Tangled Up in You (The Story of Us Book 2)

Chapter 10- Confronting Tormentors

The case in Texas finished quickly after they got Owen's girlfriend away from him and Reid distracted Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan so he could talk Owen down at the station where he knew he would come for his girlfriend. He was successful but what he did wasn't exactly protocol and Hotch wasn't very happy, even threatened to fire him on the plane before telling him he should finish his 'movie' which Reid had claimed to be at causing him to be late. Reid smiles at the fact that Hotch knew where he was but was choosing not to say anything, making him grateful.

Reid spends the plane ride home watching Amanda look out the window as she listened to music, not even noticing his grip on Sharp's one-year chip. When they arrived home, Spencer reluctantly packed and headed to the airport wanting to make it to Vegas early and see his mom if he's going to be forced to interact with the people who had made his life hell for four years.

Spencer hadn't told anyone about the alumni ceremony so when Amanda came into work to find Reid not there, she was worried. She knew the last case had taken a toll on him and wanted to make sure he was okay so she approached Aaron, who told her about the ceremony. Amanda took a deep breath before looking into her brother's eyes to make sure he knows that she means her next words. "You're a complete fucking idiot," she tells him, drawing the attention of the team as they are still stuck on the 7th floor.

"How am I an idiot?" He asks in surprise and she rolls her eyes.

"When somebody calls and says that they're calling to confirm that one of your employees can speak at an event it means A) they're lying and know the person they plan to ask is going to say no or B) the person they asked said they weren't sure they could get it off work as a form of no. In other words, if someone ever calls like that you tell them no!"

"What's got you so worked up, Princess?" Derek questions and she spins on everyone.

"Aaron decided to go ahead and tell Reid's high school that he can go to their stupid alumni event to speak since he's their most successful graduate or some shit, meaning that he's going to be forced to sit in a room with the people that tortured him for four years because apparently Aaron wasn't born with a functioning brain!" Everyone shares a look of surprise before JJ clears her throat.

"Amanda, I get where you're coming from but Spencer's an adult. If he couldn't handle it, he wouldn't have gone."

"JJ's right," Emily adds. "Spencer would've asked one of us to come with if he didn't think he couldn't handle it."

"No offense to either of you, but you really don't know Spencer all that well. His whole little act around you lot isn't who he is and I know for a fact that he wouldn't tell any of us because he doesn't want to make his problems someone else's because he's an idiot. So if you all want to stay here twiddling your thumbs, so be it but I'm going to go to Las Vegas and be there for my teammate since he needs me," she scoffs, spinning on her heels and walking out of the temporary BAU and to the elevator as she buys a ticket to Vegas on her phone.

"She seems to be in a bad mood," JJ frowns, contemplating what she had said as Morgan speaks.

"I think she's right." Everyone turns to him in surprise. "Look, I know that I'm not usually one to force someone into taking help they don't want but back in Texas, when we were going through Owen's emails, Reid told me a story about something that had happened to him. It was pretty messed up but what was even worse was that there were a ton of kids that just watched. Then he said that Amanda is the only person that's ever stood up for him even though he never asked."

"Perhaps Derek's right," Rossi suggests. "I may not know Spencer well but I know Amanda and she wouldn't have reacted like she did if she weren't seriously concerned." As the team continues to debate what to do, Amanda arrives at the airport, grabbing her go-bag and running through the airport to catch the plane that was set to leave any minute since she had bought a ticket for the soonest one that happened to be boarding when she bought the ticket. She makes it just in time and hurries to her seat, unaware that the team had decided to go to Vegas as well and were readying the jet.