Reid grinned at Henry. He was bouncing over the furniture, on one of the biggest sugar highs Reid had ever seen.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked.

"Flying!" shouted Henry. "Like Mommy!"

"Ow…" Reid rubbed his ear gingerly. The young boy had quite the pair of lungs. He sighed and took the bait. "Mommy flies?"

"Yeah! Like Superman! She catches bad guys!"

"Oh…Actually, personalized human flight isn't possible under any circumstances. Even ignoring the background of Superman's origin story, which breaks so many laws of physics it would take weeks to calculate, it has been proven that there is no possible combination of chemicals that could happen in the human body to produce the necessary propulsion for flight under the influence of the-"

"Funny talk, funny talk, lotsa lotsa funny talk!"

Reid pinched the bridge of his nose and gave a small smile. Then a thought occurred to him. "Want me to teach you a magic trick?"

Henry's eyes widened. "Yeah!"

Reid was about to reply when he caught a glimpse of a shadow outside the window. Instantly, his gun was out of his holster and he had pushed Henry out of the line of sight from outside.

Ignoring the surprised exclamations from Henry, Reid pressed himself up against the side of the window. Quickly he scanned what he could see. Then he relaxed. JJ's car was parked outside. She's back early thought Reid, a little surprised. Realizing he was still holding Henry against the wall, he let go.

"What was that?" Henry had his arms crossed. Reid couldn't help but think he had inherited his mother's glare perfectly.

Reid winced inwardly. "Sorry. I thought there was something wrong." Yeah, something wrong being an absolutely psychotic UnSub group targeting your mother. The team had volunteered to guard Henry and JJ in shifts. Prentiss was just getting back from shopping with JJ.

Henry frowned. He had just opened his mouth again when Reid said desperately "So, let's go to your room so I can show you that trick. You still have that piggybank of yours, right?"

Reid glanced outside at the vehicle. The two figures behind the bulletproof, tinted glass were in the middle of a spirited conversation, making sweeping gestures with their hands. He chuckled as he followed Henry upstairs.

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"You're kidding me!" JJ laughed with Prentiss.

"I'm not!"

"How did he put the turkey out?!"

"He-" JJ held her stomach to keep the air inside. "He just stood there, and the pan with the turkey was on fire, and Henry was still sitting in the tomato paste with the pickles, and I had absolutely no idea what to do with the whisk, and then the doorbell rang!"

Prentiss' eyes went wide as she gasped for breath. "Stop!" she managed between snickers. "You're killing me! They arrived early?"

"Yes! And when I went to open the door, their dog raced in-"

"Their dog!"

"Matilda. She was a Pekin-" JJ stopped, and a confused look flitted over her face.

"JJ?" Prentiss looked at her, suddenly worried.

"Emily…"

Prentiss looked over to where she was pointing.

She dropped the bags she had been carrying and stared at the space where their car should have been.

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Reid gathered the materials necessary for his trick. Henry watched with wide eyes.

A creak from downstairs distracted Reid for a moment. He frowned slightly. He would have heard the door open, right?

Suddenly, there was a sick feeling in his stomach. Frantically, he replayed the moving shadows inside the car in his head.

The hands.

Neither Prentiss nor JJ had hands that big.

Creak

"Henry," Reid whispered to his godson. "Get in the closet."

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Hotch's phone rang on the table. He picked it up and answered. "JJ?"

The rest of the team jerked their heads up from the pictures on the table, including Will.

"What's wr-" Hotch's face suddenly became like stone.

Will jumped up. "What is it?"

"We'll be right there. Then we'll go right to the house. Keep calm." Hotch hung up and was immediately bombarded by questions.

"Stop!" he said, holding a hand up. "JJ's car got stolen outside the store. We don't know if it's even connected to the case."

"Let's go," said Morgan immediately.

"No, no, nononono…"

"JJ." Prentiss tried to keep calm for her friend's sake. "Listen. It could mean some stupid kids going for a joyride. It doesn't have to mean-"

"Shut up!" JJ whirled around, eyes fierce. "The Renos have been stalking me for weeks, Prentiss! They kill children! They-"

"JJ! Prentiss!"

Morgan sat inside the SUV, holding open the door. The girls scrambled over each other to get inside. To neither's surprise, Rossi, Hotch, Morgan, and Will were in it.

The door slammed shut and screeched away. There was a terse silence.

"It might be nothing." Rossi said.

"It's not nothing." JJ's white face worried them.

Morgan tried a different tactic. "Reid's there. He'll look out for Henry. You know he will."

Prentiss nodded. "Yeah. You know how much he loves Henry."

JJ chewed her lip, but some of the tension left her shoulders. Will looked slightly relieved as well.

Five minutes later, they rounded the corner. JJ nearly shrieked. Her car was parked in front of the house.

Her next-door-neighbor's door opened and a frantic woman rushed out.

The BAU and Will leaped out of the car and ran toward the house.

"Jennifer! Will! Oh god, what is happening-"

"What happened?" Rossi shouted.

"T-there were gunshots – and screaming-"

JJ took off at a dead run. NONONONONONO…

She was vaguely aware of the rest of the team pounding behind her, guns out, as she burst into the house. Suddenly, her world was turned upside-down as she tripped. Slamming onto the floor, she felt it oddly soft.

"Oh god-"

She had tripped over a body.

Morgan wrenched her upwards. They stared at the body of a young man with chestnut-colored hair.

Not Henry. Not Reid.

Hotch quickly went into the other room. Prentiss took the kitchen.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Stairs!"

They rushed to the stairs, where there was another body. A woman.

Blood smeared the wall, leading upward.

"That's not from her, is it?"

"No."

Hotch looked at JJ. "JJ, I'm going to go up first, then you follow. Then Will. Understand? Then both of you after him," addressing Morgan and Rossi.

"Just go!" JJ felt like screaming at the top of her lungs.

They raced upstairs. More blood and two more bodies in the hallway.

Not Henry. Not Reid.

Then she noticed the door to Henry's room was ajar.

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Pain. White-hot, burning his shoulder, arms, legs. Everywhere. Blood…so slippery. Did blood burn? His did. Wet, slippery.

Pressure. Needs pressure.

Stop bleeding.

Pressure stops bleeding.

He was on fire. Please stop. Just stop. Help.

Bodies. Two in the hall. One in the stairs. One at the door. They had blood, too. But he had caused that. Gun. Yes, his gun. It was sitting right next to him if he needed it.

Shots. That was what had hurt him.

Morgan wouldn't be stopped by shots. Or pain. Morgan would be strong. Anyone on the team would be strong. Prentiss had been hurt but she kept strong as well.

So he would be too.

Moans.

His?

Pain was going. Good. That was…good.

Wasn't it?

Pressure.

Stop bleeding.

Blood burns. Can't have that. Burns are bad.

Pain almost gone. Darkness coming. Sleep? Sleep would be nice.

No.

Can't sleep.

Pressure. Pressure stops bleeding.

Pressure stops Henry bleeding.

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"NO!"

JJ threw herself into the room.

Her baby, her Henry…

Reid was propped up against the wall, a hand over Henry's midsection. Underneath, a large red stain was highly visible. Reid had his other hand under Henry's head against his knees.

JJ kneeled down next to him. Henry opened his eyes groggily. "…hurts…"

"Reid? Reid! Reid!"

JJ jerked her head up and saw Reid clearly for the first time. Her eyes widened and her chest seemed to have been squeezed until there was no air left.

Reid's shirt was painted with blood. Five gunshot wounds were visible. One in his left shoulder, another lower on his arm, one on his right side that was nearly in his throat, one that had grazed his left side, and another in his stomach, a few inches higher than Henry's.

Henry coughed.

Will knelt down beside his son. JJ could vaguely hear Hotch screaming for an ambulance, Rossi dialing.

Reid's eyes were barely slits.

Morgan was shouting, trying to stop the blood flow of Spencer's wounds. "Reid! REID!"

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Noise. Far away.

A word.

Read?

Reid.

Name. My?

Fuzzy. Red.

Henry.

Crying.

Struggle. Why?

Hurt.

Bodies.

Pressure. Keep pressure.

Blood burns.

Morgan.

Morgan?

Noise.

Stop.

Black.

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The mood in the waiting room was tense.

The team huddled together, hoping against hope that Henry and Reid were okay.

Garcia had joined them, tears running freely down her face.

"Henry LaMontagne?"

Everybody jerked their heads up. "That's us." Will stated.

The doctor looked at them skeptically. "I can only release information to-"

"I'm his mother." JJ said.

The doctor nodded. He looked down at his clipboard. "Your son received a bullet to his abdomen. Fortunately, it didn't penetrate very far. We believe he can make a full recovery with minimal surgery. I warn you, though, it is going to be a long one. And he will have a scar. He can be released within the next week."

JJ felt herself break into a smile. The rest of the team did the same. There were congratulations on all sides.

The doctor looked down and frowned. "Are you in contact with the family of Spencer Reid?"

"We're his family too."

The doctor blinked.

"He's Henry's godfather." JJ's newfound happiness was suddenly forgotten as the image of Spencer's bloody body against the wall popped into her mind.

"How is he?" Morgan asked.

The doctor sighed. He fiddled with the pen in his hand. "I just want to say this first off. Most likely, he'll live. Spencer had seven bullets in him. Three in the upper body, two in the left arm, one in the left hip, and one in his right leg. The injuries are extensive. The bullet in his leg cracked his femur. One of the bullets in his midsection broke two ribs, cracked another, and punctured his lung, causing it to start filling with blood. The bullet that grazed his side has cracked two ribs. The bullet lower in his arm missed any bone, but might have caused muscle damage. The one lodged in his hip has caused the pelvic bone to splinter. He will most likely have trouble walking. The one in his shoulder is fairly easy to correct. The one near his throat caused massive bleeding, internal and external. Frankly, if he had received a blood transfusion even a minute or so later, he would have bled out. He had lost nearly thirty-five percent of the blood in his body when he came in. There…seems to be very little attempt to be made to stop the bleeding."

The doctor looked up to see everyone in the room staring at him in shock, several holding back tears.

He cleared his throat, glanced down at his shoes.

"You may visit him. He's only going to be conscious for another few minutes, and then we'll be putting him in a medically-induced coma to escape most of the pain. He'll be asleep for several weeks."

Everyone shakily got to their feet.

Morgan felt numb. How? How the hell could this happen to his little brother? He didn't deserve this. Dear god, the only people who deserved this were the people who did this in the first place.

"Henry."

Eyes turned to JJ.

Her bloodless face stared ahead at nothing. "R-Reid. H-he tried to stop Henry's bleeding. He d-didn't care about h-his…"

Morgan closed his eyes and leaned against the wall.

"Come on." Rossi said quietly.

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Pain.

How the hell did people deal with it? It was ripping him, tearing him apart.

Creak.

He flinched and looked over to the door.

They were here.

Oh, god.

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JJ drew her breath in. Reid was hooked up to several machines, tubes creating a spiderweb over his chest. He looked fragile and pale, a broken eggshell.

His eyes locked onto them. No, onto her. He blinked, stared, and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

It was JJ's turn to blink. "What?"

The team and Will moved closer to the bed. Garcia took his hand.

Reid opened his eyes, unfocused. "He got hurt…Henry…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let them-"

"No!" JJ exclaimed. She knelt down to look at him. "Reid, this is not your fault. You were so brave. Henry is going to be fine. You too. He's fine. The doctors are helping him right now."

"Is my…fault. Should have stopped them."

Morgan reached out and touched his shoulder. "Reid, you did. You took out four guys with guns. Remember? They can't hurt you or Henry anymore."

A nurse came in holding a plastic mask. "Time to go under." She said gently.

"It's not your fault, Reid. You're a hero. Thank you." Said Will.

Reid didn't seem to hear. JJ felt like breaking down. "Reid, listen. Henry would have died if you weren't there. But he's okay. You'll be okay. We'll help you. Don't blame yourself. Understand?"

Reid didn't respond for a few seconds. Then he nodded his head slightly.

The nurse hooked the mask to a machine and placed it over Reid's face.

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Breathe.

Pain fading.

Good. That was…good.

Breathe.

The team is staring down at me. They look happy and sad at the same time. Is that possible?

Garcia, holding my hand, starts fading.

Breathe.

That's okay, though.

Henry's alright.

Breathe.

In.

Out.

Sleep.