A/N: I wrote this story for the Death Fic Challenge over on CCOAC. My assigned character was Alex Blake. So there's a character death in this.

I don't own criminal minds!


We all know we will die one day. It's life. And life brings us that one disadvantage. Some people fear death and others learn to embrace it. I am neither of those people. I never really thought about dying. I didn't worry about it. I wanted to enjoy my life as much as possible and thinking about death doesn't really fit in with that lifestyle. Many people will say that my job doesn't fit that lifestyle either since I have always had a very big chance of dying on the job. But my job won't be the thing to take my life.

Cancer. That's the thing that will kill me. My doctor just told me that it can happen every single moment and it somehow doesn't scare me. I have known for a few months that this day was going to come. Right now my life is flashing before my eyes. All the good and bad memories are coming back to me. Memories of love and laughter but also memories of fear and loss.

I had a pretty good childhood. I had two loving parents and an overprotective brother who loved me to death. When I was little I wanted to be famous and live the easy life. But when my brother was killed, I changed. I was twenty when it happened. So I dropped out of college and joined the police force. During that time I started learning languages. Eventually I joined the FBI and started teaching classes at universities in the hopes to inspire people like me.

My parents never liked my job. There were afraid that I was going to die at an early age just like my brother. But I told them that my job was what I lived for. It was my way of dealing with everything. It brought me some comfort every day that I needed to survive. Before I met my husband I didn't realize that people could help me with that. So imagine my surprise when I realized that.

I met my husband when I was twenty-three. He became the light in my darkness and after months of dating I realized I had found that one special person. I never believed in the one. But James was it for me. Our relationship certainly had its struggles. I told him from the start that my job was the single most important thing in my life. He respected that about me. It was also easier because he was dedicated to his job.

Four years later, we got married. We vowed to love one another till death do us part. I never realized that it would happen so fast. But when I look back at my life I don't have a single regret. I am proud of the person I have become and even my last moments won't change that. My job taught me to value my life and to value the people in it. It made me appreciate everything I have. I watched Reid lose the girl he loved and I know that Aaron lost his wife to this job. And in my entire career I've seen thousands of pictures of the victims. Men and women. Boys and girl. All ages. Some cases were easier than others, but there was never one case that was fair. No one deserves to have their life taken from them. Especially not when it's because of revenge, jealousy, money or passion.

So, I'm grateful that my body is the one that is taking my life away. Of course I don't want to die, but my time has come and it's something I have to live with. Right now I feel my body weakening. A sharp aching pain in going through my entire body. My husband is holding my hand, trying to comfort me and it really helps. His touch is like a cure, but I know I won't have much longer.

There's a moment when you know it's really happening. Your body starts to shut down and it's as if you can't move. You look at the friendly faces around you, realizing how lucky you were to have them in your life. They are your family. Even if you've only known them for a year. But the last face you see is the one of your husband. The man who you love the most. You feel like fighting one last time, but your body is stronger than your soul and there's nothing you can do, except to let go. In that last second you feel all your fears fade away. And as I took my last breath, I set myself free from the pain and suffering.


''Life lives, life dies. Life laughs, life cries. Life gives up and life tries. But life looks different through everyone's eyes."