Nightmares To Daydreams

Chapter Two

You were walking out of the office nine days later, after finally closing the case and dropping the corresponding paperwork in Hotch's office. "Hold the elevator!" Someone called, clearly rushing down the hall. You obliged and saw Reid jogging towards you. You smiled as he stepped into the elevator.

"Are we carpooling today?" You asked as the two of you walked towards the front doors leading out of the building. "Sure!" He said with his usual enthusiasm while he fished in his pocket for the keys to his simple jet black car. When you had asked about it, he had said that it was because he didn't like attracting attention. You mused over the hilarity of someone looking as good as Spencer thinking he could avoid attention.

"Y/N you're awfully quiet today," Spencer observed, glancing at you before turning his attention back to the road. "Yeah sorry I was just thinking that's all," you stated before jumping into conversation about weekend plans, and lack thereof, new books, and any random fact Spencer could add to the conversation.

Spencer opened the car door for you when you had arrived at your place, "you really don't have to do that Spence" you said, chuckling softly. However much you teased him for it you appreciated his seemingly constant sweetness. "You love it," he grinned, seeming to read your mind. While he was walking you to the door of your apartment you tried to think of a way to ask him to stay the night since his presence generally made the nightmares easier. Upon coming up empty, you sighed in defeat and gave him a quick hug before opening the door.

"uhm. . Y/N?" Spencer asked quietly, so quietly you almost thought you'd imagined it. "Yeah, Spence? " you responded while setting your go bag down just inside the door, throwing your keys on the door side table. "Is there. .uhm. .is there anyway I could uhm stay with you? I feel unnaturally tired and I don't feel entirely safe driving home alone. I would sleep on the couch. . . Or I could just go home. It's really not that big of a deal. I'm sorry I even asked" you grabbed his arm as he turned to leave "Spence, you're rambling. Of course you can stay here" you smiled slightly at his flusteredness.

Seeing all 6 feet and 1 inch of Spencer Reid sprawled across the couch that could barely contain you, standing only at 5'8, was almost comical.

"You definitely won't get a good sleep there. You can have my bed I don't mind the couch" you pulled him to stand beside you in front of aforementioned couch. "No. No way! I refuse to intrude in your home and then also steal your bed. That's just rude" he sounded appalled that you had even suggested it, "fine! Do you wanna share the bed" you said playfully, only half joking. You laughed as he blushed at the suggestion. "Spencer. You don't have to. Seriously I don't mind my couch."

"Were you serious?" At your puzzled look Spencer continued "about sharing a bed I mean" he stared at the floor anxiously as he waited for your answer. "Oh come on. We've shared plenty of beds on cases. And we're friends right? I don't mind"

Spencer's awkwardness at sharing a bed with you was hilarious and honestly? Adorable. "Spencer seriously relax. I'm not gonna take advantage of you in your sleep" you said jokingly, flipping the tv across the room onto an old skin wars rerun. "I would never think you would" he said, quietly scooting closer to the center of the bed.

Propping yourself on your elbows to study his face, you questioned him "Reid, I know. I was joking. Is something wrong? Did I offend you or something?" He looked shocked as he responded quickly "no! Not at all. I'm sorry. I just. In all honesty I wanted an excuse to be here. If the jet is any reference I'm assuming the nightmares are going to be bad tonight and I thought maybe I could help. When I had my nightmares I would have done anything for someone to help," he looked sheepish and stared at the faded purple bed spread instead of at you. "I-" you didn't know what to say so you just pulled him into a hug. You honestly don't know how long you sat hugging your friend by the light of the tv. When you finally pulled away and whispered "thank you" to him, he only nodded in response.

You were running barefoot down the long halls, trying to find Alexis. Progress was slow as you were running on what you assumed was a sprained ankle atop many other injuries pouring blood down your body. You could almost feel his laughter at your futil attempts to get both you and Alexis out.

'Where the fuck is my team?!' You thought anxiously, as you rounded the corner to the huge open room where you originally had seen Alexis. There! You saw a familiar body crumpled into itself along the wall to your left. Moving to it as quickly as possible, you recognized her black hair, cut in short, jagged angles that haphazardly framed her face. Her cold, empty face. "No. No no no no" you muttered trying to find some way to help. Looking all over her broken body for injuries.

His cold laughter came over the loudspeaker. "Her death is on you, maybe if you had listened I wouldn't have had to keep such a close eye on you and could have saved her" he was obviously enjoying the crushing guilt that was now on your shoulders.

You thrashed against the arms caging you in. "Y/N wake up, wake up it's me. It's Spencer. You're okay, it's not real" his voice stilled your thrashing as one of his hands stroked your hair. "Thank you" you choked out around the tears that were now flowing freely down your face while you hugged him tightly. He leaned back so that you were half sprawled across his chest, forehead nestled in the crook of his neck.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Reid asked, barely masking the worry in his voice, still stroking your hair. "I've told the team everything," you said between sniffles "I got kidnapped from our hotel in Houston last year, next thing I know I'm in some big ass warehouse being dragged from room to room being used like some sort of sex doll" Reid hissed between his teeth. "Then who is Alexis" You looked at him bewildered, you hadn't told anybody about the girl that you let die in the factory and you hadn't needed to because her body was never recovered when you were rescued.

"You said her name, Y/N I know you left something out. What didn't you tell the rest of the team?" He leaned back to stare into your eyes. You groaned and began to fill him in on the girl who was there when you got there, bleeding from her left side. For some reason, you even trusted him with the soul crushing guilt you felt from finding her dead. Knowing you could have and SHOULD have saved her.

"Listen to me." Spencer said, you refused to meet his eyes "Look at me," he ordered, grabbing your chin and forcing you to look at him. His tone caught you off guard, it wasn't something you could ignore and it was actually kind of attractive. "Y/N listen, he wants you to feel guilty. He could have saved her at any moment and he chose not to. He chose to let you find her and he ordered you to blame yourself" Spencer said, never once breaking eye contact. Logically, you knew he was right but that didn't mean you stopped feeling guilty.

Reid had cut the tv back on to some scifi show for background noise. He had pulled you closer so you were now laying almost fully on him, sniffling quietly with your lips inches from his throat and his hand resting on your head. Spencer's breathing was slow and even, lulling you to sleep, just as you were drifting off under the waves exhaustion you could have sworn you felt Spencer's lips against your hair "sleep easy Y/N I'll be right here when you wake up" he whispered right as you slipped into unconsciousness.