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A/N here is the last chapter. Thank you all for your kind support, and as always a huge shout out to my fabulous beta, REIDFANATIC.
"Shots fired," Hotch shouted and sprinted for the door.
As fast as he reacted, Morgan was faster and beat him to the door. He sprinted up the stairs, his gun and flashlight in his hands. The others followed him, but he ignored them and the rules of clearing a crime scene. His heart stuttered in his chest. He concentrated on the pounding of his shoes on the concrete steps and the smell of dust in the stairwell. He should be listening for another shot, but he couldn't accept the fact that the sound of the shot meant that Reid was hurt or dead.
He burst through the door to the loft and stopped in his tracks. Hotch nearly ran into him, but Morgan couldn't move. He couldn't believe the sight that confronted his eyes. He lowered his gun and flicked his eyes over to Hotch.
The rest of the team entered the room and he saw identical expressions of shock on their faces. JJ was the one to recover first. She hurried to the body lying on the floor in a spreading pool of crimson blood. It appeared that the back of his head was blown out. She almost gagged at the smell of new death that hung like a miasmic soup over the room.
She turned back to Morgan who was smiling and she tried to smile back but didn't quite make. "He's gone."
"They're okay," Alex added with obvious relief.
Rossi and Hotch stood stone still. Rossi grinned, while Hotch only stared at Dr. Donovan and Reid with his usual glower. Morgan thought he saw a glimmer of a tiny smile around his boss's mouth as he took in the sight.
"I can see that," Morgan replied, and despite the fact that his heart still pounded in his chest, he nearly laughed.
Reid and Dr. Donovan were locked in an embrace and he supposed that neither of them knew anyone else existed in the universe.
"Hey," he called. "Wake up, pretty boy…"
Reid pulled away from Maeve, and flushed bright red to see all of them standing there. Then he looked over at Quim and his face went bone white. "What happened?"
"That's what I'd like to know."
Reid stood up after Morgan cut the zip tie from his right wrist. He nearly fell again, but Maeve grabbed him around the waist before Morgan could move. Morgan winked at her and she flushed.
"He was going to kill Spencer," Maeve said and tears spilled over to her cheeks. "There was a shot and I thought Spencer was dead and then Quim just fell over."
"Look at this," JJ said.
She stood near a broken window. "It looks like the shot came through the window and took him out from the back."
"But, how," Alex wondered. "We didn't call in SWAT."
Morgan pulled his phone out of his pocket. He hit a speed dial and waited impatiently.
"Baby girl, no, they're both okay. No…No, will you stop for a minute. I'll fill you in on everything… Did you call in SWAT? No, okay, no, it's just that Quim is dead and Reid was tied up so… No, we don't know what happened. Alright, I'll let you talk to him."
He handed his phone to Reid and went over to Hotch and Rossi as Alex and JJ joined them. "What the hell is going on, Hotch?"
He shook his head. "I don't know, but someone was on the building across the way and took out Quim with one shot. We need to know what happened. Morgan, I want you and JJ to work with CSI in that building and here. Tear them apart and find out what just happened here. I'm going to call the Director."
Reid handed his phone back to Morgan. "Garcia's freaking out a little. You better talk to her."
Morgan rolled his eyes and hurried off to one corner of the room.
"Spencer, what's going on," Maeve asked.
"I don't know, but I don't care. I want to get you out of here."
"I agree," Hotch said. "You're both going to get medical attention."
"I don't need it," Reid protested. "This is nothing, Hotch."
He touched the side of his face where Quim had hit him several times. It stung and his lower lip was split, but he felt good despite the pain. He rubbed at his wrists and the back of his neck ached, but he barely felt it because Maeve was there and finally they were together.
"Reid, you need -"
"Please just let me take Maeve out of here. I promise I'll be in extra early tomorrow and make my report."
"Alright," Hotch put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I'll see you in the morning."
Alex watched the couple leave the room. "I don't like this, Hotch."
"Neither do I," Hotch agreed. "I want to know what happened, who took that shot and why."
CMCMCMCMCM
Reid opened the door to his apartment and flipped on the light switch. Maeve looked around and chuckled. "Well, I can see why you suggested we use names from Sherlock Holmes as code."
Reid looked around and back at her with a very confused expression. "What do you mean?"
"This is how I imagine Holmes's study to look."
She gestured around the room. She went to the stained glass windowpane and touched it. "It's so beautiful in here. You have great taste. I love the green on the walls."
He went pink in the cheeks. "Thanks, um, I'm glad you like it."
She put her arms around him and hugged him close. "Thank you for letting me stay with you. I couldn't go back to my place."
"It's okay. As a matter of fact, I never want to let you out of my sight again."
She smiled a little. "I don't want to let you out of my sight again. I can't believe it's over."
He frowned and went to his chess set near one window. He picked up a pawn and ran his fingers over its carved surfaces.
"What's wrong?"
"I wish I knew what happened up there."
He turned to her and hugged her hard. "I'm so happy that you're here and alive. If you'd died up there, I'd -"
She pulled back and kissed him gently, so softly that it was like the kiss of spring wind on his face. "I'm here and I'm okay, oh, so much more than okay."
"I just wish I knew who it was that killed Quim."
"Your team will figure it out."
He smiled at her. "You sound so confident."
"I am, and I'm kicking myself for not letting you go to them sooner."
"It's okay," he shushed her. "I think I understand why Garcia thinks everything happens for a reason."
"You do?"
"Yes, I do. I don't think we were ready for each other and now we are."
"You sound pretty confident."
He kissed her and this time the kiss was hot and demanding. His tongue sought entrance to her mouth and she opened for him. He pulled away from her when he heard himself groan aloud. He fought against the pull of her that curled in his belly.
"What's wrong, Spencer?"
Her eyes were bright and she smelled so good, like lilacs in springtime. His body wanted her back in his arms but his brain overrode the desire to pull off her clothes and have her on the floor.
"Um, I should get the couch made up. You can sleep in my room."
"Spencer…"
"I, um, I don't think I'm ready for…"
"We've been talking to each other for the last ten months. Don't you think we've waited long enough?"
He thought that he shouldn't look in her eyes because his brain got fuzzy and he couldn't think logically. "I love you," he said abruptly.
"I love you, too."
"I just don't know what to do."
She nodded. "Why don't we sit down and have a game of chess."
He blinked at her. "You suddenly want to play chess."
"Yes, it'll give you a chance to relax and we can talk a little."
"Alright."
He moved a stack of books from one chair and held it out for her. "Oh, you're so gallant."
"My mother taught me to be a gentleman."
"Did she, I'll have to find a way to thank her."
He went pink and sat across from her. "What side do you want?"
"I'll take white."
He nodded, and then looked up as her hand reached out and grabbed his arm. "Wait, what kind of prize do I get when I beat you?"
He grinned, "What makes you think you're going to win?"
"Oh, very confident are we," she said, with dancing eyes. "Why don't we play for position?"
"What?"
"I love it when you squeak. You know… position."
He swallowed hard and said squeakily. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure, Spencer Reid, so get ready to be on the bottom."
He sat back and pulled on his tie a little. "I think you're overconfident, so you better guard your Queen because I intend to win."
CMCMCMCM
He slammed the door to his underground workshop and began to pace the small room. His angry strides took him past the photographs on the wall of the mighty BAU and Maeve Donovan.
Damn it!
He shouldn't have taken on a fucking partner. Quim was supposed to keep Dr. Reid distracted. Then that idiot decided on his own to up the game. Well, he should have known that a psychopath like Harvey Quim couldn't be trusted. He'd been so surprised to see his so-called partner watching Dr Reid. He hadn't believed that Harvey would take matters in his own hands, walk up to Dr. Reid in broad daylight and stick a gun in his ribs while the good doctor was on his way to his Sunday call. It was a damn good thing that no one noticed the gun or the look of surprise on Dr. Reid's face as Quim shoved him into the back of his car. He should have reacted faster and killed them both right then and there. Still, it didn't do to over react.
He'd believed Quim when he'd said that buying that loft in Robert Putnam's name was a good idea for the climax of their plans. Now he'd have to abandon it and go to plan B.
It was fate, it had to be, that he'd had just enough time to get his rifle and take a position on the building adjacent to that loft. Oh, the temptation to let Quim take out the bane of his existence was so tempting, but then he'd lose the opportunity to kill Dr. Reid. He didn't want that. No, he realized that it was better to let the lovely Dr. Donovan distract Dr. Reid from figuring out the identity of the Replicator.
He stopped pacing and went to his desk. He had the file of the case he'd duplicate next and then it would be time to step up the game. No matter what happened, the mighty BAU would fall.
THE END