A/N: Yup, I'm baack. (grins) And for the second last time, can you believe it? (gawks)
BUT, before getting to the (hopefully) good part… THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, for all your love and support! Take a look at that number of reviews – and there's also a incredible amount of listings. If that isn't caring I don't know what is. (HUGS) So thank you! It feels really good to write knowing there are people eager to read. (beams)
Awkay… (clears throat and gulps nervously) I'm always a little antsy near the end, so I'm just cutting the chase before I chicken out. I truly hope you'll enjoy this new bit!
Coda
Since he woke up that morning George Foyet had a feeling that it was his last day on Earth. But that didn't stop him from trying to play with fate.
He got his one and only chance when one of the building's security guards – a young, scared man who was still almost a child – entered the interrogation room. The youth swallowed hard. "I'm… going to escort you to federal prison to wait for your trial. Stand up and keep your hands where I can see them."
Foyet gave a crooked smirk. "Very well, then."
He did get up, even kept his hands in the line of the other man's vision until the guard made it all the way to where he was standing. And then he moved.
While the guard reached out for handcuffs Foyet went for the young man's gun. The guard's mouth opened and face blanched with a horrifying realization but it was much too late from the start.
Foyet smiled, lifting the gun. "Thank you, for this opportunity."
Foyet's hand didn't shake the slightest as he pulled the trigger twice. The first bullet pierced the younger man's windpipe, the next one the man's whole head. It took three seconds before the guard hit the floor.
Feeling only a hint of sympathy for the young man Foyet took the guard's clothes and put them on, his expression never faltering, then walked on with slow, calm steps. He was only two more turns away from the building's exit, from safety, when he took a turn to right – and found himself face to face with William Reid.
For the longest time the two of them looked at each other, as though not really realizing that the other was there.
And then William smiled, in a way that made Foyet feel like he'd been looking into a mirror. "I knew you'd give me the chance to do this", the man hissed.
Foyet's hand moved towards the guard's gun on his belt but he wasn't fast enough against a man who'd been there waiting for him.
Ten gunshots boomed like a thunder, steel pierced the serial killer's flesh. It was the last bullet that was aimed directly between his eyes. The final seal.
Foyet's eyes glazed over, and just like that the life inside him was gone. His body gave a dull thud as he hit the floor.
The clock on the wall hit eleven fifty-nine p.m.
Derek had hated hospitals since he was a child. But that slowly darkening night he barely realized he was in one as he sat in a waiting room with his team, feeling electric jolts absolutely everywhere in his body. His muscles were so stiff that it was almost impossible to sit down.
What the hell was taking them so long?
Although company was the last thing he wanted Emily's presence gave him a tiny hint of comfort as she took the seat next to his. She sighed heavily, placing a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's been a damn long day." He felt her eyes on him for a second before she spoke quietly. "He'll be alright, you know? It may take a while but he will be."
He looked at her with a frown, irritation rising inside. "How can you know?" he asked a bit more harshly than he'd intended.
To his surprise she smiled. "I saw the look in his eyes when he saw you. When you feel something like that… you can't just let go."
At that moment Derek did something he would've least expected. He smiled back.
They both shuddered upon hearing the room's door open and turned their heads. To Derek's dismay it was just JJ, not Spencer's doctor.
The blonde gave him a weak smile of encouragement before focusing on Aaron. "I couldn't get a hold of William but I left him a message. I think he'll be here soon."
There was a quiet conversation but Derek's ears were deaf to it all. Instead he drowned into himself, into his own thoughts. Once more he could feel Spencer's hand squeezing his, with all there was in the younger man. That hand had been so very cold…
The room's door opened again.
In a flash Derek was up, ignoring the way his head spun from too fast movements. Approaching them was Dr. Violet Shepherd, a young woman with neatly tied red hair and brown eyes. At first there was a unreadable expression on her tired face until she smiled.
Derek felt like he'd been floating in water. Relief and something far beyond overwhelming his exhausted body and soul he slumped back to the chair, filling his gradually relaxing lungs with much needed air.
"Family of Dr. Spencer Reid?"
"I'm his father." It wasn't until then they noticed William Reid who was standing almost directly behind the doctor. The man looked like he'd gone to hell and back again but he stood firm, looking at Dr. Shepherd with demanding eyes before nodding towards the team. "And whatever you have to say, I'm sure they're allowed to hear it as well."
Dr. Shepherd nodded. "For starters, I'd like to say that Dr. Reid is one hell of a fighter. With the blood loss and shock his body could've easily shut down. It's quite clear that he really wanted to stay here."
"So…" Derek barely heard his own voice, let alone recognized it. He gulped laboriously. "He'll… be alright?"
Dr. Shepherd appeared slightly more solemn. "He's slightly dehydrated but not as malnourished as he could've been. His captor clearly took care of him to some extend until this final attack. There were altogether ten stab wounds all over his body and they did a number of damage, which is why he needed a emergency surgery and a blood transfusion. His finger was also cut off in a far from sterile manner, which is why he got an infection that requires a heavy dosage of antibiotics. But unless there are complications there should be no immediate threat to his life. We'll keep him in ICU for a day or two, just in case, before he's transferred to a ward under Dr. O'Malley's care." The woman's eyes softened. "He'll have quite a bit of scars – Foyet wasn't exactly gentle. A plastic surgeon can be consulted for those when Dr. Reid's recovered a little bit. He may also want to visit a dental surgeon. But…" She smiled again. "Yes, he should be alright in time."
Derek had to catch his breath for a moment before managing to ask. "Can I see him?"
The doctor seemed to notice something. Surprisingly it didn't bother him, not with the look that appeared into her eyes. "Of course, as soon as he's out of the recovery room. I'll send a nurse to get you as soon as he's allowed visitors." Apparently she chose to ignore the 'family only' rule. She gave him and William a stern look. "But he needs rest, so don't overwhelm him. Understood?"
Derek nodded like a good, obedient child, all too aware of the grin playing on his lips.
As he sat there, waiting, Derek realized that for the first time since meeting Spencer he wasn't scared. It felt damn good.
When Spencer was a child William used to stare at him every single night for the longest time. It was almost amusing that he found himself doing the same thing now, as he stood behind the window separating him from his son's hospital room.
They said that his son would pull through, no matter how frail the young man looked at the moment, in a hospital bed wearing far too big clothes, his face ghostly pale. They said that his son was a fighter.
He'd known that much long since.
The voice caught him so off guard that he shivered. "They told me that you got Foyet good." There was a strange expression on Erin Strauss' face. "Wouldn't less than ten shots have done the trick?"
He had to stab ten times to bring my son down, he almost spat in response. Instead, however, he shrugged. "You know what Foyet was like. What do you think?"
Erin said nothing right away, instead focused her eyes on Spencer. William did the same thing. The silence between them was almost companionable.
"Just so you know… Your superior asked me to write a report on your actions. He expressed… a great deal of worry considering your state of mind." She glanced towards him before going on. "As far as I'm concerned the only thing I've seen is self defence. You only did what was necessary to take down a dangerous, wanted criminal."
William felt like smiling as he nodded, hoping that the soundless 'Thank you' would do.
They stood there in silence for a long time, both content with their own thoughts.
Derek had absolutely no idea of how long he'd been sitting in Spencer's room, reading a sports magazine although he barely managed to understand a word, until in the early hours of the morning there was the faintest of sounds. Alarmed, he turned his head just in time to see Spencer shift with an expression of discomfort.
He swallowed, fighting against the temptation of taking the younger man's hand into his. "Spencer? Are you awake?"
Very slowly, cautiously, Spencer's eyes fluttered open. The man appeared confused for a moment and licked his lips before speaking in a quiet, raspy tone. "This… isn't a dream, right?"
Derek couldn't help but chuckle at that. He shook his head. "No, Pretty Boy. This isn't." His stinging eyes then narrowed. "Don't ever scare me like that again, got that?" Don't ever make me fear that I've lost you again.
Spencer gave him a tiny, lopsided smile, then grimaced and brought a hand to where a stab wound most likely irritated him. "I'll try not to", the younger man promised earnestly.
Derek frowned, feeling helpless as he saw the other's obvious pain. "Should I get a nurse, or something?"
Spencer shook his head. This time the smile that came wasn't laced by pain. Instead there was cautious hope and something that looked suspiciously lot like fear. "I… don't want any more medication. Just… stay. Please?"
There was no way Derek could've ever denied those eyes, that desperate request. And before his head caught up with his actions he was already moving. Careful not to hurt Spencer and not to disturb the tubes the younger man was connected to he lowered the bed's other railing, then slipped in. Spencer's eyes widened with shock for a moment until the man melted into the most beautiful smile Derek had ever seen.
Not giving a damn about the fears and uncertanties still lingering Derek lay down and wrapped one arm around Spencer, then pulled the brunet as close to him as humanly possible, inhaling the familiar scent.
He'd almost lost this man – this chance. Perhaps that was what gave him the courage to whisper the words that should've been spoken long ago. "I really missed you."
Spencer didn't speak. Instead the younger man snuggled just a little bit closer to him although it must've hurt, leaning his head against his shoulder. Derek blinked twice when Spencer took his hand all of a sudden, guiding it to where the genius' heart was beating firmly. Then he understood, and smiled.
Spencer didn't manage to stay awake for long. Feeling the younger man fall asleep beside him Derek remained firm, waiting, guarding. For the first time in his adult life he felt completely, utterly content. Whole.
He wondered if he should tell Spencer that when the man woke up.
Letting exhaustion take over him at last, Derek gave Spencer's hair a gentle kiss before closing his eyes and relaxing completely against the brunet. Never once did their hands lose the firm hold they'd had since he lay down.
There was a smile on Derek's face as he slept on, for once not caring about the troubled waters that were without a doubt waiting in the horizon.
In Spencer's dreams Foyet was smiling at him, a bloodied knife held in his hand. The steel pierced his flesh time after time, each hit striking deeper and deeper.
'Shh… Just relax and it'll all go much more smoothly. Relax and breathe.'
Spencer screamed at the top of his lungs. Darkness swallowed him up in whole. Darkness and such cold he'd never experienced before.
And then Foyet was gone.
Instead he felt Derek's hand, squeezing his with such a hold that told the man would never, ever let go of him again.
The dark disappeared. Instead he was wrapped into warmth and light.
The light turned into a sea of white. And suddenly his eyes were wide open.
Derek was looking at him with apparent worry, holding him as tightly as possible without irritating his injuries. "Spencer? Are you awake now?"
Spencer stared at the agent unblinkedly for a moment, then breathed twice before nodding slowly. "Yeah…", he whispered, finally managing to blink twice. "I think I am."
Derek seemed to relax slightly. "Good. That looked like one hell of a nightmare."
The both glanced downwards and Spencer felt sick to his stomach at what he found. There was blood on the bedsheets, some still leaking from the back of his hand. Derek had his own hand clasped on the wound without the slightest bit of fear. Such trust made Spencer shiver despite the state his mind and body were in.
"You pulled off your I.V.", Derek explained in a soft tone, one finger rubbing soothing circles to the bloodied hand.
Spencer looked at the dark skinned man long and hard before finally managing to put into words what was spinning in his head. "Derek… You don't have to be here, you know?" He tried to offer a brave smile but had a feeling that it failed. "I mean… Look at me." He gestured first towards his stomach and chest, then towards his head. "It's going to take a lot of time before this mess is sorted out. You don't need to…"
Derek cut him off with slamming a pair of soft, warm lips against his and pulling him into a deep, hungry kiss that stole away absolutely all his breath. Once the kiss was over the agent leaned to his ear and whispered. "I'm not leaving you, Spencer."
For a moment or two Spencer simply stared, then nodded slowly. "'K."
Derek nodded back with a hint of a smile. "Okay."
Spencer opened his mouth but became cut off by the sound of someone clearing their throat nervously. Looking to side like they'd been caught doing something forbidden they found William Reid standing right outside the room with a nearly anxious look on his face.
The older Reid ran a hand through his hair. "I… was wondering if it's alright to come in, and ask how you're doing."
Spencer looked at his father for the longest time before nodding cautiously. "Sure. Come in." Not too long ago he would've thrown his father out without batting an eyelash. Now he saw the naked despair in the older man's eyes.
A near death experience teaches a person a lot.
Feeling like he was intruding Derek left the bed hurriedly, heat taking over his cheeks. He couldn't help wondering how much William had seen. "I'm… gonna go and call Garcia, to let her know what's going on." He looked at Spencer pointedly. "I'll be back soon."
The faint, trust filled smile he received in return spoke more than anything else.
What Derek couldn't possibly know upon leaving the hospital room was that two pairs of eyes observed him from not too far away.
Aaron and David had been about to visit Spencer to tell him that Foyet was gone, only to discover that the room was crowded. Not they had thoughtful looks on their faces as they watched the dark skinned agent walking away.
"When are you going to tell him that he'll be questioned on his connections to 'Desert Coyotees'?" David inquired.
Aaron took a breath. "I'll give him a few more hours." He shrugged. "It's not like they'd discover much, though. If they're still digging Elle's case they'll have to remember that she's been dead for a long time, now."
David gave him a look but said nothing. Silence hung between them.
As soon as Derek made it out of the hospital he opened his cell phone. There was a text message from a number he couldn't recognize.
'It's all up to Ellie now. I hope you found what you were looking for.
We're even. Take good care of yourself.
-E'
Derek too a deep breath while he deleted the message and switched off the phone, his eyes softening slightly before he closed them. A warm breath of air caressed his face.
It was a wind of change. What it whispered, he'd find out when the times was right.
With a sigh Derek opened his eyes. This time there was no haunted look in them. As he walked back into the hospital he didn't look back on the shadows sneaking on his tails.
He was done with looking back.
TBC, for an epilogue.
A/N: Oh boy… (blinks several times) I proofread those scenes with Morgan and Reid listening to 'Far Away' (Nickelback) and 'Dare You to Move' (Switchfoot). I can't even begin to explain it, but something… shivered inside me. Getting to write such serene scenes after the hell they've been through felt so, so good. And I guess I'm starting to process the fact that soon this story will be all over. (wipes eyes, lower lip quivering) Whatever the cause, it was WEIRD. Usually I don't feel much while writing or reading my own products, period. (Go on ahead and profile.)
Did ya guys feel anything, at all – good or bad? PLEASE, leave a review to let me know! I've got a lot of Easter chocolate to sweeten the deal… (winks)
IN THE VERY FINAL PIECE (gosh, it feels weird to write that!): Several loose ends are wrapped together – and new stories begin while this tale encloses. Will our favorite couple get to taste some happiness?
Until next time, folks! I REALLY hope I'll c ya with the final piece.
Take care!
ilsa: Emotional, no? (wipes eyes) We'll see where it goes from here…
Huge thank yous for the review!
