Implicated…A cinny-ster fic

The end! I am both saddened and elated to see this story end. I enjoyed writing it and I hope you had just as much fun reading it. The white knuckled moments kept me on the edge of my seat right along with all of you since I didn't always know in what direction I was going to take it. A huge thanks to the people who supported me through it and allowed me to pick their brains and bounce ideas off them. Much love. And su without your prompt this story couldn't have been written! You're the best.

Cinny

As always I do not own any part of CBS, ABC, Criminal Minds or the characters of the show. All original characters are of my own imagination and any resemblance to living or deceased persons is purely coincidental. For entertainment purposes only.

A Normal Day

Chapter 18

"Drop it now!" Morgan screamed while pointing his gun at Uhl.

"I had to do it he was going to kill me, that sneaky bastard!"

"Detective Uhl put the gun down!" Hotch said from the porch.

Hotch didn't have a problem with someone shooting an armed suspect, what he had a problem with was that this was his son he just shot at point blank range. And to top it of Uhl still had his weapon engaged. With Morgan directly in front of him and Reid less than 10 feet away, Hotch was afraid Uhl would snap and blame them for his son's death. Morgan was wearing his vest but Reid was unprotected. This was turning out to be a nightmare.

Reid continued to shield JJ. If Uhl would start shooting in this direction she would be caught in the fire. He didn't want her to suffer because of him. "JJ, please get back in the SUV!"

Hotch lowered the barrel of his gun an inch. "Uhl please, just put it down. You had to do it. We know you had to. Something was wrong with your son. He couldn't help what he did. No one blames you for that." Hotch moved slowly walking down the three wooden steps, sideways, never taking his eyes off of Uhl.

"He wasn't my son, the kid was a bastard. His old lady got knocked up while I was over seas in Saudi."

JJ shoved Reid to the side, "Get back!" she told him quietly, but urgently.

She stepped forward, with her hands in the air. "Detective…"

Morgan thought, No…no JJ don't call his attention to Reid.

Uhl looked at JJ,his gun pointing in that direction.

"Listen detective you tried to help him, you did. I know you did. There is a girl still missing. Please help us find Anne Marie. There's nothing else you can do for Todd, help Anne Marie."

Uhl looked at Reid. "You did it; I really thought you did it!"

Reid swallowed, with his voice a bit high he said, "I didn't I could never do that, never."

Reid quit agitating him. Morgan thought.

"I didn't know. I didn't know he was…. I couldn't help him" Uhl lifted the gun to his head and as soon as Morgan seen his hand start to rise he lunged at him, grabbing the gun and knocking Uhl against the car. It was enough to startle him, and Morgan wrestled the weapon from him.

Anne Marie was found barely alive, bound and gagged. She was rushed to the hospital and Detective Uhl was taken later by ambulance to a psych ward.

Reid walked up the steps to the attic torture room. He stood in the doorway as Emily took photos. Each flash of the camera pinpointed a different image for Reid. A flash: the claw marks at the door, flash: a drop of blood on the carpet, flash: the stained mattress, flash: blood splatter on the wall, flash: an empty vile of drugs next to the mattress, the list went on and on, the flash bulb burning the images into Reid's brain.

Morgan came up the last few stairs and stood next to Reid. "Let's go kid."

"How…" Reid swallowed and when he opened his mouth to speak again his voice cracked and was just above a whisper, "How could anyone think I could be capable of this?"

Morgan put his hand on Reid's shoulder and squeezed it tightly. "Come on Reid it's time to go."

***

Reid was talking to Emily in the bullpen; he had his back to the elevator when it opened. He didn't hear anyone come up to the 6th floor he was to busy talking about the conference they just had.

JJ had made the arrangements for Megan to talk to the media and she publicly thank him for helping her and saving her life. She apologized for making him go through all of the things he did for her and she was grateful that it turned out this way.

When it was Reid's turn to speak he looked directly at Megan turning to the left since she was off to that side. He told her that she had nothing to apologize for and he held no hard feeling towards her. After that he walked away from the podium without answering any questions. He never gave the reporters a frontal view and he never addressed them. JJ gave him a look and he shrugged, walking away.

In the bullpen Emily had asked him why he refused to talk to them and he said simply, "They didn't want to hear my side of the story when they thought I was guilty, so why should they hear it now." She smiled at him, completely proud of the way he handled it.

Reid was aware that some people would always look at him as being guilty and it was a truth that he had to work though and accept. He had proof when he moved last weekend. He tried to give Mrs. Kennedy back the key to her apartment. He knocked on the door and she yelled "Go away!" When he tried to tell her he had moved all of his things out and wanted to give her the key she told him through the closed door to leave it on the counter in the apartment. She threatened to call the police if he didn't leave. He shook his head. She loved him before all this and called him her adopted grandson, and now she couldn't even look at him. Tears began to well in his eyes as he thought of that day and Emily asked if he was ok. He nodded and she hugged him, "It has been a rough time, it will get better Spencer you'll see."

"Reid!" Morgan called to him after Emily released him from the hug. He looked at Morgan and he pointed at the elevator, "You have company."

Megan Colmbs stood on the loft and she nervously moved back and forth switching her weight from one foot to another. Spencer jammed his hands in his pockets, a nervous habit he always did. She walked to the stairs and descended them slowly. He moved to the bottom waiting for her. As she landed on the last one he stuck his hand out to her and helped her off the last step. She smiled at him thinking how much of a gentlemen Spencer was. Had they met under different circumstances she knew she could have fallen for this kind, gentle man.

He led her to the table and held the chair out for her. She sat down and he hesitated not sure if he should sit next to her or across from her. She answered his unspoken question by patting the chair next to her. He took a seat, careful not to touch her. He looked at her face, the black and blue marks were fading, turning yellow around the edges, but they still had really deep purple areas. Her lip was almost healed and he could see a faint line of stitches at her hairline.

"How are you feeling?" He didn't know what to say so he asked the obvious.

"I am healing, physically. The rest will come one day. Dr Reid…"

"Call me Spencer, please."

"Ok, Spencer I want to say I am so sorry I can't…." She stopped because a sob stuck in her throat.

"Megan, you don't need to tell me you are sorry. I don't blame you and I don't have any hard feelings towards you. I am glad you are ok and I am sorry for what happen to you."

She hugged him suddenly and he stiffened up, terrified. She said, "Oh I'm sorry I don't want to make you uncomfortable." She pulled back but then on an after thought she kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Spencer looked into her eyes and nodded. He stood and took her hand in his. He led her to the elevators and there she hugged him again and he patted her on the back lightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Take care Dr. Reid."

"You too, Megan." And that quickly she was gone.

He turned and walked away from the elevator and Hotch stuck his head out of the office "Reid, I need your case file!"

He smiled; life was suddenly back to normal.