Title: New Year's kiss

Pairings: Reid/J.J., Morgan/Garcia, the whole team thrown in for spice

Rating: R for violence and angst

Warnings: I own nothing, please don't sue. Also, this chapter involves a little more 'criminal minds' than usual.

Author: Jen

He smiled, fighting off sleep, as she slid under the covers and rested her head on his chest. He lowered his face to her head, enjoying the sweet smell of her hair. His eyes fluttered, as his fingertips lightly brushed the skin exposed beneath her shirt. She giggled, "I thought you were tired." "Barely awake," he replied, "however, wanting you is a permanent condition." She giggled again, the vibrations of her whole body working their way across his chest. He smiled, "I'm never going to get a full night's sleep." This time she laughed out loud, "Oh, OK, I can let a man get some sleep," she teased pulling away from him.

He rolled after her, suddenly feeling much more awake. "Jen," he started snuggling to her back, sliding his arms around her, "Who needs sleep?" She turned to face him, their smiles meeting. His finger traced her face and pulled it to his own. "I love you." Their kiss was soft and sweet, lingering, all time lost. When his lips pulled away for breath he rested his forehead against hers. Slowly their breathing found a comfortable rhythm as his eyelids slowly won the battle for closure.

The next morning he smiled at her as she walked into her office before returning his attention to the file in front of him. The team was preparing to head to Oregon for a case, and Spencer was verifying that he was familiar with every clue in the case file that had already been gathered, checking to make sure he hadn't missed a connection. Before he knew it, she was standing by his desk, her overnight bag on her shoulder. She had to tap the back of the file before he noticed her. "Sorry," he offered sheepishly. She smiled, as he looked over to Morgan's desk. "He is saying goodbye, should we wait for him?" She nodded, setting on the edge of his desk. He slid his chair up to her, and rested his head in her lap. Instinctually her fingers slid into his hair and began to massage his scalp. "Still sleepy?"

A few feet away, hidden behind a door a similar scene was underway. He sat on her desk, her head in his lap. "This is going to be dangerous, I can feel it," she moped. He slid his fingers under her chin and directed her face to his own. "I will be fine, I'm always fine. We'll be home in a few days. We'll be home for New Year's." "You better be," she chastised, "I will get my New Year's kiss." She looked him in the eyes, making his fear the consequences should he not keep his promise. He kissed her gently, pulling back slightly until their foreheads met, "I will be home soon." He kissed her again, this time more passionately before slipping out the door leaving her breathless.

Spencer spotted him approaching and stood. J.J. hung up her cell phone and together the three walked to the elevator without saying a word. As the plane took off, Morgan uttered just loud enough for the couple sitting across from him to hear, "Let's get home for New Year's." Spencer shot him a weak smile of support, and J.J. found her conversation starter.

"Making any New Year's resolutions Hotch?" He turned to face the three younger members of the team, "More time with Jack and Haley, keep the garage clean, solve cases faster so I can spend more time with Jack and Haley, you?" J.J. laughed, "I try not to make any, I never keep them anyway. Last year I told myself I was going to the gym every day. That worked for like two weeks." Everyone laughed. Gideon chimed in, "The key is to make promises to yourself that you want to keep." "Mine should be a piece of cake then," Hotch commented, "Except maybe the one about the garage." Everyone laughed before falling into a comfortable silence. Emily sat at the other end of the plane, she still felt like an outsider in these intimate family moments. J.J. leaned her head against Spencer's shoulder before falling into a soft sleep.

Soon Derek and Spencer were the only ones awake. "Doing ok?" Spencer asked noting the tightness in Derek's face. "Yeah, just…" "What?" Spencer asked thoughtfully. Derek looked at J.J. sleeping peacefully at his side, "How do you make her stop worrying about you?" Spencer looked down at her, "She knows what we do, who I am. Garcia knows who you are too." "I know, and she does. It's just that I feel guilty about leaving her." Spencer nodded, "Maybe it's easier for us because she sees it up close." Derek scoffed, "I just, hope we make it back so I can give her that New Year's kiss." The men exchanged smiles before Derek slid his head back into his pillow and shut his eyes waiting for sleep to take him.

Three days into the case they caught a break, and discovered the identity of the killer. Still, somehow he managed to evade the police in the thousands of acres of untamed terrain. They could find no clue as to where the man was, and were further dismayed to find out that another woman was missing. The team searched endlessly, finding nothing new, getting no closer to his location. Garcia dug deep, sending them endless amounts of information. Spencer read it all and processed everything, still they had nothing. As the sun rose of the thirty first, Derek stood outside the station staring helplessly into the mountains before him. He was too focused to notice Hotch stepping up behind him. "Should we walk away?" he asked as much to the landscape as to Derek. Derek shook his head, "I'm just so frustrated. How can he be this good?" "He knows this place," Hotch responded. The vastness seemed to laugh in their faces. Suddenly the door burst open and J.J. rushed out, "Emily thinks she found him, let's go!" The men exchanged split second glances before rushing behind her.
Within an hour the team was approaching a small shack Derek, as usual lead the team up one side of the house, Spencer right behind him, as Hotch and Gideon took the other side. Their team was flanked by local field agents and p.d. but none of them were expecting what was to come. As Derek stepped onto the back porch Spencer was the first to hear the small click drawing his eyes to a wire wrapping under the porch. "Jump!" he screamed, throwing himself against another agent and pushing back. Derek reacted, trusting Spencer's words without question and flung himself away from the shack just as it the entire thing became a huge fireball. The wood hung in the air, the fire spreading outward, and the silence was deafening in the aftermath of so loud a blow. Spencer uncovered his head, and screamed, "Derek!" He pulled himself up and ran to his friend's motionless body. He turned him quickly, finding a pulse and then placing his hand over an open wound in Derek's chest in an attempt to control the bleeding. Derek fought to open his eyes, seeing Spencer, he allowed them to shut. When they blinked open again, Hotch and Spencer were over him, Hotch handing Spencer his shirt to tie quickly around him. He wanted to talk to them, tell them he was awake, as neither of them were looking at his face, but the pain was unbearable, he couldn't speak, couldn't move, and couldn't hold his eyes open.

Spencer sat alone in the hospital corridor his face resting in his bloody hands. When she turned the corner and saw him she ran to him. She fell on her knees in front of him, her hands touching his arms. He looked up at her, the tear lines down her face mimicking the ones traced with blood on his own. Her head fell to his knees, violent sobs taking over her body. He stared at the wall across from him, he couldn't touch her, the blood on his hands would contaminate her. She regained composure momentarily to look into his eyes. "I love you so much." She mouthed, not sure the words were spoken out loud. He nodded, his eyes closing to allow more tears to fall. Hotch and Gideon rounded the corner, Emily quick on their heels. When he looked up, Gideon searched his soul with his eyes. He nodded, more tears falling, blinking them away as his head turned at the sound of an opening door. Hotch and Gideon sped up, J.J. noticing his tenseness gathered herself enough to stand. Hotch soon slipped his arms around her for support. Spencer stood, looking the doctor straight in the eye. "Is," he mouthed, reminding himself to use his voice, "Is he ok?" The doctor nodded his head yes before talking, "You are his team?" Gideon took over, "We are. What can you tell us?"

The doctor nodded, looking slowly at each member of the group. "Mr. Morgan should be ok. He lost a lot of blood, but considering vital organs his wounds are more or less superficial. If you hadn't got his bleeding under control before they got to him, he would not have made it. His wounds have been cleaned and sutured. He received two pints of blood through transfusion. He is resting. You can see him if you like, but he is asking for a woman." Spencer stared at Gideon, "She is on her way," he said to Spencer's surprise. The doctor stepped back, allowing the team a moment of privacy. "J.J. can you please help Spencer get cleaned up," Spencer stared at him, shocked that his concern was focused on him, "he shouldn't see you like this. He will worry about the blood." Spencer nodded, immediately understanding. "We'll meet you in there," J.J. said, sliding her hand onto Spencer's arm and leading him to a restroom. Hotch and Gideon followed the doctor down the hall, and Emily stood frozen unsure of where her place was.

Inside the restroom she first splashed water on her own face, straightening her hair and removing the last traces of her tears. She slid off her jacket and rested it across the counter. She quickly wet a wash cloth and began with his face. His eyes stayed shut as she removed the blood that was his, dried around small cuts, and more that she realized was Derek's. She pulled his hands to the sink, washing them with her own, working her nails gently across stubborn spots to remove the blood dried in small crevices. She rolled up his sleeves to hide the majority of the stains, and wet his hair slowly using the washcloth before brushing it back with her fingers. It was only then that he could finally force himself to react, grabbing her arm. She was startled, looking immediately into his eyes. He pulled her into his arms and held her to his chest until her tears subsided. He kissed her forehead before pulling away to gather himself.

As they exited the bathroom, an older nurse waited for them and lead them to Derek without words. When the nurse stepped aside, they paused, her hand taking his, before they had the strength to join Hotch and Gideon next to his bed. He was wrapped in white gauze and hooked up to multiple IV's. It had been almost two hours since the bomb went off, but it seemed like instants to Spencer. He touched Derek's arm gently to verify the movement of breath, proving to himself that there was still life in his friend. When Spencer's fingers touched Derek's skin, his eyes fluttered open. Spencer didn't break eye contact; instead he pressed his hand to Derek's. "She's coming," he answered the unspoken question. Derek's bloodshot eyes pressed shut, and Spencer swore he squeezed his hand lightly.

Hours past, Spencer never left his side. Hotch left Gideon in the waiting room with Emily to go pick Garcia up at the landing strip. He could not and would not let a stranger be there to meet her. J.J. stood at the end of Derek's bed, her eyes trailing between the two men she loved so dearly. She held in as many tears as she could, several traveling in silence down her cheek, thinking of just how close she had come to losing them both. In this thoughtful silence the trio passed the moments which seemed like hours, the soft light over his bed breaking the darkness that surrounded them.

When she turned the corner, her eyes fell upon this scene. She could no longer deny her tears, a jagged breath alerted Spencer of her presence. He walked towards her, catching her in his arms. "He will be ok," he whispered into her hair. "He will be ok," he repeated until her breathing stabilized. She pulled back, and his fingers gently wiped away her tears. She forced a smile, and took a deep breath as she walked towards him. She brushed a hand against J.J. as she stepped to his side, shooting her a weak smile. J.J. stepped back to Spencer's open arms and the two watched in silence as she pressed her hand into his. "I'm here," she whispered. "I'm here." A single tear slid down her face, landing hot against his skin.

His eyelids lifted slowly. He fought to focus on her. "I'm here," she repeated, barely a whisper. He squeezed her hand, and somewhere in the background the group became aware of a faint countdown at the nurses station. Spencer turned slightly as Gideon's hand slid around his shoulder. Hotch stepping beside J.J. They all watched as Garcia leaned in, gently kissing his lips. She whispered in his ear, "Happy New Year." She kissed him again before adding, "As soon as you're better I'm going to kill you." He blinked twice, fighting the tears that slid down his cheeks. Spencer leaned down, kissing J.J.'s forehead. She looked up at him, their eyes locking, before she kissed him softly. Their family had closed ranks, they stood together, physically supporting one another. They approached Derek's bed as a group, his eyes appreciating the sight before him. J.J. slid her arm around Garcia, and received a smile of thanks for the comfort. She looked to Spencer, as their eyes met she mouthed "Thank you." He nodded his response. Looking at Hotch he nodded again. Only then did Hotch notice Emily standing quietly in the doorway, he had forgotten about her altogether in his fight to be there for Derek. He motioned for her to join them. She slowly stepped into the circle between Gideon and Hotch. As she looked at each member of the team she received a comforting smile, and she reached her hand to Derek's. He squeezed it lightly, as a single tear ran down her cheek. "Happy New Year," she said quietly to everyone. "May this team see many more together," Hotch added, gently patting her shoulder.