"I told you, I don't need a ring." Elijah assured Reid as they drove to Fleur's apartment.

"It's not fair." Reid shook his head.

"It's alright, honest."

"It's too late." Reid hummed.

".. Did you get me a ring?" Elijah asked slowly.

"..What? No.."

"You can't lie to me." Elijah pulled over by Fleur's apartment.

"I like things being fair." He nodded.

Elijah smiled and kissed Reid's cheek,"I love you, Genius."

"I love you too." Reid chuckled,

"They're taking for ages."

"Well, that's not an issue for me." Elijah wrapped his arm around Reid's shoulder.

Reid hummed and turned to face Elijah.

"Hey, hey." Morgan opened the door.

"God, is this what it feels like to be you?" Elijah sighed, looking back at Morgan.

"What do you mean?" Morgan blinked, sitting down with Fleur in the backseat.

"Getting interupted when you're trying to have a nice moment."

"Nice moment? I think you mean kisses." Fleur hummed.

"Yeah, those are nice moments." Elijah pointed before he started to drive.

"Kisses are good." Fleur chuckled,"So, what do you think will happen today?"

"Hopefully nothing too bad." Morgan shook his head.

"Maybe.. A murderer. An adult one."

"Yeah, something simple." Elijah nodded.

"And quick."

"Oh, wouldn't that be something." Morgan sighed.

*********************************

"Why is the army here?" Fleur blinked as they walked into the office.

"What the hell is going on?" Morgan looked around.

The squad then walked towards the conference room where a woman with some cups was.

"Guys, this is Dr Linda Kimura, Chief of Special Pathogens at the CDC." JJ introduced them.

"Hello." Emily nodded.

"Hello." Linda hummed,"I am sorry to meet under these circumstances."

"What circumstances?" Reid tilted his head.

"We need to get started." Hotch sighed.

"Last night, twenty five people checked into emergency rooms in and around Annapolis. They were all at the park after 2:00pm yesterday. Within ten hours, the first victim died. It's now just past 7:00am the next day. We have twelve dead." JJ explained.

"Lung failure and black lesions." Elijah looked up from the file,"Anthrax?"

"Anthrax doesn't kill this fast." Fleur shook her head.

"This strain does." Linda told her.

"What are we doing about potential mass targets? Airports, malls, trains?" Emily suggested.

"There's a media blackout." Hotch answered.

"We're not telling the public?"

"We'd have a mass exodus." Morgan shook his head.

"The psychology of group panic would cause more deaths then this last attack." Rossi shrugged.

"Yeah, and if it does get out, whoever did this might go underground and destroy their samples." Reid nodded.

"Or if they wanted attention qne didn't get it. They might attack again. Doesn't the public have a right to know that?" Fleur looked up.

"If there is another attack, there's no way we'll be able to keep it quiet. Our best chance at protecting the public is by building a profile as quickly as we can." Hotch sighed.

"What do we know about this strain?" Reid asked.

"The spores are weaponized, reduced to a respite ideal that attacks deep in the lungs. Odorless and invisible." Linda explained.

"A sophisticated strain. Only a scientist would know how to do that." Rossi nodded.

"The lesions are doubling in size in a matter of hours." Morgan pointed.

"It's not the lesions I'm worried about, it's the lungs. We don't know how to combat the toxins once they're inside. And the reality is we might lose them all." Linda sighed.

"The remaining survivors have been moved to a special wing at Walter Reed Hospital. Our offices will become a small command centre." JJ told them.

"We'll be working with military scientists from Fort Detrick." Hotch announced.

"General Whitworth is coming here?" Rossi raised a brow.

"He's in charge or site containment and spore analysis. Determining what strain this is will help inform who's responsible." Hotch nodded.

"My team is in charge of treating all victims." Linda added.

"Reid and Elijah, go with Dr Kimura to the hospital. Interview the victims. Morgan and Prentiss there's a HAZMAT team that will accompany you to the crime scene. There's Cipro. Everybody needs to take it before we go." Hotch lifted up the tray with small plastic cups of Cipro on it.

"We don't know if it's effective against this strain but it's something." Lina sighed.

Elijah looked down at the little tablets in the cup as he picked up a small cup.. He didn't want it, just in case. Reid looked at Elijah, nudging him to assure him it's okay.

"This is really happening?" Emily asked.

"We knew this could happen. We've done our homework, we've prepared for this. This is it." Hotch nodded as he took the Cipro.

"Cent'anni. May you live one hundred years." Rossi hummed as he took his.

The group all exchanged looks before also taking the Cipro.. This case was going to be difficult.

*********************************

"Any word from the CIA?" Rossi asked as everyone walked into the Conference Room.

"They said there were a few overseas terrorist groups with funding and capability. They're working international. We're working domestic." Hotch told him.

"We need to look at anyone who can profit from this. People who have patents on anthrax vaccines." Fleur pointed.

"Garcia." Hotch nodded to her.

"On it." Garcis typed.

"And add to your list anyone with access to weaponized spores. Universities, scholars working in bioweapons research." Hotch continued.

"Employees of labs who keep germ collections." Rossi added.

"Be back in a few." Garcia walked out.

"Right in here, sir." JJ nodded as General Whitworth walked in with her.

"Thank you, Agent Jareau."

"General." Hotch spoke.

"Agent Hotchner." Whitworth nodded to him.

"This is SSA David Rossi and SSA Fleur Howards." Hotch introduced them.

"My scientists have started decoding the strain. The additives used to strengthen the bacterial capsules do not exist at our research labs." Whitworth told them.

"Are there any other labs using these substances?" Fleur asked.

"No."

"I'd like a list of all the scientists in your Anthrax program." Hotch told the General.

"I just said we don't use those additives." Whitworth pointed.

"Sir, we can rule out your lab samples but not your people." Hotch shook his head.

"We're looking at someone who has the ability to manipulate and weaponize Anthrax. Your scientists make that cut." Rossi crossed his arms.

"No, we all know what happened the last time your team looked into my people." Whitworth sighed.

"Sir, our team officially ruled out Dr Hatfil. I'm sorry if Justice didn't listen to us but the profile was accurate." Hotch shook his head.

"Well, I'm outranked by someone who believe in your profiles. I'll get you your list. Lieutenant." Whitworth nodded and walked out.

*********************************

Reid and Elijah walked into the hospital room of a young girl, Abby with Dr Kimura.

"Hey Abby. You feeling any better?" Linda asked.

Abby just lay on her bed, staring as she shook her head slightly.

"Okay, these are Agents Reid and Deans from the FBI. If you can, will you talk with them?"

She nodded slightly.

"Abby, I'd like to try to do a memory recall exercise with you to take you back to the park, if that's okay." Reid told her.

Abby nodded, looking towards the boys.

"Alright, we need you to close your eyes." Elijah began.

Abby did as she was told, closing her eyes.

"Yesterday afternoon, you rode your bicycle to the park. How did the sun feel on your skin? The breeze through your hair? Can you describe to us what you heard and the people around you?" Reid questioned.

"It was.. Warm. Windy. There were guys. Football, kids. I see free.. Me seen fee me- Free knee sin knee." Abby began speaking gibberish.

"Alright Abby, it's okay. You just rest now, okay?" Linda assured her.

"Mean pock a fee key me free?" Abby looked confused.

"Shh, just rest, okay? Thank you."

Abby shook her head, whimpering as she muttered to herself.

"What's causing her aphasia?" Reid asked quietly as they left the room.

"The poison is infecting the parietal lobe, impairing her speech. Some of the other patients displayed the same symptoms shortly before they died." Linda explained.

"None of the drug combinations are working?" Elijah raised a brow.

"The only thing helping them right now is the morphine." Linda sighed.

*********************************

"We need to call Reid, he said this might not be the first attack." Rossi walked in.

JJ bent down and called Reid and Elijah.

"Hello?" Reid answered.

"Reid, you have me, Rossi, Fleur and Hotch." JJ nodded.

"Kimura made some calls. It turns out that two days ago, two people in two separate Baltimore ERs and one person in a Philadelphia ER slipped into comas and died suddenly." Reid explained,"Now, the COD on all of them was Meningitis. Doctors didn't test for Anthrax because the illnesses presented themselves as Meningitis, but I think it could've been caused by Anthrax."

"Did they show symptoms that we're seeing now? The lesions?" Fleur asked.

"They wouldn't have if the bodily functions expired as quickly as they did." Elijah shook his head.

"How quickly?" Hotch sighed.

"All died within three hours of being admitted." Elijah told him.

"But the first patient died yesterday at 10 hours." Hotch looked at the others.

"Here's the thing, if they inhaled a higher concentration of the strain, it would cause a quicker death. Organ failure without exterior physical symptoms." Reid explained.

"What are the names?" Fleur asked.

"Gale Mercer, 31. Martha Finestein, 48. Albert Franks, 52. What next?" Garcia answered.

"See if they visited the same place on May 8th." JJ nodded.

"I have Gale Mercer making a credit card purchase ay the Book Front owned by Albert Franks." Garcia told her.

"I need to find General Whitworth. He needs to send a team out there." Hotch ran off.

*********************************

"Because the locations hit are not symbolically significant, we belive that these attacks are personal." Hotch began to deliver the profile.

"Understanding the significance of these locations will be the key to identifying him." Fleur continued.

"This personal element strongly indicates a home-grown terrorist." Rossi nodded.

"And like the Amerithrax case, we believe this is someone from the science or defence community." Morgan added.

"That's why you're here. We think you may know him. He may be one of us." Elijah sighed.

"These home grown terrorists are myopic zealots, Ideologues that believe that their work is of the greatest importance." Emily nodded.

"He may have preached about a threat of an attack in America." Rossi pointed.

"His co-workers would describe him as histrionic, paranoid, secretive." Morgan described.

"With all due respect, that's a little vague. What are we supposed to do with something that generic." Whitworth crossed his arms.

"Sir, we're not finished yet." Hotch pointed,"He may have logged excess hours at work in the past weeks preparing for the attack."

"We believe he's taken the full dosage of Anthrax vaccines over the recommended 18-month schedule and had yearly boosters." Emily told him.

"This guy has his own work space where he makes his product in privacy. He also has access to large, expensive, industrial-grade equipment at work." Morgan nodded

"He's written about the threats of Anthrax attacks, published papers. Yet he feels no one is listening, and that angers him." Elijah crossed his arms.

"Now, he may have recently experienced some sort of professional humiliation, like being demoted or fired. That would have been his trigger, the moment he decided to go rouge." Fleur hummed.

"And he may have betrayed his loved ones to his cause. He may be recently separated or divorced." Hotch added.

"This is somebody who knows every detail of the 2001 anthrax attack and has talked about what the suspects did right or wrong." Emily nodded.

"He's watching the news very closely to see how the country reacts." Morgan looked around.

"Please share this with your departments. Thank you." Hotch finished.

*********************************

Elijah, Morgan and Reid headed to the house would Dr Lawrence Nichols, the man they believed to be behind it.

"Clear so far." A soldier in a hazmat suit told them over the radio.

"Alright, keep me posted." Morgan sighed,"This guy just had people over for a charity event last month."

"We should probably take a look around anyway." Elijah nodded.

"Ow." Reid winced as he cut his finger on a thorn.

"You want me to kiss that better?" Elijah turned.

Reid chuckled and held his finger out as they walked towards the house. Elijah smiled, kissing his hand as his phone rang.

It was Emily,"Elijah?"

"Yeah, Em? What's up?"

"Are you and the boys at the house?"

"Mhm, we're here right now." Elijah nodded.

"Well we've just left the lab. It's clean." Emily sighed.

"Sorry, what? The lab is clean?" Elijah blinked,"You're sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright." Elijah sighed as he hung up, turning around,"They've got nothing- Reid?"

Reid was already inside the house, Morgan was running in after him.

"Get back! Both of you!" He heard Reid shout.

"What are you doing? What's going on?" Elijah asked, hurrying inside the house.

"Believe me. Get back." Reid locked the door from the inside.

"What's wrong? Spencer, open the door." Elijah shook his head.

"I'm sorry." Reid sighed.

Inside there was a white powder on the floor, the A/C on... Anthrax.

*********************************

Soon enough, the soldiers and Hotch pulled up to the house as Elijah and Morgan were waiting outside, Reid still in the room.

"Elijah, how's Reid?" Hotch asked.

"There was white powder in the room and the air was blasting." Elijah sighed.

"Get a decon team suited up, secure a grey zone outside that door, clean him up and get him into an ambulance fast." Whitworth ordered.

"I should've been right in there with him." Elijah shook his head.

"Elijah, there's no time for second guessing. What do we know?"

"Nichols is dead, blunt force trauma to the head. Reid thinks he's been dead two or three days." Morgan nodded.

"Well then he couldn't be responsible for the attack." Whitworth shook his head.

"Reid took Cipro today so he's going to be okay, right?" Elijah fiddled with his hands.

"I don't know. It was precautionary." Hotch admitted.

"Its not helping patients at the hospital." Whitworth added.

"But they didn't take it until after they were exposed. Reid took it before." Elijah rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, but we've never tested this strain on a Cipro ready subject. We just don't know." Whitworth shook his head as Hotch's phone rang.

"Reid." Hotch nodded as he answered.

"I really messed up this time." Reid sighed.

"Reid, we need to get you out and to the hospital." Hotch told him.

"No, I'm staying right here."

"No, you're not, Reid." Elijah clenched his fists.

"Eli, I'm already exposed. It's not going to do me any good to stop working the case." Reid sighed.

"He's already exposed. Now, if Nichols created the strain, he may have also created the cure." Whitworth nodded.

"My best chance is to stay here, see if there's a cure, try figure out who killed Dr Nichols." Reid looked around.

"Come on, Hotch. Say something to him. Please." Elijah pleaded.

"No.. He's right. His best chance is inside. We're going to get a suit and mask in to you right away." Hotch sighed.

"Dont bother, it's not going to do me any good. I'm already infected." Reid shook his head.

Whitworth walked off, talking to his people as they decided what to do.

"What have you gotten yourself into, darling?" Elijah asked quietly.

*********************************

Reid had figured out who the UnSub was, he was currently getting his clothes hosed down, ready to go to the hospital.

"Okay, yeah. They're hosing him down now." Morgan nodded.

"Keep me updated. On both Reid and Elijah." Fleur sighed.

"I will, Flo." Morgan assured her.

"We're going to check out Brown's House." Fleur nodded.

"Be careful." Morgan pointed,"I'll tell them."

Fleur hung up, sighing as she walked to the others.

"They're checking out Brown's house." Morgan turned to the other two.

"Go help Hotch." Reid shivered.

"Hotch has plenty of people helping him." Elijah shook his head.

"He needs you more than I do." He sighed.

"Reid, we're going to see you off to the hospital." Morgan pointed.

"I'm about to get naked so they can scrub me down. Is that really something you want to see?"

"Yes." Elijah answered quickly.

"You know what, I'll go. Keep good care of him." Morgan sighed,"I'll text."

"I won't let anything happen to him." Elijah hummed

Morgan nodded and ran off, getting into his car.

"Tale this to the lab." Linda handed a vial to someone,"I hope you're right about this."

"So do I." Reid sighed as he began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Dr Reid, did you cut yourself?" Linda asked, nodding to his hand.

Reid looked at his hand, seeing the open wound from where he cut his hand on a thorn... Black... The Anthrax.

"I swear to god, if you live this, I'm going to kill you." Elijah pointed.

"Sir, could you just step back while we change his clothing?" A man asked.

"Yeah- Yeah, I'm fine. I'll step back." Elijah took a step back, he didn't want to leave Reid.

*********************************

"Dr Reid, how are we feeling?" Linda asked.

"My throat is a little dry, but other than that I feel.." Reid tried to continue but... It was just coming out as gibberish and he started coughing,"I feel.."

"You son of a bitch, don't do this to me.." Elijah shook his head.

That's when Reid began coughing blood, his eyes rolling back.

"Okay, you're doing okay. Driver, faster!"

*********************************

Elijah was sat by Reid's hospital bed, he hadn't left his side. Morgan had brought him some Jell-O but he felt ill whenever he tried to eat it.

Reid then shifted, opening his eyes,"Are you eating Jell-O?"

"Oh my god.." Elijah leaned over, cupping Reid's face.

He was feeling so much at once. Relived, scared, upset... So he kissed him.

Reid gently kissed back, still waking up before he pulled away,"You've had Jell-O too?"

"Morgan said I needed to eat something." Elijah brushed Reid's hair out of his face.

"Hey kid." Morgan chuckled.

"That's cute." Fleur smiled from the doorway as she walked in.

"You scared us.. All of us." Elijah sighed.

"Is there any more Jell-O?" Reid hummed.

"Not so fast."

"What happened?"

"You're gonna be alright, kid. And we got Brown. It's over." Morgan told him.

"How's Abby?"

"She's on the mend, so are the three others." Fleur smiled,"You were right about where to look for the cure."

"Why was Dr Nichols making anthrax in the first place?" Reid thought.

"He was a brilliant scientist downgraded to working on the flu. Brown comes along asking for help with his thesis." Morgan shook his head.

"He was probably more than happy to share his knowledge." Reid shrugged.

"There's no indication that Nichols knew what Brown was planning." Elijah sighed.

"His strain and his cure are getting locked up in containment at Fort Detrick." Fleur told them,"With all the other bio agents people don't know about."

"Really? What else do you think they've got locked up in there?" Morgan chuckled.

"Frankly, I think I've had enough of bio-agents for one day." Elijah shook his head.

"You and me both." Reid hummed.

"If you ever do something like this again, I'll kill you." Elijah pointed.

"I'll take your word for it.. Now can I get Jell-O?"

Elijah sighed and handed him his small pot of Jell-O,"Take it."

Reid hummed and took the Jell-O, grabbing a small spoon.