A/N: Hey guys, I know this chapter has been several months in coming. It took awhile to get it to flow the way I wanted it to with several rewrites. Tooker86: Sorry it took four months but here's the next update. Whatif-ifonly: I had fun writing that chapter. Its another one that I wrote backwards in that I sort of wrote the end before I wrote the beginning. Hehe Glad you liked it. LaRieNGuBleR: I didn't see that episode until well after I started watching CM and immediately didn't like her so it was fun to work out a new arc for that story. Btw I finally spelled your name right without looking at it while I typed it. Daisyangel: I'm glad you like Whitney. She's sort of taken on a life of her own. Ahowell 1993: I hope you enjoy this chapter. Charmony: What can I say? You're my muse and at times my rock. Thank you for being my sister and for all the editing you do as well as the constructive criticism. Love you girl.

I still don't own 'em.

Spencer sat on the bumper of the SUV watching as Rebecca Garner was loaded into the back of the ambulance. The adrenaline rush was receding, leaving him feeling shaky and tired. He had told Hotch that he was fine and didn't need the medics, but now he was starting to feel the effects of his rapid flight from Randall Garner's bomb. His chest hurt from his dive and the backs of his legs were starting to ache like an intense sunburn.

"You okay kid?" Morgan's voice broke into his thoughts. He realized that he had slumped over and straightened slowly.

"Yeah, I think it's all finally catching up with me."

"And having your mom here isn't helping." Morgan leaned against the side of the vehicle. "We couldn't have solved this case without her help."

Spencer sighed softly. "I know. I just hate that I had to bring her here when she wasn't really in danger."

"Yeah but you didn't know that. You had to make a judgement call and you did what you thought was right." He narrowed his eyes as the younger agent fidgeted. "Alright, spill it kid. Where are you hurt?"

Spencer avoided his eyes. "I'm fine. I'm just a little sore from diving back down the hallway."

Morgan snorted softly but let the subject drop as Hotch joined them.

"Gideon just called from the hospital. Elle came through surgery. She's facing a long recovery but with time she should be okay." He smiled faintly at the sigh of relief from both of his agents. "Let's head back to the office."

Hotch covertly watched their youngest agent as he walked ahead of him into the BAU. The back of Spencer's khaki pants were scorched in several spots with a small tear near his left calf. The unit chief frowned as he realized that Spencer was limping, although the doctor was doing his best to hide it.

"Reid? Follow me to my office please?" He deliberately made his voice stern to prevent any arguments. Spencer sighed but did as he was told, following the older agent into his office.

"Yes sir?"

"Who do you want me to call? Your mother or your girlfriend?"

"Sir?"

Hotch skewered him with a pointed glance. "You're hurt and you need a change of pants. Now, who do you want me to call for you? Sarah or Whitney? And don't stand there and tell me you're fine because I've watched you limp in here."

Spencer stared at his supervisor for a moment before his entire body wilted. "Whitney. I really don't feel like trying to explain everything to my mom at the moment." The young man abruptly turned and sank down on the couch in Hotch's office, wincing as his skin made contact with the cushions. "And I'm also not sure how Diana will react to Sarah. Especially if she hears me call Sarah 'mom'."

Hotch smiled faintly. "I can believe that. Give me your phone and I'll call her real quick."

Spencer handed over his phone and let his eyes fall closed as the exhaustion of a full day of stress and work finally caught up with him. He didn't even realize he had dozed off until a hand shook his shoulder.

"Spence?"

He blinked, forcing his eyes open to stare up at his girlfriend's face. "Hey Whit," he mumbled as he tried to get his brain functioning again.

Whitney smiled softly. "What did you get yourself into this time?"

"Running away from a bomb?"

"You ran away from a bomb," Whitney repeated flatly. "Why were you in the room with a bomb in the first place?"

"Because we didn't know the unsub had one until I walked in."

The redhead raised an eyebrow and shook her head at him. "In any other profession, that would be a weird statement but here? Not so much." She sat down next to him and rubbed his shoulders. "Where are you hurt?"

"The back of my legs and my chest. The explosion burned my pants and I landed flat on my chest when I dove back into the hallway."

Whitney looked him over with a practiced eye and helped him change into a fresh pair of pants after she had bandaged the worst of his burns. She watched him carefully, suspecting there was more to the story that he hadn't mentioned.

"I asked for you instead of my mom because my biological mother is here," Spencer suddenly blurted out. "I don't know how she's going to react to you and I don't know if she will understand if I call Sarah 'mom' in front of her."

"Why don't you cross that bridge when you come to it? Didn't you say that Diana had asked Jason to care for you?"

Spencer nodded. "Yes, but there's no guarantee that she'll remember that conversation right now. She hates the government and she hates flying and I've had her ripped from her familiar surroundings and brought here by government agents on a plane. She's not really in a good place right now." Abject sadness rolled off his slumped shoulders in waves.

In a flash of sudden insight, Whitney realized the truth her boyfriend hadn't said. "You're blaming yourself for her being here."

"I was afraid with everything that was happening that she'd be a target. This guy seemed to know just about everything about us."

"So that's why Sarah seemed so on edge when she asked me to come over. She was trying to keep an eye on me as well as Ezra and Thandie."

"We didn't want to scare you. I know you can take care of yourself, but Garner managed to hack Garcia and send a message to Dad at the cabin."

Whitney inwardly rolled her eyes but kept her feelings off her face. She didn't like being coddled, but that was a conversation for another day.

"I don't know how I'm going to get her back to Vegas." Spencer buried his face in his hands. "She's on edge and with everything that's happened, I don't know if she's taken her medication."

Hotch's voice interrupted them as he stepped back into the room in time to hear the young doctor's concern. "Jason and I have been talking. I see no reason why the BAU's jet can't be used to return a visiting consultant to her home."

Spencer stared at his superior for a moment before a faint smile crossed his face. "Deliberately vague but still the truth."

"They're fueling the jet now. Your mother is still in the conference room. You can leave as soon as you want to."

"Thanks Hotch." Spencer glanced over at Whitney. "Are you up for meeting her?" he asked hesitantly.

"Sure. Do you think she can handle meeting me?"

"There's only one way to find out."

A few minutes later, Spencer stood in front of his mother looking down at her as she studied a book and made notes on a pad of paper. Suddenly she met his gaze as she put down the book.

"Can I help you? I don't have much time. I need to get ready for my lecture."

The young doctor blinked sadly. Once again his mother didn't recognize him. Whitney squeezed his hand in quick reassurance as he cleared his throat.

"Can we attend the lecture too?"

"Have you read the material?" Diana asked.

"Whitney has reviewed it and I had it read to me," Spencer replied softly.

Diana smiled happily. "That's the best way really."

Two hours later, Whitney leaned back against the seat as she watched her boyfriend and his mother intently study one of Diana's thick tomes. She smiled at the interaction of the two, seeing hints of Diana in Spencer's mannerisms. Eventually Diana closed the book and dozed, allowing Spencer to join Whitney on the couch. He leaned against her with a tired sigh.

"This wasn't how I imagined you and Mom meeting."

Whitney shrugged. "It seemed to go well."

"Only because she doesn't realize we're anything more than classmates," Spencer mumbled into her hair.

She chuckled softly. "I see. No one is good enough for her little boy?"

"No. It's more she thinks everyone is a government agent out to get her family."

"Even though you are a government agent?" Whitney couldn't help but smile at the irony.

Spencer made a noncommittal sound. "Yeah." The silence lengthened for a few minutes before Whitney broached the subject on her mind.

"Spence what happened on the case? You got burned. Elle got shot. Both Sarah and Haley Hotchner were on edge and no one wants to tell me anything."

"How did you know Elle got shot?"

Whitney raised an eyebrow at him. "Because I work in an ER and when an FBI agent come in it's big news? Plus I saw your dad in the waiting room. He was on the phone with Hotch and he referenced you, JJ, and Morgan. Elle was the only one left."

"It could have been Garcia," Spencer pointed out.

"Nice try, but Garcia doesn't go out in the field. Now will you please stop avoiding the question? You guys were supposed to be on vacation this week, so obviously something big happened."

Spencer sighed, knowing there was no way around his girlfriend's persistence. "You know how I was going to Vegas for a couple of days before you and I were going to meet everyone at the cabin? Well Morgan and Elle were headed for Jamaica. Then Hotch got a call from Morgan in the middle of the night saying Elle had been arrested for a local murder."

"Is that what brought Sarah and Jason back early?"

"Kind of. Actually it was the fact that the dead man's head was sent to Dad at the cabin."

Flashback

"Mama, when are we gonna eat? I'm starving." Ezra whined as he dropped his duffle bag in the middle of the floor.

"We'll have dinner in a couple of hours. If you're hungry you can have a package of goldfish or a piece of string cheese after you pick up your bag and put it in your room."

"I don't want goldfish or string cheese. I want a candy bar."

"No candy. Not this close to dinner. Now put your bag away." Sarah fixed a pointed gaze on her ten year old son.

"But Mom," Ezra started to argue.

"You heard your mother. Go put your stuff away." Gideon spoke up when the boy didn't move. "Then you can go run around outside."

"But there's nothing to do here." The boy grabbed his bag, dragging it across the floor by the handle. "You wouldn't let me bring my Game boy."

"There are books and puzzles and you can go outside and play. You're too dependent on technology. It's time for you to use your imagination."

"Mama, can I go outside?" Thandie asked as Ezra heaved a martyr's sigh.

"Yes you may, but stay within sight of the cabin."

Once both children were outside, Sarah turned to her husband. "Am I a bad mother if I say I can't wait for Spencer and Whitney to get here so you and I can ditch the kids for one night?" The teasing note in her voice gave away the fact that she wasn't completely serious.

"Nope, just makes you human," Gideon answered with a grin. "I'm going to get started on dinner."

Just then, the sound of the security alarm interrupted them, and Gideon glanced at the monitor with a frown.

"Why on earth are we getting a delivery here?" he muttered softly.

"Something from the BAU maybe?" Sarah asked.

"No, everyone except JJ is on vacation." Gideon tucked his pistol into his waistband before opening the door. "Can I help you?"

"I have a delivery for a Jason Gideon?"

Gideon took the box and signed his name on the clipboard, all the while watching the young delivery man.

"Thank you sir." The man returned to his truck and headed off down the gravel road. Once he was out of sight, Gideon relaxed slightly before closing the door and setting the package down on the table. Sarah stepped to his side, her eyes narrowed at the shipping label.

"Jamaica? Why would you get a package from Jamaica?"

"I have no idea," her husband muttered as he cut the tape on the top of the box. He opened the flaps then froze as he saw the contents of the package. Sarah's quick gasp broke him from his momentary paralysis.

"Is that a…a head?"

"What? Someone sent your dad a severed head?" Whitney's hazel eyes opened wide.

Spencer nodded. "Yeah, and the body was used to frame Elle for murder. Hotch had to fly down there to look at the crime scene before the local police would even believe that she was an FBI agent. From then on it was like some sort of sick treasure hunt. He sent us clues written in an old book, a butterfly to JJ and a key to me. He even managed to hack the FBI computers and lock Garcia out of her own system."

"No wonder Haley and Sarah were worried. I didn't think Jason's cabin was publically listed. And to hack the FBI computer around Garcia? That's some serious skills."

"I know. That's why Dad wanted Mom to keep an eye on you. And that's why I brought Diana here. The guy turned out to be a man who had been in the same institution she's in now. He knew her. He knew things that I had written to her in my letters." Spencer's voice trailed off as he buried his face in his hands.

Seeing the exhaustion clearly written on her boyfriend's face, she decided that she had enough information for now.

"Get some sleep Spencer. I'll keep an eye on your mom and I'll wake you if anything happens. We still have a couple hours before we land in Vegas."

"Are you sure?"

Whitney smiled and kissed him gently. "Absolutely." She stroked his hair as he shifted so that his head was pillowed in her lap. Slowly the tension left his body as he fell into an exhausted but deep sleep. She let her head fall back against the back of the couch as she mulled over the events that Spencer had recounted to her.

Several hours later, after Diana had been returned to Bennington and Spencer had called both Gideon and Hotch, the couple lay curled up together in a hotel room overlooking the strip. Apparently the director had decided to allow the team a chance to finish their interrupted vacation, so Spencer had told the pilot of the jet to head back to Virginia, allowing him and Whitney some time alone.

"Spence? How did you get hurt?" Whitney felt him stiffen in her arms. "Spence?" She prompted when he didn't answer.

"I asked the wrong question," he finally replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "And I almost got Hotch and Morgan killed. I tried to warn them, but I couldn't just come right out and say that Garner had a bomb, or he probably would have detonated it right then."

"So that's why you went diving back down the hallway."

"Yeah." Spencer flipped over to face her. "I barely made it. The explosion caught my pants on fire. Morgan and Hotch beat out the flames before I got burned too badly. Unfortunately, it did kill Garner. We did get his daughter out though."

"She was in the room with the bomb?"

Spencer blew out his breath in a brief chuckle. "No, she was trapped in the basement. Her father had kidnapped her months before."

"And no one was looking for her?" Whitney asked incredulously.

Her boyfriend shook his head. "No, not really. It was all very strange and surreal. Garner saw us as his own 'knights of the round table' to use on a quest or something. If Mom hadn't told us who to look for, we'd still be trying to figure it out."

Whitney propped her head on her hand. "Part of me says I should be pissed off at you for being reckless and getting hurt while the other part of me is proud of you for doing what you did."

"Garner kept saying 'the youngest holds the key'. He knew about me, my mom, everything. If I was the key then I was the only one who had a chance of talking him down."

"I didn't say I didn't understand. Just that I wasn't sure if I should be annoyed with you or not." Whitney raised an eyebrow at him even as she grinned.

"How're your parents doing? Jason seemed to be taking Elle's injury pretty hard."

Spencer sighed. "He was the one who called a press conference even though Garner had made up some rule about not getting outside help. He was waiting inside her home when she returned. Hotch was blaming himself for not making sure Anderson would stay with her but Dad was the one who made the call on the press conference."

"Yikes. Sounds like Jason was in a catch 22."

"Yeah, the investigation was stalled, but at the same time it was a long shot to ask for the public's help." Spencer rolled onto his back and interlaced his fingers behind his head. "I disagreed with the decision, but ultimately Dad and Hotch agreed to do it."

"Just one more reason I have no desire to go into management. Danged if you do and danged if you don't." Whitney shifted closer so she could lay her head on his chest. "I'm glad you're ok. And I'm glad I got to come to Vegas with you, even if the circumstances aren't exactly what I had in mind."

He kissed the top of her head as he enveloped her in his arms. "I love you Whitney McAllister."

"I love you too Spencer Reid-Gideon."