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The Thirteenth Step	By : ExOnEv Category: 1 through F > Criminal Minds Views: 4503 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any characters wherein. No monetary gain for me from writing this, just beautiful and tragic moments in my mind's eye.

Chapter List
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Morgan hovered over Garcia with his hand on her shoulder. "Alright, so cross reference any early '90s Supras and that partial plate in all counties surrounding and including Multnomah County." Garcia's fingers began to smoke on the keyboard and the monitor directly in front of her frenzied to keep up. He let his thumb rub gently against the top of her shoulder blade. He tried to read the information she was sifting through as quickly as her, but he couldn't do it. Morgan was impressed by her, as always. "You never cease to amaze me, Garcia."
"Keep talking to me like that, lover boy..." she threatened.
"…And what?"
"And nothing. Just keep talkin' to me like that." They both grinned at their banter. Morgan breathed her in. She was such a wonderful person. She had one the purest hearts he'd ever known.
There were several counties to check so Morgan patiently waited, focusing on this little task at hand. He was very tired. It had been a long night for him. A very long and strange night.. He didn't sleep well. Not after what happened with Reid.
The door opened and soon Hotch was hovering over them. "Any luck?"
"Not yet, sir," Garcia said. "Still… looking…" She was in the zone.
Morgan moved away from Garcia so he could stand up straight next to Hotch. "That plate and the car are probably both stolen. We might be chasing our tails here," Morgan stated.
"Keep looking," Hotch encouraged. "The victim is positive about everything, right down to the scent tree. She'll be able to confirm the details if we can just find the car and its driver." Hotch was as serious as he ever was. All business. He left as quietly as he came in, shutting the door behind him.
Morgan moved back into Garcia's personal space and said, "The victim said this car was in showroom condition. Let's assume this car isn't stolen. If this unsub is a Toyota Supra enthusiast and he's used his pride and joy to help him commit his crimes?" He shook his head. "You just can't fix stupid."
Garcia took a deep breath and continued typing. "That's gonna work in our favor. He'd be registered, licensed, insured and flaunt-ehhh…"
Morgan couldn't help but laugh a little. He loved that woman. "Yeah, he may even race it professionally." After fighting off a yawn, he continued, "I just don't understand why he let her go. Kidnap her, rape her, act like you did her a favor and then let her live to identify you later?"
Garcia sighed. "Don't ask me. I will never understand."
The door opened. It was Hotch. Again. Morgan looked over his shoulder in question. "Have either of you heard from Reid?" Hotch asked. "His car is here, but no one has seen him."
Deep concern struck Morgan as he realized he hadn't seen Reid that morning yet either. He immediately took his phone from its holster and speed dialed the genius boy wonder; the same genius boy wonder who evidently couldn't make it to work. "I took him home last night," he told Hotch and Garcia as the call connected. "I figured he could take the bus or something."
The phone rang and rang. And rang. And then voicemail. "Reid, hey… Where you at? Call me." Morgan looked to Hotch.
"Is there reason to believe he's in any danger?" That would seem like an odd jump to conclusion if they weren't in the line of work they were in.
"Nah, man. He was fine when I left. He shoulda been goin' straight to bed," Morgan didn't like fibbing to Hotch. Reid wasn't fine. He was upset. Morgan knew that. The guilt landed in Morgan's gut like a boulder. "You know what? I'll just go check on him." Hotch nodded and Morgan started walking. "Baby girl, you keep lookin' for that car."
"On it!" She called out to him as he slipped out the door.
Morgan was already dialing Reid again as he left the building. And no answer. "What the hell, Reid?" he mumbled as he loaded himself into the SUV. He left the parking lot in a hurry, chirping the tires. As he weaved in and out of traffic, he thought back to last night. What had happened had thrown him for a loop. He never would have guessed that from Reid.
Reid was a smart guy… A little naïve when it came to relationships though. He has to be confused. It has to be misdirected emotion or something. Morgan tried to convince himself this was temporary and that it would blow over. "Ha!" Morgan laughed after the words he'd just thought came to light. "Blow over." Another ten minutes of driving and Morgan was within a block of Reid's place… He tapped the steering wheel with his thumb as he waited at the red light. He wondered if he could handle this… handle Reid crushin' on him. Maybe it would be tolerable if Reid just kept it to himself. He gunned the green light and parked at the nearest open spot big enough to fit the Suburban.
On his way into the building, he was calling Reid again. Still no answer. He hit the up arrow for the elevator, but chose not to wait after seeing what floor it was on. He started heading up the stairs since it was only a few flights. Huffin' just a little, he finally got to Reid's door and knocked. He listened… He couldn't hear anything, no sounds of anyone coming to the door. He knocked again. Louder. He waited. Still nothing. Then Morgan banged on the door.
"Hey…"
Morgan turned around only to see Reid. It took a second for him to wipe the confused look off his face. "Where have you been?" He was so relieved to see him. He wouldn't let himself think the worst, but he knew his rejection hurt Reid pretty badly. Morgan noticed he looked a little worse for wear. He certainly didn't look rested. Those circles under his eyes were darker than normal and his hair had not been brushed.
"I saw the Suburban when I was leaving, so I came back to find you." He was speaking so softly. Timid.
"No, man. Why didn't you come to work? And what? You're not taking my calls?"
Reid's eyes shifted back and forth a bit. "I… I didn't feel good." He hoped that last question was rhetorical.
Morgan frowned at Reid and looked him up and down. Brown cords, purple button up and a magenta tie… a brown sweater vest …sneakers and his man purse. Same old Reid, but somethin' was different. He was holding back; hiding something. He couldn't put his finger on it so Morgan held his tongue for the time being. "You ready?"
Reid seemed a little surprised, but was happy to tell him that yes, he was. They walked down the corridor to the elevator and without last night being mentioned, Reid felt some of his tension ease. Maybe Morgan would forget any of it ever happened and things could just go back to the way they were. But the thought of knowing what he wanted was never going to happened made his heart heavy and he could feel it weighing him down.
When they reached the elevator doors, they stopped and looked at each other. They both recalled the time when they got stuck in one that had malfunctioned and stopped between floors causing them to panic. "Stairs," they said in unison.
"You gotta call in when you're gonna be late, Reid," Morgan scolded as they made their way down the flights.
Reid had a hard time keeping up with Morgan. He seemed winded. "I thought- I thought I did."
"Nobody heard from you, man." Soon Morgan was pushing the doors open and the outside air blew into him from the draft. Reid's hair caught the wind and was rearranged instantly. Then were outside, onto the sidewalk and quickly hopping into the SUV in no time at all. Morgan seemed to be rushing them.
As Reid fussed with his hair, the still puzzled look on his face kept Morgan from starting the vehicle. "You okay?" As Morgan watched Reid's long arms moving around as he fixed his hair, he remembered something he noticed in the hallway. Reid was scratching his right arm. Morgan's heart sank.
"Yeah, I just…" Reid's eyes moved back and forth. "I remember calling."
"Who did you talk to?" Morgan asked as he wondered what Reid's arm looked like under that sleeve.
"Uhh…" Again Reid's face was covered with a huge question mark. "I don't… remember." He seemed as astonished as Morgan.
"Mr. Memory Bank? Impossible. Just admit you didn't call." Morgan started the rig and signaled to pull out into the roadway.
"It must have been a dream or something. I remember it. I remember… something."
And it was quiet again. For a while. Reid looked up to the cloudy sky, squinting. Morgan hummed along to the radio. Both of them wondered how so much could change in just over 12 hours.
"I'm sorry about last night," Reid finally said.
"Nah, I was an ass. I didn't handle it well and I'm the one who's sorry." And he really was. He felt now that he had completely overreacted. If nothing else, he had to make things right with Reid. Get things back to the way they were or as close to that as he could get.
"You were pretty angry… Understandably so…" Reid kept rubbing and scratching at his right arm. And it still didn't go unnoticed by Morgan. "I mean- I know what happened. To you. When you were younger."
God damn it. Morgan felt his stomach flip and he had to grip the steering wheel tight and press his lips together to not kill Reid for bringing that up. He let a breath pass through his nose and out of the corner of his eye he could see Reid looking at him gauging his reaction. "We're not gonna talk about that."
Reid slowly faced forward again, like he was next to an animal that would strike if he were to make any sudden movements. Morgan kept driving, breathing deep and letting the traffic distract him. That was until he saw Reid scratch at his arm again.
"Alright. That's it," Morgan mumbled quietly. Reid held onto the center console and the trim panel for dear life as Morgan abruptly veered to the side of the street, bumping the curb with the right front tire. He turned off the engine, took the keys and checked the side rear view mirror before opening his door. Reid flinched as the door slammed shut. Morgan had to ignore the fearful look on Reid's face as he walked around the front of the vehicle to the passenger side. He hated himself for what he was about to do.
Morgan opened Reid's door and instantly grabbed at Reid's arm, not letting him out of the vehicle. Reid fought to take his arm back, but Morgan was strong. "Show me your arm," he ordered trying to get the sleeve to unbutton or roll up. "You usin' again?" Embarrassed and wishing he could hide, Reid looked all around them. A couple had just passed by and gave concerned looks.
"What? No-" Reid whimpered, his voice several octaves higher than normal. He took Morgan's arm in his free hand, pushing and pulling as he tried to regain control of his own arm, but failed.
"Do not lie to me." Morgan and Reid kept fighting over Reid's flailing arm. He braced himself on all the surrounding pillars of the door opening to gain some leverage from Morgan and the SUV shook with his shifting weight.
"Please, Morgan..." Reid kept trying to pull his arm away, but Morgan had his fist in a death grip. "If you care anything about me…"
Morgan stopped cold, locking eyes with Reid. "That has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say." Was this guy kidding? No way was he gonna let Reid relapse over something that happened between them and not do anything about it.
"I'm not ly-" Reid looked down as his eyes danced back and forth… He licked his lips and tried to say the words. "I-I…" He had no confidence in anything else he was going to say and chose not to continue, knowing Morgan would see right through him no matter what words came spilling out.
Morgan looked Reid square in the eye, inches from his face, just to stare him down. He watched Reid's eyes tear up. "Show me… your arm."
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The Thirteenth Step