Hi everyone!

How do I start? Maybe with a big fat SORRY for how long it took me to go back to this story. I'm pretty sure most of you have lost interest by now but I swear this story has never left my mind. But motherhood - I had a second kid in the meantime - really didn't leave me with a lot of spare time and my muse was out of the window. Again, sorry. But I kept thinking about Annie and Spencer and I promised myself I would wrap up this story one day. And that day is here!

So without much further ado, here's the final chapter!

Thank you to everyone who is still here, to old readers, new readers and everyone who has supported me in all these years! I love you all!

xoxo

Reidsgirl

P.S.: I won't promise anything but maybe I'll come back with some one-shots for Annie & Spencer!

xxxx

Chapter 55

The early afternoon sun cast a golden light over the Reid's backyard, filtering through the leafs of the trees along the property line. It was the first truly warm day of the summer and they had invited the team - their family - to a BBQ in the garden. Rossi and Derek in charge of the grill, currently arguing over ways to cook the burgers to absolute perfection. Emily and Garcia lounged in the shade under the trees, cocktails in hand, finally relaxing after their recent stressful case. JJ and Will were deep in conversation with Hotch while Jack and Henry played with their toy trucks in the sandpit that had been added to the garden this spring.

Annie stood barefoot on the grass, a glass of cold lemonade in one hand, the other shielding her eyes from the sun as she watched the two most precious people in her life: Spencer, his walk slow but steady with Emma – now one and a half – squealing behind him.

"Dada!" Emma giggled, her pudgy, little legs running as fast as she could. Her chestnut curls - unmistakeably her fathers - bounced with each step, her arms outstretched as she chased him. Spencer glanced back, his face lighting up as he looked at her stumbling after him. "You're getting faster" he called to her. "You'll catch me soon!"

He still carried a slight limp - a lingering reminder of the spinal bruise that had once left his lower body almost useless. But now, as he darted just a few paces ahead of his toddling daughter, he looked like a man reborn. He didn't need his cane anymore, though his physical therapist still came once a week. He had worked so hard for this. Bled and cried for this.

Emma giggled as she continued to chase after her dad when suddenly she tripped over her own feet, this whole walking thing new to her. In a way, Annie thought, they had learned to walk together.

Emma tumbled forward with a giggle, falling onto her knees and then crawling the rest of the way to him. Spencer immediately crouched and scooped her up into his lap, his long arms wrapping gently around her squirming form. "Gotcha," he whispered, brushing a kiss against her forehead. She squealed again and buried her face into his shoulder.

From her lounger, Garcia called out, "That child is clearly gifted in the art of dramatic entrances. She gets it from her aunt."

"Your entrance today included being late," Derek replied dryly, sipping from his beer.

"That was intentional baby," Garcia huffed, but she was smiling.

Annie's heart twisted. That sound - Emma's voice, her laughter - was the music that had filled their lives with hope. And Spencer… Spencer laughed too, the kind of laugh she hadn't heard for months after his injury. It rang out across the garden, unguarded and warm, the way it used to before the pain, before their life had come crashing down. Annie's eyes burned at the memory. She didn't let herself cry a lot these days but seeing Spence with their daughter like this she couldn't help it sometimes. Two years ago they hadn't been sure he'd ever walk again. And now… She swallowed and blinked the tears away.

"Good job sweetie!" Annie called out with a laugh, walking barefoot into the grass to join her husband and daughter. She reached them a second later and knelt beside them. "She loves chasing you," she said softly, brushing a curl off of Emma's forehead. "You're her favorite person."

As if on cue Emma got up and took two small staps towards Annie. "I wouldn't be to sure about it." he laughed. "Right now she wants you and I can't fault her for it." he smiled as Emma stubled into Annie's lap.

Then Spencer looked up at his wife, his expression softening in that way it always did when he looked at her. "She's faster than I thought. I'm not sure who's practicing balance more—her or me."

Annie chuckled, then reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind his ear. Like father, like daughter. "You've come so far."

Flashback – 2 years earlier. Georgtwon University Hospital, Physical therapy wing

Spencer gripped the parallel bars so hard his knuckles were white. His arms shook with the effort and his legs trembled beneath the weight they were barely able to hold.

"One more step" the therapist encouraged him. "You've got this Dr. Reid".

Annie sat nearby, perched on the edge of a padded chair. Her hair was tied back into a messy bun and she clutched the water bottle in her hands so tight it crinkled under her fingers. Spencer looked at her, hating the way she she seemed so tense, worrying about the effect it would have on the tiny new life growing inside of her.

Spencer took a breath. Sweat dripped down his temple. His left food shifted an inch, barely coming off the floor. Then another.

And then his knees buckled.

With a frustrated grunt he collapsed into the padded safety harness. The therapist steadied him instantly but Spencer turned his face away, his jaw clenched painfully. He didn't want Annie to see the tears brimming in his eyes.

"Hey." Annie was at his side within seconds, her hand gently touching his arm. "You did great. That was more than yesterday."

"It doesn't feel like more." he muttered, his voice raw. "It feels like… like I'm trapped inside my own body. I know how to move, I remember how. But my body… it won't listen. It's like…." he shook his head. "It's like it's not even my own."

Annie's heart cracked. She reached up and gently cupped his cheek, turning his face towards her. "Then we'll reintroduce you." she whispered as she kissed away a single tear rolling down towards her thumb. "Every day, every step. You're still my Spence. Still brilliant and still you. And you're not alone in this."

His gaze flickered to her, red-rimmed eyes glassy. "Do you ever regret it?" he whispered. "Staying? Choosing me when… when I'm like this?"

Now Annie blinked back her own tears. "Never." she said fiercely. "Not even one second. You're the love of my life Spence. And the father of our baby." she placed a hand on her small bump. "Whether you're running beside me, rolling in your wheelchair or holding onto bars to stand up. None of that changes. I love you."

Spencer looked at Annie, his expression suddenly quieter as he came back from his memory. "She's ours," he said, like he still couldn't believe it. "Somethimes I can't believe that I get to be here for this. That I get to run – well sort of – run with her."

Annie cupped his face gently, her thumb grazing the line of his jaw. "You worked so hard for this." she said. "Every single step, every day."

"I wouldn't have made it without you," he said simply. "Not just physically. If it wasn't for you Annie… I almost lost myself after the injury. You reminded me who I was. Who I still am."

Annie swallowed the lump in her throat. "You never stopped being you, Spencer. Even when you couldn't stand, couldn't walk. Even when you almost gave up in that sterile hospital room. It was still you. My Spence, who walked into the cafe and stole my heart." The last words she said with a smile, brushing a soft kiss to his lips.

"Hey pretty boy" a sharp whistle cut through their quiet moment. "Get yourself and your two girls over here before Rossi and Prentiss eat all the burgers." Morgan called from his place beside the BBQ.

"You want to try your first burger sweetie?" Spencer grinned at Emma and Annie helped steady him as he rose to his feet, Emma in her arms. The little girl squealed again, clapping her hands. His fingers laced into Annie's they made their way to the others gathering on the patio.

"There she is. My favorite girl in the entire universe!" Penelope cooed as she reached for the toddler.

Emma gave a wide grin and clapped her hands again. "Gee!"

"She said my name!" Garcia gasped as she took Emma into her arms. "You guys heard that, right? Gee, that's totally Garcia!"

"That's absolutely not what she said" Morgan said with a laugh, handing Spencer and Annie their plates. "But whatever you want to believe."

They moved to the table, chattering and laughing as they sat down together. Jack and Henry abandoning their toys to grab their burgers before JJ quickly intercepted to send them to wash their hands, Hotch refilling everyone's drinks with Emily's help.

Annie sat down next to Spencer with Emma on her lap, the toddler's hands grabbing a french fry from her mother's plate. She laughed as Emma leant towards Spencer to try and stuff the fry into his mouth. He smiled as he took a bite before kissing his daughter's hand when suddenly her other hand smashed into her father's plate, sending Ketchup flying in all directions.

"Oh my good, look at her face!" Annie called, her face flush with laughter. She grabbed a napkin to clean up both themselves and Emma who had started licking ketchup from her chubby hands. Garcia was snapping pictures while Emily laughed so hard she nearly dropped her drink.

Spencer looked around the table, his family, in every sense of the word. And then back at Annie. "This is happiness, isn't it?" he whispered.

She nodded. "Yeah. Messy, loud sticky happiness. And it's ours."

They sat together until the sun started setting behind the treeline, surrounded by love and laughter.

The house had gone still, the moon now glowing across the backyard. The scent of coal and grilled meat still clinging faintly to the breeze that drifted in through the open screen door.

Inside, Emma was finally asleep in her crib, cheeks smushed against the crib sheet, her favorite stuffed bunny in her tiny fist. Her curls still damp from the bath Annie had given her to get the ketchup out of her hair.

Downstairs Spencer stood at the kitchen sink rinsing the last dishes, sleeves rolled up. His balance was improving, his endurance too. There was an ease in his posture that hadn't been there for a long time. His body still ached sometimes but the stiffness wasn't as sharp as it used to be.

"You know, you could have let me handle those." Annie said from behind him as her arms wrapped around his waist.

Spencer turned, drying his hands on the dish towel. "I know, but you already did so much today." he smiled down at her, placing a kiss on the top of her hair. "Besides, I can't let Morgan keep claiming I've been "milking the sympathy card" every time I get out of chores."

Annie chuckled as she squeezed him, face pressed into his chest. She had changed into one of Spencer's old Caltech shirts and a pair of sleep shorts. Barefoot, hair losely tumbling down her shoulders she looked like home to him.

"I'm so tired." she murmured against him. "But the good kind, you know."

"Yeah," he whispered. "The kind where your heart is full and your feet hurt but you wouldn't change a thing."

They stood for a moment, the only sound their breathing, the wind rustling the leaves outside the screen door and the faint static of the baby monitor.

"I had a flashback earlier," Spencer said quietly. "Out in the yard."

Annie leaned back, her arms still wrapped around his waist and looked up at him. "What kind?"

"One of the first outpatient therapy sessions. When I fell." His voice dropped to a an almost whisper. "I was so sure I was failing you. You were pregnant and I thought… how could I take care of a child when I couldn't even take care of myself."

"I was scare I wouldn't get here. This this day. To this life. To you and Emma." he breathed.

Annie closed her eyes briefly and slid her hand up to his cheek. "And yet here you are. Exactly where you're meant to be."

His hands cupped her face and his lips found hers, the emotions seeping through his kiss before he whispered against her lips. "There were days I wanted to give up. Not because I didn't want this, but because I was afraid I would ruin it. That I'd hold you back."

"I was afraid that I wouldn't be strong enough to carry us both," Annie replied, her voice thick with emotion.

"You carried more than both of us." he whispered. "You carried everything."

Annie looked away for a moment, her throat thightening. "And then Emma's birth…" she didn't finish the sentence.

"I know." his arms tightened around her. "They told me to prepare for the worst. And I was sitting there with Emma in my arms and I didn't know if I could do this without you. How I could live without you.

Tears stung in Annie's eyes. "I remember when they took her out of my arms in the delivery room. Everything was so loud and then just – nothing. And the last thing I thought was "I never said goodbye to him."

Spencer pressed her against his chest. "Don't," he whispered. "you're here. You made it. And so did we."

They held each other, swaying slightly, thinking back to that moment where it might have ended.

After a while, Annie took his hand and gently tugged him towards the couch. They curled up there together, Spencer stretched out carefully, Annie half tucked into his lap with her head on his shoulder. The baby monitor crackled softly, Emma breathing quietly in her room. Blissfully unanware of what her parents had survived, how strong they had both been to bring her into this world.

"She'll never know," Annie murmured. "How close we came to losing everything."

"She will one day." Spencer said. "She'll know how strong her mommy is. And how much we love her."

"Do you ever think how close we came to falling apart?" Annie tilted her head up to look at him.

He didn't reply right away. "I think we did fall apart. A little bit. Quietly. And then we stitched it back together."

She closed her eyes "We did. And we'll get through anything else life throws at us. Together."

He leaned in for another kiss, lips pressed against each other, his heart so full he thought it might burst out of his chest any moment now. He was right where he belonged.

They stayed curled up against each other until sleep crept in, heavy and comforting. Spencer traced lazy circles on the back of her hand, his breath against her neck. Annie's eyelids closed as her head fell against his chest and her breathing slowed. She felt as safe as she would always feel when she was with him.

An in the quiet of their home, with their daughter safe, they knew they had everything they ever needed. Love, their precious Emma. And each other.

The End