~BEXLEY POV~
The next morning I woke up alone and I couldn't help the worried feeling that immediately washed over me. I leaned up in the hospital bed and ran a hand through my messy hair. I saw that Sloane wasn't in the room at the moment but saw her purse, which was strange.
"She's in the bathroom, dear." Eleanor said and took a seat next to me. She pressed a soft hand to my cheek. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. Where's Spencer?" I asked and she bit her lip softly.
I raised an eyebrow at her and she grabbed a bottle of water, not to drink, but to let her hands fiddle with the bottle. "They went to go find your father, sweetie. They left early this morning."
My heart dropped to my toes and I immediately felt anger, fear, and adrenaline fill my body. On the outside, I was completely calm.
"Did they find him?" I asked and she nodded.
I waited eagerly for her to tell me where they had gone as she took a sip of water. "They are in the woods. Even Penelope is out there. Tyler, Sloane, and I stayed here just in case you needed us. Sloane was… very verbal about them finding him. You're mother told them where he was."
"Let me guess, she called ahead to warn him." I said and she nodded. She put a hand on mine and then looked outside.
"I'm going to go check on Sloane in the ladies room. Tyler is probably waiting outside of the bathroom just worrying about her." I nodded and watched as she left the room.
As soon as I lost the sound of her footsteps, I pulled the needles out of my arm and ignored the pain in my ribs as I moved to get dressed. I pulled my hair back and could feel tears stinging my eyes every time I moved.
I saw something catch light in Sloane's purse and knew without a doubt it was the gun she carried with her everywhere. I picked it up and stuffed it in my jeans, letting my t-shirt cover it. I saw that Eleanor was nowhere to be soon, along with Sloane or Tyler, and made my way to the door to exit the hospital.
I saw Spencer's car sitting out front and walked over to it. I had seen him slide his keys into a place under the car several times and hoped he hadn't forgotten to do so this time. Sure enough, as soon as my hands slid under, the keys fell out.
I would have to beg for forgiveness later because he needed me right now. It didn't matter how many agents there were out in those woods, my father wasn't stupid or lenient. He would make sure Spencer was killed and I would do everything I could to make sure that didn't happen.
I just prayed I wasn't too late.
~SPENCER POV~
"Christopher Ashburn? F.B.I.!" Hotch yelled through the door of the run down cabin. There was no answer, but there never really was. He kicked in the door and we all made our way inside. Morgan and I went upstairs to see if he was there while JJ, Hotch, and Rossi searched the ground floor. Garcia was in the car with a few other members of the F.B.I. team tracking anything she could.
"Son of a bitch isn't up here." Morgan said and I looked around to see nothing indicating he, or anyone else, had ever been up here.
"We'd better go down stairs quick. He's probably taken to the woods." I said and irritation was clear in my voice. We headed down stairs and met up with the rest of the team.
"Not a damn thing." Rossi said and I put a hand to my head before stuffing my gun back in my holster.
Hotch gestured to the woods and said "We'll have to cover the woods in fast."
"Sasha said he wasn't the type to run." I said and Rossi put a hand to his head.
"Well the bastard's running now. Reid, we've seen this a hundred times. Chris is no different than any other criminal. Except for the fact that every single one of us want a turn to wrap our hands around his throat." Morgan said and I couldn't but feel comfort from his words. Chris wasn't getting away this time.
They all fled to the woods quickly after that and I was headed out door when something caught my eyes. I saw a wooden latch peeking out from the carpet and pulled it up. I pulled my gun and made my way down the stairs to the basement.
I saw old boxes covered in dust but other than that, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until I looked on top of one of the boxes. I saw a picture of a younger version of Bexley and an elderly woman.
Bexley was around fourteen and was covered in bruises that weren't covered by the small nightgown she wore. She and her grandmother sat in a chair, leaning in to read a copy of Romeo and Juliet, a smile on both of their faces.
"That's one of Bexley's favorite pictures. I borrowed it from her apartment for this special occasion." I heard someone say behind me and when I turned around I saw a gun pointed at me and a pair of golden eyes full of delight.
Christopher Ashburn held out his free hand but didn't once take the gun away from my profile. Seeing the man that had beat the woman I loved for twenty-two years face to face was different than I had thought it would be.
I never expected to be alone with him for one. I also didn't expect to see Bexley's eyes, the eyes I had fallen for on day one, be on him.
"Give me the gun, Dr. Reid." He said and I tossed the gun at him. If I was going to die, I wasn't about to let him know that I was afraid.
He smiled then and looked down at my leg, the one I'd been shot in a few years back trying to save a doctor.
"So bullet wounds heal over time. That was a brave thing you did for that man, Spencer. I can call you Spencer right?" he asked and I didn't say anything but simply crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow.
I didn't say anything and he laughed lightly. "Come on, Spencer. Don't be rude to your father-in-law. You're mom and dad raised you better than that. Well… your mom did at least."
I felt anger spike in my blood but remained quiet. He raised the gun and pulled the trigger, the bullet going in the opposite leg he'd been eyeing. I bit my lip and groaned in pain as I put a hand on my leg. I pulled back and unsurprisingly saw blood.
"No noble reason for that one, Romeo. That was her favorite book. Do you know what happened in the end? Romeo dies for the love of Juliet." He laughed and pointed the gun up at my head.
I closed my eyes and said "Bexley, I love you."
I was surprised to hear another shot but feel no pain.
"You little whore!" I opened my eyes and saw that Chris was now on the ground clutching his leg.
I looked up and saw a mess of red hair and the beautiful golden eyes I never thought I'd see again. Bexley stood on the stair case, clutching the gun with both hands and had it risen directly at Chris.
"This isn't a planned story, Chris. No one is going to have the ending they want." She moved the gun and shot him in his other leg. He screamed in pain and put a hand over it. "That was for my grandmother."
She moved the gun and put a bullet in his shoulder blade. "That was for the past twenty-two years!"
He laughed then, despite his pain. This caused her to stop for a moment and pay attention to his words. "We're more alike than I thought."
She seemed troubled by his words and closed her eyes for only a moment before raising the gun to his head. "I'll see you in hell."
She pulled the trigger and I watched as the bullet went into his skull. He hit the ground and died with anything but a peaceful expression on his face. She dropped the gun and ran to me, tears sliding down her face freely.
She tore her shirt and rapped it around my leg. "I'm so sorry. I was trying to avoid this. I knew this would happen. I'm so sorry."
As soon as the shirt was tied around my leg, I pulled her to me and let her bury her face in my chest. Her arms immediately wrapped around me and I kissed her hair, breathing in the scent of it.
"You just saved my life, Bex." I told her and I heard her choking sob along with footsteps and various voices of the team upstairs.
"I love you." She said and I felt my heart skip a beat.
I gently moved away from her embrace to look at her and smiled. "Bexley."
She kissed my lips before placing kisses on my nose, cheeks, and forehead saying "I love you" between every kiss.
I saw the team on the stairs and put my arms around her tightly before casting them a smile.
Rossi grinned then and said "It's about time."
Hotch had a troubled expression as he saw Chris's dead body on the floor. He left the room and I hugged Bexley closer to me. I knew the moment Bexley killed Chris there would be legal troubles to come with the decision. Our troubles weren't over yet but for the moment, I was going to hold her in my arms.
***Well… HE'S DEAD! Bexley doesn't have to be afraid of her dad any more but her mom is still in the picture and now she's got to deal with the legal and emotional consequences of her actions. Anyway, thank you for the reviews, R&R, and thank you for reading.
