"You do know that there is one problem," Laurel said the next morning as she and Hotch lounged in her bed at the hotel. Their clothes were strewn about throughout the suite and the empty champagne bottle and glasses were resting on the nightstand.

"And that is?" Hotch asked as he leaned over to nibble on her ear.

"Technically, I am still married to Bradley Mercer," Laurel pointed out. "Even if I haven't seen him in almost ten years, legally I am still his wife. I need to find him and file for a divorce before we can get married."

"Let's see what Garcia can find out," Hotch replied. "After ten years, I am sure a divorce will be no problem." He moved down to kissing her shoulder.

"He could try to get custody of Paige," Laurel worried. "That's what he threatened me with before. That's part of the reason why I was hiding from him. After the way he hit me and then tried to hit her, I don't want him anywhere near her."

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Hotch suggested. "Let's find him first."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

When the happy couple (accompanied by Jack and Paige) arrived at the office later that day, they found out that news of their engagement had preceded them.

"Bella," Rossi greeted Laurel with a hug. "Congratulations! You have a good man here." He smiled at Hotch.

"And, as for you, Aaron," he continued. "You had better treat her right. I know people!"

"It took you long enough, Man," Morgan slapped Hotch on the back as he beamed at Laurel.

"How long has it been?" JJ asked. "Eight years?"

"Too long," Blake was holding Laurel's hand and admiring the ring. "Beautiful," was her assessment.

"Does this mean that I can work with Paige on her jumps?" Reid asked excitedly. "With her living here in Quantico I can spend even more time analyzing – "

"Uncle Spencer!" Paige interrupted. "First I'll have to find a rink to skate at. Then, you can start helping me."

"When can I start planning the wedding?" Garcia demanded. "And don't tell me that you don't want one. Planning weddings is what I do best – Next to attending them, of course!"

"We'll keep that in mind," Hotch told her with a smile. "However, first there is that information I asked you to locate."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"I don't know if this is good news or bad news," Garcia told Laurel and Hotch. The three of them were gathered in her office while the rest of the team kept Jack and Paige occupied out in the bullpen.

"What is it, Garcia?" Hotch questioned.

"He's dead," Garcia stated flatly. "Bradley Mercer is most definitely dead and buried."

"When?" Laurel was stunned. "What happened?"

"From the newspaper articles I can find," Garcia pushed the 'Print' button on her keyboard. "He was working on the North Slope in Alaska."

"That's where you found him the last time you looked for him," Laurel confirmed.

"And, apparently, he got shore leave or whatever they call it up there and went into Anchorage," Garcia continued. "Where he got into a bar fight and was killed. There was some debate about who started the fight and who did what to whom and there were two other guys who ended up in the hospital, so no charges were ever filed."

"Why wasn't I notified?" Laurel asked. "As his wife, I would have been next of kin and finding me shouldn't have posed a problem. I haven't changed my name or anything."

"It appears that he changed the paperwork with his employer to show his parents as his next of kin," Garcia was reading off the screen. "And, they are the ones who claimed the body and had it shipped back to Michigan for burial."

"How long ago?" was Laurel's next question.

"Almost four years," was the reply.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she added belatedly. "I know you haven't seen him for a while, but he was your husband."

"Thanks, Penelope," Laurel was biting her bottom lip. "You're right. I hadn't seen or heard from him in a long time but, at one time, I did love him. That's got to count for something."

"What do I do now?" she asked Hotch. "Do I go visit his parents or what?"

"You do need closure," he replied slowly. "You have been hiding from the boogeyman for so long you need to see that he is really gone for good. But, I don't know what the best way for you to do that is. You're going to have to decide that for yourself. But, whatever you decide, I will be there to support you."