A/N: This story is a continuation of my one-shot "Understanding" and would probably make more sense if you read that first.

A special thank-you to donttouch whose review is what sparked the idea for this… I decided that I wanted to elaborate more on what happened to Reid as a child, plus I really wanted Mr. Gregory to pay… and pay he will.

This story is the first multi-chapter fic that I've written that has Gideon in it, because it takes place not long after the "Profiler, Profiled" episode (there are spoilers for that in here!) So feedback is greatly appreciated. I really want to do his character justice because he is much loved and I miss him.

I'm apologizing ahead of time for any lateness there may be on chapter updates... School just started back and my schedule is crazy, along with my work load. Some days I might not even get home until 6 o'clock or later bc my brother has Band, my mom has meetings and I've got... tons of other stuff to as well... Plus, I'm doing the brilliantly smart thing and starting 2 stories at once! ... Don't panic if I miss a few days or even a week between updates, I'm still writing, I just haven't had time to update bc of the insanity that has become my life. I promise to update ASAP, always!

WARNING: Mentions of child molestation and rape that may become slightly graphic, not sure yet. There will also be spoilers for "Profiler, Profiled" and in this chapter tiny spoilers for "The Popular Kids"

PLEASE REVIEW! I really want feedback!

"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They are messengers of overwhelming grief and unspeakable love." -Washington Irving

Ch. 1: Memories

It had only been a month since the team had found out the truth about Morgan's past and the abuse he suffered at the hands of Carl Buford… and they were all certain that this new case was going to be hard to him. Two young boys had been kidnapped and held for three days, during which time they were sexually abused and then killed. The screen in the conference room was filled with pictures of three small boys, about ten or eleven years old, naked and dumped like garbage in the desert around Las Vegas.

Morgan didn't miss the sympathetic looks that JJ and Prentiss were sending him every few moments as they opened the files JJ had handed them. He expected it. Things were still a little awkward between them. He wasn't really thinking about that, however. He was thinking about Reid and how he knew this was affecting him too.

He hadn't told anyone, not even Gideon, what Reid had shared with him on the jet as they headed home from Chicago a month ago. Reid had told him that in confidence and he would never betray his friend's trust like that. He had to force himself not to throw glances at the younger man every few minutes.

"Three boys, Jonathan Wheeler, Kyle Jackson and Martin Davies, were found murdered in the past three months." JJ began. "They were all kidnapped, and held for three days before their bodies were dumped in the desert. They'd all been sexually assaulted and strangled." She clicked a button on the remote and a close up picture of one of the boy's necks appeared on the screen. There were very distinct bruises around the small throat.

"They were each abducted exactly a month apart from each other." JJ continued. "All of them from public places."

"So the unsub is someone who doesn't stand out," Morgan murmured.

"He's probably someone the children trust, maybe even someone they know." Reid spoke up, frowning.

"He's smart… there isn't any DNA evidence on the bodies… or any fingerprints." Prentiss added.

"He could be an authority figure… a cop, a teacher, a bus driver… someone who wouldn't look out of place, who no one would question talking to children." Gideon said absently. He was staring at the photos of the bodies. They were so young… too young to have their innocent taken.

"We're obviously dealing with a man who's smart, knows what he wants and isn't afraid to take it." Hotch said. "Wheels up in twenty…"

Reid let his head fall into his hands as the rest of the team left the round table room to get their go-bags. Memories he longed to forget were making their way into his mind. It always happened when they had a case that involved children. A tiny voice in the back of his mind would whisper "That could've been you,"

A hand on his shoulder made him jerk, his breathing hitched. "Whoa, kid, calm down it's me." Morgan said gently, quickly pulling the hand away. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine," Reid said tightly, trying to hold back the sob that had nearly escaped his throat.

Morgan bit his lip, "Are you gonna be alright, Reid?" he asked gently. "You don't look so good."

"I'm okay… it's just… bad memories." he said quietly.

Morgan nodded slowly, "You're sure you'll be okay?" he asked again, frowning at him.

Reid nodded and stood, pushing his hair back out of his face. "Yeah, I'll be fine. It's nothing I haven't dealt with before."

"Alright… you know you can talk to me, if you need to." Morgan informed him.

Reid's crooked smile wasn't as bright as it usually was, "Just a month ago, I was the one comforting you… how did that change?"

"Because I've started to move past all of you knowing the truth." Morgan said, "You haven't told anyone but me."

Reid sighed, "I guess. You… you didn't tell any of them did you?" he asked, suddenly nervous and worried. He'd told Morgan about nightmares he'd had in the past and Morgan had told Hotch and Gideon behind his back.

"What? Of course not, kid! I would never do that to you." Morgan looked surprised that Reid would even think something like that.

"Thanks…" he sighed. "I just… it's not exactly the easiest thing to talk about." He chewed his lip. "But you know that."

Morgan nodded, "Yeah, I do."

The two men left the conference room in silence, both of them thinking about memories that they wished were nothing more than nightmares.

Gideon frowned as he watched Reid's face when he pulled his go-bag from under his desk and sat down heavily in the desk chair. Something was wrong… He sighed, having a bad feeling he knew what was wrong. He'd noticed something … off about the young man after the case in Chicago.

He was certain that Reid was hiding something, and he hated to think that he knew what he was hiding. He leaned down and pulled his own go-bag onto his desk. He wouldn't force Reid to tell him what was bothering him, but he hoped that he would trust him enough to talk to him himself. It hurt slightly that Reid didn't trust him enough to tell him now, considering he thought of the young man as a surrogate son, but he realized that if his suspicion was right, it made sense that he wouldn't want to talk to him.

Praying he was wrong, and that Reid would eventually tell him what was bothering him, Gideon glanced over at the table across from his desk at the pictures scattered across it. The lives he had saved. Smiling sadly, he pulled his bag over his shoulder and headed out of the office.