Garcia entered the bullpen, glanced at Morgan's empty chair then turned to Prentiss. "Where'd he go? I thought we were all going to be here for when Reid came in today."

"Oh." She looked up to her friend then turned facing toward the conference room. "He's been in there."

"Doing what?"

"Thinking?" Prentiss guessed.

"Knock-knock." Garcia stated as she stood outside the conference room door.

"Hey girl, what you doing out of your cave?" Morgan forced a smile.

"I just came to check on you." She took a few steps closer to him as he sat on the edge of the table holding paperwork in his hands. "Is everything alright? Do we have a new case?"

"No, I was just skimming over a few things." Morgan tried to brush it off.

Garcia moved in closer. "Come on, I know something is bothering you; spill it."

"What would you do if you were in that situation?" Morgan asked.

"What situation?"

"What if you were forced to work with the enemy or they would hurt or kill the people that you loved?"

"You know, I was asked recently If I could do anything to keep my family safe, even if it meant breaking procedure, would I do it? And you know what I said? 'Yes', without hesitation. People do crazy things when they are in love, even crazier things for the people that they love." Garcia pushed on his arm with her fist. "So, you have to ask yourself, tough guy, what would you do?"

"Are we interrupting?" Prentiss asked as she leaned into the room with JJ right behind her. "Because we're coming in anyway."

JJ came in with a tray of cupcakes and placed them on the table.

Morgan went to reach for one as JJ smacked his hand. "Ouch, what was that for?"

"We're waiting for Reid."

"JJ." Hotch called out as he stood in the doorway. "Did you make that phone call?"

"Yes, he said he would be here at eleven this morning." She replied.

Hotch turned to go back to his office.

"What call?" Garcia asked as the team looked to her for answers.

"I'm sorry, I am really not at liberty to talk about it." JJ shrugged.

"Did Reid really go all ninja-style when he was at the cabin?" Garcia asked.

Prentiss smirked. "That's what I hear. I mean, we found those guys with stab wounds from his throwing knives apparently. I can only imagine what happened in there. I guess we will need to ask him for ourselves."

"Now's our chance." JJ said as she looked down to the bullpen to see Rossi escorting Reid and Alex into the BAU.

Alex pulled on Reid's arm. "I don't think I should. Your team doesn't like me. I don't want to make things uncomfortable for them."

"They don't even know you." He paused. "At least the real you." Reid justified.

"You have nothing to be afraid of." Rossi leaned closer to her. "I promise."

To say the team was uncomfortable would be an understatement. They knew what had transpired, and why she did what she did, but it was a big change from them to go from working with the enemy to now getting to know her as Reid's old partner and friend. Then there is the point of getting to know Reid… the real Reid.

He entered the conference room and raised his hand as he gave a closed-mouth smile.

Garcia broke the tension by giving him a hug. "I am so happy that you're okay." She stared at the bruises on his face.

"Don't worry, I am fine." He tried to reassure her.

"Hey, Kid, can I talk with you for a sec?" Morgan asked, pulling him into the corner of the room. "I just wanted to tell you that I am sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Reid asked.

"Sorry that I couldn't just give you the benefit of the doubt. I can't even begin to count all the times you have been there for me. I actually lost faith in you, in our friendship. That wasn't fair to you. And I wanted you to know that no matter who you are, weather it will be a sweater vest, or expensive Italian shoes, that you will always be Pretty Boy to me." He smirked.

"Thank you, Morgan that means a lot." The friends hugged each other. Reid pulled away and looked to the others just as Hotch entered the room. "I just wanted to tell you all that when I first joined the BAU I wanted to distance myself from everything that reminded me of my time at the CIA and the people in it." He looked to Alex. "I can understand how you all must feel and wondering who I really am. I might have changed some idiosyncrasies about myself, but they were all still me. I may have come across more naïve than I really am but I want you all to know that I never intended to lie to any of you or pretend to be someone I am not. Because to me, I have always been the Reid you know now just hiding behind the more outgoing one that I used to be."

Morgan turned to Alex who was hiding towards the back, feeling a bit out of place. "I was wrong about you. I wanted you to know that I am sorry that I misjudged you." He held out his hand to shake hers.

Rossi leaned over to her. "See, I told you that everything would work out."

Alex couldn't help but give Rossi a hug.

"Did you ever locate the money that Parker was obsessed with finding?" Prentiss asked Reid.

Alex let out a small snort.

Reid looked to her. "You know where it is, don't you?"

"I didn't at first, but then I figured it out." She chuckled. "It was right in front of him the entire time." The team stared at her, anxiously awaiting the answer. "It's the fireplace."

"You mean behind it?" Reid asked, remembering the grand fireplace as the focal point of the room.

Alex shook her head. "It was the fireplace. Remember when I told you that Jake started shooting at Hank but the bullet ricocheted? Well it actually nicked one of the bricks. I was on the ground, trying to take cover. I looked up to see that a piece of the brick was gone and I saw the gold underneath it. He must have coated the gold bars in a concrete mixture and then used those to build the fireplace. It was ingenious."

"That is crazy brilliant." Reid remarked.

The group talked amongst each other now that they figured out that piece of the puzzle.

Alex pulled Reid aside. "You know, we should probably just say our goodbyes now. I am sure that my armed escort will be here shortly to take me back to prison."

Garcia turned to Hotch. "Is there anything we can do?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't get to make those kinds of decisions. There might have to be a new trial; a judge will need to make a ruling." Hotch tried to explain.

"It's okay, it really is. I am just grateful that I was able to explain some things to Spencer after all this time." Alex then turned to the team. "And that I got to meet all of you, too. I appreciate that you came to get me in spite of everything."

"Hotch, come on man." Morgan started. "We can't let an innocent woman go back to prison."

"That's not up to me." He looked to the towering man who just entered the bullpen wearing a sharp beige suit. "It's up to him."

The team watched as he made his way up the stairs and towards the conference room. With a raspy voice he held out his hand. "SSA Hotchner, good to see you again."

"You too." Hotch smiled then turned to the team. "This is John McIntyre, part of the Oversight Committee."

They nervously stood in anticipation for the reason of his visit.

McIntyre placed his briefcase on the table and started to pull out several files. "After my office received a call from Agent Hotchner advising us to look into Deputy Director Elis Parker, we found that he was in bed with several dangerous and illegal organizations. We also looked back into his connection with Harris Knight and discovered that they were brothers, thanks to Agent Hotchner. We uncovered their laundering operation on top of their fraudulent empires and drug money. We were able to locate records and information, as well as several video recordings." He turned to Alex. "After examining all of this evidence, the Committee has found that you were not responsible for the charges that were first made against you. I have here, an acquittal signed by the judge. Congratulations, you are a free woman."

Alex stood there in shock. "I can't believe it. This has to be some kind of joke."

"I assure you that this isn't a joke." McIntyre smirked. "Also, to let you know that you are welcome to come back to the CIA if you wish."

"Thank you, sir." She shook his hand. "I will be sure to give the matter some thought."

Everyone took their turns giving Alex hugs and celebrated her new found freedom.

"I think now is a good time to break open the cupcakes." Garcia snickered as she started to hand them out to the team.

Reid took Alex's hand and the two left the room and walked down the corridor alone. "So, what are you going to do now?" He asked.

"I honestly don't know. I never thought for a moment that I would ever be able to breathe again." She stopped walking and faced her dear friend. "I must admit that I am scared. I don't know where to go from here."

"Garcia has taken it upon herself to educate me in the fine art of chick flicks." Reid mentioned.

"Okay." Alex tried to see where he was going with this story.

"There was an ending quote in the movie Uptown Girls that I think will apply to your situation. Every story has an end. But in life, every ending is just a new beginning. Enjoy your new beginning, Alex."

Stay Tuned:

I am planning a sequel to this story… I am not sure when, but it is in the works. You can follow me to get that update. I will also post onto this story when I post the sequel… which will have a different title.

In the meantime, you can check out my new one: Ghosts of Rossi's Past. It is a mystery and all of the main characters will be featured. (Yes, Reid will be a major part.)

Also, I have a Star Trek story, Distress, based off of the new movie characters. You do not have to be a huge fan to enjoy it.

Acknowledgements:

This wouldn't have been possible without a request from Annajadekin to write a story about Reid previously being in the CIA. The thought intrigued me so much I just had to explore it. And I love what came from just that little spark. Thank you all for reading, commenting, and being there with me on this interesting adventure!

I have to thank my friend Jasmine for helping me to find inspiration and to allow me bounce ideas off of her. She has helped me when I have written myself into a corner.

Extra Special Thanks to my friend Cindy! She has been there for me through the worst and has always brightened my day! She has helped me when I had writer's block, helped me hash ideas through, helped with plot points, and gave me encouragement. I couldn't ask for better support!