Chapter twenty-two
Gulfstream G-IV
Tail # N4SP
Eastbound over Illinois

Spencer

They didn't have much time to discuss the case on the plane. For one thing they had little ears sitting there, listening to every word. For another, it was Susanna's first plane trip, and it was coming on top of an already difficult day. Spencer had a vague impression that she hadn't been able to figure out the bra, even if there was one in there, and that plus pants meant that she felt quite uncomfortably nearly naked. As soon as they got to the airport he pulled off his sweater and wrapped it around her. "Thank you." She said. It was too long and too big in the arms but she didn't seem to care a whit.

"It's going to be okay." He told her.

She didn't reply.

He helped her onto the plane and seated her between him and the window. "I don't think I can do this." She murmured.

"You can if you want to. He replied.

"You don't want to know how much of me wants to go back and hide under my covers right now." She admitted.

"We can." If she wanted to. He didn't think he could stand it, but if she wanted to.

She shuddered but she shook her head. "No. I'm doing this. I must."

They started to taxi and she grabbed hold of his arm. When the plane started rushing down the runway she leaned into his shoulder, and as soon as it left the ground she peeped and buried her head in his chest. He put his arm around her shoulders and had to chuckle. "It really is okay." He said. "We do this at least twice a week."

"What happens if we fall?"

He was about to answer when Rossi, sitting across from them, stopped him. "Do not quote statistics." He ordered before turning to Susanna. "It's all right, Bella." He said. "I hate flying too. You get used to it after a while. In a few minutes everything will smooth down and then the Professor here will go make us all some tea and I'm going to see if Henry wants a story."

And that was exactly what happened. The plane leveled out, Spencer went and put the electric kettle in the galley on, and in a few minutes he was handing Susanna some of the peppermint tea he had bought for her back in Carthage while Henry scampered over for a story. Rossi was a master storyteller and soon had both boy and nervous flyer enthralled.

"Reid." Hotch called him back to the galley quietly. "What was your take on Goodwin?"

"In that amount of time?" Hrm. "He wasn't at all intimidated by having the FBI there. And it might be personal but I didn't like the way he was looking at Susanna."

"Especially when her Mom called her out," Morgan shook his head. "If we hadn't had that bag of clothes there that girl would have walked out of that house in her birthday suit. Goodwin looked like he was looking forward to it, and disappointed when she didn't."

"Her father said he wanted to protect her." Hotch mused.

"Is she still considered a witness?" Morgan asked.

"Witness Protection?" Spencer felt his stomach knot and his heart sink."

"Yes, but probably not one that's needed. There's no indication that the Holman's themselves committed the kidnapping, the best we could get them on is accomplices. And we found Henry there, that's all the proof the prosecutor will need." Hotch looked over at Spencer. "It's been considered and rejected; with her medical history they couldn't hide her effectively. If there's any sign of retaliation she'll be given a 24/7 guard until all this blows over."

That was probably the best they could do.

Turner Airfield
Quantico, VA

The figure waiting for them when they landed was not unexpected. "Penelope! Penelope!" Henry called out. As soon as he was down the steps and Will let go of his hand he was off like a shot, straight into his godmother's arms.

"Ohhh! Ohhh, there you are!" Garcia was nearly in tears as she swooped him up. "Oh, I have been so worried! Oh, look at your hair! Oh, you got so skinny! Ohhhh!"

By then the team had caught up with him. "The doctor did say he's fine, Garcia." JJ reassured her, "Nothing that can't be fixed."

"And it will be because I am going to make you a cake real soon which will help." Garcia announced. Then she saw who was on Spencer's arm, shaking slightly in his cardigan. "Are you Susanna?" She nodded. "Can I hug you?"

"I wish you would."

With that Garcia pulled her into her arms. "Thank you." She said. "Thank you for looking after my godson."

"Thank you. Thank all of you, for...everything."

There were warm good-byes then. "Miss Holman," Hotch said. "I'm afraid we still might need your help tomorrow."

"Anything," Susanna replied.

"Maybe in the afternoon?" Spencer asked. "She's going to need some time to get settled."

"All right," Hotch agreed. "You two have it covered?" Spencer and Garcia nodded. "See you tomorrow then."

Rossi had called Garcia aside for a brief argument, which she lost before he left. "Oh! All right, are you ready to go?"

Susanna nodded, but Spencer could feel her trembling. "What's wrong?" He asked her.

"I don't think I can do this." She admitted, finally. "I think this was a mistake."

"Why sweetie?" Garcia asked.

"Because I don't know where I am." Susanna admitted. "Nothing feels right. And I feel like I'm walking around in my underwear and I can't do anything about that."

"Where are your clothes?" Garcia asked.

"Her mother wouldn't let her take them." Spencer told her, "Or her cane." He flinched away from the fire that came into Garcia's eyes. Hopefully Anna Holman would never attempt the internet; it would not go well for her.

"I don't have any money, I don't have any way of contacting anyone I know, I apparently don't even exist because I don't have any ID, and I can't even walk five feet without feeling like I ought to be crawling so I don't fall." Susanna was starting to sound a bit hysterical. "And now I'm going to go live with complete strangers and other than the motel last night I have never slept anywhere but my own bed and I am honestly completely terrified right now."

"But we're strangers, sweetie. You seem to be trusting us just fine." Garcia said.

"No, you're not. You're Henry's family. He told me all about you, about how you bake the best cakes and how Spencer always takes him out for Halloween and how you all went to see the dinosaurs and about a million other things. And besides, there's no way a boy that sweet and kind and good grew up around bad people."

Spencer and Garcia looked at each other and sighed. They couldn't leave her at the group home in this state, she was right, she didn't have anything and if they left her until she knew they would always come back she wouldn't have anyone either. "I don't have a bed." Spencer murmured.

"Then where do you sleep?" Garcia asked.

"On the couch. I never slept that much before…" Before Maeve started making him so his headaches would go away.

"Do you have a bedroom?" He nodded. "Then you need to get a bed. We'll work on that next. For now I have a bed and a couch so how about I call Cheryl and tell her what's going on and tell her that you'll be moving in late tomorrow and tonight you spend the night on my couch, okay?"

Spencer felt Susanna sigh and start to relax. "I know I'm probably being silly…"

"No, you're not." Garcia rubbed Susanna's shoulder gently. "After everything that's happened, it's perfectly normal to be scared. Tomorrow we'll get a real early start and we'll go get your ID since your new birth certificate and ID should be in first thing because I put a rush on it because I am good like that and Anderson can meet us there and then we'll replace your cane and get you some clothes and whatever else you might need for your new dorm room."

"But I don't have…"

"Yeah, that's why Rossi was insisting he was going to pay for it…no, don't object." Garcia said as Susanna opened her mouth. "He can afford it. And we'll go to the bank at some point so you can have access to that reward money, and we'll get you a phone so you can call us in an emergency and then you'll be all set."

"You'd…You'd really do all that for me?"

"You took care of my godson, even knowing what they could do to you. Sweetie, you're family too,"