Chapter 37
Epilogue

Spencer's trying to regain his balance as the UnSub before him comes hurdling forwards. He jumps over the room's many obstacles as if they're nothing while Reid had managed to trip over the first thing in his way.

The opportunity to apprehend the suspect was nearly perfect- the man had been bent over a newspaper, the TV blaring. They'd found the hostage in the basement and snuck her out through a window. So far, the UnSub had no idea the FBI had even discovered his identity. Reid's luck was sweeping the room containing the dangerous man while Morgan searches the upstairs and Hotch checks the kitchen. JJ and Prentiss were following behind, sweeping the dinning room and hallway closets. Reid didn't mean to get too far ahead of everyone, but as soon as he caught sight of the UnSub, he got excited. It was obvious the man didn't have a weapon, so it seemed like an easy take down.

The room before him was large and richly decorated with small end tables, couches, recliners and such luxuries. Reid had been sneaking forward when something his quick scan of the room missed had him tripping, knocking into the display case to his right, alerting the man of his presence.

A large hand knocks the doctor backwards before he's even able to lift his gun. For a split second, the world is silent as he falls. The impact of his head hitting the hard wood flooring has the young genius seeing stars.

Hotch's earlier warning rings in his ears- "This man is ex-military. He'll kill anyone in his path without a hesitation."

So Spencer forces his body into squirming and throwing weak hits as the UnSub, Devon Roberts, positions himself. Reid has read enough on defensive tactics to know exactly how Roberts is about to kill him- one swift twist of the neck, breaking the vertebrae-

A gun shot goes off right as Robert's meaty hands start to twist. The pain is uncomfortable pressure that quickly stops instantly as Roberts falls forwards, blood from his neck coating the young genius.

"REID!" JJ screams, running forward. He can hear her footsteps, but it's as if she's miles away. His eyes are open but they're seeing through a fog that won't clear at first. He can hardly breathe under the weight of the deceased UnSub.

"He hit his head," Hotch's voice calls after the crushing weight is lifted away. The familiar face floats in front of him and gives a weak smile. "A concussion and some shock. He's fine, JJ."

A huge sigh of relieve escapes Morgan, who's leaning over, hands on his knees to peer down at his coworker's limp form. Hotch helps Reid to his feet, not caring about all the blood that's being transferred to his suit.

Reid gains feeling in his feet and tries rolling his shoulders, which helps nothing. His head is throbbing so bad he turns away from Hotch quickly and gets sick right on the house's prim wooden floor. Morgan pats his back with a small chuckle.

"You realize you tripped over a dog toy, boy genius?"

"Where is Fido?" Prentiss asks with a tone of humor. Garcia had warned them earlier of the large black Labrador.

"Upstairs, sleeping in Roberts' room. I shut him in there." Morgan responds. Reid straightens up, looking down at the blood coating his clothes. It's sticky and gross against the skin on his face.

"Who made the shot?" He asks.

"Me. I heard you fall and came running." JJ sighs.

Reid reaches a hand out to place on her shoulder and offers a small grin. "Thanks." He reaches with the other hand to massage where his neck would've been cracked in half.

Hotch urges Morgan to drive Reid to the nearest hospital, but their destination changes with enough begging on Spencer's behalf to their hotel.

"Shower, quickly, then we're heading straight to the hospital." Morgan says sternly. Reid ignores him, hurrying into their room.

By the time he's blood free and dressed in clean clothes, nearly an hour has past. Spencer absentmindedly checks his phone to see if Garcia had heard about his near death experience. Surely enough, his phone reads five missed calls.

"I had to tell her." Morgan says, feigning guilt. "It's not everyday someone almost dies tripping over a dog toy."

"Greatly appreciated." Reid mumbles, scrolling down to see who the missed calls are from. It was just to get the notification message off the main screen, but his body freezes when he sees that while Garcia tried calling, she'd only called twice. Three calls were from Alaska.
He calls her back as Morgan starts towards Maryland's nearest hospital.

"Spence." Alaska answers, her voice filled with relief.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes. No. I'm having the neighbor drive me to the hospital. I think I'm having contractions."

"Wha- contractions…" Spencer's mind has gone completely blank. He couldn't even remember his name. Whether it was from this new shock or his concussion he couldn't tell.

"Alaska's going into labor?" Morgan's voice booms from the driver's seat. Spencer weakly nods and in a flash, the car's turning around and they're heading back to the hotel. "Call the others and tell them to meet us." The older man orders.

"I have to go." Spencer says reluctantly. "I'll be there as soon as I can. The case is over, we'll get on the jet pronto."

"I love you." She says. He can hear the sadness and fear in her voice of not having him by her side and it shoves a knife through the dominate organ in his torso.

"I love you too." He responds, hanging up quickly and calling the others.

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It takes twenty minutes for everyone to pack and get to the jet. Another ten for the pilot to be ready to take off. It'll be half an hour before they touch down in Virginia. From there, another fifteen before he gets to the hospital.

Reid's mapping everything out in his head, reminding himself that she's already had one child- this probably won't be nearly as bad. Depending on how far apart her contractions are- which he forgot to ask- he may make it there in time.

He rewinds the phone call in his mind, noting that she didn't sound pained during the three minute conversation. Surely he won't miss the birth of his first child. Then the fact that Alaska's not due for another crosses his mind. Is something wrong? Will things be okay?

"Whoa, there. No hyperventilating." Rossi says, his hand reaching out to pat Spencer's. He'd been with the hostage at the ambulance when the gun shot went off. Immediate regret had filled the senior agent. Rossi's chest tightened when Hotch later explained the events that occurred. Rossi should've told Reid to stay with the hostage rather than letting the soon-to-be father run in after such a dangerous man.

"I don't want Alaska to be alone." Reid's low voice answers.

"I told Garcia." JJ chuckles from across the aisle. "Alaska's not alone." She's typing in codes to the laptop and before anyone can ask what she's doing, Garcia's face pops up. She's not in her usual lair. Behind her is a pale green hospital room wall.

"The doctors told me I couldn't do this, but I flashed by fancy little badge and they shut right up. Imagine that." She rants. Garcia sets her laptop back on a surface so Alaska can be seen as well. Both women look somewhat frantic.

"Spence, remind me to buy the neighbors a nice Christmas present this year." Alaska grins. It's not her typical smile that lights up her eyes, but it's better than nothing. Anyone who looks close enough would see how her eyes are brimming with tears.

"I'll be there in forty five minutes, no more, no less." Reid promises.

A contraction hits her, he can tell. She swallows a yelp of pain takes deep breaths. "You better not be lying, doc."

He gives a sad smile at her attempt at humor.

"Garcia said- something" she gasps between breaths, "happened earlier."

Reid shoots the blonde a glare. "It was nothing. I tripped."

"I told you not to do anything stupid." His fiancée reminds him.

"I didn't."

"We'll argue later." She says it as a promise and looks around at the faces of the profiler's. "Morgan?"

"Yeah, Little Baby Mama?"

"Slap Reid for me."

Morgan chuckles, ignoring the command only due to Reid's concussion. The thought of Reid's safety had slipped his mind when they entered the house or else he'd have made sure his best friend never took a step inside. His guilt must be portrayed on his face because Hotch gives a look that says he's thinking the same thing.

Reid passes the time reminding Alaska of all the statistics he knows on mothers in labor and babies born early. He counts how far apart her contractions are in his head, not wanting to remind her of how much more pain is coming soon. By the sound of her grunts of pain brief conversations with the doctors, it'll be very soon.

"We're landing. I have to go." Reid says. The doctors hadn't given Alaska her epidural via her request, and Spencer wishes she had listened to his fair argument of how safe they are. Now, her pain is killing him.

"HURRY UP." She practically screams as another contraction hits. Garcia is holding her hand and wincing as the woman squeezes. With her free hand, she waves goodbye and disconnects the live feed. Reid buckles in as they land and is up out of his seat as soon as the plane stops. Hotch pulls SUV keys from his pocket and throws them at Reid.

"Use the sirens and get there fast. We'll get your luggage." He orders.

"I-I can't drive at the moment." Reid says, taking his shaking and blood pressure into consideration, then turning to Morgan. "Please-"

"C'mon." His friend chuckles, grabbing the keys from him.

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When Reid arrives, he runs to the floor the nurse tells him and throws on the ridiculous scrub outfit another nurse hands him at the door. Garcia breathes a deep sigh of relief when she sees her coworker and graciously leaves the tense room to join Morgan outside.
"Hey." Reid says, replacing Garcia's hand with his own. Alaska's sweating profusely, yelling out, tears streaming downwards.

"Oh, God- you were right." She breathes. "About epidural."

"Of course I was." Reid deadpans.

She drops the conversation as her fiancé leans down to kiss her forehead. He talks her through pushing as the doctor normally would.

"We see the head," The actual doctor announces in between Reid's coaching. The young doctor himself can't bare to look, his head's already spinning with all the excitement. His sole intention at the moment is to talk Alaska through it.

When she stops pushing and leans back, the breathes pushing through her parted lips quickly, Spencer smiles widely. Cries echo in the room.

"It's a girl." One nurse announces. Reid looks down at the red and slimy body as a nurse cuts the cord. Alaska's grip on his hand has slackened a bit and he finds her gazing at him with tears in her eyes.

He can practically feel the pain running through her mind as he profiles the look in her eyes. It must all be a sort of de ja vu, compared to her last birthing experience.

"Hey," Reid tells her, "Everything's okay. We're in this together- for the rest of our lives."

Alaska nods and pulls him down for a kiss, a few of her tears spilling over. A nurse joins them, a crying bundle in her arms. Alaska takes it in her arms and looks down into the source of the noise.

"You look too much like your daddy." She tells the bundle. Reid smiles and searches the baby's features for the first time ever. He has to disagree- he sees everything wonderful in the child starting with eyes shaped like Alaska's to the curve of nose.

"We need a name." He tells his fiancée. Every time the topic came up in the past few months, they'd disagree or drop it almost immediately.
Alaska stares up at him, her eyes searching his before she speaks carefully.

"Casey Maeve Reid. For my past love and for yours. To make a future of love."

A chapter to Doctor Spencer Reid's life closes as he nods. A new one opens as well.

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If he'd have to summarize the next chapter of his life, Reid would say it contained family, friends, tears, hard work, many nights spent sitting in front of the fridge at two a.m., years of repaying Morgan for that one night at the bar that started it all, and many UnSubs to be caught for the justice of those who died too early to have what he has now. To shorten it further, this chapter is written by love.

The type that only comes along once in a lifetime.

"Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone- we find it with another." - Thomas Merton.