If this ever happens again.... (Darren's a real one)
Third Person P.O.V
“Reid, what the hell man?” Derek yells, unable to control himself after his best friend’s daughter fleed the room with her hands clutching what’s sure to be a black eye by tomorrow. The girl had basically told Derek to go the hell home with her statement of ‘dinner’s cancelled’, but for some reason the older agent couldn’t bring himself to leave. By all means he shouldn’t have even been here for their fight, but now that he is almost nothing is going to make him leave. Not when it seems like there’s a lot more Reid and
Finn haven't told the team, or even each other, judging by the argument he heard through the door.
Yes, Derek heard the whole argument. He didn’t mean to listen, but the two were being very loud, and it was too interesting not to eavesdrop on. The agent was shocked when Finn brought up Reid’s drug habit, sure his best friend would have done everything in his power to keep her away from that side of him. However now guilt eats at his heart when he realizes Finn and Reid could have been saved from a lot of pain if he or the team had approached the genius about it.
Morgan whirls, ready to tear into Reid and remind him of how Carl (an abusive old football coach of Derek’s) screwed him up, only to freeze at the sight of his best friend.
Reid feels like he might throw up. Hot tears trail down his cheeks and his body spasms with quiet sobs as he stares at the door. The guilt in his stomach is so strong it pains him, and he almost doubles over.
He hurt Finn.
He hurt Finn.
Of course he didn’t mean to lash out, he certainly didn’t mean to make the girl trip and get a black eye, he just wanted to push her out of his personal space before he totally lost his mind. But Spencer of all people knows that’s no excuse. He had promised when Finn was first born he would never treat her like his mother did, and here he is now.
Derek feels the slightest bit bad for his best friend before an overwhelming determination takes over. “Reid, why’d you give Finn a black eye?”
This snaps Spencer out of it and he rips his hand away from his mouth. “Omigosh you think that’ll be a black eye? I didn’t hit her! I pushed her out of my personal space and she tripped Derek, but it’s all my fault! I hurt my daughter--” Reid crumbles, almost falling to the ground as a wave of sobs shakes his frame.
Morgan catches his best friend just in time and manages to move them both over to the couch. His head reels at the new information and it takes a while of Reid crying into his shoulder for Derek to get his crap together.
“Okay, okay,” he mumbles, rubbing a reassuring hand over Spencer’s shoulder. “You didn’t mean to hurt her, I get it. But Finn probably doesn’t.”
Spencer’s crying comes to an abrupt halt at this, and he jumps to shaky feet, rushing to to the front door as the image of Finn’s pain-filled face fills his head and that night on the roof appears right after it. “On no! I have to go after her--”
Derek catches him around the waist and stops Reid in his tracks. “Reid, I get that you’re worried man, but trust me, the kid just needs some time.” He looks at his best friend, waiting for him to give in and agree, before Reid shocks him.
“No! No, you don’t get it!” He shouts, getting more and more frantic as he all but shoves Derek out of the way. “Tonight’s a huge danger night for her! I don’t think I’d survive it if she actually succeeded this time--” He’s cut off by the sound of his phone ringing, and Reid scrambles for it. He narrows his eyes at the unknown number before answering it and holding it up to his ear. “Hello? Finn?”
“Hey Mr. Reid.” A distinctly male voice drifts over the phone, an undercurrent of aggression and weariness in his voice.
“Who is this? How do you know my name?” Derek looks at read for that statement, but the genius waves him off.
“Oh! I’m Darren, I play basketball with Finn. My sister dropped her off at your apartment earlier before your… disagreement.” Reid’s heart sinks and bile rises in his throat, but he ignores it. “Yeah, Finn’s with us and she’s gonna sleep over here. She told me to tell you she’s not gonna throw herself off a building or anything, and we’re keeping an eye on her. She said she doesn’t know when she wants to go home and we couldn’t get any other answers before she passed out. So… um, don’t worry, I guess?” He pauses and Reid hears fingers snap before Darren’s voice gets darker. “Oh yeah, and no disrespect Doctor Reid, Finn told us this is was an accident, but if it wasn’t and this happens again… well the kid’s managed to befriend the entire high school football and basketball teams of four different schools.”
The dial goes dead and Reid collapses on the couch, sighing as he sinks into it and Derek takes his place next to him.
“Reid,” he speaks up after a moment. “Who was that? And what do you mean by danger night?”
*****
I know this is shorter, and I'm sorry! The next chapter should be longer and it's about Finn and Alexus meeting up with Issie.