Stage Four (Criminal Minds, Reid)

[darkness-is-the-light]

I agree with you Belieber!!!!

Just to let you know I actually found a video (off camera though) of Matthew (Reid) sneezing, do you want me to give you the link? I know you really love this character and I wanted to know if you wanted to hear the real thing instead of stories (even thought they're amazing.)

[Amberlight24]

I would LOVE that! Thank you!

[darkness-is-the-light]

I would LOVE that! Thank you!

Here's the actual video, I have found two people actually, here are the videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dqzrXp2aHo 2:49 I think.

2:00 I'm pretty sure. The first one is Matthew and the second is Shemar (Morgan).

[Malachite]

^Hehehe, those were awesome. Especially Shemar's sneeze - what are the odds that by accident we get such a handsome guy sneezing before a camera, close-up?

[Amberlight24]

Thank you Belieber so much!!!!

[Amberlight24]

Thanks so much for the clips of Shemar and Matthew sneezing!!! Were you surprised by the type of sneeze from Matthew? Well, I don't think Reid would sneeze so intensely... but Matthew, now that I think about it- sounds pretty accurate to me...

What do you think? or maybe IM thinking too much haha

Thank you again!

[darkness-is-the-light]

Thanks so much for the clips of Shemar and Matthew sneezing!!! Were you surprised by the type of sneeze from Matthew? Well, I don't think Reid would sneeze so intensely... but Matthew, now that I think about it- sounds pretty accurate to me...

What do you think? or maybe IM thinking too much haha

Thank you again!

Your welcome, I knew you would want to see them. I thought the same exact thing actually, maybe it's because his voice is higher pitched so we were expecting a higher pitched sneeze.

[jezebel215]

i just wanted to say how happy I am to see your CM story (i've been noticing it since you posted it!) but i'm almost a season behind watching it (i know, unforgiveable) so i can't read it! but i'm sure it's delightful. and once i catch up on the episodes i'll be devouring it.

[matilda3948]

Hi all Thanks for those links--nice sneezes from both of them. I'm really glad you all are enjoying this story. I was going to wait until I was finished with it before posting again, but I'm not sure how I want to end it and I didn't want to keep people waiting. So there will be one more piece after this. Thanks for reading

“M’fine,” Reid mumbled.

“No you’re not,” Hotch said.

“Is that what your profile says?” Reid snapped only to have his voice catch and dissolve into a rattling cough. When he lifted his head from the bend of his arm, his eyes were watering and his face was flushed.

“Yes, that’s what my profile says,” Hotch said quietly. Reid looked ready to argue but Hotch held up his hand. “Hear me out. Please,” he added. After a stare down reminiscent of Morgan, Reid relented. He crossed his arms and looked ready to reject whatever explanation Hotch was about to provide. Aaron leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees but kept eye contact with his youngest agent. “Reid, you’ve had to endure more loss in the first thirty years of your life than most people do in an entire lifetime.” Reid looked away but Aaron kept talking. “You had no stable parental influence, no siblings, had a hard time building peer relationships because you’re so much smarter than everyone else. This job—this team—is the closest thing you have to family and we’ve let you down.” This made Reid glance up. “We’ve let you down repeatedly,” Hotch said with a nod. “All of us at different times and in different ways, but we all have.” Reid sniffled and Hotch thought he might have upset him, but then he saw that he really just needed to sneeze.

Hehh Ehh…HEH AHHH…HehhAHHHNGTSHHooo! He immediately began to build up for another sneeze. Hahh EHH AhhEHHSNTCCHHooo!

“Bless you.”

“Not Hehh not done,” he managed, grabbing another handful of tissues. Ahh Hehh…EhhAhhGNTssschhooo! Ehh AHHSZNSSCHHOOOO! He sighed and blew his nose.

“Bless you, Reid.”

“Thag you.

“You’ve pulled away from us,” Hotch said. “You don’t let anybody in anymore and I’ve been trying to figure out how to break through. Not just this weekend, but for a while—since Emily probably. You didn’t deserve that Spencer and I’m sorry.”

“I’ve moved on,” he said quietly. Hotch nodded.

“But it’s never been quite the same because you forgive, but you don’t forget and that has nothing to do with your eidetic memory. You have a lifetime of experience that says that if you trust someone they will hurt you. You forgave us, but you won’t make the mistake of trusting us with your personal life again.” Hotch paused to see if Reid wanted to correct anything he’d said so far, but he remained silent. “Then you met Maeve and everything changed.” He didn’t miss the way Reid bristled when he said her name. “And you finally had an equal and you lowered your guard and you fell in love with her.”

“Stop,” Reid said.

“And for the first time you saw yourself as more than a prodigy—more than a profiler.”

“Hotch, stop.”

“You saw yourself as a husband and a father and it was ripped away from—”

“Shut up!” He stood suddenly and swayed on his feet. Hotch didn’t touch him, but was ready to if Reid looked too unsteady. As much as he hated pushing Reid like this, he needed him to understand.

HehhAHHNTSSHHHooo! Reid doubled over, sneezing into his hands. Hehh AHH HehhAHHHSNGSSHHHoooo!! Another sneeze tore free before he started coughing. Aaron frowned and tried to ease Reid back down onto the sofa, but Reid dodged his help.

“Leave. Me. Alone,” he managed in between hacking coughs. Aaron held up his hands in surrender and had no choice but to wait until Reid was able to calm the spasms in his lungs. By the time he stopped coughing, Reid was too tired to do anything but sink back down onto the sofa. He looked defeated—shoulders slumped, head hanging low. Finally he looked up at his boss with tired, red eyes. “Fine. Just say what you want to say,” Reid said.

“I understand wanting to quit the BAU,” Hotch said. “If that’s what you need to do to put Maeve’s death behind you, then you should. We have not been the friends or the family that you deserve. You can get a job anywhere doing whatever you want to do, but I need you to promise me something.” Hotch paused until Reid met his eyes. “Whatever your decision, do not isolate yourself. You deserve friends and after a while you’ll find someone and build a family.” Reid started to interject but Aaron interrupted. “I know—you never think it’ll happen but one day you’ll be able to envision it. It snuck up on me and when it did, it scared the hell out of me.” Hotch sighed before continuing. “If you never open yourself and let your friends into your life, it’s true that you won’t get hurt. You’ve been hurt so many times I see the appeal of cutting ties and shutting out the people who love you.” Reid had progressed from fidgeting to looking like a caged animal. “You won’t get hurt, but you’ll never be happy,” Hotch said. “All I want—all any of us want—is for you to be happy, Spencer. Maeve wouldn’t want you to isolate yourself. She would want you to be happy.”

There. He’d said what he needed say and now all he could do was wait for a response from Reid. The younger man blinked several times before bringing his knees up to his chest and putting his head down. He gripped his head and let out a hoarse sob. The frown on Hotch’s face deepened as he watched Reid’s body shake. He settled next to him on the sofa and tentatively put a hand on Reid’s shoulder. If Spencer noticed, he didn’t react; he just cried. Hotch kept silent but never took his hand off him. It took a long time for Reid to calm down. Several times it looked like he might be finished, only to break down again. Gradually, Spencer leaned closer and closer to Hotch, too exhausted to hold himself up anymore. Finally, Hotch wrapped an arm around his shoulders and tugged Reid towards him. This was exactly the kind of gesture that Reid struggled to accept, but his just sagged against the older man. His breathing slowly evened out and Hotch thought he might have fallen asleep until a thick, stuffy voice finally spoke up,

“Why do these thigs keep happening to be?” Spencer asked.

“I don’t know,” Hotch said honestly. “But here’s what I do know. You have to keep going. And if you’ll let us, we will do better—I will do better.”

“I don’t…I don’t know what to do.”

“Then don’t do anything for right now. Get some sleep. Get ahead of this cold and you’ll know the right thing to do when the time comes.” He felt Reid make a move to sit up straight and Hotch helped ease him off his shoulder. He stayed a step behind Reid as he slowly made his way to his room and collapsed on the bed. It was late and between being sick and being upset, Reid was almost asleep by the time his head hit the pillow. Hotch sighed. He hoped Spencer would feel better in the morning—physically, emotionally, or hopefully both. It was too late to call Beth, but he couldn’t resist sending her a text. Just a quick “Thank you. I love you. –A” He reviewed his conversation with Reid as he tried to fall asleep. It had gone about as well as could be expected but Hotch knew Spencer still had a long way to go. It was years before he reached a place where he could even think about dating again and if Beth hadn’t had such a unique mix of patience and persistence he might still be alone.

After a precious few hours of sleep, Hotch was up early for a full morning of soccer with Jack. He checked on Reid and found he was still asleep so Hotch left him a note explaining where he was and what time they’d be back. He told Reid to make himself comfortable in their absence. He got Jack settled in the car and as they pulled out of the driveway, Jack began interrogating his father.

“Why isn’t Uncle Spencer coming with us?”

“He’s still sick, Jack. I want him to get as much rest as possible.”

“I heard you guys fighting last night,” Jack said quietly.

“Oh, Jack I’m sorry we woke you up, but we weren’t fighting.”

“He told you to shut up.” Hotch sighed.

“He did. I said something that hurt his feelings and he was angry.”

Jack was quiet for a minute, a serious look on his face. Then he said,

“I heard Uncle Spencer crying. Why is he so sad?” Hotch smiled, proud of his son’s sharp mind (and ears apparently). He pulled into the parking lot of the park and stopped the car, before turning to his son.

“Uncle Spencer had a girlfriend named Maeve,” he said.

“Eww! Did he kiss her?” Jack crinkled his nose.

“He wanted to—he loved her very much. But Maeve got hurt and she died and Uncle Spencer is very, very sad. Remember how sad and angry we were when mommy died?” Jack nodded solemnly. “I was trying to help he feel better last night and I made him angry by mistake. That’s what you heard last night.”

“Poor Uncle Spencer,” Jack said. Aaron reached over and rubbed his son’s hair.

“He’ll be okay, Jack. It just takes some time. We feel better, right?”

“Right!” Jack said with a smile.

A few hours of peewee soccer resulted in a messy, exhilarated Jack Hotchner. Aaron had a chance to talk to Rossi while they coached their team, the older confirming that Aaron’s actions were necessary given the circumstances.

“It sounds like you made progress last night,” Rossi said.

“I think so, but I haven’t seen him yet today. I’m half afraid I’m going to get home and find that he called a cab and left.”

“He didn’t do that,” Rossi said.

“You sound pretty sure of that,” Hotch said.

“If he wanted to run he would have already. That’s not what he’s looking for—he’s looking for a soft place to land. Just keep doing what you’re doing.” Rossi patted him on the back, said goodbye to Jack, and then took his share of the team’s gear to his car.

***

“Be quiet when we get inside just in case Uncle Spencer is still asleep, okay?” Hotch asked as he unlocked the front door.

“Okay.”

Much as Hotch expected, the house was silent and looked exactly how they had left it a few hours earlier.

“Jack, can you go wash up and change your clothes and I’ll make us lunch?” The little boy nodded. Aaron stopped outside of Reid’s room and listened for any sign that the younger man was awake. When he met with nothing but silence, he slowly opened the door and found Reid still curled up in bed. That was good; it meant he’d had nearly eleven hours of sleep—something that Hotch knew was always a rare commodity for Spencer. He did need to wake up and get some food into him though, so Aaron sat down on the edge of the bed. He pressed a hand to Reid’s forehead, pleased to find his temperature almost back to normal. “Reid,” he called softly. “Wake up.” He slowly rubbed Reid’s shoulder, feeling him gradually starting to stir. “Come on, Spencer. You can rest more after you’ve had something to eat and drink.” Slowly, tired red eyes blinked open. “You’ve been asleep for a long time. Take your time waking up,” Aaron said. Reid opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was a hoarse croak. He coughed into his fist before trying again.

“What time is it?”

“Nearly 1pm. Jack and I just got back from his soccer game.” Reid rubbed his forehead. “I’m going to go fix some lunch. I’ll get you something for the headache after you eat something,” Hotch said. Reid nodded, reaching for the tissues

“Thaahh ahh…thag you,” he managed before sneezing. AhhHehhNGSCHHoo! Hehh Ehh…HEH AHHH…HehhAHHHNGTSHHooo! AhhEHHSNTCCHHooo! HehhAHHHSNGSSHHHoooo!! He groaned and blew his nose into the crumpled wad of tissues.

“Bless you,” came a young voice in the doorway. Jack was standing there watching the interaction between his father and his favorite uncle. When his dad smiled, Jack came into the room and stood next to the bed. Reid leaned back against the headboard and rubbed his red nose.

“How was your soccer game?” he asked. Jack didn’t answer, but narrowed his eyes in a manner reminiscent of his father. Then he climbed up on the bed and wrapped his arms around Spencer’s neck. Jack rested his head on Reid’s shoulder and sighed. Reid’s eyes widened with surprise but he returned the little boy’s hug, casting a questioning glance at Aaron.

“He heard us talking last night. Didn’t you, buddy?” Jack nodded.

“Daddy said you had a friend that died,” Jack said. Reid immediately felt a knot in his throat and tears sting his eyes.

“Yeah…uh yeah I did,” he said. Jack tightened his hold.

“I’m sorry you’re sad, Uncle Spencer.” Reid sighed and closed his eyes to keep the tears from falling.

“I miss her,” he whispered.

“I still miss mommy, but I don’t get sad as much.” Aaron had been watching silently, but he patted Reid’s legs through the blankets.

“And it’s okay to be sad, right Jack?”

“Right.”

“And then you start to feel happy again?”

“Yep,” Jack said. He leaned back and looked at Reid. The minute he opened his eyes, a couple tears ran down his face. Jack hugged him again and whispered,

“Poor Uncle Spencer.” A few more tears fell before Reid took a shaky deep breath and gave Jack a squeeze.

“Thank you, Jack,” he whispered. The little boy smiled then turned to his father,

“I think Uncle Spencer needs macaroni and cheese for lunch,” he said. Aaron arched an eyebrow.

“Really?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Well then I guess I should get to work,” Hotch said. He glanced at Reid then added, “Jack, why don’t you go grab your stool and wash your hands so you can help me?”

“Okay, Daddy.” When they were alone, Aaron turned to Reid,

“Are you okay?” he asked. Reid nodded and scrubbed a hand over his face, taking a deep breath and trying to get his emotions in check again. “I can make you something else to eat,” Hotch said. “I wouldn’t mind an excuse to not have to eat another bowl of macaroni and cheese.”

“Actually it doesn’t sound too bad,” Reid said. “I’m gonna clean up and change my clothes ad…Ahh…hang od…” His nose twitched and he barely managed to get a couple tissues to his nose. Hehh EHHngtschhOO! Heh AHHSNSSTCHHooo! HehAHHGNSSCHHHOOOO!! He sniffed thickly and froze as the tickle overwhelmed him again. EhhAHHNGzschhhOOO! AhhSNGSSCHHooo! “Ugh. Excuse be.”

“Bless you,” Hotch said frowning.

“I’b okay,” Reid said, seeing the unasked question on his boss’ face. “I’ll meet you guys id a few bidutes.”

TBC...

[darkness-is-the-light]

This is so amazing!!!! I can't stress to you how happy this fic has made me!!!!

[Amberlight24]

As always, AMAZING. Thank you so much!

[SpookyBoi]

Poor Reid he's just having a hard time. Continue!

[Amberlight24]

I hope you continue, you write so wonderfully!

[Meala]

I agree with you Belieber!!!!

Just to let you know I actually found a video (off camera though) of Matthew (Reid) sneezing, do you want me to give you the link? I know you really love this character and I wanted to know if you wanted to hear the real thing instead of stories (even thought they're amazing.)

Hi! if its not a bother can i see the link of Matthew sneezing? i have been trying to find that for ages!!

[Meala]

This story is amazing and very spot on!! <3 i love this so much!!

[darkness-is-the-light]

I agree with you Belieber!!!!

Just to let you know I actually found a video (off camera though) of Matthew (Reid) sneezing, do you want me to give you the link? I know you really love this character and I wanted to know if you wanted to hear the real thing instead of stories (even thought they're amazing.)

Hi! if its not a bother can i see the link of Matthew sneezing? i have been trying to find that for ages!!

Oh my god, it's just such a big problem for you to ask!! No I won't give it to you!! I'm just kidding!! Here's the link, it's at 2:49 I think, it's off camera but you can still tell it's him because there's a voice after it and it sounds like him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dqzrXp2aHo It's nice to find another fellow Matthew fan.

[Meala]

I agree with you Belieber!!!!

Just to let you know I actually found a video (off camera though) of Matthew (Reid) sneezing, do you want me to give you the link? I know you really love this character and I wanted to know if you wanted to hear the real thing instead of stories (even thought they're amazing.)

Hi! if its not a bother can i see the link of Matthew sneezing? i have been trying to find that for ages!!

Oh my god, it's just such a big problem for you to ask!! No I won't give it to you!! I'm just kidding!! Here's the link, it's at 2:49 I think, it's off camera but you can still tell it's him because there's a voice after it and it sounds like him. http://www.youtube.c...h?v=1dqzrXp2aHo It's nice to find another fellow Matthew fan.

YES ITS SO HARD FOR ME TO FIND CRIMINAL MINDS FANS HERE IN MY PLACE </3 hihi Matthew is my favorite! love him to bits!

[matilda3948]

Hi all. Thanks for being patient while I wrapped this story up--endings are always soooo much harder than beginnings. Hope you like it!

The rest of the day was uneventful enough—naps and movies and an early bedtime for the young soccer star. Like the night before, Hotch and Reid were sitting in the living room playing an unofficial game of “Chicken” to see who would talk first. Spencer felt like his cold put him at a distinct disadvantage because he could only last a few minutes without coughing or sneezing.

HehhNTsschhooo! Hehh AhhhTSSSCHHooo!

“Bless you,” Hotch said for probably the hundredth time that day. Spencer tried to reply, but all that came out was a whisper that made him cough. Once he finally cleared his throat he said,

“Sorry.” Hotch shrugged off his apology and stood up.

“Would you drink tea?” he asked.

“Um…yeah I would. Thanks,” Reid said. Aaron squeezed his shoulder as he left the room and headed towards the kitchen. Spencer rested his head in his hands. His mind had been racing all day, trying to process everything that they’d talked about the night before. While he’d been mortified that he’d completely broken down in front of Hotch, he had to admit that it felt… “good” wasn’t the right word, but it felt less awful to have someone else support him for a few minutes. Of course, the team always supported him—at least as much as Spencer would allow. He wanted to blame the grieving process for keeping his teammates at arm’s length recently. He wanted to think it was part of denying Maeve’s death, or being angry at his team for not saving her in time, or being too depressed to ask for help, but he knew that wasn’t really it. Spencer knew the real reason he’d pushed his them all away…and apparently Hotch did too. When the older man came back in with two cups of tea, Spencer took a few small sips, letting it soothe his raw throat.

“You’re right,” Reid said quietly. Hotch tilted his head.

“About?”

“The profile. I mean, of course it’s right but…” He trailed off and seemed to be searching for words, a very un-Reid-like problem.

“Take your time,” Aaron said. “I’ll help you figure it out.”

“You can’t help,” Reid sighed, running his hands over his pale face. “I didn’t quit because of…because of her,” he said. “At least not completely because of her.” Hotch nodded, encouraging him to continue. Reid twisted the tissue in his hand and dropped his eyes. “You’re right—this team is my family and I realized that it’s only a matter of time before I lose one of you again.”

“Reid—”

“It’s true and this week…in that warehouse I realized that if I saw it happen—if I watched another person I cared about die right in front of me…I wouldn’t survive it.” He was almost glad for the tickle that assaulted his nose because it let him avoid making eye contact with his boss for just a little longer. He pulled a couple tissues from the box and turned his back. EhhAHHNGzschhhOOO! EhhhSNGSSCHHooo!

“Bless you.”

“Thag you.” He sniffled and turned back around to find Hotch wearing that unique mix of concern and deep concentration. After a few minutes of silence, Reid because to get fidgety.

“Hotch…say something.” His frown deepened and he seemed to choose his words with extreme care.

“Do you think that by not being with team, there’s less of a chance that one of us will get hurt?” he finally asked. Reid hesitated and Hotch had his answer; that somewhere deep inside, Spencer thought distancing himself would keep the others safe. As is reading his mind, Reid said,

“I know it’s illogical, but I can’t help feeling like…like I’m bad luck or something. And even if I’m not,” he continued, “How long before it happens? Morgan tries to play hero and gets himself shot? JJ loses the upper hand in a fight…or you run into a burning building to save a kid, or Rossi misreads a serial killer? Even Garcia! I can’t…I just…I swear Hotch, I can’t survive it!”

“Damn,” Hotch sighed. “I am so sorry, Spencer.” His eyes jerked up—he’d never heard his boss swear before and he rarely heard him sound so…so sad.

“For what?” he asked.

“I knew you worried about this, but I didn’t really understand how much until now. I didn’t know it ran so deep—that it scared you this much,” he said. Reid bristled slightly.

“It’s not that bad,” he said defensively.

“Then why are you shaking?” Hotch asked. Reid looked down and realized his whole body was trembling. “It happened in Portland too,” Hotch said. “I’m not sure if you even noticed it, but the drive back to the hotel, most of plane ride, you shook the whole time. It’s your sympathetic nervous system kicking into overdrive.” Aaron grabbed the blanket off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around Reid’s shoulders. “Even talking about this triggers your fight or flight response.” Reid didn’t know what to say. Hotch was right of course—the physiology made sense, he just hadn’t noticed it before. Hotch sat down next to him and started to wrap an arm around Reid, but stopped himself. “May I try something?” he asked. Reid gave him a shaky nod. Hotch pulled the blanket tightly around Reid’s upper body before wrapping the young man up in, what could only be described as, a bear hug. “If you feel panicked, tell me and I’ll let go,” he said quietly. “But sometimes constrictive pressure can suppress an overactive sympathetic nervous response.” He knew Reid already knew this information, but he thought that hearing scientific facts might help him calm down a little. Slowly, Spencer’s muscles relaxed and he rested his forehead against Hotch’s shoulder.

“Mimics security…makes the body feel less vulnerable to attack…” Reid mumbled.

“That’s right,” Hotch said as tremors continued to routinely assault the younger man. Slowly though, the shaking started to lessen. Hotch thought he might have even fallen asleep when Reid suddenly tried to pull away. “What’s wrong?”

“Haahh have to ahh…” Luckily, Hotch got the point and Reid managed to not sneeze all over his boss. Hehh AhhhGNTSCHHooo! HehhNTSSCHH!

“Here,” Hotch said, holding a handful of tissues out to him. Reid kept one hand over his dripping nose and grabbed the tissues. His eyes watered as the tickle flared up again. HeehNMPTSSCHHoo! AhhGNMSCHHHooo! He muffled another pair of sneezes into the tissues before giving his nose a wet blow. He took a few experimental sniffs and scrambled for the tissues again. AhhEHHSNTCCHHooo! HehhAHHHSNGSSHHHoooo!!

“Bless you.”

“Thag you,” Reid sighed. “Sorry.” He took a couple swallows of his now-cold tea. “Um, Hotch? Is there any more of this?” he asked, nodding towards his mug.

“Of course. I’ll get you a refill.” Hotch smiled slightly, glad to have finally stumbled upon something that Reid seemed to enjoy. When he came back, Reid seemed deep in thought. “Want to tell me where your head is?” he asked. Reid accepted the mug and looked up at Hotch with wide eyes.

“What do I do?” he asked quietly. “You’re the smartest person I know, Hotch. You’ve been through… through so much. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

He didn’t take the charge lightly. Hotch knew Reid was desperate for answers and would analyze everything he was about to say. He sat down on the edge of the coffee table so he was directly across from Reid.

“You know I can’t tell you what to do,” he said slowly, noting the crestfallen look on Reid’s face. “I don’t know what the right decision is for you, Spencer. Here’s what I can tell you though. We will support your decision, no matter what. We will still be your family even if you can’t do the job. Nothing is guaranteed in this world—not even our lives. I do want you to understand something though: We are better with you, than without. Your presence on the team makes us safer, not the other way around. If the risk of witnessing one of us getting hurt is too much, that’s okay. I understand. But it would happen in spite of you, not because of you and I need to make sure you understand that.” Hotch held still and let Reid study his face and body language for any indication that he was lying. Reid looked for even the tiniest sign that Hotch didn’t believe what he was saying—that he was just paying lip service to keep him from quitting. He found none.

“Thank you,” Reid whispered. Hotch nodded and gave him a slight smile. Reid yawned and scrubbed a hand over his face. The last hour had left him exhausted.

“Come on,” Hotch said, standing up. “You’re half asleep already.” Reid got up and took a couple steps towards his room when he turned around and grabbed the tissue box.

Hehh EHH…HehhGNTSCHHHoo! EhhhSNTSSCHHHoo! Ahh Hahh…HehhIHHTSSCHHOOOOO!! He doubled over sneezing harshly.

“Bless you.”

“Ugh. Thag you.” He blew his nose but didn’t make any move to go to bed.

“Reid? You alright?” Hotch asked.

“Yeah. Um, I just…could I ask you a favor?” He asked, staring at the floor.

“Of course.”

“Could…could you do that thing you did before? You know…when I was shaking?” An embarrassed blush settled on Reid’s face. For his part, Aaron wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry—Spencer Reid was asking for a hug the only way he knew how.

Hotch approached the embarrassed genius and wrapped his arms around him. Much as he suspected, there wasn’t even a hint of a tremor in Reid’s thin frame. Hotch held him firmly, but didn’t apply even half the pressure he did before. That wasn’t his purpose this time. This wasn’t about calming Reid’s panic; this was about reminding him that he was loved no matter what decisions he made with his life. Aaron squeezed the back of his neck as Reid relaxed. Truthfully, Hotch was surprised by how long Reid allowed the contact to continue. When he finally did back up, Hotch saw he had tears in his eyes. Spencer sniffed a couple times and wiped the tears away.

“Hotch, on Monday do you think you could put in a couple days of medical leave for me?” Reid asked. Hotch nodded.

“As long as you need.”

“Just until I’m over this cold. I want to be healthy when I come back to work.”

[darkness-is-the-light]

I hate that this ended, I love this so much!! Now we'll only have to wait for a sickness episode to be made, and that will be umm.... never by the way that they're going *sigh*

[ichixshiro14]

Absolutely amazing. I am in awe of your characterization!!

[Amberlight24]

I cannot thank you enough for this story! Im sad to see an ending but I admire your talent and drive with this amazing character I hope you write more in the future! Your writing is amazing.

[PetalPunk]

I absolutely love your CM fics. You make all the right people suffer. And the way you profiled Reid thru Hotch's eyes makes me think you could write for the show! Probably all the fans like you could write a better ep than whomever is currently writing. 

Anyway, I did have a question: I've seen all eps of CM and I don't know who Georgia is. Could you refresh my memory? 

[Seeker]

I utterly adore this story. I love Reid, but I only had seen an episode here and there. I read this story, got on Netflix, and binge watched. Took me almost 2 months to get where this story would be...but I've read it many times. Very excellent 

[Seeker]

On 5/2/2016 at 0:59 AM, flowerpower67 said:

I absolutely love your CM fics. You make all the right people suffer. And the way you profiled Reid thru Hotch's eyes makes me think you could write for the show! Probably all the fans like you could write a better ep than whomever is currently writing. 

Anyway, I did have a question: I've seen all eps of CM and I don't know who Georgia is. Could you refresh my memory? 

"Georgia" refers to the state--the Hankle case

[turtlesneeze]

This is such a great fic! I love anything Criminal Minds! I've watched them all and love the accuracy you use with your characters!!!