A/N: Yup, it's actually here. The very last chapter! It'll be extremely hard to let this one go.

First, though…! THANK YOU, so much, for your reviews for the previous chapter! (HUGS) They mean a lot, each and every single one of them.

Awkay, before I get cold feet… Let's go! I really hope that you'll enjoy the ride.

Epilogue part three of three – Time to Let Go

Two and a half months after officially coming back to life Spencer faced one of the most unnerving bits of his return. JJ's family. Because of him Will got shot, almost died, and Henry was kidnapped. According to JJ Will had known the truth and Henry had been kept in the belief that he'd been on a top secret case. But it didn't make facing the people, the additional members of his makeshift family, that nearly died because of him any easier.

That's why Spencer shivered when it was Will who opened the door.

If the man noticed his discomfort it didn't show. "Hey. JJ and Henry went to buy some groceries but they'll be back soon. Come in."

Spencer did as he'd been told. The silence that hung between the two men was far heavier than it should've been. "I'm sorry", Spencer blurted out in the end, strongly and earnestly. Because he needed to say it before he'd enter the house properly.

Will frowned, momentarily lost as to what he meant. Then realization seemed to dawn. "It wasn't your fault, Spencer." There was nothing but sincerity in the man's eyes. "None of it was your fault." All of a sudden it felt like they'd been having several conversations at once.

Spencer nodded stiffly and looked away, discomfort and relief both swelling deep within him.

"And Spencer?" Will's eyes were soft. Free of any accusations and ill will. "Thank you, for making sure that Henry would be safe."

Spencer smiled faintly. A bit uncertainly. "I'm his goddad. It's what I was supposed to do."

They'd been so lost into the conversation that both men jumped at the sound of the door opening. Spencer barely had the time to turn before something quite small and extremely lively had a pair of arms wrapped around him. "Uncle Spencer!" Good grief, how much Henry had grown in the time he was away! The child's eyes were shining. "Is the case over? Did you catch the bad guys?"

Something deep in Spencer shuddered. But looking at Henry's face, very familiar and entirely different all at once, he found it easy to smile. "Yeah. It's over now."

"Good!" Henry grinned. "After we've eaten I'll show you some magic tricks I've leaned. You're not gonna believe your eyes!"

Spencer gulped. "Uh… Henry, I…"

"Of course you're staying after dinner", JJ cut in, firmly yet gently. The look in her eyes would've made it impossible to deny her anything. "I insist."

Will smirked. "You'd better obey when she uses that tone. Trust me."

There, joining the Jareau-LaMontagne family for a meal, Spencer found something unexpected. Later on he couldn't even remember what they ate. All he remembered was that finally, finally, some of the weight of the world on his shoulders was eased off.

After his return it took seven months before Spencer could even consider returning to work. He was beyond grateful that Mateo Cruz had kept the spot open for him, had kept that home open for him. But returning still felt terrifying, even if it was to people he knew and definitely considered close to him.

As he stood in a elevator, all too aware of just how small the space around him was, Spencer couldn't keep himself from thinking back to when he started with the team. It was much too briefly after Anya and Diane had been murdered. He'd been suffering from PTSD, still traumatized and nearly reverted back to the bullied too young high school student he once was. Holding a gun had made him feel like the skin of his hands had been burned. The pretty much same feeling had been brought to his head by facing all those monsters and their victims. He'd been traumatized, terrified, angry, frustrated, confused and lost, unable to create any proper emotional bonds with anyone when his latest and most precious ones had been severed so violently. And the worst was that he'd never been able to reveal any of that to anyone. But during his first years as a FBI agent he marched on. He didn't come out as the same man he was before everything but he was able to function and he was genuinely happy. He was even able to fall in love again, even if Maeve was stolen from him entirely too quickly and in a horrifyingly cruel manner. He didn't let the shattered pieces of his heart die but instead put them back together. What he created, however, came out distorded. The scars healed but improperly. And now, with the monster defeated, he faced the gruelling task of re-opening the wounds, cleansing them and willing them to mend once more. They'd never heal completely but at least it'd be good, honest, proper recovery. This, coming back to work, was a huge step on the way.

The elevator's doors opened and Spencer couldn't keep himself from freezing to the spot. At first he simply stared. Then, unable and frankly unwilling to hold himself back, he burst into a laugh.

There was a massive banderole that said 'WELCOME BACK – WE MISSED YOU!' waiting for him, along with the entire team.

Seeing his positive reaction clearly calmed down the others and he couldn't help wondering what, exactly, they'd been dreading. Penelope cut his intensions of asking short. "I know, I know. You kept telling me that you didn't want anything special. But with how long you've been away you owed us the chance to pamper you a bit."

Spencer chuckled, feeling a hint of heat on his cheeks. He'd never been good at receiving attention like this. "I, um… Thank you." It was the most honest and sincere reaction he could muster. He could only hope that they understood how much more he was thanking for than just the greeting. He cleared his throat. "So… We have a case, right?"

David grinned a bit slyly. "Not so fast." The man pulled out a cake cutter. "First there's a chocolate cake that demands your undivided attention."

As they ate Spencer found himself relaxing in a manner that he hadn't been able to muster in years. His eyes softened while he watched the easy banter between his BAU-family. There was a huge hole in his heart that nothing would be able to fill. But at the moment everything felt a bit more alright in the world.

Sensing someone's gaze he glanced up to see chief Cruz leaning against the room's doorway. They looked at each other, something akin to deep understanding in their eyes. The question was loud and clear in the air. Spencer replied with a firm and unhesitant nod, meaning it from the bottom of his heart.

And nothing else needed to be said.

A couple of months later Spencer faced a night that felt longer and harder than most. There was a entirely too familiar fire burning in his veins, enforced by the injection of sweet poison that Bell gave him. The power of the cravings was immense. But Spencer refused to go down with it. He owed Anya, Diane, his team and himself more. Instead he squeezed his eyes shut and forced his mind to other matters.

That was when he realized that there was a long overdue text message he'd been meaning to send. So he took a deep breath, then opened his eyes. Typing it was easier than he thought.

'I do understand why you had to do it. And I understand why you felt the need to leave afterwards. I'm sorry that it took me this long to tell you so.'

Emily Prentiss' response came after an hour, twenty minutes and fifteen seconds.

'Open the door.'

Stunned, Spencer stared at his cell phone until he managed to gather his wits. His feet didn't feel entirely steady, mostly due to several sleepless nights, when he made his way to the door and opened it. What he found was Emily. She had a copy of 'Solaris' and popcorn along.

Emily shrugged and smiled, clearly amused by his stunned reaction. "I… was visiting because of a case and was wondering if you wanted to hang out. It's been a while."

Slowly, slowly, a hint of a smile made its way to Spencer's lips. "Well, uh… We never did go and see that movie." There was an apology and forgiveness in his tone.

Emily's eyes radiated the same. She nodded. "No, we didn't."

They spent the night watching the movie and eating popcorn. Recalling the good times and trying not to focus too hard on the bad. In the end they both relaxed enough to fall asleep on the sofa, the demons of their past vanquished for a while.

The following day Spencer waited until Emily had to leave. He watched her making her way to her car and disappear. Then he took the resignation form he'd filled out before her arrival during the dark hours of the previous night. He tore it to shreds.

It was a tough case. Five men lost their lives. And when they found the UnSub they were in for another shock. The killer was a sixteen years old girl who had a seven months old baby. They used up all their persuasion skills but nothing managed to save the troubled soul. The girl took her own life before their eyes, leaving her daughter crying miserably. Spencer was the first one to react to the heartbreaking sound. The genius' eyes seemed far from dry while he scooped the child into his arms and held the still whimpering infant close, so that she heard his heartbeat. During the following six minutes of chaos, during which everyone else focused on the killer, Spencer managed to soothe the baby entirely. With a look of grief and longing in his eyes.

The rest of the team could only watch because they knew that this was something Spencer needed. They understood his pain yet knew that there was little they could do to take it away. They could only stay and be there.

It took the paramedics the total of twenty minutes to coax the baby from Spencer's arms. During the hassle the little one grew agitated again and the look in Spencer's eyes exploded to helpless fury. In the end he was left standing there, staring nothing short of miserably towards where the child was taken.

Alex was the one who acted first. Without saying a word she took Spencer's hand and led him away from the scene. Away from the blood. Away from the echoes of the baby's cries. Away from the memories. As soon as they'd reached a quiet, isolated corner she wrapped her arms around him and held him close, as she once did with Ethan.

It took a while and at firs the way Spencer stiffened had her worried that she'd done the wrong thing. But then his body began to produce entirely too recognizeable shudders. Alex held Spencer even tighter while he cried silently. She held on and tried to remind him that there were plenty of reasons for him to do the same.

Spencer didn't let go.

Several hours passed by before the team was finally in their jet, on their way back home. Most of them were fast asleep. Upon returning from getting himself some coffee Derek discovered that Spencer wasn't. His eyebrow arched slightly when he noticed that the doctor was looking at a photograph, intense longing in his eyes. The picture was hidden as soon as the younger man caught him watching.

"Hey!" Derek protested gently. He took his seat on the opposite side of the genius. "You do realize that you don't need to hide stuff like that, right?"

Appearing sheepish and more than a little torn Spencer nodded slowly. Then made up his mind. The hand pushing the photograph towards him wasn't steady.

Derek had seen a lot of crime scene photos of Anya's murder. It felt bizarre and incredibly sad to see her smiling face, to notice all the life and joy sparkling in her eyes. "She was beautiful."

Spencer nodded once more, his eyes softening. "And smart. Even though she preferred tea over coffee."

That… was an unexpected opening. One that Derek was eager to try. He chuckled. "That must've been a shock for you." He offered a rope to grab a hold of, hoping that Spencer would take it.

Spencer did. The genius smiled, even if there was more than a hint of sadness in it. "It was." There was a long, tense moment of hesitation, there. But in the end the younger agent ventured on, cautiously but still. "I… I thought about proposing her with a ring in a coffee mug."

Derek grinned. "Well. That does sound like you."

Spencer smiled again, then grew very serious all of a sudden. The man looked out the jet's window although it was clear that his eyes didn't see much at the moment. Several minutes passed by before more was spoken. "Today… Today's the anniversary of their…" Apparently 'murder' was still too heavy and bitter of a word.

A jolt of ache made itself known inside Derek. "I'm sorry", he half-whispered. "I forgot."

Spencer bit his lip hard. "It's okay." Of course it wasn't. "I… I didn't remember, either."

Ah, yes. Pieces slid into place. Derek sighed. "Reid… We've been working on a case. She'd understand." Years would pass by. More of these… dates, anniversaries and milestones, would be forgotten. It was a part of the healthy process of moving on. That's why Derek didn't want Spencer to look like the man currently did every time a special day was missed. Especially a dark one.

Derek had never gotten the chance to know Anya. But if she was the kind of a woman that had Spencer falling in love with her… Then surely she wouldn't have wanted him to hang on to the worst parts of the past for the rest of his life.

Spencer looked at him, so many emotions dancing in those hazel pools that it was impossible to name them all. Then gasped out like he'd been without breath for too long. "I know." The air between them said a lot more. "Anya… She was always horrible, at remembering dates."

On his seat behind Spencer's back Aaron, who'd been feigning sleep, risked a tiny, entirely too rare smile. Then, deciding to give the two some actual privacy, he relaxed and began to really drift off. He made a mental note to give the team a couple of days off.

On the two year anniversary of the Web's end Spencer found himself from a place that he hadn't visited in years. It was a place that he thought he'd never see again. His feet felt unsteady and his eyes stung hellishly but he held on with the sheer power of his will. Determined to do this, to finally truly say goodbye.

No matter how painful it was to see Anya and their daughter's names on the stone.

But at least he wasn't alone. Beside him Abigail Holmes – or Austin, as he was still determined to call her – trembled while she stared at the headstone. A couple of tears shone on the woman's cheeks. This was the first time she ever saw her sister's, and her niece's, grave. Her undercover mission never allowed her to attend to the funeral.

Almost instinctively her hand grabbed his. After a moment's confusion Spencer felt his fingers tightening. It was nothing romantic, merely a moment of profound understanding between two battered survivors.

She was the last Holmes left.

He'd also had his family stolen from him, before he ever even really had it.

She was his last remaining link to Anya.

He was the same to her.

And that's why today they stood before the horrible burden of saying goodbye side by side.

Spencer was relieved when Abigail spoke first because he just didn't have the words. Her voice sounded foreign and it wasn't just because of the British accent he was still getting used to. "I… I'm still mad at you for leaving me here alone. You were never supposed to get involved in… that. Any of it. I guess I should've known that you're too stubborn to stay out." She wiped her eyes roughly. "Just… Take care, yeah? Of you both. And know that I'll never, ever forget about you. Or the boys. I'll try to stick around a bit longer and I'd like to imagine that you four will be looking out for me. There'll be one hell of a family reunion when I get there." A subtle hand caressed the tattoo that her coat covered at the moment, most likely subconsciously. It was the initials of her siblings and Diane. 'WSSH, MTSH, AICH, DHEH.' As if she would've needed the tattoo to remember, for the rest of her days. But then again, Spencer had a similar. He'd fixed the tattoo a little after Bell's handling but not entirely. The ugly scar the madman left added a new, deeper meaning to the picture that he couldn't bring himself to erase.

When Abigail stopped talking, wiping her eyes, Spencer realized that it was his turn. His stomach knotted and shifted uncomfortably while he stared at the names. He swallowed hard. "I… I don't think that I'll ever forgive myself for not making it there in time. But… It's something that I'll have to learn to live with. Because… Well, it looks like there's something more that I'm supposed to do, if I've been forgotten down here." His hand caressed the smooth, black surface. Just like it caressed Anya, once upon a time. "But even though I'm not going to follow you two for a bit… Remember that I'll never, ever stop missing you or loving you, for even a second. I may be moving on but your memory will always be there with me. You were the best things that have ever happened to me and… Well, no matter how much it hurts I'll be eternally grateful that I had you." Spencer's lips kept opening but no more words willed their way through his lips. Perhaps he'd already uttered everything that there was to say. He felt oddly drained but also far more at peace than he ever had since the day he lost his precious girls.

Neither he or Abigail was quite sure how long they stood there. But eventually they came to the conclusion that they couldn't just stand there, stuck on past, forever. So, exchanging a loudly speaking look that whispered of all the longing and also cautious hope swelling in their hearts, they took their leave. Side by side, continuing on together because they knew that neither would've found the strength alone just yet.

And in the horizon, with a lazily rising sun, a new day dawned.

All the hurt, all the lies
All the tears that they cry
When the moment is just right
You see fire in their eyes

'Cause he's stronger than you know
A heart of steel starts to grow

When you've been fighting for it all your life
You've been struggling to make things right
That's how a superhero learns to fly
Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power

When you've been fighting for it all your life
You've been working every day and night
That's how a superhero learns to fly

(The Script: 'Superheroes')

End.

A/N: My gosh…! I seriously can't believe that it's over. But at least it was a happy ending. Hooray!

THANK YOU, so much, to all of you for sticking around through this entire ride! And a special thank you for all the reviews, listings, love and support! I seriously can't believe that so many of you ventured through this with me. (HUGS)

Thoughts? Comments? I'd LOVE to hear your verdict on this ending.

This story is over. But who knows, maybe I'll be seeing you with another one…?

In any case, thank you, and take care!

Patricia: It sure did! But it seems that Reid's finally on his way towards the better. (smiles) We'll see what happens during the last bit.

Colossal thank yous for the review!

Sniper: Awww, that's sooooo good to hear! I really hope that the chapter turns out worthy of your expectations.

Merci BEAUCOUP for your review!