Disclaimer: I do not own or make a profit off of Criminal Minds or its characters.

Please forgive any stupid mistakes or bad grammar.

Hi friends! Long time no see! Welcome to my most twisted story yet. I can assure you that this won't be rated T for long! So, as a warning, if you don't like Reid in trouble, hurt, or raped turn back now. I am not going to be kind throughout this story. As for the plot, this is the story that most reviewers chose from the options I gave when I ended "Speechless." By the way, thanks for weighing in on which story you were most interested in reading next! So without further adieu...

Enjoy!

"Abracadabra," Spencer cried out as he tapped his wand against the rim of his magician's hat and pulled out a small kitten with unique beige stripes.

The small children in the audience gasped in amazement while the cheered and clapped their hands. Reid had just performed the grand finale of his magic show and in his hands was the birthday boy's surprise gift.

"Jack Hotchner, step on up and claim your gift," Spencer encouraged the young youth who was sitting cross-legged on the carpet.

"Are you serious?" the little boy shouted with wonder as he looked over to his father for approval.

"Go on Jack. He's all yours," Hotchner said to his excited son.

With a squeal of delight the little boy jumped up and ran up to Reid. The kitten quickly transferred hands and was soon being cradled in its new owner's arms. The rest of the kids at the party got up off the floor and surrounded the birthday boy trying to pet the adorable cat.

"What are you going to name him?" Spencer asked as he started to clean up his materials.

"Butterscotch, because his color reminds me of those candies that grandma always gives me when I go over to her house to visit," Jack said as he scratched the spot in between the kitten's floppy ears.

"That's a great name. We'll have to call grandma later tonight to tell her the good news. Now why don't you and your friends go into the living room and make a bed for Butterscotch using the pillows and blanket from the couch," Hotch instructed the kids.

"Awesome! Come on guys!" Jack called as he made a beeline for the couch.

Hotch let out a chuckle as he watched his son lead the troop of children out of the dining room. Once all the kids were out of the way Aaron turned around and began to help Reid clean up his supplies.

"Thank you so much for putting on the magic show. It really helped make Jack's birthday memorable. I honestly don't know how you were able to keep that many kids entertained for over an hour," Hotch said with admiration.

"It was my pleasure. It felt good to show off my other talent. As for the kids, who doesn't love magic? I find that kids are usually attentive, especially when the magician is giving away all of his secrets," Reid explained as he put away his fake flowers and handkerchief chain.

"Well, I just need to thank you again. When Jack said he wanted the theme of his birthday to be a surprise I was at a loss. It wasn't until one of your rockets flew threw my office door that I realized you could help me. Should I put you down for the same time next year?" Hotch asked jokingly.

"Hmm…I'm not sure. The performance went so well that I might be booked by the rest of the kids from Jack's class. I might even have to quit my day job at the BAU to fit in all the birthday parties and assemblies," Reid teased as he zipped up his bag of tools.

"Ha…I'm afraid that you might be right though," Hotch agreed, "So are you ready to speak at the Violent Crimes Seminar tomorrow in Chicago?"

A grimace graced Spencer's face at the mention of public speaking, "Yeah…as ready as I can be. I have my speech all planned out but my execution never goes accordingly. I still don't understand why the bureau insists on signing me up to speak in front of large audiences."

"Because deep down the bureau is still all about appearances and you, Reid, make us look younger. It doesn't hurt that you are a genius and quite famous in the law enforcement and psychological fields either. They know that if they tout a big name out there a crowd will be drawn," Hotch said.

"Yeah…well, I'm not so young anymore. Oh and Patricia Cornwell should a big enough name to draw a crowd," Reid retorted.

"What do you mean you're not so young anymore? Wait…did you say Patricia Cornwell?"

"Yeah, she's speaking at the conference too. Oh and before me I might add…How do they expect me to follow her? I'm going to mess it up for sure," Reid said in anguish as he ignored Hotch's initial question.

"You'll be fine Reid. Just stop worrying about it and when you get up in front of the room just stare at a spot on the back wall…and don't try any jokes. Not many people understand your sense of humor," Hotch suggested.

"You're right about that. Last time I tried a joke I was met with the horrified gazed of thirty college juniors. Well, I've got to get home to pack," the genius said as he made his way to the door.

"Jack, come say goodbye to Reid," Hotch called out to his son.

Jack came sprinting from his spot on the couch and wrapped Spencer's legs in a big hug, "Thank you so much for coming to my party! Thanks for teaching me all those cool tricks! You're the best!"

Reid chuckled at the exuberance the little boy was emitting, "You're very welcome birthday boy! Take care now."

"Take care Reid," Hotch said as he closed the door behind the retreating magician.

In the back of the ballroom at a table surrounded by local police detectives sat Officer Edwards. His chief had sent him to this seminar to pick up some new information on sexual crimes. Recently the Chicago police had started a specialized division that focused on sexually based crimes. As a result, it was important that the law enforcement officers in the division stay up to date on all of the information available that pertained to their specialty. So, it was Edward's job to jot down all the notes he could and relay them back to his team tomorrow during their section meeting.

Stationed in the back of the room it was easy for Officer Edwards to blend into his surroundings. He didn't like being in the spotlight and preferred to go unnoticed if he could. He sat in the back doodling on some lined paper while that author was talking about Lord knows what. He was really here to listen to what the visiting FBI profilers had to say. One in particular was set to discuss paraphilia, or kinks as regular society calls them.

Edwards was drawn away from his daydream when the audience around him started to clap their hands. He looked up and saw that a tall skinny young man was now standing at the podium. The man, who had been identified as Spencer Reid was supposedly an FBI agent. Officer Edwards flipped his notepad to a fresh sheet of paper waiting to see if they scrawny agent would be providing him with any useful information.

The second the kid began to speak Officer Edwards was captivated. He was enthralled by the awkward and embarrassed manner of Agent Reid. He enjoyed how nervous the kid was and how his anxieties transferred into the audience. It was funny because some of the viewers were actually wincing in sympathy for the kids humiliating plight. Edwards, on the other hand, was feeling a stirring in his groin as he enjoyed watching the young agent struggle to deliver information on the twisted sexual preferences of some humans.

An excellent idea popped into his head as he watched the agent try to make a terrible joke and get nothing but cricket chirps in return. He grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly texted his friend, "I think I've found someone that would be a big draw for our site."

His friend quickly responded, "I thought you were there to learn about different kinks."

"I am, but it just so happens that the person delivering the speech is as interesting as the subject manner."

"Let me see."

Edwards took his phone and held it in the air and captured a quick picture of the young man in agony. He sent the picture on its way, eagerly waiting to see what his friend thought.

"Your right. He would be perfect for the site. But didn't you say the FBI was putting on this seminar? If he's an agent wouldn't employing him be a little risky?"

Edwards was more than prepared to answer this question, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"Keep me posted."

Officer Edwards put away his phone and sat back to enjoy the rest of the lecture. He allowed his eyes to dance over the lithe young man imagining all the ways he could make money off of the gawky stature. He smirked as he thought about the fortune that was about to fall into his lap thanks to this strangely alluring young man.

Reid stood off to the side of the grand ballroom while Prentiss was inundated with questions. His speech turned out worse than he had expected. In a matter of seconds he had alienated the audience and no matter how hard he tried they never came around to him. Throughout the whole speech he was met with either dead or disgusted stares.

Why did they ask him to come and talk about paraphilia? No one wants to really hear about those types of things, they're just too disturbing. The second he mention dendrophilia he knew his chances of delivering a meaningful message to the audience was shot. His failure was so absolute that not a single person had approached him with questions after the seminar was over.

With a sigh of frustration he turned around and exited the ballroom. The sooner he left Chicago and put this whole embarrassing experience behind him the better.

Seconds after he got out into the foyer someone unfamiliar called out his name. He turned to see a young man coming up to him. After talking to the man for a few minutes he quickly realized that what he thought was an interested audience member was just a bored socialite trying to find some entertainment. To make matters worse the college kid also had to rub in the fact that he was the founder of the up and coming Nanovex Company.

The whole encounter made Reid start to think about his own life. That kid was just as young, promising, and brilliant as Reid had been at his age, and here he was the proud founder of a cancer fighting research facility. What had Reid done? Sure he had written some articles, saved some lives, captured some serial killers, but initially when he was starting out in higher education he had loftier goals. He had set out to cure schizophrenia. Unfortunately, that had never happened and now his mother was still locked up in a care facility and he was here talking about some sick man's obsession with trees.

The whole way to San Francisco all Reid could think about what his age and his life expectations. He had turned thirty a week ago and he had nothing to show for it. In fact, his birthday was so insignificant his friends hadn't even bothered to acknowledge it. Perhaps it was there way of showing him that he really didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things. Maybe they really saw him and his accomplishments as more of a nuisance than anything that could be considered beneficial.

As the plane turned around over the water to get ready for its landing, Reid decided right then and there to really analyze if the FBI was the place for him. Was he really needed by the team or could he be using his skills elsewhere? Was there still time to make a bigger difference in the world? Was he wasting his talent on the BAU?

The case in San Francisco was one of the most interesting ones that had ended up on the BAU caseload in quite a while. The fact that they were hunting a Zodiac Killer copycat really stimulated Spencer's brain. He enjoyed the challenge of cracking the codes and discovering the subtle differences between the real Zodiac Killer and the copycat. Luckily, he was successfully able to decipher the chess board pattern that the unsub had employed to plot his final move and they were able to prevent the fiancée's murder in time.

Unfortunately, the whole case was overshadowed by his self-doubt in career choice. While working and solving this case he really felt like he was doing some good, but when all was said and done was it worthy of his capabilities. He was still concerned with whether or not he was living up to his potential. It turns out he still wasn't sure whether or not the BAU was the best career choice for him.

When the plane landed and the group disembarked they made their way back to the office. It had been a long couple of days so no one was intent on sticking around work for very long. Pretty much everyone had just stopped by so they could drop off their paper work and grab their personal items before heading home.

Much to Reid's surprise there was a small envelope addressed to him sitting on top of his desk. Curiously he reached down and picked up the mail.

"Hey pretty boy, whatcha got there?" Morgan asked as he walked by Reid on his way up to his office.

"I don't know. It was delivered while we were out on the case," Reid said as he flipped the envelope over and started to rip along the top seam.

Once it was successfully opened he pulled out what looked like an invitation.

"Well, what does it say?"

Reid's eyes flitted over the words on the inside of the card and said to Morgan, "It's an invite to a banquet. Apparently I've won a Peer to Peer Psychologist Award for writing that article last month on paraphilias and how they affect the psychology of a killer."

"Isn't that what you just talked about at that seminar in Chicago with Prentiss?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah…strange coincidence I guess."

"So, are you going to go?"

"Go where?" Reid asked absentmindedly as he shoved the invite into his bag.

"Are you going to go to the banquet?"

"Oh…probably not. I hate being in the center of attention," Reid answered shivering at the thought of being forced to give another speech.

"Come on man. I heard you and Prentiss on the plane. I know that you're questioning yourself right now. Maybe this ceremony is just the push you need to make the best choice," Morgan said.

Reid, surprised that Morgan knew about his self-contemplation said, "You heard all that?"

"Yeah man. And while I'm not excited at the idea of you leaving us behind for bigger and better things, I would understand if you ended up making that choice. I just want you to be sure it's what you want before you up and leave us forever," Morgan said sadly.

"You would support my decision?" Reid questioned.

"Yes…but I would be crushed to lose my best friend," he answered.

"You wouldn't lose me. We just wouldn't work together anymore," Reid explained.

"I know, but when your life is work it's hard to keep in contact with anyone that isn't directly involved with what you do."

Reid sighed knowing that Morgan was right, "I know…well I've got to think about this first. I'm just not sure what I want right now."

"Well, when's the banquet?"

"A week from Saturday."

"Why don't you hold off on your decision? You should go to the ceremony and see how you feel about things afterwards. Perhaps the banquet will be inspiring and lead you to the path you really want to pursue," Morgan advised.

"Yeah...I like that idea. Thanks Morgan," Reid said with a bit more confidence in his voice.

"Oh wait a minute, what exotic locale will you be jetting off to?"

"Chicago."

So is there anyone interested in finding out what transpires in Chicago? Let me know if you'd like to read more! Take care!