Hey everyone! This is just an updated version of my already posted chapter. I fixed a few things, much thanks to aLeX24 for the note and suggestion that last names aren't given at such meetings, for anonymity reasons. I fixed the error in the chapter (thanks so much aLeX24!).
I promise to update soon, I'm
working on it. I've been going through some personal issues, plus
Christmas is around the corner so I've been busy. Don't worry
people, the next chapter should be up soon! I promise!
-A
He was running. Running so fast that he wasn't so sure he was running anymore, it felt almost like he was flying because his legs were so numb. He kept glancing behind him, looking for whatever it was he knew was there. Suddenly he could hear something behind him, it was making some kind of piercing, rattling cry. It was almost ear-piercing, but whenever he glanced over his shoulder he couldn't see it, he could only sense that whatever it was, was still chasing him.
The loud, jingling noise sounded again, but this time when Reid turned around he ran right into something hard, knocking him to the ground.
"Wha-?" Reid's eyes flew open and on instinct he spun around in search for the unknown subject that had been chasing him. He looked frantically around, but all he saw through the dark was the formation of his couch and the harsh outline of his coffee table.
The ring sounded again loudly and Reid realized it was his cell phone once he noticed the green light blinking on the coffee table. It was the same time he realized he was lying on his floor with his legs tangled in the blankets.
"Hello?" He answered the phone still half in a daze while subconsciously looking over his shoulder again, just to be sure nothing was chasing him. It had only been a dream.
"Reid, it's Emily. Are you awake?" Prentiss' voice came from the other end, sounding oddly alive like she had been up for hours already.
"I am now…" Reid replied almost grumpily as he struggled from his position on the floor to sit on the abandoned couch. "What time is it?"
Prentiss chuckled softly on the other end, "It's 7:30… Shouldn't you be up already?"
She couldn't make out Reid's mumble of a reply, but took it as an answer she probably wouldn't want to hear and continued.
"I just got a call from the Crime Lab. They have our results and we have to get down there. I can be at your house in 20 if you can be ready by then." She explained and the comment wakened Reid's mind.
"Yeah, pick me up. I'll be ready." Reid confirmed and hung up the phone. He was hoping they would receive some answers, especially for Dani's sake. At the thought, Reid's mind trailed to the night before and the empty packet of sleeping pills. He immediately stood up and walked to his bedroom. He had left the door open all night just in case something happened, and he had slept on the couch.
He entered the bedroom tentatively. The sunlight was barely streaming in through the window, but it was just light enough that he could see Dani sprawled out on his bed, still in the same clothes she had been wearing the day before.
He sighed softly and quickly changed his clothes before taking a seat quickly on the edge of the bed before shaking her lightly.
"Dani… Dani…" He called softly. He wasn't sure if she would even wake up, but he knew that the result of taking a few sleeping pills wasn't deadly, unless the number was an extremely high amount. He knew she couldn't have taken more than five, so the only result would be her being severely groggy and slightly disoriented for a few hours.
He was about to stand, but her eyes fluttered open and he could see the small sliver of emerald green focus on his face.
"Spencer?" She asked, her voice hoarse with sleep, and she seemed to be struggling to keep her mind focused.
"Um… I have to go to the bureau. We might have found something helpful… I…" He averted her eyes and cast his gaze to the floor. "I have a, uh… A meeting tonight after work. You know, if you want to come with me I can stop by here first and…"
Dani shook her head slowly side to side and Reid saw the small frown cross her tired face.
"No, I can't… Spencer I just… I can't do it, I'm sorry." She replied meekly. She couldn't really comprehend what he was saying, but her mind and body was telling her forcefully that she needed to go back to sleep.
"Ok.." Reid nodded slowly and offered her a small smile, realizing her eyes were already closing. He moved forward and noticed his hand was in midair, about to stroke the hair off of her forehead, but he stopped himself short and pulled his hand back. Instead he grabbed the comforter and pulled it over her body, tucking it in gently at the sides and quietly escaping the bedroom.
He didn't have time to make any coffee, Prentiss would be there soon. So he quickly scribbled a note to leave for her on the kitchen counter and grabbed his messenger back and put on his shoes. Before he stepped out the door, he stopped for a moment then walked back to the note to add the address of the meeting place he knew from memory from attending almost every week.
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"Well we processed the dental and DNA on your body here, and we came up with something interesting…"
Prentiss and Reid were at the Crime Lab by 8:15am and were quickly ushered to the room where the post-autopsy was performed. The older man was taking off his rubber gloves as he filled them in about the body of Jared Foster.
"What did you find out…?" Reid inquired with a small frown.
"Well the man wasn't Jared Foster. When I ran the DNA through the FBI system I actually got a match right away. It was a Donald Jackson. Apparently he was arrested quite a few times, did some jail time a couple years ago. He was an excessive drug dealer in the city and was hardly pronounced missing. He was known for disappearing off and on, either to get out of trouble or to go on a drug run." The man informed as he read from the report in his hands.
"It wasn't Jared Foster…" Prentiss practically cursed as she felt her blood seem to bubble in her veins.
"Why wasn't this discovered in the first place? Why wasn't the DNA test performed when the body was found?" Reid asked almost angrily as the thoughts swirled in his mind that the man they had hunted a year ago, the case they thought had been solved, was still in fact wide open and the man was still out there.
"The reports indicate a medical bracelet was found on the body, inscribing the deceased identity." The older man read.
"Great. We get a DNA result from a removable medical bracelet…" Prentiss muttered loudly. "Thanks for your help." She nodded to the man before her and Reid exited the lab, ready to head back to the bureau to represent the case to the team.
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Reid handed a ten dollar bill over to the cab driver after he pulled over at the small building. The air was brisk and he was tired, but he had to attend the meeting.
It was already 8pm and the team had been going over the details of the unsub from a year ago, trying to remake a profile for the man they thought was dead. It had been a long, gruelling day and finally Hotch decided to send the team home so they can start fresh in the morning. Seeing as the unsub had been in no further contact with Dani, he felt it was ok to leave until morning, especially since she was staying with Reid.
Reid stood outside the building for a moment. He had called Dani earlier from the BAU, letting her know of the progress and asking her again if she wanted to come with him that evening. She denied feverishly and let him know that she would be ok until he came home. She hadn't left the apartment all day and she triple confirmed with him that the doors were locked, windows were closed and that she would truly be ok.
He wasn't sure he believed her, but knowing she had the numbers to the rest of the team was a little comforting in the situation. He would only be at the meeting for an hour.
He walked into the large room where everyone was already seated. He took one of the empty seats in the back, the same spot he had sat every meeting he attended. Once everyone was settled, the main attendee who had taken a leadership role stood at the podium.
"Ok, so tonight's meeting is all about progress and influences in our lives that has helped us this far along. Don't hesitate to come up and tell your piece, I strongly suggest whoever feels comfortable to do so, it's a great stress relief to tell others the amount you've progressed. No matter how long or how little you have come, you should all be proud of yourselves for making it this far."
The man started off with his own short story. The man was an ex-cop, having been dislodged from the force after his drug addiction was discovered. After realizing how much he had lost in it all, it was a clear wake up call to become sober.
Reid slouched in his chair and listened as the different people took turns in introducing themselves and explaining small bits of their stories. He couldn't help but let his mind drift to the new findings of the case and he suddenly felt very guilty for having come to the meeting. He should have gone straight home to be with Dani, especially after finding out the unsub was still out there. No matter what Hotch said, Reid felt someone should be with Dani anyways.
He was about to stand, he decided to leave the meeting and head back home, but someone suddenly slipped in and took the empty seat next to his. Confused, he looked up at the late-comer and noticed Dani's hesitant face break into a very small smile. His whole body seemed to relax and he smiled back at her, proud and relieved that she was now here. Not only for herself, but for his own selfishness.
"You came…" He whispered quietly and she nodded in reply, but her face looked full of fear and her eyes seemed slightly droopy from fatigue.
She didn't say anything in return, but he felt her hand jut out towards his and this time he grabbed willingly, giving a small squeeze for support. When he glanced over at her again, she was looking straight ahead at the speaker at the podium and Reid couldn't help but smile.
"Spencer, we know you have been wonderfully successful in the last year. Would you like to come up and share your success with us?" The man at the podium asked and Reid gave a tight smile before turning to Dani and gently letting go of her hand.
She nodded at him to go and he stood to walk to the front where he remained silent for a few seconds before speaking.
"Um, well as you know my name is Spencer… I've been attending these meetings for almost two years now. My progress has been successful, but as you all probably know, there's still those times where I… "Crave". I mostly find I have these "cravings" after a hard case or when something affects me or triggers memories from my childhood…" He spoke a little nervously as he clasped his hands in front of him. "But I have to say, the main reason for my success in staying sober is my friends. They have been extremely supportive and caring. They don't say a word to me about it, mostly because they know I won't talk about it, but I can tell in their looks or certain gestures that they're there for me. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them…"
Reid looked at Dani in the back row and she offered him a smile then, making him smile back a little bashfully. It was partially due to embarrassment of someone he knows seeing him in this environment, but mostly because she had came and was right there with him.
