Isabel wandered along the hallway, trying to ignore the figures moving in the dark. She didn't know how or why she had ended up here, but she had a feeling there was something important at the end of it. So she continued to walk, always on guard, watching and waiting for those shadows to jump out of the darkness and try to claim her.
***************************
Reid sighed, running a hand through his hair as he walked the hall of the building, heading to Ciara's apartment. He'd heard about the conversation she had with Xavier Arrington- Hotch had told all of them, if for no other reason than for them to double down on finding Ty before he could get to D.C. Ciara had gone home very shortly after, and Reid hadn't gotten a chance to talk to her about it. He supposed that was part of the reason he was here, to make sure she was okay.
The other part was to tell her how everything had ended. Xavier had mentioned he had no intention of going to prison, and he had meant it. As he was being transferred to the prison to await trial, Xavier had escaped. No one was sure how he'd done it. He was there one second and gone the next. He had been put on the FBI's Most Wanted list, but Reid had a feeling that they wouldn't be able to catch him. Xavier had only turned himself in to talk to Ciara- once that was done, he was back to his mission of vigilante justice.
Reid assumed Ciara would want to know what had happened. And even if she didn't, he wanted to make sure she was okay. Technically speaking, he could have waited until the next day when they met up for their regular Saturday excursions. But he'd done that once, and it had led to the worst two years of his life. He wasn't about to make that same mistake again. So there he was, walking up to her apartment completely unannounced.
He wasn't sure she'd even want to see him. But even if all he got was an assurance that she was okay before she shut the door in his face, that would be enough. As long as he could see her, he'd be okay with that. So with a deep breath, he raised his fist and knocked on the door. He waited for her to respond, but when a minute passed and there was no sound from the other side of the door, he began to get nervous.
What if he was already too late? What if Ty had already gotten to her? He knocked again, but there was still no response, and Reid felt his heart starting to beat faster. Memories of when he first found out she was missing began to surface, and he immediately reached into the light beside the door, fishing out the spare key.
Maybe nothing was wrong- maybe she was just listening to music and couldn't hear his knocks. If that was the case, he would apologize for barging in so suddenly. But he couldn't take the chance, not when they knew Ty was possibly making his way to D.C. Reid had to be sure that she was safe. So with the spare key in hand, he unlocked the door and stepped inside. For a second, everything was quiet. Most of the lights were off, casting the apartment in shadows. And then, in a flash, there was movement.
Ciara finally came around a corner, tightly holding onto a kitchen knife that was pointed straight at him.
*******************
They were everywhere. The shadows. The voices. They filled every inch of her perception, threatening to pull her under.
When she had slightly calmed herself down after her conversation with Xavier Arrington, she had asked Hotch if she could go home for the day. She needed time alone, and Hotch had agreed that she needed time to process. But what she hadn't predicted was how dangerous her home would feel.
It happened as soon as she stepped in the door. She had seen bloodstains on the floor and dents in the wall, exactly where they had been when James had come for her. She immediately went back into her room and locked the door, hoping that would keep any intruders out. But it hadn't worked. The shadows in the room seemed to move, some reaching out to grab her. From the shadows came the jumbled voices, all talking over each other and leaving Ciara unable to tell what they were saying. Just as she stood up, ready to see if another room was safer, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, rubbing her stomach possessively. His was the only voice she could hear clearly.
Do you know how much I love seeing you like this, princess? It makes me so fucking hot, seeing you swollen with my child. His hands moved up to her chest, roughly groping her. She whimpered as he pulled her closer to him, her back pressed against his chest. He ground his hips against her ass, and tears formed in her eyes when she felt how hard he was. She knew what that led to. It led to pain and shame and humiliation- all the things she thought she had escaped in After.
"Please, James, no..." she whimpered, and James paused for a moment. But very quickly, he had one arm pressed against her throat, slightly cutting off her air. He growled slightly in her ear, and she could feel the anger radiating off of him in waves.
You don't get to tell me no, you little whore. I own you, don't you remember? You're mine to do whatever I want with. And you should know by now that I always get what I want. And right now, what I want is you. He chuckled darkly, and Ciara felt her heart leap into her throat. Besides, wouldn't you rather be with me than him? At least I'd let you live. He has no such compunction.
"Who...?" she started to ask, but her voice froze when she realized who James was talking about. Out of the shadows materialized another figure, and the rest of Ciara froze when she saw who it was. In the corner, Ty stood, twirling the tip of his hunting knife against his finger. She'd always had to question if James was real or not- but with Ty, that was less of a question. Ty was on his way to D.C., so it was much more likely that he was real. And if he was real, that meant she was in serious danger. James was right about one thing- if Ty caught her, he wouldn't let her walk away alive.
Miss me? Ty asked with sadistic glee. Ciara didn't know how, but she managed to get out of James's grip and ran out of her room, stumbling into the hallway. She could still hear James's dark laughter echoing from her room.
You can run all you want, princess, but I'll catch you. I'll always catch you. And when I do, I'll make sure you regret ever trying to run from me. The voices started to surround her. James's laughter and Ty's threats. And a symphony of dark voices behind them, all whispering something unintelligible. The shadows reached out to grab at her, and she tried to think. Where in the house would be safe? Every room had been touched by James in one way or another.
And then everything stopped when there was a knock at the door- everything except the racing of her heart. No one had told her they were coming, and since everyone knew how much Ciara hated surprises, they always let her know if they were planning on stopping by. And so her mind raced with possibilities, each one worse than the last. She held her breath, hoping that if whoever was at the door thought no one was home, they would just leave.
But then there was a second knock, and Ciara's heart raced even faster. Without thinking, she went into the kitchen, knowing her best chance at protecting herself was there. She didn't think Ty would be so brazen as to actually knock on her door. But maybe that was his game- torture her with the knowledge that he was there. Or to make her think it was safe, only to pounce the second she opened her door. Either possibility seemed realistic.
And then she heard the spare key being slid into the lock, and her heart completely stopped. Running on instinct, she reached into a drawer and grabbed one of her kitchen knives, ready to defend herself and her child. Baby B was kicking furiously at the moment, almost as if they could sense their mother's fear and was unnerved by it. As if they were just as scared as she was. When she heard the lock click open, she waited with bated breath.
When the intruder stepped inside and paused for a moment, she made her move, brandishing the kitchen knife and ready to do whatever it took.
"Ciara! Stop! It's me, it's Spencer!" Ciara's whole body locked up as she blinked, finally registering that it was, in fact, Reid who had entered her apartment. He was looking at her with a mixture of concern and apprehension, his hands raised in surrender. Immediately, tears sprung to her eyes and she dropped the knife, horror washing over her as her hand flew to her mouth. Had she been that close to attacking Reid? What if he hadn't been able to announce who he was as quickly as he did? What would have happened then? What if she accidentally hurt one of her best friends?
"Oh my God... I thought... I thought... Ye didn't tell me ye were coming... and when I heard the knock, I thought... I thought it might have been Ty, and..." She choked on the rest of her words, the tears starting to fall down her face as shame and guilt washed over her. She put her face in her hands, trying to shrink away and hide as she cried. But then she heard footsteps. She looked over her fingers for just a moment to see Reid walking towards her, pausing for only a moment to slide the knife away with his foot. And then he wrapped her up in a fierce hug, and as she returned his hug, gripping the back of his shirt as she cried, it felt, for a moment, that everything might be okay.
"I'm sorry, Ciara. I didn't mean to scare you. I should have called or texted or something. I was so focused on getting over here to make sure you were okay after that conversation with Xavier Arrington that I completely forgot. But that's not an excuse. I shouldn't have shown up here unannounced when you were likely to be scared. And don't you dare be sorry about what just happened," he said in that soothing tone of his. But she still felt guilty, and she still felt ashamed, so she just kept crying.
"But I am sorry. I nearly came at ye with a knife. I could have hurt ye. I could have... I could have..." She couldn't finish the sentence. But the thought that if things had gone worse, if she hadn't recognized him in time, if he hadn't announced himself in time... The thought that she may have ended up taking his life was almost too much to bear. Reid stepped back, before cupping her face in his hands and wiping her tears with his thumbs.
"Do not be sorry, okay? You were scared, and understandably so. You thought I might have been your brother. But even though you were scared, you didn't back down. You took out that knife, prepared to defend both yourself and your child. So don't be ashamed, and don't feel guilty. Don't you ever be sorry for trying to protect yourself and Baby B, you hear me?"
The tears kept coming, and Reid kept wiping them away. But her tears were no longer out of shame. They were out of... relief, almost? Relief that no one had been hurt. Relief that it hadn't been Ty at her door. Relief that Reid was not at all angry over what had happened, and that their friendship hadn't been threatened. And for that last part, she wasn't just relieved, but thankful, too. Thankful that Reid was so understanding, and thankful that he always knew just what to say to make her feel better.
"Thank ye, Spencer. Thank ye for not being angry."
"Why should I be angry about you acting in self-defense? If anything, it makes me incredibly proud of you. You could have let your fear overtake you. But that's not what happened. You acted despite your fear. You used your fear to fuel your desire to protect both of you. And so you did what you needed to, and that's such an incredibly brave thing to do, and I'm proud of you," Reid said, and Ciara nodded, cradling her stomach gently.
"I know it's a little ridiculous to think that Ty would just knock on my door. And it's not like..." But her thought was suddenly cut off was a horrifying realization washed over her. One hand flew to her mouth as she put the other over her baby bump protectively, her prosthetic fingers starting to twitch wildly as the shaking of her hands overloaded them with commands. "Oh my God."
"Ciara? What is it?" Ciara looked up at Reid with wide, terrified eyes as the color drained from her face as the realization sunk further in.
"I didn't think of it before now, but Ty, he... he knows where I live! I'm in the same apartment I lived in when he and James took me to Halsey, so if he comes to D.C. to look for me, the first place he's going to look is here! Oh my God, what if he hurts me in my sleep? What if he hurts my baby? Oh my God, oh my God..." Reid cut her off by taking her hands away from her mouth and stomach, holding them gently but firmly. And when he looked at her with a gaze that was both determined and reassuring, it was all she could do to not get completely captured by it.
"Hey, listen to me. Nothing is going to happen to you or the baby. We won't let Ty hurt you. I won't let Ty hurt you. We're going to track that bastard down and we're going to make him face justice for everything he did to you. And until that happens, we will find a way to keep you safe. Whatever you need to do to feel safe, we'll support you," Reid promised her, and she felt tears pricking in her eyes again at the sincerity in his words.
"I... I don't know... I don't think I'll feel safe in this apartment, not until Ty's behind bars. But I also don't want to leave, not when we spent so long working on the nursery... I just... I don't know what to do..." Ciara hung her head, trying to keep the tears at bay. But when Reid gave her hands a gentle squeeze, she looked back up at him.
"That's not a decision you have to make tonight, Ciara. You don't have to make it right now. If you need to take time to decide that, then you do that," Reid responded, and Ciara looked around her apartment. She knew he was right- she needed time to decide whether to stay or to go. But how was she supposed to put aside the time to make that decision when she felt so unsafe? "And if you don't feel safe in this apartment right now... you could, um... Well, you could always stay at my apartment tonight. Just until you're feeling a little safer. But if you don't want to do that, that's cool, too, but I thought I would offer." Reid's cheeks had taken on a slight pink tinge, and he was rubbing the back of his neck as his words sunk in for Ciara.
"Ye'd... ye'd let me stay with ye?" Ciara asked. Reid immediately stopped rubbing his neck and looked back at her with a serious expression.
"Yes, Ciara. I want you to feel safe because that's how you deserve to feel. And if you don't feel safe here, then the most logical solution would be to take you somewhere you can feel safe. Whether that's with me, or a hotel room, or with someone else in the BAU. All of us will do what it takes to keep you and Baby B safe," Reid answered, and Ciara nodded slowly, her hands reaching down to again cradle her stomach. That seemed to be a favorite position for her hands lately.
"And what if I don't have a decision by morning?" she asked quietly.
"If that's the case, please believe that you are welcome to stay at my apartment for as long as you need to. Or if you spend one night there and decide you want to stay somewhere else, I'll help you make that happen. Whatever you need to feel safe," Reid said, and Ciara felt a lump grow in her throat as emotion started to overtake her. She'd always known that she felt safe with Reid. It had taken time in Before to get to that point, but once she'd started feeling safe with Reid, she'd never stopped. And now, hearing him so willing to help her do whatever she needed to do, it made her feel even safer.
"I feel safe with ye," she admitted, and she saw his eyes widen slightly as that pink tinge returned to his cheeks. She'd been seeing that slight flush on his face more often lately, and it made her wonder what was going through his mind. But she figured if he wanted her to know, he'd tell her. He just nodded, swallowing hard.
"So does that mean you want to stay at my apartment tonight?" he asked, and Ciara nodded. She knew she'd feel safe at Reid's apartment- after all, she'd never been there. It was clean and it was pure and there were no memories there except the ones waiting to be made. She didn't wait another moment. She went back to her room, grabbed a bag, and started to throw things inside of it. A few changes of clothes, just in case she spent more than one night, a few toiletries, and her laptop and charger. She'd recently been getting back to using her laptop. She was trying to see computers as a way to access the world again and not just see them as a psychological torture device.
She put her hand on her hairbrush, wondering if she should take it with her. She decided against it. Her hair was still barely longer than a pixie cut, and even if it was starting to get some wave back to it, she could easily comb through it and fix it up with her fingers. Once her bag was packed, she went out into the living room and grabbed a few movies- might as well have something to do while she was at Reid's apartment. And besides, she picked out her three favorites, movies that she had wanted to one day share with Reid.
"Uh, Ciara, I hope you know I have nothing to play those movies on," Reid mentioned, and Ciara looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Ye don't have a DVD player?"
"I don't have a T.V."
"Dear God, Spencer, do ye do anything for fun besides read?" she asked with a small smile. He shrugged slightly, but the smile on his face showed that he was just as amused as she was. "That's fine. I don't need a T.V. I just need a wall." She went over to one of her storage closets and found a small bag that she knew held a mini-projector. It wasn't the best, but it would do. Once she was sure she had everything she needed, she followed Reid out of her apartment, making sure to lock it up tightly.
Baby B was kicking lazily as she followed Reid to his car, and Ciara put a gentle hand on her stomach. At least for the night, she'd be in a place that she knew was safe. What would happen after that was anyone's guess. But as long as Reid and the rest of the BAU were behind her, she knew that nothing would happen to her or Baby B. As long as she had her friends behind her, she and her child would be safe.
Okay, let me apologize for going completely AWOL. I started classes a few weeks ago and right at the same time, several of my coworkers got sick so I got bombarded with hours. So yeah, I barely had time to sleep and do my homework, let alone write. But now that my coworkers aren't sick anymore, my hours are being cut back (and no, I'm not upset about that at all), which means we're back in business! And honestly, I'm ready to get this wrapped up and I'm sure y'all are, too! So I'll start seeing y'all again regularly very soon! BYE!
"It is only through shadows that one comes to know the light." -Saint Catherine of Siena