A/N: Yeah... sorry for the wait. I was trying to deal with some issues that came as a result of the last chapter and it kind of went disastrously and made me kind of look like a self-indulging asshole that was really full of himself. Yeah, all those rules and suggestions I wrote, forget about those. Put what you want in the reviews, just don't use your reviews to criticize someone else's.
One more thing: the whole "giving up the ship" thing was a joke. I wasn't serious. That was bad writing on my part.
Just a warning: this chapter is going to get really depressing and sad. Like, I cried while I wrote this and I don't cry at anything. You've been warned.
Read, review, and enjoy!
Spencer felt the worst that he ever had in his life. What had happened earlier that day had destroyed whatever light that he had left. Everything had gone downhill sharply. Now here he was, sitting alone in apartment in front of his keyboard. How had everything gone so rotten so fast?
Meg had been kidnapped by an Internet predator and the entire team was in panic trying to rescue her. When they had found out the UnSub's location, Reid was the first to get there. He searched around for a way to enter without alarming anyone. He opened the back door to the building and started searching the building from bottom to top looking for Meg. He began panicking when he couldn't find her.
He ran down the stairs to the basement level of the building. That was where he found her. That was also when he heard someone else enter the building. He knew it wasn't his team when didn't hear someone shout "FBI!"
He ran to Meg, tied up and gagged. He pulled out a knife and cut the ropes tied around her. He then removed the gag from her mouth.
"There's a bomb in here!" she said.
Spencer's eyes widened. "Where is it?"
Meg pointed to the corner of the room. then they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Stay here for a second," Spencer instructed as he walked over to the doorway. When the goon came in, Spencer hit him over the head with his revolver and then threw him head-first against a wall. He grabbed the gun in the man's waistband and ran back over to Meg.
"All right," he began. "I need you to listen to me and do what I say." Meg nodded. He handed her the gun. "If you see anyone coming in through the doorway, pull the trigger and shoot. Do not hesistate, do you understand?" Meg nodded. "All right, I'm going to try and disarm the bomb."
Spencer walked over to the bomb and started deciphering how to disable it. It took a few moments, but he quickly managed to disarm the bomb.
"It's okay, Meg, the bomb's stopped." Meg turned to look at Spencer. Spencer saw a goon showing up behind her. "Look out!" he shouted. Meg turned back around. There was a gunshot and Meg fell to the ground with a bullet wound on her shoulder. Spencer pulled out his revolver and shot the goon who shot Meg in the head. He turned his attention to Meg. "Meg, can you hear me?" Meg nodded. Spencer pulled his tie from inside his vest and removed it. He tied it tightly on Meg's shoulder wound. He pulled out his cell phone and called Hotch.
"Hotchner," Hotch said.
"Hotch, I found Meg, but I need medics here immediately," he said.
"What happened?"
"The UnSubs had a bomb rigged to the building. I had just disarmed it and Meg was shot."
"All right, Reid. We'll make sure to get medics there as soon as possible."
Spencer switched his focus between Meg and the door, just in case another goon came downstairs. He vaguely heard the familiar shout of his team and bullets being fired upstairs.
"Reid!" he heard someone yell.
"We're in here!" Spencer shouted back. Morgan came through the door and saw Spencer sitting on the floor with an injured Meg. Soon after, medics were coming in to take care of her. The two of them headed back upstairs and met with the rest of the team.
Kate wasn't exactly happy to see him.
"Reid," she said. "What the hell happened?"
"I had to disable the bomb and I had Meg watching for any UnSubs coming down the stairs..."
"So you used my niece as an unarmed lookout?"
"No!" he said quickly. "I gave her a gun to shoot if anyone came downstairs. She turned around when I told her that the bomb was disabled, there was an UnSub behind and we didn't react fast enough."
"So it's your fault my niece was shot."
"Kate, I didn't mean for it to happen..."
"It's still your fault. I thought that we could trust you."
JJ, having heard the conversation from the sides, joined in. "She's right, Spencer. You should have known better. You should've been smarter about that."
"Just listen, you don't understand..."
"Stay the hell away from my family," Kate said.
"Wait, Kate," he said as she walked away.
"I'm ashamed of you Spencer," JJ said. "I'm supposed to trust you with my son and my unborn child if something happens to me and you can't even keep Meg safe."
"JJ, please, just listen," Spencer pleaded.
"I've heard enough, Spencer. I hope you enjoyed what time you had with Henry, because you're never allowed to see him again."
Spencer's emotional defense was destroyed in that sentence.
"JJ, please, you have to listen," Spencer said as he reached out for her hand.
JJ pulled her hand away. "It's too late, Spencer. From this moment on, you're not Henry's godfather anymore and you're not allowed to see him anymore."
Tears started rolling down Spencer's face.
"JJ, please," he pleaded, but she had stopped listening and walked away.
It had been two weeks since then. Meg had lost a lot of blood at the scene and was in the ICU for a little while. She was currently in a medically induced coma for the time being. True to her word, JJ had cut off all communication between her and Spencer. Since Will had left, they called each other everyday to make sure everyone was okay. Now there was nothing. Spencer had slipped into a deep depression.
That's why he sat at his keyboard in his darkened apartment. He loved Henry, and JJ was never going to let him see Henry again. He had just recorded a song for Henry. It was a song that was his own way of saying goodbye to Henry. Spencer had lost all other reasons to live. His mom had passed away a few months before and now he lost the last bit of family he had left. He had put the CD in the envelope and put it in his mailbox two days before.
He went back to his apartment and sulked in his misery.
Meanwhile, JJ was driving down to New Orleans to visit Will. JJ was starting to feel like she made a mistake letting Will go. She had left Henry in his godmother's care. She trusted Garcia more than she trusted Spencer now.
She pulled up to the address that she and Will had decided on, got out of the car, and knocked on the door. Will soon answered the door.
"Jennifer," he said in surprise. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I feel like I made a mistake," she said.
"What do you mean?" he asked. "What happened?"
JJ sat down and relayed the whole story to Will, including her and Kate denouncing Spencer.
"The worst part is that he's the one who convinced me to stay and the one I trusted to take care of Henry and he let Meg get shot."
"If I may," Will interjected. "Are you sure that you're not overreacting? You act like he's the one who shot Meg. From what it sounds like, he had managed to save both himself and Meg and Meg getting shot was an accident. You said that Spencer shot the son of a bitch, right?"
JJ nodded.
"Then why are you so angry?"
"I feel betrayed," JJ said.
"Betrayed?" Will asked. "He didn't do anything wrong. Meg getting shot was just an accident. The only person at fault is the one who shot her, not Spencer."
"Why are you defending Spencer? I thought you hated him."
"After I got here, I really thought about everything that happened. I was wrong for making you choose between me and your team. I was being selfish."
"You're my husband," JJ countered.
"But they're your family," Will countered back. "Spencer is your best friend and, from what I gather, Henry was the only happiness he had left."
JJ sat in thought. She had forgotten how much Henry meant to Spencer.
"Look, it's getting pretty late," Will said. "We should talk again in the morning. Just think about what I've said, okay. You can sleep in the bedroom, I'll sleep here on the couch."
"I..."
"Don't argue, it's alright. Besides, you're pregnant and you need a comfortable sleeping space. I'm fine here on the couch."
JJ nodded and went up to Will's bedroom and laid in thought about what Will had said. Henry meant the world to Spencer. How was Spencer feeling right now? She thought about it really hard. She felt like she had overreacted about the whole issue that started the problem. She tried to go to sleep. She really would have to talk with Will in the morning. And then probably go and beg Spencer for forgiveness.
When Penelope retrieved JJ's mail that same morning after JJ left for New Orleans, she noticed a envelope addressed to Henry.
"Henry," Penelope called out. "Look, you got something in the mail."
Henry took the envelope and read who it was from. "It's from Uncle Spence!" He tore open the envelope to find a CD labeled, "Only play at night before bedtime."
So, Henry waited all day for his bedtime, wanting to hear what Uncle Spencer had put on the CD. When it was time for him to go to bed, he put the CD in a CD player.
"Hi, Henry," he heard Uncle Spence's voice say from the CD. "I have a song for you to listen before bed. I hope you like it."
Henry heard notes being played from a keyboard on the CD before he heard Spencer start singing.
Lay by my side, and we'll sail away.
Off to the shores of another day.
All set to go once I hear you say.
Goodnight my friend, until the morning.
Up we will float as we close our eyes.
Stars all around us like fireflies.
Just me and you drifting through the skies.
Goodnight my friend.
Not a thought.
Not a care.
Resting safe and sound.
With each other there.
And so we'll rock on a nighttime ride.
Cozy and warm on the rolling tide.
Till we arrive on the morning side.
Our journey's end.
Goodnight.
Sleep tight.
We're going to be alright.
Goodnight my friend.
"Goodnight, my friend," Spencer's voice said. "I love you, Henry."
"I love you too, Uncle Spence," Henry said softly as he feel asleep.
JJ woke up the next morning to find Will in the kitchen making breakfast.
"Figured you'd want food once you woke up," Will said.
JJ looked at him. "Will, you were right. I feel awful. I really overreacted. Spence didn't mean for that to happen. He rescued her, but she got injured in the process. He save her life. And I acted like he was the one who shot her. And to top it all off, I forbade him from seeing Henry, the little boy who always brings him so much joy."
Will smiled. "I was hoping you'd come to your senses. After all, you'll need Spencer around with the newest one."
"Why?" JJ asked.
"Don't you remember the conversation we had a few months ago about doing something good for Spencer?"
"Yeah, I do..." JJ paused. "Oh, my God. I forgot about that."
Just then JJ's cell phone rang.
"Jareau," she said.
"JJ! It's Morgan," Derek said over the phone. "We need you to get back here ASAP!"
"Why? What's happening?" JJ asked.
"It's Reid. JJ... he tried to kill himself."
And I'll leave it at that for now. Yes, I am this evil and, yes, this is something I could see happening if Reid lost Henry in any way. I'm completely serious when I say this. Reid's emotional and psychological health seems to be like a Wile E. Coyote cartoon: He's already over the cliff, he's just floating in the air until something causes him to look down and fall (yes, I'm aware I'm making ridiculous metaphors).
So, just a few things before I leave:
1) Quick question: Should they have JJ pregnant again, taking JLH's into account? I personally don't think so, but I want to hear what you guys think. Especially since, apparently, everyone's contracts are up for renewal this year. Speaking of which, let's keep hoping for Season 11. No news yet, so...
2) The song is "Goodnight, My Friend" from the TV series Galavant, written by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater (who wrote the music for Tangled) and sung by Timothy Odmundson as King Richard (but you probably know him better as either Philip Dowd, from "L.D.S.K.", or - since it's March - the villain from "The Luck of the Irish"). Check out the show if you get a chance.
So, that's it for now. Follow me on Twitter at DCalCoda_Fanfic, for updates on my stories and maybe a few questions for you guys. Tweet me there with a question or comment, and I will answer you. I promise.
See ya next time!
-D.C. al Coda