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Growing Up Again	By : hatochiisai Category: 1 through F > Criminal Minds Views: 21443 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, nor do I make any financial profit off of writing and posting this work.

Chapter List
- 1-Re-Birth
- 2-Age 1
- 3-Age 2
- 4-Age 3
- 5-Age 4
- 6-Age 5 & 6
- 7-Age 7
- 8-Age 8
- 9-Age 9
- 10-Age 10
- 11-Age 11
- 12-Age 12
- 13-Age 13
- 14-Age 14
- 15-Age 15
- 16-Age 16
- 17-Age 17
- 18-Age 18
- 19-Age 19
- 20-Age 20
- 21-Age 21
- 22-Age 22
- 23-Age 23
- 24-Age 24
- 25-All Grown Up
- 15
- 16
- 17
Sixteen Years Old

“AARON!!!” Hotch jerked awake at the cry, and the sound of feet running up the stairs. The door to the bedroom suite opened with a bang. “AARON!!!” Came the distressed cry again.

“Spencer?” He called, groggily. A glance at the clock showed him that it was just past three am. Then, a lanky figure charged into the room and took a flying leap onto the bed. Hotch caught the boy with a grunt, but then held him tightly as he felt the trembling. “Spencer? Baby, what’s wrong?”

“What if it doesn’t stop?!” Reid cried, clinging to the man. Hotch blinked, frowning.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“What if I don’t stop aging like this?! What if I keep going?! What if, in ten days, I’m thirty five?! What if in a month, I’m in my forties?! A month later, in my eighties?! Hotch!? I’ll only have another two to three months to live!!!”

“Spencer…” Hotch gasped, tightening his hold on the boy. “Where did this come from?”

“I dreamed it! I kept aging and aging and… Hotch… Aaron… I… I don’t wanna leave you… I don’t wanna DIE!!!”

“Shhh… Spencer… It’s okay. It’s not going to happen. We’ve looked all through that man’s notes because of what happened to you. And that’s NEVER happened.”

“But it COULD!” Reid cried. “The machine was malfunctioning when it shot me!”

Hotch winced… Reid was right… the machine had gone haywire when it blasted the kid. But Hotch just pulled Reid closer, until the boy was practically in his lap, and just ran his hand up and down the youth’s back, rocking him.

“Shhhhhhhh…” He soothed, closing his eyes and smiling slightly as the teenage boy began to slowly relax. “It’s okay… It’s all gonna be okay… shhhh…”

And finally, Reid gave one last shuddering sigh and his body went limp. Hotch turned, kissing the bed-messed hair, and laid him down beside him, tucking the blankets around him. Then he rested his own head down and went back to sleep, Reid cuddling against him.

He was woken once again at around eight that morning. Reid was still against him… but he wasn’t cuddling. Hotch’s eyes snapped open at the low moan that came from the boy beside him, and then he felt the erection against his thigh… He quickly looked down at Reid. The boy was out cold. He mumbled something unintelligible, and his hips jerked slightly. This was followed by another low moan and beginning of a slow, sluggish grinding against the man.

Hotch himself let out a groan at that, especially as he felt heat gathering in his loins. He maintained control, however, and began to wriggle away from the sleeping teenager. Reid let out a soft whimper at the loss of contact, and Hotch slipped from the bed, backing away and staring at the lanky form under the blankets. Then he sighed and shook his head, stepping into the bathroom. He headed to the toilet to urinate, wincing as another moan from the bedroom reached his ears. He took his time getting dressed, and cautiously stepped out of the bathroom a moment later.

Reid was gasping softly, body trembling, but he was still asleep. Thanking God for small favors, Hotch crept out of the room and hurried downstairs before the lustful teenager could awaken. He headed to the kitchen and put the coffee on, then began to make breakfast.

Upstairs, Reid was slowly brought into awareness by his own pulsing arousal. His eyes flickered open and registered the empty bed, and then he groaned and rolled over onto his back, the fabric of his pajama pants rubbing over the head of his penis in a delicious manner.

He let his sleepy eyes flutter closed again as he moaned, gently palming his erection through his pants. There was already a damp patch on the crotch of his pants, and a moment later he shimmied his pants down around his thighs and stroked his length with a low, groggy moan. He craned his head back on his neck, inhaling deeply and smiling as he smelled the coffee that Hotch was brewing, and then a few minutes later, bacon.

He thought of his lover as he pleasured himself, and a few moments later he bucked his hips up frantically, reaching his orgasm and painting his t-shirt with his ejaculate. Then he relaxed with a soft sigh, turning and nuzzling his face into his lover’s pillow, savoring the man’s scent.

Downstairs, Hotch had heard Reid’s cry of pleasure… he had been waiting for it. It made him smile and he sipped his coffee, finishing breakfast. And a few minutes later, Reid shuffled down the stairs, looking happy and sated.

“Morning.” Reid greeted.

“Good morning. You’re wearing my shirt.” Hotch observed.

“… I made a mess on mine.” Reid admitted. Hotch paused, then rolled his eyes and shook his head, fighting back a smile.

“Here.” He said, setting the plate down before Reid. “Let’s eat and head back up to the BAU. I have paperwork to do and the team may need my help.”

“Okay.” Reid nodded. They ate quickly, Hotch dressed, and then went to the guest room to see if Reid was ready. He stepped in, and froze, eyes wide.

“… Spencer…” He asked slowly. The boy was standing in front of the full length mirror in the corner, buck naked. He sighed and twisted about at the waist, eyeing his figure critically. Hotch noted that his hair was lighter, and fell to his shoulders in loose curls, and some of them cascaded down over his forehead and into his face, obscuring one of his eyes. Then Reid turned to face Hotch (the man winced and averted his eyes from the frontal view of the naked teenage boy) and inspected his buttocks in the mirror.

“Spencer, what are you doing?” Hotch sighed. Reid echoed his sigh and turned to face himself in the mirror again.

“… Am I… attractive?” Reid asked. Hotch wanted say “You’re sixteen!” and run from the room, but he remembered Rossi’s words yesterday. Reid loved him, and was hoping for the man’s approval and interest… And so he steadied himself, and then walked over to Reid, standing behind him. Reid watched as Hotch’s eyes slowly moved over his body in the mirror, then placed his hands on thin shoulders, and smiled.

“You’re phenomenal.” Hotch told him, leaning down and kissing Reid’s cheek. Reid flushed, and slowly grinned.

“Really?” He asked.

“Really. You’re beautiful. At ANY age.” Hotch assured him. “And I love you. Now get dressed. We need to get going.” He stepped away, but Reid whirled, flung his arms around the man’s neck and kissed him passionately. Hotch stood there, frozen in surprise, and the next thing he knew it was over.

“I love you.” Reid told him, then scampered away. When Hotch next saw him, he was fully dressed and ready to go, again in skinny jeans, converse, a dark gray t-shirt featuring Bobba Fett, and a Hoodie with the Assassin’s Creed Error logo on the back. “Ready.” He said, and they headed out to the car.

When they arrived at the BAU, the girls had to coo over how cute he was, and Garcia bullied him into pulling his hair back into a ponytail at the base of his neck. Then, as Reid was under his desk digging for something, Morgan and Rossi arrived and herded the team into the conference room. Reid listened to them as they went.

“The case is here in town.” Morgan was telling Hotch. “We’ve been here all night workin’ on this, this guy is spiraling and is in an all-out spree, kidnapping, raping and strangling male college students. There have been three in the last thirty six hours. Victim count is seven. The last three are dead. He didn’t kill the first on purpose, but apparently he found the release he was looking for, because then he killed the next one twenty four hours later, and the third twelve hours after that. Body was found seven hours ago.”

“So we’re not taking a break until we catch this guy.” Hotch said with a frown.

“Nope.” Morgan confirmed, and then they were in the round table room, and Reid couldn’t hear them anymore. It was nine am. And by noon, no one had left the conference room and Reid was beside himself. He had snuck into Hotch’s office and finished the man’s paperwork already.

Now he was bored, and ready to do anything to cause some chaos just to amuse himself. He went over to Morgan’s desk and sat down with a sigh… And then he saw it… He stared. He ran his tongue over his lips, thinking. He glanced up at the team. They were all completely absorbed. They weren’t going to take a break any time. The only reason they would leave that room was for another body, in which case they would take a Bureau vehicle…

He chewed his lip, then made up his mind. He stood, snatched the keys from Morgan’s desk and hurried out of the bull pen. He’d be back before the team knew it!

He headed down to the parking garage and looked around. Then he spotted Morgan’s truck and smiled slightly. The man had parked just out of sight of the security cameras. He jogged across the lot, unlocked the car and slid into the driver’s seat. He sat there for a moment, a silly grin on his face, then adjusted the seat and mirrors before buckling the seatbelt and sliding the key into the ignition. He let out a sigh as the motor roared to life and the lights on the dashboard lit up. Reid put the car in reverse and pulled out, and soon enough, he was on his way…

An hour later, Morgan stormed out of the conference room, with Emily calling after him threatening to kill him if he didn’t return without lunch. He headed over to his desk and opened the drawer.

“… My keys.” He mumbled. He frowned and checked his coat pocket, all over the desk, and in the other drawers. Nothing. He sighed and shook his head. He must have locked them in his truck. Again. So he went into the bottom drawer and got the extra remote he kept at work for cases like this, and headed down to the parking lot.

Ten minutes later, the team jumped when the door to the conference room slammed open. “MY CAR IS GONE!!!” He shouted.

“What?” JJ asked.

“Someone stole my car!”

“How?!” Garcia gasped.

“I think I left my keys inside…” Morgan groaned.

“I’ll check the security cameras.” Garcia said, jumping to her feet.

“Already had the security office do that…” Morgan sighed. “You see the car leaving, but you never see who’s driving… I’ve already reported it stolen.”

“Well… You have insurance.” Hotch said calmly. “Let the police handle it. We have to catch a killer.”

“What about lunch?” Emily asked.

“Order a pizza.”

Reid enjoyed the drive, just wandering with no destination in mind. He ended up pulling over at a public park right by a highschool. He decided to stretch his legs and went for a walk through the park. As he walked, he suddenly heard giggling. He turned and blinked. Several teenage girls were walking along the path, in plain gray t-shirts and tiny blue shorts. Reid blinked at them. They had their eyes on him. He could see more girls coming around the bend.

“Hi.” One of the girls said as they approached, eyeing him up and down.

“Uh… hello.” He said.

“What’s your name?” She asked, a flirty smile on her face.

“Spencer.”

“Shh! Before Coach Fredricks notices!” One of the other girls hissed, and giggling, the girls hooked their arms with Reid’s and dragged him along. He blinked, startled, and flushed at feeling a feminine hand on his chest.

“How old are you?” One girl asked.

“Um, sixteen.” Reid said, blinking as they all giggled again and began bombarding him with questions.

“Do you go to our school?”

“No.”

“Where are you from?”

“Las Vegas.”

“Why are you here?”

“Um… Checking out Georgetown University in DC.” Reid said.

“Already?”

“Yeah. I uh… I’ve actually graduated already.” Reid began to make it up as he went. “But my mom was sick, so I put off going to college. But now it’s all good and I’m ready.”

“That is SO cool…” One of the girls exclaimed. “Hot college boy.” And she gave him a saucy look. He stared, eyes wide. They were making their way out of the park and towards the school. “How long are you in town for?”

“Another day or two?” Reid shrugged.

“Gym is over in twenty minutes and then we have lunch… you wanna eat with us?” Asked the other girl hanging onto him.

“Uhh… sure.” Reid shrugged.

“Great! I’m Crystal, this is Laney, and this is Jenna.”

“Hello.” Reid said. They arrived at the school and slipped in the doors.

“Wait right over there, while we change!” Laney said, and the girls disappeared. Reid sighed and shook his head, walking over to the drinking fountains they had pointed out. He was baffled. He had NEVER had girls (other than prostitutes) just pounce and express their interest in him so… OPENLY. It was flattering, but embarrassing.

Before he knew it, the bell rang, and the hallway filled with students. Reid looked around, eyes wide in terror. And then confusion. He had been expecting to see massive teenagers towering over him with hateful glares or cruel smirks, like when he had been in high school. But instead, he found himself surrounded by kids of all sizes, several taller than him, but just as many were shorter. And he didn’t get any glares. He got the occasional uninterested glance from the boys, a couple of appraising looks from the girls, and, oh… okay, some openly admiring stares from a couple of boys who were walking hand in hand (he felt himself blush and look away, making the boys giggle and grin at each other) and then Crystsal, Laney and Jenna appeared. And to Reid’s shock, Laney was wearing a letterman jacket proclaiming her as a cheerleader.

A cheerleader was INTERESTED in HIM?! He was blown away.

“Come on!” Jenna called, taking his hand and dragging him down the hall. Laughing, Crystal caught Reid’s other hand and allowed herself to be towed behind him, and Laney behind her. Reid was dragged into the cafeteria, one of the scariest places for him as kid, and before he knew it, he was being dragged over to a table filled with gorgeous girls, handsome young men, and the majority of them were wearing lettermen jackets. Half the boys were on the football team. Reid identified three as being on the baseball team, five from the basketball team, seven from the hockey team, six from the soccer team, and two from the Swim Team. Many of the girls were cheerleaders, a couple were also on the swim team, ladies’ basketball team, three volley ball players, two from the gymnastics team and six from the drill team.

“… Who’s this?” One of the largest boys asked as Reid was shoved into a seat across from him.

“We found him on our walk during gym.” Laney said, sitting down beside the large boy and smiling up at him. “Isn’t he cute?!” the boy frowned and eyed Reid.

“Stop baiting him, Laney.” Chuckled the hockey player on Laney’s other side. He shot Reid an amused look.

“This is Spencer.” Crystal said. “Spencer, this is Jake,” she pointed at the boy glaring at Reid, then to the hockey player, “this is Nick, and that there,” she pointed to the boy sitting beside Jake, “is Eric.” The other football player jerked his head slightly in acknowledgement to Reid. Reid just gave him a shy wave.

“What was he doing in the park?” Jake asked.

“Just walking.”

“Skipping?” Nick asked, grinning.

“Actually,” Crystal cut in, “He’s in town to check out Georgetown. He’s already graduated high school.” Everyone in ear shot looked up and eyed Reid. Reid looked down at the table, nervously.

“Where did you go to school?” Eric asked.

“I’m from Vegas.” Reid said.

“You graduated last May?”

“Um… I was actually twelve.” Everyone STARED at him.

“What are you, some kind of genius?” Nick asked, looking stunned. Reid shrugged, and Nick grinned. “That’s fuckin awesome.” He said.

“Oh, shut up, Nick.” Jake groaned, rolling his eyes and getting up to get another drink.

“You know chemistry?” Nick asked. “Cuz I think I got in over my head doing AP Chemistry.” Reid perked at that.

“One of my favorite subjects!” He announced.

“Really?” Nick asked, brightening. “Crystal! Why couldn’t you have found him weeks ago?!” Several of the students, both boys and girls, laughed, especially as Nick called down to another hockey played, “Hey Zack! I found our new tutor!!!” Reid found himself relaxing and grinning, especially at the loud groan from the girls as Nick suddenly pulled out his chemistry book, dropping it on the table with a loud BANG and leaned over, opening it and shoving it across the table. Reid caught it with a smile and pulled it over, looking down. He smiled, looking at Nick’s homework, and a moment later, another paper was dropped before him, and a large blonde was standing over him, scowling.

“This shit does NOT make any fuckin’ sense.” He snapped. “I’m having an easier time in Calculus.”

Reid looked down at their homework and glanced over it, then shoved them aside and glanced over the book. “Okay, I think I see where you’re going wrong.” He said after a moment.

“Move over, Crystal.” Zack announced, and unceremoniously shoved the girl over and sat down beside Reid, while Nick leaned over. Reid was stunned. He NEVER would have guessed that h would be sitting at a high school cafeteria table explaining chemical equations to a couple of jocks… who were actually WANTING to learn the stuff!!! When he was in school he would just be roughed up by boys trying to get him to do the work FOR them. The two boys even chipped in and bought him lunch to thank him for helping them make sense of their school work. In fact, by the time the lunch bell rang, Reid was tutoring seven jocks, while Crystal and Jenna kept trying to flirt with him.

There were groans as they all dragged their feet in packing up, cleaning up their table and heading out into the halls. Reid found himself between Jenna and Crystal, as Laney waved and headed in another direction with Jake.

“So… We get out at three forty…” Crystal purred. “Do you wanna… hang out after school?” Reid looked at her with a slight smile.

“Depends. I need to call my friend. I’m borrowing his car. If he needs it back…” And he trailed off.

“Well… Call me if you can.” Crystal said, taking his hand and writing a phone number on his palm. And Jenna grinned and wrote her number on his OTHER palm. Then they waved and stepped into a classroom. The bell rang and a teacher closed the door, giving Reid a stern look and telling him to get to class. The door closed with a thud, and Reid smiled to himself, turning and walking down the hall, heading towards the nearest exit. He pushed open the door and stepped out into the sunshine, heading back to the car. But he only got two steps out before a rough hand seized the collar of his shirt and jerked him back. He yelped and stumbled, turning. And he stared up into the harsh glare of the Campus Cop.

“Going somewhere?” the man asked.

“I… I… I’m just… I don’t go here, I—“

“Come on.” The officer ordered, and dragged Reid back inside by the back of his shirt. They headed to the main office, and then to a door… the principle’s office. Reid sighed. The only times he had EVER seen the principle was when the kind man was trying to help him with the bullying he suffered. But this? This was ridiculous. He was shoved into a chair and stared at the man behind the large desk.

“He was sneaking out through the doors by the band room.” The officer said.

“Alright.” The principle said, and Reid glanced at the name plate identifying him as ‘Dan Corwin’. “Where are you supposed to be, son?” Reid stared at the man with wide eyes.

“Nowhere.” He said, shaking his head. The man sighed and turned to his computer.

“What’s your name?”

“Spencer.”

“Last name, son?”

“Reid.”

The principle typed away at his computer. “… What name do we have you under?”

“You don’t have me at all! That’s what I told your rent-a-cop!” Reid cried. “I don’t GO here!”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I… I met these girls while they were in the park during their gym class and then I had lunch with them in the cafeteria.”

“And why were you in the park?”

“No reason, really…” Reid mumbled.

“What school do you go to?”

“I don’t.” Reid said, shaking his head. “I graduated when I was twelve.”

“What school.”

“Las Vegas High.”

“Where are your parents?”

“… In Vegas.”

“What are you doing here?”

“… Looking at Georgetown?” Reid squeaked.

“And you just… decided to stop at the park and then have lunch with some of my female students.”

“… Well, it wasn’t my INTENTION but that’s what happened.” Reid shrugged.

“How did you get here?”

“Huh? Oh. Um… I—“

“Sir?” they all turned. One of the secretaries was in the doorway. “Some police officers are here to see you.”

“What for?”

“Something about a stolen car.”

“A stolen car?”

“You’re the principal?” A cop asked, walking in. “We discovered a vehicle near the park behind your school that was reported stolen. A woman said that she saw a teenage boy drive up in it and come to this school with some female students.”

The principal and the campus officer slowly turned and looked at Reid. Reid’s eyes widened.

“… So, Spencer Reid, right?” The principal said. “How did you get here again?”

“… I… I borrowed a friend’s car…?” Reid whispered, then blurted “I didn’t steal it, I swear!”

“Keys.” Said the cop, holding out his hand. Shaking, Reid obeyed. The man looked down at the keys, and nodded. “Alright. Stand up, son.” Reid did so. And then, to his horror, cold hands pulled his arms behind his back and cuffs closed around his wrists. “Spencer Reid, you are under arrest for grand theft auto, and trespassing.”

“Trespassing?!”

“Do you go to this school?”

“No…”

“Then you’re trespassing on school property.” The cop said, and Reid whimpered.

“But… But I… N-No! No! This is a mistake!!! Call the owner of the car! He won’t press charges! I swear!”

“Let’s go, kid.”

“NO!!! You call him! NOW!!! I’ll tell you his phone number! And—“

“Come on.”

“No!” Reid shouted, shaking his head. “You call Derek Morgan right now! Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan! And you call his boss, Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner.” The cops were looking at each other. “PLEASE!!!”

Morgan looked down at his phone when it rang. “… Who the hell?” He muttered, then answered. “Agent Morgan.” He answered. “You found it?! GREAT!”

“They found your car?” Garcia hissed.

“Yes, they found the car.” Morgan hissed, then turned back to the phone. “Yeah? You caught the guy?! No, I did not give ANYone permission to borrow my car, who the hell said that I—“ He then stopped. “… REID?!”

“WHAT?!” Hotch blurted, jerking his head up and staring. Morgan pulled his phone away from his face.

“They arrested Reid for stealing my car!!!” He cried.

“… He’s gone?!” Hotch yelped, turning and looking out into the bullpen.

“Reid STOLE my CAR!!!” Morgan howled.

“Calm down, Morgan…” Rossi said, smirking. “After all… he’s just a kid.”

Morgan gave Rossi a disgusted look.

“Oh, shut up.” He snapped, then turned back to the phone. “What? No! No, don’t take him anywhere! Where are you?! No. No, I’m coming down there right now!”

“Morgan?” Hotch asked, eyes wide.

“Let’s go, Hotch. We need to get Reid.” Morgan said, then pointed to the team. “You guys keep working.” And he and Hotch bolted from the room.

“What’s going on?!” Hotch asked as they road the elevator down.

“Some cops just called me from Oak Heights High School. They found my car at a park and a witness said that a teenage boy got out and went to the High School with some girls.”

“Girls?” Hotch asked, quirking an eyebrow. “Are you sure it’s Spencer?”

“When they went to talk to the principle, Reid was already in the office. Apparently, the campus cop nabbed him as he left the building.”

“Thought he was cutting class?” Hotch asked, fighting back a grin.

“Yep. And Reid said he didn’t go there, and then the cops who found the car arrived, and they found my keys on him, and arrested him for car theft, trespassing on school property, and now resisting arrest!!!”

“Oh Lord…” Hotch groaned, wanting to beat his head against the wall as they crossed the parking lot to Hotch’s car. “How in God’s name does he get himself into these situations?!”

“Hey man… he’s YOUR kid.” Morgan said, getting into the passenger seat of Hotch’s car.

“He is NOT my kid.” Hotch said firmly, and they were on their way. When they arrived at the school, they parked and headed in the main entrance. The bell rang as they entered, and in moments the halls were swarming with students. A teacher standing in at the corner of two halls, turned and walked over to the two men.

“Can I help you?” She asked.

“We’re looking for the principle’s office.” Hotch said, showing his badge.

“Oh. Um… Just go around that corner, the main office is right there.” The teacher said. “They can show you to Mr. Corwin’s office…” The two agents nodded and turned, following the teacher’s directions. Students moved out of their way as they passed, staring at the man in the dark suit and the dark skinned man in a muscle T, a pair of cargo pants tucked into combat boots, and both with dark shades and guns perched on their belts.

They stepped into the main office. The secretary looked up with a bright smile that faltered when she saw him.

“We’re here to see Mr. Corwin about a Spencer Reid?” Hotch demanded, showing his badge.

“Oh. Yessir. Right this way!” She squeaked, and led them down a hall to the right of the main office. The first door on the left was labeled ‘Principle Dan Corwin’. She moved to tap softly, but Morgan reached out and gave two sharp raps, then pushed the door open.

“MORGAN!” Came the relieved cry. Reid was sitting at a chair in front of the principle’s desk between two cops. And he was handcuffed. One of the cops made a grab for him when he jumped to his feet but missed, and Reid flung himself against Morgan, who wrapped his arms around him and hugged him.

“Morgan, I’m so sorry!” Reid cried.

“Hey.” Morgan said gently, stepping back and looking down at Reid with a comforting smile, dismayed at the look of fear on his face. “I’m not mad. It’s okay, kid. It’s okay.” And he hugged Reid again.

“Are you alright?” Hotch asked, looking worried.

“Yeah.” Reid nodded. “I’m okay.”

“Can we remove these cuffs, please?!” Hotch demanded sharply.

“Sir, he’s under arrest.” One of the officers said with a frown.

“I’m not pressing charges.” Morgan said immediately. “It was a mistake.” He showed his badge. “The truck is mine.”

“Sir… did he take it?”

“Yes he did.” Morgan said. “But if I had known Reid had it, I never would have reported it stolen.”

“But he did take it without your permission?” The cop asked. Morgan gave him a look.

“Spencer has permission to use my vehicle.” He said firmly. “I just… I didn’t know he was even there. So when I went to get my car and it was gone, I assumed it had been stolen. It was an honest mistake, officers. And I apologize.”

“He’s still under arrest for trespassing.” The officer said. Hotch was looking ready to kill the guy.

“Reid?” Morgan said, looking at the boy. “Why did you come onto the school property?”

“… These… these girls. They… they were walking and they asked me my name and how old I was and then they linked their arms in mine and just… took me along.”

“So they dragged you here.”

“Well… yeah, kind of.”

“But you didn’t resist, did you?” The cop asked, smugly.

“Would YOU have?” Reid asked, giving the cop a mildly amused look. The man blinked and his eyes widened and his face turned red. The other officer let out a series of loud guffaws, doubling over and slapping his knee, pointing at his partner.

“SHUT UP, BOOTH!” the embarrassed cop nearly shouted. The campus cop was looking like he wanted to eat his gun.

“Son… What were the girls’ names?” The principle asked.

“… I… I never got last names. But… I ate lunch with them. They were Laney, Crystal and Jenna. Laney is a cheerleader… And I helped Nick with his Chemistry homework… he’s on your Hockey Team.”

The principal nodded and picked up his phone. “… Ms. Patrick? Would you please call Miss Laney Markus and Mr. Nicholas Shanklin to my office please?”

“Yes sir.” She responded.

“Please remove his cuffs.” Hotch said, softening his tone to sound more respectful.

“He’s under arr—“

“Oh, calm down Steve.” Officer Booth sighed. “Come here, son.” And he released Reid.

“Thank you.” Reid responded, turning and looking up at the kinder of the two officers. “I… I apologize.”

“… For what?” Officer Booth asked.

“For panicking.” Reid responded. “I… I know better than to resist arrest… and… I was disrespectful. I didn’t mean to be.”

“Spencer…” Hotch said softly, and Reid looked up at him. “Why did… what were you… Why… Just… Why?!”

“I’m sorry Aaron.” Reid whispered softly. “I… I am SO sorry… If someone gets hurt, I’ll never forgive myself…”

“Gets hurt?” Morgan asked.

“You’ve stopped working the case because of my stupidity… to come down here and… and…”

“Case?” The man known as Officer Steve asked, curiously.

“We’re with the Behavioral Analysis Unit.” Morgan said. “We’re working on that serial rapist in the DC area.” The cops’ eyes widened.

“I’m sorry!” Reid cried.

“Hey now…” Morgan said, placing his hand on top of Reid’s head. “… It’s gonna be okay. You can’t blame yourself for what this pscyho is gonna do…”

Then, there was a knock on the door. The secretary poked her head in. “Miss Markus and Mr. Shanklin are here.” She said.

“Send them in please.” Principle Corwin said. The door opened alln the way and the two nervous students stepped in. They noted the campus cop, the two police officers, and the two stern looking men with guns on their belts… and Reid. Reid looked at them and gulped a bit, but lifted a hand in a tentative greeting.

“Have a seat.” Mr. Corwin said, smiling at his students. “You’re not in trouble.” The two did so. “Do you two know this young man?” He asked, looking at Reid. The two students nodded. “Do you know he’s not a student at this school?” they nodded again. “Can you tell me why he’s on school property then?”

“Is he being arrested?!” Laney asked, eyes wide.

“For trespassing on school property.” Mr. Corwin confirmed.

“It’s not his fault!” Laney immediately blurted, and Reid’s eyes widened in surprise. He had expected them to throw him under the bus to protect themselves! He looked down… did he really have such little faith in humanity?

No, his inner voice said. Just in jocks and cheerleaders… And Reid winced, guilt filling him.

“We were walking through the park during gym.” Laney said. “And me and some friends ran into him and we thought he was cute and we got a little flirty and just kind of… dragged him back to school with us and asked him to have lunch with us!”

“And what happened then?” Mr. Corwin asked.

“He helped me and some of the guys with our Chemistry homework.” Nick said with a shrug, then smiled. “Like… REALLY helped! He explained that stuff better than Coach Steele was!”

“Oh really?” Mr. Corwin asked, now looking mildly amused.

“Yeah! I’m feeling a lot more confident for the test later this week!” Nick nodded, and Laney mimicked him, nodding with wide eyes.

“Please don’t arrest him.” Laney said, looking at the cops. “It was MY fault!”

Mr. Corwin just smiled and said, “Thank you both for your honesty. You may return to class.” The pair paused, then stood and slowly, left, glancing back at Reid. He gave them both a grateful smile.

“I’m sorry…” Laney offered weakly.

“Thanks for the help, man.” Nick said, and when Reid nodded, they left, closing the door behind them.

“Well.” The principle said, fixing a kind look on Reid. “I think that in lieu of what we just heard, I’m satisfied in not pressing charges for trespassing.” Reid closed his eyes in relief.

“And I’m not pressing charges, either.” Morgan confirmed.

“He still resisted arrest.” The cranky cop pointed out.

“Now officer, really…” Mr. Corwin sighed, cutting off Hotch who had just opened his mouth. “The boy hasn’t really done anything wrong. He was just scared. He’s trying to apply to Georgetown. At age sixteen! An arrest could ruin his chances! Surely you have it in your heart to forgive?”

“It won’t ever happen again, I promise!” Reid gasped. “Please! If I’m arrested, I can’t get a scholarship! And I can’t go to college without one! Please, my mom’s sick!!! This is my only—“

“You honestly expect us to believe that?!” The younger cops snapped, glaring at Reid.

“Actually.” Hotch chimed in. “His mother is schizophrenic and has been institutionalized. His father isn’t present. I’m a friend of the family, and I can vouch for him.” At the continuing glare, Hotch pulled out his phone. “I can call them right now and they can conform that the mother of Spencer Reid is a patient there.”

“Spencer has a bright future.” Morgan added on, enjoying this little farce. “And the FBI is very eager to bring him on board when he’s completed his education.”

“… Alright.” Officer Booth said, ignoring the yelp of “WHAT?!” from his partner. “We’ll let you off with a warning, son. THIS time.”

“Thank you, sir.” Reid gasped, standing and looking up at the older cop. “You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”

“Stay out of trouble. Let’s go, Stephen.” And the two officers left.

“Thank you, sir.” Hotch said, nodding to the principle, who nodded back.

“Just… don’t let us catch you on school property again.” Mr. Corwin said, smiling at Reid. Reid nodded, and allowed Hotch and Morgan to usher him out of the office and out of the school.

“Pretty Boy…” Morgan said as they got to the car. “I will never understand how you manage to get yourself into these messes.”

“Believe me, Morgan, I don’t understand either.” And Reid moved to get into the car with Hotch.

“Nuh-uh, kid.” Morgan said, seizing the back of his hoodie. Reid and Hotch both blinked at Morgan. “You’re riding back with ME.” And Morgan fixed a hard look on the teenager. Reid’s eyes widened and he turned to Hotch.

“You heard him.” Hotch said, holding back a smile of amusement. “I’ll see you both back at the BAU.” And he pulled away from the curb. Reid gulped, looking up at Morgan.

“Take me to my car, kid.” Morgan said, and Reid sighed and headed to the park. Halfway to the car, Morgan sighed and said, “Care to explain why you took my car?”

“… I… I planned to have it back before you ever noticed…” Reid mumbled, kicking at a littlek rock on the sidewalk. Morgan looked down at him.

“Reid. You STOLE my CAR.”

“Borrowed!”

“Without permission.”

“… I’m sorry… I just… I was bored and frustrated and… I… I dunno. It was… impulsive. It just happened. I’m sorry, Morgan.”

The man looked at the drooping, dejected looking boy beside him, and he sighed.

“Did you actually eat lunch with those kids?”

“… No.” Reid mumbled.

“Let’s go grab some eats then, okay?”

“Really?”

“Really. My treat.”

“… Really?” Reid asked, perking up. “You… forgive me?”

“Of course.”

And so Morgan took Reid out for burgers. Hotch smiled when they returned, Reid slurping a shake.

“Everyone okay?” He asked, and Reid and Morgan nodded. “Here.” Hotch said, and Reid blinked as the man offered him a bag. Reid peered inside. There were seven books. “That should keep you entertained for a while.” Reid smiled up at the man.

“Thanks, Hotch.”

“Out of here, now.” Hotch said, and gently shooed Reid from the conference room, where the team shared a chuckle over Reid being arrested for auto theft. And at five thirty, Hotch took Reid home. They had leftover casserole from the night before and spent the evening playing video games. And then, they bid one another goodnight. They showered, and got into their pajamas. But as Reid sat down on the guest bed with a sigh, he heard a soft, “Hey.” Reid looked up at Hotch. The man smiled and jerked his head a bit. “Come on.” He said, and walked away.

Reid blinked after him, then grinned and followed the man up the stairs. The pair slid into bed and Reid cuddled close, smiling as Hotch wrapped his arms around him and kissed the top of his head.

“I love you, kiddo.”

“I love you too.” Reid sighed, resting his head on the man’s shoulder. And Hotch smiled, watching Reid drift to sleep.
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Growing Up Again