A/N: So..here it is...the end. The final chapter. Closing. Finished...or is it? hehehe Hoped you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it! Check out the next chapter for an sneak preview excerpt from the sequel! Tell me what you think. Do you like it? ARe you sick of Laurie? She WILL NOT be a mary sue or big main character in it, fyi.

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Chapter 36: Brothers

"What about you?" Laurie narrowed her brow. "I heard what happened. You got Daniel Griffin. I'm safe. My son is safe. Your job's over, right? I can't imagine that you do this for everyone you save. So, why are you still here?"

Dana Carter's face flashed in front of Derek's mind and he quickly shook it aside. No matter how much she attempted to hide it, Laurie Bridges was still human and still fragile. Telling her about another woman that her kidnapper killed years ago would do nothing for her recovery. Laurie might also possibly the only reason Morgan helped her was to avenge for his fallen friend, not because he cared. Laurie didn't need anything to harm the mending of her body, or her mind. He cleared his throat and turned his head away for a moment. Laurie understood the lack of an answer and did not push the question. Another sign of maturity that Morgan silently applauded and was thankful for.

"So," Morgan smiled, "have you picked out a name for the little guy?"

"A name," Laurie whispered and trialed off. "It's funny, you know, I've had him for months now and never did pick one. I guess – I guess I knew the chances of us making it out of that house alive weren't – good. I loved him and fought for him and did everything I could to protect him, but I couldn't give him a name. If – if I did – it would – it would have just made it that much harder – to – to – I don't know, deal with it, to keep going. I thought – if I lose him now – if I can't save him, then maybe I can trick my mind into thinking he never existed in the first place. I saw – so many terrible things in that house. Some were real, some were in my dreams, and some I imagined. I guess, if I didn't give him a name, I could just pretend he was one of those things I imagined. A name – a name made it too real. Am I a horrible person, a horrible mom for doing that?"

"No, Laurie, no," Derek shook his head, "no way. You are an amazing person and an amazing mom. What you did, that's normal for someone in your situation to do. Really."

Laurie shifted and winced as she did so. Her gaze traveled from the agent and back to her child. There was a moment of silence as she merely stared at the infant, her eyes dancing with withheld emotion.

"Connor," she finally whispered and paused. "It – it was my father's name – my real father. When – when my parents died, I was just a baby, I don't even remember it. They were on their way to pick me up from daycare. When I was thirteen, I met my uncle. He never came to see me because all he thought about when he saw me was my mom. He was with them that day - in the crash. He was in the backseat so he walked away okay. I asked him and – he told me everything. Do you – do you know that my dad – he – uh – he held on. My mother – she was killed on impact. She never had a chance. But, my dad – he made it to the hospital. They knew he was going to die and he knew it too. But he wouldn't go. He wouldn't – he would let go until he saw me. Someone brought me from the daycare and he held me. Not a minute later – he – he was gone."

Again she hesitated. "This baby – he – he's the one that kept me going. I fought for him. He kept the both of us alive. He's stronger than I ever was. He survived when every doctor here said he shouldn't have. I want him to always know how strong he is, just like his grandpa. Just like my dad."

"He's got a pretty incredibly strong mother too," Derek nodded. "He'll be okay." He paused. "And so will you."

Reaching into his pocket, Morgan cleared his throat. "Look, uh, Reid is being released soon so I'm going to have to go back with the team. But, if you need anything, you can call me." He placed his card on the small table next to the bed. "I mean it. I know you've got a lot of support and everything, but going through something like this –" He trailed off and sighed.

Laurie nodded with a grateful smile as Morgan stood.

"Thank you," Laurie whispered, "for everything. I owe you and your friend my life – my son's life. Thank you."

"Take care of yourself," Morgan turned back as he reached the door, "and Connor."

Morgan allowed the doctor to slip past him and into the room before gently closing the door. He couldn't help but smile and sigh as he turned and walked down the hallway. His entire body ached, but his soul was lifted. He made his way around a corner and met the gazes of his teammates as they all crowded together as Reid was prepped to leave. Hotch, of course, was on his phone. JJ sat in a chair with a folder of paperwork, already back to work. Rossi and Prentiss stood against the wall discussing the abnormalities of the case. Morgan nodded at his coworkers and ducked into the room. He passed a nurse as she made her way out into the hall and was grateful to be alone with his friend.

"How you feelin'?"

"Feeling like I'm tired of getting shot in the leg." Reid responded as he finished buttoning his shirt. "How's Laurie?"

"She's a tough kid, she'll be okay."

"And the baby?"

"Healthy and with his mother." Morgan paused and eyed his partner. "Hey Reid, I know I took this whole case personal and I put you in danger –"

"Morgan," Spencer interjected, "it's okay. Usually I'm the one putting my own life in danger."

"You did great today, kid. You probably saved Laurie's life and you found her son. I get it, I took this case personal. I mean, every time I look at her, I see Dana. I imagined her, being locked up like that, him touching her, and I lost it. My head wasn't clear. Yet the whole time, you stayed level-headed. You got Daniel to let Laurie go. I don't know if I've ever heard you yell at an UnSub like that. I know you, Reid. You probably got the biggest brain and the biggest heart on this team. You always put everyone else first, the team, the victims. But today, today was different. I know why I took this case personal, so, why did you?"

Spencer shifted uncomfortably as he sat on the bed and fumbled with his watch as he worked to get it over his sleeve. He had hoped his friend hadn't noticed. He had imagined that Derek would have been too distracted by his own emotions and clouded head that he would not have seen the difference. He knew he should not be so naïve when working with fellow profilers. No matter how hard he tried to hide things, his drug addiction, his family problems, someone from the team always ended up knowing. He should not have been surprised Derek had caught on. Still, there he sat, mouth open, with no words pouring out as they normally did.

"Morgan, I –" Reid fumbled over his words and sighed. "When I first joined the BAU, I know you didn't like me –"

"Come on, Reid, that was a long time ago –"

"But – uh – we still worked together. Now, I know you'd never want to go to a Stark Trek convention with me –"

"Hell, no,"

"And dancing with – uh – girls – at clubs isn't my strongest point."

"Reid, you're not making any sense. What are you trying to say?"

"You're the only person I told about what happened to me in high school, you were the first person I told about my nightmares and you were there for me even when I didn't want you to be to help me through them. You've always had my back and there haven't been a lot of instances where I've been able to reciprocate."

"Okay, now you've lost me."

"Dana Carter meant a lot to you. I don't need to be a profiler or a genius with an IQ of 187 to see it. I understand what saving Laurie meant to you. I took this case personally, because you took it personally. I said all of those things because – well – I never really had friends that much – and uh – I never had any siblings. Everyone on the team knows that before he left Gideon was like a father to me. Well, you – you're like – my brother."

Reid shrugged and lowered his head. Sure, Derek and Spencer shared a lot, but it still wasn't common for the two of them to be so transparent with themselves or their feelings. The bond had always been there, even when they did not entirely get along at the start of Reid's employment with the BAU. They had seen far too much together and had risked their lives for one another too many times for the term "coworkers" to properly apply anymore. "Teammates" seemed to even fall short. No, Spencer Reid and Derek Morgan were brothers. Each of them knew that but it just wasn't something they talked about. Spencer utilized his intelligence and facts as a shield to hide behind and Morgan was too much of the typical man who neglects to discuss emotions.

"Well," Morgan grinned, "brother, let's get you home."

Reid glanced up and returned his friend's gesture with a small smile of his own. Morgan waited as Reid propped himself against his crutch and the two started towards the door and the rest of the team.

"Oh yeah," Morgan stopped with his hand on the door handle, "and Reid, thanks for not listening to me when I told you not to be a hero."

Reid's smile widened and the two snickered.

"Anytime."