Chapter 2 – Planning

They all walked into Morgan's office silently, and the mood was palpable. Reid went to the furthest corner of the couch, debating whether to sit down or not. JJ tried to find some neutral ground. Emily was the last to enter, and being the well-honed profiler she was, looked at Morgan and Garcia. She barely got her mouth open, when Derek wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the forehead. "This isn't about you. I told you once, but you were bleeding all over. So I'm going to tell you again. And for the last time. I get it; we all do. You did the job you had to do. And you saved Declan. Period. Enough said."

"Pretty boy, you're next up." Reid swiveled to look at Morgan. "JJ did her job. Garcia pounded my ass pretty hard a couple of minutes ago, and through her snooping, found out the decision was made above JJ's head, or for that matter, Hotch's. Bottom line kid: they did what they had to do to protect this team; this family and most importantly, Emily. And that means all of our families. Think kid; Doyle was killing families. What would he have done to your mother?" Reid's face changed dramatically as the words struck home.

Reid looked at his shoes and then quietly said, "All I could think about was the loss I felt. It was the same way I felt when I had to make the decision to get my mom committed." He paused, as he pawed one of his shoes into the floor. "I needed someone and went to my friend," he said as he looked at JJ. "All I could think about was losing again. I understand how tough I made that for you. And now, I'm just feeling really guilty about what I said to you in Oklahoma about taking Dilaudid again. I know better. That choice wouldn't have been on you. That would have been entirely on me. And that's why I've been so, so…."

JJ quickly crossed the space and embraced Spencer in a big hug. When he pulled away, he looked at her and a small tear escaped. She wiped it away while her eyes were ready to spill their own. "I'm just glad you came to me. Despite everything, that's what I take away most Spence." For the first time in seven very long weeks, Spencer Reid smiled. Garcia beamed, while Emily hung her head.

Morgan pushed her chin up. "I told you princess, don't go there." He looked around the room. "For me," Morgan said, "It's a trust issue with Hotch. The two of us," he paused to think, "we're both alpha males and trust is a hard thing. Guess maybe that's why I'm a little jealous of how he and Rossi get along. But I now understand what he lived with. I've sat in the big chair. And I can tell all of you, it isn't easy. That man protects us from a lot of the bullshit this 'company' we work for hands out. I've got some things to work out with him, but I promise you all this: I will do that. If not for any other reason, I don't want to get my ass chewed again like I got from Rossi. Which btw, we all had coming; especially me." They all looked at each other, and then smiled broadly.

"So now what?" Reid questioned.

Garcia jumped in. "We put this family of ours back together."

"PG?" Emily said, looking at her.

Derek winked at her. "Emily, you know my baby girl is righter than rain?" Emily nodded. He smiled broadly. "We're going to crash a party."

"Whoa, that's family time," JJ started. "We can't …."

"I was going to symposium at Harvard…." Reid added.

"I don't care," Garcia nearly bellowed. "We know they're there, we know Rossi has the room and," she paused and softened. "We all just really need this." They all pondered her words.

Emily spoke up. "I hate to be the fallout to this grand plan, but I can't go."

"Emily?" Derek questioned.

"I've been trying to hook up with Ashley since I've been back. Between her work and ours, we haven't been able to connect. But she just helped crack a big case for Andi, and she's on mandatory stand down. We're going to get together tomorrow."

Garcia smiled even larger. "Better yet gum drop. Invite her to join us. She's been a part of this as much as all the rest of us. And God knows Rossi has the space for her. Albeit, long legs and all." The group that was in Morgan's office smiled and then laughter broke out.

Morgan pulled Emily into a large hug, and said, "Give her a call and tell her to pack a bag." Emily reached for her cell phone as JJ chimed in.

"Hey guys, I'm all in on this, but I hate to be the stick in the mud. I know Cait. She's got meals, treats for the boys and everything planned out. How do we handle that?"

Garcia chimed up. "I've already thought of that, my profiler JJ. I remember the last time we were there. While Rossi's cabin is out in the woods, civilization is not that far away. There was a big grocery store on the corner, just before we turned off the main highway. It was…"

"Fourteen point six miles away," Reid intoned. They all glared at him.

"Hey Ashley; it's Emily. I'm here in the office with the team except Hotch and Rossi. Since you've got the weekend off, how flexible are you plans? And hang on; I'm going to put you on speaker." Together, they devised their plan.

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