"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow."
~Helen Keller
Spencer felt his stomach drop as he sensed himself nearly slip off the edge of the bed. He was so sprawled out over the mattress that he'd nearly toppled off, gripping the sheets in front of him and pulling further onto the bed just in time. It was then when he realized he was also chilly with goosebumps rising all along his bare arms and chest... why wasn't he wearing anything but his boxers?
Wait a minute... Spencer thought, looking around. Where am I?
Spencer thought back to Hotch calling him and Evie to Jackson after they had taken an accomplice into custody, and then Spencer going to the store, and then turning around...
Oh yeah. He thought to himself, remembering going through the awful night of Dilaudid detoxing. The last he remembered though, was when he was huddled up with Evie on the bathroom floor. Reid looked over at his sleeping girlfriend who was on her back, hair splayed all over her face and chest rising steadily to her quiet breaths. He smiled, feeling a warming sensation burn in his chest, but in the best possible way. He'd love to just stay there and enjoy watching her, taking in her every beautiful feature. However after a while, Spencer usually found that he couldn't stay away. He needed to be near her.
Reid nuzzled his way under her arm so that it rested on the skin of his back. He moved up to lay his head right next to hers, wrapping his arms around her body. He sighed a breath of relaxation. His goosebumps faded as Spence enjoyed the warmth of her body.
Evie stirred, subconsciously going to put a hand in his hair, running her fingers through his light brown locks that were starting to get long again.
"Hey." she croaked tiredly, turning towards him so that her nose touched his ever so slightly. Spencer smiled and tightened his grip on her, pulling their bodies flush against each other.
"Hi." he responded. Spencer then looked down at his predominantly naked body, looking back up at Evie.
"Where are my clothes?" he asked. Evie looked down as well, seeming surprised at this before seeming to remember.
"You were so tired but I couldn't get you into pajamas myself so I kinda just did half the job." she said, laughing lightly as if just realizing her thinking process now. Spencer chuckled too, but soon grew serious.
"Thank you, um- for staying with me all night. Sorry I kept you up."
Evie grew serious too, putting her hand on the side of his face and leaning in to kiss him gently on the lips.
"I will always stay with you." she whispered. Spencer smiled and took his grip at her waist, pulling her tight against him again but this time, tickling her sides. He buried his face in her neck and gently nipped at her skin, making her flail and squirm under him as she laughed.
"Spence-" she breathed between giggles. "Spencer Reid, I swear to God-"
Reid stopped tickling her and put a hand on either side of Evie's body, lifting himself up so that he hovered above her. She looked up into his eyes, still breathing hard from his tickle attack. Spencer bent down and kissed her forehead, soon moving down kiss her lips. Evie hummed happily into the kiss, wrapping her legs around his hovering waist and pulling his body down onto hers.
"I love you so much." Spencer mumbled against Evie's lips, moving down to her neck again to gently bite at her skin.
"I love you too." she breathed, groaning as Spencer sucked on her skin and no doubt, leaving marks. Evie didn't seem to care though. Her hand went into his hair as she pulled his head closer, Spencer's movements growing more rough. He moved his arms around her and around her waist, moving his own against her's.
"Spence..." she groaned, tightening her legs. He smiled a bit while continuing to mark up her neck. The sound of his name on her lips never failed to drive him crazy. Now that he had her back, "losing" her seemed like a distant memory. One that sent aching pains into his chest no less, but still, it seemed like just a terrible nightmare.
"Shit." he suddenly heard Evie mumble.
"Hmm?" he asked, still continuing to grind into her, his hands moving under her shirt and drag lazily across her skin.
"We have to be down at the Police Station in fifteen." she said, although not making any moves to stop his maneuvers. Spencer groaned, but this time in frustration. They hadn't had the chance to have much... intimacy since she had gotten back. He wanted it that way, though. He had enjoyed just cuddling her for hours while they enjoyed each other's presence and basked in the gratefulness of having each other again. But now that they were both ready, Spencer wanted her.
"It's okay." he brushed it off, moving his mouth down further to bite at her collar bone. His hands moved to the waist band of her sweatpants, dragging them down to leave her in her underwear. Evie gasped as he moved his hand to her inner thigh, tracing down to between her legs.
Evie's eyes rolled up into her head before they fluttered closed, her hips moving up to try to get more from him, but Spencer pulled away, trying to hide how hard it was for him.
Evie whined, watching him stand up and move to the bathroom.
"Come baaaaack." she called after him, still laying on the bed, completely flustered. Spencer flashed a smile over at her just in time to see her roll her eyes playfully and flip him off. Reid sighed happily and closed the door, regrettably having to get ready for work.
"He hasn't been talking at all." Hotch explained to both Spencer and Evie as they walked through the JPD hallways towards what Evie assumed was the interrogation room. She nodded in response, but didn't voice anything. To be honest with herself, she was extremely nervous. Her unsteady feeling wasn't due to anything in particular, just the build up of tension and anxiety before seeing this guy who had taken part in her kidnapping and nearly her death... Well, why wouldn't it be nerve wracking?
"Have you told him we have Evie?" Spencer asked, sounding a lot stronger than she was feeling, thankfully. They seemed to be like this a lot often; sort of like a teeter totter. When one was falling apart, the other became stronger and then they'd switch. It was just enough to get them through the darkness that had heavily lingered lately, but Evie really was starting to see things brighten lately. Especially ever since after last night. Just this fact alone gave her confidence that they could find the rest of the gang and end this all.
"Not yet. And just before we proceed, are you sure you're ready for this?" Hotch asked, stopping as they reached a large room full of cubicles with working officers. He looked at Lawrence with his signature deep, serious frown, concern etched in his face. Not only concern though, but genuine care as Hotch expressed in his own professional way. Evelyn always appreciated it. This team would never function without him.
"Yeah, yeah, of course." She said, putting her brave face on and giving Hotch a (hopefully) reassuring smile. This seemed to do the trick as Aaron gave a curt nod back, gesturing towards a room in the back that the three of them made their way over to.
Once they entered, Evelyn observed that it was a sort of antechamber in between the bullpen that they'd just walked through and the interrogation room on the other side. This room appeared to be for watching whatever transpired in the interrogation, a large window revealing the subject sitting handcuffed to a table on the other side of the glass.
Evie looked at the man and took a deep breath. She definitely recognized him, there was no doubt in that. She couldn't put any information with his face, though. Nothing specifically stood out: not a name, or an instance she had with him, nothing. But she knew she had encountered him at some point. The fact that she couldn't remember where or when frustrated her.
Much of the team was already in the antechamber. They seemed to have been watching the man on the other side, but when Spence, Hotch, and Evie walked in, they all turned to them with expectant glances. In fact it was the whole rest of the team, save for Rossi, Evie noticed. Rossi was on the other side of the glass, across the table from the subject and talking to him; trying to get him to talk but it appeared to not be working. The man sat there stiffly, a hard stare focused on the wall of the interrogation room. It must have been a one way window, because he didn't even acknowledge the entrance that the agents had just made.
"Can someone pull Rossi out?" Hotch asked, instantly receiving a nod from JJ who stood and went for the door into the further room.
"I'm assuming you don't know the subject all to well." Hotch said, more of a statement than a question and with a small tinge of disappointment; not in Evie per se, just in the truth that he somehow already knew.
Damn Profilers. She thought to herself, just a little bit amused.
"I know I've seen him." she tried to explain. "I just... I can't remember how or when or what he was doing."
Wow, it sounds a lot more stupid out loud. She said to herself, trying to shake it off. She just wanted to be a help and remember, but she was pretty sure her mind wanted to forget her whole experience the best it could.
"Well anything you remember could be a help at this point. This jackass thinks he has a leg up on us, thinking we've got no way to getting information on him. Just one piece of... of something could shatter his cocky confidence." Morgan said, looking through the glass at the man with narrowed eyes. Evie guessed Morgan had tried getting him to talk earlier and the subject had done something to piss him off. The guy was daring to want to get on Morgan's bad side.
"Going through the memory exercises might be worth a try." Spencer suggested from behind her. Evie shrugged and nodded at Hotch, implying that it could be worth a shot.
"Alright. Reid, take Lawrence into one of the empty conference rooms in the hallway and see what you can do. I'm going to see what I can do with the subject in the meantime." Hotch said, looking to everyone for confirmation which they all gave him in ways of nodding or just obedient expressions.
Evie and Spencer left the room, making their way to a glass door at the end of a narrow hallway adjoining the main JPD office. Spencer opened the door for her, Evie smiling at him as she entered, nervously going to sit on the couch on the opposite wall. Spencer closed the door softly and joined her, their legs touching from the proximity.
It wasn't that she wasn't used to this- she was just used to being the observer on the side of these memory exercises, watching the rest of the team on cases try to recover what witnesses thought were lost memories. Now she was the witness, trying to weed out details from a traumatic experience to help catch a serial killer. Well, not a serial killer, but a band of serial killers.
"Don't be nervous, Evs." Spencer told her soothingly, his eyes observing her. She smiled unconvincingly and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. No matter how hard she tried to hide her nerves, he always knew. She remembered even the first day they met how he had picked up on it, telling her something similar- to not be nervous. And something about his presence really did ease her worries. Today wasn't an exception.
"Alright, you know the drill. Close your eyes." he instructed lightly. Evie did, now only relying on her other senses to feel Spencer's presence next to her, trying to draw comfort from this. She didn't know why she was so uneasy. Just being in the reversed position as the victim she guessed.
"Okay." he said as Evie felt him take her hand. "Think back." Reid started with a voice so quiet and hesitant, Evelyn could sense the guilt he was feeling from making her have to go back and recover these awful memories.
"Think of where you were. You're surroundings whether it be by sight..."
Evie imagined the small and shabby room she was kept in while in Boston. The extreme lack of color that depressed her even further each day. The groves in the wooden walls around her and the slight crumble of the cement floor below her, but only around the edges.
"By sound..."
Evie heard the very distant hum of cars on a busy street coming from... well she wasn't really sure what direction. Sometimes it seemed like from her right, but then the more she'd listen it'd be on her left. There was also occasionally the murmur of voices passing by her confining cell, talking lowly about incoherent but serious sounding matter that Evelyn had never cared enough to be interested in.
"By smell or by touch..."
The musty smell of what she always imagined as an old basement came back to Evelyn. There was sometimes a faint hint of motor oil in the air as well, mixed with blood and sweat which she was disgusted to remember came from her and her unprofessional bandaging around her wound.
The feel of the stiff and scratchy sheets was also a memory so clear, she would've believed that it was actually reality, and being in the conference room with Spencer safe and sound was in fact, just her longing and dreaming to get out...
"No-" Evie suddenly burst out, not loud but frantically as her breath picked up. She opened her eyes, half terrified that she wouldn't be in a dull conference room with Spencer holding her hand at her side. He was there though, his face etched with worry.
"It's okay, you're doing great Evs. Don't stop now." he urged, running his thumb over the back of her hand. Evie looked at him through sad eyes and sighed, nodding and closing her eyes again while being taken back to that horrid cramped hellhole.
"Now try to remember the people, Evs. Maybe try to remember each one in the order that you met them if that helps." Spencer said soothingly, stilling keeping his fingers intertwined with hers. Evie did as he said, thinking about Hani first, her chest sensing pangs of guilt. Trying to push this aside, she then went through the gang members she had encountered, one by one.
"I- This guy, I can't-"
"Just relax and give it a second." Spencer suggested. Evie knew she had seen this guy, but-
"Oh my God." she said in the middle of her memory searching. Evie opened her eyes and widened them at Spencer who arched an eyebrow expectantly. "He um- he brought me food once. But he wasn't happy about it, because he was fighting with another guy that I couldn't see outside the room. I think he was complaining about not being trusted with anything... or- or something."
She stumbled, still trying to put together the pieces as she explained further to Spencer.
"You don't have a name, by chance?" Spencer asked sweetly, but with a hopeful tone. Evie frowned.
"The other guy called him... Tommy?" she said, trying out the name on her lips. "Wait no, Joey. Definitely Joey." she confirmed, nodding at Spencer in finality. Reid smiled at her and squeezed her hand.
"See? Piece of cake."
Only ten minutes later, Spencer was watching Rossi prep the subject in the interrogation room. They were going to send Evie in within a moment to see what she could do, but not before Rossi did the best he could to "warm him up", Morgan had described it as.
"I'm telling you, kid. The more you help us, the more we can help you. You don't want your sentence softened, even a little bit?" Rossi asked, pacing across the room from the young man who just glared back. He wasn't as built as the rest that Spencer had observed in Boston. He was definitely younger, looking to be only late twenties.
"You think I'll sell out that easy? You think you've got the upper hand here? You've got nothing but a guy who won't talk for shit." the man spat, returning to his silent glare at the wall afterwards. Rossi nodded.
"I don't think so, Joey." Rossi said as all of the agents in the room watched "Joey's" face go from stern to something of fear, his eyes turning to meet Rossi's.
"That's not my name."
"Your reaction says otherwise." Rossi replied calmly.
"So what, you've got my nickname."
"You're not curious how?" Rossi asked. Joey turned away again, resuming his "tough guy" composure. Rossi sighed and walked to the door, exiting the interrogation room to face the other agents.
"You're up, kid." he said, looking over at Evie who sat besides Spencer. Even though the subject was handcuffed on the other side of a table, fear still coursed through Reid. He didn't like sending her in there with one of the guys who had taken part in her near-death.
Evie took a deep breath besides him and stood up, giving Spencer one last noticeably forced smile before stepping onto the other side of the wall and into the interrogation room. Everyone in the observing antechamber seemed to grow more tense in that moment when Joey looked up at her, his eyes widening in surprise at first, but then a disgusting smile spreading across his face.
"Long time, no see." he snarled at her as Evie sat down in a chair across the table from him. His eyes were on her, his full undivided attention finally focused.
"The boys have got quite the target on your back, sweetheart." he said, making Spencer cringe at the word sweetheart. He already wanted to kill this guy.
"You guys certainly did a nice job with that last time." she said calmly. Spencer held his breath, his hand tapping on the arm of his chair nervously.
"You got lucky. Can't say the same for your friend though."
Spencer watched as Joey's last comment seemed to get to Evie. Her eyes turned from direct and determined to hurt and worried. Her face softened and her hands started fidgeting. Everything she did that Spencer always picked up on when she was troubled, she was doing now.
Stay strong, baby. He silently willed her. She did seem to gain her confidence back within a second, any sign of worry disappearing. Spencer slightly smiled. He was so proud of her all of the time.
"You referred to the others without including yourself." Evie stated, looking right into Joey's eyes. "Is that because you're not as important?"
"What? I'm just as important."
"Really? Because I remember you getting bossed around by everyone else all the time, no say in anything."
"Bullshit."
At this point the guy was losing his cool, Evie already succeeded in breaking his composure.
"I know the reason you're not talking is because you really don't know anything." Evie said, shrugging a shoulder as if it were obvious.
"Pretty good for only a few months in training." Morgan observed from besides Spencer. Reid smiled slightly, nodding in agreement as everyone kept watching.
"Shut. Up. You don't know what you're talking about, Bitch." he spat at her, making Spencer shift in his chair. He was getting really flared up now, but he knew that this is what they wanted: for the subject's walls to come down and anger was the most common side effect of this.
"I spent weeks around your pitiful operation. I think I do."
At this, Joey smiled again, shaking his head and leaning back in his chair.
"And it's such a shame we couldn't keep you longer too." he said, his smile suddenly growing serious. He looked at Evie with something else now- a look that Spencer did not like at all. His eyes traveled all around her. "The things I wanted to do to you when no one else was around..."
At that point, it was the end for Reid. He didn't even realize what he was doing before he was doing it- standing up in one swift motion as his chair slid backwards, his fists clenched while rushing to the interrogation room door. He couldn't watch it anymore.
Before he could get very far however, Morgan's arm stopped him, halting Spencer in his tracks. Even when Reid tried to push Morgan off, his friend gripped his arms and yanked him backwards.
"Reid! Come on, Man. Hang in there." Derek said in a deep demanding voice. Spencer's thoughts were still in that room with Evie and that disgusting excuse for a human being though. He just wanted her out of there.
"I can't just watch-"
"Reid, you've got to trust that she's got this. If it gets worse, we'll pull her out." Hotch's calm voice emanated from behind Spencer. Reid took deep breaths, not liking it one bit but sourly going to sit back in his chair. Morgan seemed to relax, going back to sit down as well.
"Yes, you were sooooo important that they dropped you off at a gas station and didn't look back." Evie said sarcastically, completely ignoring his last comment.
"That's NOT what happened!" The man full out shouted, slamming his fist down on the table and making Evie jump. She kept her composure for the most part though, even if Spencer was losing his. His heart beat faster watching the fury build up in the man's eyes.
"That's what my team said."
"They couldn't have more than six passengers to pass through Cheboygan without getting checked!" Joey yelled, nearly rising from his chair and leaning in towards Evie. She didn't even flinch, but instead looked back at him with a smug look. Spencer smiled as well. She got him.
"Thank you for your cooperation." Evie said cooly. She stood up and began to leave, Joey sitting back in his seat confused and flustered.
"W- wait..."
Evie was already gone though, through the door and back into the ante chamber where Spencer instantly approached her, giving her a proud smile.
"You okay?" he asked first. She nodded and took a deep breath. "If I remember correctly, Cheboygan has very specific regulations on who has access to their ports."
"Cheboygan is at the very northern point of the state... This is their last stop before crossing over to Canada. Not to mention that if we assumed they just kept driving to Cheboygan after dropping of Joey just a few miles from here, they could be reaching their destination in... twenty minutes to an hour." Spencer said quickly as everyone looked to Hotch for direction.
"Cheboygan it is." Hotch said from behind them. "No time to lose. Grab your vests and guns and let's go."
They'd taken the jet, as ridiculous as it sounded to go from on Michigan city to another, but they didn't want to miss their window. Touching down in only about fifteen minutes, the team had already tightened their bullet proof vests and loaded their guns, readying for whatever encounter would come next.
"Please don't get shot this time." Spencer begged of Evie as they got off the plane. With the hurry they were in, they had phone the police department to make sure a landing location was cleared for the BAU's jet to touch down right by the Cheboygan Port. Evie could already see the giant sign across the gates of the big main building and separate loading docks and ports.
"I won't." Evie said, slipping her hand into his to give it a light squeeze, letting go when the rest of the team caught up.
"Garcia spoke with a few of the guards before we landed. They haven't seen anyone coming through that matched our descriptions." Hotch said.
"I hope we didn't miss them." JJ muttered, mirroring everyone's thoughts.
The team walked over to the gates and talked a bit with the employees, making sure they really hadn't seen the guys pass through. Even at 7 in the morning, the place was pretty crowded with cars and other vehicles moving in and out of the gates and big crowds of people preparing boats on docks further out on the water. Evie gazed over the crowd, observing and taking in any information she could. Something about all of it felt so... off. They had to be extra careful at this point, this she knew. If Slick knew the FBI was getting closer to hunting him down, there would be extra precautions. They wouldn't be taken down easily.
Evie was barely aware of her team agreeing to look over tapes in the security room behind her, but it just sounded like background garble. She knew something was wrong, she had an uneasy feeling deep in the pit of her stomach.
"Evie, are you coming?" JJ's voice asked from behind her. Evie saw the rest of the team turn around and realize Evie's lack of focus on them, and her interest in her surroundings instead. She didn't respond because something suddenly caught her attention in the crowd of people milling over by the docks: Eyes. Staring right at her. Shaded as dark brown ones, almost the color of black. Her heart nearly stopped.
"Hani..." she whispered as Hani Batra seemed to realize that it really was her standing only about a football field's length away. Seeing him again sent waves of fear through her body, but also major relief that he was still alive. Hani was dressed nicer to keep up a normal appearance she guessed, a few guys in dark clothes surrounding him. Evie's eyes frantically scanned their faces, and no surprise, there he was. Slick was at the front, a smug look of cockiness splayed across his face with his chin held high and his hair just as greasy and well... slick as she remembered.
"They're here. They're right there." she whispered to JJ who was nearest, almost as if she was scared to talk too loud for them to hear her and finish the job they had never gotten to finish with her. Her heart was beating fast now, but just because she was scared didn't mean that she was any less determined to have their asses behind bars.
"Over there?" JJ asked, following Evie's gaze. Evie looked to where JJ was gesturing with a nod of her head. Evie nodded and took a stuttering breath. This was it.
"I don't think they know we're here, yet." Evie said, observing their cool, calm, and collected aura.
"Then I want a quick and subtle perimeter around them. Reid and Morgan, go around to cover the back and Lawrence and R-"
"Damn..." Evie muttered. Coldness spread throughout her body as her eyes connected with Slick's. He seemed caught off guard at first, but then his gaze turned to dangerously angry. "Too late." Evie breathed. The other agents turned to see what she was talking about just as Slick reached into a duffle bag that the man next to him was carrying, pulling out a shotgun.
The team was just as fast though, all of them running forward and raising their guns as well.
"No one move!" Slick yelled above the commotion of the Cheboygan Port. The crowd gasped and screamed, freezing whatever they were doing.
"FBI! Put the weapon down!" Hotch yelled back as the team advanced further. Evie noticed how Spencer kept close by her this time, their shoulders nearly touching.
The gang did the exact opposite though, more of the guys pulling out weapons as they realized what was transpiring. One of them pointed it at Hani's head who just looked expressionless in all of the chaos. As Evie got closer to the gang, she realized the new injuries Batra sustained all over. His head had multiple cuts and bruises and his one arm seemed to be bent at a strange angle. She cringed. He wasn't like that before she left him.
"We want a clear and safe route out of here, or the doctor dies." The man holding the gun to Hani's head demanded. Another one to his left thrust his gun towards the advancing agents.
"And not a step more!" he shouted. The team hesitantly slowed to a stop, fanning out a bit to get better coverage on the guys.
"Do you really think things will get better when you make it over to Canada? We've already stationed flocks of agents over there. It's over either way." Morgan shouted at them. Evie studied their reactions. They seemed to waver just a bit at this information. Everyone but Slick.
"There's no where else to go." Spencer added. "We've already got Joey."
This seemed to really strike them with a realization. The men around Hani began to lower their guns. This seemed to enrage Slick as he sneered at them, his gun gripped tightly in his hand.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked them harshly. They didn't answer, letting their guns fall to the ground.
"Have to do everything myself..." Slick muttered, shoving the others aside and grabbing Hani as a shield, still pointing his gun out towards the team.
"We'll shoot, Man. Don't do this." Morgan warned again.
"Shoot and you risk hitting him!" Slick shouted, shoving Hani a bit forward. They went on like this for a while- the team trying to convince Slick to put down his weapon and Slick yelling snarky remarks back. Evie wasn't focused on that though. She knew Slick was filled with way to much pride in himself to admit defeat. Her eyes were on Hani who was staring intently at her, as if trying to tell her something.
What can I do? She mouthed to him, earning only the same direct gaze back. Evie didn't know what he was trying to tell her, but she knew he had thoughts forming inside his head. That was the same look he had when executing the plan to get her out of the truck. Evie nervously gripped her gun tighter, finger playing on the trigger. What are you planning, Hani? She wondered hopelessly.
Within a fraction of a moment however, her questions were answered. As if in slow motion, she watched Hani's elbow dig into Slick's ribs, causing him to grunt and falter in his stern threatening composure for just a second. Hani threw himself away from Slick's grasp giving Evie just the window she needed and was ready for. She kept the gun aimed as she was taught and felt the trigger under her finger. Preparing herself for the loud crack, she fired, hoping to God she didn't miss this shot because if she did, Slick had the perfect opportunity to take down any of the agents he pleased.
Both luckily and also disturbingly, a red dot appeared on the left of Slick's head, blood splattering all around it. Evie turned her gaze away but kept her gun raised just in case, until Slick fell to the ground unmoving. Spencer looked at her as he lowered his gun as well, seemingly surprised at her quick reaction. Evie decided she'd explain later though, since her attention was fully on Batra who was also on the ground after hurling himself away to give her the window that ended it all.
"Hani..." she called to him, running to his side and grabbing his arm to help him up. The rest of the team started taking the others into custody around her, sirens blaring in the distance, getting closer.
"Are you okay?" She asked, looking up at him with worried eyes. He forced a smile and nodded, closing his eyes and lifting his face to the sky in relief.
"Thank you... thank you..." He kept whispering. She wasn't sure whether he was talking to her or the higher power she found him praying to on some nights, but nevertheless, she was just interested in his well being.
"Come on, let's get you to a hospital." Evie said, guiding Hani to an approaching ambulance. She didn't even pay attention to the crowds with mouths agape and frantic murmurs around them, cringing at the sight of Slick dead on the ground. She didn't pay attention to the men who gave her dirty looks while being loaded into the back of police vehicles. All she could think was that this whole mess was finally over, and that she felt safe again... Or as safe as someone in her field could feel anyway.
The medics helped Hani into a stretcher and Evie stayed by his side. He was quiet, just continuing to smile up at the sky in relief. This didn't worry her too much though, he was never much of a talker.
Evie nearly jumped when she felt someone touch her shoulder from behind her, relaxing when she realized it was Spencer, sliding his hands over her shoulders and gently massaging them.
"So this is the famous Hani?" he asked, smiling at her as she smiled lightly back. Hani looked over at Spencer and back at Evie.
"Ah, I am famous here?" he asked, smiling wider and making Evie laugh. Spencer stepped out from behind Evie to be besides her at the edge of Hani's stretcher.
"I can't thank you enough for helping her." Spencer said sincerely, earning a nod from Hani.
"You must be the boyfriend." he said knowingly. He looked at Evie with a renewed spark in his eye that was never present there before. He had always looked dull and hopeless. She supposed anyone would with the amount of time he was kept prisoner.
"Hold on to this one." He added, pointing shakily at Evie who beamed back. She wanted to ask him how she could help find his family or anything else she could possibly do to help, but the medics said they needed to get him to the nearest emergency room to patch up his open wounds. So Evie and Spencer stepped back to watch them lift Hani into the ambulance and take off down the street and out of sight.
Evie and Spencer automatically started walking slowly over to the jet, oblivious to the press and other emergency vehicles arriving all around them. They took off their vests and put the safeties on their guns, handing it to their pilot for the day who was helping load the plane.
Eventually they got to the steps leading up to the jet, hearing the sound of Morgan talking to Garcia inside. Spencer pulled Evie's hand back to stop her before they boarded however, taking both of her hands in his, pulling her attention up to his chocolate brown eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked her hopefully, pulling her closer to him. Evie smiled. Out of all the times she had been asked that over the past three weeks or so, she finally felt completely confident with her answer.
"Yeah, I'm okay."
Spencer looked relieved as he pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her snuggly. She pressed the side of her face into his dress shirt, breathing in calmly and smelling the scent of their detergent.
"After we get everything all situated and back to normal at home..." Spencer said quietly in her ear. "I think you and I deserve a vacation."
Evie smiled and nodded, pulling back to look at Spencer again.
"I'd love that." she agreed. Reid smiled and took her hand as they boarded the jet together, both of them relaxing for the first time in weeks. Evie didn't regret anything that happened though. It was like the ultimate test for them, and they had gotten through it all in the end. They were always close before, but after everything that'd happened, she'd never felt closer. Looking up at Spencer as they entered the plane she smiled and leaned her head into his shoulder, grateful that she was lucky enough to have found a love like this that she could see lasting forever.
The End for this one! To answer a few questions I've been getting- Yes, I do still plan to make this a five book series. I'm going to take a short break before starting the next one, but the only reason I'd stop writing these books was if Spencer got a girlfriend on the actual show. Until then however, I don't plan on quitting these anytime soon. Thank you for all the reviews and feedback!
Also, if any of you are Supernatural fans, I am going to start writing some short stories for that soon.