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Time	By : cr8zymommy Category: 1 through F > Criminal Minds Views: 4585 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story

Chapter List
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Sighing, Morgan put the last folder down in his outbox. He leaned back, letting his head tip backwards and his eyes close. There really wasn’t anything he hated more than he hated paperwork. But it was one of those necessary evils; especially today. That morning while Spencer had been sleeping, Aaron had called to tell Morgan that he’d gotten the approval for Morgan to have time off—for the moment there was no specified time. The director had agreed that two months were satisfactory for the moment but there was the understanding that it could be shortened or extended as the need arose. This was good, because Morgan had no plans on leaving Spencer any time soon. Not until he knew that he would be safe being by himself.
The only condition had been that he finish off the paperwork on his desk, which really hadn’t been that much. It was just…he hated doing paperwork, so it was always procrastinated until the very end.
Now that it was done, he was free to go find his pretty boy again and get him out of here. After the morning’s events at the elevator, he wasn’t sure how well Spencer was doing, being stuck here. The poor kid had panicked so hard at being stuck around a large group of people like that. Morgan still couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it before he’d put them in there.
Spencer was so hesitant to being touched by other people. If it was someone he didn’t know, he didn’t even like them being near him. Add on that they’d been trapped inside of a small room with no immediate way out and it was no wonder the kid had started to freak out. What was surprising was that he had even let Morgan lead him in there to begin with.
No, not surprising he told himself. Spencer goes anywhere you tell him to the minute that you say it, even if you’re just suggesting it. He wouldn’t think to question you. And oh, that was hard to handle sometimes.
It was a good thing that Garcia had taken Spencer with her to her office. The whole way to the office, Morgan had wondered what he would do with Spencer while he was working. All the people in the bullpen would have terrified him and there was always the chance that someone would try talking to him. They all knew him; more people that Morgan had ever realized until Spencer was missing and he’d seen the amount of people affected by it.
Their shy, awkward little genius had been friendly with almost everyone in the BAU. Maybe not friends, but at least friendly. Especially to the few people that no one ever really saw. The mail girl who came through and dropped mail off on their desks; the technicians that came in to fix the equipment. People down in archives had been teary eyed and silent for quite a while after “that sweet Reid” had vanished. Even though he hadn’t spoken much to everyone, he’d made an impact on their lives. For some, it was simply that he had taken the time to notice them and appreciate what they did where others didn’t.
Undoubtedly someone would have wanted to come over and welcome Spencer back home. If they had tried to touch him, well, Morgan had no idea how the kid would react. So it really was for the best that Spencer was back with Garcia. On the flip side of that, Morgan had noticed that Spencer tended to panic when Morgan was out of his sight. That made him sad and happy at the same time. Sad that Spencer was so scared and so unsure that he couldn’t handle being left alone. Happy that it was Morgan he chose to trust this much.
He wondered how Spencer was doing. Maybe since he was with Garcia, he wouldn’t panic too much. She was the first person he’d remembered; the one he’d clung to before anyone else. Apparently there hadn’t been any problems, because Morgan knew Garcia would have called him if there was.
“This is the quietest I think I’ve ever heard you.” Emily’s teasing voice cut into his thoughts.
Not bothering to open his eyes, Morgan smiled. “Woolgathering, I guess.”
“Long night?”
Rolling his neck, Morgan sat up straight again. He stretched his muscles out before rising to his feet. “No, actually, it was all right. We didn’t sleep for a long period of time, but there were no nightmares. Actually, I think I owe that to Clooney.”
He saw the humor light Emily’s eyes and couldn’t help but smile back at her. All of them had smiled more in the past few days than they had the entire time Spencer had been gone. “Clooney? As in, your dog? You’re telling me he helped Reid?” she said jokingly. Everyone knew that animals and Spencer did not get along very well.
“I know, right?” Morgan stepped up to her desk, resting his hip on the edge of it. “Spencer told me to bring him home instead of having the neighbors watch him. So I brought him home and the first thing he does is rush to the bathroom door where Spencer is. When we opened it, the kid was having a little panic attack and Clooney just barged right into his lap.”
A laugh behind them alerted the two to Aaron and Dave’s presence. The two older profilers were leaning on the railing in front of Aaron’s office, smiling at them. “I bet Reid loved that.” Dave chortled.
Morgan flashed them a grin. “Actually, he did. Clooney licked him right in his face and it was like a switch flipped. Spencer calmed his breathing down and was staring at him. I stepped back to see what would happen. Clooney licked him again and Spencer just kind of cocked his head, you know? Then he scratched him behind his ears and told him he was a good boy. Clooney didn’t leave his side for the rest of the night.”
“Wow.” Emily remarked. “Who would’ve thought?”
“They do say dogs can sense when something’s wrong with a person.” Dave added in. “Maybe your dog just senses that Reid needs the protection and care right now.”
Morgan shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever it is, it seemed to help Spence, so I’m all for it. Clooney can sleep with us forever if it gives the kid nightmare free nights.”
Silence surrounded them. At first, Morgan didn’t realize why his friends had gone quiet or why they were all looking at him with shock. Not until Aaron managed to ask “You two sleep in the same bed?” He said with shock. “And he lets you?”
Oh. Morgan gave them a half a grin. He’d forgotten that they had no idea about that part of things. “Uh, yeah. He asked me to stay with him. He doesn’t really like being alone, or that far from me, really. And it seemed more practical to stay and keep him safe. Then I’m right there when a nightmare hits.”
Emily had sat back in her chair to stare at him. Surprise still lit her eyes. “I can’t believe he lets you that close. I mean, I was a little surprised to see how comfortable he is with you during the day. But to trust you enough to let you be there at night when he’s his most vulnerable…wow.”
“I was going to put him in the guestroom, but I knew he was scared.” Morgan said, feeling the inexplicable need to explain his actions. “So I offered him my bad and said I’d kip it on the floor. He told me not to and asked me to just stay with him. I couldn’t really say no.”
Reaching out, Emily put her hand on his arm in a reassuring way. “Of course you couldn’t, Morgan. We’re not judging you. We’re just surprised he allows it. Victims usually don’t have this level of comfort around someone else so soon after being rescued. He’s become pretty attached to you in a short time.”
“We were pretty close before. Maybe that has something to do with it.” That was the only thing he was able to think of to explain it to himself. “The kid knows he can trust me. And, I think my size actually helps instead of deters him. He knows that physically, I’m well equipped to keep him safe. Actually, I’m kind of surprised he’s still down with Garcia. Lately he doesn’t really like me to be out of his line of sight. He rarely even closes the bathroom door when he goes in except for last night, and I think that was just to hide out while I was getting Clooney. He felt safer in the enclosed space.”
A knowing look passed between Aaron and Dave that had Morgan’s attention shifting fully to them. “What?” He asked cautiously.
The team leader looked at Morgan with just a hint of a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. There was something in his eyes, so quick Morgan couldn’t read what it was. Then they were back to their usual stern expression. “I went down to talk to Garcia a bit ago. She has Reid stretched out on her couch, relaxing.” The smile showed just a little bit more. “Apparently he wasn’t happy about not being near you. Something about Garcia not exactly being the type to defend them both. So she accessed the cameras in the bullpen and put it up on a monitor that she turned so he can see it while he lays there. He’s been watching the whole time he’s been down there. She said it relaxed him almost completely.”
Surprised, Morgan lifted his head to look at the camera. He couldn’t help but grin and wave at it. Then he shook his head, looking back to his friends. Dave was chuckling again, Aaron looked like he was fighting a smile, and Emily was full on grinning at him. “Like I said, attached to you.” She teased him.
He gave in and let out a small laugh. Then he rose from the edge of her desk. “Well, I’m going to go gather him up, I think. I’m done with my work, Hotch. I think I’ll go ahead and take him home. He’s probably ready to go somewhere quiet and get out of all those clothes.” Looking around him, Morgan found himself thinking about something he’d noticed when they came in. “He seems really sensitive to noise. It’s like it overwhelms him or something.”
Aaron straightened up from the railing. He nodded like what Morgan had said made perfect sense. A second later, it made sense to the rest of them, after their unit chief gave them his explanation. “It would make sense. From our understanding, he didn’t often leave that basement. The only sounds he would have heard would’ve been from him, Vincent, and any of the women that were there. Otherwise he would have been in total silence when he was alone. Living like that for a while, the sounds of the world must be almost overpowering to him.”
That really did make sense. Morgan hadn’t stopped to think of that. The poor kid. He’d always been a little more sensitive than the rest of them; gunshots had usually hurt his ears a little. Which was ironic in their line of work but they’d just considered it another of Spencer’s quirks.
“You go ahead and take him home, Morgan. Coming out today was a big thing for him. He might need a little recovery time, so I’ll call to check in tonight but no one will stop by until tomorrow unless he wants us there. We want to give him the space to heal.” Aaron said.
After saying his goodbyes, Morgan set off towards Garcia’s office. He didn’t knock—he never knocked on her door—but he was surprised by how silent it was when he walked in. Garcia was working at her computers, tying away at what, he didn’t know. But she didn’t spin and start talking to him like she usually did. Morgan’s eyes drifted toward Spencer right away, needing to see for himself that the man was ok.
Spencer was still lying on the couch, his half open eyes fixed on Morgan. There was no smile on his face, but in his eyes Morgan could see the emotion that told him Spencer was happy to see him. He’d noticed that Spencer smiled rarely; if he did, he usually ended up wiping it away quickly like it was something bad. But his eyes carried enough emotion to convey what he felt. It made Morgan happy to see that that part of Spencer hadn’t changed. He’d always had such expressive eyes.
“Hey, pretty boy.” He said softly. Something about the silence of the room seemed comfortable; something that he didn’t want to break. He felt like he should be whispering in here. After shutting the door he walked past Garcia, only letting his hand brush her arm in greeting and feeling her hand touch his in return. But his eyes were still on Spencer. Stepping up beside the couch, he lowered himself into a crouch, putting their faces level with one another. “Did you enjoy your visit with Garcia?”
“Yes.” Spencer answered immediately in a voice just as soft as Morgan’s. “It was pleasant in here. Quiet.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry I didn’t think about the noise bothering you. I probably should have asked Garcia to come sit at the house with you while I did my work.” Neither commented on the fact that Spencer shouldn’t be left alone. They both knew it and accepted it.
He was surprised to see Spencer shake his head, though. “I’d rather be with you.” The young man whispered. His body didn’t physically flinch, but the sensation was visible in those eyes, as if he was afraid of being in trouble for saying something against what Morgan said. God, he hated seeing Spencer look at him like that. Like he was mentally preparing for a lecture or a blow that he’d been trained to expect.
Morgan sought to reassure him, wanting him to feel comfortable expressing himself. “Then I’ll stick to you like glue, kid. Don’t be afraid to tell me what you want. I’d rather do something that makes you happy and comfortable than make you miserable.”
This time those eyes lit with surprise. Oh, it made his heart ache. Absolutely ache. No one should have to feel that way. To be shocked by a simple human kindness. No one should ever have to live afraid that anything they said or did would get them hurt. Animals were treated better than that.
Unable to resist, Morgan reached out and tucked a strand of Spencer’s hair behind his ear. He thought to himself that they should get Spencer’s hair cut, but the longer hair did look good on him. Maybe just a small trim.
He gave himself a mental shake and drew out of his thoughts. “You ready to go, pretty boy? I’m all set here at the office, so we can head back home if you want to.”
“If…if I want?”
The question surprised Morgan. He nodded. “Yeah. Is there something else you want to do, Spencer?”
For a moment there was silence. Then Spencer spoke, oh so softly, his words barely able to be heard. “I, well, can we go, uh, go see the pretty lady?” he asked hesitantly. This time his flinch actually showed in his body a little.
The pretty lady? “Do you mean Emily?” Morgan asked.
Spencer trembled a little when he shook his head. “No. The, the one that got free.”
Realization dawned on Morgan. Oh, that pretty lady. He felt his lips curve with a genuine smile. It did him good to hear Spencer actually voicing something that he wanted. Plus, it might do him good, going to see the woman whose life he had helped saved. It wouldn’t take away the pain that Spencer held about the other ‘pretty ladies’ that he still was convinced he killed, but maybe it would give him a little light in his world. “Of course we can, Spencer. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to see you.”
The joy that lit Spencer’s eyes before he smothered it made the whole trip worth it. Morgan held out his hand, waiting until Spencer took it before he rose to his feet, drawing the younger man with him. Spencer moved toward Garcia, leaning down to hug her lightly. “Thank you for letting me stay in here, Garcia.” He whispered to her.
Her smile was wide and bright. “Any time, my lovely. You’re always welcome in my fortress of solitude. Now, go have fun with Morgan and I’ll give you guys a call tonight, ok? Maybe I’ll bring by some dinner.”
“Sounds good. We’ll talk to you once we’re home, baby girl.” Morgan brushed a kiss over the top of her head on his way out the door.
This time Morgan was more prepared as he went to the elevator. He waited, making sure no one was inside of it before he took them in and pressed the button for the ground floor. Spencer’s hand stayed in his, trembling slightly, but they made it to the bottom without anyone else needing to get on. As they stepped out, Morgan looked over at him and smiled. “You want to stop and get something to eat before we go to see her?” he asked.
As always, he could see the surprise Spencer showed at being asked a simple question. It made it painstakingly clear that no one had asked him what he wanted for far too long. Or at least, if they had, they’d never given him what he’d asked for.
“I, I could eat. Maybe, you know, just a little.”
The stammering sentence was sweet enough to have Morgan squeezing the thin hand in his. “Food it is, then. You can even pick the restaurant if you want, pretty boy.”
A sudden voice cut into their conversation. “Holy shit. Morgan? Dr. Reid?”
Instantly Morgan tensed, pulling Spencer just a little closer to him. The younger man didn’t hesitate to press up against his side and his eyes had gone wide. With a quick scan, Morgan found the source of the voice. Ah, crap. Agent Niall was rushing toward them, his eyes wide and his face surprised. Niall worked in Counterterrorism. They’d worked with him on a case twice before Spencer had gone missing and he’d taken a liking to the younger man, much to Spencer’s displeasure. He’d confessed to Morgan once that Niall made him a little uncomfortable. He hadn’t been shy about trying to hit on Spencer any time he saw him at work.
Morgan subtly shifted his stance so that he was blocking direct contact between Spencer and Niall. There would be no outrunning him, he knew. Better to face him head on and try to extract them as quickly as possible. If they’d kept walking, Niall simply would have followed them and pinned them down outside. “Hey, Niall. You caught us on our way out, man.”
That didn’t faze Niall at all. “It’s true!” He exclaimed when he reached them. “Dr. Reid, you’re back home! I’d heard the rumors but I couldn’t believe it. It’s really you!”
A quiver ran down Spencer’s thin frame and he pressed himself even closer to Morgan. When Niall tried to step toward him, a small whimper escaped Spencer’s lips, tearing at Morgan’s heart. He shifted them again, placing Spencer almost behind him instead of beside him. The younger man didn’t protest.
“Ah, yeah, Niall. He’s back with us. If you’re looking for details, I’m sure Hotch could give you some if you stop by. He’s upstairs working right now. But, like I said, Reid and I were just on our way out the door to grab some lunch. We’re both pretty hungry. So, if you’ll excuse us…”
“That’s perfect!” Niall exclaimed loudly, making Spencer flinch again. “I was just on my way to lunch too. I’ll walk out with you two.”
Seriously? A ripple of irritation ran through Morgan. Couldn’t the man get the hint that he wasn’t wanted? Couldn’t he see that he was terrifying Spencer right at the moment? At the mention of joining them, Spencer’s body gave an almost convulsive tremble. His whimper was just a little louder this time.
Niall stepped forward again, trying to peek around Morgan. “I’m so glad to hear that you’re home and doing well!” He reached a hand out like he was going to clap it on Spencer’s shoulder. That was when all hell broke loose.
Mentally cursing, Morgan reached out and grabbed Niall’s wrist, not bothering to be subtle about this anymore. There was no way he was going to let someone touch Spencer without permission; especially when it was obvious they were already upsetting his friend. It was too late, though. All Spencer had seen was the hand rising up toward his head and he panicked.
A choking gasp that sounded almost like a sob came out and then Spencer dropped down to his knees, his hands coming up over his head and his body hunching over.
In a flash Morgan had let go of Niall and was dropping down to the ground beside Spencer. “Oh, it’s ok, Spencer. Sugar, it’s ok. No one is going to touch you, I promise. I won’t let anyone touch you. You know that.” He whispered soothingly to him. He wasn’t sure if he should reach out yet. Unable to see Spencer’s face there was no way to tell if he was all the way there or if he was in a panic attack. If he was in a panic attack then any touch might make him worse.
“What the hell?” Niall exclaimed loudly.
Morgan had eyes only on his pretty boy. “Spencer, sugar, I need you to listen to my voice. I need you to know that you’re safe, ok? No one is going to hurt you here. This is Niall and he just wanted to touch your shoulder, but I wasn’t going to let him. I hope I didn’t startle you by moving so fast, but I was trying to stop him.”
“Please.” Spencer croaked out. “Don’t let them touch me. I’m sorry. I’ll be good.”
“Oh, pretty boy. You didn’t do anything wrong. But I promise, I’ll keep them back. No one is going to touch you.”
Niall’s voice interrupted them once again. “Now, see here. What the hell is going on here?” he demanded, taking a step toward them. The sound of his footstep had Spencer flinching and whimpering once again, his grip around himself tightening.
Furious, Morgan looked up at the Agent and glared. “Back off, Niall! Dammit, can’t you see you’re scaring him? Just back off!”
“I wasn’t doing anything! What’s the matter with him?”
“Just back off!” Morgan snarled. “Before I make you back off.”
The threat only had Niall’s chest puffing out. He’d always disliked Morgan just a little because of how close of friends Morgan and Spencer had been. “Listen here, Agent Morgan. You aren’t my superior; you have no rights to order me anywhere. If I want to check on Dr. Reid, then there isn’t anything I really see that you’re going to do to stop me.”
Anger brought Morgan to his feet and had him in a protective stance between Niall and Spencer. “I will tell you one last time, Niall. You’ve terrified the hell out of him, now back off so I can get him calm and get him home. You have no idea what’s going on and it’s none of your damn business. Now, if you don’t move, I’ll make you move. Can’t you see that you arguing and coming closer is only making it worse?”
When Niall glared and made to move around him, Morgan simply had enough. His hand was bunched to throw a punch when he felt long fingers close over it. Surprise had him looking down to see Spencer had uncurled just enough to reach up and take his hand. “Please.” The young man whispered. “Don’t. Please.”
The sound of Spencer’s achingly terrified voice seemed to have frozen Niall better than Morgan’s threats had.
The two weren’t even paying attention to Agent Niall anymore. Morgan was looking down at Spencer, their eyes locking. “Please.” Spencer whispered again. “Take me home. I need to go home.”
That was all Morgan needed to hear. He felt his anger drain out of him like a plug had been pulled. He turned his back on Niall and squatted down beside Spencer again. “Think you’re steady enough to get up and walk, pretty boy?” he asked him. Embarrassment was written on Spencer’s face as he shook his head no. “I, my ankle, I think I, I hurt it.” The young man said. “I twisted a little when I dropped.”
For Spencer to say it hurt a little meant that it most likely hurt quite a bit. Morgan nodded at him. When they got home, he would take a look at it and see what damage had been done. Now his only concern was getting Spencer out of the bureau. “Well, grab on to me, kid. I’ll get you out of here. Don’t you even worry about it, ok? Just put your arms around my neck and hold on. This may sting your back a little.”
There was a tremble to Spencer’s arms when he lifted them, but he placed them around Morgan’s neck without hesitation. With gentle hands, Morgan picked up his friend marriage style and pushed up to his feet. He didn’t even look at Niall before heading over to walk past security. They waved him through, giving him sympathetic looks as he passed.
By the time Morgan got Spencer in the car, he’d stopped trembling, but his eyes were drifting closed. Morgan buckled him in and shut the door. Then he went around to the driver’s seat, climbing in and buckling himself. He saw Spencer was practically already asleep. With one hand he gently rubbed his friend’s forearm. It surprised him when Spencer turned his hand, letting their hands touch. Then those longer fingers were lacing with his and their hands were linked.
With a smile, Morgan used his other hand to turn the car on and put it in gear. It was a little tricky, but he wasn’t going to let go of Spencer’s hand unless absolutely necessary. In the back of his mind, he thought to himself how nice the sensation was. How right it seemed to hold Spencer’s hand as they drove home.
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