Elijah was stood outside of The Black Rose, a dark jacket tightly pulled over him as the night air seemed to cut straight through him. Before he could become lost in his almost constant stream of thoughts, a female voice brought him back to the present.

"Hey, sweetheart." Sylvie, one of his colleagues, hummed as she approached him, her dark hair blowing in the breeze.

"Sylvie, darling." Elijah smiled as he turned to face her,"Good day?"

Sylvie shrugged,"So far. Working in the coffee shop only gets me so much. Hopefully we get some good tips tonight."

"We will, it's Friday. They always come on Friday." Elijah assured her.

He was referring to The Vipers, a gang that operated in the area. Their leader, Alexander Gray, always had his men come in at least once a week. He always made an appearance himself on Friday night.

"I suppose you're right." Sylvie sighed as she nodded towards the entrance,"Coming in?"

"Of course, it's bloody freezing out there." Elijah chuckled softly as the pair entered the club.

It was dark, although it was illuminated by small fluorescent lights that gave Elijah headaches. There was also the dull smell of smoke that clogged up the room, you could even see it lightly floating in the air.

"Have you got any solos tonight?" Sylvie asked.

"Sylvie, they always give me solos." Elijah told her,"I'm not totally sure why. I mean, Annalise is a way better dancer.'

"Well Eli, you're the only guy here and.. Well, Mark said-" Sylvie began.

"That he needs a buffer between you girls and Alex?" Elijah raised a brow.

Sylvie stayed quiet, but he knew it was true. Elijah didn't even blame Mark, his boss, for the comments he made. Alexander wasn't an easy customer to deal with and neither of them wanted him to hurt any of the girls.

"Look, we all care about you, okay?" Sylvie looked up at him, the glitter on her face more visible in the light.

"I know you do, darling." Elijah nodded,"If it protects you and the girls, I don't mind taking care of Alex while he's here."

"Just.. Remember to go to Mark if he takes things too far."

"Of course." Elijah smiled,"Now, I've got to get ready."

Elijah said his goodbyes to Sylvie as he headed towards his dressing room. He would've loved to tell Mark whenever things went too far but he knew it wouldn't matter. Alexander was lining Mark's pockets so Elijah was expected to keep his mouth shut and get on with it. And he did.

Elijah slipped into his dressing room, pushing away any doubts he had about that night. He removed his dark jacket, hanging it on the coat hanger and replacing his boots with his black Pleasers. He changed into some black shorts and a lacy top that really didn't cover much of his chest, covering enough to leave his audience wanting more. Elijah looked in the mirror, looking over his makeup one last time before he headed out to the stage.

Elijah looked out at his audience, although most faces were obscured with a mix of smoke and the fluorescent strobe lights. He gripped the pole tightly, slowly spinning around before dropping. He arched his back, smirking at the crowd as he returned to a standing position.. But that's when something caught his eye.

As he wrapped his leg around the pole, leaning backwards, he took notice of two people he'd never seen before watching him from quite far back. A dark-skinned male and a brunette female. It soon dawned on him why they were there, and it wasn't for his dancing.

Elijah collected the money that had been tossed at his feet, blowing the audience a kiss before beckoning the two at the back to his room as he walked back himself. He pulled his jacket over himself once more and sat on the edge of the bed in his room. He knew nothing was going to happen between them.

As a small thing on the side, Elijah had offered his services to the FBI, at the request of one of their Agents. He'd give them information on various shady characters that tended to frequent The Black Rose.

"So.. What brings you two here?" Elijah tilted his head, looking up at the pair as they walked in.

"We're Agents Howards and Morgan. We were told we could get some information out of you." Howards introduced them.

"Ah, I see." Elijah nodded,"Did Papà Rossi send you?"

"Papà?" Morgan blinked,"No- It was Jason Gideon. Agent Rossi has been retired for some time."

"Aw, I much prefered Rossi." Elijah hummed,"Now, what sort of information do you need?"

"Well, we're trying to take down this gang, The Vipers. Do you know them?" Howards asked him.

"Know them? They all come in at least once each week. I know them alright." Elijah nodded,"Hey, there's probably some Vipers in the crowd tonight."

"Do you.. Do anything with them?"

"Darling, you do what they tell you to do." Elijah sighed.

"Do they make any strange requests?" Morgan questioned.

Elijah bit his inner cheek as he thought,"Knives. Most of them enjoy knives. I said we don't tend to do that sort of stuff but.."

"More money." Howards sighed.

"..They don't take 'no' very well either."

"What happens when you say no?" Howards tilted her head slightly.

Elijah removed his jacket and took off his top as well, revealing relatively fresh scars on his chest, as well as many old ones.

"This." Elijah sighed,"This is what happens."

"It fits the profile." She nodded.

"Right, would you mind coming back with us to our Headquarters? We'd like to ask you some more questions in a more.. Secure environment." Morgan told him.

"Hm, sure. It's been a while since I've paid the BAU a visit." Elijah hummed.

"Do you want to change or are you alright like that?"

"I'll be fine like this." Elijah assured them as he put his top back on.

"Alright then. Let's go." Howards nodded.

With that, Elijah put on his jacket and the two Agents did their best to hide him as they snuck him out of the club, not wanting any gang members to spot him. They lead Elijah back to their black SUV and began to relatively short drive back to the BAU Headquarters.

It was a tall building, many windows. They pulled up quite close to the doors and quickly entered. Elijah looked around as they did, it looked the same but he didn't recognize any of the people. He.. Wasn't great with names or faces.

"So, is it different from the last time you visited?" Howards, who Elijah learned was called Fleur, asked him as they walked.

"Not really." Elijah shrugged.

"It's changed a bit." Morgan chuckled slightly as he stopped outside of an interrogation room, holding the door open.

"This part hasn't." Elijah commented as he walked inside, looking around.

"We'll send someone in to speak with you shortly. Want anything to drink? Water? Coffee?" Morgan offered.

"Oh, I'm alright. Thank you for the offer, though." Elijah nodded as he sat down at the table.

"You got it."

Morgan then closed the door, leaving Elijah alone as he took off his jacket. He looked around the room, barren. The walls were grey and uninteresting, not even a painting or anything. All there was was the window, one way glass. He knew they were all watching him from in there, the room beyond the glass. That's when he saw the door handle twist and he paused, not expecting who walked through the door.

It was a male Agent, slender and somewhat nervous-looking. He had brown hair that he pushed out of the way of his eyes. His eyes. Eyes say so much about a person.. Elijah smiled softly as he looked up at the Agent.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Spencer Reid." He introduced himself as he sat in front of Elijah,"You're Elijah Deans?"

"Yes, I'm Elijah. It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor." Elijah smiled softly.

"It's nice to meet you too." Reid hummed,"Have you worked on many cases?"

"I have, although it was usually a different Agent that called me in." Elijah told him,"Not that there's anything wrong with Agent Gideon, I just- Wasn't expecting him to request my help."

"Oh, well, Gideon's a great guy. Trust me." Reid assured him.

Elijah nodded slowly, still smiling. He and Gideon had spoken a few times when Rossi brought him in for cases but.. There always just seemed to be some tension. He didn't think Gideon was a big fan of him.

"Go on then, Darling." Elijah changed the subject, leaning back in his chair,"What do you need to know?"

"These people, how often do they visit The Black Rose?" Reid asked.

"Twice, I'd say is the average. There's at least one every day, but their leader always comes on Friday. It's always packed with them then." Elijah answered, shaking his head slightly.

"Which member do you usually have your sessions with?" He raised a brow.

"It depends, really. I think most of them have had at least one go, but they go to the girls as well." Elijah answered,"Their leader likes to visit me the most, though. Says I'm 'different'."

"Different? How so?" Reid tilted his head slightly.

"Well, I can take more than the girls, more of whatever he pleases." Elijah sighed,"I don't want them to have to deal with him."

"You shouldn't have to put yourself through that to protect them." Reid shook his head,"Have you brought up what he does to your boss?"

Elijah chuckled softly,"Trust me, I've tried.. But he pays my boss to keep things quiet. He gets time with us and we don't call the cops."

Reid sighed,"Can you tell me exactly what he does?"

"Well, he likes to use knives, turns him on. I told him that I didn't do that sort of thing, but he doesn't care." Elijah looked down at the table,"I either sleep with him and get cut, or he cuts me anyway and leaves.

Reid leaned forward slightly, fidgeting with his hands,"Would you.. Be able to show me these cuts? It's alright if you aren't comfortable but-"

"Don't worry, Angel. I don't mind." Elijah assured him, once again taking off his top.

Reid leaned closer, inspecting the cuts, although it was clear that Elijah's little nicknames flustered him, at least a little bit.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have pretty eyes?" Elijah hummed.

Reid blinked, looking up at him,"I- No."

"Hm, what a surprise." Elijah smirked slightly, he enjoyed this more than he knew he should.

Reid leaned back,"What's the, uhm.. The leader's name?"

"Alexander. Alexander Gray." Elijah told him.

"Alexander Gray." Reid repeated quietly under his breath as he wrote it down on his notepad.

"You've got nice handwriting too." Elijah pointed out.

"I actually think it's quite messy." Reid shrugged.

"Well, I like it." Elijah leaned forward, smirking still,"How about you tell me more about yourself now, Angel?"

Reid was still writing notes but he rather quickly looked back up at Elijah,"We, uh, we need to work on this case."

"Aw, but I answered all of your questions." Elijah pouted.

Reid looked back at the others behind the glass before letting out a sigh,"Fine.. I'll ask you a question and then you can ask me one."

"Oh, I love games like this." Elijah clapped his hands excitedly.

"It's not a game, Mr Deans." Reid shook his head.

"Right then, Doctor. What's your first question?" Elijah raised a brow.

"Okay, has Alexander ever told you anything about his gang?" Reid asked, tilting his head.

"Well, he does ramble. A lot. Makes him feel powerful, so I let him." Elijah hummed,"He tells me who he's had taken out, who he wants to take out but can't, where they're going to hit."

"Okay, do you know where they're going to hit next?" Reid questioned.

"Hold your horsies, it's my turn." Elijah winked,"And I want to know if you're single."

"I don't think-" Reid began, although he stopped himself,"..Yes, I am."

"I see. Oh, and yes, I do know where he's going to hit next." Elijah smiled,"It's a place a block or two down from the club. Jay's, I think."

"Jay's? The Snooker Club?"

"One in the same."

"Thank you." Reid quickly wrote that down,"Did he give you a date? A time?"

"Aw, don't tell me you've forgotten the rules of our game. I just answered your question. My turn." Elijah put a finger over Reid's mouth,"Now, be honest, are you attracted to me?"

"I don't think.. This is appropriate." Reid cleared his throat.

Elijah gasped,"Oh, you do!"

"Mr Deans." Reid shook his head,"I'm not gay."

Elijah looked down slightly,"He said he'd hit Jay's tomorrow at seven, told me he'd meet me at The Black Rose for some 'good luck' before it."

"We'll be in contact in case he tries anything." Reid nodded.

"I appreciate that." Elijah hummed before he took notice of something,"I'm surprised you never asked me to put my top back on."

Reid blinked, a faint red colour rising to his cheeks,"I never even noticed.. You can, uh, You can put it back on if you want."

"Your sure you want that?" Elijah chuckled.

"Yes."

"Whatever you say, Angel." Elijah nodded, putting his top back on, although it really didn't make much of a difference.

"I'll be back in a moment." Reid stood up.

"Of course." Elijah nodded, leaning back in his chair as Reid left the room.

Elijah smiled to himself. He was adorable! So intelligent yet so easy to fluster. People had probably complimented his work before, but maybe they never complimented him physically. Before he could think too much on the matter, Reid reentered the room.

"Back so soon, Darling?" Elijah looked up at him.

"Do you have a contact number? So we can contact you and let you know what we're going to do."

"Is this your way of asking for my phone number?" Elijah smirked.

"I'm just asking for it so we can all contact you." Reid answered briefly.

"I'm just teasing." Elijah hummed as he took out a small slip of paper from his back pocket,"I always carry a copy, just in case."

"Thank you." Reid nodded as he took it.

"So, do you guys have a plan? Because if you need him distracted, I can do that." Elijah told him.

"We'll message you the plan, don't worry." Reid assured him.

"Oh, I wasn't worried. I know I'm in good hands." Elijah hummed as he began putting on his jacket

"You're free to go." Reid told him.

"Thank you for having me." Elijah smiled at Reid as he stood up.

"Goodbye, Elijah." Reid waved.

"Goodbye, Angel." Elijah nodded as Reid opened the door for him.

Elijah left the interrogation room with a smile where Morgan was waiting outside to drop him back off at The Black Rose. The pair left the building and set off on the journey back, Elijah staring out the window most of the time. He trusted the BAU.. But he was starting to get nervous about this little mission.

*********************************

The next evening, Elijah made his way to The Black Rose once more, this time kitted out with a hidden FBI comm so they could hear what was going on. He ignored any of the customers that tried talking to him and headed straight for his room, knowing that he was only going to have one session that night. Alexander.

Elijah took of his jacket, hanging it up and sitting on his bed. If things got messy, he just needed to contact the others.

"Elijah, is everything okay?" Morgan asked through the comm.

"Of course, he's not here yet." Elijah nodded.

"You'll be alright, kid. Just hang tight."

"I've got this." Elijah let out a small sigh.

Elijah's shoulders tensed as he heard the door open and Alexander walked in with his hands in his pockets.

"Alex, there you are." Elijah looked over at him.

"Yeah, I had some business to take care of." Alexander removed his blazer, his greasy hair almost shimmering in the dull light.

"That makes sense."

"So.. What have you been getting up to?" Alexander nodded for him to start getting undressed.

"Oh, not much. I had a solo yesterday but no real meetings." Elijah told him as he took off his top.

"Have you spoken to anyone?"

"Well, I spoke to Sylvie when I came in last night and-"

"I meant customers, Ganet." Alexander snapped.

Elijah tensed at the sudden switch in tone but shook his head,"I didn't have many customers last night."

"No? Then how come Tony told me that he and the boys watched you invite some people to the back and then leave in a Fed car?" Alexander glared at Elijah as he began walking closer to him.

"Alex, it's not what you think." Elijah backed away from him.

"Is it not?" Alex scoffed, pulling out his knife,"What the fuck did you tell them, huh?"

"I didn't tell them anything." Elijah insisted.

"Don't fucking lie to me, you slut!" Alexander forced Elijah against the wall, holding the knife to his throat,"Do you want another scar to match your old ones?"

"No- Please. I'm sorry." Elijah pleaded, looking up at him.

But.. There was no sympathy behind those cold, dark eyes. Just anger. Hate. It didn't take long however, before Agents had hurried into the room.

"Alexander Gray, FBI!" Gideon and the other two Agents had their guns aimed at Alexander.

Alexander pulled Elijah close to him, the knife still held against his neck,"I knew it."

"You'd don't want to do this." Reid shook his head.

"Oh yeah? Well, what do you know, because I think I do."

"If you kill him, you won't know exactly what he told us." Gideon told him.

"I don't need to know what this whore told you. He's already ruined everything." Alexander tightened his grip on Elijah.

"What's killing Elijah going to do? He's not worth it." Reid stated,"Come on, we both know you have better things that you could do."

Alexander looked down at Elijah,"You might have a point there.. Why waste my time killing this pathetic waste of space."

"Exactly. So give him over to us and we'll deal with him." Reid slowly lowered his gun.

Alexander smirked at Elijah, brushing the cold metal of his knife against Elijah's neck before shoving him forward. Reid quickly grabbed Elijah and escorted him out of the room, wrapping his jacket around him.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" He asked quickly.

"I'm fine, I've.. Well, I've dealt with worse." Elijah shook his head, hugging himself.

"I didn't mean what I said back there." Reid assured him,"You actually seem like a nice boy."

"I know you didn't, I could tell from your face." Elijah smiled softly, looking away,"A person's eyes can tell you a lot of things."

Reid bit his cheek,"..Tell me about yourself. You're from England?"

"Originally, yes. Somerset. My family and I moved over here when I was nine." Elijah nodded.

"Whereabouts?" Reid asked, leading Elijah into a room they'd managed to set up for Elijah.

It was one of the backrooms, although it had been tidied up and some fresh clothes had been left for him.

"Colarado." Elijah answered.

"I'm from Vegas." Reid hummed as he closed the door behind them.

"Vegas? Now that's interesting." He nodded slowly.

"How come?" Reid chuckled.

"Vegas strikes me as a loud place, with loud people. You don't strike me as a rather loud person, and your poker face could use some work." Elijah told him.

"I have a great poker face." Reid pointed, still smiling,"I'm actually banned from most Las Vegas casinos."

"Too smart for them?" Elijah raised a brow.

"I have an IQ of 187."

"So you are a little genius then."

"Technically, yes." He hummed.

"Well, is there anything else you'd like to know, Angel?" Elijah asked him.

"Would it.. Be okay if I kept your number?" Reid seemed unable to make eye contact with him.

"Of course you can." Elijah smiled,"As long as I get to keep your jacket."

Reid let out a small sigh,"Fine."

Elijah hopped excitedly as he wrapped the jacket around himself tightly,"Thank you."

Reid bit his cheek before gently leaning his head on Elijah's shoulder. Elijah was confused but he smiled softly, wrapping an arm around Reid. Maybe he was tired.

"There's a Detective outside who's going to take you home." Reid told him,"Make sure you're safe."

"I see." Elijah nodded slowly, holding Reid tighter,"I will."

"But.. I am awake most nights reading. So, if you want to message or call me, I could." Reid slowly pulled away.

"I'd like that." Elijah smiled at him.

"So.. I'll talk to you later then?"

"Of course."

Reid returned Elijah's smile before he left the room. Elijah sighed, briefly taking off the jacket before he changed into the fresh clothes and quickly put the jacket on again. He soon left the room as well, and met the Detective awaiting him outside of The Black Rose.

"You ready?" He asked, opening the door.

"Yeah.." Elijah nodded, getting into the backseat.

The Detective didn't speak much to him on the way to his home, but Elijah didn't mind. He just wanted to get home so he could see his baby and maybe even talk to Reid.

Elijah thanked the Detective as they pulled up outside his house and he exited the vehicle, heading towards his house. The Detective quickly drove off and Elijah rolled his eyes, he could've at least waited until he was safely inside. Elijah shook his head though and walked to his front door, unlocking it and walking inside.

Elijah sighed, locking the door behind him,"And.. Home."

Elijah waited by the front door after he heard a small thud from elsewhere in the house. He smiled, bending down as he heard the patter of small footsteps approaching.

"Hello Muffin Man." Elijah hummed as his cat ran up to him.

Muffin was an old persian cat that Elijah had found in an alleyway back in his first year of college as a little kitten. Much better than any roommate he'd ever had, in Elijah's opinion.

"Did you miss me, baby boy?" Elijah scooped him up as he walked to the living room.

Muffin meowed in response, rubbing his face against Elijah's cheek. Sure, they couldn't communicate through words but Muffin always seemed to understand him.

"Well, I met a guy at work today-" Elijah began as he sat down.

Muffin meowed, wriggling out of Elijah's arms and jumping onto the back of the church.

"He's nice, Muffin. Not like any of those guys in college." Elijah crossed his arms.

Muffin huffed, laying down and looking away from him.

"Muffin-" Elijah was interrupted by the his phone ringing,"We'll contiue this in a bit."

Elijah stood up, taking out his phone and checking the number. Mark? He shrugged, thinking nothing of it as he answered the phone.

"Deans, we need to talk."

Elijah was quiet for a second before he was able to muster a response,"What do we need to talk about, sir?"

"I would've mentioned it back at The Black Rose, but it didn't seem like the right time." Mark sighed,"Look, you're a liability at this stage."

"A.. Liability?" Elijah blinked.

"Yes, Deans. You're a danger to the girls, creating conflict like this in the workplace." Mark shook his head,"What if one of these guys that you're 'helping put away shoots up my establishment?"

"So what are you trying to say?" Elijah asked.

"Deans, I'm offering you an ultimatum." Mark told him,"You stop communicating with the FBI or you're fired."

"..Guess I'm fired then." Elijah hung up, running his fingers through his hair.

Elijah loved his job at The Black Rose, despite all of the negatives that came along with it but he and the girls, they were some of his closest friends but.. He wanted to help people. He always had.. Elijah sat back down, looking down at his phone before dialing a different number. Reid's number. It barely rung twice before he picked up.

"Elijah- You made it home safe?" Reid asked him.

"I did, yeah." Elijah sighed, leaning back into the couch.

"You.. Sound upset. Is everything okay? Are you still thinking about what happened?"

"No- Well, yes- But it's not that." Elijah shook his head,"I just.. Don't know how effective I'll be as an informant anymore."

"What do you mean by that?" Reid questioned.

"Mark fired me, said I'm a liability to the girls." Elijah sighed.

"You aren't a liability." Reid tried to assure him.

"Well, when you're working with the FBI and helping them put dangerous guys away, I kind of am.. Plus, they're a majority of his customer base." Elijah shrugged.

Reid was quite for a few seconds before he spoke again,"I have an idea. Just.. Let me talk to Gideon. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Reid, what do you-"

But Reid had hung up before Elijah could get an answer.

Elijah chuckled, shaking his head,"Oh, you strange, wonderful man."