𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞

𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

"you don't even
bother anymore."

     Fawn pressed her frail body into Spencer's, begging for some kind of comfort in his sweater-vest. They had been standing in the hall for a good five minutes before the team filed out. The sight of Reid holding Fawn was odd, he wasn't one to voluntarily deal with emotions.

     "Hey, what's going on?" Aaron mouthed to Spencer.

     "Ellie's her sister." Spencer mouthed back with a sad expression.

     "Can you carry her? She's light."

     "I think so." Reid gently lifted Fawn as one would a sleeping toddler, her head resting on his shoulder and legs around his torso. She was maybe ninety-eight pounds, extremely light.

     Elle grabbed Fawn's go-bag, and Derek grabbed Spencer's on their way out. Once they made it onto the jet, Spencer sat in a seat instead of the long couch that lined the left side windows where he usually resided. Fawn was sat on his lap with her head still pressed against his shoulder. He kept his hands around her in a hug-like position.

     Maybe ten minutes in, she fell asleep. Reid had Derek grab his FBI jacket from his go-bag and used it as a blanket when Fawn began to shiver.

     "Okay, so what do we know?" JJ asked quietly, "Other than that one of the victims is Fawn's sister."

     "We know that all of this is happening to students from Merryweather Prep, it's a private school in upper Manhattan." Hotch replied.

     "Is that our link?" Derek asked.

      Hotch sighed, "I don't know. We're going to have to go see the parents of the victims. Fawn might sit this one out, I'm not sure yet. I've never seen her like this."

      "Hotch, that's her little sister. She basically raised that little girl, her dad was doctor, mom was a nurse; they were always on call." Reid replied softly. "She even helped get her sister into Star Dance, the studio where they both practiced ballet. Ellie wasn't like a sister, she was like a daughter." Reid was cut off from speaking further by a phone ringing. It was Fawn's; a call from her mother.

     Aaron picked up the call, "Hello?"

     "Who is this?! Where is my daughter?!" A frightened woman's voice yelled from the other end.

     "This is SSA Aaron Hotchner with the FBI, my team and I are almost on the ground in Manhattan. Fawn is here as well, Mrs. Greene."

     "Thank god. I've been calling her all day and gotten no answer." He heard the woman begin to cry.

     "Mrs. Greene, our jet is about to land. I'll have Fawn delivered to you immediately after setting up, alright? I have to hang up." With that, he closed the lid of the flip-phone.

...
     Aaron and Spencer took Fawn to her childhood apartment, which was more of a penthouse. Spencer had an arm around Fawn's shoulder, and her face was pressed into his torso. Aaron knocked, and her mother immediately opened it.

     "Fawn?" Hearing her name come from her mother caused panic, she and her mother never had a close relationship. She pressed herself further into Spencer's side. "Fawn, please. Ellisa isn't going to make it. I just told them to wait to pull the plug until you got here. Daddy's already at the hospital."

     Fawn removed herself from Spencer's body so she could hug her mother. "Momma, please tell me you're lying." The break in her voice was obvious, she hurt. Nobody had ever seen her like this, not even her mother. "Momma please."

     Aaron and Spencer decided that Reid would stay with Fawn, and Hotch would go back. The team would come by in shifts, just in case the family was the target.

...
     When Fawn got to the hospital, she ran past the front desk and up to her sister's room. Spencer was right behind her. When she got into the room, she saw her little sister. Ellie was pale, lifeless. She dropped to her knees next to the bed.

     "El, I'm so sorry. I should've been here. I should've protected you," Fawn whispered, her face now flooded with tears.

     Spencer knelt next to her, rubbing her back gently. He knew how hard it was to watch a loved one die.

     Then it happened, Ellie flatlined without anyone pulling the plug. "Doctor!" Fawn shrieked over and over again while sobbing hysterically.

     She fell against Spencer when she finally slid to the floor. He pulled her into his lap, her face facing his. He stroked her hair gently when she laid her head on his shoulder.

     "Fawn, it's going to be okay. We're gonna catch this son of a bitch and make him rot in jail. I'll be here for you every step of the way." He whispered into her hair. "Do you wanna stay?"

     "Can we go? I don't care where, I just can't stay at the hospital."