*Chapter 15*

*Fourteen Years Later*

The crowd of parents and guests jumped to their feet and cheered as the graduates threw their caps in the air. Confetti spilled out all around them in a sea of black and gold. Jamie, now eighteen, rushed off the stage and ran into Reid's arms.

"I did it!" she squealed happily. "I've graduated from high school!"

"I know," he told her. "I'm so proud of you."

"And guess what." She pulled away.

"What?" he said, playing along.

She smiled and clasped his hands. "I was going to wait to tell you until the graduation party, but . . . I got accepted into CalTech!"

"That's great!" He hugged her. "You're going to like it there."

"I hope so." Her face turned sad. "I'm going to miss you."

Though Reid was now forty-four, to her he'd always be her surrogate father. She was still haunted by memories of her childhood, but she knew if she had Reid, she'd be alright.

"Jamie!" Melanie was trying to push her way through the crowd, her five-year-old son Michael in her arms. When she finally reached them, she gave Jamie a one-armed hug. "I'm so proud of you, baby. And you know if Daniel were still alive he'd be proud of you, too."

Jamie smiled. "Thanks, Aunt Mel. Hey, little guy." She took Michael's hand. "You'll be a good boy when I'm gone, right?"

Michael nodded.

"Jamie!" a voice cried, and Jamie's best friend Lucy tackled her in a hug. "We finally get to leave this hellhole!"

Jamie laughed. "I know!"

"Hi, Spencer," Lucy said to Reid. Reid held up a hand in greeting. "Hi, Melanie." She hugged Melanie, then kissed Michael on the cheek, making him giggle.

"You guys are coming to the after party, right?" Jamie asked Reid and Melanie.

"I can't, Michael's been feeling sick," Melanie said.

"I don't want to crash the party," Reid said.

Jamie pouted. "You won't! Promise."

Reid shook his head. "It's alright. You have fun. Don't get into any trouble . . . or I'll know."

Jamie and Lucy both laughed.

"Okay Mr. FBI Agent," Lucy said, grinning. "No need to get threatening. We'll behave."

Jamie said her good-byes to Melanie before she and Michael left. Reid walked Jamie to her car.

Jamie hugged him tightly one last time. "Are you sure you don't want to go?"

"No, that's alright," he said. "I have a wife and daughter waiting for me at home."

"Okay, well tell them both I said hi," said Jamie. "When I go off for college . . . you'll email me every day, right?"

"I don't have email, but I'll write you," he supplied.

Jamie grinned. "Good. And Spencer?"

"Yeah?" He looked at her curiously.

"Thank you."

"For what?" he asked.

"For . . . . everything."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE END

*Thanks for reading.*