Disclaimer: I own nothing
Hey all I am back but there is only a couple of chapters to go. My muse died on me with this one and I am currently writing Post Apocalypse. Never fear fans, Changes 3 is in the wind.
Olivia saw Reid, Elliot and Hank and sighed in relief, She would have something to say to all 3 of them officially come tomorrow but for now she was their friend and raced forward to hug first Elliot, then Hank apologising when he grimaced and horrified he had taken a bullet to his vest, he hadn't reported that and she ordered him to take off his shirt. The bruise on his chest was livid and remembering her own shooting a couple of years ago she ordered him to go get x-rays.
She then turned to Reid who was being bandaged by the paramedic until a doc could stitch the wounds. She went up to her good friend and waiting for the paramedic to step aside moved in to hug her. Reid groaned as her arm protested but Olivia told her to toughen up and then told her she was glad she was safe but come tomorrow she was going to tear shreds off her. Reid just shrugged and asked the paramedic if she was free to go. He told her she was but to get to hospital to get the wounds stitched ASAP.
Another bus had already left with the perp and Liam Doyle on board who was in charge of custody of him for now. He wouldn't be going anywhere for a while. He was not one of the three seen on the DVD and he had spat something at Reid in a foreign tongue. Definitely a hired gun. As more Police arrived she ordered Elliot to watch the scene until Gina Webb could get there then remove himself from the investigation. Troopers were being called in to help guard the scene as her officers had been involved in the incidents.
Olivia then drove Reid to the hospital where she got 8 stitches in her forehead and 3 in the front of her arm in the entry wound and 6 in the exit wound, She was given bandages, antibiotics, script for pain medication and something to clean the wound with. Olivia took her straight to the drugstore where the news of the shootings had already reached and Reid was being hailed a hero. Olivia rolled her eyes and handed over the script and told them to make a rush on it, Reid had to get home to the Mrs. Slightly intimidated they did so and they headed home.
The second Alex heard a car pull into the drive she wanted to get up, Maggie physically held her down and told her Reid would worry if she saw her standing. Maggie had to hold herself back as it was Alex who needed to see Reid first, hold her. The second Reid stepped through the door, pale, tired and a little worse for wear Alex broke down.
Maggie moved on instinct, out of the way as Reid hurried to her love and pulled her into her arms, holding her tight. Maggie moved over to Jett and cuddled into his side, sighing in bliss as he held her tight and she watched the couple become reacquainted. She hoped this would be heading towards the last of their suffering. Hopefully the man in hospital would talk and they could close the net around Standish.
Reid held her lover tight as she cried heart racking sobs that had Reid feeling guilty. She would do it again in a New York minute to keep Alex safe but she didn't have to like it. Sighing she pressed kisses to Alex's hair and murmured quietly to her that she was fine. Long minutes later she felt Alex pull away and look at her, relief evident in her eyes and mixed with worry as she tenderly caressed the bandage on her head and then raised the bloody sleeve of her shirt to look at the bandage on her upper arm
"You're Ok?" Alex asked
"Yes" Reid nodded
"Good" then Alex drew back and hit her hard on the chest, as hard as she could manage in her weakened state anyway, which was still enough to make Reid wince "What the hell were you thinking? You could have been killed, what would I do then Reid, I'm nothing without you" Reid could only stare in shock at Alex as it finally sunk in how much this woman cared for her. She really did love her, just as she loved Alex. She shrugged and said
"I'm not sure, but since I'm alive and well and we love each other how about we get married"
Everyone's jaws in the room dropped in shock, including Reid's. Had she really just said that? She had hadn't she. Oh boy, she hadn't meant to, she'd been thinking about it in the future but. Ok she was laying off the medication. She looked at Alex who was staring at her in shock and opened her mouth to retract the question. Nothing came out and dead silence prevailed until Abbie cleared her throat and Alex blinked out of her stupor.
Reid watched as her eyes sparkled and her face glowed and she gave a very excited and very un Alex like squeal and launched herself at her. Reid caught her with an 'oof' as Alex spattered her face with kisses and told her "Yes" repeatedly.
Oh My God, Reid thought, I just got engaged. To Alex Cabot! She said Yes. Elation hit her full in the chest then and she overcame her shock to capture her future wife's lips with hers.
"I love you soon to be Mrs Reid" she told Alex and Alex pulled back and looked at her, head tilted to the side before a grin spread across her features
"Alex Reid. Has a ring to it" she chuckled then sobered giving Reid her famous stare "I'm still mad at you though"
"U huh" Reid nodded too ecstatic to be intimidated and Alex harrumphed and crossed her arms across her chest
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Alex asked and Reid looked at her blankly so Alex nodded over at a slightly dumbstruck Maggie. Oh Shit, Reid had forgotten her friend. She hurriedly stood and Maggie was in her arms before she could take a step, holding tight. Reid sighed. She was an ass, she had run off into the woods leaving Maggie alone and petrified out of her mind no doubt when the shots had rung out.
"I'm sorry Mags" she apologised and Maggie shuddered and held tighter
"You ever do that again and anything Alex can think up will seem like child's play. I swear I will skin you alive"
Fin walked past Reid and clapped her on her shoulder
"Wait until they start ganging up on you my friend" he chuckled and Reid looked distraught and her head swivelled to follow him out of the room. Everyone laughed at the comical look and Reid shot Jett a look
"What are you laughing at. What makes you think you're safe from their conspiring? You ever do anything to hurt Maggie and all 3 of us will be after you." She told him and then yelped when Maggie pinched her side.
"Hey, he hasn't asked yet, and who's to say I'll accept" she looked at her suddenly pale lover "He's a little slow, not good genes to pass on" she teased and Munch looked at him sympathetically
"That's what my 3rd wife said to me right before she left me for a man 20 years my senior. Of course he was about 20 million dollars richer too"
Jay came bustling back into the room advising food was ready and seeing her wife raced over to her to greet her with a deep kiss. Olivia started leading her out of the room wanting to eat. They barely made it out of sight when Jay squealed and came racing back into the room to hug Alex and then Reid who finally extracted herself from Maggie who went over to tease Jett some more.
The meal turned into a festive occasion as they celebrated. Jay dared to offer around alcohol. Reid didn't bat an eye as she continued to joke with Olivia but squeezed Alex's hand tight when she too also refused. It wasn't until after dinner when they were all lounging in the theatre room as they argued over what DVD to watch that Olivia found something in Max's collar as she pat him.
She handed Nathaniel to his Aunt Alex who was curled up on Reid's lap. She slipped off Max's collar and found a 4MB card taped to the inside of his collar. What the hell? She gave it to Jay who plugged it into a laptop and the laptop into the projector. The perps face popped up onto the screen and he spoke with a thick accent
"Alexandra Cabot, I am here to advise you that Standish has been neutralised. My boss is not happy with him, his greed made him stupid. His real name in Boris Kutslava, he is Chechen Mobster on the run after swindling my boss. He has been on the run 5 years. Targeting you was his downfall as I was able to locate him. You are free to live your life in peace. You will find the items he stole from your estate at Jimmy's Storage, Lower Manhattan. Locker 2257. You will also find information there to retrieve the money he blackmailed from you. I am sorry I took your dogs but I needed a method to deliver this message then leave the US before being captured. There will be no lasting side effects from the drug I gave them. Goodbye."
The final image he left them with was a close up of the 3 men who had made Alex's life a living misery. There was no way they were alive. It appeared they had been beaten and tortured before hung. There was nothing descript in the room to alert them to their whereabouts.
Everyone looked at each other in amazement. Had they just seen what they thought they had seen? Were they all safe now, was Alex's nightmare over? Alex sat staring at the blank screen before turning her eyes to Reid who watched her carefully. They stared at each other a long time before Alex asked
"Now, about that four bedroom Cabin?" and Reid laughed.