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A/N: This is the last chapter folks. Thanks to everyone who supported and reviewed the story. Merry Christmas to you all.

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"I'll get the nurse," Reid hurried off as JJ attempted to calm the girl and ease her breathing.

He returned almost immediately with a petit brunette in pink scrubs. "Oh dear, Ashley, just a little too much excitement, huh," she said calmly. "Let's get you back to your room for a nebulizer treatment." Morgan scooped the wee girl up into his arms and followed the nurse.

Everyone was silent for a moment when another nurse came into the room. "It's okay," he said, "Ashley's asthma acts up when she's excited. Once she's calmed down and had her Ventolin, she'll be fine and able to join you again."

"That little girl's going to be okay daddy," Jack said.

"Yes, she's going to be fine." He ran his fingers through his son's hair and thanked God his child was healthy.

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Would this fog never clear? How long was she to be lost in it? Wait, she saw something bright in the distance. It was something yellow. Maybe it was the sun at last. She tried to move toward it, but found she couldn't move. It seemed to be coming closer however and finally broke through the fog. Penelope Garcia, in a bright yellow dress, and Agent Prentiss came into view. "At last someone's come to help me." She said.

"We can't help you," Garcia said. "Only you can help yourself."

"I don't know what you mean," Strauss looked confused.

"Can the act Strauss," Prentiss said. "It's no secret you'll do anything to get to the top and try to get rid of anyone you think might stand in your way. For you that's Hotch. The love of his life was killed by a man we hunted and he had to fight to the death to save his son, and your idea of compassion was to drag us all through that dog and pony show in your office." The fog lit up again as one by one the team members gave their accounts of what had happened on that fateful day.

"I had to make sure Agent Hotchner's actions were justified," Strauss defended herself.

"And you couldn't have found a more humane way," Garcia asked. "Then you offer him retirement, the epitome of kindness and concern. There was no compassion there, was there, just a means you thought you could take to get rid of a rival at his most vulnerable."

"It was a reasonable offer," she replied indignantly.

"You keep telling yourself that," Prentiss said as she and Garcia faded back into the fog.

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Rossi reached into the bottom of a bag and pulled out a Wii system. "Oh wow, Wii," one of the boys named Kenny yelled.

One of the nurses, a middle aged woman with short dark hair, who had come into the room to pass out some medications, put her hands on her hips. "Listen, uh, Dave," she said looking at his name tag. "Are you trying to turn us into referees? When will we have time for nursing if we're going to have to mediate who plays what on that thing?" She snapped at him, but at the same time displaying a slight smirk.

"I thought it would be good for them," Dave defended himself. "It'll keep them occupied, even if they have to be in their beds."

Reid, meanwhile, was removing it from the box and hooking it up to the television to the applause of the children.

"You obviously don't have any kids," she told Rossi, shaking her head, before leaving the room.

"Hey Dave," Connor yelled. "Don't worry about Denise. She's like that all the time. I think she likes you."

"Don't tell him that," Emily said, envisioning wife number four. "He's apt to marry her."

This caused JJ and Garcia to burst into laughter while Connor looked totally confused. "It's okay," Garcia said, "you're young."

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The fog was like a wall. No matter which way she turned, she could get nowhere. Others seemed to walk through it quite well. Why couldn't she? Her thoughts were interrupted as the fog parted again allowing Agents Rossi and Hotchner into her chamber. "Are you to here to disparage me too? I know you're not here to help me so just bring it on and get it over with."

"Who said we're not here to help you. We've all been here to help you Erin," Rossi said.

"Like either of you would want to help me. If you did you'd help me get out of here," she screamed.

"We can't help you get out of here," Hotch replied. "The only thing that breaks the fog is the light. Until you see the light, you'll remain locked in the fog."

"And how do I do that?"

"By seeing what's important. You've already lost your husband to your ambition. Do you want to lose your children too?" Rossi said.

"I lost Haley and almost lost my son to a psychotic serial killer. I can never get back the times I promised I'd be there and I wasn't. I can never make it up to her. It's not too late for you. I did it because I was trying to save lives, but you; you're just doing it so someday you can sit in the big office that says Director on the door. If you get there, you may find it's a very lonely place.

They turned to go back into the fog. She didn't follow. She knew it would be no use. "David, Aaron," she said before they left. They both turned back. "Thank you."

They nodded and disappeared as silently as they had come.

She sat, and thought about her children. Michael always liked Christmas Eve more than Christmas itself. He thought there was more togetherness on Christmas Eve. She could see them making smores in Brian's fireplace. Michael loved smores. She smiled at the thought. She caught a glimpse of light; who was coming now, not her children please. She didn't need to hear what a bad mother she was. She knew. No one appeared. The light seemed to come in little flashes.

Erin Straus' eyelids fluttered as she slowly regained consciousness. Where was she, she asked herself as she looked around, the BAU bullpen. The eggnog came back to her slowly. She felt her head, no bumps or cuts that she could feel. That would teach her about coming back for seconds. She held on to the table as she slowly got to her feet. She stood still for a moment, no dizziness, she seemed to be fine. How long had she been out, she wondered, looking at her watch? She was surprised how much time had passed. She strode toward the glass doors, and then turned back until she was at Agent Morgan's desk. She picked up the phone and punched in some numbers. "Hi," she said when the phone was answered. "I just wanted to find out if you were having a good time. Smores, of course I knew you'd be having smores. I just wanted to wish you, your sisters and your dad a Merry Christmas." She spoke a while longer, and then hung up the phone.

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Ashley had rejoined the celebrations, showing no ill effects from her previous attack. She sat on Morgan's knee running her fingers down the shiny blond hair of her new doll clad in a lacy pink dress.

"Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh," they all sang.

"Okay you guys, "Garcia said, "it's almost time to go to bed because Santa will be coming. But before we do, Dave is going to read the story of the birth of Jesus from the bi…" She stopped dead as everyone's eyes went to the door of the playroom; she turned her head, never expecting to see Erin Strauss standing there.

The BAU members were more surprised than the children. "I hope I'm not too late," she said.

Everyone seemed frozen in place, like someone had pressed the pause button on a remote control. Finally someone stood and meandered through the maze of people and toys to the doorway. "No," JJ said, smiling and softly touching Strauss' shoulder, "it's not too late. Please join us."

"Everybody, this is… uh, Erin," Garcia explained to the children. "Dave was about to read the bible passage. Perhaps you would like to do it," Garcia suggested to the section chief.

"I…I'd like that," Strauss said, looking thankfully at the group and taking a chair given up by Reid. Rossi handed her the bible after she'd dug into her handbag for her glasses and put them on. She cleared her throat, looked around at the bright eyed children and the people she knew looked into the abyss every day to make this world a better place for them, and began. "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world…"

As she read about the birth of the baby Jesus, his bed a mere manger, the star of Bethlehem that shone so bright, the journey of the wise men, and all that it meant, big soft snowflakes began to fall from the heavens, as if lending its blessings to the evening. It was a reminder that, once again, winter was upon them, the coolness outside a contrast to the warmth, not only of the room, but of the hearts and souls of the people within it. In the morning there would be a blanket of white and the excitement of children everywhere would abound once again, but, for now, this intimate sharing between souls was enough.