FYI—I was a Seaver fan (I still am!) I'm disappointed that I'm never going to get to see her character develop. I wish we could have gotten more of her back story. Anyway, this oneshot has been niggling at my brain for a while, so I put pen to paper (so to speak) and came up with this for the 'The Times Are Changing' mini challenge on CCOAC. It's not light, and it's not fluffy. Just thought I'd warn you before you read on!
Thanks for reading.
~ Angie
Ashley Seaver shivered from the coolness cloaking the metal table her bare body lay upon. She was amazed she could even manage that. It wouldn't be long now…thankfully. She could feel herself slipping away, barely clinging to consciousness. The only thing she wanted was to curl up into the fetal position, but it was an impossibility due to her arms being stretched to her sides as far as they could possibly go, her wrists bound to God only knew what. Her ankles were bound as well. Tears weren't an option, not that she had a choice. She was so dehydrated there were no drops to fall.
Even after all this time—after all she'd been exposed to—the normalcy of the way most serial killers appeared never failed to amaze her. There was rarely a way to just look at someone and know—until you got close enough to see their eyes. Lots of times they were empty. But sometimes—like the man standing above her—you could see the cruelty in them. The excitement. And for what? All so he could watch her take her last breath? She held back another shiver.
Her eyes opened just a slit, and she saw him staring down at her, a calm look on his face. He was waiting—he wanted to see the fear he was certain was going to be there. But she refused to give him that. She wasn't scared anymore—she knew her fate had been sealed. Even if the team got to her now, she'd never make it to the hospital in time. It was all just a waiting game.
Her eyelids fluttered closed again and she recalled a conversation she'd had with Agent Rossi on her way home from her first case.
"But what I don't understand…Mr. Jacobs asked me a question about my father, and…I don't hate him. I don't. I try, but I just don't."
It had been true then. But now…after knowing that her father had done something like this…had made twenty five women feel like this…she didn't have to try anymore. The hate she felt for him was irrefutable. And as odd as it was…there was also a peacefulness that washed over her that she was unable to describe.
And it was then that Ashley Seaver took her last breath.