Hello everyone! I know it's been a super long time since I promised you a sequel. As a thank you to whomever nominated Letting Go for the profilers choice awards, I have decided to begin work on this story. If you are interested, you can vote for my story between January and February 15th. I would really appreciate it.

She thrashed desperately in the water, mouth open in a silent scream. The shadowy figure above her laughed as her eyes grew wide with panic and her lungs cried out for air. She tried to fight him off but couldn't move her arms or legs. The oxygen deprivation was making her head spin. Then he was gone but something was still pinning her to the marshy earth bellow. No matter how hard she fought the invisible force, she couldn't move. She was going to die here, alone and helpless at the bottom of some godforsaken pond.

"Mommy?" A quiet, scared voice called out. "Mommy?"

"ETHEN!" she cried, redoubling her efforts to escape. "Ethen baby I'm coming! Where are you?"

"Mommy help!" He shrieked. She could see the outline of a boy in the distance, reaching out to her.

Her baby needed his mother. She was failing him. "ETHEN!"

Alex's eyes snapped open as she sat up. She needed to go, she needed to save her son but something was twisted around her legs, holding her back. Despite her gasping breaths, her lungs still burned with such intensity she was sure they must be on fire. It was too dark to see the obstacle pinning her to the ground. Was the shadowy man responsible for this? Had he taken Ethen and left her here to die?

"Alex? Honey, what's wrong?" A gentle voice asked. Alex stopped struggling and looked around in confusion. Even though she couldn't see, the room seemed familiar. The smell of fresh laundry, the soft mattress beneath her, that voice…

Home. She was home in bed, not in the lake being drowned by the Unsub. And Ethen wasn't there; Ethen was gone. Alex felt huge, fat tears sliding down her cheeks. "James?"

"Yes Lex it's me," he reassured. "It was just a dream. You're home. You're safe."

"Oh James," She sobbed.

"I need you to take some nice deep breaths for me Lex. Nice and slow," James Instructed. He reached out and took one of her hands in his, running a thumb gently over her clammy palm.

"He was there James! He was going to… I couldn't…"

"Shhh. Everything is okay. You're okay." James slid over to his distraught wife and wrapped her in a protective hug. "Focus on my breathing. Breathe when I do. There you go Lex." Alex pressed herself into his strong body and laid her head on his shoulder. He rocked her back and forth as she cried, whispering comforting phrases against her ear.

After Alex's tears had dried and her breathing slowed, James gently pulled her back down to the bed, keeping an arm around her waist. He tenderly ran a hand through her long brown hair and Alex allowed the soothing gesture to lull her back into an uneasy sleep.

When Alex woke again, the sun had crept into the sky. Morning rays were sneaking through the crack in the curtains and lighting the immaculately clean room in a soft, pleasant glow. With nothing else to do when she was on medical leave, Alex had taken to cleaning the house, even when nothing needed to be cleaned. Two weeks ago she had been cleared to work in the office. Yesterday, her doctor had given her clearance to return to field work as long as her headaches didn't persist.

According to the alarm clock next to Alex's head, it was 6:15, so she carefully extricated herself from James' embrace and snuck into the bathroom. She didn't bother to let the water warm up before stepping under the powerful spray of their shower. The freezing droplets pelting her body would help wash away the memory of her nightmare. Still, Alex was careful to keep her head out of the stream. She couldn't stand the feeling of water covering her face, even if it was just from the shower.

After getting dressed, Alex carefully applied a thick layer of make-up under her eyes to hide the dark shadows. She knew no one would believe that she was fine, but she didn't want them to pity her because of a few restless nights.

James gave her an approving once-over when she exited the bathroom. "You look like you're ready to take on the world."

"Maybe just one Unsub at a time," Alex replied. He didn't question her about her readiness to return to field work or remind her about the doctor's restrictions, for which she was grateful. He knew she could take care of herself just as she knew he would always be there to help her, no questions asked.

"I assume I'll be home tonight, but you never know," Alex said. James nodded in understanding. She gave her husband a quick kiss before leaving the house for the BAU.

Thank you for reading. Next chapter the new case will be revealed! As always, any thoughts, ideas, or constructive criticism is welcomed. I can't get better or give you what you want if you don't review!