They were waiting in the conference room, all six of them, for the youngest among of them to arrive. After a few minutes of him being a no show the leader said they had to start the brief immediately and that the late one could be filled in on the jet. Little did anyone there know what had recently happened to young Spencer Reid, nor what he was going through at that very moment, nor what was to come.

/(*-*)\

Reid had awoken to an urgent message from the team telling him there had been a little boy abducted. Reid was his go bag when his phone went off again, only this time it was a call. Only this time he didn't recognize the number.

Reid answered it, "Reid."

"Hello Dr. Reid, I'm Mr. Brown. I work at the hospital your mother attended," the person on the other end of the line replied.

"Hello, what do you mean attended?" Reid questioned, felling confusing and panic welling inside him, but he kept his voice steady.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," Mr. Brown announced, "Your mother died in her sleep last night."

Reid paused, she's dead? he thought. Then he asked out loud, "How did she die?"

"Not sure yet but as soon as we know you'l know," Mr. Brown assured him.

"Have you notified my dad yet?" Reid asked.

"I will as soon as we're finished," Mr. Brown replied.

"Could you tell him if he wants to talk with me I'll be in the office for the next few days and that he can call my cell?" Reid asked.

"Certainly," Mr. Brown promised, "And I'm sorry for your loss."

"Bye," Reid said and hung up after Mr. Brown had replied.

Reid looked down at his go bag, his vision suddenly blurry, and tears began streaking his face. He collapsed horizontally next to his go bag, still dressed in the sweat pants and t-shirt he usually wore to bed.

/(*-*)\

We all, unfortunately, at some point, have one of those moments. These moments are always quite upsetting and sometimes are very awkward. When a loved one such as a family member or friend dies, we receive a call. Sometimes by a stranger or someone you talked to maybe once and you wonder why they'd be calling you. And other times it's an other loved one. Who ever they are to you, they say hello and ask have you're doing, knowing you're about to be doing a lot worse. You exchange pleasantries and then you find the courage to ask the nature of the call. They usually pause with an 'ummm...' or an 'well...' and what has happened, other times they simply tell you, no pause. Other time still, when it's the other person brings it up, says they have some bad news. You say okay and they explain. You both pause. Your trying to process this while the person on the end of the end of the call is trying to gauge your reaction. Eventually you say oh or something like that ans they express their condolences, they say they understand. But they don't. They don't understand. They didn't have your unique relationship with the unique brother or sister, mother or father, friend or family member, or perhaps even your lover, that has just had their life robbed so cruelly from them, so how could they understand? They didn't know your history with said person, didn't know what they helped you through or what you helped them through. They don't know the exact amount of pain build inside you because you know you'll never see their smile again, hear them laugh, feel their hug, or smell their unique smell, a combination of all the places and things they loved. the emptiness you feel because you know they'll never see that movie you were both waiting for or the tv show you were both looking forward to. They haven't been and will never go through the exact same amount of pain.

You do your best to finish the call as soon as possible, and hang up, possibly rudely, and that's when the fun begins. Some people simply break down messily where they received the news, crying and sobbing. Other's try to do something to get their mind off this discovery, these people are usually blinking back tear's, waiting for someone to come so they don't feel alone while they sobbing. Other's still don't break at all, these ones are usually lucky, have something to comfort them, knowing their loved one had been suffering and where in a better place better.
I know you can understand to an extent what Spencer Reid is going through, even if you are him and and you aren't going through it and probably won't. I don't know if I'll do the pain justice, but I'll do my best to relay to you what he's feeling.

/(*-*)\

The jet was going to take of in 20 minutes and the whole team was worried. "Do you want me to go see if he's okay?" Morgan offered.

"Yes, and tell him to call me when you find him," Hotch nodded.

It took Morgan approximately three minutes to drive to Reid's apartment and an other two to make it up the stairs.

Morgan knocked on Reid's door. He heard some shuffling from inside and the door opened. Reid looked like hell. His eye's were red and puffy from crying and his was red. Reid was wearing a pair of sweat pants (which was a first, as far as Morgan knew, especially if they'd been called on a case,) and a t-shirt which Morgan knew to be from Doctor Who (which Morgan was pretty sure Reid never wore, ever, it was surprising owned it).

It took Morgan all of about a millisecond to decide what to do. He stepped into Reid's apartment, closing the door behind him, and pulled into a hug. In this hug they stood far away to be considered lover but it was far enough away to be considered just friends, even if you factored in the fact they were practically brothers. For some reason this was going through Morgan's mind as he held Reid, who had started crying on his shoulder.

It took Reid a while to calm down, but when he did, he tried to pull away, also noting the proximity, but Morgan held him in place.

"Sorry," Reid mumbled, his voice sounded hoarse and broken.

"You never have to apologize to me for something like that, Pretty Boy," Morgan told him, the broken sound of Reid's voice ripped Morgan's heart in half. Morgan hoped the use of his nickname would help Reid feel better.

It didn't seem to.

"So... You wanna tell me what wrong?" Morgan asked, causing Reid to look away and bit his lip. "You know you can trust me."

"I know it's just... I don't... Know the whole story... And I don't really... Feel like... Talking... Don't really understand," Reid couldn't seem to form whatever he was thinking into word's so Morgan attempted to life his spirits.

"I know, it sucks. I hoped they'd go with someone a bit younger and preferably who hadn't been on the show before, but apparently Capaldi is the twelfth, so I guess we have to give him a shot," Morgan had trouble keeping his sombre expression at the look on Reid's face, a mixture of confusion and I'm-sorry-but-if-I-didn't-hear-you-wrong-your-in-so-much-trouble.

"You watch Doctor Who?" Reid's voice matched his expression with an undertone of excitement.

"You're surprised?" Morgan asked, "I mean there's only so many time ones can hear a conversation about something until one has to try to understand said thing."

"Yeah, but why now?" Reid countered, "I mean you've known me for 10 years now and you've know Garcia god knows how long, so why pick now?"

"Because my incredibly sexy boyfriend watches it," Morgan smiled as Reid blushed a deep red.

"Watch it or I'll have to start calling you Doctor and you'll have to call me Tardis," Reid murmured, as he thought Morgan wouldn't hear him.

"Well, you are a lot bigger on the inside than you appear on the outside," Morgan replied smoothly before Reid could go on. When Reid face palmed Morgan realized how that could be misinterpreted and clarified, "I meant you are a lot smart than you seem, your brain is bigger than it seems."

"Sure you did," Reid laughed and removed his hand from his face.

"So, what bothering you?" Morgan asked again.

Reid paused and bit his lip, but didn't look away this time, "It's my-" Reid was cut by his cell phone going off in the other room. Reid stiffed in Morgan's arm's, who, upon feeling the shift, let him go. Reid ran for the phone.

Morgan stared after him for a moment before turning to kitchen and, noticing the coffee pot was empty, set to work making some coffee for his rather upset boyfriend.

Reid answered the phone as fast as he could, "Hello?"

"Someone sounds happy," Mr. Brown commented on the other side of the line sorry, "What's the occasion?"

"Sorry, my boyfriend was just distracting me by comparing me to the tardis," Reid replied, the smile out of his voice as he continued, "So, what'd you find out?"

"We think it was suicide," Mr. Brown replied.

"You're evidence?" Reid asked, once again feeling the effects of confusion and panic.

"A half empty bottle of her medication was found in her hand and the nurse who made sure she got her medication swear's it was full last night," Mr. Brown replied.

"Great," Reid said, "Well, I gotta go, I'm already late for work..." Reid was blinking back tear's.

"Bye," Mr. Brown and Reid hung and flung his phone at his bed. He left his room and saw Moran watching his coffee maker intently. Reid snuck up behind Morgan then put his hand on his shoulder.

"What'cha doing?" Reid asked as he place his hand down, cause Morgan to jump.

"Waiting for your coffee so I can make sure you aren't, like, dying or anything," Morgan studied Reid's face, "Who was just on the phone?"

"A worker at my mom's hospital," Reid said calmly then continued as casually as he could, "She died in her sleep last night, apparently it looks like suicide."

"Oh my god, Pretty Boy, I'm sorry," Morgan said, looking over at Reid.

"It's okay," Reid sighed, "She's probably in a better place now, you know?"

Morgan nodded then the both went to watching the coffee maker as it spewed fresh and hot coffee, "I'll call Hotch and tell him we won't be in," Morgan said.

"No, tell him I'm not going to be coming along on this case, but hanging back with Garcia, and make sure you tell him I'll call him in a bit, so as I've finished my first cup of coffee, and make sure to tell him it's decaf and I use artificial sweetener. That way he won't ask question," Reid said and Morgan nodded.

"Right," Morgan said.

Reid leaned over and kissed Morgan. Morgan turned his body was facing Reid and wrapped his arm's around Reid's waist as Reid wrapped his arm's around Derek's neck. Reid pulled away after a moment, "Now you have to go save that little boy."

"I wanna make sure my Pretty Boy is okay first," Morgan said.

"What'll it take?" Reid asked with a sigh.

"You drinking a cup of coffee," Morgan stated.

"Really? I don't know how I'll do it. I mean it's not like I need a couple dozen cups to function like a normal person in the morning," Reid rolled his eye's.

"True, you are practically a zombie first thing in the morning," Morgan agreed.

Reid laughed, "Cause I've never heard that before."

"Well that's what happens when you drink enough sugar in your coffee to fix about an army worth of people who drink coffee normally," Morgan teased.

Reid pushed him playfully, "Okay, ouch? I'm no that bad..."

"Okay, prove it," Morgan said.

"How?" Reid asked standing up a little straighter and glaring at Morgan.

"Don't drink any sugar in your coffee for the duration of this case," Morgan dared.

"And do I get anything other than proving you wrong?" Reid asked.

"You can make me what an episode of Doctor Who with you," Morgan said.

"Right, you're on," Reid smiled and walked to the cupboard to get a mug for his coffee.

"Not so fast, Pretty Boy, what do I get when I win?" Morgan asked.

Reid laughed, "Please, you could make me drink decaf and I'd still win."

"Bull shit," Morgan said, "What do I get?"

"Fine, you can decide how I drink my coffee if you win, but I wouldn't look forward to it," Reid looked at his mug, then the coffee pot and sighed. Morgan watched carefully as Reid dumped the perfectly good pot of coffee in the sink and start making an other pot.

"Who'd you do that?" Morgan asked.

"I'm gonna have decaf," Reid replied simply and continued what he was doing.

Morgan's phone rang just as Reid was getting his cup of decaf, "Hello."

There was a pause then, "Okay, Hotch, I get it, you're not impressed, but there was a bit of a problem." There was a slight pause then Morgan seemed to cut Hotch off, "Yeah, no, he's fine, he just had a come up problem this morning." Morgan sighed as Hotch seemed to be ranting about something. "I can't tell you." Morgan got an offended look on his face, "Why? I'll tell you why, it's not my place to tell you what going on with Reid. If truth be told I'm surprised he told me. So ask him for your self." Morgan held the phone out for Reid.

"Hotch," Reid started but Hotch cut him off.

"What's up with Morgan?" Hotch demanded, his voice sharp.

"Ummm..." Reid's eyes drifted to Morgan's, "He's being a bit to overprotective."

"And why does he need to be 'a bit to overprotective'?" Hotch asked, his voice still sharp, but not quite as with his first question.

"Reason's," Reid replied.

"And those 'reason's' would be?" Hotch asked when Reid failed to elaborate, his voice had almost lost it's sharpness.

"Mine," Reid replied, "I don't feel like talking about it."

"Fine, but I expect to hear a very good reason why you're staying back this case when we get back," Hotch said, sharpness returned.

"Oh, believe me, should my hypothesis be correct, the whole team will hear about it," Reid sighed.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Hotch asked.

"The missing little boy is more important than whatever the hell I'm standing in the middle of," Reid saw Morgan's anger in his eye's and knew Morgan believed otherwise. If truth be told so did Reid, but the little boy wasn't dead yet, and his mom was, "Oh, and fair warning, Morgan's just a bit pissed right now, so try to tread carefully when it comes to what I'm doing here."

"You still haven't exactly explain what's got him so overprotective," Hotch said.

"Because he'd been where I'm standing now," Reid said carefully, "Only knew exactly what happened. Me, I'm not so sure."

"You'd tell me if it was like..." Hotch's voice trailed off.

"You know I would," Reid noticed Morgan had disappeared somewhere, and Reid took a sip of his decaf coffee, "Oh god that's disgusting."

"I'm sorry?" Hotch seemed confused.

"No, I am, it's just decaf is so disgusting," Reid complained, earning himself a laugh from Morgan, "Especially with no sugar." Now it was Hotch's turn to laugh.

"Right, tell me, who are you and what have you done to Spencer Reid?" Hotch asked, his voice serious, but the laughter from his end of the call was anything but.

"Feel free to put me on speaker so the rest of the team can hear this, believe me it's worth it," Reid said.

Reid heard Hotch explain to the team what he'd just heard Reid say, the reaction was worth it, "Now seriously, where is my agent?" Rossi asked.

"Not even sugar?" JJ asked.

"Last time he had decaf and artificial sugar, it got thrown at Morgan's head," Blake said.

"It's all his fault," Reid hit the speaker button when he saw Morgan walking into the room.

"You mean it's his fault we all just died and your on your way to the grave?" Rossi asked.

"Maybe Pretty Boy should try not bragging about his ability to go a case on just decaf and no sugar, artificial or no," Morgan announced.

"Explain that to me, please. Reid? Bragging?" JJ laughed, "Maybe we're talking about two different people here."

"Well, it started when he walked in my apartment and noticed I hadn't had any coffee this morning," Reid started, but was interrupted.

"I'm sorry, but Reid, who died?" Hotch asked. The whole team erupted into laughter.

"Don't you wish you knew," Reid replied and the team laughed harder, "But I'm pretty sure we're all about to die."

"Why would you say that?" Blake asked.

"Hotch just made a joke," Reid laughed and was quickly joined by the team.

"While that is cause for concern," Rossi said once they's sobered up, "But look on the bright side, we didn't have to catch this unsub any more."

"It's more than likely, considering Reid's drinking decaf as well as my small joke," Hotch's voice was solemn and Reid could practically see his small, sombre nods.

"Right, so since we're all in agreement, the apocalypse is upon us, anyone got preferences?" Reid asked.

"Yeah. Not world-end-via-Strauss," Morgan said, causing the team to laugh.

"Then get you ass on the jet," Reid said.

"I would but someone has my phone," Morgan said.

"That someone is also holding decaf, and it's all your fault," Reid said, glaring, "You really wanna mess with me right now?"

"Sure, why not?" Morgan replied.

"Okay then," Reid said, "I'm assuming you still stand behind you're 'payback's are a bitch'?"

"Why?" Morgan asked, "What do you have in mind?"

"Well someone has to tell Gar-" Reid didn't finish the sentence before Morgan cut him off.

"No, you wouldn't dare," Morgan seemed panicked.

Reid laughed, "Don't tempt me."

"Reid, give him his phone back, he has about 5 minutes to get back here," Hotch said.

"Actually, I was hoping to have a privet word with you before I hang up," Reid admitted.

"Alright, your off speaker," Hotch said.

Reid clicked the speaker button as well and put the phone back up to his ear, "Would we be on rotation after you guys get back?"

"After this case we have about two weeks off rotation, why?" Hotch asked.

"Incase I'm right," Reid said simply.

"Right, well, hope you'll get the chance to explain soon, bye," Hotch said.

"Bye," Reid hung up and gave the phone back to Morgan, who pulled him in for a kiss after he'd pocketed his phone.

"You didn't really mean it when you said you'd tell Garcia, right?" Morgan asked as he pulled away.

"Maybe, I'm not sure," Reid smiled, "You'd better go, you'll miss the jet."

"That'd be a problem, now wouldn't it?" Morgan laughed and gave Reid one last kiss before disappearing through the door.

Reid stared after him for a moment before sighing and finishing his decaf. Sighing again as he poured even more of the offending substance into his tumbler, then he went and got dressed. After washing his face and making sure his satchel had everything he need, Reid called Garcia.

The phone rang once before she picked up, "Tech Goddess at your service."

"How do you feel about having you bitch back for this case?" Reid asked.

"Why're you hanging back?" Garcia countered.

"Reasons," Reid said.

"Reasons huh?" Garcia didn't seem impressed, "I'll be here waiting with your 'reasons'."

"Hopefully without a big momma bear hug and speech," Reid said.

"I can't make any promises," Garcia warned him.

"I'll see you in a few minutes," Reid laughed. After he hung up he collected his keys, pulled his jacket then his satchel on and left for his car.

As Reid was walking towards his car he noticed there a slight chill in the air, but he still took his time. And as he walked he thought about the most recent letters he'd received from his mom, wondering if there was even the smallest of hints she was contemplating suicide. Nothing. He did how ever make a not to asked his dad if he'd seen anything, seeing as he's started visiting Diane more and more frequently as of late. Reid climbed in the drivers seat of his car and left for work.

A/N:

Around the middle of the chapter I described only a few people deal with

greif. But there is only so long a chapter can be without becoming

a monster, especially if you write it out by hand then type it

up. Yes I do realize some of the characters might seem a

bit OOC, but I really wanted have Hotch make

a joke, because that in it's self would be

a miracle. The team DOES NOT

know Reid and Morgan

are together.

~IAmSoCompletelyAwesome

PS:

If you like this chapter,

I have two more long one to type

up then it'll either get posted faster or slower,

But please be patient, I promise everything will workout

for this story! Oh, and it's not like you have to or anything... but...

I would appreciate some Follows, Favorites, and Reviews! Thank you! :)