Reid uncuffs Straus and gently lowers her to the ground. He cuts Rossi free of the chair. The older man demands to be taken to the room Hotch is in. Once there, Reid also cuts his boss free before returning to Straus.
"It's going to be okay, ma'am," he tells her. He keys his mike, reaching out to the police on standby. "Send in the EMT's. NOW! We need at least 3." He turns his attention back to Straus. "Help is on the way, ma'am. Just hang in there."
He pulls out his handkerchief and pocketknife. He quickly slices the piece of cloth in two and puts pressure on her wrists. The older lady moans, still not quite sure what's going on.
"Let…go…please…" Straus mumbles.
"Chief Straus, it's Spencer Reid. You're safe now. Can you hear me, ma'am? It's okay. You're safe. I promise you, you're safe." He keys his mike again. "Where the HELL are the MEDICS!" he shouts.
In the other room, Rossi cradles Hotch to him. He smiles at the man he had brought into the BAU and who had then brought him back. "I know I said you had an electric personality but I didn't mean it literally."
Hotch manages a smile. "Smart…ass…"
Rossi grins. "Always."
Soon the medics are pouring into both rooms and taking over care of Rossi, Hotch and Straus. Reid heads out to check on Emily. He finds her being checked over on the ground floor.
"JJ? How is she?" he asks.
JJ smiles. "She's okay. Threw herself and Wardlove down the damn stairs."
"Wardlove? Is he the other unsub?"
"Yep. The only survivor. He'll never see the light of day again. Good fucking riddance," she states. Reid just nods in agreement.
It is mid-afternoon on Saturday before the majority of the team returns to Quantico. Hotch and Straus were in the hospital at UVA. Rossi and Emily had been released to return with the team, though Rossi was planning to head back down to Charlottesville to be with Hotch and Straus. Morgan offered to go with him.
When Emily tried to say she'd go, JJ had simply looked at her. "You've got to be fucking kidding me, woman."
Emily quickly changed her mind, promising to see the others on Monday.
As the team exits the elevator on their floor, Gideon greets them. Reid stops and stares at the man. Gideon smiles.
"You expected me to be gone."
"Let's just say it wouldn't have surprised me," Reid tells him.
The others quickly leave the two of them alone. Gideon looks at his feet. "I'm damn proud of you, Spencer. And I'm sorry I haven't been around to tell you that."
"I'm used to being abandoned by the people I respect and love," Reid says, stabbing a verbal dagger into Gideon's heart.
Gideon nods. "I deserved that. I left you the note and I know it wasn't enough. Truth is…you scared me, Spencer. I knew if anyone could make me stay it would be you. And I couldn't stay. I still can't. My time here has passed. I don't have the heart for it any more. I can teach others to follow me…follow you. But I can't be you any more. I'm sorry."
Reid had been staring past his mentor. Now he finally looks him in the eye. "I needed you, Gideon. I needed your advice and your guidance. But I made it without you. And I will continue to make it without you. But I'd rather make it with you. I don't need a mentor anymore. I really don't need a father." Reid steps closer. "I'd really like to continue…as your friend. That's what I need from you: friendship."
Gideon studies the youngster. At some point Reid had become a man. And Gideon had cheated himself out of seeing that transformation. He extends his hand to Reid. "I'd like that, Spencer."
Reid smiles and takes the hand. "Thanks…Jason."
Emily had made the mistake of sitting down to pull her things together while JJ called Francesca. As they prepare to leave, Emily still sits at the table. JJ raises an eyebrow.
"You can't get up, can you?"
"Uh, that would be a no," Emily admits.
JJ and Morgan laugh as they help Emily to stand. Morgan offers to carry Emily to her car…which earns him a death glare that gets him giggling. When they get down to the Lexus, Emily smiles at JJ.
"So…want me to drive? We don't live far now."
JJ glares at her wife. "Give me the keys or you'll be able to tell me how long it takes to walk home from work."
Emily grins. "God, you are so sexy when you're pissed at me."
JJ chuckles in spite of her anger. "Get in the vehicle. You are really pushing your luck."
When they get home, Francesca meets them at the door to the garage with Henry. He smiles and claps and waves to his mommies. JJ starts towards him but then realizes Emily has not gotten out of the Lexus. The blonde rolls her eyes.
"You can't get out, can you?"
"Uh, nope. Don't think so. Trying. Will let you know," Emily groans out.
Francesca hands Henry to JJ. "I've got her, cara. Take Henry. He's missed his mommies."
"Thanks, Francesca. We need to get her upstairs to a bath and then to bed. She's had a few bad injuries this weekend."
Francesca tsks at Emily. "Cara, what do you keep doing to yourself? Oh, cara! What are all the bandages?"
"Um, burns," Emily admits. "But they don't hurt as much as my back and head do from the fall down the stairs."
"Oh, Emily! Did you not try to catch yourself?"
JJ chuckles, waiting for Emily to explain. Emily glares at her then looks back at their nanny.
"Well, see I was handcuffed and trying to get my gun back from the bad guy."
Francesca stares at Emily a moment…then pops her upside the head. "Bad girl! You must stop these things that scare your wife! You are not too old to be turned over my knee, young lady!"
JJ busts out laughing. "Francesca, I love you so much."
Francesca smiles at JJ. "I love you, too, Jennifer. I say we leave her here for the night. Perhaps she will learn a lesson, yes?"
"Hey! I was just doing my job!" Emily whines.
Francesca sighs. "Well, if you insist. I will help you. But you best be careful, cara." She pats Emily's stomach. "When babies come you can no be doing these crazy things," she scolds her.
Emily nods. "I know. I swear, I know. This may be my last little adventure for a while." She looks beyond Francesca to JJ and Henry. "I swear, I'll take better care of myself."
JJ smiles and nods, accepting the promise. Emily leans on Francesca as she gets out of the vehicle. Twenty minutes later she moans in ecstasy as she slips into the Jacuzzi tub full of hot water. As she settles down, her left hand hits her bottle of SmartWater, knocking it into the tub.
"Shit," she mutters as she grabs for it.
This of course puts her second degree burns into the hot water. She winces as her hand starts to shoot with pain. She holds it up in the air, trying to will it to stop throbbing. She slides a bit lower in the tub…and her neck burns hit the warmth.
"God damn it!" she hollers as they now start to sting uncomfortably.
JJ hears her wife's yell and hurries into the bathroom. "Emily? Oh, baby, what's wrong?"
Emily is wracked with pain from the burns and from the jolts she's just given to her aching back. "Jen…get me out…please…" Emily begs.
JJ hurries over and helps Emily to stand up. She steadies her as she steps out of the tub and eases down onto the side of it.
"Baby, what's wrong?"
"Hot water…second degree burns. Then jumped. Back pain."
Emily's disjointed explanation makes JJ shake her head. "Oh, sweetheart. Hold on."
JJ grabs a towel and quickly dries off her wife. She runs into the bedroom and grabs the burn salve from her purse. She quickly redoctors Emily's burns, putting gauze on the second degree burns. She also had grabbed the pain pills Dr. Halverson had made Emily take after the fire. She holds the bottle up to Emily.
Emily sighs. "I hate that shit. But yeah…okay."
JJ grabs the bottle of water and offers it to Emily as the woman takes a pill from the bottle. Emily stares at it, hating the thought of taking it. JJ strokes a hand down her cheek.
"Sweetheart, you don't need to be in pain. Just take it. Maybe just the one today will be all you need."
Emily reluctantly takes it. JJ helps her to their bed and gets her tucked in. Emily takes her hand.
"Hold me until I fall asleep?"
JJ smiles. "Of course."
She climbs into bed and lets Emily get settled in the most comfortable position. JJ strokes a hand through her wife's hair.
"Emily, why did you offer yourself in place of Straus?"
Emily slowly looks up at JJ. "It was the right thing to do. She was hurt. Badly. She couldn't have walked out of there and he'd have killed her for it."
JJ smiles proudly and gives Emily a kiss. "I'm so fucking proud of you. And I can't wait for it to get into an official report that Straus owes her life to Emily Prentiss."
Emily chuckles sleepily. "Yeah…she's going to have a shit fit if she actually has to give me a commendation or something."
"You know it," JJ agrees.
It doesn't take long for the pain medicine to mix with Emily's exhaustion and send the agent off to dreamland. JJ keeps holding her for a while longer, thanking God that she was (mostly) okay and still around to be a mother to Henry…and to give birth to the next child in the Prentiss household.
"I love you so much, Emily," she whispers, leaning down to kiss her wife once more.