Bullet From A Gun (Criminal Minds)

Epilogue

Chapter Twelve
 
 
‘Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.’ - Fix You by Coldplay
 
 
Three months later
 
It was a quiet night in Quantico, Virginia. The FBI building looked frozen; a few stray lights were switched on as agents caught up on paper work and packed up to get back to their families. Around the entrances and patrolling the floors, a couple of security guards checked the near empty building. On the floor that the Behavioural Analysis Unit was based on, the sound of elevator doors opening sounded, and out stepped Dr. Spencer Reid. Over his shoulder sat his mustard coloured messenger bag. Gripping hold of the strap, he made his way through the glass doors into the familiar bullpen. Empty, as he suspected. He dropped his bag at his desk and made his way to the kitchenette for some coffee. Taking something out of his pocket, he looked at it for a moment before smiling and putting it away. Filling his mug with steamy fresh coffee and his desired amount of sugar, he made his way up to the briefing room where he knew his impatient team would be waiting. 
 
Walking through the door, he immediately heard the calling of Derek Morgan. “Hey, hey, Pretty Boy! Where have you been?” 
Tapping his nose, Spencer ducked out of range of one of his best friend’s arm punches. As he set down his mug, he looked at his team, all present besides Garcia. Shrugging, he took in their attire. David Rossi was dressed in a suit jacket and a pair of dark jeans, casual yet semi-dressy; he looked like he belonged in the Italian Mafia. Aaron Hotchner was dressed pretty similarly, except he wasn't wearing a jacket; he looked like a regular father. JJ and Emily were dressed in plain dresses; JJ's blue, Emily's red. Both looked although they were going to a restaurant for a fancy meal. 

Looking down at his sweater and jeans, Spencer raised his eyebrows. “Well, I didn't get the memo.” 

Shaking his head at his best friend, Derek Morgan grabbed the younger male's elbow, ushering him out of the room. Spencer left without any hesitation. If he had learnt anything in his time in the BAU, it was to trust your team in every situation, because sometimes they’re all you were going to have. Stepping into the parking lot, everything immediately went dark. 

“Guys!” Spencer panicked voice whispered. He hated the dark now, even more than before. The dark meant fear and it meant secrets. Feeling a panic rise in his chest, his brain went haywire. Are they trying to scare me? Where are we going?

David looked at his co-worker who was clearly panicking. The paranoia was something they hadn't beaten from the incident with Logan yet. Every night when Reid went home, he checked all the doors and windows were locked. It took them a month to even get him to sleep in his apartment alone; Hotch still got calls occasionally in the middle of the night from a scared Reid who had either had a nightmare or scared himself silly. 

Walking over to him, Dave placed a hand on his shoulder. “It's okay Reid.” 
When Spencer managed to calm down, they proceeded with their plan. Opening the door of a FBI SUV, they gently pushed him onto a seat. JJ and Morgan climbed in the back with Reid, while Prentiss and Hotch climbed in the front. Rossi would follow behind in the safety of his own car. 

After driving for just over a half an hour, the cars drew to a stop. JJ gently lifted Reid's hand and pulled him out of the car. Inside his head, Reid was trying to figure out where he was, and for once he knew nothing. Allowing himself to be dragged down what felt like a gravel path, he felt JJ push on his chest, motioning him to stop. 
“Spence, take it off,” she whispered, and stepped away.

Reaching up to his eyes, he quickly pulled the damned blindfold off his face. Squinting slightly at the sudden light, he looked around, dumbstruck. They were in the middle of a garden - a large one at that. His team stood in a circle, now including Garcia, around a large table filled with food and wine. Around the walls of the garden sparkled little fairy lights like the ones placed on a Christmas tree.

Looking back at his team, Spencer tried to speak, but word's refused to form. 
“Speechless, baby boy?” Garcia mused, raising her eyebrows. She ran forward and embraced her Junior G man. Three months ago, she was terrified that she was losing him. Now that she was seeing him almost well up at some lights and food, she hadn't a doubt in the world. He would always be their resident genius. 
Dragging him to the table, she shoved him into a seat.  She then handed him a brightly wrapped parcel and smiled. “Happy birthday Reid, you deserve it.”
As he reached out, the first words formed, “Thank you. So much.” Opening it up, he laughed. On his lap now sat a book called ‘Dummy's Guide to Computers’. “Thanks Pen!” 

While the others handed him his gifts, he happily received them. When he was in hospital, he was sure he was never going to see his thirty-first birthday, and now that he had, he couldn't be happier. At the end of the gift opening, he had a hand drawn card from Henry, a new sweater from JJ and Will, three new ties, a cookery book from Rossi and the team had all together bought him a cake. Smiling as his team sat down and watched him blow out the candles, he started to dig into the sweets.
 
Five or ten minutes later, he stood up, tapping the side of the glass to get their attention. 
“Hey, everyone?” Ducking his head a little when they all looked at him, he took the thing he was looking at earlier out of his pocket. His face broke out into a massive grin; he heard his team wondering what was happening. 

“Spence? What's that?” JJ asked in her motherly tone. Turning to her, he held up what at first looked like a large coin. Then the team realised it was a medallion. 
A medallion from Narcotics Anonymous. 
A five year medallion.
 
When they realised, they all sprang towards Spencer, in what could have possibly been the first BAU team group hug. 

“When did you get it?” The muffled shout of Prentiss came in the midst of it. 
Laughing, Spencer pushed himself away from the hug, unable to breathe. “Today, just before I came to meet you guys.” He smiled.
 
As his team filed back to the table to resume their eating, Spencer Reid looked at the small, shiny medallion in his hand. Then he glanced at his team. He knew he would be okay, whether he gets tempted to use or stabbed or kidnapped...He would always be okay because he had them. 
 
And that was all he could ask for.