lostandalone22 | Fic: Coming Clean

Title: Coming Clean
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: None; gen
Rating: PG
Written for Prompt 40: Light in [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]

After Ethan talked with him, and after Gideon talked with him, Reid sat down and had a conversation with both Gideon and Hotch. He told them all about what happened in that cabin with Henkel, about how he had been tortured when they didn’t see, about how he had been drugged, and about how he had taken the drugs off of Henkel’s body after he was dead. His voice was shaky and he kept his eyes averted down and wrung his hands like he was trying to rub the skin off, but he told them everything and then took a deep breath and waited for them to deal with him.

When he looked up, he saw their somber faces, full of compassion and sadness, and he thought they were going to kick him off the team. Hotch cleared his throat and leaned forward, laying one hand on Reid’s shoulder in support, and said, “It’ll be all right. We’re going to get you some help.”

It was finally out there. They knew everything, and they weren’t angry. They were going to help fix things. He finally had a light at the end of the tunnel.