[hey, here's the next chap. Sorry if it's not as long as you may wanted, but I finally got everything I needed in. there'll be about two, three maybe four (doubt it) more chapters coming after this one, and then it will be the end, sorry to say. Anyways, I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS OR IT'S CHARACTERS, JUST MINE! Read, enjoy and review!]

Alice fell, having gotten shot in the shoulder. Spencer fell with her, since she had threw her arms around him in protection. Spencer stared at Alice as she rolled around, clutching her shoulder and mumbling incoherent things, pained.

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her wound, tightening it as hard as he could to stop the bleeding and then putting his hand on her shoulder. She groaned at the pain, but didn't stop him, knowing it would help stop the blood…for now, at least a little bit.

"You little mother fuc-" they heard the killer say as he began to load his gun, but the he was stopped short and they heard him fall to the ground.

Morgan had just tackled him and was trying to get him to stop struggling, so he could put the handcuffs on him. They were rolling around, one trying to handcuff the other as the other tried to get up and fight. Morgan had to punch him in the face to get him to stop struggling for the moment and then he put the cuffs on him. "Stay down, you son of bitch or I WILL shoot!" he warned, his gun aimed as the killer on his stomach, on the ground.

"Sp-Spence…" Alice sighed, hurting so bad that her words almost slurred.

"Alice, sssh, it'll be ok. Morgan! Call for an ambulance!" his voice was so stressed it went up plenty of octaves.

Morgan got on that, his gun still aimed at the killer on the ground as he dialed the number and started giving them their locations.

"Spencer…I…I need to tell you something." Alice was beginning to become weery from the loss of blood, but she fought to stay awake.

"No, Alice. Ssshh. You don't need to talk."

"Yes, I…I do." She smiled at him, thinking of a moment from their favorite movie. "I…I almost want…to give the Spock speech from the end…end of the movie." She laughed and flinched when he shoulder shook. "But…this is different…now… We're different now…or..I know…that I am."

"Alice, this can wait. You're gonna make it, ok?" he insisted. "Morgan!"

"They're on their way, kid!"

Spencer cursed silently, knowing Alice was still losing a bit of blood.

"Spencer, this…can't wait. If they don't get here…then I'll…miss my chance…"

"What are you-"

"Spencer, I love you…" she said simply, yet with so much feeling and emotion. Spencer was frozen, surprised. "From the moment you save me, I loved you. You cared about me more than anyone else….and…you were there….for me. Every time I needed you….you were there." She smiled weakly. "…You took care of me…dealt with me, no matter what state I was in…."

"That's…what friends are for."

She laughed, a tear falling. "You the best, most sweetest and caring person I've ever met, Spence…everything about you is…just so perfect and great… Can I…ask you for something….please?" she was almost near tears, trying hard to stay awake so she could do this last thing.

"W-what…?" he asked, almost crying. He didn't like the mood she was setting, making it seem like she going to die and he was trying so hard to tell himself she wouldn't.

She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his face to hers, tears streaming down her eyes at the fact that this was the last thing she could do and she didn't know what he'd do afterwards. She just hated this whole situation, but she had to do this. She couldn't leave this world without doing this just once more.

"Alice…?"

"Kiss me, Spencer…" she said almost in a pleading voice.

He paused for only a moment, but then closed the space between them, their lips finally touching.

Alice felt herself covered in warm silk as they kissed, her lips feeling on fire and tingling as they moved with his soft lips. She wished she could stay here forever, with his lips touching hers, but she couldn't.

Then pain in her shoulder made her flinch away, breaking the kiss. Spencer spaced out for only a moment, so shocked by the kiss and what feelings it had sent through him that it took him a minute to realize he still needed to add pressure to Alice's wound.

Everything began to go so fast then. Alice's eyes closed. She was unable to stay awake anymore and they heard some sirens and the calls of the team in the distance, but Spencer felt it may be too late. He just sat there, keeping his hand on her wound, tears falling from his eyes as his friend lay motionless on the ground, her eyes closed. He could hear Morgan calling back to the rest of the team, but it sounded so distant. All he was focused on was the fact that Alice's breathing was becoming faster; her face was becoming pallor, her face was becoming sweaty. He didn't see the ambulance stop by them. Didn't see or hear the team around him until he was yanked away from Alice's motionless form. He watched her get taken away into the back of the ambulance, too over taken by sadness and possible loss to be able to move or think or talk.

"Spence…" he heard faintly. He still didn't move, it sounded so far away. "Spencer."

He looked around then. Everyone was surrounding him, watching him. J.J. had her hand on his shoulder, looking at him worriedly.

"We need to get to the hospital." He said all of a sudden, his mind working again.

"O-ok." J.J. said and they all began to head out of the woods to their SUV's.

Spencer road with Morgan to the hospital, once again almost jumping out of his skin and drumming his fingers on his legs. He tried not to look at his hands, which were still covered in his friend's blood. He just kept his eyes ahead, all the while resisting the urge to ask, "Are we there yet?"

"Reid, she'll be ok."

He didn't say anything back to Morgan.

Morgan tried to find some way to get the younger profilers mind off the fact that his friend could be dying. But he couldn't. There was nothing he could think of that could stray his friends mind from Alice.

"…She said she loved me…."

Morgan glanced at his friend and saw his worried, scared and sad face. He still didn't know what to tell him, he just hurried.

Minutes later, they made it to the hospital the ambulance had come from. Spencer bust through to doors, Morgan, J.J. and Hotch behind him.

He hurriedly asked for his friend and they said she was in surgery and they could wait in the waiting room not far from the desk.

Spencer sat down and waited, his mind reeling. Would she be ok? Or was it too late? Why did she have to jump in front of the bullet, why couldn't I have been him?! He had his head in his hands before he realized he needed to wash them.

He stood and headed to the boys room, going to the sink and washing his hands harshly. He didn't want his best friends blood on his hands. Once they were clean, he check his face and washed off what had gotten their when he dropped his head in his hands.

He made it back after a few minutes of deep breathing in the bathroom. He sat down slowly, letting his head fall back. A nurse had came up and asked him for information on Alice and he filled out what he could on her. Mostly her name, age and address. That's all he really knew.

While still waiting, the team welcomed Garcia, who had come to check on her little sweetheart. She sat in between him and Morgan.

"You ok, wonder-boy?" she asked softly with a little smile, hoping like heck she could lighten his mood.

He shrugged. He had his eyes closed, trying to think, afraid of what images would come to him if he did.

"Well, I'm sure you friend will be out soon enough. You guys did a great job."

"Though that was stupid of you to go and find her by yourself." Morgan put in and, though he was right, Garcia gave him a warning look.

"I saw the road…" Spencer mumbled then, everyone now looking at him. "It was barely noticeable, hidden by leaves. But I could see it and tracks leading down it…I just couldn't risk waiting. You had gone ahead of me, Morgan, and I couldn't see you. I would have went and got you, but I couldn't waist time… I just felt like her clock was ticking…I couldn't let her die…."

"And you didn't. She'll be fine Spencer." J.J. reassured him, hoping to the heavens she would be right.

And so, they waited. Hotch and Morgan had left, to check on Prentiss and Rossi and the unsub. Two hours later, though, a doctor came over and asked, "Alice Helms?"

Spencer stood, watching the doctor.

He cleared his throat. "I'm Dr. Sam. I was in charge of Alice."

"Is she ok?' Spencer found himself squeaking out.

"Well, she was in shock when she was brought in and we hurried to get the bullet out and stop the flow of blood and figure out how much damage the bullet had done. It was right above her left shoulder and just barely missed the bone."

Spencer cringed and the doctor continued.

"We cleaned out the wound and stitched it up. But she was still very wounded. She had about four broke ribs, two on each side. We pieced them back together, though, and they should heal in time. She had a lot of damage, but I'm sure it will all heal. She just needs rest. Any questions?"

"Can…I see her?" Spencer asked weakly, trying to chase the images out of his mind again.

"Yes, but she may not respond much. We gave her something for sleep just before I came in here. Come this way." The Dr. said as he began walking back, Spencer following him.

Once they made it to the room, Dr. Sam let him in and left. Spencer pulled one of the chairs close to Alice's bed and sat there, watching her. He wasn't sure what exactly he was feeling. He felt guilty, for never having contact with her and that this was their first reunion. He felt sad that she had been through all of this. And he felt confused when he thought of what she said she felt…confused by her saying she loved him.

"…Spock?"

Spencer looked up, having been watching the floor as he thought. Alice was watching him, her head half-way up and her eyes barely open. Her mouth pulled into a smile at the corner. "Alice...are you…are you feeling ok?" he asked, his voice weak, almost barely audible.

"Yeah, they already gave me something for the pain…though, I'm sure I'll feel it in the morning." She laughed.

"…Why?"

Alice face stiffened, but her smile didn't fade. "I couldn't let you get hurt, Spence…I just couldn't… It's not possible for me." She laughed again.

"You didn't need to do that Alice, you…you could have died." He looked at her and she saw in his innocent eyes how much the thought scared him.

"But I didn't…because you kept your promise."

"What-"

"When we were young, we promised each other we'd become a profiler and therapist if we wanted that. And we did. And you kept you're promised….You saved me. Once again, you saved me…… And I really haven't paid you back yet, have I? I never did much when were young…"

"What're you talking about?" Spencer said. "You helped me when people tried to attack me or lash out at me. You were always there after…" he didn't say, because he feared it would sound like he blamed his mother for her episodes. "And I never asked you to, you just did."

"I never asked you to help me either, but you did." Alice countered.

They were quiet for little bit, but then Spencer had to ask something.

"Alice…um…about-"

"Don't worry about it, Spock." Alice said with a slight blush. "Just ignore that, it was…nothing…"

"Alice…are you sure-"

"Yes, it was…you're the only person I've ever actually loved…I was confused. I could never love my parents because….well, you know how they are." She said with an annoyed, forced laugh. "And you're the only person who really cared for me, better than my parents…I guess I just got caught up in the moment and how I was feeling. You're…like my only real, caring family and we didn't have a proper good-bye….my feelings were just a confused bundle then… Just forget about it, Spock." She looked away, not wanting him to see in her eyes and guess she was lying.

Spencer wanted to ask more, but he saw she was getting tired and also wasn't sure he wanted to go on. He just wasn't completely comfortable with this kind of thing. The room became quiet and tense then, until Spencer heard Alice's snoring.

He laid back, getting comfortable. He wasn't going to leave Alice for a while.

[And thank you, all who offered me help so far. I will be getting to the team going off on Alice's parents in the next chapter, sorry I couldn't add it in this one. I'll try and finish and add next chap as soon as I can!]