Chapter 31

BAU Headquarters

Quantico, VA

Six months later

Three cases, back-to-back, if there is a God, Spencer thought, then I swear he is Murphy, the God of Everything That Can Go Wrong. He settled back in his chair and tried to work the tension out of his shoulders. He didn't even have time to go home before they were taking off again, Gwen was bringing him a fresh go bag with clean laundry, and he'd just have enough time to see her briefly before they were heading off to Idaho. Someone had been taking children….

He looked up as the distinctive form came into view through the glass doors; Gipsy's presence at her side was a dead giveaway. The dog and the bicycle gave her back her independence, especially now that any threats were deemed minor, and she no longer had a bodyguard. But…"What's with the hood? It's like ninety degrees outside."

"Well, I finished the last scar treatment and got a clean bill of health while you were gone." Gwen's grin was just visible beneath the shadow of the hood.

"I thought you were going to wait on that appointment until I got back."

"I decided I had to do it on my own. I just had to."

"And you proved to yourself that it was okay." Spencer smiled. "I'm proud of you. And for passing that class as well, we need to celebrate that when I get back. But what's with the hood?"

"I decided since I've reached the new normal I wanted to look more like myself." Gwen pulled back the hood. Her hair wasn't exactly the old chestnut brown. She'd gone with a deep color more auburn, more…

Morgan whistled. "Hello, Red. Hey, I heard you passed the basic hand-to-hand course. Congratulations. "

Spencer felt his own grin growing. Her hair color wasn't exactly, precisely natural, but it was closer than the white, and with her bright blue eyes it was stunning. "Um, wow. I like it; a lot!"

"Thank you. I have something else to show you as well." She got Gipsy to sit and stay and then turned to Morgan. "Thanks. Can I borrow your office a minute?"

"Sure thing gorgeous," He grinned as the passed him and closed the door.

"You said you finished the last scar treatment." Spencer frowned a little when they were alone. "I thought we finished those a month ago." Most of the scars had been removed with laser treatments. The whipping scars on her torso and thighs were completely gone. The electrical burns on her breasts reduced to faint pink smudges on her ivory skin, the bands around her wrists and ankles smoothed and blended until you had to look to see that the skin was thicker there. Only that dammed brand had actually come out worse in the end. It was no longer raised; the skin there was utterly smooth. But removing it had clarified the edges of the red mark that remained. The crossed J and overlying V of the Vallejo brand were now crystal clear. And there was nothing to be done about it.

"I went back for one more just after you left a few weeks ago. You've been so busy it's had time to heal." Gwen smiled and unbuttoned her waistband, undid her fly. She peeled down one corner, taking her underpants with it, and showed him the result.

Spencer felt his smile growing again, big enough to split. He reached out and gently ran his knuckles over the tattoo of a chess piece that completely covered the remains of the brand, "A white knight?"

"I know who I belong to." She stepped closer, pulling his arms around the warm skin of her waist, and stretched up to kiss him.

"Wheels up in thirty, folks, I need my office back." Morgan chose just that moment to come in. He was going to ignore the kiss, but the open fly caught his attention and he just had to. "Man, the copy room is traditional for that sort of thing."

Gwen broke the kiss long enough to step back and do up her fastenings. They both chose to ignore that remark. "Just bring him home safe to me."

"You know I will Red. I always do." Morgan sorted the paperwork, and waited through the last few kisses and murmured I love yous, before Gwen went to collect Gipsy and leave them to the work. "I have got to find a woman like that. You are a lucky man."

"Yeah, I am," Spencer agreed, stars in his eyes. "How hard is it to get a tattoo?"

Old Peterson House

Fredericksburg, VA

Spencer looked up after he washed the last of the shaving soap from his face. That last case had been a doozy; Hotch had ordered everyone to take a three day weekend and relax, an order which Spencer intended to follow whole-heartedly. When he looked in the mirror he spotted his wife leaning in the doorway, with an odd look on her face. "What are you thinking?"

"That I'm glad you're home." She shifted a little, feeling the soft silk of her skirt settle a little lower on her hips. "And that you're still amazing after all this time. They did say clean bill of health you know."

"Yeah, you said that." It took a moment for the penny to drop. "Oh, are you sure?"

"Completely?" She watched him nod.

"Honestly, no. I'm nervous about the possibility of flashbacks. But there's no way to predict those in advance. I do know that I've become dammed proud of the work I've done. And there is one thing I know I want."

Spencer was dimly glad that his sweat pants were loose around his hips. There was room for what was growing there. "What's that?"

"Remember my first shower, in the hospital in LA? When I told you I didn't want you to look at me like that, and you said you wouldn't until it I let you?" When he nodded she pulled her top over her head. It wasn't the pink and ivory bra Spencer remembered from the day they had first kissed, this one was a delicate green that set off the color of her hair and her ivory skin. The scars were faint memories, the bicycle and walking Gipsy had given her skin a healthy glow and much tender care had made it softer than the silk she wore, and a healthy diet had filled in all of her curves. "Well, I'm letting you; forever, as of now."

Spencer's heart rate tripled and his mouth went dry just looking at her. A few steps and she was in his arms. Unless she tells me to stop, he thought, the house could burn down around us this time. He bent down to kiss her, slow, shallow, teasing. "Do you remember the day at the movies, when we first kissed, when you were going to buy your first bra?"

"Mmm-hmm" Gwen stretched up on her toes, nipping at his jaw line since he insisted on talking.

"I was sitting outside fantasizing how you would look in that thing, something like a wrapped gift. You look a million times better than I dreamed."

Gwen chuckled, took his hand and guided it up to the clasp, showed him how to make it open. "So unwrap me all ready." Then her head fell back and she moaned as his palm cupped her, teased at the hard bud, followed by that hungry, busy mouth.

Spencer answered her moan with his own as he licked and teased and tasted. She tasted of roses, he thought, and perhaps vanilla cake, all soft and sweet and like heaven. While he tasted her throat his hands slipped lower, to cup her backside, below the waistband of that skirt, which obligingly fell away to puddle at her feet. It took him a long moment of gentle stroking to realize that she hadn't been wearing anything underneath. That with the sole exception of her wedding ring she was, oh god, utterly naked in his arms. He picked her up, holding her to him and walked her the few steps to the bed, all the while feasting on her lips, or perhaps she was feasting on his. He lay her down and covered her as he had so long ago. "If you want me to stop, tell me."

"Don't you dare," was all she could say, all she could think as she pulled him onto her. His long, lean body felt so solid and so good and so right. He tasted of caramel, she realized, and apples somehow and some sort of spice as she nipped and licked and explored his throat and collarbone. Her hands glided over the tight muscles of his back, pushing his pants down and off before reaching around to try to find him, cup him, pleasure him that way.

He caught her hands, stopped her. "I won't last." He admitted. This was too good, too rare; he wanted to savor every moment as long as he could. He made the long arm behind them, felt about on the nightstand for the small bottle he'd been keeping behind his clock, a talisman for the day it might be needed, ever since they returned from Colorado so many months ago. His attempts to continue to kiss her while slicking one hand left them both laughing while they tried to crawl into each other's skins, "Ah, hold on. I don't want to drip on you." He paused and managed and when he returned to her reached down and cupped her and then slipped his fingers against her. "You know, I have no clue what I'm doing."

"Whatever it is, it's nice." Gwen's eyes drifted shut. She could feel him now, touching her there and there, gentle and smooth. And when he found that knot of nerve and skin and began to play she could feel the heat starting to build. "Mmmm, very nice."

"Doesn't hurt?"

"Not at all."

Which was all well and good, Spencer thought, but I was kinda hoping for more of a reaction. He continued kissing her, touching her until she murmured a sigh and her legs parted even more for him. Then he reached lower, slipped in a long, flexible, magician's finger, and found that small lump at the very top.

It's good, Gwen thought; if he keeps that up, I'll get there and I want to and I want this with him. Then he was probing a little and she felt him slip in without pain, which was one worry gone. But then he touched something somewhere deep inside, and she would forever swear he literally touched her core that day. A river of pure pleasure poured through her, pulling a sound from her very soul as she opened completely.

There we go, Spencer thought as he watched this transformation, that's what I was hoping for. He kept playing with that small lump gently as she began to twist and buck against him, clearly helplessly lost in her own pleasure. And when his thumb found that twist of nerves and his mouth found her breast he felt her tighten and gasp and nearly lose it right there. He gently pulled free, looking into her dazed eyes and kissing away her protest, reached down and slicked himself because she couldn't, then rolled over between her thighs and positioned himself against her. "Yes?" he whispered, wanting to be sure. Her only answer was a moan as she wrapped her legs around him and tried to pull him in. He took that as a positive answer and slowly, finally, slipped inside her.

The first thrust was shallow, and hurt, just a little, just enough to cause the smallest warning mew. Expect it, the doctor had said, you'll be tight after the surgery, this will be new again. The second filled her completely, drew a satisfied sound from her throat. The third was harder, surer, and found that spot again. She tightened her legs around him and rocked to pull him deeper and cried out from being so dammed near to falling utterly.

He was not going to last, he thought. She was too warm, too tight, too perfectly fitted around him. He entered her once, twice and then felt skin meet skin and could go no further. But that alone, finding that, drove her wild. Instinctively she lifted her hips and twisted them against him, wanting more of that sensation, more and more. He tried to think of anything other than what he was doing, but it was too late. He felt his body draw up, and knew this wasn't going to last long enough at all. All he could do was prop himself high enough to watch her face, watch the beautiful agony building there, and hope he would last long enough.

It didn't take long. He pressed into her once and then once more and Gwen felt herself about to fall over that edge. This was nothing like what happened with Sam. That was a tiny thing compared to what this was going to be. And then he pressed once more and twisted her just slightly more open and his bones brushed against that twist of nerves and her body tightened and her world shattered as she threw back her head and screamed out her pleasure.

It was impossible to miss, this. The way she tightened against and around him, the look of utter amazement in her eyes, the loudness of her cry. Then Spencer felt her tighten inside, pulsing against him, pulling him in and that was all. With a helpless cry of his own he let go and fell right along with her.

It just went on and on, one peak and then the next when she felt him tighten and thrust one hard time into her, then a breath and another when she felt his heat fill her to overflowing. Finally she fell back into the featherbed, gasping for breath as that heat seeped in to her blood and her bones. Later she would think biochemistry, but right now all she could do was laugh, laugh with joy.

Spencer fell on top of her, managed just to shift enough to catch his weight without slipping out of her. No, he wasn't ready for that yet. She was still too perfectly warm and he was still far too lost to leave that warmth just yet. He heard her laughing and grinned, burying his face in her neck. Prostaglandins, he thought, endorphins. She gets all the good chemicals out of this. Not that I'm complaining at all. He just kissed her, nipping lightly at her lips until the storm of laughter died down. "Good, then?"

Gwen answered with small, happy sounds. Great, that makes me not talk too, she thought, which is perfectly fine with me. She used body language instead, wrapping her arms and legs around him and looking him in the eyes and nodding. His eyes, she realized, I can look in them now and it doesn't hurt at all. Oh good heavens, it doesn't hurt at all.

Now that he'd caught his breath Spencer dared wrapping her up and rolling, laying her over top of him, her warm auburn hair draping them both like a silken shawl, which was perfect timing because just then his phone decided to ring. I could not answer it, he thought, but then they would come make sure we're safe and that would be worse. So holding her in place against him, he reached out and answered with a voice thickened with satiation and desire. "What?"

"I've got one more file to put to bed before I can go home." Morgan answered. "Where is your report on the McReedy case?"

"Mmmm, on my desk. Check the out box."

"No, I looked… there it is, never mind." Spencer could almost hear Morgan frowning. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm okay. We're fine. You can stop worrying about Gwen now." That earned him a small, contented laugh.

"Stop worrying about…oh." He could feel the penny drop into Morgan's head. "Oh. I'll get off the phone then."

"Yeah, talk to you tomorrow, G'night." We're better than fine he thought as he put the phone back on the nightstand and hugged her tighter, burying his nose in her hair. We're absolutely wonderful because she's finally all the way home to me. I found my heart, my heart.

NOTE: I'd like to thank my Beta Reader, the fabulous REIDFANATIC for all the amazing work she did on this project. I couldn't have done it without you

Spencer and Gwen's story will continue.