They exchanged their rings. The officiant pronounced them husband and wife. Everyone clapped as they embraced. Hotch saw JJ wipe at her eyes; even Morgan was blinking a little too rapidly. He smiled as the newlyweds kissed each other, both of them grinning widely and giggling with the buoyancy of the moment.

Rossi leaned in. "I'm glad we're here. This is a good thing. I'd hate to have missed it."

Hotch nodded. "Yes. It's a very good thing."

-How to Fight Loneliness, Chapter 18

Reid barely heard the officiant say "husband and wife" before Emily was kissing him. People were clapping. He was in a daze. He just kissed her back because it seemed like the best thing to do, and it was the only thing he wanted to do. She beamed at him, laughing, their noses brushing together. "We did it," she whispered.

He nodded. "Wife."

"Husband." She kissed him again. He couldn't stop grinning.

They turned toward their friends and family, who were descending upon them, arms outstretched and faces joyful. Emily hugged JJ, and then Morgan was shaking Reid's hand and hugging him. "Congratulations, kid," he said, sounding a little gruffer than usual, perhaps to cover his slightly damp eyes.

"Thanks, Morgan."

Then Hotch and Rossi were there, and Garcia was crying and Emily's mother was hugging them and Hobart was shaking his hand. He saw his mother hanging back, looking a little uncertain. He took Emily's hand and they went to her. She had her hands clasped under her chin, smiling at him. He gingerly put his arms around her; they weren't generally much for hugging. "Mom," he whispered. She hugged him back.

"Spencer. I can't believe my little boy is married." She turned to Emily. "Take good care of him," she said, her lip trembling a little.

Emily linked her arm through his. "I will," she said, then reached out and hugged Diana with one arm.

Elizabeth came up. "Spencer, is this your mother?" she asked.

"Oh, yes…Mom, I'd like you to meet Elizabeth Prentiss, Emily's mother. Elizabeth, this is my mother, Diana Reid."

"It's so nice to meet you," Elizabeth said, holding out her hand, smiling warmly.

His mother shook it, edging closer to him, a little shy. "It's nice to meet you," she said, carefully. She glanced at him, that look in her eyes that told him she'd had about as much as she could take of new people and new situations and she'd very much like to go home now.

"She needs to get back," he said to Emily, in a low voice.

"We'll take her," she said.

Reid looked down at her. "Really?"

"It'll only take a few minutes, and it's important."

He sighed. "Thanks." He turned to his mother. "Mom, we're going to take you back to Bennington now."

"Oh…good. Thank you, Spencer."

"Just one minute, okay?" She nodded. Garcia had appeared at her side and sat down with her.

He turned around and caught Hotch's eye. He came over. "What is it?"

"Emily and I are going to run my mother back to Bennington. Won't take more than half an hour, then we'll be back."

"It's just as well. I think there are plans being cooked up," Hotch said, smirking and glancing over his shoulder to where JJ, Rossi and Morgan had their heads together.

"Oh, God. Don't let them get too crazy, okay?"

"No promises." Hotch clapped him on the shoulder. "See you shortly."

He turned back to his mother; Emily was talking to hers. She snagged him by the arm. "Spencer, Mom and Grandma are going to catch a flight this afternoon."

"Oh, you can't stay?" he said to his new mother-in-law.

"I'm afraid not. This event was rather sudden," she said, but good-naturedly.

"I know, Mom. We're sorry. We're both just glad you could make it."

"We are still having your reception at the house though, right?"

"We'll be there."

"All right. Come by when you get back home. Are you going on a honeymoon trip?"

Emily looked at him and he shrugged. "We hadn't really discussed it," he said.

"Maybe we can get away for a couple of days," Emily said.

Elizabeth reached out and grasped Emily's hands. "I wish your father were here," she said, quietly.

Emily nodded. "Me, too." She hugged her mother again and they bid their goodbyes. Emily sighed and Reid saw her dab at the corner of her eyes. He put an arm around her shoulders.

"You okay?" he murmured into her ear.

She nodded. "Yeah." She smiled up at him. "Nothing can be bad about today."

They got Diana back to Bennington and promised to come see her again before leaving town. Getting back in the rental car, Reid shut the driver's door and just sat there for a moment. Emily put on her seat belt and checked her cell phone and then looked at him, realizing that he wasn't starting the car. "Spencer?" He turned and looked at her. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I just – I'm feeling a little overwhelmed."

"You and me both." She put her hand on the back of his neck and rubbed it. "You're a mass of knots."

He let his head fall forward under her ministrations. "That feels good." He sighed. "I just know that they're concocting some kind of plan for us tonight."

"I know."

"How horrible would it be if I just drove us back to our hotel and we turned off our cell phones, got in bed and didn't come out for a few days?"

"That sounds divine."

"Our friends came all this way, I know they want to share this with us, but damn it – I just want to be alone with my wife." He smiled at her.

"You're alone with me now," she said. She leaned across the console and kissed him, slowly and with the promise of things to come.

"You're making it worse."

"We'll have plenty of time to be alone. Let's celebrate with our friends tonight."

He sighed. "Whatever you say, Mrs. Reid."

The bellhop brought them to a set of double doors. Reid had never stayed in a hotel room with double doors before. He was a little apprehensive about what lay behind them, but mostly anticipating what he was hoping to do with (and to) the woman by his side once he got through them.

On their way back from Bennington, they'd been instructed to meet their friends at Michael Mina, where they'd been wined and dined courtesy of Rossi's platinum card. The restaurant, accustomed to newlyweds coming there to celebrate, had given them pretty good champagne on the house and a small wedding cake courtesy of their pastry chef, which Reid thought was awfully nice of them, even if he knew that they probably had dozens of the things stashed in a walk-in fridge somewhere.

Reid sat at the table next to his wife (as his brain kept referring to her with amazement and awe), his eyes drawn over and over again to the new ring on his finger. He'd never been much for jewelry and it felt very…present. He imagined he'd get used to it. Just as he'd get used to the fact that he was her husband now.

I don't know if I'll ever get used to that.

Their friends had been in high spirits, toasting and telling stories, laughing and teasing and making off-color jokes. Even Rossi had gotten into the spirit of things. Hotch had sat back watching, but he'd smiled, and that was just about all anybody could hope for.

While they were eating their wedding cake, the real surprise had been sprung. "We know you haven't had time to think about a honeymoon," Garcia said.

"We've barely had time to remember to eat," Emily said.

"That's why it's good to have resourceful friends," Garcia went on. "You are not going back to that other hotel tonight. We had your stuff moved here to one of the penthouse suites where you will spend your wedding night in the lap of luxury."

Reid's jaw had dropped. "Oh, you guys," Emily said. "You don't have to…"

"But wait! There's more!" Garcia crowed, then looked over at Rossi.

He'd harrumphed, like a crotchety old uncle embarrassed to be caught in an act of kindness. "I have a little cabin on Lake Tahoe. It isn't the Bellagio but it's comfortable and it's private. JJ's arranged for the jet to fly you two up there for a long weekend. I've called ahead to the caretaker, it'll be fully stocked and ready for you. There'll be a car waiting for you at the airport to take you there and there's a rental car at the cabin in case you want to go into Reno or something."

"I hope you don't mind," JJ said. "Before we left DC I went to your house and packed you each a bag so you'll have clothes for the cabin. The bags are on the jet."

Reid felt Emily grab his hand. They were both speechless. He found his voice first. "Dave…guys…I don't know what to say." He found himself getting a little choked up that they'd gone to all that trouble. "The expense…I don't know if we can accept it."

"Please," Rossi said. "The cabin upkeep costs me the same whether you're in it or not. As for the rest, this is an expense that's an actual pleasure. And you deserve it."

"Hear, hear," Morgan said.

Emily looked around at them. "That's quite a wedding present," she said, sounding a little hoarse. "Thank you."

"You can thank us by having a wonderful time," JJ said.

"And by not stumbling across any serial killers while you're up there," Morgan added. Everyone laughed.

"And by not sparing one single thought for us or the job or anything related to it for four days," Hotch said. "Just take the time. It's important." He met each of their eyes in turn and Reid felt the weight of Hotch's experience, and how much he didn't want their marriage to go the way his had gone.

"We will," Emily said, leaning against his shoulder. "Thank you."

After dinner, everyone had been in a euphoric mood, even Reid, to the point that when visiting some of the Bellagio's nightclubs had been suggested, it had sounded like a grand idea to him. The way he was feeling, he'd gladly go along on a trip to Siberia as long as he got to go with his new wife by his side. So they'd gone and had some drinks, taken some pictures, Morgan and Garcia had danced, Rossi and Hotch had played elder statesmen, JJ had taken reams of photos and told every person they met what they were celebrating. Reid had never been congratulated by so many total strangers in his life.

But eventually he and Emily had looked at each other and known that they were more than ready to be alone together, so they'd taken their leave of their friends with hugs and kisses and handshakes and knowing winks. Somehow a bellhop appeared to escort them to their swanky new accommodations and now here they stood, in front of these double doors.

The bellhop opened the door with a flourish. Reid heard Emily suck in a breath. "Holy cow," she said.

Reid walked in, gaping. He felt like a high-roller or some kind of rock star in this place. Two stories high, floor to ceiling windows looking out over the Strip, a spiral staircase going up to the elevated bedroom loft over the fireplace pit and lounge beneath. "I feel like I'm in a Frank Sinatra movie," he murmured. Emily was turning in a circle, taking it all in.

"Hey, chocolate!" she exclaimed, heading for a silver tray that had been laid out on the bar. "Ooh, and champagne!" she said, pulling a bottle out of a hi-hat.

Reid reached into his pocket to tip the bellhop, but was waved off. "Mr. Rossi has taken care of everything, Dr. Reid," he said. "Enjoy your evening."

"Thank you," Reid said, as the bellhop left, closing the door behind him.

"This is serious," Emily was saying around a mouthful of chocolate truffle. "C'mere. You have to try this."

They moved the tray to the fireplace pit and ended up sitting cross-legged amid the pillows, shoes kicked off, scarfing down chocolates and strawberries and drinking champagne directly from the bottle. "I bet they have glasses around here somewhere," Reid commented, taking another swig.

"We don't need no stinking glasses," Emily said, giggling. She shook her head, taking the bottle from him. She took a bit of a too-enthusiastic drink and bubbles spurted on her face. "Oh, geez," she said. She looked down at herself. "God, I'm trashy." He reached out and wiped champagne off her neck with his sleeve. She watched his face as he did it. "Your wife is trashy, you know that?"

"Well, that is why I picked her."

And just like that, the mood in the room went from playful and chocolatey to thick and smoldery. Emily's gaze went heavy. Reid's fingers stroked her cheek long past the need to wipe away champagne from her skin. She pushed the tray and bottle aside and climbed into his lap, lacing her fingers together behind his neck. "I can't believe we're married," she whispered.

"It's true. We've got the license to prove it. And the rings," he said, holding up his left hand.

"Seems like yesterday we were in that hotel room in Minnesota."

"In relative terms, it might as well have been yesterday. On even a modest geologic scale, the span of our relationship is no more than the blink of an eye."

"I guess a lot can happen when you blink."

He nodded. "Your whole life can change."

She sighed. "I need to ask you something."

"Okay."

"Do you think this would have happened anyway? Say, if I hadn't gone with you to Minnesota for Niedermeier's interview. Would we still be here?"

"No. We wouldn't be right here, right now. Things would have unfolded in a different sequence of events. But – I think we would still be somewhere, sometime."

She smiled. "You really think something would have happened between us, no matter what?"

He nodded. "Yes. I do. The fact that it happened then implies that the potential was always there. If it hadn't been that moment, there would have been another one." He sighed. "Or maybe I just don't want to think about the existence of a set of circumstances in which it never happened. Because I can't imagine not having you in my life."

"Good, because you're stuck with me now," she said, a flirty smirk on her lips.

Reid couldn't bring himself to match her joking tone. "Promise?" he said.

The smirk fell off her face. Emily looked into his eyes, her hands on his cheeks. "Yes. I promise."

He sighed, smiling, and with that, Spencer Reid pulled his wife close and kissed her, unhurried and soft, doing his best to put into his kiss everything he was feeling, which was quite a tall order given the untidy hodgepodge of emotions running through his head. She kissed back, wrapping herself around him, her lips wet with champagne and strawberry juice. After a few moments she pulled back and got to her feet, holding out one hand. "I'd like to go to bed with my husband now," she said, her voice a quiet, sensual purr.

Reid got up, then they linked their arms about each other's waists and headed up the stairs to the bedroom loft. The bed looked impossibly huge and soft; another fire burned up here, banked low and giving off a warm, inviting glow. Emily stepped away from him and put her hand on the dimmer switch, lowering all the lights in the room until the only illumination came from the fire and the two candles burning on the table by the side of the bed.

She returned to stand before him, taking his hands in hers. They looked into each other's eyes for a few silent beats, then Reid reached out and drew her into his arms. She wound her arms around his neck and hugged back. They melted against each other, holding tight, his head bowed down to her shoulder, his hands splayed over her back. He just wanted to hold her forever, hold her tight like this so he could feel the breath entering her body and the blood pulsing beneath her skin. For what felt like ages they stood there in silence, embracing. He craved the contact, like he needed it to acclimate his heart to what they were to each other now. It had all happened so fast, his brain had hardly had time to catch up.

Emily's hands were moving in slow arcs over his upper back, her head on his shoulder with her face turned in toward his neck. Eventually, he had to see her face again and he pulled back slightly, sliding his hands up to cup her jaw. She smiled up at him and tilted her head up to meet him as he bent to kiss her. It was a slow, gentle kiss in no particular rush, because now, they had all the time in the world.

They undressed each other, taking their sweet time. Emily unknotted his tie and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt, then bent and kissed the hollow of his throat. He bent and picked up each of her feet, pulling off her shoes and rubbing her instep before placing them back on the ground. She pushed his jacket off his shoulders, her hands following it up and over his shoulders and around to his back. He pulled the straps of her dress off, letting them fall loose down her arms, his hands caressing her soft skin where he'd bared it.

He was down to just his pants before she finally turned around so he could unzip her dress. He was holding his breath, he realized, as if this were the first time he would see her naked, as if they were Victorian lovers just meeting each other's bodies and wondering how they'd hold it together when the mystery was at long last revealed. He made slow work of it, easing the zipper down. She stood still and let him pull it off her arms and down her waist until the dress was pooled around her feet. She stepped out of it and turned around, now only in her underwear. She reached up and kissed him, and suddenly everything sped up. The slow, striptease sensuality vanished and was replaced by want and need. Her bare skin beneath his hands felt flushed, her nipples hard against his bare chest. Her hands fumbled at his belt and finally got it off, then she undid his pants and all but tore them down his legs. Reid hauled her against him, his hands sliding down to grip her ass, her kisses hungry and demanding now.

He pushed her toward the bed and they both tumbled onto it, sweat springing to Reid's skin now as his hands groped her breasts and dipped between her legs. He felt her slim fingers on his erection through his boxers, which she quickly got him out of. He hooked his fingers in the elastic of her underwear and slid them off her and came back to her arms with nothing now left between them. Her eyes were clouded, his breath was quick, and he knew he ought to take his time but he just wanted to be inside her.

As if she'd heard him, she nodded. "Quick," she whispered. "We have all night." She pulled him between her legs. He looked down into her face. She brushed his hair back, smiling. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you," he replied, as he slid into her. Emily sighed, her eyelids fluttering, her fingers tightening on his shoulders. He held her eyes, seeing himself reflected there and marveling at how impossible it seemed that at this moment she thought of nothing and no one but him. He smiled, relaxing into the familiar warmth of their joining. "Too late," he murmured.

A slight furrow appeared between her eyebrows. "Too late for what?"

"We've consummated. Can't get that annulment now."

She giggled. "Darn it all." She kissed him hard. "Well, if the deed is done…you better consummate the hell out of me, Dr. Reid."