A/N: Long time no see people! As promised, here's the one-shot series for Guardian and Assailant; these won't make sense unless you've read those. I actually wrote out the first part to this right after finishing Assailant, but decided not to publish it for some reason (I think I thought it was too OOC). Today I looked it back over, added the other two parts, and decided "fuck it I'm publishing this shit."
THIS IS INSPIRED BECAUSE I HAD A REAL STRUGGLE WITH MYSELF AT THE END OF ASSAILANT OVER WHETHER TO KILL OFF ASHLEY OR NOT, AND IN THE END I DECIDED TO DO IT BECAUSE ANGST. BUT NOBODY COMMENTED! ! I WAS HEARTBROKEN KILLING OFF MY OWN BRIEF CHARACTER BUT NOBODY CARED! FUCK! ! !
Anyways...
Warnings: mentions of blood, vomit, and gore.
Disclaimer: Still don't own Criminal Minds.
ALTERNATE ENDING TO ASSAILANT
When Reid first woke up, he knew he was no longer a dog and that he'd changed back to his human form. He knew, because even if his nose was clogged up, his sense of smell was less than a canine's, and he could only hear the faintest murmurs of bed sheets rustling instead of the usual audio buffet he was used to. He blinked his eyes open, relived that the lights were dimmed, and took stock of himself. Aching shoulder, throbbing ribcage, head heavy with sleep and drugs. The sharp tang of medicine and sterile tiles, which had to mean he was in a hospital. He wiggled his fingers, noting the thin sheets covering his form. Yep, definitely a hospital.
Reid turned his head and was surprised to see that there was another bed next to his. He leaned over and caught a glimpse of Ashley's pale face, her hair spread out like a spider's web over her pillow. For a terrible moment, Reid thought she was dead, but then he saw her chest rise and fall, and he relaxed in relief. Memories trickled back to him, sharp and jarring with their images; mazes of blood, the cutting smell of wet grass, pressure on his fangs, a wink of yes.
He shook his head – not unlike a dog when it was wet – to try and banish the vivid slashes of memory. Ashley snorted, and when he looked back over he saw her eyes were open and she was smirking at his actions.
"Hey, agent Reid, looks like we made it, hah?" she managed to croak out.
Reid cleared his throat and nodded, not trusting his dry mouth to be able to speak.
"They found Josh," she continued happily, "he's fine, just recovering. They said he should be out of here tomorrow. You and me though, we have to wait at least a week before they let us loose." She paused, still smiling. "Thank you, thank you so much. For getting us out of there."
"No problem," Reid coughed out, tongue thick and his mind trying to wrap itself around her words.
"Oh boy, you sound rough, man. Need some water?"
Reid waved a hand at her, not wanting her to move (he remembered a blade buried in her back, the scent of her blood like rotten strawberries and spoiled cream). His entire mouth had an awful taste in it, like he'd been gnawing on undercooked meat. After a short, confused moment he realized the taste was from the leftover pieces of the unsub's skin rotting between his teeth, from where he'd attacked him and...
He saw Ashley's relaxed, smug manner slide away into concern, with the slightest tinge of fear, as he felt his face pale and the world sway sickeningly. "Agent Reid?" she asked, just as he lurched forward, pulling the attachable food tray on his bed out so he puked on that instead of his lap. Everything felt grey and too tight, and he breathed through his nose, unable to bear the thought of his teeth or his tongue or his cheeks or anything to do with his mouth…
Then someone was gently talking to him, lifting his head away and laying him back down on his pillow, carefully moving the tray and wiping it of his vomit. He lazily peered over and caught sight of Ashley leaning over the rails of her bed, asking the person if he was ok. The nurse murmured something back, and Reid closed his eyes, waiting until the nurse left, leaving a large bowl on the stand next to him in case he got sick again.
He cracked his eyes back open, and saw that Ashley was still watching him. "H-how long have I been here?" he rasped tiredly.
She looked reassured to see him communicating, and said, "You've been unconscious for about two days. Your team was here, and Josh and Scott too, but they all left 'cause it's past midnight right now. They'll be back in the morning, probably."
Reid nodded thankfully, trying to hold back tears at the thought of having to wait till morning for his team, who would understand and help him brush his teeth of the taste of death.
"Here," said Ashley, and suddenly something plopped down on his bed between his legs. Confused, he shot her a look and scrabbled downwards, searching for the object. A small container, with blue-green liquid and the smell of artificial mint, and his tired mind managed to identify it as mouthwash. Even more baffled, he looked over at Ashely, whose head was down, her hands nervously twisting her bed sheets.
"I remember," she admitted. "I was mostly in shock, but I saw you leap over me and I heard you fighting him… him screaming, you howling. And I briefly remember you coming back, licking my face…" She pulled a face at the memory, obviously trying to lighten the mood. "Gross, but it made me open my eyes, and you had… blood all over you, everywhere."
Reid's vision swooped again, his stomach clenching at the thought of what he'd done. He, Doctor Spencer Reid, mild-mannered genius, a murderer, and she knew.
"Hey, hey, agent Reid! Hey!" Ashley's voice cut through his panic and revulsion, drawing his eyes to her face. "Hey, look, I understand, ok?" She smiled at him, expression sad and reassuring. "If you hadn't done it, he would have killed us. Hell, he almost did! We're alive because of you."
Obviously her words hadn't comforted him as much as she'd wanted, because her smile dropped, and she said with dead-seriousness, "The world is better without him. I would have done the same thing, if it had been me."
Reid blinked, her words finally registering, and actually helping, to his surprise.
"But anyway," she said, looking uncomfortable with the emotional aspect of their conversation. She motioned to the mouthwash he was still holding and clarified, "I swiped that; thought you could use it."
Reid looked down at the mouthwash and twisted the cap off with a bit of difficulty, gulping in a huge mouthful. It burned the insides of his mouth and made his teeth tingle, but it tasted sweetly of mint and a dentist's office, erasing the unsub's blood away. With a sigh, Reid spat the mouthful out into the bowl next to him, then instantly took another swallow of the stuff to doubly clean his maw, smiling at the girl across from him as he did so.
"Thank you," he said, when his mouth was empty and his lips were refreshingly sanitary.
"No problem," she replied, grinning again. "Now go to sleep, your team will be here in the morning."
Slumping back, Reid did as she said, letting his eyes drift shut and letting his body relax properly for the first time in months. He could hear her wiggle under her covers, presumably to sleep as well, and he felt himself smile. Everything was going to be fine.
The second time Reid woke up he could see the faint hint of sunlight streaming through the drawn curtains of the window next to his bed. Propped up in an uncomfortable looking plastic chair was Morgan, legs crossed and reading a magazine in disinterest. When he heard Reid sit up, though, he looked up and grinned.
"Hey Pretty Boy," he greeted, handing him a cup of water before Reid could ask for it. He took it gratefully and washed out his mouth, which while a bit fuzzy and dry, no longer tasted like blood or raw meat.
"The team?" he asked, glancing over to check on Ashley. The girl was fast asleep, and next to her bed was a young man in a wheelchair, also passed out. His hand was clutching hers, and Reid smiled when he noticed the similarities of their faces; that had to be Josh.
Morgan followed his gaze and smiled as well. "They're fine; both them and the team. So is Scott, by the way. He wanted to come talk to you, if you're up to it."
"Yes, I want to see him," Reid admitted. He wanted visual confirmation that the young boy was safe and unharmed.
"You know," Morgan began, and Reid recognized instantly by his friend's sober expression and eye contact that he was in for a serious discussion, "you didn't have to do that. Matthews showed up and helped us with the case and he told us about your new… ability."
Reid ducked his head and fiddled with his fingers. They hurt, a bit, and he absentmindedly thought of frantic paws tearing across blood-soaked cement, the rough, uneven material nipping at soft pads.
"Reid, you didn't have to hide it; we could have helped you. How long has this been going on?"
"Just before I went back to work again," Reid mumbled.
Morgan let out a sigh. "Aw, Reid. Why didn't you tell us? We could have done something!"
"You don't think I'm… a freak because of it?" Reid asked, looking up again. Morgan's eyes were earnest, and seemed startled at such a suggestion. Then he laughed, a sad chuckle that Reid couldn't respond to.
"Listen man. I'm going to be frank with you; sometimes I miss Guardian. That doesn't make sense, I know, since Guardian is you, but sometimes I'll look over to the passenger side and have a moment of panic because there's no dog drooling on my seats."
"I don't drool!" Reid objected, and Morgan laughed quietly again.
"You don't need to worry Reid. We're still here for you, no matter what form you're in."
Tears formed in Reid's eyes and he quickly brushed them away, turning back to look at Ashley and her brother so Morgan wouldn't see. "Thanks Morgan," he murmured, feeling a sense of relief overwhelm him. In a way, he almost felt foolish. Why had he ever thought that his team would turn against him?
"Anytime kid," Morgan replied cheerfully, giving him a friendly clap on the shoulder that made Reid wince a bit. He waved off Morgan's apologetic expression and twisted his lips into a grin. "Wake me up when Scott gets here." With that, he turned back over and drifted off into sleep.
Gentle paws kneading on his stomach. Tiny vibrations from happy purrs. If Reid didn't know any better, he'd say he was back home and Oscar was sleeping on his chest. But the crisp hospital smell and aching body parts reminded Reid that he was a long way from home. He scrunched his eyes open, observing the gentle fading of light behind the curtains, concluding that it must be twilight. He blinked, and looked down at the weight on his chest.
It was a small orange kitten, with grey eyes that were intelligent and happy. "Hello, Scott."
The kitten let out a tiny meow, startled that Reid was now awake. Just then, a woman Reid identified as Mrs. Locke walked into the room, instantly frowning at the scene in front of her.
"Scott!" she scolded lightly, darting over to lift the kitten off of Reid. "What have I told you about changing in public? And crawling all over Doctor Reid!" She made a clicking noise with her tongue. "Not only is that rude, but you need to be a bit considerate, dear; the poor man is a bit battered right now, and doesn't need a cat bouncing all over his chest!"
"Mrs. Locke, it's alright," Reid assured, sitting up carefully, but still managing to agitate his shoulder. He made sure his pain didn't show on his face, but he did raise a hand to lay it on the bulge of bandages swaddling his side.
"Scott, go to the bathroom and change back," Mrs. Locke commanded, leaning down to pick up the discarded clothes left at the foot of Reid's hospital bed. "Then you can come back and visit with Doctor Reid and Miss Ashley, ok?"
The kitten let out an agreeing meow and wiggled to be let down, which she did. The woman swept her kitten-son into the small bathroom across from Ashley's bed, and came over to sit down tiredly on a chair between the two patients. Reid finally noticed that Ashley was also awake and alert, grinning in amusement.
"I'm sorry about that," Mrs. Locke apologized. "These last few days have been so incredibly stressful; why, I've probably gained ten pounds with all the chocolate and comfort food!"
Reid bit his tongue to hold back statistics and calorie estimates, and just chuckled along with the two woman.
"How's Scott doing?" Ashley asked, and the mother sighed.
"As well as can be suspected, I suppose. He's been sleeping in our bed for the past few nights, but at least he hasn't been changing any more than usual, and so far he's only had one nightmare. Not to mention that dog of his sticks to his side like glue!"
Reid allowed himself a private smile. He was glad Ginger had been reunited with her master.
"But we think he'll be ok; we'll get him a therapist, and we'll talk him through it, and he'll be alright."
Ashley nodded and smiled reassured. "He's a smart young man; I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."
"Thank you, my dear. And that reminds me…" The woman placed a gentle hand on Reid's and squeezed, waiting for him to look up with wide eyes before continuing. "I wanted to thank you," she said seriously. "For protecting my son. For making sure he got home to us. I can't imagine…" Tears filled her eyes and she tightened her grip ever so slightly. "I wish I could make it up to you."
"You don't have to make anything up to me; I was just doing my job," Reid said seriously.
The mother sniffed and rubbed her tears away with one fist, still clutching Reid's hand like her life depended on it. She then turned and smiled at Ashley, extending her other hand wordlessly. Ashley stared at it for a moment then slowly reached out to clasp it. "Thank you too," Mrs. Locke told her, "for also protecting my son."
Ashley swallowed thickly and just nodded. Reid could feel the weight in the room; the relief, the gratitude, the hopefulness. It filled his chest, till he felt like he might burst from the brimming emotions dancing in the air.
Then Scott charged into the room, his shirt slightly crooked from where he'd tried to button it himself, but otherwise dressed. "Doctor Reid, Miss Ashley!" he cried, and squirmed up onto the foot of Reid's bed with his mother's help. "I wanted to say thank you," he said, as seriously and sincerely as a young child can muster.
"You're very welcome, Scott," Ashley beamed cheerfully.
"Hey, Scott? If you ever need someone to talk to about… the changing stuff, you can call me, ok? It's gonna be difficult being the only two… the only ones that can…"
"Become animals?" Ashley snickered. "Oh man, that's still so weird."
"You're special," Mrs. Locke said firmly. "You both have a special secret."
Scott's eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "Like superheroes!"
"Pretty Boy is already a superhero with that big ol' brain of his." Reid groaned as Morgan walked in, grinning mischievously, followed by the rest of his team and Mr. Locke. Garcia instantly let out a squeal and buried Reid in a hug, although he didn't miss Ashley's raised eyebrows and how she mouthed out, Pretty Boy?
Reid just shook his head hopelessly at her.
It was nice to see his team though, and even better to have the extra confirmation that his "secret" was safe and supported. The last of his doubts were washed away with their smiles and quiet laughter. The group stayed together for a while, the happy parents snuggling their chattering son, Ashley leaning up and bantering with Emily and Morgan, Reid being almost spoon-feed by Garcia as Rossi smirked in the background, while Hotch pointedly ignored Reid's desperate stares in favour of mutedly discussing some matters with Mr. Locke. Eventually, however, a nurse shooed the visitors out, squawking about overcrowding and being past visiting hours – although not before Reid had pressed a slip of paper with his phone-number into Scott's tiny hands and received a hug around the neck from the little boy.
The silence of the room afterwards was a bit lonely, but Reid was grateful to pull his sheets up and get some more rest, and besides, he knew his team would be back in the morning. Hopefully with coffee.
He fell asleep thinking fondly of his family and listening to the quiet breathing of Ashley sleeping across from him.
A/N: I've already got some other prompts for this series so I'll work on those eventually but if anyone else has other suggestions I'm open to it.
Also thanks to my irl friend TheChiaroscuro for being so supportive of this lmao. Don't you just love the crappy title of this crappy series bro? LOL please review!