"Ms. Garcia, I really must announce you. She could be on an important call!" Sitting up with a jolt, Erin looked to her door, watching Helen argue with the woman.

Standing up quickly, she went to the door and opened it all the way. "Yes, Ms. Garcia?"

"I need to talk to you. Do you have a moment?" Noticing that the woman was close to tears, she nodded, ushering her inside. Closing the door, she sat down on her sofa and waited for Ms. Garcia's next move. The younger woman sat very close to her and reached out to clasp her hand.

"Ms. Garcia, what is it?"

"Please, call me Penelope. If you're Reid's lover, you're my friend. He's waiting for you in the parking garage. His mother was attacked by another patient just now and it doesn't look good for her. He wants you to go with him to Vegas."

Erin felt the blood drain from her face as she tried to nod. She stood shakily and groped for her go bag. "Does he have our plane tickets already?"

"Hotch is letting him use the jet. We're all chipping in to pay for the fuel, since it is an unauthorized trip." The woman, Penelope, pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't worry, I'm the only one who knows about you two. Watch over him for us, would you? This is going to devastate him so."

She nodded and went over to her desk, grabbing her purse. "I'll call you with updates." Penelope nodded as well and followed her from the office. "Helen, I'm going to Las Vegas. There's an emergency out there I have to deal with. Send along anything important in my email."

Her assistant nodded. "Take care, Ma'am."

"I'll try." She felt sick to her stomach and could only imagine what Spencer was going through. Hardly noticing Penelope shadowing her, she went to the elevator bank and pressed the down button. "Pray for us, Penelope."

"Always, Chief Strauss."

"Erin," she said as the elevator doors opened. Penelope smiled kindly at her, and she tried to smile back. Thankfully, there was no one else in the car with her, and she let her tears fall. Spencer was waiting for her when the doors opened and she fell into his open arms. "We'll take my car, Spencer. It goes faster." He nodded against her shoulder and together they walked to her Lexus.

"I'll drive."

"Of course, Spencer." She threw her go bag in the backseat and he followed suit. Once they were underway, she called Helen. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you that if Shepperd asks, I had a family emergency in Las Vegas. I'm expecting to be out a week. If it's going to be longer than that, I'll let you know."

"All right, Erin. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not that I can think of, thank you. I'll try to keep in touch."

"Just take care of yourself, Erin. I'll hold down things here." Helen said before she hung up.

Erin smiled and put her phone away. Turning in the seat, she watched Spencer, noticing the tear tracks down his cheeks. Reaching out, she swiped at them with her thumb, feeling her own sorrow well up once more. "Spencer…"

"I know, Erin. I didn't say thank you, you know. I really appreciate you coming with me."

"I love you, Spencer. That means I would do anything for you. Including moving heaven and earth to save her."

"While I don't think that will be possible, thank you for the sentiment. I'm not ready to lose her, Erin." He pulled into the parking lot of the airfield and turned off her car.

She got out and grabbed their bags before opening his door. "Come along, my faithful Abelard. Our jet is waiting." She held out her hand and he clasped it tightly, pulling himself up to stand next to her. The pilot was waiting for them and nodded as they boarded the plane.

As soon as they were in the air, she curled into Spencer, resting her head on his chest. He began to stroke her hair and this made her cry once more. She knew her Spencer was crying, too, as she could feel it in the way he breathed. "How do I say goodbye, Erin? I've known this was coming, but still…"

"It's so very sudden and violent. It's jolted you from someday to now." He nodded and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "My own mother was murdered when I was sixteen. She had gone to the bank one morning and landed in the middle of a robbery. They pulled me out of history class to tell me. She had seen the perfect dress for my prom and impulsively decided to get money out for it."

"And you never did another impulsive thing until now."

"That's right. Now you're in my life and have brought me such great joy and love. Your sorrow is my sorrow, Spencer."

"And your joy is my joy, Erin." She looked up and he kissed her sweetly. "When I think about how much I love you, it scares me. It doesn't make logical sense to love you, given our age difference. Other than my mother, though, you are the person who means the most to me in this world."

The honesty in his voice touched her heart and she snuggled into him. "It was hard, pretending we weren't a couple during the bank operation. I kept watching for you, listening for you, and I was sure Aaron would figure me out."

"And I wanted you to be my plus one at the wedding."

"Is that why you called so many times?" He nodded and she smiled before spreading her hand out over his heart.

"I write to my mother every day. She knows you're in my life." He paused, twirling a piece of her hair between his fingers. "I want to make this more official than just partners who sleep together every night I'm home. I want you to be by my side every minute of every day. I want everyone to know."

"Spencer?"

"We've been together three months now. I love you. You love me. I'm not one for a big, fancy, party and we are going to be in Vegas shortly. Marry me."

"Yes." Once more, she felt a wave of great joy sweep over her and she leaned back to look into his eyes. "Yes. I don't know how we'll navigate work, but I would love to be Mrs. Spencer Reid."

He kissed her gently and she melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Under every grief and pine runs a thread with silver twine," he murmured in her ear.

"Oh, how I love William Blake's poetry."

"I love that you know his poetry. While my mother introduced me to Chaucer, I discovered Blake on my own." He kissed her hungrily and she felt her body respond to him. "I won't let them destroy our garden of love."

"I won't either. Are you going to…?"

"I would like to, if you don't mind." She shook her head and he pushed her back onto the seat. As she pulled her skirt up around her waist, he tugged her underwear off before unbuckling his belt and pulling his pants and boxers down. She wasn't quite ready for him, and she tried not to cry out in pain. He noticed her discomfort and reached down to tease her clit, sending a flood of fluid into her channel, easing his way. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she murmured, pulling him down on top of her so she could kiss him as he thrust in and out of her body. It didn't take long for him to climax and he collapsed on her, nuzzling his face into her neck as he sobbed. "What is it, my love?"

"I hurt you."

"A momentary discomfort. Your needs were greater than my comfort." She stroked his hair as she cried herself, feeling his sorrow keenly. They must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, the plane had begun its descent. Spencer sat up and grabbed her panties, handing them to her.

"I didn't want to wake you," he said softly. "You looked so peaceful in my arms, so I just watched you, trying to find that same sense of peace. I'm so glad you are here with me."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." She sat up and pulled on her panties. "I wouldn't have been any good at the office, had I stayed behind. Can you imagine what your friends would have gone through?" She leaned over and kissed her Spencer tenderly.

The plane landed and they hurried through the airport to get a cab. They were silent the entire drive to the hospital, but he held onto her hand tightly. He dragged her into the hospital and up to the information desk. "Spencer Reid and my wife, Erin. You have my mother, Diana Reid, here."

The woman smiled kindly at them as she tapped on her keyboard. "She's in the ICU right now. Follow Emily, she'll lead the way." She wrote something down on a slip of paper before handing it to the young blonde woman.

They trailed after her and were soon on an elevator, stepping out onto the ICU floor. Erin was instantly overwhelmed by the oppressive silence there and she clung to Spencer. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Finally, Emily stopped in front of an open door. "Mrs. Reid is in here."

They nodded together and stepped inside. A doctor was checking out the various beeping machines and Spencer cleared his throat. "Dr. Reid?" Spencer nodded. "I've been waiting for you. You have some decisions to make…"

As they talked, Erin took a seat next to Diana, picking up her hand. "Hello, Diana, I'm Erin. I'm going to marry your son while we're here. You raised a fine son, he treats me like a queen. I wish there was more time to get to know you. I would have liked having a mother again."

She felt Spencer's hand come to rest on her shoulder and she looked up at him. "The doctor is going to turn off the machines now. He said it would be quick and relatively painless." She nodded and he sat next to her, taking hold of his mother's hand. "Mom, this is the woman I love. I wish you could have met her, I know you would have loved her. She knows Blake and Abelard. In fact, she's my faithful Heloise. I love you, Mom."

He fell silent and Erin began to cry once more. She scooted her chair closer to his and laid her head on his shoulder as they waited. It seemed to take forever for the machines to show a slowdown and then stop to her breathing and her heart. When it happened, the doctor made a note in the chart and then left the room, closing the door behind him. Erin's tears turned to sobs at the same time Spencer broke down and they held onto each other tightly. "What now?" she finally whispered.

"We go find a hotel. I've already made arrangements for her body to be cremated, I did that years ago, just in case. Once we're checked in, we're going to find a chapel and get married. I don't ever want you to leave my side." They stood and he pulled her into a warm embrace. "I love you, Erin Strauss."

"I love you, Spencer Reid." Hand in hand, they left the room and by the time they got back down to the lobby, they had managed to put on halfway together looks. After hailing a cab, Spencer told the driver to take them to the Excalibur.

"This is my home, Erin. Why do I feel so adrift?"

"Your last tie to it was just severed. There's nothing holding you here anymore." He nodded and she snuggled into him, watching the lights of the Strip sparkle in the sunlight.

"We'd like a room, please," he said once they'd made their way to the check in counter. "The best you have available."

"For how long?" the woman asked.

"Two nights." He tightened his arm around her waist and she smiled slightly.

"All right, you'll be in one of our executive suites on the thirtieth floor." Spencer showed her his id and the woman nodded. "And may I have your credit card, please?" He handed it over and she ran it through her machine. While it was processing, the woman showed them where their room was. After Spencer had signed the receipt, they were given the keys and hand in hand they went over to the elevator bank.

"Spencer, this is too much."

"It's not enough." His cellphone rang and he took it off his belt. "It's Penelope. Hey, Garcia. We got here in time to say goodbye. Erin and I are staying at the Excalibur tonight and tomorrow night. We'll be driving back, since there are so many hoops to jump through to bring the ashes home on a plane. Oh, and we're getting married tonight. Of course, here she is."

Spencer handed her the phone and she smiled at him. "Hello, Penelope."

"Why didn't you tell me you two were going to elope? I can't keep a secret this big!"

"Then don't."

"What? Have you lost your mind? What about Director Shepperd? This could cost you your job, since you're Reid's supervisor!"

"And I don't think I care at this point. I love him, Penelope, and if that's the price I have to pay, so be it."

"So, you're his faithful Heloise. I never expected either of you to be so freaking romantic. It really is adorable." Erin heard her sigh and she smiled a little wider.

"Well, we were going to keep it quiet, but then David found out and now you…"

"Don't worry, we'll look out for you. Have fun tonight."

"I've been having fun for weeks. Now is our time to be."

"Too true, Angelfish. I'll make sure no one bothers you until you get home. Talk to you later!" The woman hung up just as the doors opened up on their floor.

"Shall we?" he asked as he held out his arm. She took it and they went down to their suite. The first thing she noticed was how large the bed was. The next was all the windows. "I want to make love to my wife with all the curtains open."

"I would love nothing more than that. Do you think my outfit is okay?"

He nodded. "You're beautiful, no matter what you're wearing, or not wearing. You'll probably want to redo your makeup, though. You have raccoon eyes." Spencer tenderly ran his thumb beneath her eyes and she leaned into the touch. He lifted her chin and kissed her softly. "My loyal Heloise."

"My faithful Abelard," she whispered before kissing him once more. Taking out her makeup bag, she went into the bathroom and sat down at the vanity. As she washed her face, he came up behind her and watched as she reapplied her makeup. Reaching over her shoulder, he grabbed her brush and began to style her hair.

When finished, she stood and wrapped her arms around him. "Are you ready to do this?"

"I am, Spencer." He slipped his arm around her waist and they went out to the elevators. On the ride down, she rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It was steady and soothing, and she felt herself relax into him.

They went up to the concierge desk and were given directions to the chapel. While Spencer got all of the documentation taken care of, Erin was ushered into the floral room and told to pick out a ready-made bouquet. She fell in love with one made from midnight blue irises and the clerk whipped up a quick boutonniere for her soon to be husband.

When they came back together, he beloved was smiling bemusedly. "We'll have to pick out rings after this. I sort of forgot about those." She nodded and went to his side, sighing as he slid his arm around her waist once more, where it belonged.

"All right, are you two ready to get married?" the minister asked as he led them to the front of the chapel.

"Yes," they replied in tandem, stopping on their marks. The ceremony was quite brief and soon, Spencer was lifting her chin and kissing her. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close as the kiss lingered on. They finally came up for air and she tried to smile prettily for the camera.

"Hello, Mrs. Reid."

"Hello, my love." Her stomach growled loudly and he laughed. "I guess we should get something to eat."

"I guess." He clasped her hand and they took the paperwork from the minister's hand. "Let's run this up, though, so we don't lose it." She nodded and they made their way back to their room. Once safely behind the door, he began to cry again and she wrapped him in her arms, holding him tightly. "She's gone."

"I know, my love, I know." Somehow, she got him over to the bed and she stepped out of her shoes before pulling him down on the mattress, spooning up close to his body. "Spence, let me in."

Those words seemed to open something in him and he enveloped her in a tight, warm, hug. "Erin, my Erin, don't ever let me go." Blindly, his lips sought hers and their kiss was intense. She could feel everything he was trying to tell her through the buss and she hoped he could read her emotions just as well.

"I won't, I won't," she murmured as he covered her face in kisses. "Let's just rest and be for a while. We can get our ring tomorrow."

He pulled her tighter to him as he nodded. Slowly, their breathing evened out and she fell asleep shortly after he did.