A/N: This is the last chapter!! Thank you so much for reading, and please, leave a review if you've enjoyed the story. That's what makes this fun!

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Reid and Morgan were met by Sheriff Dee at the gate of the aged St. Louis Cemetery No.1 and led in on foot. This place could indeed be called a city of the dead, Reid thought. Tombs built centuries ago, intended to house generation after generation of a family line, were packed close together and divided by walking paths. Some were well-cared for, others near dilapidation. Flowers and mementos were heaped on some, others were bare of any adornment.

Leaving the bustle of the late afternoon New Orleans streets, the atmosphere in the cemetery felt still and quiet. The two agents were fully alert, watching for signs of anything that might be related to the case. They came upon the crime scene, delineated by yellow tape. Morgan took the lead and found the officer in charge.

"Do we have an ID?"

"No. Victim's female, no driver's license, nothing."

"Time of death?"

"The ME thinks it was no more than a couple of hours ago, but of course he'll need to do an autopsy to be sure."

"Who found her?"

"Tourist group. They'll never forget New Orleans."

"Mm. COD?"

"Strangulation; she was beaten pretty severely first, though. Her throat was cut, but that was post-mortem."

"And, is there a mark in ash drawn on her forehead?"

"Yup."

"Ok. Reid, let's take a look," he said as he motioned to his partner. They walked to the tomb of Marie Laveau and stared down at the body. The woman was fully clothed, lying brokenly on the grass. She had facial cuts and swelling, but for Derek, the recognition was immediate.

"Oh, shit. That's Rose."

"Rose?" Dee asked from behind his shoulder.

"Yes," Reid affirmed. "She was a--call girl we were talking to. It turns out she helped Eldon Brown's ex escape to Houston."

Dee and Morgan both glanced at Reid, and Dee nodded. "So, there's a real good chance that he's in town and that he's responsible for doing this."

Both Reid and Morgan knelt next to the body and looked it over. Reid peered more closely at the woman's battered face.

"The blows to the face were vicious. Both she and Marquetta were beaten more severely than the male victims."

"It's personal with them," Morgan agreed. "So, he must have tracked Rose back here to the Quarter and attacked her shortly after she left our meeting. He probably followed her there and saw her talking to us."

Reid stood and looked around the tomb. There were the usual offerings to the departed voodoo queen--food, Mardi Gras beads, a half-empty bottle of wine. There were also a few small pouches, similar to the ones given to them by Beau, and Reid suddenly turned to Morgan and the officer in charge.

"Send officers to the voodoo shop on Rue Royal immediately--if Brown's come back to tend to unfinished business, there's a good chance he'll target Beauregard Devereux next. If he hasn't been there already."

The head officer got on his radio and Morgan said, "Let's go," to Reid and Dee, and the three headed back to her squad car.

******

Dee quickly drove them to Beau's place of business and they parked out of sight. They moved in silently, guns drawn. Morgan knelt by a window and peeked in, then straightened up and motioned to the other two to follow him to the door. He turned the handle and let the door swing open, positioning himself to the side in case someone was in hiding within. There was no movement, so they headed into the shop.

The place seemed deserted. They began moving around the room, then Reid said, "Morgan. Over here." Morgan joined him at the sales counter and looked where Reid pointed--Leon was lying still on the floor, blood covering his belly.

"Damn," whispered Dee. She holstered her gun and knelt to check for a pulse, while Morgan moved toward the door to the rest of the old building.

"Derek!" hissed Reid. "You don't have a vest--"

Morgan held up his hand to quiet him, and led the way with his gun in his hand. Once they were in the hallway, they could hear a deep voice coming from upstairs, then another unfamiliar one answering. Dee slipped outside to meet her officers and give them directions to surround the area, and Reid followed Morgan up the stairs.

At the landing, there were three rooms with closed doors, and the agents discerned the one where the two men were speaking. The deep voice had taken on a chanting quality, and they could make out words being repeated over and over in a sing-song manner.

Morgan and Reid positioned themselves on either side of the door, and Morgan called out "Whoever's in there, open the door, now. FBI."

A bullet came whizzing through the old oak door, followed by two more. Morgan carefully twisted the knob and pushed the door open with his foot. The room was a brightly lit kitchen, and they could see Beau--face bloodied, tied to a chair. A stranger was standing before him with a knife in his belt and a gun in his hand. Beau's face was streaked with blood, and he had a swollen eye and a cut on his mouth, but he grinned slightly.

Morgan spoke gruffly but quietly. "Put the weapons down. Put them down, don't try anything cute. Put them down. Now."

The man glanced from Morgan to Reid, and realized if he got one, the other would shoot him dead before he could fire again. He threw the gun down first, then the knife.

"Good. Now, on your knees. Put your hands behind your head, nice and slow."

The man slowly raised his hands and lowered himself as if to kneel, but before Morgan took a step toward him, he lithely rolled to the side, got behind Beau and viciously shoved the chair, propelling the big man forward into their path. He sprung to his feet, turned and threw himself through the closed window, landing on his feet, only to be tackled by two large New Orleans police officers, who then promptly handcuffed him.

Reid found a kitchen knife and cut the bindings that held the fallen Beau to the chair and Morgan watched the take-down from the window, making sure that the man was captured, subdued and placed in a police car before turning back. Dee ran in just as Reid was checking Beau for injuries.

"Everyone ok?" she asked.

"I think so. Are you all right?" Reid asked Beau.

"Yes, yes, my angel, I'm perfectly all right. Damn bastard caught me from behind. Hit me over the head with my own sculpture." A heavy bronze statue of a fertility goddess lay on the floor nearby. "Is Leon all right?"

"He's pretty badly injured--stab wound to the abdomen--but the ambulance just pulled up, and I think he'll be ok," Dee said.

"What about you? Is it just your head that's injured?" Reid asked.

"I-I think so. I'm still a bit dizzy. After he hit me, I was out for a few minutes and when I came to, I was on the floor. He had a gun. He made me sit in the chair and he tied me up, then he started beating me. He told me I was responsible for all his bad luck with my sister--he told me he knew I had cast a spell making people he trusted betray him. He said he would kill me, but he wanted to make me suffer first. That was when you came in--you gorgeous boy." Beau beamed at Reid through the blood that had formed sticky trickles over the side of his face.

Reid smiled shyly. "Well--it was good timing, I guess."

"Oh, it was more than that! The spirits were guiding you. They protected me, and you, too. Oh, and... him," he said as an afterthought, tilting his head toward Morgan. "I knew they would, I wasn't worried at all."

Morgan came around to look at the injured man. He holstered his gun and shook his head.

"You really think there was something supernatural about all this?"

Beau gave a broad smile. "What can I tell you? I called upon my guardian angel, and he materialized in the form of this beautiful young warrior." He gave Reid a look that made the agent feel as if he didn't have very many clothes on, but Beau's words made him brighten.

"Warrior?" Reid said, happily. No one had ever called him that before.

"Warrior?" Morgan looked insulted. "Look, he's the genius in this outfit, but I--"

"Every warrior needs a second." Beau shrugged dismissively.

Morgan rolled his eyes and said, "Look, we're going to have to get a statement from you. Can you please identify the man that attacked you?"

"Oh, yes. That was the devil in the flesh, and his name is Eldon Brown."

"We'll get a confirmation on that when we get him downtown," Dee interjected. "How is this going to be handled? Will the FBI take custody or what?"

"I'm going to talk to my supervisor in just a minute, we'll get it all figured out," Morgan assured her. He looked at Reid. "Do you want to tell him about--you know?"

"Huh?"

"Rose."

"Oh! Me?" Reid frowned.

"I think he'd take it better coming from you."

Reid nodded, then turned back to the big man. He was sitting at the table, dabbing at the blood with a dish towel.

"Mr. Devereux, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your friend Rose--"

"She's dead, isn't she?" Beau asked softly.

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

Beau nodded and pursed his lips. "I warned her to stay away. This town--there's so much darkness here. But, she wouldn't listen. There was... nothing I could do for her."

He sighed, then looked at Reid. "I suppose you'll be leaving town now."

"Yes."

"A shame. Well--I wish you and your, ah, partner the best of luck. But--" He grinned and leaned closer to Reid. "...if you ever change your mind, you come see me. I'll give you a 'get lost' potion that will fix everything up just fine. Then--I'll cook you a dinner that'll make you want to slap your mama." A deep, rolling laugh came out of his throat and Reid smiled uncertainly.

"Well--I don't know what that means, exactly, but I'll keep it in mind. Uh, thanks."

"Thank you, Agent Reid."

Two paramedics came in to usher Beau downstairs to be taken to the hospital to have his injuries properly cared for, and Dee, Morgan and Reid told him goodbye.

Beau paused in front of Morgan and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Take good care of him, Agent Morgan. If I ever hear you hurt him, I'll put a spell on you that will most definitely cause interference in your enjoyment of the carnal pleasures. Understand me?"

"I--" Morgan flashed an angry grimace at the big man, but after a moment, reluctantly nodded. "You don't have to worry. Last thing I ever want to do is hurt him."

"Oh, if you do, it will be!" Beau chuckled and raised an eyebrow devilishly as the paramedics led him away.

"What was all that about?" Reid asked, bewildered.

"Just some fatherly advice." The room was finally empty except for the two of them, and Morgan put an arm around Reid's shoulders. "Hey, thanks for backing me up, by the way."

"It's my job."

"That the only reason?"

Reid grinned. "No. I didn't want to have to fill out all that paperwork by myself."

"Nice. You know, Beau told me to take care of you, but he doesn't really know just how annoying you can be."

"I can take care of myself."

"That's what I'm afraid of. Talk about paperwork..."

The two agents grinned at each other and headed out of the building. There were phone calls to make, clothes to be packed, and a plane to catch.

And, they both secretly hoped there would be time to give that tiny bed one more good workout.

The End.