A/n hey everyone. Here is the last chapter. Thank you all for your support of this story and putting up with the fact that my muse got on a bit of a "Nancy Drew, That Darn Cat" kick. I think she's lost her mind! Also, a belated thanks to my fantastic beta REIDFANATIC. She's the best!

Disclaimer: Sadly, nothing is mine, execept my original characters.

Rossi, Hotch, Emily and Morgan were all gathered at one end of the waiting room with Mrs. Warburton and Leia. The cat was perched on Hotch's lap and the man was actually smiling.

"Hey Aaron… What's with the cat?" Rossi asked with a grin.

"Yeah… she wasn't very happy with you six months ago when you put that badge on her collar." Morgan observed while the cat hissed at him. "She hates me and I've never touched her

The smile left Hotch's face and returned to its usual impassive stare. "We came to an agreement."

"What's that supposed to mean." Morgan demanded.

"That's between me and Agent Leia." Hotch said

"Great… now the cat is keeping secrets with the boss." He narrowed his eyes at the feline and she yowled at him. Emily began to giggle and Rossi laughed as the cat and man stared each other down

Garcia came breezing into the room at that moment, her arms full of pink and blue carnations and white lilies. There was a small white teddy bear under one arm and she was beaming.

"Have we heard anything yet?" She demanded.

"No baby girl… Did you buy out the gift shop again?" Morgan stood and crossed the room to his goddess. He made her give him her gifts and led her to a chair.

"You're so overly dramatic gorgeous. I told you, nothing is too good for baby Reid." The others burst out laughing and even Hotch chuckled a little.

"Spencer is lucky to have you all as his family." Mrs. Warburton observed.

"No… we're lucky to have him." Hotch told her as Leia leaped down from his lap and ran to Mrs. Warburton.

"I think it's lovely that you made Leia an honorary Special Agent." She made "come to me" motions to the cat and Leia jumped into her lap.

"Well… she saved Tommy and Spencer's life, so it was the least the FBI could do." Rossi told her.

"Yeah… she's a cool cat." Garcia observed while Morgan rolled his eyes. Give him a dog any day. They weren't sneaky!

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As he walked down the hospital corridor, Reid held the small wriggling bundle in his arms as though he was carrying a bomb that would go off at any second. The waiting room had just come into sight and he drew a deep breath.

"It's time to meet the rest of the family," he said quietly to the little person that slept soundly in its father's arms.

His heart had yet to stop pounding from excitement and reaction. The doctors were attending to JJ and making sure she was comfortable for the rest of the night in her private suite. There was even a large armchair in her room for him to sleep in if he wished. He looked down at the new little life JJ had brought into the world and felt panic rise up in his throat. What if he screwed up and messed up his kid for life? JJ had been telling him for the last six months that he was going to be a great dad, but maybe she was wrong.

"I'm absolutely terrified," He told the child in his arms. "You're going to have to be really patient ok…"

He hitched up his shoulders, thought about the way Morgan would tease him if he could hear him at that precise moment, and entered the waiting room. "Alright time to stop stalling and show you off to your family."

Garcia was the first to notice him standing there and she leapt to her feet and crossed the room so fast it looked like she just appeared there in front of him cooing and babbling at the bundle in his arms. Then the rest of the team shot to their feet and left Mrs. Warburton sitting in her chair. Reid ignored the questions they began to fire at him and took his baby over to Esther.

"It's a boy, Esther… Would you like to hold him?"

Tears were spilling over onto her lined cheeks. Her brown eyes lit up when Reid gave her Eric Jason Reid to hold.

"He's beautiful…" She exclaimed above the voices of congratulations the rest of the team was expressing. Morgan thumped him on the back and Rossi was pumping one hand Emily and Garcia engulfed him in hugs and Hotch only stood back and waited before clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"If you find baldness and wrinkles attractive," Morgan quipped, and they all laughed at the red faced and proud father.

They all approved of the name and Leia, who'd leapt down from Mrs. Warburton's lap the moment he brought the baby into the room, meowed loudly. She jumped back up on the chair next to Esther and began to delicately sniff the blue blanket the baby was wrapped in.

"Hey… I thought you weren't supposed to let cats near babies. Don't they suck their breath or something?" Morgan observed.

Reid opened his mouth, but was cut off by Mrs. Warburton. "No… that's an old wives' tale. People used to think that a cat would get jealous of a newborn and attempt to do away with the child. As far back as the seventeenth century, there were tales of cats smothering babies. Usually, it happened after the baby died of SIDS, and they had to blame someone or something in their grief. Some people thought that just having a cat in the house with a baby was bad for the baby because the cat could steal its vitality by magic."

The rest of the team only stared in amazement at the old lady, who began to coo at Eric, who was sleeping soundly.

Morgan was the first to break. "Um… Mrs. Warburton, no offence, but how do you know that. You sound like Reid here."

The younger agent glared at Morgan and Emily began to giggle again. "I'm a teacher young man." She said as though that were the end of the subject.

She held the baby for awhile longer and then got to her feet. "I'm sorry Spencer… I promised I'd go see Tommy today as well. I'll come back tomorrow. Tell Jennifer I'll see her then."

She had given the baby to Emily and grabbed her cane. She hugged Reid and limped out the door. Garcia began to burble at the baby again and Morgan was laughing at her till she smacked the back of his head.

"Ouch… what was that for!"

Hotch shook his head and took Reid aside. "How's Tommy…" He asked quietly.

"I saw him yesterday. Sondra said he's almost back to the level of function he had before Dr. Stevens hurt him."

"I spoke with CA Thompson yesterday. There won't be a trial. Stevens changed his mind and pleaded guilty. He'll be in a mental ward for the rest of his life. Harry's very happy this is all over, finally and so am I."

Reid nodded briefly, and watched Emily and Garcia out of the corner of his eye cooing over his little boy. His little boy… It was so strange to be true!

"What are you thinking?" Hotch asked.

"That I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure that Lev Stevens never sees the light of day again. I'll go to every evaluation of his fitness from now till the day he dies, if I have to."

"I know… I also know you are not your father or Lev Stevens. Eric is going to have a wonderful and full life."

"Hotch… Was this what it was like for you?"

"Yes…"

Reid nodded again and went to retrieve his son and take him back to JJ. There was time enough for the rest of their lives to get to know this little being and all the things he had to bring to the world.

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Sondra peeked in on Tommy during rounds and saw that he was napping. How had she not seen in his face that he was Dr. Stevens' son? Was his long dead mother the only one he resembled, or was it the lack of his father's evil in his heart that made the difference?

She came farther into the room and noticed there was a different picture on the wall. It was a self portrait, rendered in such exquisite detail, that she believed the face might leave the picture and become some strange doppelganger for the young artist and fool even Dr. Reid. Next to the young man stood Dr. Reid, who was holding Leia in his arms, the strangest thing was that Tommy was smiling. She'd never seen him smile.

"God… Please watch over Tommy. Help us all to understand him."

She left the room and continued her rounds. Sleeping Pines had suffered, but it would stand thanks to Dr. Atkinson who stayed on despite blaming himself for everything that had happened on that awful night. He was more vigilant and kind than ever, and they all knew this would make them stronger.

She began to hum a tune under her breath, and as she went from room to room, the patients brightened her day a little more, as did the thought of her Damien and her mother. There were always blessings in every day, if you knew where to look.

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JJ laid Eric in the crib Hotch had given them. He joked about sparing Reid the trouble of putting one together, but there was something in his eyes that made a lump come into her throat every time she thought about it.

The small nursery in their new home was decorated in neutral yellow and cream with baby ducks all over the wallpaper. There was a matching glider rocker in the corner, and a changing table and dresser at the opposite end of the room.

It seemed like the last three months had passed so quickly. JJ was sure it had just been the day before, that they had brought Eric home from the hospital to a big party with the whole "family."

Spencer came into the room just as she was tucking a blanket with little puppies all over it around the baby. Eric wiggled a little and then settled down. She combed two fingers through his wavy brown hair that was the exact shade of Spencer's. His eyes were blue, but she hoped they might darken. Eric had most of her facial features and Spencer's long, delicate fingers.

"How's my boy." Spence whispered in her ear.

"Our boy is just fine. He's fed, and warm, and very sleepy."

"Good… I want some quality time with his mother."

She let him lead her into their bedroom after he'd checked to make sure Eric was warm enough. Leia was asleep just outside the nursery door, which had become her favorite place to sleep.

Spencer shut out the lights when JJ shut the door. Everyone was warm and happy, and when Spencer took her into his arms, she believed that life at that moment was the best it could get.

THE END