Epilogue:

Weeks had passed since Chloe had been waiting on Spencer's doorstep and as he walked into the BAU the smile on his face only grew at the sight of his coworkers.

Morgan turned and gave him a knowing smile. "Hey there, Pretty Boy. Did you have a good weekend?"

"Yeah, I did. How was yours?"

"Can't complain," Morgan said smiling.

"It was too short," Rossi commented as he walked in behind Reid, bringing his coffee to his lips.

"We're just lucky the weekend was an actual weekend, not a Saturday morning phone call that interrupts the weekend," JJ added as she perched on the edge of Reid's desk.

"Amen to that," Morgan said.

Reid put his bag on the floor next to his chair and turned to look at the team, appreciating the fact that they knew when to ask him about his weekend and when to let him have the memories to himself.

Chloe still lived in Las Vegas but she was travelling back and forth to see him every few weeks. Reid wanted her here full time but he knew it would take time. Plus, it was an added comfort for Reid to have Chloe living so near his mother's hospital. His mother loved Chloe like a daughter and appreciated her visits along with Spencer's daily letters but he knew that one day he would have to make a decision between bringing Chloe and his mother here or he would one day be returning to Las Vegas.

Everyone knew they couldn't do this job forever, Gideon had proved that. Spencer knew that his job, aside from his loved ones, was his world and leaving it prematurely wouldn't be an option. He watched and half listened to his coworkers jokingly take bets on how many hours they had to get paperwork done before a new case came in.

"We should just have Reid do all the paperwork," Emily said smiling.

Reid knew, deep down, that Emily's time would be ending soon. She'd been struggling with the job since coming back, Reid knew how hard it was to return to the place that gave you hope and nightmares at the same time.

Emily smiled softly at him and Reid returned it with a bright smile of his own. He'd miss her when she left but at least this time he'd have a good chance to say goodbye. He knew that Emily wouldn't leave today, and probably not for a few more cases, she would need to feel like she'd done enough good here before moving on.

Who would replace her would be anyone's guess but Spencer knew that one day they all would be replaced. They'd all move on. Married, with kids, bachelors or bachelorettes, staying where they'd always been or travelling across the globe.

Spencer sighed as Hotch approached the group. "Time's up guys," he said. Everyone turned and groaned at Hotch's serious face.

"Nice to see you all too," Hotch said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "We've got a case."

"Where?" Morgan asked as they turned to go to the board room.

"St. Louis," Hotch said.

Reid took a seat and flipped open the file Garcia handed him. Yes, everyone would eventually leave the BAU but Spencer felt good knowing that they would all remain close and that he would have Chloe waiting for him.

"So what do we have this time?" Rossi asks opening his own file. He too seemed joyous. Happy. Reid wondered why but said nothing. They respected his life and he would respect theirs. The team was finally feeling whole again.

END