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Goodbye
Mist swirled through the air. The rain spattered down on the large group of people in front of the freshly dug grave. The air was redolent with the smell of dark rich earth, rotting fall leaves and the smell of sorrow that was like a pall over the men and women that stood around the hole in the ground.
Of course no one saw the hole; it was covered by the coffin that lay over it. The dark chestnut tones of the highly polished wood gleamed into the grayness of the day. The flowers that had been set up around the green turf that covered the lump of earth taken for the grave weren't bright. It was as though the day had been sucked dry of all of its colors. The only ones that remained were the pewter and black of the roiling clouds in the sky and the gold hinges on the lid of the coffin.
The only sounds were the low tones of the priest as he blessed the grave, the rain hitting the green tent set up over the mourners, and the sounds of weeping.
Women in black touched handkerchiefs to their eyes, men in somber suits held the hands of their wives or significant others.
He stepped around the crowd of people, seeing many faces he hadn't seen for a very long time. There were friends and family and even coworkers that were mere acquaintances. He was gratified that so many had turned out for this day.
He walked around the crowd to his left and saw that Elle Greenaway was standing next to Aaron and Haley Hotchner. To say that he was shocked was an understatement. He thought she had gone to Los Angeles to become a private detective. Her eyes were the same dark depths that he'd found so attractive when she was at the BAU. Tears fell from them now and his heart broke to see them flow. She was the strong one, the one that never cried, not even when faced with the worst of humanity. Perhaps that was why the one that spent the least amount of time in the job was the first one to break.
His eyes found the face of Aaron Hotchner. His visage was the same as it always was a work. The only difference was his eyes. No matter what Hotch thought, his moods were always evident in his dark eyes. Now he could see that this man was holding on by the barest thread. Haley cried openly as she held on to Aaron's hand, her eyes red and swollen.
Emily stood on the other side of Haley, and of all the profilers he had known on the job, she was the most complicated. She was exceptionally beautiful in her black suit and coat. It brought out her dark eyes and hair. She looked like the Poe's Raven brought to life, elegant and proud. He'd known her for such a short time and yet his own skills as a profiler hadn't made a dent in her personal armor. He still wondered what she was hiding.
Thunder crashed overhead, but no one reacted to the fury of the storm. The rain pounded harder, and he wondered how long the priest would drag this out till he let these people get to better cover than the pathetic tent they stood under now.
He looked to the other side of Elle and saw Morgan standing hand in hand with Garcia. When had those two admitted their feelings? He applauded Morgan for finally letting go of his fear and going after what he wanted. His dark skin seemed to blend into the day and the charcoal gray suit he wore. Morgan wrapped an arm around Penelope and used a thumb to wipe away the tears that ran down her face. He noticed that Penelope wore black which didn't look right on her, then he saw the pair of red strawberries dangling from her ears and he smiled. That was the computer tech he knew, brash, loud, smart and compassionate. He was glad she hadn't given up on Morgan.
On the other side of Emily stood JJ. The most surprising thing he'd seen that day was Spencer Reid's arm around her shoulders. Her golden hair had lost its fire this day and her blue eyes were red and puffy as endless tears fell from them. His heart thrilled to see her on the arm of the man who loved her more than anyone in the world, except his own mother.
He looked into the eyes of his surrogate son and saw him strive unsuccessfully to keep back his own tears.
"Reid, don't cry. It's okay. I promise." For now he realized that the man they were here to say goodbye to was him. He stepped back into the pelting rain and marveled that he felt neither wetness nor cold on his skin.
He looked back and said to his family. "I know you can't hear me but I love you all. Please laugh when you think of me. I'm happy."
He turned and saw his mother standing next to his father, their arms reaching out for him. They stood in the center of the most golden and brilliant light he'd ever seen. He hurried to them, disappearing into the gloom, joyous laughter echoing through the endless rain.