very last chapter for Secrets of the Manor. saddest thing ever. im still working on the old south but this is it for secrets. this is it but the ending is super cool if i say so myself. or u guys might hate me. we'll see. =)

Reid woke up, and stretched his arms over his head. It had been 6 months since Reid last saw Harold, and while he still suffered from nightmares, it wasn't as bad it once was. A few of his wounds still had bandages covering them, but he could move on his own. Morgan refused to leave him alone for the first few weeks of being back in his home, but he was finally alone. He didn't like being babied, and he knew that was going to happen, but he knew his team meant well. All Reid wanted to go back to work again.

Reid chose not to keep the case. That's all that was on television for months. Reid didn't see Harold anymore. He knew what was going on because it was impossible not to hear what the witnesses were saying or how Harold went off on some Shakespearean monologue when it came time for him to speak for himself. Jurors told the media afterwards that Reid making the appearance, not matter how brief, really spoke to them. They got to see firsthand of what kind of man Harold was. They saw how he was still threatening Reid, and how Reid was physically reacting just being near him. Harold was convicted on all counts, and was given life in prison.

Harold's parents never got divorced like J.J. was predicting. They continued to live together, and the crazy mother kept making appearances telling anyone who would listen that her son was innocent. It didn't matter to her that his innocence wasn't possible, but most people let her believe what she wanted. She became the subject of laughs for late night talk show hosts and magazines alike. Reid didn't read them. She deserved to be laughed at, but Reid wasn't interesting in seeing her.

Garcia kept the little dog that was rescued from Harold's manor. Reid didn't mind. He loved animals, and would never hurt any animal unless it was hurting him. Reid adored dogs, but he didn't plan on visiting Timothy any time soon. He knew that the dog never did anything to him, but it reminded him too much of Harold. Garcia never mentioned the dog whenever she visited him which was every day. She brought him gifts, and he had enough stuffed animals to fill a museum up. She named every single one of them, and never forgot their names. It made Reid smile. She told him that they were never let him be alone again.

Morgan was the one who eventually told Reid about Jude and his gang. Reid wasn't shocked. It wasn't uncommon for criminals like Harold to get a following. It was a lot like the Mason Family, and others considered Jim Jones did or David Koresh examples of leaders who gathered a cult-like following. The kids that were caught that day were all arrested, and most of them had to spend time behind bars. The young girl who ended up helping the team more than she knew, Nikki, was spared jail time but was given length probation.

Susan kept in contact with Morgan and Rossi. She gave excellent testimony at the trial, but she son never had to talk. She wouldn't allow him up there. He kept asking about what happened to Harold, and she was having a hard time explaining it to the child. Rossi ended up having to sit down with the little boy, and he told him something that would stop the constant questions but not cause nightmares. Morgan became close friends with Susan, but nothing romantic ever came of it. The one thing that brought them together was the one thing that they never wanted to talk about. Reid talked to her every now and then. She called to see how he was doing, but they never became close.

Both of the twins survived their ordeal. They didn't have to spend much time in the hospital, and they were able to go home with their parents and sister only a few weeks after they were rescued. Their parents kept them hidden from the nosy reporters, but when they were well enough, they started giving interviews on what happened on their own. They always appeared together, and they even visited Reid a few times. They knew that he was the reason they were still alive. They vowed never to forget that. Reid felt honored to have helped them.

Reid laughed out loud when he found out that Anne's son that Hotch was Batman. The more he thought about it, the more he had to agree with the little boy. She went on with her life, and stayed out of the media. People wanted to talk to her though. Reid heard that she was offered book deals and even movies, but Anne wouldn't take any of it. There would be a movie about her one day. She was the sister of a man who aided a serial killer. It wasn't something that people read about every day. Anne admired her for keeping true to herself. She wanted her children to be raised in a normal household away from the spotlight. She lived comfortably off of the money Markus left her in his will, but she fell out of contact with the agents.

It was cold outside, and Reid buttoned up a sweater over his button shirt. The clouds outside looked dark, but it was going to be beautiful day. He was going back to work. He was going back to his desk, and he was going to sit once again at the round table. Hotch didn't want him to go back just yet, but Reid was ready. It was an easier case. It wasn't dangerous, and Reid would have to stay at the station if they had to travel, but Reid wanted this. It would get his mind off of Harold. That man was constantly on his mind when he had to stay at home. Reid was ready to feel useful again. Reid almost cut off his long hair during his time recuperating at home, but he decided not to. It reminded him of what happened to Elle so long ago, and what she had to go through after her encounter with a psychopath. His scars weren't going to disappear, and so neither did his hair.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was looking like his old self again which made him smile. Hotch was making him visit a psychiatrist twice a week, and he was proud to admit that he didn't even think about touching the drugs that one changed his life. He didn't need them. He put his cell phone in his jacket, and grabbed his bag that was lying on the table. He was feeling okay, and was ready to get back to his normal life. He was ready.

Harold hated life being bars. He absolutely despised it, and wanted to murder every last person who put him there. He was going to make them pay. One way or the other, they were all going to pay. He was glad that he made Reid cringe in his seat that day at trial. The boy deserved that and more. Harold thought about that moment every single day since it happened. Reid's wide eyes in his memory always turned him on, but he was only able to see the boy in his dreams. Harold touched himself every night, and kept pretending that it was Reid who finally came to visit him, but Reid never came. The only visitor he ever got was his mother, and he was sick of her.

"What's the weather like?" Harold asked his guard.

His guard, a 27 year old man named John, was with him every night. The young man was a newlywed, and was a graduate of the local university. Working for the prison was easy work, but he was really studying to become a doctor. His father was a doctor, his grandfather was a doctor, and so his great grandfather. He had to keep the tradition going. He was a nice man, but he wasn't as beautiful as Reid was. He had blonde hair and freckles that made him look younger than he was, but freckles were never a turn on for Harold. He was also not fond of blondes.

"Freezing. It's going be a cold night," John said.

"It's not far from Christmas. Am I right?" Harold asked.

"Just a few weeks off. Grace is excited. This will be our first Christmas together."

"What does she look like again?"

"Oh, she's beautiful! Looks just like the actress, Grace Kelly. Have you heard of her?"

"She was always one of my favorites," Harold said smiling.

"She has the same blonde hair and perfect skin. I can't believe I'm married to her. I'm such a lucky man. Did I tell you that she wants to model? She's going to try out for Vogue and stuff. She's having her first photo shoot in January, and we're all excited. She's going to make it. I'm sure of it."

Harold knew that the likelihood of her becoming a professional model were unlikely, but he wasn't going to tell John. What was Reid doing right now? He would be a beautiful model. He had a perfect body with long legs and silky hair. Harold licked his lips, and crossed his legs to hide his growing erection.

"I would love a copy," Harold said.

"I'm going to give everyone I know a copy!" John said laughing.

"Would it be possible for me to step outside for a moment? I just want to see the moon. I haven't seen it in such a long time, and I read that there's a full moon tonight."

"Oh Harold, you know you're not supposed to," John moaned.

"But I'm going to be with you. What could I possibly do with you around?" Harold begged.

John looked down the hallway, and whistled. An African man named Ted came jogging down. He looked in the cell to see if Harold was in there, and then back at John.

"What's up?" Ted asked.

"Come with me," John said. "We're taking him out for a minute."

"We're not supposed to. You know that. We could lose our jobs, and I don't want to go job hunting again. The economy sucks."

"Just a minute couldn't hurt. Besides, there's two of us and we have guns."

Ted sighed, but unlocked Harold's cell. Harold smiled, and gloried in that first moment of him stepping out of the bars. He walked in between the two guards, and kept quiet as they opened the back doors. The first thing he saw were walls that seemed to go up to the sky, but that didn't worry him. It was cold outside, but he didn't shiver or complain. He followed both of them out to the center of the yard so he could see the moon. It was a full moon that night, and while it was harder to see it because of the cloud cover, it shone with a god-like power. Harold smiled, and ran his tongue over his top lip.

"Gentlemen, what are your opinions on cannibalism?"

Harold walked in front of them with a growing grin on his mouth. His black hair gleamed in the moonlight, and he was feeling more alive than he had in months. Reid was still alive. The beautiful agent was out there, and he was waiting for him. Harold wouldn't let him down.

hope u guys enjoyed it. i really loved all the time we spent together and i made lots of new friends through this story. let me know how u liked the ending. i LOVE LOVE LOVE reviews. all of them make me smile. until next time! xoxo