Hi everyone. I am so so sorry about how long it has been. Really I am. But I just started university and had loads of assignments amongst the stress of moving across the sea as I moved out of England to Ireland.

Chapter 24

"Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken" Albert Camus

They finished the case two days later and headed back home to Quantico and over the weekend Livie moved into Reid's apartment. Reid had trouble believing that it was actually happening as he made space for Livie's thing around his apartment and as he watched her fill them he felt excited shivers run up and down his spine. It was amazing how homely adding a few of Livie's belongings made this place seem.

So the night after Livie had finished moving her things in Reid found himself sitting on the edge of their bed with his laptop on his knee when Livie suddenly danced out of the bathroom and bounced onto the bed grinning at him playfully. He looked up at her before raising his eyebrows. "Are you wearing my shirt" he asked looking at the long sleeved white shirt that covered her small frame. "Yeah" she said grinning cheekily at him as she moved across the bed towards him. He bit back a smile "why are you wearing it" he asked and she grinned "haven't finished unpacking my clothes yet" she said "couldn't find much to wear" she reached out and grabbed his laptop and quickly closed it before placing it on the bedside table before she shifted closer.

Reid struggled not to grin "maybe you should finish unpacking" he suggested watching as she reached out to run her hand through his hair and automatically his hand went to cradle the small of her back. "Why don't you like me wearing your stuff" she teased "hmmm" he said allowing his eyes to travel over her "well yeah I think I do like it – but maybe a little too much" she laughed loudly before she bent her head to kiss him and he quickly cupped her cheeks holding her gently as her hair fell around them framing them.

"Well maybe you should take the shirt off me if it is bothering you" she whispered as they pulled apart and immediately his hands went to the buttons.

That was when his phone rang and they both paused and groaned loudly "you know I think the universe has something against us" Livie said and Reid smiled as he reached for the phone.

"Hey Hotch" he said feeling slightly surprised that his boss was calling him rather than Garcia "what's up? Do we have a case?"

"Sort of" Hotch said "it's complicated… I need to see you as soon as possible. Can I pop round?"

"Um yeah" Reid said hesitantly "Do I need to be worried Hotch?"

"No, not yet" Hotch said giving nothing away about the case "listen I'm just leaving the office… I'll be there shortly"

Reid sighed "Ok" he said "see you soon"

He hung up the phone and frowned "everything ok" Livie asked from where she was lying next to him "yeah that was Hotch" he said hesitantly "he said he needed to come round." Livie huffed "universe definitely hates us" she muttered "better unpack some clothes then" she said and she rolled off the bed and moved over to the last few boxes that sat in the corner of the room.

When the doorbell rang fifteen minutes later Reid quickly went to answer it and was surprised when he found himself face to face with not only Hotch, but the rest of the team including Garcia.

"Um hi" he said frowning "what's going on?" "We just got a call about a case" Hotch said as Reid slowly stood to one side to let them in. "It's a bad one Reid" JJ said as she made her way into his living room with Garcia who sat down and opened her laptop as Livie came out of the bedroom looking slightly startled to find everyone in the apartment. "Um hi" she said "good you are here" Hotch said "sit down you need to hear this as well"

Slowly Livie moved forward and sat down next to Reid on the couch "You do know my internship finished two days ago right" she checked and Hotch nodded "yes but you need to hear this" he said before looking up "Garcia" he asked and the technical analysis looked up from where she was plugging her computer into Reid's television.

"Ok crime fighters let's get to it in this strange new setting" Garcia said and she pressed a button on her laptop and images of young women appeared on the television screen "Hotch, JJ and I received a call from an Agent Prescott from the FBI in Omaha Nebraska. He has a particularly troublesome and if I might add icky case that is causing widespread panic around the city. Over the last eight days, young women of between the ages of 18 and 25 are going missing in Lincoln which isn't far from Omaha. Most of them are students at the university and they are being abducted off the street, witnesses say that they have seen them being pulled into a dark coloured van with no plates right off the streets. They are bold and very efficient."

"How many have gone missing" Livie asked and Garcia turned sombre and pressed another button on her screen so that more pictures flashed up. "So far fourteen women have been taken" she said "six of which have turned up dead" more pictures flashed up of dead bodies, each covered in bruises and marks that they all recognised. "Each women found shows signs of repeated sexual assault" Hotch said quietly.

"Ok so I take it we are going to Lincoln" Morgan said "so why are we meeting here instead of at the office Hotch?"

"Lincoln already has its own profiler" Hotch said "they didn't call us in to consult on the case" "then why did they call us" Emily asked looking confused.

"For the past few days the agents have been sending their own in undercover" JJ said "they are all going to bars that are commonly visited by many university students that is right at the centre of all the abduction sights" she pointed to a spot on the map that Garcia pulled up. "Unfortunately though the unsubs don't seem to be going for any of the undercover agents, the ones that are their type are too old and the ones that are the right age don't fit their type."

"Young; aged no older than 26, Caucasian, brunette, physically fit" Emily profiled and Hotch nodded "Agent Prescott was desperate and he typed these characteristics into the FBI database in search of someone to go undercover. His results found a few but one caught his eye…"

His eyes fell on Livie who stared at him "me" she whispered and he nodded "you" he said "he called me an hour ago and sent the case to JJ. He called me to ask if we would bring you over to go undercover as bait for these unsubs"

Livie stared at him before slowly her eyes went back to the screen displaying the mutilated bodies of the unsubs' victims. "Why her" Morgan asked "I mean there has got to be someone else closer to home."

"Prescott saw her case file, he knows what she has been through" Hotch said still watching Livie, "he knows that she can take care of herself." "Take care of herself… she has nearly been killed… multiple times" Emily protested.

"Prescott told me Livie was the best match to the unsubs' ideal victim" Hotch said "she is the youngest of all the matches as well. She fits perfectly into the victimology" "so… that doesn't mean he can just demand she come over" Morgan argued.

"Prescott is desperate" JJ said "he doesn't know what else to do. Girls are dying and he has no way of stopping them."

Reid looked over at Livie. He didn't know what to say. She was still staring at the screen with the victim's bodies on it. Her hands were shaking showing how conflicted she felt. He wished he hadn't answered the phone; he wished that they were in the bedroom together just a few feet away oblivious to the idea of her being the perfect target for some murdering rapists.

He looked at Hotch "but she isn't an agent anymore" he said desperately "she finished her internship, she shouldn't be allowed to do go undercover like that when she isn't an agent." Hotch's frown deepened "Prescott went to Strauss first" he said "she agreed to temporarily reassign Livie's internship status long enough for her to complete this mission, should she choose to accept."

"It's my choice" Livie asked then and Hotch nodded "it is completely up to you Livie" he said "there is no pressure on you, no one will look at you any differently should you choose to say no, it is dangerous, and there is risk… so it has to be your choice."

Livie sat silently still staring at the screen twisting her hands as she deliberated. Then she looked around at them all trying to judge what they thought she should do. She locked eyes with Reid for the longest and he tried desperately to convey the fear he felt in that gaze until she looked away. She looked up at Hotch and he met her gaze. "What do you think of this" she asked.

Hotch stared at her before he sighed "if it were up to me I never would have even asked you" he said "I would have just said no and moved on but it isn't up to me… it is up to you. But I don't like the idea of you doing it… it is risky… too risky… I think you have been through enough… but there is another part of me that says… there are girls dying and we have a chance to stop anyone else being hurt. But I still don't like the risks"

Livie sighed and dropped her head, running her hands through her hair. She stared at the ground for a long time before she lifted her head and looked at Hotch "I don't like it" she said softly "but I can't ignore the fact that people are dying and I have the chance to help them… I mean that is why I joined the FBI after all, I wanted to help people" she looked around at them all before she let out another long sigh "tell Agent Prescott that I'll do it" she said quietly.

"What" Reid exclaimed and he instantly grabbed hold of her arm "Livie no you can't" he pleaded "it's too dangerous." She looked at him with pained eyes "Spence I can't sit by and do nothing whilst these women are getting murdered" she said "but it's too dangerous" he protested "you could get hurt."

"I won't" Livie said gently "because you guys will all be behind me the entire time. You will all have my back throughout the whole thing. It will only be a couple of days Spence, then we'll be right back here." Reid stared at her desperately. He could see the fear hidden in her light brown eyes and he knew she was worried. But after everything she had been through, after everything she had seen, she wasn't going to sit idly by when she could be out there helping.

"Livie are you 100 percent sure" Hotch asked and Livie looked up at him and nodded "I'll do it" she said "what time do we leave in the morning?" Hotch eyed her before nodding "wheels up at 9am" he said "everyone go home, get a good night's rest, you are going to need it"

Slowly everyone rose to their feet. Looking around at them Reid could see that they looked about as impressed as he felt with Livie's decision and they left looking very unhappy. Hotch waited until they were all gone before he sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of Livie.

"Livie I hope you know that I really don't want you to be doing this" he said "I think it is too risky. Prescott has a reputation about using extreme measures to get results. Unfortunately the results are good so he gets away with it. He will be more focused on catching the unsubs and earning more pats on the back than your safety"

"Well I guess that is where you guys will come in" Livie said "you can focus on keeping me safe… I have seen you do it hundreds of times whilst I have been working with you Hotch, you always kept Emily or JJ safe if they went out as bait. I trust you."

"Livie this is different" Hotch warned "everything about this case suggests a team of at least three people, they are bold and very efficient." "Which is why we need to get them off the streets" Livie said staring back at Hotch who stared at her.

"Prescott will tell you to stick to the mission no matter what" he said "but I want you to promise me that if you at any time feel uncertain or just decide you want out. You let us know. Promise me now before we get there. And you will promise me again before you go in"

"I promise" Livie said staring at him calmly. He watched her before groaning "I really wish you had said no" he said and Livie sighed "you are not the only one" she said and she gently squeezed Reid's hand.

Hotch looked between the two of them sadly "I'll see you both tomorrow" he said softly before he headed to the door and showed himself out.

The moment he was gone Reid turned to Livie "you can't do this" he said fiercely and she looked at him startled by the passion in his voice. "Spence" she said with a small sigh "I'll be…"

"Don't say you will be fine because there is no way that you can guarantee that" Reid said firmly "you can't promise me something that is out of your control. Please don't promise me something you can't do because if you do… I'll never forgive you."

Livie stared at him looking conflicted before she moved forward and wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. Slowly Reid lifted his hands placing one in the small of his back and one in her hair as he held her close, wanting to keep her here with him where she was safe forever.

"I promise I will be careful" Livie said softly "I promise I won't do anything that will endanger my life. I promise I will do everything in my power to return home to you safe. And I promise that no matter what may happen… I will never stop loving you… Spencer Reid."

Reid felt a small smile slide onto his face as he held her tightly "I promise to do everything in my power to protect you" he whispered "and to never give up on you. And to never stop loving you"

Livie looked up at him and smiled before she stretched up to kiss him "see" she said "we both promised, so we'll never be separated. We'll always find each other. No matter what"

"No matter what" Reid echoed uncertainly as he slowly followed her into the bedroom dreading the morning when they would be flying Livie straight into potential danger…

XO

When Reid awoke the next morning he looked down at Livie who lay curled in his arms. Almost unconsciously he tightened his grip around her. He didn't want her to do this mission. He didn't want her to be put in definite danger. They had become so close. He hated the idea of losing her when he felt like he had only just found her. His soul mate.

He flinched as he heard the alarm going off and Livie sighed and stirred. She mumbled and her eyelids fluttered. She looked up at him briefly and smiled as she closed her eyes again. "Hey" she said "hi" he said quietly.

She frowned before she opened her eyes properly to look at him "you still don't want me to do this mission do you" she commented and he shook his head "it isn't just me; nobody wants you to do it Livie"

Livie sighed "I know but people are being hurt. I can't just stand by and watch when I know I can do something about it" she said and Reid ducked his head knowing that he wasn't going to get her to change her mind easily.

Slowly Livie hauled herself up and out of their bed and made her way over to the wardrobe opening it to display some of the clothes she had finished putting away last night. She reached up onto the top shelves and pulled out their two go-bags and chucked them both onto the bed beside Reid before she proceeded to fill hers with everything she would need for this trip. Slowly Reid mimicked her until she headed off have a shower. He then headed into the kitchen to prepare some coffee.

Whilst he was waiting for the kettle to boil he felt his phone vibrate and he pulled it out to see a message from Morgan that read:

Are you ok?

He sighed before typing back a quick response:

No but I know there is nothing I can do to stop her; she won't let anyone get hurt as long as she can help it

He shoved the phone back into his pocket as Livie emerged from the bedroom and headed over with a smile on her face. She was trying to treat this like any old case that they had before she had left; but he couldn't. Because it wasn't the same and he hated it.

He knew Livie could sense that he was still unhappy because she looked up at him before she reached out and took his hand. "Trust me Spence" she whispered "please, I need to know that you trust me"

"I do" Reid said "but I can't agree with your choice…" "I know" Livie said "but it was my choice and I am not asking you too."

Reid opened his mouth to protest before realising nothing he could say would change her mind so slowly he closed his mouth and they ate their breakfast in silence before heading to the airport.

As he drove Reid thought about this case. He had heard a lot about Agent Prescott and his unconventional methods. He knew that Hotch had butted heads with him once about the extreme use of undercover agents which was why he knew that if Prescott hadn't gone to Strauss first, Hotch would have most likely hung up the phone immediately when he had heard his request.

He didn't like Strauss' decision to reinstate Livie temporarily as an agent. He knew it was most likely publicity. The BAU was under a lot of scrutiny at the moment and any good press such as one of their undercover agents helping to catch a dangerous group of sex offenders would of course be music to Strauss' ears. She and Livie had never really clicked anyway. Livie was too headstrong to fit comfortably in Strauss' good books; but that didn't mean Strauss wouldn't worry about her coming home safely – after all an agent dying in the field was certainly not the sort of press she wanted.

He hoped Prescott wouldn't push Livie too far. This group of unsubs sounded very dangerous; like a group Hotch would generally avoid going undercover with. But Prescott was the agent in charge here, and Hotch had very little say in what happened.

When they arrived at the air strip the rest of the team was already assembled and waiting on the jet. After storing their go-bags in the luggage compartment he and Livie clambered aboard and Hotch nodded at the sight of them. "Morgan tell the pilots we are ready to take off" he said "Reid I want you to take a look at Prescott's geographical profile, I want you to see if you can narrow it down any further. Emily look at the victims' backgrounds, see if there is anything other than that bar where their lives might intersect. JJ, you and Morgan look at the autopsy reports again. Livie…" he looked at her and his eyes turned sombre "you need to familiarise yourself with Prescott's profile as much as possible ok"

Livie nodded and took the case file he held out to her before she headed over to one of the small tables and settled herself down.

"Hey" Hotch said to Reid as he picked up the map that had been purchased for him. Reid looked over at him "we are all going to do whatever it takes to keep her safe" Hotch murmured "we don't care what we have to do, she is one of us, full agent or not… so we won't let anything happen to her"

Reid sighed and looked over at Livie who had settled herself in the comfortable leather chairs with her legs under her and a chocolate biscuit in her hand. During her brief pregnancy she had developed what Morgan had teasingly called 'extreme munchies' where every time she was trying to read and memorise something she had liked to eat something sweet as she did so. Reid had thought it was some sort of food association at first but then one night she had told him that she didn't like the sad feeling she got when she was reading about the murder so she had decided to change them to slightly happier feelings by eating something tasty for the baby. Even after the pregnancy had ended she had carried on with 'extreme munchies' to try and get rid of any inside sadness.

"You don't have much control over what happens to her though do you" Reid said "Prescott is in charge, it's his case."

"His case or not Livie is still my agent, under my authority" Hotch said "Prescott will try and ignore that but I don't plan on letting him get away with it without a fight, should Livie come to me and say she wants out, I will get her out no matter how much pressure I might get from those above I promise."

Reid could see the sincerity in his eyes and he managed a tiny grateful smile before he headed off to the slightly larger table to set up the geographical profile whilst Hotch headed over to help Emily with the victim analysis.

Livie was reading the profile intently when she sensed someone sit down opposite her. Expecting it to be Hotch ready to try and persuade her to change her mind again she didn't look up until Rossi said "fancy sharing?"

She looked up at him suspiciously wondering why he suddenly had a craving for chocolate before she nodded and pushed the packet towards him. He took one of the biscuits before looking out the window and slowly Livie returned to the profile.

Rossi was silent for maybe fifteen minutes before he looked back at her. "Why are you doing this" he asked "I mean I know you want to help but why risk your life? You know none of us want you to so why?"

Livie sighed and lay the file down on the table "because of them" she said gently pushing the photos of the victims across the table "if we don't catch these guys then they can never rest in peace, they'll just be added to the 'unsolved pile' which is already too big; full of people waiting for justice. When I was taken I was so scared thinking that I would never see my mom again, just like I imagine they were, I was lucky, they were not. Sometime I feel that… maybe I was lucky enough to survive for a reason… you know so that… I could help those who weren't so lucky… I know what they must have felt like… I know their fear… so I want to help them… to make the life I nearly lost worthwhile."

"If you are not careful you will lose that life" Rossi said "and you will hurt so many people if you do; your mom, your dad, little Kaylee… Spencer… and all of us" Livie smiled weakly "which is why I have no intention of losing" she said "just stopping if from happening to anyone else. Because they are going through terrible pain. And I feel that no women should ever suffer under the hands of men. So I am going to make sure that these women are the last whoever suffer."

Rossi looked at her "you're confident" he noted "I don't know if that is good or bad" "I know the risks Rossi" Livie said "good" he interjected "because then you will know how dangerous this situation is. Remember that. Confidence is good sometimes; but it can also get you killed remember that."

Livie nodded "any other advice" she asked. Rossi leaned back in his chair to study her. "Remember those who care for you" he said and Livie's eyes flicked over to Reid sitting bent over the map, a small frown creasing his forehead. "Remember how much they love you…" Livie continued to stare at Reid who was sitting at his table working away at the geographical profile. "He loves you Livie" Rossi said gently "it would kill him if something happened to you, you do know that right, I have never seen him love someone as much as he loves you; don't let him lose his first love"

Livie looked at him "I love him too you know" she said "I have no intention of ever losing him in such a horrible way" "yeah well you seem to be trying pretty hard to" Rossi said. Livie gave him a look "ouch" she said sarcastically and Rossi gave a weak smile "sorry kiddo, I just want to make sure we have tried every method to get you to pull out"

Livie smiled "well you a cross that method off" she said taking another biscuit before shoving the packet towards him. Rossi took another and leaned back to watch her as she turned back to her file. Then he let out a long sigh "one more thing Livie" he said and slowly Livie looked up "remember to always return to return" Rossi said and remember to never give up hope"

Livie looked around at them all and then back at Rossi and smiled "I will" she said with a smile and Rossi nodded to her before they both settled back to continue their tasks.

'Better to fight for something than live for nothing' George S. Patton

Ok so I finally have a complete endgame in sight for this story which will hopefully make updates faster :P pray for little work lol

Sorry again for the delay.

Please review as they really inspire me to continue writing

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Thanks for reading

Mysticgirl