Two weeks later, the BAU team flew to Las Vegas, Nevada to attend Reid and Elle's wedding. The wedding ceremony was in the wedding chapel in the Venetian hotel in the Las Vegas strip.
Hotch, Haley, JJ, Agent Anderson and Dr. Norman were the wedding witnesses. Diana Reid was there as the mother of the groom while Erica Greenaway was there as the mother of the bride. Reid walked out to the minister wearing a tuxedo. Morgan also walked out in a tuxedo as Reid's best man with Garcia on his arm as Elle's maid of honor. Gideon walked Elle out. She was wearing a beautiful white wedding dress. Reid smiled at Elle with a glow and she smiled back at Reid with a glow. Elle looked over at Diana to show her that she was wearing the old earrings that Diana gave to her as a wedding present.
Diana mouthed, "Thank you, child."
As the acting father of the bride, Gideon gave Elle away to Reid. Elle and Reid said their marriage vows to each other. Morgan gave Reid the wedding rings. Reid put Elle's ring on her finger and then Elle put Reid's ring on his finger. Garcia, JJ, Haley, Diana and Erica cried happy tears. The minister pronounced Reid and Elle husband and wife and he permitted Reid to kiss his bride. Reid and Elle happily kissed each other's lips. Everybody cheered for Reid and Elle. Elle tossed her bridal bouquet and Garcia caught it. Garcia gave Morgan a huge grin and Morgan stopped smiling.
After everybody had eaten their fill of food at the wedding reception, Reid and Elle happily cut the wedding cake together. Reid gave Elle the first bite of cake from his hand. Then, Elle gave Reid the second bite of cake from her hand. But, Elle smushed the cake all over Reid's face instead. Reid quickly grabbed Elle and he kissed her all over her face. Elle giggled from her husband's quick and ticklish act of revenge. Everybody laughed while watching both of them wiping the cake off of their faces.
Elle and Reid happily shared the first dance together as husband and wife.
"One two three," smiled Elle. "One two three."
On the second song, Hotch took Haley out on the dance floor. JJ danced with Anderson. Garcia danced with Morgan. Reid danced with Diana. Elle danced with Gideon. On the third song, Reid danced with Erica. JJ danced with Hotch. Haley danced with Gideon. Anderson danced with Diana. On the fourth song, Hotch danced with JJ, Haley danced with Anderson, Erica danced with Morgan and Garcia danced with Gideon. Diana was the first one to notice that Reid and Elle had discreetly left the wedding reception.
Reid and Elle came out of the elevator to the Venetian's honeymoon suite. The bellhop unlocked the suite door and brought in their luggage for them.
Elle laughed, "Did you see the look on Morgan's face when Garcia caught my bouquet, Spencer?"
"Yeah," smiled Reid.
"He said, 'Whoa, whoa! Baby steps!'" laughed Elle. "I was surprised that Garcia didn't try to marry Morgan immediately after our wedding!"
"Morgan thinks that the day he gets married would become a national day of mourning for single women everywhere," laughed Reid.
"Garcia would be mourning if she wasn't the woman who Morgan was marrying," laughed Elle.
"Definitely," laughed Reid.
"But, if Derek Morgan doesn't grow up and make a real move on Garcia," said Elle. "Somebody else will come into Garcia's life and marry her instead."
"You think so?" asked Reid. "Garcia is head over heels in love with Morgan."
Elle answered, "Yeah, but no girl wants to wait forever to get married."
Reid tipped the bellhop and he left. Elle started to walk into the room but Reid put his hand on her arm.
"Elle, wait," said Reid.
"What's wrong?" asked Elle.
"I want to follow a tradition," answered Reid.
"What tradition?" asked Elle.
Reid unexpectedly picked his wife up into his arms.
"Oh!" laughed Elle. "Spencer!"
"If the groom carries his bride across the threshold, it gives both of them good luck," answered Reid.
"I love that tradition," giggled Elle.
Reid carried Elle through the doorway.
"Dr. Reid," grinned Elle. "You know what sweeping me off of my feet does to me, don't you?"
"Yes," answered Reid.
Elle untied Reid's bow tie and tossed it aside.
"Then, what are you waiting for, lover?" growled Elle.
Reid and Elle wildly kissed each other's lips as they closed the door to the honeymoon suite. Three hours later, the newlyweds' wedding clothes were scattered all over the honeymoon suite. They were both sleeping together under the bed covers in each other's arms in exhaustion after passionately making love to each other. Elle started moaning and tossing and turning in her sleep.
"No..." moaned Elle in her sleep. "Stop...Let go of me."
Reid woke up.
"Elle?" said Reid.
"No..." moaned Elle. "Stop...Get off of me...Frank, no...Don't do this...Don't hurt him...I love him...No..."
"Wake up, Elle," said Reid. "You're having a bad dream..."
"No, no, NO!" cried Elle as she sat up in the bed awake and panting. Reid turned her head to face him.
"Elle, I'm right here," said Reid.
"S...Spencer?" tearfully said Elle.
"You were having a nightmare," said Reid.
Elle embraced Reid in a big bear hug.
"You're alive!" happily cried Elle. "You're all right! Oh, my God! I love you!"
"Who's Frank?" asked Reid.
Elle quietly gasped and she pulled away from Reid looking very uncomfortable.
"Frank?" said Elle. "What...what do you know about Frank?!"
"You were talking in your sleep, Elle," answered Reid. "You said, 'No...Let go of me...Stop...Get off me...Frank, no...Don't do this...Don't hurt him...I love him...No, no, no, NO!' And then, you woke up. So, who's Frank?"
Elle shamefully lowered her head.
"Frank was...my ex-stepfather," answered Elle. "When I was 13, my mother married Frank and he moved into our house. But, mom didn't know that Frank was...a child molester. He used to sneak into my bedroom and...rape me in my own bed! He used to call me his little Ellie Mae. Oh, man! I hated that nickname!"
"Didn't you tell your mom what Frank did, Elle?" asked Reid.
"I tried to," tearfully answered Elle. "But, mom didn't believe me. I asked the school therapist what could I do to prove that it was true. She said without proof or a possible witness, Frank would get away with it because it was just a case of he said/she said. So, I hid a video camera above my clothes chest pointing at my bed. A week later, I showed my dad's surviving partner, Danny and my mom a video of Frank raping me in my bed. When Frank came home from work, Danny arrested him for molesting a child and my mom slapped Frank hard across his face and demanded a divorce. Frank got life in prison. He was the reason why I devoted my life to sex crimes."
"Why didn't you tell me about Frank before, Elle?" asked Reid.
"I was afraid...that you would reject me...if I ever told you what Frank did to me," shamefully admitted Elle.
Reid kissed Elle on her forehead.
"Elle," said Reid. "I would never reject you for that. What happened to you was Frank's fault, not yours. And, you had the courage to get proof of what he did to you so he could be arrested. You saved yourself from him. I love you even more for telling me that."
Elle's heart soared.
"And, I love you even more for telling me that, Spencer," tearfully smiled Elle.
Elle kissed Reid gently on his lips. She lovingly rested her head on Reid's shoulder.
"Oh, man, I'm sorry, sweetie," sniffled Elle. "Having nightmares wasn't how I wanted to spend our honeymoon."
"It's okay, Elle," said Reid. "We both vowed for better or worse when we got married today. We can't always control when the worse will happen, but we both have the power to bring in the better when we need it. You went through a terrible experience when you got arrested in Jamaica."
"Before we fell in love in Jamaica, I thought...I wasn't good enough for you because I had too much baggage," tearfully admitted Elle. "I thought that not even you could help me conquer my personal demons, my love."
"What made you change your mind, Elle?" asked Reid.
"You," answered Elle. "When you told me about your mother having schizophrenia, you taught me that everybody has some kind of baggage in their lives. I wanted to help you deal with your baggage. And, you made me laugh when I felt like crying after I told you about my dad getting killed in the line of duty. And, I loved the feeling from your hands when you put the suntan lotion on my back!"
Reid laughed and he kissed Elle's forehead.
"Thank you for letting me help you with your personal demons," said Reid. "So, Elle, tell me, what did Frank do to you in your nightmare?"
"Well, the dream had a beautiful beginning," admitted Elle. "You and I were back in Jamaica in your room that night I gave you a dance lesson and then we kissed and moved to love making lessons. Around 11 pm, I tried to sneak out of bed without waking you up and I put back on my summer dress to go back to my room. But, you pulled me back into the bed trying to make me stay with you...And, you were winning that fight, by the way!"
Reid and Elle laughed.
"But, then, I was pulled off of the bed by those four policemen who arrested me," tearfully continued Elle. "It was horrible! Two of them held me down on the floor while the other two held you down on the bed. They handcuffed you to the bedpost. That detective who interrogated me came into the room. He ordered those policemen to rip off my summer dress. And, they stripped me naked. You told them to leave me alone and one of them gave you a black eye. I told them that I had rights and the detective said, 'You're in Jamaica, you little whore. You have no rights here! And, you are the her! You're his her!' And then, Frank came into the room and he...pulled down his pants and he said, 'I've been waiting for this moment forever, my little Ellie Mae!' And, Frank raped me right in front of you! I tried pushing him off of me. But then, Randall Garner came in with that gun he pointed in my face and he threatened to shoot you dead if I didn't follow Frank's rules. I pleaded to Frank to let you go because I loved you. But Frank said, 'Nobody can love my little Ellie Mae like I can!' Frank ordered Garner to shoot you dead. And...Garner did!"
"Elle," said Reid. "I'm sorry."
"I somehow got Garner's gun and because you were murdered, I was so mad I wanted to shoot them all dead," tearfully admitted Elle. "But, the bullets just bounced off of anybody who I fired at. And, they all laughed at me. I ran out of bullets. Then, Frank let all those policemen...take turns raping me!"
"It's okay, Elle," said Reid. "Just let it all out."
Elle sobbed into Reid's shoulder. She released a lot of bottled up bad feelings inside her.
"Elle," said Reid. "Look at me. I'm right here and I'm okay. Garner is dead now. And, those corrupt policemen are thousands of miles away from here. And, Frank is in prison now, thanks to you. Nobody will ever hurt you like that again. I won't let them. I love you, Mrs. Reid and I always will."
"I love you, too, Dr. Reid," happily cried Elle. "With all of my heart."
Elle kissed Reid on the lips and she rolled herself on top of him without breaking the kiss.
"Mmmm...Elle?" said Reid. "What are you doing?"
"Well, sweetie," grinned Elle in between kisses. "Mmmmm...In Jamaica you tried to make me stay in bed with you this way. Mmmmm...But, I made the mistake of leaving you anyway so Morgan wouldn't tease us. Mmmm...I realize now that I should have stayed with you that night and said, 'To hell with Morgan teasing us!' Mmmm..We are married and on our honeymoon now, Dr. Reid. Mmmm...And, I want to spend the rest of our lives making up to you for leaving your arms that night. Mmmm...Let's make love again."
"Mmmm...Okay," said Reid. "Mmmm...I just have one request for you, Mrs. Reid."
"Request?" laughed Elle. "We're on our honeymoon! You don't need to make a request."
"In this case, I think I do," said Reid. "From what you told me, those bad guys won because it was only the two of us against them, Elle. My request is when you go back to sleep, I want you to ask yourself, 'What would our whole team do against them?' Deal?"
"Deal," smiled Elle.
Reid and Elle spent another hour making passionate love. They both fell asleep again in exhaustion in each other's arms. Three hours later at the crack of dawn, Elle woke Reid up again from tossing a little in her sleep. But this time, she was smiling and laughing. She started laughing harder.
"Elle?" said Reid. "Elle, wake up."
Elle gasped as she woke up. She happily hugged Reid and kissed his cheek.
"What was so funny, Elle?" asked Reid.
"I did as you requested, Dr. Reid," smiled Elle. "I went back to sleep asking myself, 'What would our whole team do against those bad guys?' I was back in that moment when Frank first came into the room to rape me. Suddenly, Hotch, Gideon, Morgan and JJ came into our room to help us. It was beautiful. Gideon freed you from the handcuffs and covered your body with a robe. Morgan gave all four of those policemen black eyes and he handcuffed them. JJ covered my body with another robe. Gideon shot Garner dead. Hotch handcuffed the detective telling him that as long as I was a part of this team, I had rights anywhere. And, you knocked out Frank in a single punch because he called me his little Ellie Mae. And, you handcuffed Frank telling him that he never loved me, but you always loved me. And, we hugged and kissed each other. Hotch and Morgan rolled Frank onto his back. And then, Garcia walked in and she did one of my moves. She took her foot and she...stepped hard on Frank's crotch making him yell in extreme pain! It was hilarious!"
Elle was laughing hard into Reid's shoulder. Reid smiled knowing that Elle would be all right now because he helped her conquer her personal demons.
At 9 am, Elle woke up snuggled comfortably in Reid's arms. She noticed that he was awake and looking at her. Elle kissed her husband's lips.
"Good morning, my love," smiled Elle.
"Good morning, Mrs. Reid," smiled Reid.
Elle giggled happily.
"What?" asked Reid.
"'Mrs. Reid,'" giggled Elle. "I love hearing that name. So, what were you thinking about before I woke up, Dr. Reid?"
"I was wondering why me?" answered Reid.
"Why you what, sweetie?" asked Elle.
"Everything," answered Reid. "You wanting me to come to Jamaica with you. You wanting to sunbathe with me. You wanting to teach me how to dance. You wanting to be my very first lover. You wanting to be my girlfriend. And, you wanting to marry me. You're the loveliest woman I have ever met in my life. You could have had any guy you wanted, Elle and you chose me. So, why me?"
Elle kissed Reid on his cheek.
"First, thank you for the compliment," smiled Elle. "I chose you because you are different from other guys, Spencer. In the past, I've dated guys who were cute on the outside, but ugly on the inside. Like that guy with the frisbee in Jamaica. Without you there, I probably would have played frisbee with him and I probably would have had sex with him. Most guys I've dated in the past have charmed me into the bedroom with them. But, after I gave myself to them, they always wanted the same thing. Me becoming their cook, washing their clothes, dressing semi-naked and jumping into bed with them whether I was in the mood for sex or not. Most men think that women are only good in the kitchen or in the bedroom. All of my past lovers have made me feel used. You're the only lover I've had who makes me feel loved. You're the only lover who has ever asked me if we needed protection before making love to me. None of my past lovers cared about using protection. You didn't want me to get pregnant if I didn't want to get pregnant. You respected me."
"Of course I respected you, Elle," smiled Reid. "You deserve nothing less."
"I know," smiled Elle. "When I was arrested, I was sitting in that interrogation room wearing only my tank top and underwear. I was freezing cold. I was so mad at myself that whole time."
"Why?" asked Reid.
"Because I left your room, your bed and your wonderfully warm arms," answered Elle. "Dating those other guys have turned me into a man hating bitch because all of my past boyfriends treated me like a sex object after I became lovers with them. I put up a wall with you because I felt that you truly loving me was too good to be true."
"And, I brought down your wall and changed your mind about men?" asked Reid.
"Not quite," answered Elle. "I'm still a man hating bitch and I always will be. But, you and Gideon are the only two men in my life who I don't hate at all. And, you did bring down my wall when you showed up at the precinct and gave me that robe to cover myself with. Then, I knew that you truly loved me. You've always treated me like a human being. I almost asked you to marry me right there in front of Morgan, Hotch and those horny policemen!"
Elle and Reid laughed.
"Did you have any other questions for me, my love?" asked Elle.
"One," answered Reid.
"What?" asked Elle.
"Uh, in the Fisher King case, when I was driving you home so you could get some sleep," recalled Reid. "I pulled the SUV over so I could have a minute to think. You laughed and said, 'Reid, we don't have time to park right now.'"
"Yes, I remember that," recalled Elle. "So, what's the question?"
"Exactly what did that mean, 'We don't have time to park right now?'" asked Reid.
"Oh, man," laughed Elle. "I've married the most innocent man in the whole wide world! Oh, my love! It's actually...more fun for me to show you the answer to that question than to tell you the answer. The next time we're alone in a car together, I will answer that question for you, Spencer. Deal?"
"Deal," said Reid. "Well, Elle, do you want me to order us some breakfast?"
"Yeah," smiled Elle. "But, later. First, I want us to take a shower together, Dr. Reid!"
"Okay, Mrs. Reid," smiled Reid.
Reid took Elle to the Bennington sanitarium so they could visit Diana together. They said hi to Dr. Norman and then they walked towards Diana's room.
"Okay, Elle, remember what I told you?" said Reid.
"That she might not be your mother right now," said Elle. "She might be Professor Reid right now getting ready to lecture a class."
"Right," said Reid. "I would love to just walk in and hug her saying, 'Hi, mom!' But, she might not know right now that I'm her son or that you are her daughter-in-law. So, let's just go in and see who she is today."
"Spencer, relax," said Elle. "I'm not going to run away from this family. I love both of you. I'm yours forever."
Elle kissed Reid's cheek. Reid took Elle's hand and they walked over to Diana together. She was writing in a notebook.
"Hi," smiled Elle.
Diana looked up at Reid and Elle.
"Hello. Is it time for lunch yet?" asked Diana.
"Ma'am?" asked Reid.
"I'm giving a lecture today in Tristan and Isolde," explained Diana. "Everybody is meeting in my room after lunch."
"Can we attend the lecture, too, Professor Reid?" asked Elle.
"Have you read any of the material?" asked Diana.
"I've...had them read to me," smiled Reid.
"Wonderful," smiled Diana. "That's the best way, isn't it?"
"Yes, ma'am," smiled Reid. "By far."
Diana got up to walk back to her room. Elle lovingly smiled at Reid.
"What?" asked Reid.
"You're a good son," smiled Elle.
"Thank you," smiled Reid. "And, you're a good daughter-in-law."
Elle and Reid kissed each other's lips and they followed Diana to her room for the lecture. They visited Diana two more times during their honeymoon. The third time was the charm. They had a beautiful family dinner together with Diana at her favorite restaurant, Binion's.
The following Monday, Reid and Elle returned to Quantico and they were greeted by Garcia, Morgan and JJ.
"You're back!" cheered Garcia as she engulfed Reid and Elle in a group hug.
"Hi, Penelope," smiled Elle.
"Hi, Garcia," smiled Reid. "Morgan, JJ."
"Welcome back," smiled JJ.
"Look at you two!" smiled Morgan. "You've got your tans on again."
"You both cut your hair?" asked JJ.
"Yeah," smiled Elle. "We have a new life together, so we both decided to try a new look."
"You both look great," smiled Garcia.
"Yeah, but why the glasses, kid?" asked Morgan.
"Well, I uh, lost one of my contact lenses during the honeymoon," answered Reid.
JJ rose her eyebrows and Garcia grinned. She wanted to get Elle alone with her and JJ to hear the naughty details.
In the round table room, JJ was about to tell the team the details of their new case. Elle rose her hand.
"One moment, JJ," said Elle. "I have an announcement to make."
"You're pregnant?!" hoped Garcia.
"No," laughed Elle. "We've both decided to wait a year or two before trying for children."
Garcia lowered her head, "Awww."
"Because it's more fun to practice baby making, right, Pretty Boy?" laughed Morgan.
Elle stomped on Morgan's foot under the table.
"Ow!" yelled Morgan.
Elle, Reid, Garcia and JJ all stared at Morgan.
"Really, Derek?" asked Garcia.
"What?" asked Morgan.
Reid sighed, "You're teasing me and my wife. That's exactly why we both chose not to tell you that we became lovers in Jamaica."
Elle groaned, "No respect for women."
JJ shook her head, "You will never grow up."
"What is it, Elle?" asked Gideon.
"I just wanted to clear up any Dr. and Mrs. Reid confusions for our team," said Elle. "When I'm off the clock, I am Mrs. Reid. But, on the clock I am still Agent Greenaway."
"Thank you for telling us...Agent Greenaway!" said Hotch.
Everybody laughed.
"Go ahead, JJ," smiled Elle.
The next few months were normal sailing for the BAU team. In Mount Pleasant, Virginia, they arrested a child kidnapping pedophile who was trying to sell the boy online. Garcia and Agent Katie Cole returned the boy to his mother. In Jacksonville, Florida, Hotch, Morgan and Elle arrested a rapist's wife, Amber Carnado because she was the dominant leader for a flood of rapes and murders. Morgan carried the girl, Tiffany Spears out of the cabin she was being held prisoner in while Hotch and Detective Portillo dragged Amber out of the cabin. Elle was stunned at what she just saw.
When the team returned to DC that night, Elle and Reid drove home from the BAU jet.
"Ah," sighed Reid. "It's nice to be back home in cooler and comfortable temperatures. One question I will never be able to answer, Elle is how could Hotch still be able to wear a full suit in such a hot climate?"
Reid thought Elle would laugh at that question but Elle remained silent.
"Elle," said Reid. "Are you all right? You've been awfully quiet ever since you arrested Amber in her father's old cabin."
Elle pulled the car over to the curb and parked it while feeling very upset.
"Amber fooled all of us," said Elle. "I thought I had seen everything. But, I have never seen a woman be the dominant leader in a sex crime. She orchestrated all of those rape videos sent to the mothers. She showed up at the precinct with self inflicted injuries so we would all believe that her husband, Tony was beating her. She was wearing Laura Clemenson's ring pretending that Tony gave it to her as a gift so we would all believe that he was the dominant one. And, she killed another man who raped the first two girls in that cabin! She did all of those things because she was beaten and raped as a teenager by her father and her brother in that cabin. And, her mother protected her husband and son instead of her abused daughter, Spencer!"
"Yes, Elle, Amber fooled all of us," said Reid. "But, only at first. Gideon and I observed her behavior in the interrogation video with Tony while Garcia played you and JJ her recorded voice ordering Tony what to do in those rape videos. And, we did save Tiffany Spears' life. And, you returned to Ms. Clemenson Laura's ring that Mr. Clemenson gave to Laura. But, what about Amber is really bothering you, Elle?"
"I wonder if Amber and I are so different," said Elle. "She was molested as a 15 year old teenager by her dad and her brother. I was molested as a 13 year old teenager by Frank. Amber hurt those mothers by giving them videos of their daughters getting raped and murdered. I hurt my mother giving her a video of Frank raping me. Could I have become a dominant abuser like Amber did?"
"I don't think so," said Reid. "Yes, you both grew up in similar abusive circumstances. But, there are two major differences between you and Amber, Elle."
"What two differences?" asked Elle.
"One," said Reid. "Amber's mother knew that her husband and son were molesting Amber but she chose to cover it up instead of choosing to let her husband and son get arrested to save Amber from further abuse. Your mother didn't believe that Frank was molesting you until you gave her and Officer Danny a video of Frank molesting you to prove that you were telling the truth and to save yourself from further abuse. Amber addressed all of those rape videos to the mothers because she thought that all mothers were just like her own mother. Two, Amber was a psychopath who enjoyed hurting anybody in her path. Other women and even her sociopathic husband, Tony and her ex-boyfriend who committed those first two rapes. She's a bad person. You're not a psychopath, Elle. You enjoy stopping bad people like Amber and Tony from hurting good people. Amber's bad teenage years have made her choose to end other women's lives. Your bad teenage years have made you choose to save other women's lives in sex crimes, Elle. You're a good person. In your own words, Amber was beautiful on the outside, but very ugly on the inside, where it matters. You, Mrs. Reid are very lovely on both the inside and the outside."
Elle's heart soared from the compliments. She loved Reid even more for pointing out the real differences between her and Amber. Elle hugged Reid and she gently kissed his lips.
"Thank you, Spencer," smiled Elle. "I need to be reminded of that every now and then."
"Anytime, Elle," smiled Reid. "Shall we go home now?"
Elle looked around the area where they were parked.
"Not quite yet," grinned Elle. "Remember on our honeymoon, you asked me exactly what I meant when I told you, 'We don't have time to park right now?'"
"Yes, I remember," recalled Reid.
"And, I said, 'Lover, it's more fun for me to show you that answer than to tell you?'" continued Elle.
"Yes," said Reid.
Elle removed Reid's glasses and she put them on the dashboard.
"What are you doing, Elle?" asked Reid.
Elle wildly kissed Reid on the lips and she started unbuttoning her blouse.
"Mmmm..." grinned Elle. "We're alone in the car now. So, I'm answering that question, my love! This is what 'parking' means! Mmmm..."
The newlyweds spent the next hour making passionate love in the car parked in that spot. Afterwards, they rested in each other's arms.
"Any questions, Dr. Reid?" giggled Elle.
"No, Mrs. Reid," smiled Reid. "I fully understand what 'parking' means now."
Elle and Reid laughed happily in full afterglow.
