Every time a review pops up it increases my want to update. This is now my most reviewed fic and I appreciate every single one so much. I thought I'd start writing little notes in response up here in thanks. I'm just starting with the most recent ones so sorry to any old reviewers I'm not mentioning by name I love you too I promise. Sorry I took a little long on this update. School just picked up insanely and I ran out of time.

Helloooo (AKA Guest 3)- Okay this 'great idea' has now been continued and thank you so much for calling it that. Sadly there are no other fics like this that I have found. I'm actually only writing this cuz I wanted to read one and I couldn't find any. If I do come across another I'll try to remember to post some promo on mine tho

sherryola- Oh don't worry Hotch will be paying Helen a visit in a little while. Yeah the team would probabl be able to get him away but this is supposed to just be super temporary and they don't want to upset the system for him lest that impede their chances of getting him legally back to where he was. Als, if hey just got him out, I wouldn't have very much to work with in terms of minor conflicts lol

other Guest- YES! THANKS!

Guest- Omgggggg this is so sweet I screenshotted it and showed it to my mom and she almost cried in happiness thanks so much seriously

tlcroft- You have no idea how much I appreciate your long review like the fact that someone would take time out to write that much for me is amazing and I love it so much how you commented on specific details it makes me feel like the small things I've done have meaning and it's super nice

Mysterious Opinionated Person- Thank you thank you your review actually came in right after some pretty shitty events in my day and it just made it so much better so you have great timing and it really helped me through the rest of my day

Fangtasia- I love seeing little predictions like yours because they either give me some new ideas or solidify something I already had in mind and I am a person who craves affirmation

Styxxsomega- Asking for more is literally the best way to get more with me and your comment was basically the one to instigate my feeling of responsibility to update and act upon my urge to

Mozart's Fantasy- I live to inspire emotion in people and characters I'm so glad you feel for Reid cuz that pretty much my whole purpose for writing this (except for wanting to make Reid my age hehhhh)

"Spencer!" A small voice gasped from the doorway.

Reid was paralysed but somehow his head moved on its own to find the witness. His heart felt like it was living in his fingertips and stomach at the same time.

The little girl walked further into the room, glancing around like she too was a culprit. Reid's demeanor eased, though he was still half out the window. He really needed to move, but his body wouldn't let him.

"What are you doing?" She whispered, hugging her stuffed rabbit to her chest.

Red finally managed to slide back inside. "Nothing. Nothing, I was just..."

"Leaving?" She suggested, tilting her head to the side innocently like she didn't fully understand the implications of sneaking out.

Reid swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, leaving."

The girl glanced at the cracked open door behind her, the light pouring in from the hallway stopping just behind her so the only thing illuminating her was the slight yellow glow from the floor and the silver from the moon. Other than that, she stood in complete darkness, shielded by it, now only holding her floppy grey rabbit to herself with one hand, the other fiddling with the hem of her pastel floral print dress. Her black hair barely met her shoulders and floated around her neck in the breeze that penetrated the still atmosphere of the home. "Are you going to the FBI?" She blinked at him a few times, face relaxed in sincerity.

"I don't know." He paused. "You believe me?"

She nodded innocently and inched forward, closer to Reid and the window. "I know you're not lying. They all think you're lying, and I tried to tell them you're not, but they don't believe me either. They hate me, too, but that's okay, because you know the FBI and you can make them put all of the bullies in jail. I told everyone that if they keep being mean then you'll put them in jail, but they didn't believe me. Nobody believes me. That's why I came up here. I hate them, too. I wanted to leave but this is as much as I can leave; to another room." At some point during her explanation, she started wiping her eyes with the long ear of her rabbit. Reid couldn't bear it. But it seemed so set up...

Screw it.

"Do you want to... come with me?"

"To the FBI?" Her voice rose in hope.

"If you want, yeah." Reid looked at the door again, heart beating faster the longer they stood here with the window wide open.

The girl nodded vigorously and wiped her eyes some more, then sniffed.

"Okay," Reid held out a hand and ushered her to the window, all of the terrible possibilities flashing through his mind. Helen was the least of his worried now. He had to protect this girl, and he was about to shove her out a window.

"What's your name?"

"Emily," She said in a rehearsed type of way with some hesitation. Her tone wasn't authentic.

Reid smiled a little, but the fear and nerves killed it quickly. "I have a friend named Emily in the FBI. Actually, you kinda look like her."

Emily giggled as she placed one hand on the window sill, still clutching her rabbit. "Maybe she's my mom!"

"Mmmm," Reid feigned thought to give Emily some hope. "I dunno. I'm pretty sure my Emily doesn't have a daughter, but we can ask her if you want."

"Does she have a son? Because then that could be me. Everyone says I'm a boy but I'm not but they don't believe me, so if she also thinks I'm a boy then she thinks I'm her son."

Reid almost gasped, and he wasn't exactly sure why. He supposed things made more sense now, and it was also surprising. This poor girl... He had to confirm. But first, he had to climb through the window. He decided that he would go through, then pull Emily through and keep her from falling off the roof from outside. The window was low enough, but he would have to get her to trust him with her rabbit first.

He motioned for her to stay and slipped through the window himself and into the night. It was colder than he thought it would be, and windy. though he assumed that was just from the height. Stepping through the window felt like he left the existing universe behind. His nerves were replaced by a strange euphoria that he was unfamiliar with. 'This is how it feels to break the rules, just because,' he thought, and grinned. Any shakiness or possibility of flaking out melted through the cold grey tiles of the roof.

"I need to hold your friend so you can come up. Is that okay?" Reid didn't want to misgender the rabbit.

Emily hesitated before handing the rabbit slowly up to Reid.

"Okay, good." He held it with one hand and held out his other, desperately trying to keep himself from slipping off the roof with his shoe using a shingle like a ledge. "I'm gonna pull you up, but you have to climb a little as well, okay?"

She nodded and took his forearm so their arms made a strong link, paying more attention to her rabbit than to where she was putting her feet to climb up. Reid felt incredibly off balance. His foot slipped off the shingle and his heart jumped out of his chest and into his ears. He didn't fall only because Emily was acting as a counterweight. His slip, however, did pull her just outside.

"Can I put your rabbit in my pocket?" He asked as soon as she was out. He wanted both hands.

"If she'll be safer there." Emily said skeptically. Reid nodded and put the rabbit into his front pocket, deep enough that only her long floppy ears could be seen. He didn't let go of Emily, only held her hand instead of her arm. He closed the shutters and then the window. It hopefully would look like nothing had happened. Now to get down.

Reid had been fine with jumping himself, but now that there was a child with him, he couldn't risk that.

It occurred to him briefly that he was also a child, and that he was ready to risk anything with himself. He worried that maybe this was some downside to having thought of himself as an adult; his life didn't matter so much in comparison. But then, that could have resulted from any number of things. His job, for instance, where anyone's life was more important than his own. Or it could have arisen only recently as his life was destroyed in all ways except that he was still alive, which gave what was left of him so little meaning that he would be fine throwing it away or hurting himself. His lack of responsibility and worth spurred in him a need to self-destruct. He had already started, he knew, and there would be no going back. Not with this life.

These thoughts didn't even last a second.

He looked around. They would probably be able to slide down fairly easily if they got to the edge of the roof. But then the fall would still be too long.

"Come over here a second. I'm looking for a way down," He said, inching over along where the overhang they were on met the wall hosting the windows. At a glance, none were open. That was good.

Getting to the other side, he saw that there was a conveniently placed ladder he'd used before doing unnecessary labour like painting the outside the exact same colour as it already was. Unfortunately, it was still too far to reach. Not necessarily too far to get to some other way.

"Hold onto the window frame," Reid advised, standing up and letting go of Emily's hand.

Emily did as she was told. "What are you doing?" She asked quietly.

Reid looked at the ladder and the walls again. He could jump, maybe, but he wasn't exactly sure how close to the opposite wall the ladder was. If it was too far, he'd just knock it over and fall with it. He looked up. The ledge...

"I'm gonna see if I can get across to that ladder," he breathed nervously.

Reid looked up at the ledge another time. He would be able to reach it without jumping, no problem, but he couldn't be sure it would hold. He was tall but light. It was his best shot. They couldn't go back inside now.

He reached and his shirt came untucked. He suddenly felt foolish for having tried to assume proper attire in the first place. His fingers felt the ledge and closed above it. It was barely two centimetres, enough for just the tips of his fingers to sit upon the plaster clinging questionably to the side of the house. Reid questioned whether this or jumping was a better idea, but he'd already told Emily this was what he was doing, so he would do it.

He secured the best grip he could and stepped off the side of the roof.