AN: Whoo! I still have reviewers! And a lot of them too – you guys rock! With immense gratitude for sticking with me for so long, here's the next chapter.

For a Father's Love, pt 4

It's amazing, the way this simple action affects the others. Upstairs, Garcia wails in pain. Morgan screams, raining a litany of curses down on Frank's head. Rossi, JJ, and Prentiss open fire simultaneously, bullets tearing apart Frank's chest and head. By the time they're done, there's nothing left of Frank Harding but mangled flesh and blood splatter.

Hotch falls to the ground with a silent scream, hands gripping at his own head, trembling with the aftershock. Rossi kneels down beside him while the girls immediately go to Reid. Prentiss places two fingers on Reid's pulse. Her hand shakes.

Nothing. she whispers.

He's not gone. Even JJ's mental voice shakes. She looks up at Rossi, who is still crouched beside Hotch with a hand on the younger man's shoulder. Spence can't be gone.

Upstairs, Morgan pushes against the floor. "C'mon, baby girl, help me up." he grunts. "We gotta get down there."

"You – you shouldn't – don't move!" Garcia yelps, automatically reaching out to steady Morgan. "Your leg stopped healing, you're gonna bleed out if you keep moving around – at least let me wrap it or something!"

Morgan smiles faintly at her. "There's no time."

She knows he's right. Still, griping at him is something that resembles normal, so she keeps doing it even as she helps him to his feet and down the stairs. They're leaving a blood trail. She spares a moment to be distantly thankful that the children are not home. They don't need to see this.

Then she sees Reid, and the urge to throw up almost overwhelms her. One hand rises to her mouth, her entire body shaking as she clings to Morgan. Oh, please, she whispers, not Reid.

Suddenly Hotch looks up. His face is sheet white, his eyes wide and unfocused, and for one terrifying moment, Rossi is reminded of how he looked after Haley died. Automatically, Rossi reaches out for him. The younger agent is there, but barely. There's a wall blocking him, and Rossi frowns as he pokes at it. It doesn't give. Hotch?

Hotch doesn't respond. Slowly, Morgan looks from Hotch to Reid. His eyes, if possible, go even wider. "Rossi. Look."

They do. They watch as slowly, oh so slowly, bone and skin and hair grow back, sealing off the gaping hole in the back of Reid's head. As the process continues, Hotch begins to shake. Rossi keeps one hand on his arm, gripping him tight to keep him from collapsing. Finally, the last of Reid's wound heals. Hotch collapses, skin ashen, barely breathing. Rossi curses as he catches him, gently lowering him to the ground.

"What just happened?" he demands.

Prentiss places shaking fingers on Reid's neck. A sigh escapes her. "He's back."

"Not entirely." JJ says. "I can't sense him. I can't sense Hotch either."

Morgan looks down at his leg. The wound still hasn't healed, but he's not concerned about that. He's concerned about what it means. Reid has healed, somewhat, but Morgan has not, and Hotch looks like he's the one who just survived an almost-fatal blow to the head. For a long moment, there is silence as they stand and kneel in the basement, considering.

The sound of sirens jerks them all into awareness. Morgan curses. "Neighbors."

"I guess three agents emptying their guns into someone will get anyone's attention." Prentiss quips. "I'll go upstairs and guide them in."

"Hope they brought an ambulance." Garcia says, speaking up for the first time. "I know Morgan at least needs stitches." Her voice is faint but strong. Morgan flashes her a quick smile.

/-/

In the end, they tell the cops something that resembles the truth. Reid's wounds haven't completely healed. He has a fractured skull and he's still beat to hell, so at least they don't have to worry about explaining away the copious amounts of his blood that stain the basement floor. Hotch is a harder case to explain. In the end, they simply don't.

Morgan gets stitched up. Frank Harding gets taken away in a body bag. Hotch and Reid are booked for an extended stay in the hospital, until such time as they regain consciousness. The team keeps watch, Garcia in Morgan's room until he's released the following day, JJ and Prentiss with Reid, Rossi with Hotch.

It's late enough that Rossi is considering sleeping when Castiel shows up.

"What happened?"

Rossi jerks, but just a little. He glances behind him, taking in the angel in a trench coat. With a small sigh, he explains. "Long story short, the bad guy hit Reid in the head with a crowbar. Damn near took the kid's brain. When he left, it's like Hotch followed him. They haven't woken up since."

Castiel nods. "How long?"

"Three days."

The angel sighs. "Perhaps Spencer's injuries surpassed his ability to heal. He took energy from the one he was most tightly bound to – Aaron Hotchner. I was not aware he would show a preference, much less such a marked one."

Rossi shakes his head. "I don't think the kid's aware of it. From what Hotch told me, he's the one who first became aware of Reid awakening them. They're father and son in everything but blood." Castiel nods and approaches Hotch. He reaches out and places his hand on the agent's forehead. After a moment, he lets it fall away.

"Will they wake up?" Rossi asks.

Castiel shakes his head. "Only they can answer that question." He starts to leave, but Rossi's next question stops him cold.

"When they do, will they still be the same?"

The angel looks at him. "Please clarify."

Rossi crosses his arms over his chest, and now Castiel can see his hands shake. "We can't sense them. Either of them. It's like there's this wall blocking us, and we can't tear it down. So tell me – if, when they wake up, what does that mean for us?"

For a long moment, Castiel and Rossi simply stare at each other. Finally, Castiel turns away.

"I wish I could answer that, but I do not know."

/-/

AN: And one more chapter to go!