AN: This is half prequel, half sequel to Black Cat. It would be much easier if you read that story first. There is a list on my profile of which order to read my stories in.

AN2: Spencer Reid and Catherine Jareau spend the weekend together, seven weeks after Revelations. Spencer needs help and Catherine might be the right person for the job. The first chapter is just the prologue. Spencer will appear in the second chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds nor do I own William Yeats' poem The Second Coming.

"Curiosity. Woman's first sin.

I offer her an apple, what can she do but take it?"

- Caleb, Touched, 7x20, BTVS

(Misogynistic defrocked priest and serial killer)

Today is Wednesday March 28th, Jen is out with Emily and Penelope, they're going out to a bar or club or something and I am sixteen. Definitely underage and there is no way in hell that three FBI agents would sneak me into a bar. Jen offered to change their plans and stay home but I can't ruin their girls' night. Jen needs a night off; she hasn't been sleeping well these past few weeks. Besides, I have exams in a few weeks so I need to 'study'. And by 'study' I mean I want to re-read everything from this past semester. So girls' night can wait for my exams to be over.

Spencer and Derek are supposed to be having a guy's night. That idea always brings laughter to mind. Derek is still trying to train Spencer to be his wingman. It's not working. And I don't even want to speculate on how well Derek would do on his own once Spencer makes his escape. Aaron is home with Haley and baby Jack. I have no idea where Jason is tonight; he was gone for the day before I arrived after school to meet Jen.

Jen is going to spend the upcoming weekend in New Orleans, she's visiting some detective she met on a case, Will something. It's weird for me to think of my sister dating. Logically, I know she has, she just doesn't bring them over to the apartment to meet me. I was insulted for all of thirty seconds when I found out by accident; Jen was on the phone with Penelope. Then my rational mind kicked in, and I was glad that they were not allowed to intrude in our home. Because that is what it would be, an invasion. Just like Michael was a trespasser. Michael was the boy Jen was engaged to for a little while in University. I met him a few times and he scared me. Mind you, I was only nine when Jen graduated university and she had already broken up with Michael by then. Then again, I have always trusted my instincts, or rather; Jen has told me to always trust my instincts.

I am rather excited; I'm supposed to spend the weekend with Spencer. Most of the team is going away for the weekend and Jen didn't want to leave me home alone. I'm not overly eager to stay home alone all weekend and I certainly don't need a babysitter but there is no way that anyone would consider Spencer a babysitter.

I'm trying to figure something out, so I have pulled out one of my extra journals. The team flew back from Georgia on the 9th of February. Spencer had spent a few days in the hospital, something about his foot being injured. He had a bandage on it and a set of crutches when he came home. I asked about it and when he said he didn't want to tell me what happened I left it at that. For the time being at least. But has been almost seven weeks now and he is still behaving oddly and won't talk to me. Spencer has been different ever since that case in Georgia.

Jen has changed as well, but I realized that Jen was acting differently first because I live with her. I've been sleeping in her bed most nights for the past few months because she wakes up screaming. Jen is scared of dogs now; sometimes she's even scared of my cat Una because her eyes glow in dark. Now I know how Jen feels when I wake her up in the middle of the night screaming from my memories. Jen isn't allowed to tell me what happened during the case or even what it was about. I haven't asked since the first night she got home. I know better now. Jen started shaking and ran to the bathroom to throw up.

This afternoon I looked it up, the case reports. I used Penelope's work computer when I was visiting and copied it to my spare thumb drive. I had to justify my actions to myself. I know I'm not supposed to but how else am I supposed to help my sister and Spencer if I don't know what happened?

I gave the first page of the case file a cursory look before I put on my pajamas; one of Spencer's t-shirts and a pair of pajama pants. After I am dressed, I read a little further into the file I start to try and distance myself, pretend it's fictional, just a story I'm reading for class. It doesn't work and I viciously stomp on my desire to regurgitate supper when I come to the part with pictures. The photographs are so gruesome, there is blood everywhere, that I skip over them entirely after the first one where a woman is being ripped apart by three dogs. I guess that's what Jen saw. I have no desire to ask her anymore, I just want to find a way to help my sister and Spencer if he needs it. I think he does.

I swallow my trepidation and continue reading, Jen and Spencer split up. My breath hitches. Spencer was kidnapped. He was gone for two full days. I pause for a minute to compose myself. The next page of the case file steals my breath away. I am horrified. Spencer died. He actually died. Then the rage sets in. That sick bastard killed my Spencer! He brought him back with CPR but he killed him first. Poor Spencer. It must have been terrifying to be kidnapped and kept alone with a crazy man in the dark, he's afraid of the dark. He still keeps the bathroom light on when he sleeps. Spencer killed the unsub with the gun the unsub used to try and kill Spencer. Good, he deserved to die. I stop reading the file. I don't want to know anything else. I have too much information already.

I am touched when Jen comes home a whole six minutes before midnight. I was starting to get a little worried that she would be late or that she had forgotten altogether. It's silly, we do this every night so there is really no way for Jen to forget but I am always a little worried when Jen walks out the door that she won't come home. I am pleasantly surprised to find out that my sister isn't drunk. This is really good because I don't think I could stand cleaning up more vomit tonight.

We set up the candles together quietly and with an efficiency borne of many years of practice. Tonight it's my turn to light them and I do so silently, not wanting to disturb the peace that has settled over us. It is not unusual for the two of us to spend long periods of time together in complete silence, it is always calming for me and I suppose it's calming for Jen as well. I'm not sure how it happened but Jen has her arms wrapped around me from behind, my head is resting on her shoulder and I'm not scared or freaking out. I missed her tonight and I almost wish that I hadn't read the case file. I'm going to return it to Penelope after classes tomorrow. I'm sure she knows that I 'borrowed' it. Nothing gets past her.

"Good night mama, good night daddy, good night Jessie." We say together. Jen hugs me gently, releases me and blows out the dripping candles.

Jen's head is hanging low as she walks out of the living room down the hall and into her bedroom. By the time I brush my teeth and check on Una who is sleeping sprawled out on my bed like a big baby, Jen is already in her own bed facing away from the door. The bedroom door whispers quietly on the carpet making enough noise for Jen to turn over in bed and look sleepily at me. I raise one eyebrow and smile as Jen pulls the blankets down a little on the opposite side of the bed, my side. It really is my side, just like Jen has her side of the bed in my room. I keep a few things in the nightstand and she does the same.

I climb under the covers and curl up next to my sister. Jen starts talking so quietly that I can hardly hear what she is saying. I strain my ears and manage to pick up a few words, now I know what she is saying and it chills me to the bone. "The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere / The ceremony of innocence is drowned." The poem is Yeats' poem The Second Coming. Jenny used to read it to me when I was little and she was home from University. It's about anarchy and the second coming is not that of Christ but of a new messiah, a rough beast.

I hug my sister tightly and she cries into my shoulder. For a spilt second I want to know what is going on in Jenny's head. Then I blink and the desire is gone, I would no more want to be in Jenny's head than I would desire her in mine. I understand that some things must be kept to oneself to protect others. So I just hold Jenny until she falls asleep and when she starts screaming from her nightmares, I wake her up and recite poetry quietly (because I can't sing), as calmly as I can because I don't want to upset her further by breaking down and crying. I can wait until Jenny leaves for work before I break down.

The world gets better everyday -

then worse again in the evening.

- Kin Hubbard.

AN: Happy long weekend :) Next chapter will be posted on Tuesday.