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TWO WEEKS LATER
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"Guys! We have a new case! Meeting in the briefing room in five." JJ said as she rushed by to set up for the briefing.
"Okay, JJ!" Morgan called.
"Okay." Reid said quietly.
Reid had been quiet ever since his and Morgans talk on the jet a few weeks earlier.
Morgan stared at Reid.
Reid frowned.
"What?"
"Oh sorry. I was thinking about what I wanted for lunch."
Reid raised an eyebrow.
"You were thinking about lunch so you were staring at me? Statistically thats not actually very plausible."
Morgan shrugged.
"Last night police received a call from a child help line about a sexual abuse victim saying the same thing as nine other male children in less than six weeks."
"What did they say?" Hotch asked.
"Each boy said: Help me. Find me. Each call was traced and each child found. Each time it was found that the child that had called in was indeed suffering from long term sexual abuse.
The latest victim, Daniel Johnson, is still in the hospital and it is believed that this is a serial rapist specifically targeting male children aged ten to fifteen."
JJ said, showing them multiple pictures of Daniel Johnson and several other teenaged boys.
Morgan noticed that Reid flinched slightly at that last part.
Sure the case was a little uncomfortable seeing as it involved kids and sexual abuse, but Reid had never flinched at cases like this before... had he? Now that he thought about it, Reid DID always look uncomfortable and occasionally flinched at certain pictures and words! He also detested touch...
"Okay team I'll give you your case files on the plane, grab your go bags, wheels up in twenty." Hotch said rushing out of the room. Less then a minute later everyone except Morgan and Reid had left.
"Reid? Are you okay?"
Reid looked up.
"Y-yeah. Why?"
"Reid... You're not okay. What's wrong?" Morgan asked from across the table.
"Just, this case. It feels so... Familiar."
Reid shrugged.
"I know it does. And Reid?"
Reid looked up.
"Yeah?"
"D-did you always flinch whenever JJ or anyone talked about sexual abuse and rape cases?"
Reid frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Morgan sighed.
"When JJ was explaining the case, you flinched when she said how old those boys were and the pictures..." Morgan said shaking his head.
Reid opened his mouth several times, only to close it again.
Then just covered his face.
"Reid there's nothing to be ashamed of. My first three years here I couldn't stand bodies. Not even pictures!"
Morgan said walking over to Reid and placing his hand on Reids shoulder.
"If you've noticed, what has Hotch or Gideon seen?!"
"Hey, hey! Pretty boy, calm down! Do they know?"
"But they'll think I can't do my job! They'll fire me!"
"Reid! Calm down! You're not going to get fired just because you flinch at a few pictures! Okay? Trust me! Do they know?"
Reid finally calmed down and shook his head.
"No. Only you."
"Reid, you need to tell them. Or at the very least tell Gideon."
"What?! Why?!" Reid said, starting to panic again.
"Reid! I said: calm down! You need to tell one of them so that they know and can maybe help."
"Help with what? I don't NEED help! I don't NEED to tell Gideon!"
"Tell me what?" Gideon asked from behind them.
Reid jumped up and turned around to face Gideon.
"Gideon!"
"Tell me what?" Gideon asked again, suspiciously.
"Nothing!" Reid said, starting to panic.
"Reid!" Morgan said sternly.
"What?" Reid said turning to Morgan.
"My secrets out. Why not yours. You told me." Morgan said, spreading his arms wide, a pleading look on his face.
"Yeah, I know. But... But...."
"Reid, I understand man. Your scared. But it's obvious that it affects you!"
"Affects me? This is exactly why I'm worried about getting fired!" Reid yelled, a pleading look directed at Morgan.
Reid jumped at someones hand on his shoulder.
"Reid, whatever it is, you can tell me. You know that!" Gideon said gently.
Reid looked away from them both.
He shut his eyes tight.
When he opened them he sat down. Gideon knew now that he had a secret and even Reid knew that this affected him some. Gideon sat down, and Reid ran his fingers through is too long hair.
"Reid, if this is about when you were bullied as a kid, it's not exactly a secret."
Reid swallowed.
"Unless this is about something deeper than that..." Gideon said. Frowning.
"Reid... Spencer. You can trust Gideon. If you trust me, then trust me, Gideon should know."
By now Reid was chewing on his lip and fiddling with his hands.
"Gideon, do you mind giving us five minutes? Go get ready and come back."
Gideon nodded, stood up, then left.
Reid was covering his face when Morgan kneeled down.
He placed his hand on Reids knee and he flinched, so he pulled back.
"Reid... Spencer, please..."
Reid swallowed and blinked a few times.
"Spencer, I know how hard it is. To tell. To have everyone know. But this is GIDEON we're talking about. You trusted me..."
"But... That's because you know the pain, the shame, the humiliation. Sure Gideon knows every other thing about me, in detail. But he doesn't understand, like you do."
"Spencer, he may not understand like I do, but you cannot say he doesn't understand."
Morgan commented, shaking his head.
"I don't... I don't think I could say it again." Reid said looking up, he had tears in his eyes.
Reid had been through way more then Morgan had. He was different, he didn't have a proper Mother, no siblings, and pretty much no friends until now. He was fragile, and needed to be protected.
"Spencer, how about I tell Gideon."
Reid frowned and shook his head.
"No. That's not really a good idea."
Now Morgan frowned.
"Why not, Spencer?" Morgan asked gently.
Reid looked away.
"Reid, I'm giving you a choice. Either I tell him or you do."
Tears spilt over Reids eyes.
"Please... Morgan. Everything will change. I see the way everyone looks at you now. Pity. I don't want more of that!"
"Reid! I see it too and I'm GLAD they know. At first I wished the didn't but I feel like I can really sigh. I can really smile. I can really laugh. I-I can really cry. And it feels... Good. Please..."
Reid closed his eyes.
"Okay." Reid said quietly.
"Am I telling him, or are you?"
"You. I-I couldn't look him in the face after."
Morgan nodded.
"Reid. I'm going to get a glass of water, and I want you to drink it and calm down. Then I'm going to grab our bags and put them on the plane and I'll come back and get you."
Reid nodded, head in his hands again.
Morgan grabbed the water and gave it to Reid, put their go bags on the plane, and was now sitting across from him on the private BAU jet.
"Reid... None of this will change."
Morgan said suddenly.
Reid sighed.
"Yeah... Right."
Morgan sighed.
"You don't believe me now but... You will. I just know, you will."
Reid looked away and bit his lip.
"Reid... Ummm... I have to ask because Gideon will ask. Can Hotch know? Can the rest of the team know?"
Reids eyes got wide.
"No! You... Y-you can't tell the team! They'll treat me like a freak!"
Morgan frowned.
"Reid, look around! Nobody treats me any different! You're the little brother, everyone loves you! And because they love you, nothing will change!" Morgan said angrily, but not so loud that everyone heard.
Fresh tears rolled down Reids cheeks and he looked away again.
Morgan sighed.
"Spencer, I'm sorry. I know this is hard for you but I know, that you know, I'm right."
Reid didn't respond.
Morgan switched seats, again.
He put his hand on Reids shoulder. This time, he didn't flinch.
"Spencer, can Gideon tell Hotch and the team?" Morgan said as gently as he could.
After a few minutes of silence Reid finally spoke.
"Yes." Reid said emotionlessly and quietly.
Morgan nodded and patted his friends shoulder.
"Thank you, Spencer."
"Hey, Gideon, can I talk to you?"
They had landed in Haileyville, Oklahoma just over two and a half hours ago.
"This is about Reid, right?" Gideon asked looking up from his book.
"Yeah." Morgan replied looking down at his feet.
"I already know he was bullied severally so... This is about something else, right?"
"Yeah." Morgan said, nodding.
Gideon sighed.
"So, what?" Gideon asked, placing his book down onto the long wooden table.
"Did you know in high school Reid supposedly became... close to his math teacher?"
Gideon shook his head.
"Nope."
Morgan sighed and looked at his feet.
"Gideon, Reid started high school at the age of ten. Have you ever noticed how mentally, Reids an academic genius, but socially? Socially he's estimated ten years old."
Gideon nodded.
"I'm following so far..."
Morgan sighed heavily and looked up.
"Something happened... Something traumatic enough to make Reid pull back socially..."
Gideon pressed.
"Yeah."
"You mentioned a teacher. So Reid became close to a teacher in high school, when he was ten... Something happened, what?" Gideon asked,shrugging.
"Abuse." Morgan said looking up.
Gideon frowned.
"Sexual, physical, or emotional?"
Morgan sighed deeply.
"Sexual."
Gideon nodded.
"And finding out about your past... Made him trust you enough to tell you."
Gideon finished.
Morgan nodded.
"Did Reid tell you what happened?"
"Yeah."
"I'm going to talk to Reid tomorrow."
Morgan frowned deeply.
"Umm... Yeah, Gideon, I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?"
Gideon asked frowning.
"He's scared, ashamed, humiliated. It was hard enough for him to tell me! I don't want him getting hurt, and he will if he keeps bringing up his awful past."
"What'd you tell him?"
"Told him the BAU was a family, and he was the younger brother that everybody loved, and that, would never change."
After a few minutes, Gideon nodded.
"I'm going to talk to Reid. But, I want you to be there for him. The big brother."
Morgan nodded.
"Okay.... And also, Gideon, Reid says you can tell Hotch and the team, but its up to you."
"I need to tell Hotch. But does the team need to know, is my question."
"It's not up to me but, I think the team needs to know."
"Why do you say that?"
"I've learned that if the team thinks somethings up, if they think you're hiding something, they'll want to know. They'll be distracted, and I think, especially with Reid, they need to know."
Gideon nodded.
It was now the next day and the team was in an office in the HVPD.
"Reid, Morgan, I'd like you to go down to the hospital and interview the latest victim, Daniel Johnson." Hotch said to the two agents.
"Oh and Morgan..." Gideon called as they were about to leave.
"Yeah?"
"I'd like it if you could build his trust up, before you question him. Take as long as you need."
Morgan nodded.
"Okay."
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I Understand More Then You Know by CMFANS2E12
Chapter Notes: WARNING: Mentions of sexual abuse rated M
Endnotes: PLEASE REVIEW!!!