Disclaimer: See chapter 1

A/N: Well, this is the last chapter folks. Thanks to all who read and reviewed and all who supported the story. Special thanks, as always, to mablereid for her help and guidance.

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Reid had taken some personal days to help Allie with Joanna since it was difficult with a broken arm. Joan had offered to come down but Allie had declined her mother's offer saying she, Spencer and Joanna needed this time alone. When Spencer had finally walked into the ER that evening, Joanna was crying. She was hungry and wet and Allie knew the instant she heard the cry it was her daughter. Spencer had flashed his badge and pushed past anyone in his way until he'd found her. He laid their daughter in her good arm and they'd both burst into tears. Allie's tears of joy at seeing both her daughter and her husband were safe and Spencer's at seeing what a crazed woman had done to the person he loved most. They had hugged and kissed each other and their baby for the longest time. Allie had fed her daughter and Mike had gotten them a diaper for Joanna.

Allie had been relieved when she'd learned that it wasn't someone from the prison who'd managed to get a hold of the letters she'd written to William and shocked to learn that it was a victim that Spencer had actually rescued who'd become obsessed with him that was responsible. Her mouth had dropped open when she'd heard about what happened in the motel room and she hated herself for feeling glad the woman was dead. The call Reid had been dreading came on the third morning he was home. He was to report to Section Chief Erin Strauss' office at 1pm that afternoon. It was time to face the music.

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William saw the envelope drop through the bars and asked himself, like he was playing a game, who it was, Evan, Allie or maybe even Chico that was writing to him. He had decided it was Allie when he stood to pick up the envelope. The handwriting was not the loopy swirls he'd come to associate with his daughter-in-law and it didn't belong to either Evan or Chico. The postmark said Quantico, Virginia so that could mean only one thing. He sat on his bunk, ripped open the envelope and started to read the words his elder son had written. His eyes misted as his son's thoughts and feelings jumped off the paper and into his heart. I forgive you, he read. As tears streamed down his face, he knew that although bars and walls still imprisoned his body, his heart, at last, had been set free.

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Chico laid another slat of wood on the deck he was helping to build. Someone Mr. Graham knew had helped Chico get a job with a construction firm. He was still doing only simple things but would move to more difficult jobs as he gained experience. Chico was grateful for the work and being outside in the open air. It definitely beat the textile factory. While he was drilling screws into the boards that made up the deck floor he found time to think. Today his mind was on the professor. He wondered if he was still in the infirmary or back in general population. He was glad that the professor wouldn't have to work in the textile factory anymore either. He wondered if crazy Leon had spoken to him yet. Few, even in a rough place like Leavenworth, would talk to crazy Leon, a huge bald black man with a long crooked scar on his left cheek and tattoos covering both arms. He had arms the size of tree trunks. He'd killed four people with his bare hands as a teenager when he was high on PCP and was serving four consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole. No one messed with Leon Jackson. Chico had talked to him a few times in the yard and had gotten strange looks from the other inmates. He wasn't a bad guy after he'd been off the PCP. He'd told Chico he was glad he was getting out and asked if he'd do him a favor when he was on the outside and Chico had said he would if he could. Leon had asked that Chico write him a letter now and then. Everyone he'd known on the outside had disowned him. He'd just like to get a letter once in a while. Chico had agreed. He'd known how lonely he'd felt and he had his abuella and the professor. What would it be like to have no one? Chico had asked for a favor in return and Leon had promised, "Once I get the word out in general population that I got the professor's back. Nobody gonna be botherin' him."

He was glad Mr. Graham had called him when the professor was in the hospital and he'd been able to call and talk to him. He wondered how Mr. Graham had known. He didn't know the professor and the professor hadn't known him or he wouldn't have had to ask for Mr. Graham's phone number. Chico stopped drilling and stared straight ahead as the revelation finally hit home. It was the professor who'd called Mr. Graham. It was the professor who was responsible for him being a free man.

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Allie had insisted that he wear a suit and tie to the meeting with Erin Strauss so Reid sat across from the section chief in his charcoal pinstripe. Next to him in his usual basic black was Hotch. "How are your wife and daughter?" Strauss asked as the meeting began.

"As well as can be expected, my wife has a broken arm and a gash on her head that required ten stitches. We're grateful it wasn't worse. Joanna was unharmed and thankfully too young to remember this."

"I'm glad to hear it," she said but her steely grey eyes held all the warmth of an arctic blizzard.

"Dr. Reid, the woman who attacked your wife and took your daughter was killed by your teammates when she attempted to shoot you with your own gun. How were you stupid enough to let that woman get possession of your weapon?"

Reid was quiet for a moment. "When we entered the room we had our guns drawn and Sharon Webb was standing with…hmm.." he cleared his throat, "Joanna in her arms. My…my hands began to shake when I realized I was pointing my weapon at my own daughter. I knew I couldn't shoot and she knew we wouldn't shoot as long as she held the baby so I played into her delusion, I put my gun down on the bed, pretending I cared about her and didn't care about the baby. I got her to finally give Joanna to Agent Jareau who took her out of harm's way."

"Why didn't you just cuff her at that point and place her under arrest?" Strauss asked.

"Because I had a few choice words for her for what she'd done and I wanted to throttle her but I could hear my baby crying and I had to go to her," Reid explained.

"You see Dr. Reid, that's why agents aren't supposed to handle cases where they're personally involved. Emotions cloud logical thought. Another team of agents should have handled this case and you should have known that Agent Hotchner."

Before Hotch could respond, Reid replied, "Hotch did say that but I beg to differ ma'am. I was the person Sharon Webb was obsessed with. I was the only person who would have been able to trade himself for my baby. I may have been emotionally involved but I was also the bargaining chip and even Unit Chief Hotchner could see that. It was unfortunate that Webb got her hands on my weapon and I take full responsibility for that but I still think my facing off with her was the only answer."

"Unfortunate, that's your answer to me, unfortunate" Strauss gave him a stony glare. "I'm not happy about this Dr. Reid. You failed to follow procedure and you were careless in the field and a woman is dead because of it. Give me your badge. We already have your weapon as evidence. You're suspended for two weeks without pay. After those two weeks you'll be notified if there will be further disciplinary action." Reid handed over his badge. "And Agent Hotchner, I suggest you get better control of your team."

When they left the office Reid said, "Sorry Hotch, I really didn't want to get you in hot water."

"It's okay Reid, you going to be okay?"

"Yeah Hotch, I'll be fine. I'll see you in two weeks." Reid made his way to the parking garage, got into his SUV and drove away. Two weeks, it was September, the weather was still nice. He'd take Allie and Joanna and they'd go up to the cabin and get away from it all. They would celebrate their first anniversary. It was a perfect idea. Having made up his mind he reached over and turned up the radio.

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Allie and Joanna were both fast asleep. The country air had done them good. He sat in the same chair at the table like he'd done on that night that seemed so long ago now, so much had happened since then, and pulled out the letter and, as he had back then, began to read although he already knew every word.

Spencer, I knew it would be you who came to the cabin to check on me. You must be frightened. I apologize for that. I never meant to cause you any pain. I also never envisioned writing this letter. I search for a satisfactory explanation for what I'm doing. All I've come up with is a profiler needs to have solid footing. I don't think I do anymore. The world confuses me, the cruelty, indifference, tragedy. When my dear friend Sarah was murdered it tore a hole in me and I truly believed the way to handle the pain was to get back to our work as quickly as possible, get on to helping someone else. I thought I could handle Sarah's murder, work through it. The very first case we had was on a college campus.

Spencer finally understood completely what his friend, his mentor, his father figure was saying. He had never felt closer to him than at this moment. Their grizzly job had come into Gideon's home and now it had come into his. He didn't know what would happen in two weeks. All he knew was that he wouldn't have changed anything he'd done to protect his daughter. There could be other jobs. With his credentials they'd be lined up around the block. What there would never be was another Allie or Joanna, if anything ever happened to them. He would talk to Allie and no matter what came about in two weeks, he would do what was best for them. He looked at the letter again.

That was the last domino, the death of that girl, Hotch being suspended for something that was my fault. I said at the beginning of the letter that I knew it would be you to come up here. I'm sorry the explanation couldn't be better and I'm sorry it doesn't make more sense but I've already told you I just don't understand any of it any more. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just looking for it again, for the belief I had back in college, the belief I had when I first met Sarah and it all seemed so right, the belief in happy endings.

He closed the letter, walked to the bedroom, bent over Joanna's crib and kissed her softly. He slid into bed beside Allie and wrapped her in his arms. He would concentrate on Allie and Joanna, the here and now. Tomorrow would take care of itself.

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The End