Jennifer Hatfield was tossing and turning in her bed, and the blankets were getting entangled around her. She groaned and muttered something unintellageable.
Jennifer was back in her old neighborhood. She turned and surveyed the houses on the street, then turned to face her old house. It looked different than when she had lived there. She hadn't seen the house since the day she left it years ago. Something made her walk to the front door. When she got to the door, she reached out for the handle, but something made her pause. She listened for a moment, but didn't hear anything. Something had made her stop, but she couldn't tell what had done it. She scanned the neighborhood once more, but still saw nothing. She turned to look at the door again, but she wasn't standing in front of her old house anymore, but she was in her old room. She slowly turned and looked around the room. It looked the same as the last time she'd seen it. Her mother hadn't changed it since the day she'd left. Her mother. She hadn't seen or heard from her in a few years. She didn't know what her mother was doing now, she'd lost track of her.
"Jennifer."
Reid? It had sounded just like Spencer Reid's voice, but she hadn't thought about him that much since that day. Why would she think of him now?
"Jennifer."
It was his voice again. She was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. His voice was getting louder, and it sounded closer to her. It was right outside her bedroom door.
"Reid?" She called to him.
It was as if she had called him to her, because a moment later, the man she hadn't seen in seven years walked through her bedroom door. She was surprised, but she smiled at him.
"Reid, is it really you? What are you doing here?" She asked.
He shrugged a shoulder.
"I don't know." Reid said.
"I think we found something that you don't know! I didn't think that it was possible." She said with a laugh.
Reid laughed too, and Jennifer crossed the room, to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged him. He laughed as he squeezed her tightly, hugging her back.
"I guess. I've been thinking about you alot lately Jennifer. How are you doing?" Reid asked.
"Fine. Reid, is something wrong?" Jennifer asked.
He smiled, exhaled quietly, and shook his head.
"No, everything is fine, now. I'm just glad you're okay." He told her.
She smiled.
"Of course I am. How are you doing Spencer?" She asked.
He stared into her eyes, and searched them frantically.
"Spence?" She said quietly.
Reid reached his hand out and pulled her closer. Without warning, Reid leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers.
"He's back."
His voice was so low that she thought that she had heard things. She pulled away from him slightly, and looked into his eyes.
"What did you just say?" She asked.
"Jen?" He said.
She suddenly heard something, it almost sounded like a laugh. She looked in the direction of the laugh. Something was wrong, off.
"Jen? What's wrong?" Reid asked.
"Did you hear that?" She whispered.
"What?" He asked.
"I thought that I heard..."
She heard the laughter again, and it was closer and slightly louder now.
"What did you hear Jen?" He asked.
She listened for a moment, but then shook her head.
"Nothing. I'm just too stressed out." She said quietly.
"I'm worried about you Jen. I have a bad feeling that something is going to happen. I need to talk to you." He told her.
"Reid, I'm talking to you right now, and you're starting to scare me. What is going on?" She asked.
"Jennifer, you need to call me. Jen, call me, before anything happens. I don't want anything to happen to you." He told her.
She shook her head.
"What are you talking about? Reid, I'm fine, nothing is going to happen to me. That is all in the past, remember? He's dead, and isn't coming back. Your boss shot him, and killed him. He isn't coming back." She told him.
He shook his head.
"Call me, please, Jen. Let me know that you are okay." Reid told her.
She put her hand on the side of his face. She was about to say something, when the laughter she had heard before, could be heard right outside of the door to her room. She turned her head, and looked at the door.
"Jen, be careful, He's coming back."
Reid's voice sounded so far away.
Jennifer sat up, gasping for air, and her eyes darting around her bedroom. Her heart felt as if it was trying to burst out of her chest. She put her hand over her speeding heart, and took some deep breaths. Her cat jumped up onto her bed, and rubbed up against her trembling body. She smiled and began petting the cat's head.
"Mommy had a weird dream, that's all. I'm fine." She told the cat.
He meowed, she smiled, and then looked over at the digital clock on her bedside table. 4:35 am. She exhaled loudly, then swung her legs off of the bed. She ran a hand through her hair, then stood up. The sheet dropped onto the floor, and she stepped out of it, and headed for the bathroom.
It was slightly earlier than she usually got up, but after that dream, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to get back to sleep, even if she wanted to, or not. She shook her head, and tried to get Reid's voice and face out of her memory. It was surprising to her that she had dreamed of Reid. It was hard to think of him, without remembering what had happened surrounding his arrival in her life. Those events had brought him into her life, and she couldn't remember him, without thinking about the evil events from her senior year of high school.
She flinched, and quickly thought about something, anything, else. She started the shower and got under the warm spray of the water. The tears came on suddenly, and she couldn't hold them, or the sobs, back. Kevin. Sara. Debbie. They were all gone. She'd never see them again. She rested her forehead against the tile of the wall. The sobs were coming harder and more frequently. She let out a scream, then hit the wall with her fists. They hadn't deserved to die, any more than she had deserved to live. Why had she survived, and they had died?
When she had cried herself out, she quickly finished up, and got out of the shower. She dried her face off, and quickly wrapped her towel around her body. She returned to her bedroom, and her cat raised his head, looking at her. She gave him a half smile, and went over to her closet. She chose a pair of faded jeans and a black tank top. Over the tank she slid on a button up shirt. She buttoned it up, then slid her heels on. She went over to her vanity, and did her hair and make up. When she finished, she headed out to the kitchen, to make a pot of coffee. While that brewed, she went outside, to check on the newspaper. She picked it up, and returned to the kitchen. She sat down, and started reading the paper, starting on the front page, and going through it page by page. She felt like she was searching for something, but didn't know exactly what in particular. She knew what it would be, when she saw it, she just knew it.
She felt her heart speed up slightly when she saw a national news headline. A teenager had tried committing suicide a few days prior. The article didn't give much detail, and it wasn't too long at all. Something didn't feel right about the article. She didn't know why she couldn't get the article out of her mind. It unsettled her for some reason. The teen wasn't even in the same state as she was, so it didn't make sense why she was so worried about the article.
XXXX
She had tried getting the article out of her mind all day, but she found it more difficult than she had thought. The article had flashed before eyes every time she had closed her eyes, or her mind began wandering. It was like that the next day too, and days later, especially when she saw the next article. Another teenager had tried killing themselves, once again the article didn't go into detail, and the article wasn't that long either. However, the teenager was in a different state from the first article. That unsettled her too. Something was going on, she could feel it from deep in her soul, but she couldn't figure it out. The puzzle pieces were right in front of her, but she couldn't get them to fit, no matter how she put them together. It was irritating her, and making her feel like she was missing something that staring right in front of her.
The whole week was like that. It blended into the next week too. There was a pit in the bottom of her stomach, and it was growing. By the end of the third week, heading into the fourth week, it had grown twice in size. It was starting to make her feel sick to her stomach. One morning, after she had just gotten done reading about another attempted suicide, that had been successful, she had to run to the bathroom. She almost hadn't made it in time.
She was just finishing getting cleaned up, when she heard a knock on her door. She groaned, and headed for her front door, wiping at her mouth as she went. She opened the door, and the towel fell from her hand when she saw who was standing there. She blinked several times, to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. The man smiled slightly, and glanced down at his feet. When he looked back up at her, his smile wasn't as pronounced.
"Hey Jen. Long time, no see." He said quietly.
She shook her head, to try to clear it.
"What...Why...How...?" She said.
"I remember you being a little more articulate than that, the last time we saw each other. Then again, we didn't really do much talking that day before I left, did we?" He said.
She locked eyes with him. Why was he here now? This couldn't be a coincidence, not with how she had been dreaming. He had been a guest in her dreams more and more frequently since that first article had shown up in the paper. Not only had he starred in her dreams, but they had gotten darker too. It was almost like back in her senior year of high school. The first and last time that she had seen him.
"Jen? Can I come in, or are you going to make me just stand here?" He asked.
She cleared her throat.
"Yeah, sure, come on in. The kitchen is right through that way." She said.
He passed her, and headed for the kitchen. She followed him, the knot in her stomach tightened around the pit in the bottom of her stomach. What had made him show up, now? She bit her lip as she leaned up against the wall, watching him take a seat at her kitchen table. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, but never took her eyes off of him. For the most part, he looked the same, there were a few differences about him since the last time she had seen him.
He looked up at her.
"You look good Jennifer. How are you doing?" He asked her.
"Do you really expect me to believe that you are here on a social call?" She asked.
He smiled.
"How do you know that I'm not here just to see you? Is that so hard to believe?" He asked.
She pushed off of the wall, and walked over to the table, but didn't sit down. She faced him, never taking her eyes off of him.
"I'm not stupid Reid, we haven't seen, nor spoken, to each other since...in years. Why would you just show up at my door, wanting to see me. Why are you really here Reid?" She asked.
His eyes clouded over momentarily, then they cleared up. If she hadn't been looking so closely, she would have never seen the change at all.
"Not because I didn't try. I left messages, but I never got any response from you. You shut me out of your life, remember?" He asked quietly.
She flinched, and her hand went to the disolving scar that was diagonal on her chest, as if it had burnt her. She was having trouble breathing slightly.
"Jennifer? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, that's not why I came by." He told her.
He stood, and moved even closer to her. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, he was right in front of her. His closeness was slightly unnerving.
"I'm fine Reid. Now, please tell me why you are here." She asked.
She searched his eyes for some, any, answer behind those eyes. He had become more guarded since the last time she'd seen him.
"I need to know why. Why wouldn't you return any of my calls, or emails?" Reid asked her.
She couldn't look in his eyes anymore, she had to look away from him. She bit her lip, and tried to keep her tears in check. It was hard, especially when he was this close to her. He took her chin in his hand, and made her look at him.
"Jennifer, please, I've been so worried about you." He told her.
"Reid..I...couldn't...it was too hard to see or think of you, without reliving what happened that day. It was too painful." She whispered.
He exhaled loudly, then pulled her into a hug. He held her tightly.
"I'm so sorry Jennifer, I am. All I wanted to do is help you, not make you go through all of that all over again." He told her.
A few moments later, she pulled out of his embrace, and wiped at her nose. She looked back up at him.
"You still haven't told me why you are here." She said, clearing her throat.
"Why don't we go for a ride?" He asked.
That wasn't what she had been expecting.
"Why?" She asked.
"I have something that I wanted to talk to you about. Please Jennifer." He said.
"You can't talk to me about it here? Why?" She asked.
He traced her jawline gently.
"I don't have everything with me, I need to get some stuff." He told her.
"Why didn't you just bring it with you?" She asked.
"I wasn't sure if you would see me or not." He told her.
She sighed.
"Please Jennifer, I need your help." He whispered.
She bit her lip, and gave a stiff little nod. He gave a small smile.
"Thank you." He whispered.
"Let's go." She said quietly.
He pulled her into another hug.
XXXX
"Why are we at the airport? Where are we supposed to be going?" She asked.
"The jet is waiting for us. It won't take us long to get there." He told her.
He led her through the airport, and down to the tarmac. The steps to get into the jet started lowering themselves so they could climb aboard.
"Where are you taking me on a jet Reid?" She asked.
"You'll see." He said.
She got inside of the jet, following him, but stopped, crossing her arms in front of her.
"I want to know what's going on, right now, Spencer Reid, or I will leave and go back home, and you will be S.O.L., without whatever help you needed. So, you can either tell me now, or you won't get my help at all. It's your choice, so choose, now." She said.
Reid exhaled loudly.
"I'm actually surprised that he got you this far, without telling you anything yet." A voice said, from behind Reid.
Jennifer looked past Reid, and saw another face from that dreadful time in her past. She was feeling even more nausious than she had before.
"What's going on? I want answers, and I want them now. I don't care who tells me, just someone needs to tell me something." She said coldly.
Inside she was praying that it wasn't what she thought it was. That was dead and burried in her past. It just couldn't be possible. He was dead. He wasn't coming back.
"Why don't you have a seat? You'll want to sit."
She looked at Reid.
"Jennifer, do you remember SSA Morgan?" Reid asked.
She gave a slight nod.
"Of course. It's hard to forget someone that acuses you of killing yourself, because he doesn't believe what's right in front of his face. I don't think I'll ever forget Agent Morgan." Jennifer said.
She heard Morgan chuckle slightly.
"I see she hasn't changed much since the last time we saw her. Miss Hatfield, please have a seat, and we will tell you anything that you want to know." Morgan said.
She didn't take her eyes off of Reid's.
"Jennifer, please. You might be the only person that can help us." Reid said.
She exhaled loudly when she realized that she couldn't tell Reid no. He had been the one that believed her first, and got his team to believe her. He could have told her that she owed him, but of course, he wouldn't ever guilt her like that. He wasn't like that.
"Fine." She muttered.
Reid smiled in relief.
"Thank you. Just take a seat. We should arrive shortly." Reid told her.
She followed him, and took a seat. He sat down next to her. Morgan sat down in front of her.
"I'm waiting. I did what you wanted, so tell me everything." She said.
Reid and Morgan looked at each other, then back at her.
"Well, we can't tell you too much right now, but I promise that you will know everything that you want to know when we get to the rest of the team." Morgan said.
She felt her blood run cold.
"Why are we meeting up with the rest of the team? Why did you come to my house Reid? What happened? The only thing that I can think of why you and your team would need me can't possibly happen, because he is dead. Your boss shot him in the head, and he died. So, why are we headed to see your team?" She demanded, her voice shaking as she spoke.
Reid took her hand in his. There was something behind his eyes that she couldn't put her finger on. His eyes never left her. He squeezed her hand, and she could see worry and fear cross his features.
"Maybe we should wait until you can talk to Hotch. He can give you any answer you need." Reid said.
He was hiding something from her, she felt it in her bones. The acid in her stomach was boiling over, and she felt about to puke. For some reason, no one needed to confirm her suspicions. Deep in her heart, she already knew. She shook her head. She didn't want to believe it.
"No. It can't be. He's dead! He can't come back." She said.
"Jennifer, calm down." Reid told her.
She ran a hand through her hair.
"It's not possible. He's dead." She whispered.
A moment later, she stood up. Reid stood with her.
"Jennifer?" Reid said.
"Where is the bathroom?" She asked.
Reid pointed her in the direction of the restroom. She quickly made her way to the bathroom. She got inside, locked the door, and made it to the toilet just in time. The bile, and acid, emptied from her stomach, and into the toilet. Tears were starting to stream down her face. Sobs escaped from her mouth. This couldn't be happening, not again, it just wasn't possible.
No one thought that it had been possible for someone to try to kill her friends in their dreams either. How was this any different? He was already dead. He had been dead before, when he had come for her and her friends. She shook her head. It wasn't any different really. She didn't know if that was the reason why Reid had brought her with him. What else could it be though? There was no reason for her to get involved with one of Reid's cases, unless it had to deal with him. How could it be happening though? Nothing was making sense.
There was a quiet knock on the bathroom door.
"Jennifer? Are you okay in there? Do you need something?" Reid asked.
"I'm fine Reid." She said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! Just give me a minute, please. Thank you." She yelled through the door.
"If you need anything, just let me know." Reid told her.
The rest of the contents of her stomach emptied into the toilet.
"Yes, Reid, you'll be the first one to know, now leave me alone! I'll be out in a minute!" She told him.
She listened for a minute, but he didn't reply. She assumed that he had left her alone. She exhaled loudly, as she felt tears fall down her cheeks. She couldn't even fathom what hell would be unleashed if He had returned. She ran a hand through her sweat drenched hair, and sobbed quietly. There was absolutely no way that he was alive, it wasn't possible. She had seen him die, SSA Hotchner had shot him. Then, why was she on a jet, going to meet up with Reid's boss and the team?
Her stomach lurched once more, and she made it over the toilet, just in time. She never heard the door open. She was too preoccupied with keeping her hair out of the way. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone kneel next to her. She groaned. She felt hands take her hair from her hands. She wiped her mouth with her hand and looked at the man next to her. It wasn't who she thought it was.
"Why am I here Morgan? Reid won't tell me anything." She said.
"Reid wants to protect you. Hotch thinks that you might be able to help us with a case. Like a consultant." Morgan told her.
She sat up against the wall, and looked at him.
"Protect me from what? Does this have anything to do with him? That would be the only thing I can think that he would have to "protect" me from." She said.
"Jennifer, Reid cares about you alot, and it tore him up not talking to you for all of these years. He tried calling several times, but you'd never pick up, or return his calls. After a while he just stopped, not that he didn't want to keep trying, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to talk to you, unless you were the one that got ahold of him." Morgan said.
She exhaled quietly.
"I couldn't...you don't understand. Reid was too close to everything that had happened. I wasn't able to think of him, without thinking about what had happened. It was too painful for me." She told him, her voice breaking.
Tears fell from her eyes. Morgan wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close. He just held her and let her cry on him for a moment.
The jet landed, and pulled to a stop. Reid gathered his things, along with what Jennifer had brought along with her. He turned when he heard Jennifer and Morgan exit the bathroom. Jennifer was wiping tear residue from her face, and Morgan had his arm around her.
"I thought that you would stay in there forever." Reid said.
She gave a small smile.
"Maybe you should have told me everything, before you got me on the plane. I'm not dealing too well, not knowing what is going on, especially if it deals with...well, you know." She said.
Reid gave a nod.
"Right, of course. Why don't we get going, I'm sure Hotch will be waiting for us." Reid said.
Jennifer nodded.
Morgan exited first, then she went next, Reid was right behind her. When they got inside, and she saw Hotch, flashback assauted her. She flinched, took a deep breath, and exhaled loudly. She felt a hand on her lower back, and turned. Reid gave her a reassuring smile, and she smiled.
"Miss Hatfield, I'm glad that you could make it." Hotch said, shaking her hand.
"I wasn't given much of a chance." She told him.
"Reid wasn't sure if you would come or not." Hotch told her.
"Well, maybe if someone had told me what was going on, then maybe there wouldn't have been any question of whether or not I would come." She said.
"Would you have come if you knew why we wanted you to come?" Hotch asked.
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"I'm still not fully sure why I'm here. It depends on why you need me." She said.
He nodded.
"Of course. So, what have you been told about why you were coming?" Hotch asked.
"That you and your team need me to consult with a case you are working on." She said.
Hotch looked at Reid, who gave a slight shrug.
"Was that incorrect? Am I not needed? Can I return home, and hope that this is just a bad nightmare, especially if it's anything to do with him.?" She asked.
"No, we are hoping that you will be able to help us. Please, follow me. The rest of the team are waiting for us." Hotch said.
"Great." She muttered.
Hotch and Morgan led the way. Reid put his hand on her lower back, and gave her a slight smile.
"Let's do this, I guess. Hey, it might not be what I'm thinking of, hopefully, right?" She asked, looking up at him.
"Everything will be fine. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." Reid told her.
She sighed.
"Let's go. I guess we should get this over with, since I'm here anyways." She said.
"Garcia is excited to see you again. Just to let you know." Reid told her.
She nodded.
They followed Hotch and Morgan. She got into the back, and Reid joined her. They headed for their offices.
XXXX
Reid led her to what looked like a confrence room. She walked in and the first person she saw was Garcia. The woman was as colorful as she remembered. Jen stood in the back of the room, and Reid stood next to her. Hotch stood in the front and began.
"Most of you will remember Miss Hatfield from a case, seven years ago. She helped us close a very unsual case. Jennifer, I'm sure that you remember most of everyone here." Hotch said.
"Yes, I do, but I still don't know why I'm here." Jennifer said.
She heard a chuckle, and looked at the direction it had come from. A man she hadn't met seven years ago had laughed at her statement.
"I'm getting there, please be patient for a moment longer." Hotch told her.
"That's easy for you to say, you know why I'm here, and what it's about. You're not mentally freaking out, not knowing whether you have to go through trauma again or not." She told him.
Hotch just looked at her for a moment, then gave a slight nod.
"Miss Hatfield, my name is Dave Rossi, I've read over what happened seven years ago, your senior year of high school,"
She flinched.
"Then there's no need to speak any farther about that. Now, can someone please let me know why I'm here?" Jen asked.
No one spoke for a moment. They all seemed reluctant to speak.
"We have a case that's similar to yours." Garcia said.
"Similar? How so? I mean, Agent Hotchner shot Krueger infront of most of the people in this room. He's dead, he's gone." She said.
The tension in the room was thick.
"Jennifer, have you seen any of the national news recently?" Reid asked.
The pit in her stomach twisted uncomfortably. She knew something was off when she read about that.
"You're talking about the teenagers? The articles said that they were attempted suicides, not that they were dieing while they were sleeping." Jen said.
"The articles didn't tell everything. The teenagers were telling their parents about nightmares they were having." JJ said.
Jen was becoming nauseous once more. This couldn't be happening again.
"You seemed to be very adamant about them not being suicides seven years ago, why do you believe it now?" Rossi asked.
She looked him in the eyes.
"Once Krueger had stabbed me in the back with his claws, Agent Hotchner shot him. He died. How is he doing this again if he's dead?" Jen asked.
"That was what our argument seven years ago, and you proved that we were...mistaken." Hotchner said.
Jen exhaled loudly. He had a point. She didn't want to admit it, but she couldn't argue with him. She ran her hand through her hair.
"So, what do you need from me?" She asked.
"We would like you to talk to the families, and see if you can help us figure out if this is another situation like seven years ago, or if it's something else." Hotchner said.
She gave a nod.
"So, what if it is like seven years ago? What am I supposed to do? What do you want me to do about it? I almost died the last time I went up against him. There is no way in hell I want to go against him again." She said.
"I understand. We are hoping that this isn't that, but we want to be certain." Hotchner told her.
Her dreams. The uneasy feeling. The dread. It was all starting to make sense. What if he was back? She couldn't just let people die because she was afraid of finding out he was alive again. She closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. She had to find out if he was back or not. She couldn't let more teens die, if she could stop it. She exhaled loudly.
"Point me in the direction of what you want me to do." She said.
"Thank you Jennifer." Hotchner said.
"Sure, I just want to get this done and over with, as soon as possible. The more that I don't have to be around this, the more I won't have more reccurring nightmares about him." She said.
Jen was in her old bedroom, on elm street. She spun around, looking at all of the memories that she had made there. The good and the bad memories. She flinched when she saw all of the pictures of her friends. Her dead friends. Tears welled in her eyes. Her poor friends were all dead, and she was the only survivor of them all. It wasn't fair, why did she survive, when they hadn't?
Pictures caught her eye. She walked over to them. They were new, she hadn't seen these pictures before. The people in the pictures, she'd never met before. Who were they, and why were in her room? She was confused, she didn't like being confused, and being surprised.
"Do you like my new kids, little Jenny? You might have escaped, but they didn't."
The voice surrounded her. She spun around, looking for the source of the voice. No one was there. Her heart sped up, and fear gripped her. She heard his laugh. Her eyes darted all over the place, as she tried taking a couple deep breaths, to try to calm herself down. It didn't work too well. She closed her eyes, and swallowed hard.
"Calm down. Calm down. It's not real. It's just a dream. It's not real."
"Isn't that what you were told? It's not real little Jenny, it's just a dream."
The laugh unnerved her slightly more than his words. She reopened her eyes, and looked around, she still couldn't see him, anywhere. She wasn't sure if not seeing, just hearing him, was worse than him talking to him face to face.
"You're not real. You're dead." She whispered.
The laugh became louder, closer. She began shaking, but tried not letting it show. She wasn't sure if she was successful, or not.
"They told you that too though didn't they?"
She shook her head.
"They didn't understand." She whispered.
More laughter.
"What about you then? Why are you denying what you know is true?"
"You're dead! I saw you die!" She yelled.
"I did, in your world. In my world, I won't ever die."
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She squeezed her eyes shut, opened her mouth, and screamed.
Jen opened her eyes and gasped. She was looking around the room, trying to get her bearings. It took her a moment, but she finally did.
"You okay?"
She looked to her left, and saw Agent Morgan sitting next to her.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, and cleared her throat.
"Yeah. I'm fine. It's nothing, I just had a..."
"Nightmare?" He asked.
She just looked at him.
"Something like that." She said quietly.
He gave a slight nod.
"You still think that it's not him?" Morgan asked her.
"It's not that easy. I can't...I don't...I'm not..." She couldn't finish her sentance.
She shook her head.
He put a hand on her arm, and squeezed gently.
"I know a little about nightmares too." He told her.
She gave a sarcastic laugh.
"That's putting it mildly." She muttered.
"We will protect you, I hope you know that. Reid wouldn't let anything happen to you." Morgan told her.
"Reid's just the perfect little boy scout, isn't he?" She mumbled.
Morgan gave a laugh.
"That's putting it one way, but, trust me, he cares about you. He wouldn't forgive himself if anything happened to you." He told her.
She smiled slightly, then ran her hands over her face, exhaling loudly. Guilt began overwhelming her. Morgan must have felt the change in her, because he squeezed her arm slightly.
"Talk to me, what's going on." Morgan told her.
"I'm such a bitch." She muttered.
"Excuse me? What are you talking about?" Morgan asked.
"Reid tried calling me. I ignored him. I shut him out for seven years. Morgan, he tried reaching out to me, and I pushed him away. You have to understand why though..."
Tears had started falling. Morgan took her hand in his.
"Jennifer, I understand why. Trust me I do, if you were to talk to Reid about this, he would understand too." Morgan told her.
Jen gave a slight nod.
"Jennifer, Agent Hotchner wants you to go and talk to some of the families that have shown up." Garcia told her.
Jen nodded, and stood up.
"Follow me, I'll show you to the room." Morgan said.
As they passed Garcia, Garcia gently squeezed Jen's arm. Jen gave her a small smile, and followed Morgan to a confrence room. Morgan went in first, and introduced both of them to the first family. Jen sat down across from them, and Morgan stood in the background. She heard someone else enter the room, but she didn't look to see who it had been.
"Why don't you tell me about the events leading up to your son's accident." Jen said.
"We've already told the police, and the FBI agents what happened." The father said.
"I understand that, I really do, and I hate that you have to relive it yet again, but they haven't told me anything about what happened, I would like to hear it directly from you. Please, I might be able to help." Jen said gently.
The mother gave a nod.
"It started about four days ago. Jake was waking up screaming from nightmares. They were steadily getting worse, and then he stopped sleeping at night. He said that someone was trying to kill him in his dreams. We thought that they were just dreams, so we hid the coffee, and all of the caffeine pills that we found. He deteriorated quickly after that, so much so that we were thinking about getting him some professional help. Last night, we gave him a sleeping pill, and then today we were going to get him help. When we went to wake him up this morning, he was...dead." The mother's voice broke at the end.
Jen gave a nod.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This wasn't good. This was just like seven years ago, only she was on the other side of it this time. She reopened her eyes, and cleared her throat, trying to control her emotions.
"Did Jake describe who it was that was after him in his dreams?" Jen asked.
"You can't be serious! Do you actually think that someone was trying to kill him in his dreams?!" The father demanded.
"Sir, we don't know anything definate yet, we just need any information that you have, so we can figure everything out."
Jen turned her head slightly, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Reid standing next to Morgan.
"Please, try to remember whatever your son tried telling you." Jen told the parents.
"He said that it was a man that was chasing after him." The father said.
Jen gave a nod.
"Did he tell you what this man looked like, what exactly the man tried doing to him, to try killing him? Like what the man was wearing?" Jen asked.
"How exactly is this going to help?" The father asked.
"Sir, please." Morgan said.
"The more we know, the easier we can figure this out." Jen told them.
"We thought that it was just a dream, so we didn't get too many details, but I do remember Jake saying something about a brown hat, a dirty old sweater, and that the man was burned all over his body." The mother said.
Jen gave a slight nod. That was what she was afraid of. She cleared her throat, and gave a trembling smile.
"Are you okay?" The mother asked her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Reid start to reach for her, but Morgan stopped him.
"I'm fine. Did your son give you a name of this burned man?" Jen said.
Both parents searched their memories.
"I can't really remember. It was something like Eddy, Teddy..." The father said.
"Freddy?" She asked in a whisper.
"That's it! Freddy. How did you know?" The mother asked.
She looked behind her, at Morgan and Reid. She gave them a nod.
"Okay, thank you for coming, we appreciate it. You've been a big help. Agent Morgan will show you the way out." Reid told the parents.
"That's all you needed?" The father asked.
"Yes sir, you were a huge help in the case. I'm sure one of the Agents will keep you informed about this case. I'm very sorry about your loss." Jen said.
"Thank you." The mother said.
Jen nodded.
"You aren't apart of the FBI, why did they call you in?" The father asked.
"I went through something similar a few years ago. I'm here to help so that no one else will have to go through what I did. With your help, I'm confident that we will be able to stop this from happening to anyone else." Jen told them.
"Please follow me." Morgan told the parents.
Morgan led the parents out of the confrence room. It was only her and Reid left now. He sat down next to her at the table.
"I'm sorry Jen, I was hoping that it wasn't him, we just had to make sure." Reid told her.
She nodded.
"I know. Reid, you do know what will have to happen for this to end, right?" She said.
"What? Jen, no, you can't. The last time you went up against him, you almost died!" Reid said.
"You don't think I know that?! It's been in the front of my mind since the first article about the teenagers in the papers. Reid, if I don't do this, more teenagers will die!" She told him.
"What if you die? What if he gets you this time? What if you don't make it out?" Reid asked.
She sighed.
"If I can keep just one teenager alive, then I need to try. I can't let more die." She told him.
Reid put his hand around her wrist, and squeezed it gently.
"I don't like the sound of how this conversation is going." He told her.
She sighed, and closed her eyes. She was beginning to get a headache. She pinched the bridge of her nose.
"How is this happening again?" She whispered.
"I don't know. This has never been what you would call a logical case." He told her.
She gave a slight laugh.
She looked into his eyes.
"Reid...I...I'm sorry, sorry about...not..." She was having a hard time speaking.
"Jen, I understand. Please don't explain." He told her.
She exhaled loudly, but nodded.
"Thank you." She whispered.
He nodded, and smiled.
"Are you ready for the next parent?" JJ asked poking her head in the room.
Jen sat up straight in her chair, and looked over at JJ. She felt her face getting red. She cleared her throat, and nodded.
"Yes, I am." Jen said.
JJ studied Jen and then Reid, then gave a nod. JJ left the room to get the next parent.
"Here we go again." She muttered.
He gave her wrist another squeeze, then slowly let go of it. He stood, and turned towards the door.
"Mrs. Lansten, please, have a seat." Reid said.
The woman gave a nod. She went to sit across from Jen.
XXXX
Jen rubbed her eyes as the last parent left the room. Every story had been the same. It was him alright. He was back, somehow. She needed to be 100 percent sure that it was him. She needed to see the pictures. Someone sat down next to her. It was Reid.
"Hey, how are you holding up?" He asked.
"Fine, for now. I need to see the photos. The crime scene photos, of the teenagers, I need to be positive that it's really him." She said.
Reid didn't look too sure of it.
"Come on Spencer, I need to be sure, please." She told him.
He exhaled loudly.
"Let's go, I warn you, they're not pretty." He told her.
"It never was." She said.
He led her to a desk, and picked up a case file. He hesitated for a moment, then handed her the file. She opened the file folder, and gruesome pictures assaulted her eyes. She closed her eyes, and sat down in the chair. Flashbacks of her friends bombarded her. She set the folder on the desk and began sifting through the pictures. Her heart fell into her stomach.
"Jen?" Reid asked quietly.
"I'm fine. I've got my answer. It's him. He's back. I have to stop him Spencer, I can't let him kill anymore teenagers." She told him.
He sighed, but nodded.
"Why don't you go to the confrence room, and lay down on the couch, you look exhausted. I will go let Hotch know about what you found out. He's not going to like this." Reid said.
She nodded.
She headed for the confrence room. She stretched, and then sat down on the couch. She rubbed her hands over her face. She was tired, maybe a couple minutes wouldn't hurt. She laid down, and tried to get comfortable. She closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
She was in her bedroom. She walked over to the wall with the pictures on it. She recognised some of the teenagers now. She had talked to their parents. If she'd had any doubts before, they were gone now. He was back again, killing teenagers.
She heard his laugh, and her heart sped up, her breath catching in her throat. This was bad, she wasn't ready to face him yet.
"Jenny!"
She spun around, and he was standing right in front of her. She gasped, and steppped away from him. She ran into the wall. He laughed again.
"Little Jenny, have you missed me? I've sure missed you." Freddy asked her.
She took a steadying breath, and balled her hands into fists.
"I'm stronger than you are, I will defeat you again. I won't let you kill another teenager." She told him.
He laughed louder.
"I don't think so. This time, I will finish what I started. You won't get away from me this time!" He told her.
"You think that you can beat me, but I know I can beat you, and I will do it again." She said.
"Not in your dreams, not as long as I'm in them!" He yelled, and lunged at her.
She lifted her arms, shielding her body...
Jen gasped, and sat straight up on the couch. Reid, Morgan, Rossi, and Hotch were gathered around her.
"Jennifer, are you okay? You were tossing and turning in your sleep. Were you having a...nightmare?" Hotch asked.
She hissed in pain.
"Hotch, she's bleeding!" Rossi said in surprise.
The palms of her hands were sliced open, and blood was flowing from the wound.
"Of course I'm bleeding he got me in my dream. It's evidence to prove that my worst nightmare has returned. He's back Agent Hotchner, now we need a plan of attack, because, apparently, shooting him in the head doesn't keep him down." She said, looking up at Hotch.
Hotch gave a nod.
"Hotch, what are we going to do against something in teenager's dreams?" Morgan asked.
"Not just teenager's dreams, but mine too." Jen said, holding her hands up.
Rossi handed Reid a first aid kit, and Reid began cleaning her hands up.
"Oh no, not again. The last time that you went up against him, you almost died. You just got hurt again, there's no way that you can go up against him, and make it out alive. You can't do it." Morgan said.
"Okay then, how do you propose you get rid of him?" She asked.
No one said anything.
"That's what I thought. Isn't this why you brought me in?" She asked.
"We were hoping for confirmation that it wasn't him. We didn't think that it was him, but we wanted to be certain." Hotch said.
She gave a nod.
"Well, now you're certain that it is him, and I'm the only one that can stop this. It has to be different from the last time though, since it didn't stick. I will bring him out, and then, instead of killing him, why not arrest him, lock him up, and throw away the key. That way he will be out of the way, and not kill anymore teenagers. It might not be a long-term solution, but it might weaken him enough to keep him at bay for some time. Hell, if no one knows about him, then he won't have the power to return. He feeds on fear and screams. If the fear isn't there, then neither is he." She told him.
No one spoke for a moment.
"Are we really considering this?" Rossi asked.
"You weren't there last time Rossi, there is no explaination to any of this. I literally saw a man appear out of thin air, apparently coming from her dreams." Morgan said.
"It may be our only option." Hotch said.
"Unless someone else has nightmares about him." Jen mummbled.
"I want it known that this is a bad idea." Morgan said.
"It's been noted Agent Morgan, however, I'm the only one that can do this. I have to do this soon, before he gets to anymore teenagers. Hell, I might be able to bring you with me if I still can do it. Last time, I was able to bring Spencer in, but that was seven years ago, I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it now though." She said.
Hotch nodded.
"Do it. Bring us in." Hotch said.
"I don't know if that is wise. I don't know how strong he really is. You might not make it back out. You should wait for me to bring him out." Jen said.
"You should have back up in there, just to be safe." Hotch said.
She shook her head.
"You still don't get it, do you? He controls the dream world. He is GOD in there, shooting him is not an option, it won't even hurt him. If his arm gets taken completely off, he can make it reappear from nowhere. The rules are different in there, and you need to be completely sure that you want to do this, because once you get in there, there's only one way to get out, and that is to wake up. If you can, because, he can make it so you can't wake up." She told them.
"I understand." Hotch said.
"Fine, if I am able to bring you in, I will. I need to know who will be going in, so I can call you in." She said.
"I will have Agents Prentiss and Jereau waiting out here for our return. Rossi, Morgan, and Reid will be coming inside." Hotch said.
Jen nodded.
She grabbd her purse, and pulled out her sleeping pills.
"I had a feeling that I was going to need these. Everyone should take one so that we know that we will be down long enough to get him." She said.
"How will we wake up if everyone is out from sleeping pills?" Morgan asked.
"We will wake you up." Prentiss said entering behind Hotch.
JJ, and Garcia entered behind them.
Jen nodded.
"Let's get this done with then." Jen said, with a sigh.
Garcia handed Jen a bottle of water. Reid sat down on her right, Morgan on her left. Hotch and Rossi were sitting at the confrence table. JJ and Prentiss sat across from Rossi and Hotch, and were on high alert. She gave everyone going under a sleeping pill. Jen sat back, and relaxed. Within moments, she was asleep.
Jen spun around, searching her surroundings. Once again, she was in her bedroom, the one on Elm Street.
"Spencer! Morgan! Hotchner! Rossi! Can you hear me? Did it work?!" She called out to the room.
She waited, and listened. Nothing. Maybe it hadn't worked, maybe she couldn't do it anymore. She was alone in there, with no one there to help her. Just the way He wanted it to be. She took a deep, steadying breath, and went to leave her room.
She opened her door, and stepped outside. She was outside, in the front yard.
"Jen!"
She heard someone call her name.
"Hello?! Spencer? Morgan? Who is there?!" She called back.
She heard her name called again. She headed towards the sound of her name. As she walked, she felt like she was being watched. She hurried to the voice. She was soon running. As she ran, she turned to look behind her. She suddenly ran into someone. She gasped.
"Spencer? You're here! It worked! Where is everyone else?" She asked.
"I don't know. We should find them though." He told her.
She nodded.
They headed to find the rest of Reid's team. The feeling of being watched, and followed, got harder to ignore. Her heart sped up when she heard yelling coming from someone close to them. Reid grabbed her hand, and led her towards the yelling. They found Rossi and Hotch fighting two people. Moments later the people that Hotch and Rossi were fighting just disappeared. They seemed confused.
"Are you guys okay?" Jen asked, running up to them.
"Yeah. Where's Morgan?" Rossi asked
"We haven't found him yet." Jen said.
"We need to find him now." Hotch said.
"He could be anywhere." Rossi said.
Jen's brain went into overdrive. Where would he be? There was only two places that was special to Kreuger. The power plant and the school. They would have to search for him in both places to be sure of where he was.
"Follow me." She told them.
She led them to the preschool.
"What is this place?" Rossi asked.
"It's where he worked. It's how he met us. He has a special place down in the basement. Agent Morgan would be in there if he was here." She said.
They followed her through the school, and to Freddy's 'cave'.
"Derrick?!" Reid called.
"Reid! Back here!" Morgan called.
They went through the hole in the wall, and found Morgan standing in Krueger's hidden quarters. Jen swallowed hard, trying not to relive what happened seven years ago.
"This is disgusting. I've found photos just thrown around. It's sickening, Hotch, what's on the pictures. This man was demented when he was alive." Morgan said.
"You really have no idea." Jen said.
"So, where is he?" Rossi asked.
"Hiding, like the coward that he is. Come out Krueger! It's over! This time I will get rid of you once and for all. Show yourself!" Jen demanded.
A laugh, his laugh, was heard, from all around them. She looked uneasily around her.
"Now, that was creepy." Morgan said.
"You haven't seen anything yet."
Freddy's voice came from behind them. They all spun around, and found him standing there.
"You have got to be kidding me." Rossi said.
"Little Jenny, you've come back to me, and brought me company. This will be fun."
Reid stepped in front of her, shielding her from the man standing before them.
"We didn't stop you last time, but we will stop you this time." Hotchner said.
Freddy chuckled.
"Not this time. This time silly little guns won't work on me. You are in my world now, and I'm not going to let you out. This time Little Jenny will become one of my souls, and will give me power to reach other kids, not just in Springwood, but the whole country!" Freddy said.
"I don't think so, not as long as I am here." Hotch said.
Freddy laughed.
"That can be arranged Aaron." Freddy said.
Suddenly, Hotch went sailing through the air, and crashed into the wall. He landed in a heap on the floor. Gunfire was open on Freddy. Freddy fell to the ground, unmoving. Morgan and Rossi went to go and check on Hotch, but Reid and Jen stayed where they were, frozen to the spot. Jen's eyes never left Freddy's body. He was just screwing with them. He wasn't dead, she knew him too well. She knew exactly what he was capable of, and dieing was not something that he was capable of, not in the dream world, at least.
"Spencer, he's not dead, you do know that right? They are sitting ducks. I have to get a hold of him, and wake up. I need you to help me, so that he doesn't kill me in the process." She whispered to him.
He gave a nod, and then they slowly headed towards the body. When they were right in front of the body, Morgan looked over at them. Morgan saw the body twitch, and he tried stopping Reid and Jen from getting any closer. He wasn't quick enough though, and it happened with lightening speed and acuracy.
Freddy grabbed both Reid and Jen by the necks, and lifted them off of the floor, so their feet were dangling in the air. Freddy's ungloved hand was around her neck, and his gloved hand was around Reid's.
"Two for the price of one. It must be my lucky day." Freddy said.
"Screw you Krueger!" Jen gasped.
Freddy laughed.
"Yes, but not right here, and not right now. When we are alone, we will explore that more. I have to take care of our guests first though." Freddy told her.
He threw her out of his way, and she was flung into the wall.
"Now what are we going to do with you little piggy?" Freddy asked Reid.
"Leave him alone!" Morgan yelled.
"You don't move, I'm not ready for you yet. I'll get around to you three in a minute." Freddy told Morgan, Rossi, and Hotch.
They couldn't move, Freddy had made them frozen to where they were.
"Now, Spencer Reid. I'm going to let Little Jenny watch as I disembowl you, and play with your insides." Freddy told Reid.
Jen unsteadily got to her feet, and stumbled her way over to Freddy and Reid. With her last bit of strength, she speared him, and took him down. Reid dropped like a sack of potatos. For a moment, she had the upper hand, but it didn't last long. He flipped her over, and now was on top of her. She screamed, and he laughed.
"You do like moving fast, don't you Jenny?" Freddy laughed.
He was too strong for her to get the upper hand on him. She struggled, but it was useless.
"I'm going to make you watch me kill them. I'm going to save you for last. That's when we will have the most fun." Freddy told her.
"No!" She screamed.
"There's nothing that you can do about it." He told her.
"You want to bet?!" She gasped.
"There's nothing that you can do about it." Freddy said to her.
"Let's just see about that." She said.
She concentrated as hard as she could. It was so concentrated, that her nose began bleeding. Freddy looked to where the agents had been. They began fading away. Freddy got off of her, and tried grabbing on to as many of them as he could. He was too slow. They all had evaporated through his fingers. He screamed in frustration, and turned to Jen.
"I guess that it's only you and me now. Let's see how much you like that." He told her.
He went for her, and she screamed as he picked her back up.
"I will finish what I started. It's been far too long since we last saw each other Jenny. Why don't we pick up where we left off? I'm sure that I can jog your memory, that is, if you don't remember." Freddy told her.
She tried squirming away from him, but she wasn't going anywhere.
"Let's have some fun!" He told her.
He went to stab her in her stomach...
Everyone had no idea what was going on. Jen had somehow woken the agents up, but hadn't been able to wake herself up. Now she was suspeneded in mid-air, off of her feet, and to the naked eye, by herself.
She suddenly gasped, opened her eyes, and then Freddy materialized in front of her, holding her up in the air. Without hesitation, Morgan speared Freddy, wrestling him to the ground, and away from Jen. Jen collapsed to the floor, her breathing was ragged. Hotch and Rossi joined Morgan, trying to cuff Freddy. Reid scrambled to get Jen out of the way. That's when he realized that her stomach was bleeding. Reid put her head in his lap, and put pressure on her wounds. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at him.
"Spencer...what happened? Did we win?" She whispered.
"You brought him out. Morgan, Hotch and Rossi got him. They are going to lock him up, and throw away the key. There will be a lot of questions, but for now everyone is safe. Try to stay still, the medics are on their way." Reid told her.
She smiled at him, and put her hand on his cheek.
"Thank you." She told him.
"Why don't you conserve your energy? You'll need it. Where are the medics?!" Reid yelled..
"Spencer, stop. We both knew this was the risk of doing this again. We both knew that I might not make it out this time around. We were expecting this." She told him.
Reid shook his head.
"No, I won't let you die. You are going to be fine, I promise you." Reid told her.
"Spence." It was JJ.
"I'm tired Spencer. Just let me go back to sleep." She asked him.
He shook his head again.
"No." He whispered to her.
She pulled him closer to her, so she could whisper into his ear.
"I love you Spencer. Never forget it." She whispered to him.
Tears began running down his cheeks, and he did nothing to wipe them away. He watched as her eyes closed, and then he brought her closer, holding onto her for dear life. A moment later, the medics came running into the room. It took them a minute, but they finally removed Jen from Reid's arms. It took Morgan and Hotch to get Reid to let her go.
"She still has a pulse!" One of the medics said in surprise.
Reid looked at them in shock.
"We need to get her to the hospital, right now." Another medic said.
They quickly got her out to the ambulance, and transported her to the hospital.
"I have to get there. I need to make sure that she is going to be fine." Reid said.
"Morgan, take Reid to the hospital, he shouldn't be driving. The rest of us will finish up here, then swing by to see how she is doing." Hotch said.
Reid gave a nod, then practically dragged Morgan outside, to the SUV. They sped right behind the ambulance, the whole way to the hospital. Unfortunately, at the hospital, they had to wait in the waiting room.
XXXX
"Jen. Wake up Jen."
Jen groaned, but opened her eyes. Her eyes focused, and then gasped. She must be dead. The person standing in front of her was dead, and had been dead for seven years.
"Am I dead?" Jen whispered.
He laughed.
"No Jen, not yet."
Not yet?
"What does that mean Kevin? You are dead, because of Kreuger, you've been dead for seven years. How am I seeing you, if I'm not dead?" Jen asked.
He smiled at her, then sat down next to her.
"You are not dead, not yet. You've been stabbed in the stomach, and that's not a injury that's a simple one. It's not one that you just bounce back from too quickly. You were hurt bad. You are in between. In between life and death. Why don't we call it Limbo. Now, you have a choice. You can go back to your life, you could start a new life, with whoever you want. Like Dr. Reid." Kevin told her.
"How..."
He laughed.
"I've been watching over you since I died. I'm sorry that you had to go through this again. Dr Reid would be great for you." Kevin told her.
"What is my other choice? What if I didn't go back?" She asked quietly.
"You would come with me. Jen, it's not your time though. You have so much more to do. You should go back." Kevin told her.
"You said that it was my choice though." She said.
"It is, you can choose whatever it is that you want to do. First, I want you to take a look at somethig with me." He told her.
He took her by the hand, and led her over to the floor length mirror.
"Kevin? What is this?" She asked him.
"Just look Jen." Kevin told her.
He touched the upper right hand corner of the mirror, and it rippled slightly. When it came into focus, she saw the weirdest scene. It was a hospital room, and she was sleeping on the bed. She looked peaceful. Jen saw Reid sitting next to her, on a chair, holding her hand. Jen smiled at the scene.
Morgan walked into the room, and stood next to Reid, looking at Jen in the bed. Morgan put his hand on Reid's shoulder, and Reid shook his head. She could tell that Reid was crying. Her heart began hurting, seeing Reid hurt because of her.
"Why is Spencer crying?" She asked, looking at Kevin.
"You never really saw what was right in front of your face Jen."
"Don't be mean Kevin." She scolded him.
He smiled.
"All I'm saying is that the good Doctor has genuine feelings for you, and doesn't want you to die. He likes you Jen." Kevin said.
"What?" She said, in surprise.
"Look at him Jen, he's holding your hand and crying at your bedside. He's afraid that you aren't going to wake up again, and he won't be able to tell you how he feels." Kevin told her.
She looked back at the mirror. She gently touched the mirror. Moments later, Reid looked up at Morgan and yelled at him. It was like electricity shooting through her fingers. It shocked her. She jerked her hand away from the mirror.
"What the hell happened?" She asked.
"The Doctor is angry at Morgan. You felt that anger. He doesn't want you to die." Kevin said.
She watched as Morgan walked out of the room. Reid moved closer to her, sitting on the bed, next to her. She watched him closely, as he leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips. She gasped, and put her fingers on her lips. She felt electricity shoot through her lips, as if he was right there, in limbo with her, kissing her. It took her breath away.
"You have to make a decision Jen. You can't stay here forever. Either move on, or go back, and be with the good Doctor. It doesn't matter which you pick, you just have to choose." Kevin told her.
She took another look at Reid.
She suddenly heard Reid say something in her ear.
"Come back to me Jen. I...I love you..."
She gasped.
XXXX
Spencer Reid was sitting in Jennifer's hospital room, in the chair next to the bed. He had Jen's hand in his, and had her hand pressed against his forehead. His eyes were closed, and tears were falling down his cheeks. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes again, and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. He leaned closer to her, and tucked her hair behind her ear. Her chest was gently rising and falling with her breath. It was like she was deep asleep, and would wake up in a little while.
Reid squeezed her hand gently, and turned his head to look out the window. It was open, and a cool breaze drifted through the room.
This is all your fault. You should have never let her do it...
The words kept repeating through his mind. He knew the repercussions of letting her go up against him, but she was so stubborn. She wouldn't take no for an answer. She was going to do what she wanted whether he agreed or not. There was nothing he could have done, but that didn't mean Reid didn't blame himself still.
He suddenly felt a hand on the side of his face. He turned to look at her. He almost thought that he was seeing things.
"You came back to me." He whispered.
She smiled as she played with his long hair.
"I never told you how much I like your hair like this." She rasped.
He chuckled.
"Well, we haven't had much time alone, and you were kind of preoccupied with...other things." He told her.
Her eyes became sad, and her smile drooped slightly. He laced her fingers between his, and moved the hair out of her face, with his other hand.
"Please tell me that you haven't been here, with me, this whole time." She said.
He smiled.
"Not the whole time. I did have to wait in the waiting room, while they were working on you." He told her.
She rolled her eyes, but smiled.
"You are silly, Doctor Reid. You're probably tired, you should get some sleep." She told him.
He shook his head.
"I wanted to make sure that you were okay, Miss Hatfield." He said.
She slid her hand out of his, cleared her throat, and tried to sit up. She hissed in pain.
"Spencer, we both knew what could possibly happen if I went back in there. I was prepared for whatever could have happened. You should have been too." She said.
He shook is head.
"I know, but I still had to make sure you were okay." He told her.
"Boy scout." She mumbled.
"Excuse me?" He said.
She smiled.
"Nothing, never mind, it's just something Morgan and I were talking about before." She told him.
Reid sat down on the bed, facing her.
"Jen, I was really worried about you. You were in a coma for a couple of days. I wasn't sure if you were going to make it or not. I was...scared." He told her.
"You worry too much." She whispered.
"Do you blame me? You were stabbed in the stomach with four blades. That's not a simple injury, you don't just bounce back from it. You were hurt bad, is it any wonder why I worried?" He asked.
That had struck a chord with her. She tilted her head to the side, and flashes of memory came to her. It had been almost the same thing that Kevin had told her, in her dream. Then she recalled what Reid had said, and done. She looked back up at him, and saw that he was watching her.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
She shook her head.
"Nothing. It's just something that I dreamed about. I dreamed about Kevin. He had said the same as what you had just said, well almost. It had been slightly different. It was such a weird dream. Kevin had actually told me that I was in limbo, and I saw some weird things. I was watching what was going on in this room through a mirror, in limbo. That's what Kevin had called the place that we were at." She told him.
"What did you see?" He asked.
She smiled, exhaling with a laugh.
"You'll think that I'm crazy."
He just looked at her. She rolled her eyes.
"Right, like this whole case didn't make you think I was crazy to begin with."
"I never thought that you were crazy, I told you that seven years ago."
"Fine. Well, you were angry at Morgan, you had actuall yelled at him for something that he had said or done. Morgan left the room, and you moved closer to me on the bed."
"Then what?" He asked.
She blushed. She gave a laugh.
"Well, you...you..."
"What did I do, Jen?" He asked.
She exhaled loudly.
"You kissed me. Then you whispered into my ear, and told me to come back to you, and that you...loved me." She told him.
He raised his eyes, in what she thought that looked like surprise. He didn't speak. He looked almost speechless. At first she thought that he was only that, but after a moment, he looked...off.
"Spencer? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost. Are you okay?" She asked.
"I don't know. What else happened, in your dream." He asked.
"Kevin said something about how I couldn't see what was right in front of my face. I didn't know what he was talking about. He told me that you liked me, alot. I saw you sitting in the chair, crying and holding my hand. Kevin kept telling me that my time wasn't up and that I needed to go back and start a new life, with you. I told you that it sounded crazy, but that's what a dream is. It was probably my mind trying to get through everything that's happpened, right?" She asked.
He didn't say anything for a moment. She studied him. He looked like he was lost in thought.
"Spence?" She asked quietly.
He looked into her eyes.
"Yeah, right. I guess." He said, sounding distracted.
She gave a laugh.
"I thought that you were supposed to be a genius." She said.
"I am a genius." He told her.
She laughed again, and nodded.
"That you are. It was weird though. It felt and looked so real." She said with a sigh.
"They do sometimes." He told her.
"I guess." She mumbled.
She looked down, and he put his and on her cheek. She looked up into his eyes.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
She gave a small, sad smile, but shook her head. He acted like it was just a dream. She found that she had been hoping that he had told her that it hadn't been a dream, that he did feel that way. Had her dream made her feel like she had feelings that she didn't really have? Why was she feeling so upset that he didn't feel like he had in her dream? Did she actually like him, or was it just residual feelings from her dream? She didn't know what to think.
"Jen?" Reid asked.
She looked up into his eyes again. He still hadn't moved his hand off of her cheek.
"What?" She asked distracted.
"What's wrong?" He asked again.
"Nothing, I think that I'm still a little out of it." She said.
He didn't look like he bought it, but he didn't push it.
They just stared into each other's eyes for a moment, then she got the nerve up to ask him a question. She watched his reaction, and his eyes as she asked.
"Are you sure that it was just a dream, because it felt like I was watching everything happen from a different perspective. Like a window. Kevin had said that we were in limbo, which is a place between life and death. He told me that it was my choice whether to move on, with him, and go to heaven, or return, to you. He kept telling me that it wasn't my time, and that I should return, but that it was my choice." She said.
He didn't say anything, he just looked at her. He looked like he was debating something. She wrapped her hand around his wrist, the one on her face, and leaned into his hand.
"Spencer, please, it feels like I'm going crazy. Had it been just a dream, or was I actually almost dead, and did I really see what I thought I saw?" She asked, looking deep into his eyes.
He exhaled loudly, and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he reopened them. He seemed to gain confidence, then pressed his lips to hers. She was a little taken aback, but a moment later, she relaxed, and returned the kiss.
After a moment he pulled out of the kiss, and rested his forehead against hers.
"So I did see what I thought I saw?" She asked breathlessly.
"People call that an out of body experience." He told her.
She looked into his eyes.
"Why did you make me think that it was just a dream?" She asked.
He closed his eyes, for a moment, then reopened them again.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know what to think. You were saying things that you had no way that you could know about, it was a little creepy. I'm so sorry Jen." He told her.
She smiled.
"Yeah, I guess that you're right." She said.
He gave a small laugh.
"I usually am." He told her.
She laughed.
"You are." She said.
He leaned in and kissed her gently again.
"I told you that we were interupting them Garcia."
Both pulled away and looked at the door. Jen blushed when she saw Morgan and Garcia.
"You're awake! You definately look better than what you did when they brought you in here." Garcia said.
"Thank you." Jen said.
Garcia nodded.
"It's about time, you two. I thought that you guys would never get together, I was figuring that by the time everything was all said and done, Jennifer would leave, and we would have to hear Reid whine about Jennirfer." Morgan said, with a grin.
Reid rolled his eyes, and Jen blushed even darker.
Garcia playfully slapped Morgan across the chest. Morgan laughed.
"Sorry." Morgan said.
"It's okay." Jen mumbled.
"Don't let him slide. He can be rude at times." Garcia said, with a wink.
Garcia sat down on the bed with Jen and Reid. Garcia took Jen's hand in hers.
"How are you feeling?" Garcia asked.
Jen smiled.
"I'm fine. I'm feeling so much better, knowing that this is all over." Jen said.
Garcia smiled, but it looked slightly nervous.
"Yeah, finally." Garcia said, trying to sound positive.
Something felt off about the statement, but Jen didn't say anything about her concerns. She wanted not to worry about anything, or stress out about anything, for a little while longer, if she could.
"Garcia, why don't we let Jennifer and Spencer alone. Let them have time to catch up a little more." Morgan said, giving Reid a wink and a smile.
Reid rolled his eyes once more.
"Subtle Morgan, subtle." Reid told him.
Morgan laughed.
"I thought you might like that." Morgan said.
Garcia gave Jen's hand a gentle squeeze, then got off of the bed.
"Good bye Jennifer, I'll see you later. Come on gorgeous, let's let them have some alone time." Garcia said to Morgan.
"You can be so pushy at times baby girl." Morgan said.
"Yeah, but you like it." Garcia said.
Morgan laughed.
"Never said that I didn't. I will see you later Reid, and Jennifer, I hope to hear from you. Good bye." Morgan said.
Jen waved, and then Garcia and Morgan left. Reid and Jen were alone once more. Reid tucked her hair behind her ear, and smiled at her. She smiled, and looked down for a moment. He put his hand under her chin, and made her look up, into his eyes.
"Thank you." Reid whispered to her.
"For what?" She asked.
"For coming back to me. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't." Reid told her.
She smiled and put her hand on the side of his face.
"Well, I couldn't let you go on alone, now could I?" She asked with a smile.
He laughed.
"I guess not." He said.
"No, seriously, I was told that it wasn't my time, that I should return, to you." She told him.
"Whatever the reason, I'm glad." He told her.
She nodded.
She leaned in and pressed her lips against his. They suddenly heard someone clear their throat. Jen and Reid pulled apart and looked towards the door. Hotchner was standing in the doorway, with the corner of his mouth turned up. Jen felt herself blushing.
"Miss Hatfield, it's great to see you awake." Hotch said.
She nodded.
"Thank you." She said.
He gave a nod.
"Reid, it's getting late, and you have paperwork to finish." Hotch told Reid.
Reid nodded.
"Of course. I'll be right there." Reid said.
Hotch nodded again.
"Good bye Miss Hatfield." Hotch said.
"Good bye Agent Hotchner." Jen said.
Hotch turned, and left the room.
Jen turned her attention back to Reid.
"I don't want to leave, but I have to." He told her.
"I know, it's okay." She said.
"I'll be back, I promise, as soon as I can." He said.
"I know." She repeated.
He smiled, then kissed her again.
"I'll see you in a bit." He whispered.
"Okay." She said.
He gave her a quick kiss.
"Try to get some more sleep." He told her.
She gave a nod, then he left the room.
She laid down, got comfortable, and slowly drifted off to sleep once more.
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