A/N: I'm baaack! (grins) And earlier than I expected, too. Hooray?

First off, THANK YOU for all the love you've shown for this story! (GLOMPS) This lil' tale turned out to be a problem child. That's why it's needed your affection to survive – heck, to be ALMOST completed. So thank you!

Awkay… (gulps) This part is always a bit nerve wrecking so I'll just cut the chase. I REALLY hope that this chappy pleases ya!


The Salvation


Spencer wasn't sure if he was awake or unconscious, dead or alive, when he felt hands on him all of a sudden. Out of reflex he struggled against the unwanted hold, memories of the knife on his skin attacking him mercilessly. Was Dr. Castro back? What…?

"Reid!" That voice… It wasn't Castro's. Morgan…? "Reid! Spencer! It's… It's okay – it's gonna be okay. We're here. You'll be safe."

A hand took his and squeezed tightly, with reassurance and despair. Spencer wished from the bottom of his heart that he'd had the strength to squeeze back. But at the moment he just wanted to sleep…

"Reid, hey!" The hand squeezed just a little bit tighter. "Don't you dare pass out on me."

"Spence, open your eyes." He could tell that JJ had been crying. He would've given just about anything if he'd been able to comfort her. "Spencer, please… Just… Just open your eyes and look at me. Please."

Spencer couldn't. Frustration burned in his veins, all over his body, taking over the pain he'd been experiencing before. Couldn't they see how tired he was? Why wouldn't they just let him rest?

"Hotch, we're losing him!" Derek's voice had never sounded like that. In a slightly more coherent state of mind he might've been amused. "Where the hell are those medics?"

Spencer felt a tear slide down his cheek although he wasn't actually sad. The feel of the hand wrapped around his was growing far more distant, now. He let himself slide away, towards the inviting gray hue of numbness.

Where were those voices coming from?

"Hang in there, kid."

"… pulse is fading…"

"Reid!"

"…id!"

And then he couldn't see or feel anything anymore.


The hospital's waiting room was far more crowded than on most days when the remaining team camped there with Elle, who'd taken a seat as far away from the others as possible. The tension could've been cut by a knife while she and the team kept casting glimpses towards each other, measuring up. There was a lot of unanswered and unclear between them. Far more than any of them felt ready to face after all that'd happened during the past few hours.

Stood behind the room's glass windowed door Aaron inhaled and exhaled, his eyes on the people occupying the room. He'd just had a talk with the detective responsible for trying to track down and arrest Castro. So far there'd been nothing, absolutely nothing. He had no idea of how he was going to break the news to the team.

If Spencer would…

Just then Derek, who'd been pacing around the room, noticed him. Realizing that there was no other choice he entered the room, immediately becoming the center of everyone's attention. Rage and disappointment flowed through the room when he shook his head slowly. Derek punched the wall with all his might and Aaron fought the urge to wince upon seeing a hint blood on the man's knuckles.

The blood wasn't Derek's, though. He wasn't sure if that made the sight better or worse.

Somewhere on his right Penelope sobbed once. With a sideways glance he saw how JJ, whose own eyes didn't appear exactly dry, wrapped one arm around the blonde. Emily, who was sitting on JJ's other side with a absolutely heart wrenching torn expression, moved her hand slightly closer to JJ's but didn't touch, didn't take the chance of seeking comfort. David, on the other hand, seemed to be completely lost in a world of his own while standing before a window with tightly folded arms, his back to the rest of the group.

Coming to a conclusion that the others wouldn't accept his comfort Aaron turned his attention to Elle who seemed to be deep in thought. After thinking about it for a second he made his way to her and sat down to the chair next to hers.

"This must feel strange for you", he commented.

It took a couple of seconds before Elle replied. "I'm not sure if 'weird' is the word I would use." She was quiet for the longest time, her eyes on the team. "Do you… think that they understand why I couldn't stay?"

Aaron couldn't speak for a while. Instead he let his eyes wander on the team. He saw the haunted look in JJ's eyes. The marks terror had left on Penelope's innocent face. The heavy weight on David's shoulders. How Emily's hand went subconsciously to the scar Ian Doyle had left. The demons in Derek. Aaron swallowed thickly, feeling much colder than before. "With what they've seen and been through… I think they all do."

Once again it was heavily quiet until Elle spoke in a voice he barely heard. "After I left I… started a letter to Reid, you know? Several times. I know how heavily he takes being abandoned. But somehow… the words just never really fit together." Her eyes darkened, became those he'd seen far too often after she'd been shot. "Now I wish I had made them."

Aaron didn't know what to say. Instead he did something completely against his nature. He wasn't sure which one was more shocking – that he took her hand, or that she actually squeezed back, feebly but still.

It must've been silent between them for at least five minutes before Aaron found his voice. "Thank you."

Elle looked at him with genuine surprise on her face. "For what?"

His eyes softened ever so slightly. "For coming back."

Elle simply nodded, the look in her eyes turning into something a little less painful. And somehow that was enough. For now.

Every single one of them tensed up when the room's door opened. Stood there before them was a rather beautiful, visibly exhausted female doctor of Aaron's age. Langley, D. MD. There was a look that chilled them all in her ice blue eyes.


Dr. Lucas Castro had never been a particularly lucky man. That's why he was stunned by the fact that he managed to slip past all the roadblocks put together to catch him. The local police was one step too slow.

He winced, putting a hand on a hastily bandaged, still oozing wound on his arm. Perhaps lucky wouldn't be the best word to use. The thing hadn't gone with him easily. He knew that there had to be at least thirty deep gashes all over his body, one particularly nasty one of his face. A millimetre to the left and one of his eyes would've been damaged. It'd taken a horseload of Propofol to put the thing to sleep. At the moment it was firmly asleep in the sports bag he barely managed to carry with his injuries.

He swallowed upon taking a look at his hands. He honestly couldn't tell if the blood he saw was his or Spencer's. Unpleasant flashbacks filled his head.

You did the right thing, he told himself. You need this thing. You started this experiment. You have to bring it to an end.

He trembled with startle upon hearing screeching behind him. Spinning around rapidly he saw a truck that was slowing down. As soon as the vehicle stopped the driver – a man in his late fifties with barely any hair or teeth – peered out. "Are you lost, mate?"

Lucas nodded, barely managing to stiffle a bitter laugh. "Yeah. You could say that." He swallowed, shivering slightly from the wind and pain. "Are you headed north?"

The driver nodded. "Sure thing. Hop in."

He didn't have to be told twice. Flashing the driver a look of gratitude he climbed into the vehicle without hesitation. He sighed with contentment when warmth wrapped around him.

"Holy damn!" The driver was staring directly at his injuries and it wasn't until then he realized that he should've done a better job with hiding them. The man's eyes were wide. "What the hell happened to you?"

Lucas gulped, shifting restlessly. He could've sworn that the thing moved in the bag although it was impossible. "It's… a long story." He then forced a smile, desperate to direct the conversation elsewhere. "Thank you so much for the ride."

The driver waved a hand. "Trust me, the pleasure is all mine." A large, oily hand was offered his way. "I'm Mitch."

Lucas accepted the hand cautiously, his lip twitching with the fake smile. "Spencer."

As the huge vehicle began to move Lucas had a nasty feeling that his luck was about run out soon. He would've been even surer if he'd known of the '45 on Mitch's belt.

"So…", Mitch began slowly, a dangerous look appearing to his eyes. Suddenly the car's doors became locked. "Are you gonna tell me what's in your bag or should I take a look… Spencer?"


How psychiatric nurse Divya Stones, who'd just celebrated her fifty-second birthday, ended up working in the ICU was a mystery even to herself. Almost daily she was face to face with just how precious and fragile a human life could be. She'd watched a lot of people fighting for their lives.

Dr. Spencer Reid was definitely a fighter. With the blood loss, the damage done to his intestines and the infection he got from Dr. Castro's far from sterile surgery it was a miracle that the man was still alive. He shouldn't have been alive after all that yet there he was, holding on with all his might. Now he'd just have to wake up.

To wake up, and face a long road of physical and emotional recovery. Divya had a fairly clear picture of everything Spencer had gone through. After something like that… he was going to need a lot of time and help.

But at least he wasn't alone. It'd been five days from his surgery and so far there'd always been someone beside him, whether it was day or night. Divya could tell that every fever spike and complication tore his friends apart inside. She didn't know how many more of those heart wrenching expressions she'd be able to stand. Every time her shift began she sent a tiny prayer that she'd finally see Spencer awake.

No such luck this time, either, she discovered upon entering the room. This time a dark haired woman with troubled eyes – Elle, wasn't it? – was sitting beside Spencer's bed, watching a telenovela like it was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen. Divya wondered if the woman noticed that she was holding one of Spencer's hands – or that the man's fingers were curled ever so slightly, almost holding on.

Surprise rendered Divya speechless for a moment. She cleared her throat, managing to catch Elle's attention, and smiled. "How's the patient doing?" she inquired.

Elle took a deep breath. "Still not awake." The woman's eyes stared at her demandingly. "Have there been any changes?"

Divya wasn't sure if she wanted to smile or roll her eyes. This woman was quite possibly the most impatient person she'd ever met. "Let's take a look." She glanced towards Spencer's vitals and blinked twice. Could it be…?

Her eyes shifted rapidly towards Spencer's. True enough, his eyelids were fluttering ever so slightly. She was almost sure that she saw a tiny frown on his face.

She glanced towards Elle with a bright grin. "Guess what?" She refocused on Spencer. "It looks like our doctor here is finally done with his nap."

Elle's eyes widened slightly before they focused on Spencer's face. The woman's hand seemed to tremble slightly as it wrapped a little more tightly around Spencer's. Even a word wasn't spoken but Elle's body told absolutely everything necessary. Divya wished that Spencer was listening.

It looked like he was. Because after a couple of agonizingly long moments Spencer unleashed a tiny, pained moan, moving his free hand weakly to his abdomen. The frown on his face deepened considerably.

Elle swallowed, her eyes becoming unreadable. "I… I know that it hurts, Reid. But… You need to open your eyes, alright? Look at me."

A second ticked by, then another, and Divya found herself holding her breath while waiting. Then, ever so slowly, Spencer's bleary eyes opened. Divya had never seen anyone go as stiff as Elle did just then.

It took a while before Spencer's eyes focused enough to allow him to see Elle, and even longer before he seemed to believe that she was there. When things clicked together he first blinked twice, if possible falling just a little bit paler than before. And then he smiled. His fingers tightened slightly around Elle's.

Divya didn't have the slightest idea of the story behind those two. But Spencer's smile, his acceptance, seemed to shake something inside Elle. Seeing all the emotions appearing to the woman's usually stoic face made Divya's own eyes water slightly with movement.

Maybe now the healing could finally begin, for both of those two.

When Spencer's eyes closed all of a sudden and his hand went slack once more fear flashed on Elle's face for a brief second. Divya took a look at Spencer's vitals, then gave the other woman a smile of reassurance. "Don't worry, he just fell asleep. He'll be dozing off like that a lot for a few days."

Elle nodded, relaxing visibly. Then, most likely for the first time since taking a seat that day, she let go of Spencer's hand and began to make her way towards the room's door, rubbing her eyes. "I… Morgan's in the cafeteria. I'll get him and notify the others."

Divya nodded, understanding. "Alright. I'll keep an eye on Spencer in the meantime."

Elle gave her a look of gratitude, then glanced towards Spencer for a couple of seconds before leaving the room. For both their sakes Divya hoped that it wasn't the last time Elle would come to visit Spencer.

Shaking her head slightly to clear it, Divya made her way to Spencer and pushed a strayed strand of hair from his forehead with a gentle touch. "I know that you've had it rough, sweetie", she whispered. "But there's a lot of people waiting for you to open those pretty eyes once more. You won't have to go through this fight alone."


TBC, for a tiny epilogue.


A/N: And so the story ALMOST reaches its end. Thank goodness, Reid's alive! But… What happened to the thing? Is the connection between it and Reid really gone?

I really hope that this chapter wasn't too Elle-centric for you. I just felt the need to wrap up her story, role and purpose in this story. There won't be a glimpse of her in the epilogue (which'll consist only of two scenes).

I'm in a bit of a hurry so I've gotta start tuning out. (pouts) PLEASE, leave a review – let me know if this chapter was any good, at all! Pwease…? I've got some virtual ice cream to sweeten the deal… (winks)

Until next time, folks! 'Hope ya'll stay tuned for the epilogue.

Peace out!


Deathangle23: It was, wasn't it? (grins) I'm REALLY glad to hear that you've enjoyed that ride! (beams) 'Hope the next one turns out as good.

Gigantic thank yous for the review!


Morning Glory: Poor Reid, no? (sighs) Let's hope that all this turns out for the better for him – and I guess for the… thing as well.

I'm afraid that there won't be a pairing in this story. But worry not, there'll be pairing stories from me in the future. And some of them won't be MorganxReid. (grins)

I'm really glad that you've been sticking around for this long! (beams) I really hope that the final chapter(s) turn out worth it.

Massive thank yous for the review!