A/n all the same warnings and disclaimers apply for this chapter. If you like it, please use the little button at the bottom of the page to send a review.

He sat for a long time in his SUV upon reaching Quantico. He didn't want to do what he was about to do, but he felt he didn't have a choice. His priorities had shifted; Kara was the most important thing now. He got out of the vehicle, and walked across the parking garage to the elevator. He wondered as he rode it up, how Morgan would react to his news.

His heart squeezed as the doors opened, and he saw many friends and coworkers. He received many frank stares, curious glances, and outright smiles and greetings. He ignored all of them. He knew the rest of his team wondered where he'd disappeared to for the last three days. They would have to wait though; he had to deal with Morgan.

He ran up the steps, and down the hall to what used to be Gideon's office, and tapped on the door. A distracted "Come in." reached though the doors, and once again sent his heart pounding. Morgan had become one of his best friends, and he didn't want to let him down.

He opened the door, and stepped through as Unit Chief Derek Morgan ended a phone call. Reid had been floored when Morgan accepted the job that had literally killed Gideon. He'd never seen Derek as the type of person to deal with the office politics that came with this job. He was surprisingly good at it. He'd only been in this position for two years, but already it fit him like a glove.

"Hey Reid, I see you decided to join us today."

His smile hadn't changed, it was still full of mischief, but he tried not to tease Spencer as much as he had in the old days. After all, Reid was the most experienced agent on the team now, save Morgan himself, and he deserved respect.

"Look, Derek I'm really sorry about the last few days I-"

"Hey man… you don't have to apologize, your family takes priority. I hope you're going to give me good news though. I assume that since you're here, your daughter is okay."

"Yes, she's alright Derek, bumps and bruises, a broken arm and two ribs, but she'll be okay." He flushed and smiled widely "I got to meet her earlier today after she woke up."

"That's great, how did it go?"

"It was awkward, and I didn't have a clue what to say to her, but other then that it went fine." He tried to smile again, but couldn't quite do it.

"Reid… would you stop putting so much pressure on yourself. You only knew of her existence as of three days ago."

"That's the problem, I know that Elle is at fault, but I keep feeling like I should have done something more at the time."

"Like what, Reid," Morgan asked, his tone telling Reid again to stop blaming himself.

"Morgan, you know only what I told you, that Kara is a result of a one night stand with Elle six years ago. I didn't tell you that it happened that night in the motel. I went to her room and she'd been drinking. Do you remember?" Morgan nodded, and made himself not smile at the younger agent's obvious discomfort. Reid was not a ladies man as Morgan had been before he started seeing Garcia. Talking about what happened in the hotel room was going to be very difficult.

"What I didn't tell you is that she was drunk, she told me in detail what Gardner did to her and the next thing I know she's half naked and kissing me. I was weak I let her seduce me, I've tried to tell myself for the last six years that it was all her fault, but I wanted what happened to occur, I was in love with her. I still am."

He wanted to hide, he sort of hoped the floor would open up, and swallow him so he didn't have to look at Derek, and see the look of pity in his eyes. He accepted what Reid said with out comment, or judgment, and Reid wanted to hate him for it. At the very least, he deserved condemnation for his actions. He and Elle had to live with the consequences of their actions, but Kara was innocent.

As for Morgan, he'd thought since the young man told him about Kara, that this was what had happened. The team had known at the time that something was very wrong with her, and they hadn't helped. He admired Reid for going to her, and trying to help, it was more than any of the rest of them had done.

"Damn it Reid stop beating yourself up, what's done is done. I'm only sorry I didn't listen to you six years ago when you tried to talk to me about it."

Reid had made a couple of vague comments about his visit to Elle's hotel room, and Morgan had blown him off about it. After that Elle had left, and Reid had never mentioned her again. Derek had known for years that Reid missed their former team mate, but he'd blinded himself to the fact that the young man might be in love with her.

"I should have tried harder to talk to you, maybe you could've helped, and I might have known my daughter years ago."

"It doesn't matter Spencer, you have to go forward."

"I know Derek, that's why I am here. I can't continue to do what I do for a living, and hope to have the kind of relationship I want with my daughter, and her mother." He pulled his gun out of his holster, and laid it on Morgan's desk, and then added his badge.

"I have to give you my resignation Derek, and I hope you can understand."

"I understand your reasons Spencer, but are you really sure this is what you want to do? I don't want you to regret this decision one day."

"I don't know what else to do, I've missed so much of her life, and I have to a make it up to her."

"All right, but what are you going to do now?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll call you when I've made a decision." He stood to leave. Derek got to his feet, strode over to him, and engulfed him in a big hug.

"I'm going to miss having you around, and the BAU will miss your talents."

"I'll miss you guys too." He had to get out of the there before he began to blubber like a baby.

"Derek, would you please explain things to the team, I can't stop, I need to get out of here, and back to my apartment. I need to pick up a few things, and then I'm going back to the hospital.

"Okay, I'll take care of it. You have to stop, and say goodbye to Penelope, or she'll be pissed at me if you don't."

"Well, I don't want to be responsible for her wrath; I'll go talk to her now."

"I'll miss you Spencer, you know that."

"Hey, I'll still be living in DC, we'll talk." But Spencer knew that they wouldn't, at least not often, not with Derek on the BAU. He regretted the loss of a friend, and a brother, but it couldn't be helped. He needed to focus on his daughter. He left Derek's office, and went down the hall to Garcia's Sanctum Santorum. She called a distracted "Come in" when he knocked, but she smiled widely at him when she saw who was at her office door.

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"Well look who decided to grace us with his presence, the beautiful Dr. Reid!"

"Hello Penelope, I'm not interrupting anything important am I."

"Nothing that can't wait gorgeous, what's on your mind?" That was what he liked best about her; she didn't beat around the bush.

He explained everything to her, and she listened without interrupting him, which was nice for a change. "So you and Elle, huh, I got to admit I didn't see that one coming, but I have wondered for a long time why you're so unhappy. I'm surprised sugar, that she would do that to you."

"It surprised me too, but now that I know I have to get away from this place, Morgan doesn't understand he thinks -"

"Sugar, Morgan is a man, and he doesn't have a child to think about."

"How do you put up with it Penelope, you've been together for over five years, and he's never asked you to marry him. Don't most women find that annoying to say the least?"

"What makes you think he hasn't asked me, maybe I said no."

"Penelope!"

"All right, so he hasn't asked me. I love him, and I am willing to take what I can get. Besides, he's about to pop the question/"

"How do you know?"

"Ah Reid… that would be telling, but don't worry, when he does you'll be the first to know, after all I'll need a best man."

"Doesn't the groom usually have a best man?"

"Oh you poor silly boy, don't you know anything goes these days, and besides there isn't anyone else I want to stand up for me."

"I'm flattered, but what if Derek asks me to be his best man, then what?"

"Wow, aren't we a little full of ourselves, thinking everyone wants you to stand up for them." She laughed at the look on his face. "Just kidding, sweet thing, anyway does it really matter?"

He knew she wasn't just asking about wedding plans. He had to decide if what Elle did really mattered in the grand scheme of things, or should he just let it go and start over.

"I don't know the answer to that, I'll have to let you know later."

"All right Spencer, don't be a stranger, and good luck with Elle." She stood and hugged him, kissing his cheek.

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He managed to get out the door without explaining himself to his teammates. They were good people, and he cared for all of them, but they didn't know Elle, and they wouldn't understand the reason he had to leave the BAU.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he got into his SUV. He knew that sooner, or later the reality of what he'd just done would set in, and he would question his own motives. For now he felt freer than he had in a long time. He began to think about the possibilities open to him.

One thing he wanted to do was take a trip to Las Vegas, and visit his mom. No one really understood the reasons he'd stayed away, but those reasons didn't matter anymore. He thought vaguely about taking Kara with him. He wanted her to know her grandmother. Then he thought that she was too young, and wouldn't understand the reasons her grandma couldn't leave that place. Was he equipped to make her understand?

As her drove toward his apartment, he had the terrible thought that Kara had inherited the genetic predisposition to Schizophrenia. He'd been lucky so far, he'd escaped the flowering of the disease within his own mind, but what about Kara? He couldn't bear it, if that sweet beautiful child one day descended into his mother's hell.

He pulled into the parking lot at the complex, and sat behind the wheel staring at nothing as his mind raced. He wouldn't tell her about her Grandmother, he refused to burden a child with that kind of knowledge. He would wait until she was older. He didn't know what he would tell her in the mean time. He supposed he could tell her that Diana was sick, and could leave the hospital.

He shook himself, and told himself to stop of obsessing about it. He had plenty of time to decide what to tell her. In the meantime, he needed to get another suitcase packed, and get back to DC, and the hospital. He hurried into his building, and packed up more clothes, and toiletries. He emptied out his refrigerator, and made a quick trip to the manager's office to let him know that he was going to be gone from his apartment indefinitely, but that he would be back eventually. He got back into his SUV, and began the drive back to DC, stopping on the way at on of the many strip malls along the way to make a purchase for Kara.

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When he made it back to the hospital after stopping at the hotel for a shower, and change of clothes, he found Elle in the same waiting room where they had spent so much time. She looked exhausted again, and he didn't think she'd left that room all day. She may have been a lot of things, but he admired the fact that she was so dedicated to Kara.

"Hey Spence… you're back, did you take care of everything at the BAU?"

"Yeah, Morgan said to tell you hello."

"How is he doing theses days," She said, looking only marginally curious about her old teammate.

"He's fine; Penelope seems to think he's going to as her to marry him." Spencer sat down next to her and she said, "What makes her think he's going to propose?"

"I don't know, she wouldn't elaborate, but she said I would be the first call she makes when he does. Listen Elle, I told both of them what happened between us six years ago I -"

"Its ok babe, I know what I did was wrong. I'm sorry we all have to suffer so much for my bad judgment. I only hope that you'll forgive me one day for what I did."

"Elle please, I don't want to talk about that now. I want to see my girl, is she awake?"

"Yeah, she woke up about half and hour ago." She watched him get up without a word, and walk to Kara's room.