Reid felt his whole body grow warm. A bright light filled his eyes and when he
adjusted, he was no longer in the back of a self driving car, but was now siting
on a soft, leather couch. Tera let go of his hand and smiled. Reid, a bit dazed,
looked around the cozy room. It was a library, but obviously a home library.
There were shelves filled with books upon books. Reid was so at peace here.
"Where are we?" Were in the future!" Reid got up and walked over to the solid
oak desk "the future? Why?" That is when Reid saw Tara frown for the first time.
"Spencer, I'm your guardian angel, and my job is to protect you from danger and
help you find happiness." Spencer looked away and frowned. "Well some job you've
been doing." Tera rose from the couch. "Spencer, i know that you loved Maeve. I'm
the one that made her get your case personally. But, there are just some things
i cant stop." A single tear rolled down Reid's cheek. "Why would you bring us
together if she was just going to be taken?" She looked at his long, tired face.
"I couldn't predict this Spencer." Reid sighed. "I just want to forget." Tara
gave him a look of sadness and apprehension at these words and then turned away.
Reid picked up on this and changed the subject. "So, the future. Are there
robots, or spaceships? Are we in some library that houses great cosmos of
information?" Tera beamed, back to her smiling self again. "No, no. We aren't
quite that far ahead, only 20 years. And this is a simple home office." Reid
looked around at the comfortable room. "Who lives here?" Tara gestured to one of
the many picture frames on the desk. "You're the profiler, figure it out." Reid
picked up one of the wooden frames and couldn't believe his eyes. "Thats me!" He
said, almost unable to move. "Yep, you and your life, 20 years in the future."
Reid looked at the photo, examining every detail. "These two, in the picture
with me, are they-" "your loving wife and daughter? Why yes, yes they are." Reid
sat down in the desk chair. "A wife? And a daughter!? Thats impossible..."
"Daddy! Are you looking for me?" Reid looked under the table to see a beautiful
little girl, with curly red hair and big brown eyes."um, hi." Reid waved to the
girl, not quite sure what to do. "She cant see you. Were just a shadow to her."
The girl looked straight at Reid. "Daddy!" She screeched. Reid jumped out of his
skin, still quite afraid of this child and looked to where she had run out from
under the desk towards. Tara giggled as his jaw dropped. It was him, only he was
about 50 now, with his same long hair, now sprinkled with streaks of grey. He
wore a soft and worn looking sweater and a dull pair of khakis. He sported a cane
on his left side. He looked older, not so much
aged by time but... "By all you've seen." Tera giggled. "Being a profiler for as
long as you have can do that to a person." Reid looked straight into her eyes.
"So, i have a daughter, and a house, and a... a wife. Does that mean that-" you
have a clean bill of health dr Reid! Minus the bullet wound from twenty odd
years ago, you are schizophrenia free!" Reid sighed. He felt like he had been
holding his breath for years. As he quietly celebrated, his eyes fell on the
little girl. She couldn't be more than five or six years old. She was so small,
so delicate. He saw himself playing patty cake. He didn't even know how to play
patty cake. Well, apparently he would learn. He watched her get up and walk up
to one of the bookshelves."shes the most amazing thing I've ever seen." She is
rather adorable, isn't she? Aww! Look at her! Picking out a book! Just like her
daddy!" Reid couldn't help but laugh at this and watched the little one bring a
worn book to her father.
"Again?" The girl just nodded her head profusely. "Well i have some good news
for you, jenny." She looked into his eyes. "What daddy?" He smiled. "You have
good taste in literature." "Yay!" He opened the old and worn book. "Ok, Empty
Planet, by Ursula Kent."
Reid remembered that book, one of his favorites from childhood, meeting her in
real life. And he was reading it to his six year old daughter. He had a
daughter, wow. He had a daughter. A child. Someone that held half of his DNA. Oh
god that poor girl! What has he done!? He started to hyperventilate. His head
started to pound. "Spencer! Calm down! Shes fine! Shes perfect." "How is that
possible!? If I'm her dad, than she could be... She could have... Does she?" "I
don't know if she has schizophrenia," Reid felt his chest tighten. "But... but,
i do know for sure of some other things that are you're doing." She flashed a
knowing smile. Reid just looked at her, almost afraid of the answer. "Look" she
pointed at him and jenny, but now, jenny was the one reading, quite well too.
More advanced than any six year old he had ever seen. The aged Reid just held
jenny in his arms, sitting on the floor, his eyes closed, listening to her read
as it were beautiful music, as only a father would do. "Shes smart too. Shes
already in the fourth grade, and should advance to middle school next year. Shes
doing better than you!" She laughed melodiously. Reid just stared at the pair.
"I look so happy. She, shes so perfect." Tera smiled at him. "She has an eidetic
memory too, and-" "shush" Reid stared at them. Astounded at his own happiness.
At this beautiful thing that he created. "You see this? This is your future."
Reid couldn't believe how lucky he was. "Its amazing" "but only if you stop
shoving a needle in you're arm." "Wait, what?" Tara grabbed his arm and a bright
light dazzled him. "No! I don't want to go."