I do not own Criminal Minds. My thanks to my sister for being my beta reader. And my thanks to all my fans and their kinds words.

Chapter #35

Reid was still fuming mad when he walked toward his bedroom in this long hallway. He wanted to drop off his bags before finding Ashley.

He also needed some time to cool off. Ashley could read him like an open book, and he didn't want to show any anger. He did not want to worry her, not until he had spoken to Paul. And the fact that he was hiding this, the condition of her house from her and the missing finger, made him feel guiltier. He never wanted to hide anything from her, but he was afraid that it might push her over the edge where she may have another anxiety attack. Even though Paul was defending her to Rose, he wasn't going to leave Ashley there if Rose felt this way toward her.

"Spencer," he heard her as he walk past a room. Shit, he cursed. He leaned to one side, peering into her room. He saw Ashley lying on the soft mocha brown couch with a blanket over her legs and a pillow against her back. Harry sitting on the matching armchair beside the couch, in another living room. Bailey was stretched out on the carpet. How many living rooms does this house have? He smiled, giving a little wave.

"Hi. I'll be right back. I want to drop off these bags in your room, first." She nodded. It didn't take him long to drop the shopping bags on her cotton candy pink couch. He quickly went to his bedroom where he dropped his messenger bag on the deep forest green couch in his bedroom. He also shed off his jacket, leaving it on the arm of the couch.

He smiled as he walked back in, looking around the room. This living room was smaller than the one by the door, in fact it was more cozy with navy blue walls and gold framed paintings of certain landscapes. There was a black coffee table in front of the couch which had a tray that held empty glasses with traces of milks and plates that had remains of a pie. He was happy to see that Ashley had already eaten. There was a geometric design rug underneath the table. On the other side of the room, hung a large plasma TV with its own entertainment center. He figured that this was where they were going to be watching the marathon. He sat on the other side of the couch when he saw Ashley looking at him.

"I didn't mean to take so long," he said.

She shook her head, "Don't worry about it. Mary told us that you called and not to hold dinner for you. But it looks like you two had quite an adventure. Poor Bailey is completely worn out." Harry laughed, leaning back in his chair.

"Oh Harry, I am so sorry for not calling you. With all of the excitement, I forgot to call you and let you know that Ashley has been discharged."

Harry waved his hand in front of himself, "Nah, don't worry about it, son. It happens too all of us. We were just playing Who Am I?" Reid looked at them when she smiled, taking his hand.

"It's basically a guessing game. You have to think of a person and everyone has to ask you yes or no questions about the person, trying to guess who you are. The trick is that it has to be someone that everyone in the group knows, so it cannot be one of your teachers at Cal-tech or the kid who delivered your newspaper."

"Really," he said, "Don't let me stop you." Ashley moved her head, shifting her weight until she got comfortable again.

"Are you ok, darling," Harry asked.

She nodded, "I am, I think the aspirin is starting to wear off."

Harry stood, taking the tray, "You are probably tired, we can finish the game another day. I need to get back to the bar. I will take this," he said, taking the tray with him. "Besides, I want to see if I can get another piece of that pie."

He leaned forward, kissing Ashley on her cheek. "I don't want to see you back until you are completely healed. I mean all of the bruises are gone, the stitches are removed, and your back is completely healed. I want to see you doing those cartwheels again," he said. She bends her head to one side, where Reid could tell that she was going to be fighting with him on this later.

Reid stood up as well, "I will walk you out," he said. Leaving Ashley alone, Reid walked with Harry. "Did you get a chance to talk to your friends," he asked.

He nodded yes, "I did, and they had nothing do with the explosion. In fact, they don't care much about her now that she is clean and out of the prostitution business. Plus they know that she is dating a FBI agent, which means, they won't go after her unless they want the FBI after them. Not to mention, she is under the mafia's protection."

Reid raised his eyebrows up, "Mafia," he asked. Harry made a face that read, he let the cat out of bag.

"Harry, what is going on," he asked.

The old man stopped, looking at him. "You don't know about Darcy?"

Reid shook his head. "I saw him at the hospital, but I never spoken to him. Harry, he was there when her house blew up, wasn't he? Why isn't he coming forward?"

Harry not looking directly, at the young FBI agent. "I thought Ashley already told you about him. Darcy is linked to organized crime. And if he comes forward, he might be arrested. He was there when it happened, he was the one that called the ambulance. I know Ashley wants to tell you, but with you being with the FBI, it is hard for her. She doesn't want you or your team to be arresting him."

Reid ran his hand over his head, pushing his hair back. It was starting to make sense about Darcy and why Hotch warned him to back off of the case. Still, why she didn't tell him? Then again, he hasn't told her the entire truth either.

"Look, when I found out about Darcy, we did have a long talk. Darcy gave me his word of honor that Ashley wasn't involved in the mafia and will never be. When he helps her, it is legit; nothing can be traced to the mafia. I know Ashley had tried several times to get him out of there, but you know as well as I know, the only way to leave the mafia is in a coffin."

"You believe him?"

Harry looked at him hard, "If I didn't, you think that he would be around."

Reid's head was still spinning from the news. He couldn't believe that Ashley had lied to him about this, but the truth was, she never mentioned him except at the hospital. He never asked what Darcy did for a living. He didn't want to be mad at her, but he couldn't help it.

"Son, go and talk to her. You know that Ashley is brutally honest, if you ask her, she will tell you all about him." He nodded his head. "And when you go back to work, I will keep an eye on her when you go out of town for one of your cases."

"Thanks," Reid said.

Reid was about to leave him alone when Harry spoke again, "Son, I may be stepping out of bounds again, but ever since you have been in Ashley's life, she has become healthier, saner, calmer, and happier. I even noticed a change in you; you are not this shy man anymore. Your no longer the guy who didn't know the clap sequence to 'We Will Rock You'. I honestly do not know how you are doing it, but please don't let this ruin your relationship with her. Give her a chance to explain," Harry said.

Ashley was lying down on the couch, flipping channels on the TV, not really finding the one that she liked. She knew that Reid wanted to talk to Harry alone which she assumed it was about the house. But Harry already told her that he had talked to his biker buddies and so far, they know nothing about the fire.

Reid soon walked in and Ashley turned off the TV, starting to sit up. "Hold it," he said. He gently helped her up where he sat down then he let Ashley lay her head down on his lap. He put his feet on top of the coffee table. He ran his fingers through her hair. He could tell that it needed to be washed by its oily feel.

"So did Harry manage to get another piece," she asked.

He shrugged his shoulders, "He told me that he knew his way to the front door and told me to go back to you. I think he wanted the whole pie to himself," he teased. She nodded, believing that Harry would.

She started to hurt again and she had to lie on her side, facing the door. "Sorry, my back," she said.

"Don't be," he said, running her fingers through her hair and he started to rub the side of her arm. Ashley took his hand and held it close to her. With his other hand, he continued to stroke her hair. Ashley turned her head up, looking at him and he knew that she knew that something was up, but she didn't ask him.

"When do you go back to work?"

"Monday."

"You don't have to say here all this time. You could work on your paper, study for your degree, see your mom."

He shook his head no, then looking down at her, and asked, "You don't want me to stay?"

"No, of course not. But there is not much to do here. I still can't do much. I just don't want you to be bored."

He smiled, "I'm not, but the reason that I was so late. I stopped at my apartment to pick up my work. So I am not going to be bored. But I am going back to my place on Sunday. I need to do the laundry and repack my bag for work."

Ashley turned away from again, looking out the doorway. They sat together in silence, listening to the ticking of the clock. "Go ahead," she said.

"Excuse me."

"I know something is up and you want to talk about it, but you don't want to," she said, looking up at him.

He nodded his head, "You would make a good profiler." He drew in a deep breath.

"This person Darcy Edwards," he started to say. Her facial expression changed and Reid knew that she knew that he knew. He continued, "I am curious to know that you said that he is your best friend and I haven't met him. He was with you at the time of the accident, why he isn't coming forward?"

Ashley let out a sigh, turning toward the door again, "Chances are when you meet him will be at my funeral. Did you get something to eat?"

"No and please, don't change the subject. That is a strange thing to say," he said. She tried to sit up, only to cringe in pain.

"Fuck," she cursed. She tried again, and she was able to sit up. She moved to the other side of the couch, wrapping the blanket around herself.

"I am now talking to Spencer Reid, my boyfriend, not FBI, alright." Reid nodded yes. "There are three people in this world that I trust with my deepest, darkest secrets and my life. You, Harry and Darcy." Reid nodded his head again as he crossed his leg over his knee, listening to Ashley.

"I wanted to tell you this for a long time, but how do I tell my boyfriend that my best friend is linked to organized crime?"

Reid was quiet where Ashley continued, "Darcy and I have known each other since we were kids. Hell, I remember when I was ten years old, I think. We promised each other that if we were still single by the time we turned forty, we would get married." Reid bows his head and smiled.

"Hey, we thought forty was old. I don't know what is his involvement with organized crime, but I also know, like you, he doesn't talk to me about his work; he purposely keeps me out of it. And I am not saying that out of anger. I know that you do it because it either classified or you are protecting me," she said raising her right hand in front of herself. Reid nodded his head, understanding of what she meant.

"But I know, he bends the rules. I know that it is dangerous because he always has bodyguards and he is always armed. I know that this next part is going to be brutal honestly and sound cold, but I don't know of how to make it sound nicer."

"Its ok, tell me. I need to know of what is going on."

"I think it was our third or fourth date, when I told Darcy about you. I said to him, point blank, 'Listen, I am dating a man who works for the FBI; I need to know that you are going to be ok with this. I do not want you to come to me months later when I am more emotionally involved, to tell me that we have an oops."

"What did he say?" He looked at her with his dark eyes which she could tell that he was surprise and curious.

"He promised that he will never put me in a position where I will be forced to choose either you or him. He knows that when push comes to shove, I shove back. And he always keeps his promises."

"What will he do?"

"He will walk away from me, cut all ties and I will never see him again. I don't want that. Darcy is part of my family." Reid was quiet for a moment, looking down at his leg.

"When I was with the Scorpions, he looked for me. I think I was in my first rehab when I learned, that he had found me, and was negotiating my release from them around the time that they had sold me. Julian gave them a better offer. Darcy still looked for me afterwards. I honestly still don't know how he found me in the hospital. I was unconscious and listed as Jane Doe. He paid my hospital bill, and rehab."

"So you owe him," he said, looking back at her.

"No, how can I describe this," she said, pausing for a second, thinking. "Darcy feels like he is paying for causing the domino effect in my life."

"Domino effect?"

"Darcy was the one who gave me the bottle of pills after Charlie was found. After they were gone, I went back to him, asking, pleading for more pills. I wanted that numbness. He refused and I went somewhere else. I know that he feels like if he didn't give me those pills in the first place, I might not become a Scorpion." Ashley leaned her head back on the couch, resting. Her entire body just ached. She looked at Reid, waiting for him to say something, anything. But she was afraid of what he would say.

Finally he looked at her and calmly said, "I'm not mad, I am surprise in a way. However with the life you had, I know you had run into some shady characters. But honey, as long as I don't see him breaking the law or hurt you, I am ok with it."

Ashley nearly fell off her seat, "Excuse me," she said, not sure if she heard him right.

"You said that Darcy is one of the three people that you trust with your life and in my mind and heart, I know that is important. I know you have a hard time trusting people and probably when you were with the Scorpions, you were told not to trust the police."

Ashley nodded yes, "I don't want to sneak around behind your back with him. I know that there is no way in hell that we would all go on a double date or he will coming over for a dinner party with your family. I am not going to defend what he does, this was entirely his choice. I just don't like it. I just don't want you to get into trouble with your superiors over this."

He nodded again, "Honey, I admit it is not what I expected, but I am ok with it. And don't worry about me, please." Ashley let out a sigh of relief, happy and very surprised that Reid was ok with this. He leaned forward and kissed her.

A cough interrupted the silence. They both looked up to see Mary standing in the doorway, carrying another tray with a glass of milk and a silver cover. She had a couple of towels tucked underneath her arm.

"Oh, ready," Ashley asked then turned her attention to Reid. "She is going to help me wash my hair now. It is kind of getting gross," she said, touching her hair. Reid nodded, wishing that he could wash his girlfriend's hair, but perhaps the next time.

"I managed to pick you up a few things like more bandages, shampoo and other stuff. I also brought you some notebooks so you can start rewriting your notes, tomorrow. They are in your bedroom," he said.

She smiled, "Thank you," she said as she nodded her head.

"Dr. Reid, I fixed you some dinner." He smiled as he stood up. He helped Ashley up as well.

"Thank you," he said, taking the tray from her. "I am going to have it in my room, if that is alright," he said.

Reid set the tray on the table in his bedroom, pulling up one of the chairs. He pulled back the silver dish cover, revealing sliced beef with mashed potatoes covered in gravy, and green beans. He pulled out the crisp white napkin where he heard something dropped on the floor. He picked it up, seeing it was a key with a note attach to it.

This is a key to the guesthouse for you and Miss Ashley to use tomorrow night.

He leaned over in his seat to where his messenger bag was lying. He opened it up and pulled out a small velvet ring box where he pressed his lips together and puffing out his cheeks.

"Destiny doesn't control you, you control destiny," he quoted. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Agent Jareau."

"It's me, am I am disturbing you."

"No, you are not. What's up?"

"I have a huge favor to ask you," he said, looking down at the close ring box.