitely don't deserve to work with Reid anymore. I've betrayed him so badly, I don't even know how he's going to be able to look at me, let alone work with me. And I don't expect him to. I don't expect any of you to." Hotch looked around at the group. Their expressions were stern.

"I told you; we lose you; we lose Reid." Hotch answered harshly.

"Look Hotch, you won't lose Reid. This job is his life. It's all he's ever wanted to do. He's not going to sacrifice that. Not when it really comes down to it." Morgan said seriously. "And he shouldn't. But I think it's the right time for me to go."

Hotch looked at the rest of the team. As angry as they were, it was clear that the idea of Morgan leaving was not a popular one.

"But what will you do?" Garcia asked quietly.

"I could go back to the police. Maybe move somewhere busy like New York. Go back to being a beat cop."

"Is that what you want?" Rossi asked.

"It doesn't really matter what I want, Rossi. I want this to have never happened. I want to turn back the fucking clock. But I can't. I will do anything I can to make this easier on everyone going forward. Especially Reid." He took a deep breath. "And I don't think him seeing me every day is going to be what's best for him."

"What? And you just run away from this?" JJ snapped.

"No, JJ. That's not what I'm trying to do. I want to make this right-"

"Well, you can't." She answered brutally. Morgan closed his eyes.

"Running isn't the answer." Rossi said firmly. "You need to face this."

"I am willing to face this. I will do anything I can prove to you all how sorry I am. But I don't wanna make things worse. I don't wanna cause more problems than I already have. If my presence on the team is going to make things miserable then I just can't do it. I won't do that to you."

JJ dropped her gaze and huffed a breath. She had no answer to that. None of them did. When it came down to it, none of them really knew what they expected out of this. They wanted to vent at him, tell him how disgusted they were, hurt him, make him realise how much he had messed up. But anything past that, they hadn't really thought. That much was clear by the slightly confused and panicked eye contact that was being exchanged around the room at that moment.

Telling him to stay was too much like saying it was okay. But telling him to leave?

"You can't leave." Prentiss said simply. "We can't lose you." They all looked at her in surprise. "What?" She asked in frustration. "We're here because we're a family, right?" When no one responded she huffed a breath. "Right?!"

"Right." Garcia answered in a small, unsure voice.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but my real family is nothing to write home about. But this one, this is worth fighting for. And yes, he's fucked up. And yes, right now, I would rather strangle him than talk to him. But he's family. And..." She looked at him. "And deep down, I know, he would never have done this if it wasn't for Carl Buford."

Morgan's eyes started to water up and a tear slipped out. He nodded, putting his head into his hands then finally broke down. He sobbed. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."

Garcia looked at him and her heart twisted. This wasn't the man she knew. He was broken. As much as she hated what he had done, she couldn't help but see the pain of a child manipulated by a perverted and calculating adult. A child that was still very much inside Morgan, and still hurting. Tears ran down her face and she moved over to him, putting her arms around his shoulders.

"No. Don't." He sobbed.

She grabbed him tighter, sitting on the arm of his chair and pulling his head into her chest. She couldn't tell him it was okay. Because it wasn't. She couldn't tell him all would be forgiven. As it wasn't true. They were all still so angry with him. But they were starting to realise there was a level of pain there that he had never shared before. It didn't make things right. But it did explain things, at least a little. She rested her chin on his head and looked to JJ, who also had tears in her eyes.

Rossi looked to Hotch, rubbing his hand down his beard. The look said it all; this was not what he was expecting. Hotch just looked back; his brows deeply furrowed. His concerns about Morgan's mental state were not dissipating. He felt guilty for even worrying. He felt like he was betraying Reid. But he couldn't ignore the glaringly obvious. Morgan was suffering from PTSD from the abuse he suffered. And once again, he had let another member of his team down. He hadn't helped Elle after her shooting, resulting in her committing murder. He hadn't helped Reid after Tobias, leading to a serious drug problem that could, no, should have been prevented. And now this. Something he should have addressed with Morgan at the time when it all came out. It should have been dealt with. He should have been sent to counselling back then. If he had done that, then maybe Reid would have been spared this additional suffering. Maybe Morgan wouldn't have even visited Buford in the first place.

He looked around the room at his team and he knew one thing for sure. He had let them down. He'd let them all down. And it was going to be a long road back to 'normal'.