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Pretty Boy	By : Wagamama_hime Category: 1 through F > Criminal Minds Views: 4813 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. It is the sole intellectual property of the CBS Corporation. This is a work of fiction and I am making no profit from its publication.

Chapter List
- 10
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Chapter Eleven
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. It is the sole property of the CBS Corporation. This work of fiction has been created purely for entertainment purposes and I am profiting in no way.
A/N: Another Wednesday, yet, unfortunately, no new episode of Criminal Minds on today :{. Oh, well, you do get a new chapter :D. But how crazy is it that I mentioned Spencer knowing Russian in the last chapter and the new episode of CMs that aired that night had him speaking Russian? O.O (And, omg, can we talk about MGG speaking Russian? I never knew I found something like that sexy until that man did it ;p haha). Anywho, thanks as always for the reviews and favorites, and to my beta-reader Eskimita! I really appreciate how everyone has stuck with me during this crazy little ride! But, as I said, we're nearing the end.
So, I think this is a bit of an action-packed chapter (I almost said 'episode,' haha!) and I hope you'll enjoy it. I'm a dialogue-driven writer (if that wasn't readily apparent :p), so when I started this story I never thought I'd write nearly as much 'action' as I ultimately ended up doing, but it's kind of fun! And, oh boy, this Unsub is all kinds of crazy! Sometimes even I'm kind of shocked by what I make this guy do. So, have fun reading this chapter. I've also thrown in quite a lot of 'feels' for you guys as well. So there should be something for everyone! :D
xoxo

Walking into his hotel room, after having showed Spencer in first, Derek turned to lock and bolt the door. When he turned back around, he was met with the insistent hands of Spencer Reid. Derek's eyes widened as Spencer grabbed him, fisting his hands in his shirt, and pressed his lips against his.
Maneuvering him by the grip on his shirt, Spencer backed him up until his legs hit the seat of the arm chair, and Derek felt himself toppling down with Spencer on top of him. Their lips parted briefly and Spencer quickly shimmied his way into Derek's lap, positioning his knees on either side of Derek's hips. Before Derek knew it, Spencer's arms were locked behind his head, and he was pressing his soft lips against Derek's again.
Derek lost himself to the feel of Spencer's lips on his own, finding that he didn't have the will to fight against him anymore. In fact, all he really wanted to do was indulge. And he was going to let himself. He wrapped one arm around Spencer's waist and, with the other, he grabbed the back of Spencer's head, tangling his hand in the boy's hair, tugging as he kissed Spencer back. Hard.
Spencer moaned against Derek's lips, thrilled that the older man had finally decided to respond. He opened his mouth, tentatively licking at Derek's lips, and was rewarded with the feel of Derek's tongue against his own. Leaning forward, Derek took control of the kiss, pressing his tongue into Spencer's mouth, his head becoming heady with the taste of the boy and the sounds he was making.
Trembling with excitement, and encouraged by Derek's reaction, Spencer hurriedly moved his hand into Derek's lap, rubbing the older man through his jeans. Derek groaned loudly at the sensation, bucking his hips upward unconsciously. But the jolt of pleasure was enough to drag Derek out of his haze.
"Shit, shit, shit," he panted out as he pulled his face away from Spencer's and firmly grabbed the boy's exploring hand by the wrist, stopping him in his tracks. "Kid, what the hell are you doing?"
Spencer groaned in frustration and quickly moved his other hand to the buckle of Derek's jeans, making his intention obvious. Derek growled at him, in warning, and grabbed his other hand. Transferring both of Spencer's thin wrists to his one hand, he raised them above the boy's head, effectively putting a halt to his exploration.
"This… this arrangement is just going to be about sleep, Spencer," Derek said seriously, catching Spencer's eyes with his own. "I shouldn't even have kissed you. I'm here to protect you, ok? I can't do that if you're... Just… Kid, it has to stop."
"Why do you think you can't protect me and kiss me at the same time?" Spencer asked dismissively, as he struggled to free himself from Derek's strong grip.
Derek gritted his teeth as the boy squirmed, not currently appreciating the added friction in his lap as he was trying to have a rational conversation with the very enticing boy sitting on top of him.
"You… I can't do my job with you distracting me like this, alright? Look, the minute my guard is down, that's the minute this son of a bitch can get by me and get to you. And I'm not willing to let that happen. So as long as this guy's out there, this…this…whatever this is isn't going to go any further," Derek said as he used his free hand to gently push Spencer back and off his lap.
As Spencer got to his feet, Derek stood with him, still holding the boy's hands locked together in his grip, as if he didn't trust Spencer to keep his hands to himself if he let him go.
"I-It's ok if we do it, Derek," Spencer said as he looked into Derek's eyes. "I want to."
Derek sighed as he finally released the grip on Spencer's wrists and took a step back to leave some distance between them.
Derek was no shrink, but he definitely thought there was something wrong about Spencer's insistence on physicality. If he had to take a guess, he would say Spencer was experiencing a mix of lack of self-worth, which most likely resulted from being treated like an object and forced to experience many things he probably didn't want to, and the belief that he could somehow erase that disgust with himself by sleeping with the first person who cared about him outside of his role as a sex object. Derek feared Spencer was conflating the two, and he really didn't want the boy to do anything rash and then later regret it when he realized it didn't make him feel any better about himself. But this was only Derek's guess, and the only way he would know for sure was to ask.
"What do you think of yourself, Spencer? Huh? What do you really think of 'Spencer Reid?'" he asked, looking at Spencer carefully.
Spencer blinked in surprise, taken aback by the question. But then his eyes became dark, and he gave Derek a guarded look.
"Why would you ask me something like that? What's the point? Who cares?" Spencer asked.
"That's exactly my point," Derek snapped at him. "It's exactly because I don't think you care that I have to ask you that! What do you see when you look at yourself, Spencer?"
Spencer turned to glare at him, eyes flashing with anger.
"What do you want me to say, huh?" Spencer snapped back. "I don't want to look at myself, ok!? What I see is disgusting! Did that make you happy to hear me say that?"
"Of course not! But that's what I'm talking about! You look at Spencer Reid, and you're disgusted by what you see. When I look at you, I don't see any of that, kid. I see so much worth. And it's exactly because you don't see that, that I can't do this with you," Derek said, as he shook his head.
Spencer stared at him in shock, blinking as if he hadn't thought someone could say something like that about him. He then looked away from Derek as he ran his hand through his hair anxiously.
"When…whenever people looked at me, they never saw me. Even before my… uh… 'fall from grace,' I was always just seen as the 'genius.' This weird, alien-like being who people oohed and ahh-ed over, but no one ever…no one ever really tried to get to know me. A-and now…working at the club, people want to look at my body, but they stare right through me. You… when I'm with you, I feel like a real person. You're actually talking to me. You actually look at me. You don't ignore me. You talk to me like I'm any other regular person. Whether I'm a genius or a stripper," Spencer rushed out in a jumble of words and emotions.
He then paused, and took a deep breath. But his eyes were cast downward, as if he were too ashamed to look at Derek.
"And, out of all things—the one thing I don't want is for you to look at me like I'm damaged goods. Like I'm some fragile, broken thing you have to treat with kid gloves…a-and put on some shelf, because I'm too delicate to touch," Spencer whispered softly.
Seeing Spencer's hunched shoulders and withdrawn appearance, all Derek wanted to do was reach out and touch him. But, he knew that would feed exactly into what Spencer had accused him of. He couldn't help but want to treat Spencer gently, though. No one had done so in so long, and if the kid deserved anything, it was gentleness.
"I don't look at you like that," was all Derek could say.
"But you do," Spencer said as he looked up, giving the man a sad smile.
"Kid, listen to me. The one thing you're definitely not is 'damaged goods.' Nothing's wrong with you. Not one single thing. In actuality, you're one of the most amazing people I've ever met. But, that doesn't change the fact that bad things happened to you. And they affected the way you see yourself," Derek said.
He watched as Spencer rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself, giving the obvious impression that he did not want to go down that road.
"Spencer, I'm not going to help you destroy yourself," Derek said as he sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to him.
Spencer watched him warily for a moment, but then slowly moved to sit down beside him.
"If you hate yourself," Derek continued, "how can you even begin to attempt to say you can care about another human being? I'd rather you work on loving yourself first, kid."
Spencer flinched at Derek's words and sat for a moment, seeming to really be thinking about it.
"I… I don't 'hate' myself," Spencer whispered after a moment. "I'm just… not proud of what I've become. But, I guess both parts of my life have… taught me something."
Derek sat quietly as Spencer chewed on his lip and played with his hands which were lying in his lap.
"Um… Before I started this job, I guess you could say I was really sheltered. I didn't know a lot of things… I hadn't seen a lot of things. I… You know, I had never said the word 'fuck' before I started this? And now I say it twenty times a day without blinking," Spencer said with a mocking laugh. "I learned how to be strong… how to do things for myself, and I learned what people were really like. In a way, even though I had always been 'smart,' I learned that I wasn't as smart as I thought I was when it came to real life. So… now I can say I'm not some weak, naïve little kid anymore."
Derek stared at him, unsure if he should say something. But then Spencer sighed, getting a faraway look in his eyes, as if he was thinking of a fond memory.
"And… you know things weren't great for me when I was younger either, but… I really did like learning. A lot. And I liked reading. And it was fun that if I… if I really wanted to know anything—absolutely anything—I could just pick up a book and I could teach it to myself. Wh-when I was in college one of my majors was in engineering and I really liked that I could create anything I put my mind to. When I was young, I was ashamed of being different and of standing out as the 'weird kid,'" Spencer admitted.
"But, once I got to college, it was like I was finally in a place where that was embraced, rather than discouraged. I mean, of course I still got picked on—I was a 12 year old freshman," Spencer said as he laughed ruefully. "But… it was just great to be in that environment, with the professors and other people who actually thought like me. So… I had kind of started to learn to l-like myself then."
"That's great to hear," Derek said giving him a genuine smile.
"But, you said you're not proud of yourself right now. Is it because you think you'll never be able to get any of that back?" he asked Spencer, giving him a serious look.
But the boy wouldn't meet his eyes. He shrugged as he continued to look down at his hands.
"You're nineteen, kid," Derek said as he put his hand on Spencer's shoulder and squeezed softly. "And, you're a genius. There's no reason why that door has to be closed off to you. You're going to do so many great things. And even if you might not be happy with your situation right now, there's no reason to be ashamed of it. It doesn't define you as a person. All those things about you that make you great are still there. They never went away."
Spencer could think of a number of reasons why Derek's positive outlook wasn't realistic for him. The foremost of which was the fact that he just didn't have the means of taking care of his mother if he didn't work. Even if he was somehow given the opportunity to abandon working at Mon Petit Chien and could go back to school, he would never take it if it meant his mother couldn't continue staying at Bennington. He promised himself he would always give her the best, even if it meant he had to live a life he was so unhappy with. So, while Derek's words were sweet and did, to an extent, help to make him feel better about himself, Spencer knew it was just wishful thinking. But he smiled encouragingly at Derek anyway. He wanted the older man to know he appreciated his effort.
Derek smiled back at him and squeezed his shoulder again, reassuringly.
"Don't think for a second you have to carry all your doubts and worries alone. I know there's a lot of stuff going on in that head of yours. If you want to talk to me, you know I'm here for you, ok?" Derek asked.
Spencer nodded at him.
"Ok, then. For the time being, we really should try to get some sleep," Derek said as he glanced at the bedside table. The glowing clock read 3:15 a.m.
"You take the bed," he offered as he stood and stretched, feeling the tension leaving his shoulders.
Spencer got to his feet and glanced behind him at the King-sized bed, making a face of confusion.
"Are you kidding me? There's no reason we can't share. And, besides, where are you going to sleep?" he asked, eyes wide in disbelief.
The room was large and nicely-appointed with two armchairs and a desk, but there were no couches or any comfortable surfaces to sleep on.
"I'll be fine here on the floor," Derek responded.
Spencer frowned.
"Derek, I hate this. I don't want you to have to do that. Just let me sleep on the floor… Or, I think I could probably even just sleep in the armchair. I'm pretty flexible and tend to sleep in a ball anyway," Spencer said.
Derek chuckled slightly at the boy's ridiculous offer.
"No, kid. Believe me, I'll be fine," he said.
Spencer still stood there looking uncomfortable.
"Please… can we just share the bed? I feel bad enough having to make you guys put me up in your hotel. I… I really won't be able to sleep if I know you're going to have to take the floor," Spencer said, looking at Derek with pleading eyes.
Derek stared at the younger male, contemplating his options. He really didn't think it was a good idea, especially when it came to Spencer's recent batting record when the two were within touching distance. And, Derek wasn't sure if, lying in a bed with the boy, he'd put up all that much of a fight if Spencer did decide to try something. Still looking at the boy, he noticed Spencer's cheeks begin to redden, and wondered if the boy could somehow read his thoughts.
"I… I promise I won't try anything," Spencer muttered out, training his eyes on the floor.
Derek let out a sigh, feeling sympathetic to Spencer's discomfort. He then walked over to the right side of the bed.
"I'm serious about what I said before, kid," he said as he grabbed a corner of the sheet and tugged it down. "I'm gonna agree to sharing but… you gotta keep your hands to yourself. Stay on your side of the bed and… no hogging the covers."
Spencer's eyes widened in surprise, and then he almost had to hold back a laugh.
"O-ok," he said with a grin.
Derek tossed him a small smile.
"Alright, then. Let's get changed and try to get as much sleep as we can," Derek said as he glanced at the clock again. He really had been running on empty these last few days and he was definitely looking forward to at least four to five good hours of sleep. Plus, he thought decidedly, he probably would sleep a lot better with Spencer in the room because he would be able to relax knowing the boy was finally as safe as he could be.
"I… um… I don't have any of my things," Spencer said, drawing Derek out of his thoughts.
He was still wearing what he had left work with earlier, which was a dark blue cardigan, t-shirt and jeans.
"Oh, yeah," Derek said, as he sighed. "We didn't stop back over to your apartment to pick up a change of clothes for you. Look, kid, since we don't have very many options, I can just let you wear some of my stuff. If you don't mind?"
Spencer's face heated at the thought of wearing the older man's clothes. He didn't know why the thought of it made him feel bashful and excited at the same time.
"I-I don't mind," Spencer said as he looked down at his feet.
He listened as Derek began rustling around in his go-bag, and then a folded up set of clothes came into Spencer's line of view.
"You can change in the bathroom, and I'll change out here," Derek said as he pointed Spencer towards the closed bathroom door.
"Ok," Spencer said as he crossed his arms over the bundle of clothes and pressed them to his chest. As he turned to head into the bathroom, he couldn't help but to inhale deeply. The clothes smelled like Derek's woodsy cologne and it made his stomach do a flip. Smiling to himself, Spencer hurried into the bathroom.
About ten minutes later, he stepped back into the room, noticing that Derek was already sitting in the bed and had turned out all the lights except for one of the bedside table lamps. He thought the older man looked so handsome in the dim light, and he felt that squirmy feeling return to his stomach. Swallowing down the distracting feelings, Spencer coughed lightly to alert Derek to his presence. When Derek looked up, he had to hold back a chuckle. Spencer's thin body was swimming in Derek's oversized clothes. Spencer blushed as he pulled up the baggy pants, thankful that it had a drawstring.
Looking him over, Derek couldn't deny that Spencer looked adorable in the clothing, but there was also something about seeing the younger man in his clothes that triggered something primal in Derek. He hadn't thought he'd like seeing Spencer in his clothes as much as he did.
"We really gotta get some meat on your bones, kid," Derek said, hoping to distract himself by teasing the boy.
Spencer rolled his eyes at Derek's comment and let out an irritated sigh as he walked toward the bed
"I'm naturally thin, thank you very much," he said as he grabbed an edge of the comforter and pulled it back. He then slipped under the cover, turning his back to Derek.
Derek laughed in response to Spencer's statement.
"Whatever you say, kid. Sleep tight," Derek said as he turned over and shut the light off.
As the room plunged into darkness, and Derek shifted, getting comfortable, Spencer smiled to himself. It was nice having Derek so close to him. He felt safe for the first time in a long time, and he quickly drifted off to sleep.

When Derek opened his eyes about an hour later, he immediately knew that something was off. Blinking groggily, he looked towards the bedside table but could not see the red display coming from the alarm clock. Frowning, he glanced to his right and was relieved to see the outline of the curled up form of Spencer lying with his back to him at the far end of the bed. The boy had kept true to his word and hadn't moved from his spot.
Derek actually realized that he, himself, had been the one to move, as he was closer to Spencer than he had been when he had shut the lights off. It wasn't necessarily a surprise. Many of his past lovers had told him he was a 'smotherer' when he shared beds with them, and would often end up with his arms and legs wrapped around the other person. He always told them that it was because he was used to sleeping alone and liked to take up the whole bed. They would always tease him and tell him that he was just a subconscious cuddler. He was at least grateful that he hadn't made it all the way over to where Spencer was lying and that there was still about a foot between him and the boy's sleeping form.
Turning away from the boy and trying to get a grasp on what had caused him to wake up in the first place, Derek looked towards the door at the far end of the hotel room. He noticed that he could not see the bright yellow light under the door that usually illuminated the hotel corridor. Instead, there was a dim, flashing red light. He immediately knew that that was an emergency light.
Power outage? He wondered to himself. That made sense, going off of the fact that the clock had also been out.
Eyebrows furrowing with the beginning inklings of worry, he turned to his side and blindly reached out for his cellphone which was on the bedside table. Once his hand closed around it, he pressed the screen and saw that the display read 4:23 in the morning. He also saw no messages or calls from his teammates. So, if there was a power outage, it was likely it was something run of the mill and not suspicious as he had first thought. Dropping the phone back on to the table, Derek almost closed his eyes, wanting to succumb to sleep again, when he heard a soft shuffling at the door.
Shooting up into a sitting positon, Derek's eyes zeroed in on the space underneath the doorway and his breath caught as he saw a dark shadow interrupt the red light that was pouring in from under the doorway. It appeared to be someone's feet. Immediately swinging into action, Derek shoved his hand underneath his pillow and retrieved his service weapon. His ears picked up the sound of someone slowly manipulating the door handle, attempting to open the door, but the door remained locked.
Eyes narrowing in anger at the thought that someone was actually trying to break into his room, Derek smoothly rolled over towards Spencer, getting as close as he could, and slipped his hand over the boy's mouth. Spencer awoke with a start almost as soon as he touched him, and Derek clamped his hand down harder to prevent any sounds from escaping.
"Shh, shh," Derek soothed as quietly as he could as he looked into the boy's wild eyes. It was dark in the room, but he could see that Spencer recognized him and relaxed slightly. The boy was breathing quickly and his eyes looked at him questioningly.
"I need you to listen to me very carefully," Derek whispered, and waited as Spencer nodded.
"We need to get up, and I need you to follow everything I say, ok? There's someone trying to break in to the room," Derek said and watched as Spencer's eyes almost doubled in size. "I don't know what they want or who they are, but you need to be very quiet and let me handle this, ok?"
Spencer nodded rapidly and Derek pulled his hand back. He could tell Spencer was terrified, and helped the shaking boy get to his feet. Derek was aware of the sound of the handle being pulled again, but still the person was denied access. He quickly grabbed his phone off the bedside table and ushered Spencer into the corner of the room furthest from the door. He placed the boy behind him, standing between Spencer and the door. As Derek swiped his phone's screen with one hand, and held his gun trained on the door with the other, he could feel Spencer grip his shirt tightly from behind him. Spencer was scared and all Derek wanted to do was comfort him, but for right now, time was of the essence.
Derek quickly shot off a group text to his colleagues, hoping that someone else was awake. He didn't want to draw the attention of the person trying to get into his room. At the moment, Derek had the element of surprise since he was sure the person outside the door thought the occupants were still asleep. If they did manage to get into the room, Derek would be able to see them better, illuminated by the light outside and would likely get in the first shot. This was also the safer option because he had no idea if the person had a gun. If he called out and alerted the person, he might start firing and there was no telling where the bullets would go. He had to protect Spencer, which tempered his willingness to be his usual reckless, kicking-down-doors self. As of now, Derek knew he had the tactical advantage and he wanted to keep it that way.

J.J. turned over fitfully in her sleep, trying to get comfortable. As she rolled on to her side, she squinted in confusion when she saw her cellphone flashing. Frowning, she picked up the phone, her eyes widening at the message she saw:
Power out in hotel; someone at door trying to get in; possibly Unsub.
Without waiting a second, J.J. jumped out of bed, grabbing her gun, and rushed towards the door. Poking her head out and staring down the darkened hallway, she could make out a figure in black standing in front of Derek's door. It appeared the person was doing something with the key card slot, but the dim, flashing red light made it difficult to make out any details. All the agents' rooms were spread out on the hall, and while Derek's room was about seven doors down from hers, J.J. was still the closest.
She began to creep from her room, but as she stepped out of the doorway, the room-door clicked shut behind her, punctuating the silence in the hallway, and gaining the attention of the mysterious man. He quickly turned towards her and J.J.'s eyes widened as she saw him raise a gun. She just had enough time to hit the ground as three shots were fired into the wall near where she had just been standing. She covered her head in a protective gesture, but was aware of the sound of the man running down the opposite end of the hallway. Lying flat on her stomach, she tried to aim at the retreating figure but it was too dark to get a clear shot, and she wasn't going to risk it knowing that there were so many hotel rooms lining the hallway.
Pushing herself to her hands and knees, and getting ready to take off after the running man, she heard the thundering sound of feet approaching. Looking behind her, she came face to face with Hotch, who had a serious expression on his face and his gun out.
"Unsub! And he has a gun!" J.J. said as she pointed down the hallway and began running.
As Hotch turned to follow her, he could see the door to the stairwell at the end of the hallway swinging shut, indicating that the man had had a head start. The two began to pursue, as the sounds of doors opening around them echoed through the hallway. Concerned and confused hotel guests began to poke their heads out.
"Everyone get back in your rooms!" Hotch bellowed as he ran past the surprised guests. "Federal investigation! For your safety, stay in your room at all costs!"
As J.J. made it to the end of the hallway and pushed the door to the stairway open, she realized too late that the Unsub hadn't taken the opportunity to get a head start as they had assumed. Instead, he was lying in wait and when she opened the door his arm shot out, in a clothesline fashion, causing her to be blindsided by the force of it as it caught her in the face. Crying out in shock, J.J. was thrown backward and crashed into Hotch who was only a few inches behind her.
As the two tumbled to the ground, they could hear the Unsub's feet hitting the stone steps as he took advantage of the time to run down the stairs. Hotch immediately went to J.J.'s aid, trying to see if she was alright. He looked up as Rossi, who had also exited his room and had been a few feet behind them in the commotion, ran up to their sides. Both men tried to help the injured woman to her feet, but she twisted out of their grasp.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" J.J. yelled, as she held a hand to her nose, which was already bleeding profusely. "J-just go after him! Don't let him get away."
Looking at each other resolutely, Hotch and Rossi nodded and got to their feet, running after the fleeing man.

As Derek listened to the commotion that was going on outside, his whole body tensed to spring into action, all he wanted to do was get out there and join his teammates. And after he heard the shots fired, and J.J and Hotch's voices, he knew he couldn't stand there any longer. He began to move away from his position when he felt Spencer's grip on him tighten.
"Kid, I gotta go out there and help them," Derek said as he tried to turn around to look at Spencer. The room was still so dark he could barely see the boy, but Spencer's head was bowed and pressed against Derek's back, body shaking like a leaf. He seemed like he really didn't want to let him go.
Derek quickly thought about what would be the best plan of action. On one hand, he needed to go out there and help his team. If it really was the Unsub, this was probably their best chance to catch the man and he didn't want to lose the opportunity to personally take him down. He knew he could probably tell Spencer to go into the bathroom and lock himself in there. He had a backup weapon in his bag and he could give that to Spencer to protect himself. On the other hand, the thought of leaving the room and leaving no one to watch over Spencer made Derek's stomach twist into knots. The Unsub was crafty and Derek feared the possibility that this could be some kind of ruse. If all the agents were out there pursuing the man, what was to stop someone else from doubling back and taking off with Spencer?
But he didn't have much time to think about these options. Derek tensed and trained his gun on the room's only entry-point as he heard footsteps run up to the door. Eyes narrowing in anger, he wondered if there really was a second person coming to try to break in.
Well, let them come, Derek thought with determination. There was no way anyone was going to get to Spencer. They would have to go through him first.
"Morgan! Open up," he heard a voice call as someone pounded on his door.
Recognizing it as Emily's, the tension drained from his shoulders and Derek quickly moved away from the corner. Spencer seemed more willing to let him go after having heard the familiar voice of the dark-haired agent. But he stuck close to Derek.
As Derek opened the door, Emily hurriedly walked in, eyes wide as she shone a flashlight into the room.
"Everyone ok?" she asked worriedly, scanning the beam over Derek and Spencer's faces.
"Yeah, we're good. What's going on out there?" Derek asked, hurriedly.
"Well, I think I was the last on the scene. I haven't seen J.J., Hotch or Rossi, but I definitely heard the gunshots. I tried all their cells but no one's answered, so I decided I'd check in on you guys," she explained.
She then opened her hand, showing them that he was clutching something.
"Plus, I found this on the floor outside your door," she said, shining the light downward.
Spencer and Derek leaned in to look at the strange item. It was a small, silver electronic device attached by wires to a plastic card.
"I think it's a key-card reader," Emily explained. "It's an electronic device that uses a generic key card to spoof an actual key. These wires scan the lock and the device generates the digital signature accepted by that particular lock. But it can take quite a few tries before it'll generate the right one."
Derek frowned. That explained why the person had tried the lock a number of times but was unable to gain access. If he hadn't woken up when he did, it was very likely that the man could have gained access to the room, through trial and error while he and Spencer slept. He shuddered at the thought.
"But… it's really ballsy for someone to try to break into an FBI Agent's room," Emily said in amazement.
"We're likely dealing with the Unsub," Derek muttered, and Emily nodded her agreement.
"I have no idea where everyone else is, but I'm going to call the front desk and see what they can do about these lights. We are at a sore disadvantage if everyone's running around in the dark," Emily said as she fished out her cellphone.
But, before she could dial, the lights all flashed back on, and everyone in the room blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the brightness.
"Well, I'm guessing someone else on the hall called. The gunshots, on top of hearing Hotch screaming 'federal investigation,' probably got a lot of the guests worried. I'm sure security will be coming up to the floor soon," Derek said.
Emily nodded and then frowned as she began dialing another number.
"Speaking of Hotch," she said as she looked up at Derek. "We really need to get an update from them."
Spencer and Derek waited as the phone rang, but after five rings it went to voicemail. Hotch wasn't picking up.
"I'm worried," Emily said. "We may need to go out and try to find them."
Derek nodded, looking over to Spencer who was standing off to the side, with his arms wrapped around himself. He still didn't know what to do about the boy. They couldn't exactly take him with them as they canvassed the area, especially when pursuing an Unsub who had a gun. There was too much of a danger that he could be injured.
His musings were interrupted by a sudden, loud knock at the door and Emily got up to answer it, gun held at her side. Derek also raised his gun, and pushed Spencer to stand behind him.
"It's J.J!" Emily said, gasping as she stepped away from the peephole and opened the door to let the blonde woman in.
Upon seeing J.J., Derek could understand Emily's surprise.
"Shit, J.J.!" Derek exclaimed.
The blonde woman was standing there, breathing heavily, with blood staining her upper lip and chin. They could see that the blood had stained her shirt as well. And the area around her left eye was already darkening into an ugly bruise. She looked like she had just been through hell and back, and she looked furious.
"What happened to you? Are you alright?" Emily asked, worriedly.
J.J. shook her head as she looked at the occupants of the room.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Seriously, it probably looks worse than it feels. The freaking Unsub was waiting for us on the other side of the door when we chased him and he clothes-lined me. I ran straight into it," she said with frustration. "Hotch and Rossi were with me, but I had to let them go on ahead since I was stunned for a bit once I hit the ground."
She walked further into the room and slumped down into one of the armchairs, cradling her face in her hand.
"I ran after them once my head stopped spinning. It felt like less than a minute had passed, but by the time I got to the bottom of the stairs and into the parking lot, they were nowhere to be found. I forgot my phone in my room, so all I could think of to do was to run back up here to check on you guys," she explained.
"But, J.J., your face," Spencer said in shock as he walked over to her. "That looks really bad."
Looking up at the worried teen, J.J. smiled at him.
"Don't worry. Seriously, it barely hurts. I'll be absolutely fine, Spencer," she said, reassuringly.
"Do you think it's broken?" Emily asked, as she grimaced.
"Nah, I've been poking at it and it feels ok. I think I just need some ice," J.J. said. "Has anyone heard from Hotch or Rossi yet?"
"Nope, I've been trying their cells but no one's been answering," Emily said.
J.J. sighed.
"I really hope they catch that guy. I can't believe he would have the audacity to break into our hotel," she said with anger.
Emily's phone began ringing and she let out a sigh of relief as she saw who the caller was.
"It's Hotch, everyone," she announced as she engaged the call and put it on speaker.
"Prentiss," Hotch said, voice sounding a bit winded. "Where is everybody? Were you able to meet up with Morgan and Spencer? And is everyone safe?"
"Yes, everyone's here and they're fine. J.J.'s with us as well," Emily informed.
"What about the Unsub?" J.J. asked quickly as she got up and walked closer to the phone.
"No luck," Hotch said, frustration evident in his tone. "He already had a head start once Rossi and I got down the stairs, but we were able to follow him into the parking lot and out onto the street. We couldn't get any shots off because there were pedestrians around and I think he purposefully led us on to the Strip. We ended up losing him in the crowds."
"Dammit!" Derek said as he began pacing the room.
"Rossi and I are going to go meet with the hotel security to try to figure out how the hell this man was able to orchestrate this. If we're lucky maybe we can get him on the surveillance cameras. Then I want us all to reconvene at the precinct. This is the last straw. There's no way we're letting this guy slip through our fingers again," Hotch said tersely.
The three agents exchanged glances as they listened to the anger in their superior's voice.
"Sure thing, Hotch," Emily said. "We'll get ready to leave."

A few hours later, Hotch, Rossi, Emily and Derek sat around the conference table somberly going over the information they had been able to gather regarding the Unsub's attempt to infiltrate their hotel. Spencer was sleeping in one of the precinct's overnight rooms, while a uniformed officer stood watch outside the door. J.J. was also taking the time to rest, with an icepack and some pain killers, after she had been inspected by a medic. Luckily, her nose wasn't broken but her face would be tender for a few days.
Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Derek pushed back from the table and rose to his feet. He walked over to the side table where the LVPD had kindly provided the agents a full pot of coffee to facilitate their early-morning meeting. As he began to re-fill his cup, the conversation at the table continued.
"I was able to get some more information on that device you guys found, and Emily was right, it's something used to hack key-card doors," Garcia's voice came over the speaker. "It's not as highly sophisticated as some I've seen, but on average it would take between 10-15 tries before the scanner would come up with the right digital signature. This model could easily be bought online for around $200."
Emily sighed her frustration.
"Well, it's a good thing our guy didn't get the chance to try all the right combinations. How lucky were we that Derek woke up when he did?" she asked
The other people in the room murmured their agreement. It really had just been chance that Derek had awoken when he had. If he had still been asleep, the Unsub could have easily taken him out with a bullet to the temple. Or, even if Derek had awoken immediately after the man had entered the room, the Unsub would have still had the upper hand on him. There was no way to know if Derek could have gotten to his gun, and still protected Spencer, before the man incapacitated him. Things could have gone very badly.
Sitting back down at the table, Derek mulled over the information with a dark expression on his face He really didn't want to think in terms of 'what ifs' or 'luck.' He had had enough of that. They needed to catch this guy and they needed to catch him now.
"So, that's great," Derek said. "We have yet another dead-end with this guy. Added to the fact that ballistics said the bullets they pulled out of the wall after he tried to shoot J.J. came from an unregistered gun, we literally have shit."
The other agents glanced at their frustrated colleague, but could say nothing to calm him down. What he had said was true. Every time they thought they had a viable lead, they were met with a brick wall.
"Garcia, any luck on cleaning up those images from the surveillance camera?" Hotch asked, hoping for a better result.
When Hotch and Rossi had met with the hotel security staff, they were disappointed to find out that the power outage had also, conveniently, cut power to the security cameras. Apparently, the hotel's power was controlled by a computer system and the Unsub had been able to orchestrate it so that the only floor that lost full power was the floor the agents, and Spencer, were staying on. Thus the security staff hadn't even been aware there was a problem on the floor until after guests had started calling following the gunfire. The most recent footage that was available was of an hour before the power outage, and it contained everyone who entered the building from all entry-points. Unfortunately, it was too much footage for the team to parse through on their own. So, Hotch had had the security team send the footage to Garcia and asked her to use her facial recognition software to give them an advantage.
"I think I do have something for you, but you're not going to be too happy with it," Garcia said. "I'm sending it to all your devices."
Derek pulled out his phone and looked at the image that appeared in the attachment. His face darkened as he took in the picture. It showed a tall man, dressed from head to toe in black, just like he remembered the Unsub from the other night when the man had tried to run him down. The man in the image was wearing a black cap under a black sweatshirt hood, accompanied by a pair of dark sunglasses. What stood out most to Derek and made his blood boil, however, was that the man was grinning. As if he knew the camera was recording and he wanted to pose for it.
"He's purposefully disguising his most identifiable features, so it's not much to go on. But we can see his nose and mouth. See if any of those features match up with the images we have from our list of suspects," Hotch said as he placed his phone down.
"How did he get in, Garcia?" Emily asked.
"It seems he came in through the parking deck. Like, he literally just walked in, and took one of the staircases up. Hotel security, on average, is usually very sparse. There's no way to know who's a guest or not, and it's common for random people to just walk in and out. It's not surprising that no one stopped him. And I only have him on a few of the cameras, so I'm thinking he really knew how to stay off their radar. The last image I have of him is him walking through the lobby with his back to the camera. Then he disappeared for about 15 minutes before the power went out," Garcia said.
"What would someone have to know to be able to work that power grid system so that only one floor would lose power?" Rossi asked.
"Well, it depends. I mean, I could do it with no problem but… well, you know, I'm kind of a hacker-extraordinaire. I wouldn't say it's too complicated if you know what you're doing. But it's also way easier if someone tells you how to do it," she explained.
"So, are we thinking maybe this was an inside job?" Emily asked as her brows furrowed.
Hotch sighed.
"Possibly. Knowing our Unsub, he probably paid someone to give him the access or to do it for him," he said.
"How many people are on staff?" Derek asked.
"Well, all together there are about 63 people on payroll, and 18 who were on staff last night," Hotch said as he glanced at the list in front of him. "But the men specifically from the security staff that Rossi and I spoke to seemed to all be genuinely surprised by the security breach. So I think we can rule the 6 of them out."
"So, should we interview those who were off-duty?" Emily asked.
"I honestly don't think we'll get very far if we do. Similar to Spencer's neighbor, Gavin Russell, who said the Unsub was good at diverting his attention, I think the best we'll get from whoever agreed to help him with shutting down the power at the hotel is that he was an average-looking White male. Even if the Unsub needed to recruit outside help to execute his plan he would never let anyone get any identifiable information that could be used against him. Our profile says he's too smart for that," Hotch said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, his tiredness apparent.
"He's obviously mocking us," Rossi agreed as he stared down at the picture on his phone. "He basically stopped to smile at the camera."
"Agent Hotchner," a female officer said as she hurriedly walked into the room. "You have a call on line 2. The man refuses to speak to anyone else but you, and says that you've been expecting his call."
All the agents in the room stiffened at the information. There was no way anyone who needed to speak to Hotch would call him at the LVPD. It had to be the Unsub.
"Thank you, I'll take the call. Please patch it through," Hotch said calmly.
The woman nodded and then rushed back out the room.
"Garcia, did you hear that?" Hotch asked quickly.
"Yes, sir. Trap and trace, I'm on it," she said, as the sound of typing flooded the room.
A few seconds later, Garcia cursed.
"I… I can't get anything. I'm still getting a lot of the distorted signal. Whatever he's using is bouncing the call back and forth through numerous towers. As of right now all I know is the call originated in Vegas, but I can't tell you his location. I'll keep trying, but you have to keep him on the line as long as you can."
"Ok, Garcia. We're counting on you," Hotch said, placing the call on hold.
Immediately, the phone began to ring, the red light indicating "Line 2" flashing. Looking somberly at the rest of his team, Hotch pressed the button, engaging the call.
"Aaron Hotchner," a smooth voice said, sounding amused. "The infamous unit-chief of the 'Behavioral Analysis Unit.' Have you been enjoying chasing me?"
Hotch's face darkened.
"Have you been enjoying being backed into a corner by us? You've been getting sloppy and we know it's because you're afraid we're getting close," Hotch responded calmly.
The voice on the phone laughed.
"Close? Please, Aaron. If you were close, you all wouldn't be currently cooped up in the Las Vegas Police Department wracking your brains about how to catch me. Your action hero, Derek Morgan wouldn't have had to take a trip to the hospital yesterday. And poor little Jennifer wouldn't be out of commission right now. Did I break her little nose?" the man asked mockingly.
All the agents' eyes narrowed at the mention of their injured colleagues.
"We have nothing to say to you," Hotch said. "We will catch you, and we'll catch you soon. Cowards like you are the easiest to find."
"Oh, is that so? Will you catch me before I kill another person?" the man asked, voice taking on a hard edge.
Silence descended upon the room as the agents considered the man's threat.
"I want to speak to Spencer," the man said, voice cold.
Derek's eyes widened and he almost growled out his forbiddance, but Hotch spoke before he had the chance to.
"Absolutely not," the older man said.
"Put Spencer on the phone. Now. Or you'll have another body before noon," the man hissed.
Hotch glanced at his team. He very rarely negotiated with the Unsubs they dealt with. And, knowing what they knew about the man's profile, it was unlikely that he would kill if it wasn't in support of his mission. But this Unsub's mission—whatever it was exactly—was obviously being muddled by his obsession with Spencer Reid. Hotch couldn't say with certainty that the man wouldn't recklessly kill a random person, just to make his point.
Gritting his teeth, Hotch silently nodded at the other agents. He would have to concede.
"Give us a few minutes," Hotch said simply, and then put the call on mute.
"Hotch, you can't be serious," Derek said immediately as he shot to his feet. "You can't let this son of a bitch talk to the kid. He's already terrified of him, and after what happened tonight I don't think he could take much more."
Hotch shook his head.
"I don't think we have much choice, Morgan. We can't take the risk that he'll kill someone else. I'll try to keep the conversation from getting too far out of hand. If I see that he's just torturing Spencer, I'll cut the call off."
"Prentiss, can you go and wake Spencer up, and explain to him what's going on?" Hotch asked, and Emily nodded, getting to her feet and quickly exiting the room.
"Garcia," Hotch said as he switched back over to Line 1 and the waiting technical analyst.
"We have him on hold, have you been able to get anything?"
"No, sir. We're still working with an approximately 50-mile-radius. I need more time to narrow it down," she said.
"Ok," Hotch said. "The Unsub wants to speak to Spencer. But, I can't guarantee how long we can leave him on the line. So, please, try to be as fast as you can."
"Whoa, you're going to let him talk to that guy? The one who's been stalking him?" Garcia asked in shock.
"It's all we can do for now," Hotch said. "Just do your best, ok?"
"I will," she said, seriously, and Hotch placed her on hold again.
The three men looked up as they heard footsteps quickly approaching the room. Emily hurriedly walked in, with J.J. behind her, still pressing an ice-pack to her bruised face, and Spencer bringing up the rear. The boy's eyes were wide and his hair was tousled, clearly indicating he had just been jostled out of sleep.
"Spencer," Hotch said seriously as the two women sat the boy down at the conference table. "The Unsub is on the phone. I know you probably don't want to have to do this, but we really need you to talk to him. If for any reason it gets to be too much for you, we'll end the call immediately. But, we're trying to have our technical analyst trace the call and the longer you can stay on the line the better it will be for us."
Spencer bit his lip, eyebrows furrowed in worry, as he looked around the room. As his eyes landed on Derek, he could see that the darker agent looked tense, his eyes flashing with an unreadable emotion. Spencer could tell that Derek wasn't happy with the situation, but it seemed that there was little he could do about it. Spencer's heart was hammering in his chest as he returned his gaze to the unit-chief. He really didn't want to have to speak to the Unsub again, but he also wanted to help the agents any way he could.
"I … ok, I'll try," Spencer said softly.
"That's great, Spencer," Hotch said. "I don't want you to let him bait you though, ok? You let him do most of the talking."
Spencer nodded silently as he placed his hands on the table, wringing them. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
"Ok," Hotch said as he leaned over and pressed the button for "Line 2."
"We have Spencer here," Hotch announced, a dark expression on his face.
"Ah, there's my perfect boy. How are you Spencer?" the man asked, jovially.
Spencer looked up at the agents nervously and they nodded at him encouragingly.
"I-I'm fine," Spencer said softly.
"I knew you would be. Spencer, I can't wait for us to just be alone together. Once these incompetent agents stop meddling, of course. I know you didn't ask them to get involved," the man said, voice sounding sympathetic.
Spencer swallowed thickly. He didn't think he could respond to the man.
"I know your life has been hard, Spencer. But, you know I'm going to make it better for you. Everything I'm doing, I'm doing it for you," the man continued. "I've always been impressed by your strength, Spencer. And how beautiful and pure you are. You're nothing like the scum that surrounds us. You make me have faith in humanity again."
Spencer's face flushed at the grandiose statement. He had no idea what the man was talking about. As he looked around the room at the stoic agents who were all looking at the speaker phone, seeming deep in thought, it appeared they were troubled by the man's words.
"Why…" Spencer started, and then seemed to rethink his words. "H-how did you know about… th-that book?"
Hotch shot a disapproving look in Spencer's direction, obviously not approving of his initiation of communication, but the boy was too concerned with finding the answer to his question to notice.
The man on the phone chuckled at hearing the boy's inquiry.
"Did you like the gift, then?" he asked, sounding excited.
Spencer remained silent. He definitely had not liked it. It had terrified him.
"Well… a very special woman told me about it. She told me how much you had worked on your Russian, just because you wanted to read your favorite books in their original language. She's very proud of you, Spencer. Of everything you do. You're her pride and joy," the man said.
Spencer's eyes widened as his breath caught in his throat. He suddenly understood where the man had gotten the information from.
"M-my mother?" Spencer whispered out in shock. "Y-you spoke to my mother!?"
Hotch's eyes widened and he immediately put the call on mute, as he looked at the panicking boy. The other members of the team were equally disturbed by the information they had heard.
"Spencer, you don't need to continue with the conversation. If this is too personal for you, we can just stop it now," Hotch said.
"N-no! I want to know! How could he… how does he know about my mother?" Spencer asked with wide eyes, but he didn't seem afraid. He seemed determined.
Hotch looked at the other members of the team, and they all seemed to be uncertain.
"I don't know," Rossi said, with a frown. "This could get bad, quickly."
Derek turned to look at Spencer, eyebrows furrowed in concern.
"Kid, you sure about this?" Derek asked.
"Yes," Spencer said quickly. "If he actually met my mother, I need to know. I-if she's not safe… I… I just don't know what I'll do!"
Hotch nodded reluctantly and unmuted the call.
"Spencer!?" the man was asking, voice sounding frustrated and angry. "Are you there?"
"I-I'm here," Spencer said hurriedly.
"What happened?" the man asked, voice taking on an icy tone. The change did not go unnoticed by the agents, who stiffened in surprise.
"I, um… I think there was an issue with the phone," Spencer said, hoping to calm the man down. "You were saying something about the person who told you about my favorite books. W-was it my mother?'
"Ah, yes, Diana. I met her a few months ago. I wanted to know more about you, and when I found out the efforts you went to, all to support your mother, I just knew I had to meet her. She's a lovely woman. So bright, and so energetic. You wouldn't even know she was unwell. She had so many interesting things to say. But you were her favorite topic, Spencer," the man said.
Spencer squeezed his eyes shut tight. He couldn't believe it. His heart was racing and he felt like he just wanted to run to the nearest phone and call Bennington, but he knew he couldn't do that.
"Um… do you talk to my mother often?" Spencer asked, hesitantly.
The man laughed.
"No, no. Nothing of the sort. I met her that one time, and I haven't gone back. Of course, we can go see her as often as you want, once you start living with me," the man said happily.
Spencer inhaled sharply as he looked up at the other agents. They were all staring at him with wide eyes as well. The Unsub was revealing his plans for the boy, and no one had anticipated that this would be a part of it.
"I… I don't understand," Spencer said. "Live with you?"
"Well, yes. I've already started making plans. I have all the things you need. A place all to yourself. You'll be very happy with me, Spencer," the man said, almost lovingly.
Spencer swallowed, trying to keep down his disgust. He could feel himself starting to panic, and knew he had to stay in control.
"Wh-why… why do you want me to live with you?" he asked.
"Spencer, I want to save you from all the horrible things you have had to experience. Just like I saved you that night," the man said after a pause.
Spencer's eyebrows rose. It sounded like the man was saying he knew him. As if they had met. But he couldn't remember anyone ever having 'saved' him before.
"Wh-what are you talking about?" Spencer asked, without thinking about whether he really wanted to know the answer or not.
"Well, of course, you wouldn't know. But, that was our destiny. It's how I first met you Spencer. I saw what that disgusting man did to you. You were only 15 and he forced you. He even had the gall to record all of it. I'm sure you didn't know. You were so innocent and so scared. But, I took revenge for you. I killed that cretin, so he could never do that ever again. And I made sure to take the DVD. No one will ever be able to see it, Spencer. I protected you then and I want to protect you...forever," the man said softly, almost as if he was saying something soothing to the boy.
As Derek heard the words and realization dawned on him, his eyes widened in horror. But at the same moment, Spencer pushed back from the table and jumped to his feet, his face as white as a sheet. Hotch, seeing that the man's words had triggered something in Spencer, and regretting ever having let the boy talk to the crazed man, quickly disconnected the call.
The agents watched on as Spencer seemed to come apart at the seams.
"N-no… no, I-I can't believe it… I j-just…" Spencer muttered out as tears began to fill his eyes.
He dragged his hands through his hair, pulling at it, as if the pain would wake him up from some horrible dream. But as he felt the shocked stares of the speechless agents burning into his skin, he just couldn't take it. He couldn't take the idea that they knew—that anyone knew what had happened to him. And then he took off, running out of the room.
"Shit! Kid, wait!" Derek shouted as he ran after Spencer.
Emily and J.J. shot to their feet as well, intending to follow their teammate, and the distressed boy, but Hotch stopped them.
"No, let them go. I think Derek can handle it. He'll be the best thing for Spencer right now," Hotch said insightfully, his face looking pained at the thought of what Spencer was going through.
Then silence descended upon the room, as each person mulled over the information they had just received. By the troubled expression on each of their faces, they had begun to connect the dots.
"So… are we thinking that the person on the missing tape from the Demetri Santos murder was Spencer?" Rossi asked, voicing the thought that was on each of their minds.
Hotch shook his head sadly.
"It would make sense. We didn't know how the Unsub first became aware of Spencer, but it seems that he came across him through Santos. That was four years ago. That would definitely be enough time for someone to develop such a deep-rooted obsession," he said.
J.J. bit her lip as she tried to blink back her tears.
"Fifteen?" she asked, voice strained. "Poor Spence."
Emily, feeling similarly distressed, placed a hand on J.J.'s shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.
"Well, I can't say I'm not happy Santos is dead now, and that that DVD will never see the light of day," Rossi said with a scowl. "No one deserves what this kid has been through."
Hotch nodded in agreement. Sighing, he looked at the phone, remembering to check back in with Garcia.
"Hi Garcia," he said as he pressed the button. "Do you have anything for us?'
They listened as she sighed heavily.
"The call was finally long enough for me to get a pretty exact reading and I just finished triangulating. It was coming from within two-blocks of the police station," she said.
The four agents' eyes widened at that information.
"We missed him again," Garcia said, solemnly.

Derek followed Spencer as he ran through the building and pushed his way through a door at the end of the hallway. As the door slammed open, Spencer was met by the cool air and the dim lights of the stairwell. He tried to run down the stairs, but he was so overcome by his emotions that he didn't have the strength to go further.
His body was wracked by sobs as he leaned against the wall and sank to his feet. He was vaguely aware of the feel of large hands on his shoulders, rubbing soothingly. But he couldn't catch his breath, as his mind was brought back to that horrible night. He hadn't let himself think about what Demetri Santos had done to him in years, and just in the course of the last week he had been reminded of it twice. Telling Derek about it had been difficult for him, but at the same time somewhat cathartic since he had revealed his most carefully-kept secret. The relief he felt at lifting that burden off his shoulders and sharing it with another person had been surprising. But Spencer had been in control of the telling, and he was able to do it on his own terms. But, now, hearing that the man who had abused him had actuallyrecorded the most horrific experience of his life, and then, apparently, shared it with others, turned Spencer's stomach. And, unable to hold back, he leaned over and vomited.
"It's okay, it's okay," came the soothing voice of Derek, as he rubbed Spencer's back.
Spencer trembled as he continued to sob. He was so upset and humiliated, but he didn't feel as if he wanted to push Derek away. So he let the older man continue to tend to him, finding the attention comforting. And as his tears ran out, turning to nothing more than breathy gasps, Derek pulled Spencer backwards and into a sitting position, wrapping his arms around him.
"You're okay, Spencer. Don't worry," Derek said as he kissed the top of Spencer's head.
Closing his eyes and leaning back into Derek's embrace, Spencer couldn't help but shake his head as he brought his hands up to wipe furiously at his tear-stained cheeks.
"I can't… I just can't believe it," Spencer murmured to himself.
"Kid… I had no idea," Derek said softly after a few moments. "If… If I knew that this case was related to… to what happened to you back then, I would've done everything in my power to protect you from this."
Spencer's shoulders began to shake again as he felt the hot tears return to his eyes. He was shocked that he could still cry this much. Maybe it was because he had been holding back his tears for so long.
"Everybody knows now," Spencer said, voice breaking with emotion. "Th-they're all going to look at me differently."
"No one's going to judge you, Spencer," Derek said as he held him tighter. "None of this was your fault, and, if anyone understands that, it's the men and women in that room. You have nothing to be ashamed of."
For some reason, Derek felt his own throat constrict with emotion as the words escaped his lips. He was telling Spencer all the things he wished he had believed all those years ago.
"It's not fair," Spencer was saying, as he struggled in vain to blink back his tears. "I thought it was all behind me but… D-Demetri h-he recorded it. H-how could he do that!? And th-then other people saw it! I don't even know how many people he showed it to! And now this maniac who's after me has seen it, too? He saw him do th-those things to me..."
Spencer began crying again and all Derek could do was hold him, patiently running his fingers through the boy's silky hair until the tears died down.
"Spencer… Kid, don't let yourself dwell on things like that. I promise you, no one will ever see it again," Derek said.
All Spencer could do was take a shaky breath as he turned his head and buried it into Derek's chest, wrapping his arms around the agent's neck.
"I just want all this to be over," Spencer murmured.
"I know, kid. I know," Derek said, softly, wishing he could make that come true.

Later that afternoon, the agents were standing in the conference room, preparing to sit down for lunch when Hotch briskly walked into the room.
"Did anyone wake up Spencer?" he asked as he looked around.
After Derek had returned from consoling Spencer, he informed his team that he had taken the emotionally-exhausted boy back to the overnight room. Spencer had obviously needed to rest after all he had been through. And everyone agreed it would be best to let him do so.
"No, I checked on him a while ago, but I wanted to give him a little more time to sleep so I decided to wait to wake him until the food got here. He was so worked up earlier this morning, that I think he could really use it," J.J. said as she smiled sadly.
Hotch nodded his head.
"I agree with you. And it's actually for the best that he's not here right now. I need to talk to you all for a few minutes before we bring him back in here," Hotch said as he gestured to the table.
Curious, the other four agents took a seat and waited for their unit-leader to begin speaking.
"First thing, Garcia was able to check us into an alternative hotel under pseudonyms. She thinks the Unsub was able to find what hotel we were staying at, and the individual rooms, based on our names. Not too surprising. She said it wouldn't be too difficult for someone to find out the names of the agents assigned to the Unit. And we knew he knew most of our names before last night, in any case. So, once we get through lunch and what we have left to do in the afternoon, I'm going to send you all back to the hotel to get some much-needed rest," he informed them.
"Ok…?" Emily said as she raised an eyebrow. From the way Hotch was acting, she had an inkling that he was telling them the good news first because he was about to say something they wouldn't like.
"And," Hotch said with a sigh, "I just got off the phone with Strauss."
"Oh, Lord," Rossi said as she shook his head.
Hotch rolled his eyes.
"She's our section chief and she wanted an update," he said simply as he shrugged his shoulders. "I had to tell her how things have been going. We've been on this case longer than we usually take, and she needed to know what our plan was to wrap things up."
Derek felt something twist in his stomach. He thought he knew where this was heading.
"So," Hotch said as he looked meaningfully at each of his team. "We discussed the possibility of infiltrating the private event that the club is hosting tomorrow night, and we both agreed it was the best option."
"You decided that with Strauss, before talking to us!?" Derek asked, angrily.
"What do you want from me, Morgan? We're backed into a corner. The Unsub's unstable, and is threatening to kill additional victims on a whim, just because he doesn't get his way. He made it clear to us that he plans on absconding with Spencer and taking him off somewhere to live with him. What do you suggest we do? We can't let him roam the streets any much longer," Hotch snapped back.
Derek gritted his teeth, throwing his hands up in frustration, and looking like he wanted to give Hotch more of a piece of his mind.
"We all know this isn't ideal," Rossi said, intervening. "But we have to keep focused on the big picture. We need to catch this Unsub and keep Spencer safe."
He could see that both Emily and J.J. seemed disturbed by the news, and Derek had a dark glower on his face, looking especially on the verge of losing it. And Rossi had always been the closest one to Hotch, so even though the man maintained a stoic expression, Rossi could tell that his friend was also at the end of his ropes. He seemed tired and frustrated.
Sighing, Hotch sat back from the table.
"Spencer's safety is first priority, ok? I know that. We'll do this right, so that no harm can come to him," Hotch said as he gave Derek a sympathetic look.
The younger man could only shake his head, obviously not yet convinced that that was possible.
"J.J., could you go get Spencer?" Hotch asked.
Nodding solemnly, the blonde woman got to her feet, following her superior's order.

Twenty minutes later, Derek watched on quietly as a still-sleepy Spencer pushed around the Chinese food on his plate, hair still mussed from his nap, as he nodded and smiled softly at the conversation J.J. and Emily were having with him. The two women were sitting close to him, flanking him on either side, like a protective cocoon. When J.J. had first brought Spencer back into the conference room, Derek had wanted to take Spencer aside and ask how he was doing. The dark circles under the boy's eyes had looked darker than usual and Derek was concerned. But the two women had descended on the boy, like they were on a mission and Derek had been forced to back off. And although Spencer seemed as if he was somewhat forcing himself to smile through the conversation he was having with the girls, he at least seemed relaxed. Derek would be happy if J.J. and Emily succeeded at keeping him that way for the time being.
Hotch had had to take another emergency call, so he told the team they could all start eating in his absence. No one had broached the impending conversation topic with Spencer, because they weren't sure how Hotch wanted to deliver the news. And, in any case, no one was looking forward to that conversation. So, everyone's primary focus had been on keeping Spencer calm. But Derek knew they could only pretend for so long.
And as they heard the sound of approaching shoes on the tile floor, all heads turned as Hotch walked into the room.
"Hi Spencer," Hotch said with a tight smile as he addressed the young man.
Spencer blinked in surprise. It wasn't often that the unit-leader's focus was solely on him, and all the attention was making him self-conscious.
"Uh… hi?" he responded shyly.
Hotch pulled out the closest open seat to Spencer, with Emily between him and the boy, and J.J. on Spencer's other side, and sat down. Spencer looked at the two women in confusion, and then tossed a glance in Derek's direction. But Derek wasn't looking at him and seemed angry as he stared down at his hands.
"I need to have a serious conversation with you, Spencer," Hotch said, drawing the boy's attention away from the troubled-looking agent.
"Okay," Spencer responded nervously.
"During our investigation, we came across an avenue of access that may help us corner the Unsub and bring an end to this case. It seems that the person who has been killing men over the last few years might have a connection to the club you work for, on an investment level. It was brought to our attention that the club hosts a number of private events each month and that investors tend to attend these parties," Hotch began.
Spencer flinched at mention of the parties, and his eyebrows lowered, his face taking on a guarded expression. He was aware of J.J.'s hand descending on his shoulder, in a comforting gesture, but he didn't take his eyes off the dark-haired man in front of him.
"We know that a party is being hosted tomorrow night. Since you work for the club, you would be the only person out of all of us whose presence at the party wouldn't come across as suspicious," Hotch continued. "And… we believe that if the Unsub knows you have plans to to attend he'll… make sure to be there too."
Spencer's eyes widened in shock as the realization of what Hotch intended to ask him to do dawned on him.
"No way. Absolutely no fucking way!" he responded, angrily.
The others in the room cringed at the boy's outburst.
"Spencer, calm down and just try to hear him out," J.J. said.
She then gasped as he shrugged her hand off his shoulder and turned to glare at her.
"I… I hate going to those parties! You have no idea what they're like. There's no way I'm going to subject myself to something like that," Spencer spat.
"See, Hotch," Derek spoke up, finally, an edge to his voice. "I told you it would be unreasonable to ask him to do this."
Spencer turned his angry eyes on to Derek. He couldn't believe the older man had even told the other agents about the 'sex parties.' He wondered what else he had told his team. He couldn't ignore the pang of betrayal he felt at the thought.
Hotch sighed, ignoring Derek's outburst, and drawing Spencer's attention back to him.
"I know it's not ideal for you, Spencer," he said, holding the boy's gaze with his own. "But you have to understand that we wouldn't be asking you to do this, unless there was really no other choice. We've been trying to narrow down our suspect pool. And with your help, we've definitely been able to get much further, but it just hasn't been enough. And at this point, especially with hearing how the Unsub acted earlier, we're not sure we have very much more time before he does something really rash… It's to protect you as well, Spencer."
Spencer just shook his head in disbelief at what the man was telling him.
"Y-you want me to actually be in the same room as a man who's trying to kidnap me and… do God knows what else to me?" he asked in shock.
Derek muttered a curse from behind him, but Spencer ignored him.
"Spencer," Emily interjected. "We know what we're doing. We've staged undercover operations like this numerous times before. We wouldn't let anything happen to you."
Spencer gave her an uncertain look.
"You wouldn't have to do anything dangerous," Hotch said. "You would literally just be there to show your face. In fact, I want you to stay away from anything and everything that is even remotely suspect at that party."
Spencer frowned in confusion.
"We'd have you wired and you'd be being observed by Federal agents. So… we really can't have you engaging in any illegal activities, Spencer," Hotch said as he looked at the boy, somewhat sympathetically.
Spencer's eyes widened as his face heated in embarrassment.
"I'm not a prostitute," he snapped.
Hotch cringed.
"I know that, Spencer. But, from our understanding, the point of these parties is to allow the attendees to engage in many activities that they…probably couldn't do in the club. So, there's a chance that something—whether initiated by you, your colleagues, or one of the guests—could be picked up over the wire, and, as federal agents, there's only so much we can ignore," Hotch tried to explain.
Spencer rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. Listening to the agents' explanations, he wondered if he should actually give more thought to the plan. While he hadn't attended one of the parties in almost a year, he supposed it really wouldn't be impossible for him to go, if it meant he could help stop the man who was after him. In addition, it had terrified Spencer that the man had been to visit his mother, and he hadn't even known about it. The man was resourceful, and apparently had more connections than Spencer could even fathom. He didn't think he would ever be able to get away from this man if the agents didn't catch him. He felt backed into a corner.
"Wh-what would I have to do?" he asked hesitantly as he looked at Hotch.
Hotch gave him a small, relieved smile.
"As I said, we wouldn't ask you to do anything dangerous. We would just require you to wear a wire under your clothes. We won't want to draw too much attention to you, so you won't have any means of communicating with us. But we'll be able to overhear anything that's said to you. We'll have multiple units staked outside of the premises, and if we have any reason to believe something is awry, we'll be storming the place in less than two minutes," Hotch explained.
Spencer bit his lip as he considered the man's words. He nervously glanced to his side, and caught Derek's eyes. The older man was looking at him with concern. Spencer knew he wanted him to say 'no.' Turning back to Hotch, Spencer took a deep breath.
"Would I… have to t-talk to him, if I meet him?" Spencer asked.
"If he approaches you and says anything that gives the impression that he's the Unsub, we'll infiltrate as soon as we can. You should be absolutely safe since you will be in a populated party, and our Unsub doesn't tend to strike unless he can do it in solitude. However, of course, you have to be careful to never go anywhere isolated while you're at the party," Hotch said seriously.
Spencer nodded.
"We'll be monitoring our list of suspects and comparing it to the people who enter the party, as well. We'll never stop profiling him and if, for some reason, we can make an arrest before the party, we might not even need you to go, ok?" Hotch told him.
"Do you think that's something you could do?" J.J asked Spencer, from behind him.
Spencer turned and forced a small smile as he shrugged.
"I-I guess… I mean, I'm not excited about it, but… I guess I trust you guys to not let anything happen to me," he said.
"We really appreciate you agreeing to this, kid," Rossi said from his place across the table.
Spencer looked up at him giving him a small smile, as well. When he looked over to where Derek was sitting, the older man wasn't looking at him. Feeling disappointed to not have Derek's support, Spencer turned back to Hotch.
"Um… even if I say I'd be willing to do it, though, there's not even any guarantee that I'll be able to get on the list. Working these parties can be pretty… um… 'lucrative' for the people at the club. So, depending on what the theme is and where it's being hosted, people sign up for these things sometimes weeks in advance. If there isn't an open spot, Lindy—my manager—isn't going to let me in," Spencer explained.
"Ok, well, I don't necessarily want to tip her off to the fact that we're asking you to go as part of our investigation. I'm not fully convinced that someone in the club isn't feeding our Unsub information about you," Hotch said seriously.
Spencer nodded solemnly.
"Can you call her and ask if there's any availability?" Hotch asked. "If she gives us trouble, I'll have to see what I can do to pull some strings. But for now, I'd like it to come from you."
Spencer bit his lip nervously.
"Well… you guys told me to call out of work earlier today. Uh… Lindy's the one I'm supposed to talk to when I do things like that, but she was so angry about what happened when Agent Morgan came to the club the other night that I… I just knew she wouldn't take it well if I told her. So I left a message with one of the other managers. If… if I need to ask a favor from her, I'm going to need to do it in person," Spencer said, his voice sounding scared.
The other agents looked at him with worry, surprised that he sounded so hesitant to interact with his employer. Most of them had not had an opportunity to meet the woman before, so they had no idea what to expect of her.
"Ok, kid," Derek said, finally speaking again. "Later today, we'll go over there together, and you can tell her in person."
Spencer turned to him, looking at him with wide eyes.
"Th-thanks," Spencer said, smiling at him, happy that the man had seemed to warm up to him again.
Derek gave him a small smile back, although his eyes looked sad.
"Ok, sounds like a plan," Hotch said. "You guys finish up your lunch, and I'll start the plans for orchestrating our undercover operation. I'm going to call in some of the agents from the Las Vegas field office, for additional backup. And I'll brief the LVPD on how I want them to be positioned. I want this thing to be strictly by the book."
The people in the room nodded, many of them already wondering whether tomorrow night would be a success or if it would all come crashing down around them.

As it was approaching the late afternoon, and almost time for the doors of Mon Petit Chien to open, Lindy Roth sat at her desk, quickly scrolling through the profit margins from the previous week. She frowned, pink-painted lips turning down in displeasure, as she saw that they had yet again had a particularly bad week. They had still turned a fairly good profit, but their numbers for the past two weeks had been lower than they had been in almost three years. She knew it was obviously a result of the murder that had taken place in the club. Even though they had tried to keep it relatively hush-hush, word had still made its way around. Added to that, the presence of LVPD cops and the FBI had some of their more high-profile clients skipping their weekly visits and scheduled appointments. No one wanted to risk getting their faces plastered all over the front page of a newspaper if the cops raided the place, or if, God-forbid, there was another murder.
Growling to herself, Lindy couldn't help but think about Spencer Reid, especially after the message she had received earlier from one of the subordinate managers, telling her that the little coward had called out of work. He was such a nobody, but suddenly he was a major thorn in her side. Recently, she wished she could just fire him, but that wasn't an option because he was the favorite of one of the investors who held a large amount of the shares in the club. She couldn't understand the appeal, especially since the man had never actually booked Spencer. She had no idea how that man could become so enamored with the boy. And, initially, she had even presumed Spencer must be fucking the guy on the side.
But, on the few occasions she had actually talked to the man, he always talked about Spencer in such adulatory and grandiose terms that she had started to believe the man had never even spoken to the awkward teen. If he had, he would know that Spencer wasn't anything special. Rolling her eyes, she chalked it up to the man being yet another 'obsessive freak.' She had come across her fair share of his kind in the years she had been doing this type of work. But the man paid good money for information on the strange boy, and Lindy was happy to accept it under the table. She wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
But now, remembering how the boy had told her that the FBI thought the person who had killed Victor LaRoux was now stalking him, Lindy really didn't think she could keep him around if that was the case. If the police didn't catch this guy, and hopefully prove that the murder had been completely unrelated to the club's activities, she couldn't fathom them being able to bounce back from this. And it wouldn't help, in any case, to keep Spencer Reid around if it came out that a client had been murdered because of him. Spencer was only popular because he was mysterious. He was sullen and quiet. He always pulled away when he was shown attention, instead of leaning in and reveling in it like all the other dancers. The clients who pursued Spencer liked the 'chase.' And if that was the case, she could instruct anyone else to play that role. It didn't have to be Spencer.
When she first met the boy, after having been introduced to him by a film-maker friend who had filmed a couple solo-shoots of the kid, she had felt bad for him. He had been underweight and skittish. And she could tell by the sorry state of his clothes that he was hard-up for cash. But more than anything else, he just seemed like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. For some reason, she saw something of herself in him. A self from a long, long time ago. So, she had given him a job, even knowing he was underage and the hassle she'd have to incur to keep that fact under the radar. But, as she told him the last time she spoke to him, this was a business. And Spencer hadn't blossomed like she had imagined he would. He was still very shy, and it was obvious to her that he hated his job. She felt as if he was spitting in her face; like he thought he was 'too good.' She was shocked that after two years working here, the pride hadn't been beaten out of him yet. She wondered if maybe she gave him too much leeway. In any case, Spencer was becoming more of a liability than anything else. If she was anything, she was a ruthless business woman, and if she couldn't get more out of Spencer than she was putting in, she'd have to get rid of him.
Her thoughts were interrupted as someone knocked on the door and she absentmindedly yelled out, "Come," as she continued to stare at the spreadsheet in front of her. Hearing the person enter but not say anything, Lindy turned around in her chair, ready to scream at them for wasting her time.
"You must be kidding me," she said as her eyes landed on the boy who had just entered her office.
Spencer Reid, she thought with fury. Speak of the devil.
Upon hearing her caustic words, Spencer visibly stiffened, hunching his shoulders and drawing in on himself.
"You had the balls to call out of work on me at the last minute, and still show your face here?" she asked with wide eyes.
She was even angrier because Spencer had purposefully avoided speaking to her when he had called out. She was sure he knew that if he had spoken to her she wouldn't have settled for whatever bullshit excuse he was planning to give.
"Uh… um… I really couldn't… You know that there's this guy after me and he-" Spencer began.
"Blah, blah blah!" she snapped at him. "You're walking a very thin line here, kid. And I swear to God you better not say anything stupid to me or you'll be fired faster than you can blink."
Spencer flinched. But, then, remembering he was on a mission, he squared his shoulders and stepped further into the room. Feeling her cold stare on him, he settled himself into one of the armchairs in front of her desk and then looked up at her.
She was still glaring at him, but her eyebrow was raised in curiosity.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"I… I was wondering if there was any possible way for me to go to the Prince's Ball tomorrow night," he asked her, feeling his face heat in embarrassment.
She blinked at him in genuine surprise.
"Excuse me?" she said, mockingly. "Spencer Reid wants to go to a party? He wants to shake his ass and get felt up, all for that cool, hard cash, huh? I never thought I'd see the day again."
Spencer looked down in shame.
"I-I need to… um… make some more money. You know, with work being so slow, th-things have been really hard for me so I figured um… I could make some much-needed cash if I worked a party," he told her.
Lindy's eyebrows lowered as she scowled at him.
"Oh, so all of a sudden money's tight and you're not too good for the parties?" she asked, spitefully. "Funny how things work out like that, huh?"
Spencer grimaced at her accusation, but decided to ignore her jab.
"Come on, Lindy. Please. I really need the money. So can you just tell me if there's any room?" he asked, looking at her with pleading eyes.
She rolled her eyes as she leaned back in her chair, sighing dramatically.
"Well, you're in luck," she said as she looked at her nails, disinterestedly. "Axel was signed up but he had to pull out last minute since he sprained his ankle last night during one of his numbers . There's an open spot."
Spencer perked up at hearing that and was about to thank her when he saw the look she was giving him. She was looking at him with cold eyes, even though there was a smirk on her lips.
"But, I'm not just going to give it to you, Spencer. No, you don't deserve that. You don't get to just waltz in here after all the shit you've been putting me through lately and have everything go your way. If you want it, you're going to have to beg for it. It's about time you got down off your high horse," she spat.
Spencer paled. Beg for it, he thought to himself. The idea in itself was preposterous. He would have to humiliate himself so that Lindy would allow him to work at a party he didn't even want to go to in the first place? The mere thought of it disgusted him and he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to do it. But, as he thought that, his mind drifted to the team of agents who were relying on him. He thought about J.J. and the beating she took from the Unsub in an attempt to protect him. And he thought about Hotch, and the way the older man's eyes had flashed with passion and dedication when he described how much they needed his help. And he thought about Derek—how Derek had stood up for him against his boss because he so badly didn't want him to agree to this, and Spencer had gone against him and done so anyway. He wouldn't back out now.
"Wh-what do I have to do?" Spencer asked hesitantly, as he locked eyes with Lindy.
She grinned at him.
"Tell me that you're a whore. Say that you always acted like you were too good for this, but you're no better than anyone else who works here. In fact, you're worse than them, because you really can be bought for any price. They just play pretend, but you're a real whore, Spencer" she said, looking at him with steely eyes.
Spencer's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe she was serious. But as he stared at her, and she stared back, looking at him expectantly, he realized that she was serious.
Averting his eyes and swallowing thickly, Spencer pushed down his disgust and shame.
"I-I'm a whore," he whispered in a soft voice as he wrung his hands in his lap. "And… I-I acted like I was t-too good for this, but I'm worse than everyone else here b-because I… I can be bought for any price. I'm a… a real whore."
Hearing the words come from his own mouth did something to Spencer. It hurt to say something like that. Maybe it was because it sounded awfully similar to the small voice in the back of his head that he had been forcing himself to ignore ever since he had gotten caught up in this type of work all those years ago. The same voice that had been niggling at him since that first night in Demetri Santos' office when he took the wad of cash the man had tossed to him, almost as if it was an afterthought. Spencer had felt dirty then. He felt as if he really could be bought, and he was just worth as much as the next person was willing to pay for him. He often battled against that gnawing feeling, and never let himself really linger on it too long. But, right now, sitting in front of Lindy, as she smirked at him, looking as pleased as the Cheshire Cat, it was the first time he had ever really admitted it out loud. And he never wanted to hear something like that said about him again.
He blinked rapidly to clear his eyes of the stinging sensation, and gritted his teeth, trying to will himself not to cry. He wouldn't cry in front of her of all people.
"Ugh, fine," Lindy said as she waved her hand at him dismissively, "go downstairs and tell Mo you need an outfit for tomorrow night and that I signed off on it. It's no fun if you're going to sit there looking like someone just kicked your puppy."
Spencer looked up and glared at her, no longer caring if she saw the wetness in his eyes.
"Man up, Spencer," she said, as she met his cold stare, "and grow up. It's time to face reality. Sooner or later, you're going to need more money and this holier-than-thou, innocent little boy shtick of yours isn't going to cut it anymore. Be glad you can work here instead of being forced to walk the streets, kid. So don't bite the hand that feeds you. Now, get the fuck out of my office."
Without another word, Spencer stood and stormed out of her office, making sure to slam the door behind him.

When Spencer climbed into the car, slamming the door and tossing what looked to be a suit bag into the back seat, Derek frowned. He could tell that something was obviously troubling the younger man. He had seen many sides of Spencer, but this was like a quiet rage.
"Kid, you ok?" Derek asked, watching him carefully.
Spencer stiffened, and turned his body so he was facing the window.
"I'm fine," he muttered out.
Derek's frown deepened.
"Hey, seriously, you look like you're upset. Why don't you tell me what's wrong," Derek offered.
"Nothing's wrong," Spencer said as he hunched his shoulder. He still refused to turn toward Derek and the older man was starting to become worried.
"Kid, did someone do something to you?" Derek asked, seriously, voice already laced with anger at the thought.
"No!" Spencer snapped as he turned around to face Derek. "And, you know what, don't think you always have to 'protect' me, ok!? I'm not some damsel in distress. I can take care of myself!"
Derek blinked in surprise as he looked at Spencer's angry face. With eyebrows raised, Derek remained silent and turned toward the front of the car, pushing the key into the ignition. As he turned it and listened to the engine come to life, he could tell that Spencer's quick flash of anger was already slowly dissipating. Derek stayed silent as he pulled out of the parking lot and started driving. The only sounds that filled the car were the sounds of him and Spencer breathing.
As Derek came to a stop light, he chanced glancing at Spencer out of the corner of his eye and could see the boy sitting there, wringing his hands in his lap, shoulders hunched, and bottom lip tucked between his teeth. It seemed as if he felt contrite for his outburst, but didn't know how to broach the conversation.
Derek let out a soft sigh and shook his head.
"Spencer, I don't think you're a 'damsel in distress.' And I don't think you can't take care of yourself. Obviously, you're a strong and very resourceful kid. You've been doing a great job of protecting yourself for years where most other people your age would've fallen apart. So, no, that's not why I'm asking. I saw you were upset, and because I care about you, I wanted to know if something had happened," Derek said as he kept his eyes trained on the road.
Derek heard a small sound that almost sounded like a sniffle come from Spencer's direction.
"I-I know that…" Spencer muttered in a soft voice. "I'm sorry I was so… I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm not used to relying on other people like this and when I get backed into a corner, I guess I just revert to my old ways out of habit. I'm just under a lot of stress with every thing that's been going on and things are just… getting really hard to deal with. So… please, don't ask me what happened, ok? It wasn't anything big. I just um… heard some things I didn't really want to. But I'll be fine."
Derek couldn't deny the fact that he really wanted to know what had happened. The thought that someone had purposefully hurt the kid—even with words—was enough to get his blood boiling. But it was obvious Spencer didn't want to share. At least not right now. And Derek didn't want to insult him by giving the impression that he thought Spencer needed him to intervene. He was telling the truth when he said he believed Spencer was strong. But that didn't mean it wasn't okay to lean on others once in a while. He hoped Spencer would learn that soon.
They were both silent for a while as Derek continued driving and they both pretended that Spencer wasn't sniffling and wiping his eyes. Then Spencer took a deep breath.
"But… it means a lot to me that you… that you care enough to be worried about me," he whispered.
Derek turned to Spencer and smiled at him. Spencer gave him a small smile back, eyes shining slightly. As Derek turned back to face the road, he took his right hand off the wheel and placed it, palm up, on Spencer's seat, slightly nudging his thigh. Spencer looked down at the hand in surprise, and then tentatively placed his hand on top of Derek's larger one. As Derek's hand closed around Spencer's and their fingers intertwined, Spencer's smile grew bigger. The drive back to the station was filled with a pleasant, and knowing, silence.

A/N: Ok, that's it for now my pretties! I feel like I really put Spencer through the gauntlet in every chapter. Poor Spence! But he's just so great to pull emotion out of. Ugh, watching him always makes my heart squeeze with all the feeels.
Anywho, after this, there will only be TWO more chapters! Eek! As always, I would love to hear your thoughts, so please leave me a comment/review. I love talking with you guys! xoxo
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