Here's the final chapter!
Sorry I haven't been as good at updating as I should be; I moved into my college dorm this past Sunday (Sept 5), classes started Wednesday (Sept 8), and now I finally get the chance to write and post the final chapter that's been nagging me for a month now. Not to mention I'm neglecting my Mythology, Philosophy and English Lit homework (Which I'm convinced I may have already taken in high school; I'll have to double check). But I like rebelling!
I don't own Criminal Minds! However, I am eagerly looking forward to the premiere of Season 6. What secrets will be revealed this season? …You know, that might make a good story….
….
Thorne crumpled to the ground, but it wasn't from Morgan; his bullet had gone wide in order to miss Nathan as he had stepped out of the apartment.
Nathan slowly lowered the still smoking gun. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "He… he was coming in… He was going to…"
"Nathan," Morgan calmly intoned. "It's okay; I understand. Just lower the weapon. Put it on the floor.
Nathan didn't need to be told twice; he set the gun on the ground and stepped away from the apartment door, his hands raised in the air.
Suddenly, Thorne twitched on the ground, his hand grabbing for the gun.
"HEY!" Morgan yelled as Thorne kicked out; Nathan fell to the ground, stunned as his head the wall of the narrow corridor. Thorne didn't check on his roommate; instead, he charged into the apartment, gun out.
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Morgan hollered, racing in after the man. But Thorne didn't get that far before he fell to the ground again, tripping on his shoelace. There was a sickening crack as Thorne's head hit the floor. A second later, Morgan tripped over the man's prone body, landing on top. This time, Morgan checked the man's neck for a pulse. Nothing.
"Bastard broke his neck," Morgan growled, standing up on shaky legs before turning to his friend and partner, who was still lying on the couch. "You okay, Reid?" he asked.
"I've been better," Reid admitted, shifting slightly and wincing at the movement. "Nathan did well, but I think I may need a hospital." Morgan leaned over to inspect the bandages, feeling along the younger man's side as he did. "Ouch," Reid hissed.
"I agree with you, Pretty Boy," Morgan replied before calling into his mike. "I got Reid. He's alright, but needs medical attention. Thorne's dead."
….
Hours later, in a hospital room, Reid sat in a small bed. His ribs had been looked over by a doctor; two were bruised, one was cracked, and only one was actually broken, but Nathan had somehow managed to set it without using an X-ray machine or any other tools. Morgan had admitted that he was quite surprised by Nathan's use of medical caretaking when he was very much untrained.
After Morgan had called in, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the team had arrived. The coroner had arrived before the ambulance, and had quickly taken Thorne's body to the morgue. Meanwhile Reid and Nathan had been ushered outside, where Nathan's mother, JJ, Garcia, Kevin Lynch and a young man who could've easily been Reid's twin (He was introduced to Reid as 'Niko Zissou, my extra pair of eyes,' by Garcia) before Nathan's mother had embraced both her son and Reid, and Reid himself had been loaded into the back of the ambulance.
Reid looked up at the sound of someone knocking on his door, jolting him from his reverie. It was Nathan and his mother, who was still crying slightly; he had spoken to her earlier, thanking him repeatedly.
Now, it appeared to be Nathan's turn.
Nathan paused by the side of Reid's bed, not really looking him in the eye.
"I just wanted to say thank you," Nathan began quietly. "Thank you for believing me that day, thank you for giving me the help I needed… And thank you, for saving my life."
"You don't need to thank me, Nathan," Reid urged. "You were the one who came to me, and you told me about the murders. You were the one who brought them to our attention. Not to mention you pulled me from a burning train, hid me from your murderous roommate, and saved my life. If anything, I should be thanking you."
Nathan smiled slightly. "You're welcome," he replied softly, folding his arms across his chest.
Reid smiled back, glancing up at Nathan's mother for a moment. "Are you leaving?" the profiler asked.
Nathan nodded. "My mother's sister has a farm out in Montana; we're going to go out there and start over. My doctors have cleared me for travel and are establishing contact with some other doctors in Montana, and I'll be starting therapy when I'm settled in over there. I'm going to finish my college semester online, too; I was going to graduate in a few weeks anyway."
Reid took Nathan's hand and shook it. "I hope you do well, Nathan," he said. "I'll never forget what you did for me,"
"And I won't forget what you did for me, Dr. Reid." Nathan replied. "Good-bye, Dr. Reid."
"Good-bye, Nathan," Reid replied, watching as Nathan and his mother left the room and walked down the hall to the elevator. Reid closed his eyes, falling asleep as the elevator door dinged shut, and Nathan Harris moved farther away, toward a new life.
….
(A Month Later)
Reid gingerly walked into the bullpen at the office, a cup of coffee in one hand, his messenger bag gripped tightly in another.
"Yeah, Pretty Boy's back," Morgan crowed as he walked by. "How are your ribs?"
"Tender," Reid replied, a slight grin on his face as he sat down. Prentiss snorted at Reid's comment, which for some reason flew over Morgan's head for a moment before he realized what the younger man had said.
"Did you just make a joke, kid?" Morgan asked, clearly impressed.
"I believe he did," a voice said, and a moment later, the owner of said voice, Niko Zissou, swept into the small area between the team's desks. "It's great to see you back, Dr. Reid," the younger man reported, a slight grin on his face. "I just wanted to let you know that it was an honor to help your friend Miss Garcia, and Kev, and that I'm pleased to meet you. Also, I hope to be able to help you and your team again someday."
"Don't worry about it, Niko," Garcia replied, racing into the bullpen. "I'm sure we'll need your services again real soon… How you hanging in there, Angelfish?" she cooed, embracing Reid in a tight hug that made him wince. "Oh… Sorry. I forgot." Garcia cried. "Those ribs are still gonna be a bit tender for a while yet, aren't they?" Reid nodded.
"And, in case you're wondering, Nathan and his mother are finally settled into his mother's sister's farm in Montana. Nathan's seeing a great doctor, and he just finished his final online class last week." Garcia reported, a smile on her face. "Looks like he turned out alright."
Reid smiled as he took a sip of his coffee, glancing around the bullpen, at the familiar hustle and bustle of daily life at the BAU. At that moment, JJ walked past them, waving a set of new case files at them.
"Conference room in five, guys?" she asked.
Reid grinned, downing another swig of coffee before following Morgan into the conference room.
Sure, he would love to forget the bad stuff that happened in the course of his job, but he realized that the job obviously had some good moments, too.
….
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. ~ William Shakespeare
….
A/N: It's done! I'm glad that all of you stuck around for this story; I had a blast writing it, and I hope you had a blast reading it!
I'm gonna miss this story! :'(
Thanks to all my lovely readers, reviews, and everyone who favorite and alerted this story!
A HEEEEEEE-UGE Thanks to the amazing and awesome The-Vampire-Act for putting on the contest that gave this story a voice (and gave me a reason to start writing fiction again, before I ripped my hair out from creativity overload; you can only write so many college essays on English textbooks without some form of a creative writing outlet).Thank you, thank you, thank you, dear! :D :D
And an enormous thank you to the ever-talented, and lovable Matthew Gray Gubler, who tweeted the inspiration for this story one lazy late spring afternoon! :D
OMG, I love you all!
Until the next adventure,
*~N_CBAU~*