Criminal Minds 1. Chapter 1

**UPDATE:**** I reposted this because there were a bunch of oops! and it bugged me. Still the same story. Hope it's less distracting now and that yall like it. Peace out! ;)**

**A/N: Okay, I seem to be getting ahead of myself. I already have this new idea and am going to start writing it before I have even fished my first fanfic- ever. I'm sorry, but I promise to keep updating my other fic "Untraceable" steadily, but this just won't leave me alone and the sooner I get it out of my head, the better. Plus, this is going to be WAY shorter than my first fic. Most likely a one shot, a **_**long**_** one shot but a one shot- but subject to change should enough interest be shown. ;) I got the idea from a mix of the rumor that either Mathew Gray Gubler or Spencer Reid is allergic to latex- though I'm pretty sure it's MGG, but I'm gonna play off on it and an inspiration from "Afraid Of The Dark" by omalleyanatomy26. **

**Warnings for this would be somewhat harsh violence, anaphylactic shock and a curse word here or there.**

**Well, you read the summary- I assume- so you know what it's about, so I'll just get to it then. ;)**

**Disclaimer****: Oh yeah, and if you recognize anything in here (AKA- Reid *hint hint*), then it's not mine. Unfortunately. ;)**

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It's not like he had had a bad day, quite the contrary, but Reid couldn't deny that he was happy to be home. It had been a tough couple of days and a rather rough case. But they caught the guy right before he was about to kill another poor girl. She was able to be held by her loving parents again as they cried over her when they saw her at the station. Thanks to the team and their efforts she would be able to go home. Though she would never be the same.

Granted, they had saved her but not before the unSub had raped her. If that weren't bad enough, they had to shoot him in front of her- right in front of her. She had been covered in blood, _his_ blood. Though she had washed it away she said she could still feel it on her. It was cruel irony to call her saved and even crueler to admit that, given the situation, that was the best outcome they could have hoped for.

It was days like this that made the job murderously frustrating from the clashing of emotions of failure and reward. But there were many of those days. More than any of that the team cared to count. They got over them in their own ways, and came back day after day for seconds.

It was Reid's time to get over it. He would eat a bowl of Lucky Charms and read a book- the entire book, then go to bed. He would clear his head and think of nothing about the last few days and only on the words on the pages in front of him. He would relax in the steady rhythm of inner speech and the soft turning of the pages. He would let everything go and not think but simply know that he and the team _were_ making a difference and that was why he would go to work the next day.

Home sweet home- well, more like empty apartment sweet empty apartment. But it wasn't empty.

As he walked his typical path down the hall to his sanctuary, Reid could see that the door was open, no more than an inch. He quickly drew his gun as he approached, ready for anything. The door had been forced open visible by the multitude of scratches and chips in the paint in front of the deadbolt. The inner door frame was completely detached from the wall. Spencer could hear murmured voices coming from inside as he heard things being moved around in a rushed delicacy, trying to go unnoticed.

Spencer slammed his shoulder against the door and threw it wide as he entered the apartment gun raised. There was a man standing in his living room in a dark hoody and a Richard Nixon mask holding a vase that he promptly dropped as he threw his hands up in the air as a sign of surrender.

Reid only saw the one man but knew he had heard at least two voices, and before he had time to turn his gun and gaze into the kitchen on his right, he was promptly punched in the face. Spencer was knocked completely off balance sending his gun flying across the room as he collided with the wall, braking a framed pictured of the team there.

The man who had punched Reid was wearing a Spiderman mask and came at him. Reid prepared for this, ducked the man's tempted right hook and rammed his shoulder into the man's gut and pushed him into the divider of the kitchen. Reid stumbled backwards from the effort in shoving the man and amazement at his own forcefulness when he was once again punched in the face, though this time by Richard Nixon.

Off balance and face burning yet again, Spencer stumbled and spun around slightly before he flung out his fist widely unable to aim at anyone due to the fuzziness clouding his vision. He was pleased to hear the groan telling him he had hit someone until he felt the pain in his own hand.

Suddenly, there were hands yanking his arms back while Spiderman punched him repeatedly in the gut and then twice more in the face. Spencer, completely dazed hung limply with a bloody nose in Nixon's grasp as he wondered how he had not yet been knocked unconscious from the multiple blows to his now painfully throbbing head. He was fairly certain he had a concussion.

Spencer heard the sound of tape being pulled away from the roll as his vision swam and he was able to make out said roll of tape in Spiderman's hand- duct tape. The man had undeniably brought it with him because Reid didn't own any. He hadn't used duct tape in years- it was too risky. Reid's eyes widened in horror as he saw the man approach, knowing what was to come.

"No. Don't-" Reid began panicked but was cut short.

"Shut up!" Spidey shouted before he torn off a large piece and bent down to tape up Spencer's legs. Reid kicked out and pushed against the man holding him. They didn't understand. They were going to kill him!

"Don't! Please!" Spencer tired again shouting, begging. "You don't understand!"

"I said 'shut up!'" Spiderman yelled at him before he struck him again. Reid's head flung violently sideways as he gasped in pain before his head was yanked back up by his hair where the tape was jammed forcefully across his mouth and wrapped around the back of his head.

It was too late now. His only chance was to break free and get to a hospital. Reid tripled his efforts tenfold. He was kicking and pushing and squirming. Anything to get away. He shoved against Nixon hard enough that his feet came off the ground and the man lost balance for just a moment.

"Hurry up!" He called to his partner as he tried to restrain the struggling Reid.

The man had ripped off another piece of tape and was now trying to wrap it around Spencer's flailing feet which finally struck the man in the face. The man holding Reid laughed at his partner's pain and continued to do so when Spencer was again slugged across the face, snapping his head to the right.

Barely conscious, Reid hung limply as Spiderman finally succeeded in taping Reid ankles together, far tighter than was strictly necessary. Now unable to support himself properly from the awkward placement of his feet, Spencer too, was unable to fight his attackers as Nixon ripped off his bag and forced his arms behind his back while Spiderman tore off yet another piece of tape and wrapped it around Spencer's wrists binding them excruciatingly tight and digging into his flesh.

"Stuff him in the closet!" Spiderman told Nixon and Reid felt himself being dragged down the hallway.

He couldn't let them stick him in the closet. He would never get out and no one would come looking for him for at least hours to come. He would be dead by then. It was already becoming hard to breathe. Spencer doubled his efforts and fought again against the man dragging him to his death. Reid writhed and twisted in the man's arms and then put all his weight against the man as he raised his bound feet and pushed with all his might against the wall, hopping to jar the man's hold, grunting with his effort.

"Will you help me with him?" Nixon shouted at his partner in frustration.

Spiderman came over and threw open Reid's supply cupboard in the hall. The man reached in and pulled out the vacuum, broom, and mop and threw them to the side as Reid continued to struggle against his attackers_. How did they know this was the closet?_ Undoubtedly they had already opened it looking for hidden treasured and valuable items to steal.

Spencer wrestled and yelled at the robbers through the tape as they forced him into the cramped closet where he fell to the floor unable to balance under his own weight. Reid gave the robbers one last pleading look and begged them again through the tape.

"_Please!"_

The door was slammed in his face and he was thrown into darkness. Reid hated the dark. He hated tight spaces. And most of all, he hated being tied up with what would very well kill him. One of the most basic ingredients in almost every brand of duct tape, was latex, to which Reid was deathly allergic.

He knew all the bumbo- jumbo about how allergies don't always surface at a young age and can spring up on people as adults, so he wasn't too surprised to learn after he had join the FBI and was examining a crime scene, wearing latex gloves, that his hands turned a ghastly shade of red and itched something terrible. Morgan had been there and it scared him to death.

After much insisting and one order from the team, Hotch, Reid had gone to the hospital to be told by a doctor of his diagnosis. The doc had said the allergic reactions can and often do get worse with every exposure and that this being Reid's first reaction and so strong, the doc insisted that Reid keep an EpiPen on him at all times in the future and to make sure his co-workers knew where it was in case something did happen. So Reid switched to those goofy blue latex free gloves for crime scenes and hadn't touched anything with latex since. Almost.

He got a pretty bad reaction once previously at the office after his diagnosis. Reid was pretty sure it had come from his easer. It had been far more severe than the last time. It had started to get hard to breathe- very hard, and he had needed to stab himself in the leg with the pen that he kept in his bag. Always. Garcia was so freaked out she had started crying. But the pen did its job and Reid was fine. After that the team had gotten together and did some sort of warped intervention and purged Reid's home and office of all latex products from a list of which Garcia had compiled during her worrisome mother hen mode.

All that and Reid still had managed to get caught up in this. He didn't get. One way or another, everything humanly possible, all bad at least, seemed to happen to him. Reid heard something scraping across the wood floor and then slam up against the door to the closet. The robbers had barricaded the door with one of Reid's table chairs. There was no way he was getting out of here. Not alone.

_Alone!_

That's it! He need to let someone know he was here and something was wrong!

_How?_

_Phone! Where's my phone?_

How was he supposed to talk to anyone let alone press the buttons to make the call when his hands were bound behind his back and tape across his mouth? He was just going to have to try. Feeling and remembering that his phone was in his pocket from the last call he made that day, Reid started to try to fish it out.

With great difficulty Reid managed to get his back on the floor, trying to turn the opening of his pocket upside down. But it wasn't enough. Reid pushed of the ground with his feet arching his back with his hips up turning the pocket a further 20 degrees. Reid felt the phone begin to slip free but still seemed to be clinging inside the pocket.

Reid shook his body and jostled around as much as possible trying to stir the phone lose, banging his head, kicking his feet and knocking things down causing quiet a ruckus. Though not nearly as loud as the robbers who Reid could now hear ransacking his place, braking glass and over turning his bookshelves. Finally, with a blessed clattering of plastic on the ground, Spencer's phone came loose of his pockets.

Reid scrunched around, scooting up into a sitting position and fumbled around the ground behind his back for the phone. He couldn't find it. He turned this way and that feeling around but only seemed to be finding handfuls of dust. He was staring to panic. The tightness in his chest was building and his throat felt as if he had swallowed a Brilo-pad. His wrists, ankles and mouth all had a pens-and-needles kind of numb tingly that was furiously itchy, and he was sure if he saw himself that Reid's skin around the tape would be flaming red and swollen. He knew what was happening; it had been inevitable ever since the tape had first touched his skin. Spencer was going into anaphylactic shock and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Forcing himself to calm and to take a strained deep breath, Spencer's hand finally clasped around the small heavenly object. Faintly Reid registered that the other sounds in his apartment were now gone and the robbers had left. This phone really was his only chance now.

Spencer didn't need the phone in front of him as he felt around for the buttons of a number he knew all too well behind his back. Thank God, he hadn't gotten a touch screen phone.

Reid leaned back and carefully set the phone down speaker up before he gave it a small shove so that it slid out in front of him and he twisted his body around to bend down and listen to the ringing of the phone telling him it was trying to connect to the desired number.

_Come on!_

_Pick up._

_Pick UP!_

"Hey, Reid? What's going on?"

Spencer had never been more happy in his entire life to here Morgan's voice than he was in that moment. Reid started to try to talk, to say anything behind the wretched tape. Anything that would make noise and let Morgan know something was wrong.

"Reid, I can understand you." Morgan said slowly, concerned.

Reid again jumbled and grunted words through the tape louder, begging Morgan to come help him- save him.

"Reid! Are you in your apartment?" Morgan asked completely horrified at his friend incoherent words and obvious struggle to speak.

Reid thanked God realizing Morgan understood and was going to come to him; he just had to know where. Spencer's whole body relaxed as it set in that at least Morgan would find him, maybe not in time but he would find him.

"Mmhm!" Reid managed to get across. It was becoming too hard to hold his head up. His eye started drooping and Spencer realized that that terrible sound he was hearing was his own wheezing breath.

"I'm coming, Reid! I'm coming! Hold on!" Morgan shouted through the phone, but Reid hadn't heard him. He was leaning against the side wall of the closet his head lolling onto his chest, his wheezing slowly becoming less and less audible.

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Morgan's SUV came screeching to a halt outside Reid's apartment complex, mere inches away from the entrance door. Not at all parked straight a legally, like the other government vehicles, police cars- six of them, outside the building. What they were doing here, he didn't care. He had to get to Reid. Now!

"Sir! You can't-" A police officer began to shout at Morgan as he ran towards the building entrance, but was ignored. Another policeman and his partner talking to a tenant right outside her door stared at him as he rushed by as another just passed them stuck out his hand to try to stop Morgan's progress.

"Sir!"

"FBI! Get out of my way!" Morgan shouted at the man ripping his wallet from his back pocket and shoving it in the officer's face before he hurried on leaving the man stunned. _Fuck the elevator_, Morgan's mind shouted as he dashed around the corner and flung open the door to the stairwell and began to take the steps three at a time.

Once on the third floor, Morgan threw open the stairwell door again and full out sprinted down the hall. All he could think about was that phone call. Reid couldn't talk. His voice was muffled and incoherent, like he was gagged. Morgan wouldn't let that phone call be the last thing he ever heard from his friend. He wouldn't. Just outside Reid's apartment, Morgan stopped, horrified.

Sense finally it him and Morgan drew his gun.

The door was wide open and hanging off the hinges. Pieces of the doorjamb were on the floor and through the door frame, Morgan could see the ravaged remains of what had once been Reid's home. Morgan slowly crept forward into the apartment and devastation. His mouth was open as he took in the overturned bookshelves with their contents everywhere: the floor, the couch. One of the shelves had fallen over onto the couch and now was propped up by it. The other bookcase had come crashing to the floor, smashing Reid's coffee table into shards.

The kitchen was totaled. All the cupboards where open, a few off their hinges. It seemed as though some had opened them just to slide out what was inside and send it cascading to the floor where it crumpled into powder. There wasn't a single dish left unbroken.

Living room. Clear.

Kitchen. Clear.

"Reid!" Morgan cried out to the apartment. No answer. "REID!" Nothing. Morgan entered further into the apartment and looked down the hall. He froze in horror as he saw that there was a chair tilted up against the wall, under the door knob to a door.

"Oh my God. REID!" Morgan screamed running down the hall. Why wasn't he answering? Morgan threw the chair aside and wrenched open the door.

"Oh my God." Morgan cried again and fell to his knees. Reid was on the floor of the closet, the phone next to his bound hands, the sound of a disconnected call and no service filling the small space. There was blood coming out of his nose and a gash right above his left eyebrow. His eye was a hideous shade of purple and was swollen shut and there was the beginning shadow of a bruise on his chin. His ankles and wrists were taped and there was tape wrapped all the way around his head across his mouth. His eye were closed and Morgan could hear him wheezing.

"Jesus." Morgan gasped horrified and reached into the closet, pulling Reid out and up against Morgan while he pulled off the binds and the gently pulled off the tape from Reid's mouth. Spencer hadn't moved and when the tape was removed the wheezing didn't stop.

"Reid? Come on, man." Morgan said, shaking the kid lightly as he held his shoulders and tapped his cheek. "Come on, man." Morgan said more forcefully, near tears.

"Where's your bag, Reid? Huh? Where?" Morgan asked. The kid needed his EpiPen. He knew he kept it in his bag. Reid had told all of them like the doc had asked, just in case. Just in case.

No answer.

Morgan finally accepting that Reid couldn't or just wasn't going to answer, set him gently down in the hallway and ran back into the living room.

"It's gotta be here. It's gotta be here!" Morgan said to himself. He had to find it. Reid needed it. He was going to die!

No! He wasn't! Right then by a miracle of God, Morgan saw the strap of the kid's side bag that was practically his third arm. It was under the fallen bookcase. Not even considering getting help from the multitude of officers or tenants Morgan grabbed the case with both hands and threw it across the room like he was in a "Strong Man" competition, though the case had no back and was empty of its books that now lay on the floor, where it landed on the other case. Morgan shuffled some of Reid's belongings off the bag, and snatched it up, clutching it tightly as he ran back down the hallway to his fallen brother.

He hadn't moved and was in the exact same position Morgan had set him down in- his legs slightly bent and arms away from his side.

"I got it." Morgan told the unhearing Spencer, as he collapsed to his knees and over turned the bag completely, shaking it violently so that its contents came spilling out, crashing to the floor.

With a small clatter of plastic Morgan threw the bag to the side as he made a mad grab for the capped syringe. Morgan's trembling hand nudged the needle as he tried to grasp it sending it inches away leading him to fumble for it and again pushed it away in his panicked state.

Morgan growing more and more fearful by the second slapped his hand straight down on the EpiPen, clasping in firmly in his hand and brought it to his mouth where he bit firmly on the cap at the same time he pulled the syringe away, leaving it bare and open, ready for use.

"Here it comes, kid." Morgan said, and grasping the EpiPen firmly in his fist, trust it down, plunging the epinephrine into Reid's leg. Reid didn't flinch, cry out or even move. He just lay there, deathly still. The syringe was empty and Morgan yanked it out, waiting.

"Reid?" Morgan begged softly, tears in his words, choking on them.

Still Reid did not move. And for one trembling moment, Morgan thought he was gone as the wheezing stopped. But he was wrong and he had never been so happy about it. Reid's body jerked on the floor as he gasped in fresh lungfuls of air and his one good eye fluttered open slightly.

Morgan gave out a shaking, gasping sigh in tears and grabbed Reid, pulling him off the floor hugging his back to Morgan's chest as he wrapped his arms around the kid, his body shaking from the relieving stress and Reid from his heavy breathing.

They didn't say anything as Reid continued to pant like he had ran a marathon and Morgan bit his lip to keep from sobbing and rested his chin on the kid's hair as he continued to hug him and rock gently side to side. Spencer brought up one hand and patted Morgan's arm around him, silently telling him how grateful he was and let it fall back down as he smiled.

Morgan could tell from the change in the tone of the kid's heavy breathing that he was smiling and Morgan couldn't help but let out a wet laugh.

"I hate you, you know that?" Morgan choked out playfully still rocking.

"I know." Spencer heaved.

Morgan chuckled again and they were silent again, at ease in the rocking and the sound of each other's hearts that they feared they would never hear again.

They were found that way by a policeman who barged into the room gun draw, but quickly holstered it, seeing the pair. It was the officer who Morgan had shoved his badge in the man's face, but he didn't seem upset.

"Heard yelling." He explained as he walked over and knelt down next to the pair. "Is he alright?" He asked Morgan motioning to Spencer in his arms.

"He needs to be check out at the hospital." Morgan replied, enough to let the man know he would live in the immediate future but still needed professional medical care.

"I'm fine, Morgan." Spencer said softly not opening his eyes.

"Shut up, Pretty Boy." Morgan chided softly, the way you would tell a child to go to sleep, not even braking rocking rhythm.

Reid didn't respond knowing it was a losing battled and caved in to let Morgan smother him protectively. He had to admit he probably did look a little worse for wear and he _had_ almost died, so maybe going to the hospital wasn't such a bad idea. But they were so boring when you were a patient and Reid was tired of being in hospitals. He should get a frequent customer discount or something.

"I'll call an ambulance." The officer told Morgan.

"Thank you." Morgan said as the man got up and walked away to call it in, leaving the two alone. Morgan figured now was probably the best time to get a description of the men that did this while they were still fresh in Reid's mind. _Too bad, Reid remembers everything perfectly anyway. Well, still- _Morgan wanted to get answers soon. The sooner he knew who these guys were, the sooner he'd be on their asses.

"Reid, who did this to you?" Morgan asked finally stopping the rocking motion.

"Richard Nixon and Spiderman." Reid said very seriously and Morgan wonder briefly if Spencer had hit his head. Well, they would figure this out one way or another, no matter who it was.

"You sure do bring out the weirdoes, kid."

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**A/N: Okay, there you go! Hope this holds you off until I update my other fic "Untraceable."**

**I took some leeway with the whole anaphylactic shock thing- it does happen and is far more common than you think. I did do some research for this but I twisted it to make it more fun- I mean, you gotta make a story right. ;)p I'm sure those of you who actually do have a severe allergy and need an EpiPen know how I tweaked things and I in no way mean to upset/offend you or overplay/undermine your conditions.**

**BTW- The whole Morgan/Reid relationship in this is not intended to be a romantic one- just friendship but you can look it at that way if you want. ;)p**

**So- I originally intended this to be a one-shot, but now I really want to keep going with this, so I want yall's opinions. NOW- before you say yes keep going or nah quit, let it be known that if I do continue the Morgan/Reid scenes will remain purely friendship fluffy and never SLASH, and the fic will be centered around Reid of course, AND that the plot is gonna get crazy wild intricate.**

**Well, I've said my peace. What do you guys want. Tell me an a review or PM**


	2. Chapter 2

_Concerning one anonymous reviewer (U.P.D.A.T.E. ()) whose review I was unable to reply to: Don't worry, I won't. I agree with you- no disrespect but I'm just sick of M/R SLASH. Plus I love writing the brotherly love too much! ;)p_

**A/N: I'm so . . . I don't even have an adjective for how happy I am at how much people love and want me to continue this story. Truly there is nothing better as a writer to feel such love from you the wonderful and dedicated fans. I cannot thank you enough. Ever.**

**Though I would like to thank one in particular: Ms. PinkHimeLacus who this chapter is dedicated to. Because of your wonderful words of inspiration and motivation that finally kicked me into gear to crank out this, once abandoned baby one-shot, into the full-fledged captivating story I have come to love it for (in my mind). ;)p Thank You! :D**

**Well, enough being sappy.**

**Who else is oober ecstatic that CM FINALLY got a new opening? Sad it took AJ getting the boot for them to change it- I've been wanting them to do it since season 3! I love that Spency is more upfront. I was SO happy when he cut his hair! I loved the "boy-band" look for him- super cute. This new one not so much but it's growing on me. At least it's not that God awful long girly hair anymore. ;)p**

**Anyway . . . Did yall come here for a story or not? ;)p**

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"Go home, Morgan." Reid murmured behind closed eyes as he lay on the cool, thin but soft comfort of the hospital bed.

"Not a chance, kid." Morgan chided.

"I'm fine, Morgan. Really." Reid whined, opening his one good eye that wasn't swollen shut.

"Reid, you almost died." Morgan stated depressingly serious.

"But I didn't." Reid rebuked slightly more upbeat.

"But you could've." Another voice said from the door as the doctor walked in the room carry a clipboard in hand, presumably that held Reid's records and charts.

Morgan and Reid had been at the hospital for of about an hour, after the ambulance had arrived at Reid's apartment and taken him to the Emergency Room. Reid had complained the whole way to Morgan and the paramedics that he really was and felt perfectly fine, though they all seemed to think otherwise and just seemed to ignore his protests completely.

Morgan had not left Reid's side for even a second. He had walked with Reid to the ambulance, sat next him during the ride and refused to move- even once it became obvious that he was in the way of the paramedics. He waited next to him in the waiting room, followed Reid and the nurse into the exam room once his name was called (without invitation), and now sat in the chair he currently resided in, in Reid's room next to his bed and had been once again waiting with him while they waited for the doctor to consult them.

And all the while they had argued about Reid's need to be there at all. It wasn't too hard to tell who won. Once Morgan had threatened to call Garcia, Reid had shut up but for his last desperate plea.

"See?" Morgan taunted Reid. Reid fought the strong urge to roll his eyes and settled to looking at the doctor as an invitation to continue with his far more professional conclusion of Reid's health.

"Well, Dr. Reid you're a little worse for wear it seems. You have a very mild concussion, a bruised rib, an, I'm sorry to admit, obvious black eye, a sprained wrist and you went into anaphylactic shock." The doctor finished in a cheery tone smiling down at Reid as if he had just read off a Christmas list.

"So . . . can I go?" Reid asked hopefully as Morgan fought the urge to roll _his_ eyes.

"I'm afraid not. I want to keep you here for observation at least overnight. From your past exposure to anthrax, your lungs have some scaring and are far weaker than a typical person's, for good reason, and this last episode certainly didn't help that at all. It worries me and I want to keep your vitals monitored for the next 24 hours and I may prescribe you an inhaler before you leave. Just encase you ever seem to have any trouble." The doctor quickly added as he seemed to see from his peripheral vision as he again looked down at the charts that Reid had opened his mouth and was about to protest.

"And while you are here, we can prescribe you another pen. Though I know you've been told it before, I must stress how careful you must be about exposure. It only gets worse." The doctor said grimly as Reid nodded his understanding repeatedly, his eyes closed in frustration before the doctor had even finished.

"Thank you, Doctor." Reid said slightly curtly. Catching the hint, the doctor simply dipped his head as a goodbye and left revealing and grumpy looking Morgan still sitting in his chair with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"What?" Reid asked innocently. Morgan scoffed.

"He was trying to help."

"I know but I honestly don't need any." Reid whined. He really didn't need to be here.

"Kid-" Morgan began before Reid cut him off.

"I'm not a 'kid.'"

"Then take better care of yourself and be more careful." Morgan retorted.

"Oh, right! 'Cause it's my fault two criminals broke into by home and tied me up with lethal tape!" Reid argued nearly shouting. Morgan opened his mouth to continue the debate further but stopped at the sound of another voice.

"Which makes me wonder if they knew what they were doing?"

It was Rossi, leaning against the door frame smiling in on the room of arguing brothers. Next to him was Hotch who looked like he was fighting a smile himself at the two's childish arguing. Behind them Reid could catch a glimpse of JJ and Emily just before pushing through them all came the ever brightly outfitted Garcia, looking horrified and carrying half a dozen balloons and a larger than small bear holding a heart and had a band-aid on its forehead.

Once she had untangled herself from the others and was standing in front of the bed and got a clear view of Reid her eyes started to water and her lips started to quiver.

"Oh, Garcia!" Reid gently chided, already starting to open his arms for the hug she began to run over for, practically crashing into Morgan as he stood up in a hurry to make way.

"Don't cry." Reid said soothingly rubbing her back. "I'm fine. See?" Reid said, awkwardly pulling back from the balloon filled hug to reveal himself with a smile.

"You look terrible." Garcia choked out jokingly, to which Reid pouted causing all the others who seemed to have since finally all come in the room to laugh out hysterically. "My baby's got a black eye." Garcia cooed as she gently placed a hand on his check and brushed over it with her thumb.

"It's nothing." Reid murmured, gently pulling down Garcia's hand.

"Yeah! Looks like you got in a few shots yourself." Rossi chuckled looking at Reid's mangled and wrapped wrist, effecting a few more giggles. Reid blushed.

"I was so worried." Garcia continued, seeming to ignore the light hearted jab. "I didn't know what had happened or what was wrong. I was told so little." To which she turned around fiercely to burn daggers into Morgan who seemed to purposefully not be looking at her or perhaps Reid, who too was staring daggers at Morgan himself for having told any of the team anything and wondering how he did it in the first place. Morgan had been with Reid the whole time- that sneaky SOB.

"Give him some breathing space, Garcia." Emily said coming forward to the rescue and put her hands on Penelope's shoulders, as if to literally pull her away. "He's alive. Calm down." It seemed to work as Garcia finally did take the two steps back to the chair Morgan had previously been sitting in only to scoot it forward another two feet, but it left enough room for the other's to gather around.

"You okay, Spence?" JJ asked, standing on the other side of Reid opposite Garcia. Her eyes where watery and tinged red but she seemed altogether.

"I'm fine." Reid said sincerely, trying to sooth her. It seemed to be enough as she returned a small smile.

"Well as long as Reid's going to keep to that story, let's change the subject." Rossi cut in, jokingly.

"Do you know who did this, Reid?" Hotch asked, straight into profile crime solving mode.

Reid gently shook his head. "No. They were wearing masks."

"Oh! That's what you meant." Morgan muttered as Reid smiled over at him and at their now little, and slightly morbid, inside joke.

"They?" Emily asked surprised.

"Yes. There were two of them. One wore a Spiderman mask and the other wore one of Richard Nixon." Reid replied in his fact spouting mode.

"Appropriate." Rossi snorted to which Emily smirked.

"Morgan? Anything?" Hotch asked, inviting any input from the man.

"Nothing. By the time I got there, there where half a dozen cops already there." Morgan said slightly confused. Why had there been so many cops there? And why hadn't any of them found Reid?

"What? Why?" Emily asked confused. Hotch opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Rossi who got there first.

"Apparently Reid's complex was victim to a mass robbery. Hotch and I went to check it out before we came. They think it was gang related." Rossi added as a side note like it was nothing bigger than the weather.

"So Reid just walked in on the robbery?" JJ asked hopeful yet skeptical.

"Seems so." Morgan said.

"But why would they bring duct tape if was just supposed to be a smash and grab?" Emily asked concerned.

"That's what makes me skeptic." Rossi said simply arms folded. Everyone was silent as an invitation for him to elaborate.

"They just happen to rob and FBI agent? Reid just happens to walk in on them, and they just happen to have duct tape that very well could kill him whilst looking like and accident? And the cops that arrive just happen to not find him because they're preoccupied with everything else and no one called to report any robbery from Reid's place?" Rossi sarcastically asked rhetorically and paused to let it sink in for the others and to take a breath.

"Just seems a little coincidental- too much so." Rossi mulled away in thought.

"What are you saying, Rossi?" Hotch asked concerned for his lack of understanding. "Are you saying someone was intentionally trying to kill Reid?"

"I'm saying we can't rule it out as a possibility." Rossi simply stated.

"Seems like an awful big cover up for just one hit. A mass robbery and involving a gang to boot, assuming they weren't the one's after Reid in the first place." Morgan interjected.

"There's been bigger." Emily said gravely, obviously concerned by the facts and the possibility of someone or someone-s after Reid.

"Plus no one else in the building was tied up or harmed in any of the robberies." Rossi added for thought.

It was awkwardly quite as everyone was thinking and staring at Reid as he twiddled with the hospital blanket not liking all the attention, tucking back his hair behind his ear. He knew he got into trouble a lot but this was just ridiculous. Someone out to kill him? His luck couldn't possibly be that bad. He hadn't said a word throughout the whole conversation but couldn't keep quite what was nagging him about the possibility of this being intentional.

"But why?"

"What?" Hotch asked, clearly lost.

"Why would someone want to kill me? What did I do?" Reid asked innocently, concerned he may have done something wrong.

"Nothing, I'm sure." JJ interjected immediately. Reid of course hadn't done anything. He was a great and wonderful person and her best friend. He didn't do anything that he deserved to die for. Out of the question.

"In our job, Reid, everybody makes enemies whether they mean to or not." Rossi shrugged and Reid succumbed to the truth of his words. Hell, there could be hundreds of people who pure out loathed Spencer Reid and he didn't have a clue.

"You're right."

Everyone was again silent as they let it sink in that anyone of them could have numerous bounties on their heads simply for doing their jobs and trying to make the world a safer place. No good deed goes unpunished it seemed.

"Don t worry." Morgan tried to sooth a worried and nervous looking Reid, patting his leg. "We'll find who did this and find out if anyone _really_ is after you or not." Morgan finished, his emphases implying he didn't seem to believe someone was truly after Reid, which cheered him up a bit.

"Thanks." Reid chirped quietly, not looking at anyone.

"I'm going back to the scene and talk to the lead detective on this. Find out what gang they think it is and get some answers." Hotch said once again in boss mode as he put his coat on and readied to leave.

"Once I do, Morgan, you're going to come with me to question them." Hotch finished.

Morgan nodded understanding Hotch didn't mean immediately- he would call. Besides, Morgan wasn't leaving Reid anytime soon.

"Reid. I know Morgan probably was already planning on it, but I don't want you staying at your place until we figure this out. If someone_ is_ after you, it's likely they're watching you and know your routine. Be careful." And with that Hotch walked out of the room.

"See ya kid." And Rossi followed.

"Oooh! Sleep over at my boy's house!" Garcia squealed hugging Morgan from the side. "I'm bringing cookies!" she said, cheek pressed against Morgan's leg before she let go.

Reid sighed in defeat at not getting to have any say in the matter to which Emily and JJ chuckled.

"Come on, Reid. It won't be that bad." Emily chuckled as Reid continued to frown.

"Spence?" JJ asked after a moment of silence and the frown didn't leave.

"I just don't understand." Reid said truly confused, things where never hard for him to understand. Even when Hankle was torturing him, he still understood why even if he didn't particularly agree with it and thought he was crazy. And now someone wanted to kill him and now there just didn't seem to be reason.

Yet.

* * *

"What kind of FBI agent doesn't have a security system?" Morgan asked incredulously.

"I never wanted to deal with it- plus I don't need one." Reid rebutted.

"Obviously." Garcia snorted as she snacked on another twizzler.

The three were sitting on Morgan's couch enjoying an evening among friends the night of Reid's release from the hospital, snacking away on what Garcia called "naughty treats" while watching old horror films and making fun of them.

"Man, Pretty Boy. You should hear yourself." Morgan chuckled at Reid's obliviousness.

"What? It's not a big deal. I'm fine. Can we just drop it?" Reid whined, finally tired of the teasing.

"Sure thing." Morgan muttered, feeling guilty for make the kid annoyed while Garcia flashed him an apologetic smile.

Reid sighed.

"I don't understand!" Reid finally groaned in frustration from lack over understand and being unable to what he wanted his mind to do and just "drop it." He grabbed his head in his hands, leaning forward over the couch as he closed his eye in severe thought.

Morgan smirked. "I bet being a genius you don't come across thinks you can't wrap your head around often, huh?" Morgan joked with just a hint of sympathy.

Reid snorted.

"Ah, come on, Baby Cakes!" Garcia cooed. "It'll be fine. We'll figure this out, catch the baddies, and then put it behind us." She finished confidently. Reid slowly let his hands fall to his lap before speaking.

"Thanks, Garcia." Reid murmured a tilted his head towards her and gave a small smile before he let it fall back down to stare at the floor. Garcia threw Morgan a worried looked. Reid was taking this very hard, not because he was afraid but was confused. _Maybe that's what he's afraid of_, she thought. Morgan returned back Garcia's look, understanding she wanted him to "_do something!_"

"Well, first thing tomorrow we're going to set about doing just that." Morgan told Reid, knowing getting back to work would cheer him up. Granted it was only two days after Reid was attacked but he blatantly refused Hotch's offer of more time off. Reid didn't want it. He wanted to go back to work. He needed to.

" Yep, and Strauss got chewed out by the Director about not taking life threatening plots against agents important enough, so she caved and is holding cases so we can work on this." Garcia added, knowing it would just make them all a bit happier to know they were being proactive about this, not to mention Strauss getting a taste of her own medicine.

"Rossi said that the police thought it was gang related?" Reid questioned Morgan. Morgan, taking the hint that Reid wanted to talk about the case, (_Getting a head start, I guess_) rolled with it.

"Yeah. Hotch said that the detective think it was the 'Necromunda' gang. They've been causing _big_ trouble on the streets for years. They're pretty hardcore." Morgan said.

Reid didn't like how Morgan stressed "big," especially with what they had seen in their line of work, but he was familiar with the gang and knew how true Morgan's words were. Necromundas had been labeled the gang of the century not 5 years ago by local PD for most difficult to combat. They had basically declared war on the gang. It had only grown in size and violence sense. Sixty-two percent of all crimes in and around the city were related to or directly involved members of Necromunda and their dealings and nearly eighty-six percent of all deaths in the line of duty for local officers were due to the Necromundas.

All were statistic Reid knew very well, and did not wish to tell the others.

"Don't scare him, Morgan." Garcia chided.

"I'm fine- just confused." Reid said staring off, again lost in thought. "Gangs don't typically do mass robberies. I'm mean it's been done but definitely not by the Necromundas. And why would they were masks?"

"Just add that to the list, Reid. There are a lot of questions we don't have the answers to." Morgan sighed somewhat defeated, getting carried away in his own thought. But it didn't stop Garcia from jumping in and adding confidently:

"Yet."

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you go. I know not much action, well any, this chapter but there will be more to come. Gotta set the stage. You know what I mean? ;)p Maybe it's just me but I kinda feel like I'm just throwing the plot at you guys. Let me know if it's too forward or fast. **

"**Necromunda" to my knowledge is not a real gang. It is the name of this big a** book full of nothing but gang name and stats. Please don't start anything over this. No offense was meant to anyone about anything and you feel offended, well sorry but I don't really know why you would be. ;)p**

**PS. - Just cuz CBS seems fit to give JJ the boot doesn't mean I'm going to. EVER. ;)p**

**Talk to me people. Let me hear from you. Tell me whatcha want! ;)p REVIEW IT UP!**


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Criminal Minds, Angst, Friendship