A big Thank you, to Hannah (grahamlecter) for Beta Reading this, finding my mistakes. I appreciate your time and dedication to this story!

G-Girl

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Chapter 44 - Superheroes

Days flew by, and Spencer had one more at work before the wedding. Emily had already approved his request to take two weeks' vacation off afterward, and all the arrangements were taken care of. Everything was on track for the big day. Tomorrow.

Susan had set the alarm early every day so they could have time together before they had to get ready for work. It was especially important today since he was going to his apartment before his night out with the guys.

This morning, Susan fell back to sleep after he got up. So he showered and dressed, then kissed her on his way downstairs to eat breakfast and grab a cup of coffee before he left. He didn't mind. She told him last night she had a busy day planned, getting the house ready. If he didn't feel he'd be getting in the way, he would have stayed to help.

On the drive, he hoped for a simple day of clearing files off his desk and not a case. Especially not a case clear on the other side of the country that would keep him away for days. Days meant postponing the wedding. Maybe he should ask to work in the office today.

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Exiting Interstate 95 at Russell Road, Spencer's phone pinged. He waited until he was at the stop sign to read it. It was a group text from Prentiss, asking the team to meet on the jet. A child had been abducted in Richmond, Virginia, and every minute mattered…

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"An hour ago, four-year-old Emily Bennett disappeared from Wilder Park." Garcia briefed them from her office while the team was en route. "Her mother was watching her play, as she does nearly every day. This morning, she was distracted when a friend stopped to talk. After a few minutes, Nancy Bennett—the mother—saw the other children still running around the jungle gym but not her daughter."

They met up with the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team at the nearby police station, then the BAU team split up, as assigned by Prentiss. Tara went to talk to the mother, while Matt and Dave interviewed witnesses, to get more information.

Spencer worked on the geo profile and sent Susan a text in case the wedding had to be postponed. His phone rang a minute later, with a boing boing boing, and a high pitch laugh. Thankfully, he had turned the sound down low. Susan had programmed his new phone with her own ringtone of animated bunnies. He answered and told her about the case. "This is one of those times my job gets in the way of our personal lives. Sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize, Love, that little girl needs you. Focus and find her, then come home as soon as you can. If we have to delay, we can put the wedding in standby mode, for when you get back. We'll figure it out. Penelope's got Betty on the case, and I have faith in you and the team. Love you, miss you."

"Thank you… that means a lot to me. I'll call as soon as I know anything. Love you, miss you." He smiled as he ended the call and slid his phone back into his pocket.

Susan checked the clock, set her phone down on the nightstand, and plopped back on the bed. There wasn't enough time to go back to sleep before she had to get to the center for the staff meeting.

Lizette and Marsha were coming over later, with Frankie and Carlo, to finish sprucing up the house and getting the yard ready for the wedding. There was still so much to do, and Susan was exhausted. The last few days, she struggled to get out of bed, wondering if she was coming down with something. Tired or not, she got out of bed, took a shower, and started her day. It didn't make sense to worry Spencer by telling him she didn't feel well. Besides, a nap later would surely help…

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In Richmond, the team threw everything they had in finding the girl, while Garcia had Betty digging through the muck of registered sex offenders in the area, while she checked

A few hours later, with a working profile and information Betty uncovered, the team split up, armed with search warrants. There were two houses within walking distance from the park where the most likely suspects could have taken the girl. Emily took Spencer and Luke went to one house, while JJ, Matt, and Dave went to the other. Tara stayed with the parents, talking with them, trying to keep them calm.

Prentiss rapped hard on the door. "Clifford Lowe, this is the FBI, open the door." Spencer stood beside the front window, peering in with his gun drawn, pointing it at the ground. The man lived with his grandmother, the owner of the house. It appeared no one was home.

She turned the doorknob, found it unlocked, and went in slowly as Luke made his way around to the back. She called out again, announcing their presence.

Lowe, the grandson, slipped out the back door. Luke was in the driveway as an RPD squad car pulled in behind him. He turned his head for a second to acknowledge the officer, and that's when he heard the unmistakable click of a revolver being cocked near the corner of the house. The man raised his weapon, intent on shooting Luke, who fired his P226, putting a bullet between the man's eyes.

Spencer cleared the second floor of the house while Emily cleared the first. By the time he opened the basement door, Emily was right behind him. After the sirens stopped outside, they could hear the sobbing of a small child downstairs. He called out quietly, trying not to frighten her. "Hello? My name is Spencer Reid, and this is Emily Prentiss. We're with the FBI." He heard a small gasp.

Emily scanned the dimly lit room, her voice equally quiet. "Reid, she's in the corner, sitting by the wire shelf." She pressed the mic button clipped to her vest. "We found the girl."

Holstering his weapon, Spencer crouched low on the last step, and spoke even more softly. "Emily? We've been looking for you. Your mom's been so worried."

The little girl, clearly frightened, cried for her mother.

"She's on her way," Spencer told her. The girl was sobbing and mumbling haltingly, obviously traumatized, crying louder when he took a step closer, so he hung back. "I'm sorry he hurt you."

Nancy Bennett, the girl's mother, arrived and started down the stairs, nearly hysterical. "Emily? Emily, baby? It's Mommy" The girl cried louder. They could see her hair was a mess and the dress she wore was dirty and torn.

Spencer called Susan and spoke in a low voice, telling her they found the missing girl, but she cried louder whenever anyone tried to approach her. Susan asked him to call her back on the video chat app. He hung up and dialed the other number.

Susan answered on her laptop, sitting down at her desk in the library. "What's the girl's name?"

Spencer answered, "Emily." He saw the little girl look up at him.

Susan asked him to hold his phone up so the girl could see her. "Emily? That's a beautiful name. That was my mother's name. Can you see me? Emily?" The girl nodded. Susan asked if "the nice man" could hand her the phone. She nodded, still sobbing. Spencer crept as close as he dared and slid the phone across the tile floor to her.

Susan smiled at the little girl, speaking slowly. "I know you're scared, but Spencer, that nice man, and the nice lady with him are there to help you. Her name is Emily too. Can you see the big letters on the blue vests they're wearing?"

The girl said, "Yes," slowly spelling out "F-B-I." Her breathing slowed, and after a few more seconds, she stopped crying.

Susan continued, softly, "That means they're the good guys, like superheroes." She spoke in hushed tones, as if sharing an exciting secret with a friend.

Little Emily's lips turned up into a tiny smile. "Like Superman?"

"Yes, and Batman, too."

She shook her head in disbelief, her voice small, but her breathing was even. "But those aren't costumes."

Susan smiled "Of course they are. You read the front of their superhero costumes, remember? Those blue vests stop bullets!" Again, she spoke in a whisper, sharing yet another secret.

The little girl's eyes grew wide. "Wow."

"Now, I'm guessing you said no, and that bad man wouldn't listen, right?" The girl nodded, frowning. Susan continued, "That bad man took your no away. You can get it back and make it strong. Can you stand up, make a fist and stomp your foot on the ground? Say No, really, really loud? Can you do that for me?"

She stood, still holding the phone, closed her free hand and said no, stamping lightly on the concrete floor.

Susan smiled again. "That's good, Emily. I want you to show everyone in the room that no one is ever allowed to hurt you ever again. Can you give me a really, really loud No and stomp your foot on the ground, like you're crushing a nasty, ugly… bug?"

The girl pressed her lips together, balled up her little fist tight, and stomped hard on the floor, twice, yelling, "NO!".

"That was very good, Emily. You have your No back." She talked to the little girl for a few more minutes until she was calm. "Now, you still need to eat your vegetables, when your Mom and Dad say so, and go to sleep when you're supposed to, but your No has power now, so you get to use that and keep saying it, any time you feel afraid, okay?"

"Okay." Emily ran over to her mother and hugged her.

"Emily, can you give Spencer his phone back?"

"Uh-huh. He's nice. He has shoes like my brother."

"Well, I hope I get to talk to you again, Emily. Would that be okay with you?" The little girl nodded, and Spencer gave her a smile as she handed him the phone.

"I'll send you a text when we're on our way home. "Love you, miss you." He puckered his lips when Susan blew him a kiss and ended the video call.

As they walked out of the house, Spencer suggested the mother get the girl into therapy as soon as possible. He handed her one of Susan's cards he kept in his wallet. "My fiancée works with a group of psychologists who provide trauma intervention therapy." She nodded, said she would, and took her daughter to the paramedics and her father, who were waiting nearby, while Prentiss stood with the rest of the team by their parked SUVs.

Emily turned to Spencer. "I was impressed by Susan's ability to connect with the girl so quickly."

"She has a way with people. She told me in the eight years since the group has been treating children and teenagers, the number who harm themselves, or others has dramatically decreased."

"Great. If they keep having success, it might help make our jobs easier. Good work, everyone. Oh, don't forget, Spence, I need the signed FD-292 from you as soon as possible."

"Before I left last night, I put the signed original… and a copy in an envelope and left it on top of your inbox."

"Thanks. I'll take it to HR on Monday. As soon as you have a certified copy of your marriage certificate, HR will need that as well… and a copy for me."

He gave her a thumbs-up and a smile. "You got it, Boss."

On the short jet ride back to Quantico, Emily, Tara, and JJ were talking to Garcia on the video feed about the Ladies' Night they had planned later with Susan and her friends, on her last night as a single woman. The guys were discussing their own plans to take Spencer out for his last night, as a free man, as Luke put it.

Spencer grinned. "I don't see getting married as giving up my freedom. I'm looking forward to it. Susan is intelligent, kind, funny, beautiful, and… do I have to mention… incredibly sexy?"

Matt smiled broadly and lightly squeezed Spencer's shoulder. "Reid, you've got the right idea. You aren't losing anything but gaining... everything."

Dave added, with a nod, "It took me too many years to view marriage that way, so bravo, Kid."

They finished working out the details for the evening, then went to their seats when the pilot announced he was preparing to land. Spencer buckled in and sent Susan a text:

Landing in ten, then going to the apartment.

Love you, miss you! See you tomorrow at 5 sharp!

I'll be the lucky guy at the end of the aisle.

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A/N

Coming up next, Chapter 45 - The Night Before. And in Side Stories, The Day of...