Author's Notes: And as promised, here's the final chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter Eight: House on Fire Remastered

"You know, I really underestimated how good looking Daniel Craig was, and he did a damn good job playing the modern day James Bond."

Spencer chuckled as he placed his hands on Annette's abdomen, reaching under the hem of her pajama top to caress her stomach. They just finished watching Casino Royale over a large bowl of popcorn they made together, enjoying the movie and each other's closeness, with her sitting on his lap and curled up against him.

"I beg to wonder how much of a mathematical genius Le Chiffre truly is if he likes to flaunt it by playing poker."

Annette giggled.

"I bet you'd beat him with a royal straight flush, house of spades. He does lack the card counting ability you possess."

"Yeah. You really think so?"

"I know so. He'd be weeping a bloody tear before he even sat down at the table."

Spencer smiled as he pressed a soft kiss to her neck.

"I think you're giving me too much credit here, Annette."

"No," Annette said, shaking her head. "I'm giving credit where it's due."

She felt him smile against her skin.

"How did I get so fortunate to have you?"

"Pure luck combined with the steering of fate?" Annette asked.

He let out another chuckle that rumbled the base of her throat, causing her to let out another giggle.

"Want to watch Quantum of Solace?" she asked.

"Let's save it for tomorrow," Spencer replied. "I'm still reeling from that flattering compliment you gave me, and a much-deserved thanks is necessary."

The smile on Annette's lips widened.

"Okay. Then it's a date."

Spencer and Annette were asleep on the chaise sleeper in the living room with only a duvet to cover them. On impulse, Spencer wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close before moving to pull the strap of her camisole top down her shoulder. His lips soon found her exposed skin, making her moan and smile as she practically molded to him. The hand around her waist moved under the hem of her top, caressing her stomach once again and taking in the feel of her skin.

One of their phones vibrated on the nearby side table, cutting short the moment and tranquility. Begrudgingly, Spencer pulled himself away from Annette and rolled over so that he could answer the phone. Annette groaned as she rolled onto her other side, rubbing her eyes and then her forehead as she blinked several times to clear her blurred vision.

"Doctor Reid."

"It's Rossi. Sorry to wake you up so late, but we have got a case. I'll pick you and the kiddo up in about twenty minutes. According to Hotch, coffee's already brewing."

"Okay. We'll be ready by the time you get here."

He heard Annette breathe out a heavy sigh as he ended the call.

"Is it a case?"

"Yeah. Rossi will come by to pick us up in twenty minutes. Coffee's already brewing."

Annette nodded as she stretched her arms up over her head, hearing and feeling her bones crack slightly.

"As long as the coffee's ready by the time we get there, I'm not complaining."

Annette couldn't help but giggle at Spencer's half-buttoned, crinkled dress shirt that wasn't even tucked in. Add the black cardigan sweater he wore over it to his mussed crop of hair, and she found him to be quite cute. She was in a half-buttoned blouse of her own, with a simple pair of jeans and boots.

"Did the old man say where we were heading?"

"No. He said we'd receive a briefing on the details when we get there," Spencer replied.

He looked up at her, doing a double-take when he glimpsed her navel and her chest through the openings in her blouse.

"How is it you still look so sexy, even half-awake?"

Annette gave him an amused look.

"I could ask you the same thing, hot stuff," she replied with a lick of her lips, causing Spencer's heart to leap to the base level of his throat. Before he could give her an answer, his phone vibrated.

"Guess we'll have to save those answers for when we close this case," she announced. "For now, we have work to do."

When Spencer offered his hand to her, Annette didn't hesitate to take it, and after shutting off the main light, they were out of the house with their go-bags in hand.

When the couple got comfortable in the SUV (Annette in the passenger's seat and Spencer in the backseat), Rossi had an amused expression on his face as he glanced between them.

"What?" Annette asked, unable to contain the snicker that left her lips.

"Nothing," Rossi replied with a shake of his head.

"I'm a grown woman, old man. I'm plenty old enough at this point in time."

"I know you are. Just looking out for my daughter is all."

He stole a look over his shoulder at Spencer.

"I won't hurt her, David."

"Because you know what will happen if you do," Rossi said in a stern tone.

Annette giggled as she placed a hand on Rossi's arm.

"Let's not keep the others waiting."

"Whoa," Garcia said, her voice echoing throughout the round table room as Spencer and Annette walked in.

"Were you two getting frisky?" Morgan asked in a teasing tone, laughing at the looks the couple gave him as Annette smacked him playfully on the arm.

"At least Spencer's getting some, unlike you," she replied, giving him a smug smirk at his reaction as the others chuckled.

"You are so lucky you're a taken woman, Annette. Better keep her close, Reid."

Rather than speak a word, Spencer wrapped his arms around Annette's waist from behind, her back pressing against his front as he slipped his hands into the pockets of her jeans and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Okay. Now that we're all here, let's get started," Hotch announced.

JJ nodded and flipped the television on, bringing up news footage of a burned out movie theater.

"This is a movie theater in the town of Royal, Indiana, a small town of around two thousand people. Earlier in the evening, a fire broke out, killing nineteen people."

"Are they sure it's arson?" Morgan asked.

"Yes. The same thing happened at the local recreation center," JJ replied. "Twelve victims, no survivors.

"Some details that didn't make the news were a couple of fires at a convenience store and a local restaurant. Luckily, they took place after hours. So, no one was hurt."

"Thirty-one victims within two weeks is one hell of an escalated jump," Annette said. "Why weren't we called in sooner?"

"The local police and fire department didn't suspect he would become a killer," JJ replied.

"And any deaths that take place are almost always accidental," Spencer said, taking a seat at the table.

"Thirty-one victims isn't an accident," Annette said. "The police chief made a mistake not calling us in sooner."

"Annette's right," Hotch chimed in. "And although not all arsonists become killers, they have one thing in common. Once they start, they can't stop."

"Meaning we'll have to catch him before he burns the whole town down," Annette said.

Annette was lying on the jet's couch, with an open case file on her lap, listening to the theories being discussed by the team. With how small of a town Royal was, the UnSub was definitely a local male that either lived or grew up in Royal. Add their invitation from the police chief, and it might as well be a recreation of the witch hunts that formed the Salem Witch Trials. Based on the way small towns work, this would not end well, especially with the knowledge of the many secrets small towns keep.

"Hey."

She looked up to see Spencer looking at her, and she lifted her legs up so that he could sit down. She rested her legs on his lap, and he rubbed her calves.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Just bracing myself for the outcome not ending too well," Annette replied. "It's usually the case with investigations in small towns."

"But that's not all that's bothering you."

"I have a bad feeling about this case."

He took a hold of her hand, and she didn't hesitate to give it a squeeze as she let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

Annette could sense the tension flowing off of Garcia through the video relay connecting them. She waited for Hotch, JJ, and Spencer to leave the room before making her presence known, and she saw Garcia's overwhelmed expression.

"You look like you could use a breather," she said, announcing her presence as she sat down.

"Hi there, baby doll," Garcia greeted with a small smile.

"Hi, porcelain doll," Annette greeted back. "How are you doing?"

"Honestly, not too well. I'm too tense over having to dig into people's backgrounds the way a profiler would. I'd rather be back in my cyber bubble."

Annette nodded.

"I know how you feel. I'm hesitant about this case myself. Cases in small towns rarely end too well. I know from experience."

A beat of silence followed between the two women before Garcia spoke up.

"Hey, baby doll, can I ask for some advice on how to profile?"

Her question surprised Annette, and it was clear in her expression.

"Out of everyone on the team, you're asking me, the newest member, for advice on profiling?"

"No offense to the rest of the team, but I think I can learn more from the woman with the unique ability to profile independently," Garcia replied.

With a small smile, Annette leaned back in her seat, tilting her head to the side.

"Hope you got a notepad ready, my porcelain doll. I'm going to teach you everything I know about profiling."

I am so grateful I grew up in a big city like Albuquerque, Annette thought as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Garcia's revelation of the ads regarding the locals' personal affairs made her sick to her stomach, and with a third fire added to the growing pile of dread, she was more than ready to gag.

"Hotch and Rossi spoke to the bartender," Morgan announced. "There was a guy she didn't recognize that kept switching seats."

At that revelation, something clicked in Annette's mind.

"I see your wheels are turning, Annette," Prentiss said.

"Could the UnSub have grown up in Royal and then moved away?" Annette asked. "Porcelain doll, what years were the bar, theater and recreation center built?"

"They constructed the bar six years ago," Garcia replied. "They constructed the movie theater in the forties. Was a single screen before they divided it two years ago, and they built the rec center in the late seventies."

"I'll call Hotch," Morgan announced.

Annette's hand clenched into a fist as she listened in on an angry Garcia vent the story of what happened to their UnSub, Tommy Wheeler, the brother of EMT Tina Wheeler. Understanding the feeling of being an outsider, she felt a strong sense of empathy for him. She was silent the entire time, using all of her sense of reason to keep herself from flying into a rage at both Chief Carlson and Doctor Rawlings for their neglect of helping Tommy in his hour of need. She could only imagine the loneliness he must have felt when they sent him away, and it did not differ from what she felt in the aftermath of her abduction.

The town made her think of the senior class that snubbed her that year. While Tommy had nobody to turn to after they sent him away, she had her family and the few friends she made.

I have to get through to this boy. Nobody deserves to suffer alone, and he deserves to be shown kindness from someone who understands how it feels to be an outcast.

It was a hostage situation with Tommy and Tina as they circled around the siblings with their guns drawn. Add the gasoline spilling from the turned container and the lit match in Tommy's hands, and Annette felt like a witch about to be burned at the stake. Wanting to reach out to him and share her tale, Annette cocked her gun and put it back into his holster, holding her hands up to show him she was not a threat.

"Tommy, I understand what you're feeling," she said in a gentle tone, making him look at her. "I almost died at sixteen by a man who killed four other girls before me. While I lived, the senior class at my school treated me like trash, and they wanted to hurt me as badly as the men who beat you and left you for dead."

She took a deep breath and let it out before she continued.

"I also have a sister that I love and cherish, and I would never hurt her. As much as I love her, I also know to let her go if it ever comes down to it. I can see how much you love Tina, and I don't want her to get hurt. So, if you truly love her as much as you say you do, then let her go, please.

"The suffering you endured in both silence and loneliness isn't fair. Nobody deserves to be alone, and I know what it's capable of if you let yourself wallow in it for too long. However, what you're doing isn't fair either. Please. Let Tina go."

She was on the verge of tears by the time she completed her speech. With a look between her and Tina, Tommy expresses his love for her, and he dropped the match that burned out before letting Tina go. The relief crashed down on Annette as Morgan arrested Tommy, and she was out of the community center before anyone had the chance to stop her.

The tears flowed from Annette's eyes as she sat in the open trunk of a police cruiser. She was staring absentmindedly into the night, letting herself feel the turbulence of emotions that was both hers and Tommy's. Their mutual feelings of being outcasts formed some kind of kinship between them, and it saved Tina and spared another local building from being burned to a crisp.

She wiped her tears away when she saw Hotch approaching her.

"You okay?"

"I will be," Annette replied with a nod.

"What you did in there was admirable," Hotch said, hoping it would ease her.

"Despite knowing I further jeopardized the situation?"

"You found a place for the pain you've suffered through since your abduction, Annette," Hotch explained. "You used that pain to form a connection with Tommy, and you helped save Tina's life."

"What does that make me?" Annette asked.

"Good at the job," Hotch replied. "We're lucky to have you."

He gave her a pat on the shoulder, and she nodded, giving him a small smile.

"Thanks, Hotch."

"Thank you, Annette."

Spencer didn't miss the heavy sigh Annette breathed out as she plopped on the bed. He set his satchel down, kicked his shoes off, and went to lie down with her.

"Hotch said you were exceptional when you talked down Tommy, and from what I've heard, I have to agree with him."

Annette chuckled.

"It's been a while since I've talked about my feelings in high school. I thought if I did, that feeling of being a victim would hit me hard all over again."

Spencer moved closer to her, his hand finding the hem of her blouse and pushing it up, exposing her stomach. Annette let out a breathy sigh at the feel of his fingertips on her skin, placing her hand over his and moving his hand in a circular motion.

"You like rubbing my stomach, don't you?"

"It calms you down, and it gives me an excuse to touch you whenever you're tense," Spencer replied, causing Annette to smile as she leaned in close.

"Savor it while you can. I leave for Albuquerque in a few days, and then I'll be traveling with Anya and a couple of her friends for their spring break vacation."

"Don't remind me," he said with a sigh.

"I know. It's only for a week. You'll be fine."

"I'll miss you, but have fun with Anya."

"I will, and I'll miss you, too. I'll be back before you know it."

She grabbed him by the tie and pulled him towards her, sealing it and the closing of yet another case with a much-needed kiss.

End Notes: And that's another story completed! The next story covers the events of the episode, "Conflicted", which means Annette may unknowingly put herself in a dangerous situation! You guys will find out when I start posting the story, which the first chapter will be published in about two weeks so that this story will have some time to settle in. This is also because I have a six-day work streak starting tomorrow, and I would like some time to process everything, at the very least. Hope you guys are continuing to enjoy the ride, because I sure am enjoying it myself, and stay tuned!