Hey Everyone!
First thing's first: Yay for finishing one of my essays! (Now only two more to go plus studying for an exam... yay). As a treat to myself, I've decided that I'm going to treat you guys, the readers, to a new chapter! Shoutout to my 133 followers! (As well as my 86 homies who favourited me.)
Special thanks to my reviewers RJNorth (welcome to the TTML family!), Beth - Geek Chick (Thank you for loving Lou!), Rivermoon1970 (Those two are one of my favourite duos and also an amazing brotp to me), Sue1313 (If you love the story now you'll love how it progresses... I'm legit bouncing in my seat!), sonnetStar (darling, you should no by now that no matter what path Lou chooses, she will always love being Professor Richardson. Keep that in mind! [Also, something will be a bit familiar to you in this chapter...]), CalamityBangs (doesn't JJ always have good ideas?), TazzieLuv13 (PANDAS ARE COMING [in the near future], YOU JUST HOLD ONTO YOUR SEAT BABY GIRL!), Guest (I love that little blond boy with all my heart; of course I'm going to include him into the story!), Dalonega Noquisi (Like they said, Penny and Lucy are the dream team. Don't worry; Spencer will have his moment to be there for the Doctor's companion [you see what I did there? hehehehehe]), and tlyxor1 (look no further, darling!). Each one of you are special human beings who should receive awards for being so awesome.
Again, my tumblr is: thesongsweforgottoplay. Feel free to creep!
So, here's your treat guys!
Enjoy!
P.S. I cannot call Criminal Minds my own (fuck you CBS... not literally though).
Lou was blue.
Not literally blue, in the sense that her skin changed pigmentation. Lou had been glum for the past week. It was five days since she last saw Spencer, and when she spoken to him last (which was the previous day), they hadn't caught the unsub. She tried getting a hold of him the entire day, but it rung out to voicemail. Which most likely meant that Spencer was not going to be able to spend Halloween with her. Lou was currently in her yard, putting her tombstones along the side of her lawn. She wasn't planning on decorating her yard, as her plans for the special holiday didn't require trick-or-treaters, but with the way her plans were headed, she was most likely spending the holiday dressing up as Morticia Addams, scaring the children away after giving them their candy. Even if she ended up not spending the night at her home, she still wanted to take pride in her favourite holiday.
"All you people can't you see, can't you see…"
The former professor had gone into her back pocket, pulling out her cellphone. Once Penny found out about Lou's obsession with the Backstreet Boys, she set a specific ringtone in order to identify when the other half of the dream team had been calling. Smiling at the fun picture Garcia had left on her cell as a caller ID, Lou answered the call.
"Hey Penelope."
"Hello Lucy Lou."
"Thanks for the Grinch reference. That's a new one."
"Well I aim to please. How's the decorating going?"
"Eh." Lou looked to her yard, enjoying her cobwebs and spiders and beings from beyond the grave. "Piece of cake."
"With what you've described to me, I'm picturing a super spooky graveyard."
"Complete with animatronic zombies that pop out in certain spots." Lou told Penelope proudly.
"You're using technology? My word, you are nothing like Reid."
The thought of the man who apparently had feelings for her reminded Lou of inevitably missing the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
"Anything yet?" Elena asked, knowing that it was almost the sixteenth time asking that week.
"Nothing on the home front, Lou. But I'm sure they'll be coming soon."
Lou softly sighed. "It's almost six, Penny. The show starts two hours."
The brilliant woman could hear the hesitance in her friend's voice. "Have faith. If anyone can pull off the impossible, it's them."
"Okay," Lou allowed herself a bit of hope. "I'll keep my spirits up."
"That's the spirit, ma chérie."
Elena had thought of a brilliant idea at that moment. Since Spencer most likely wouldn't make their non-date (but Lou still had hope), and Caroline was still out of the country with her parents, she would hopefully spend Halloween with Penelope, if Wonder God wasn't doing anything, of course.
"Penny-" Lou was going to ask her plans for the night until she'd been cut off by the tech analyst.
"If you were going to ask to come to Quantico to spend the night in the lair with me looking at these screens, then you better scurry your butt down here."
Lucy's jaw had dropped.
"I'm officially scared of you."
"It is Halloween, darling. Comes with the territory."
[ + ]
8:35.
Lou couldn't help but be sad as she kept her eye on the clock. She had really wanted to spend the night throwing toast and toilet paper while shouting profanity at the Rocky Horror screen ("What the fuck is a billboard doing in a cemetery?" "The man has no fucking neck!" "Buy an umbrella you cheap bitch!"). Yet, spending the evening in the lair with the Queen herself had been a great substitute. They swapped horror stories, sharing memorable Halloweens, and eating the pieces of toffee that Garcia kept in her office. The two women bonded over being different, as Penny told her of the Black Queen days, to which Lou responded to her screamo/goth phase. Prompting the past to come to the present, Penelope searched up old school photos of Elena, causing the tech analyst to erupt in a fit of giggles as she looked at the gangly, dark-clad Elena Lucille Richardson with bug-eyed glasses at the age of fourteen.
The ladies were now standing in the kitchen area, sharing more memorable moments over a cup of tea. Garcia had been talking about her parents when she noticed Lou's eyes darting over the bullpen. Penelope tried to follow her line of sight, until she realized that Lou was looking for a specific desk. Her laugh pulled Elena out of her search. "What?" The former professor asked.
"You are absolutely hopeless."
The blonde waved the sheepish brunette to follow her (Lou realized that Penelope caught her red-handed at trying to find a certain individual's work station), making Lucy trail the tech analyst as she walked straight to Spencer's desk. Stopping in front of the cubicle, she pointed to the table.
"That's where our resident genius stays."
Lou examined Spencer's desk. It had been neat, as she would have expected from him. There were no personal items displayed on the desk, and no personal pictures of anyone, which indicated to Lou that he must not have a special person in his life (and also reinforcing the fact that Spencer indeed had a crush on Lou). She sat in his chair as Penny leaned against the divider. Lou didn't want to snoop, but with an encouraging nod from Penelope, the genius opened the drawers, noticing nothing but files.
Until she saw the film canisters.
"What the…" Lou picked up one of them, holding the black plastic object out to Penny, to which the techie laughed.
"He makes rockets out of them. Reid calls it 'Physics Magic'." She clarified.
Elena laughed, realizing what Spencer meant by 'Physics Magic'. Water and an antacid tablet creating carbon dioxide which leads to the fast release of the gas that's built up.She found a new thing about Spencer: he was fond of magic tricks. Lou couldn't help but be captivated by this small detail. It let her know a bit more of Spencer's personality, and how he could find joy out of illusions.
She placed the canister back in its rightful place in Spencer's desk, not noticing the smile that was growing on Penelope's face. The bubbly blonde had watched as Lou unconsciously lingered over the items in Spencer's desk. Her fingers ran across the surface of the table, and the tech looked at Lou's absent-minded glaze in her eyes. She also noticed, however, the sadness that had been marring her face. Lou was really looking forward to seeing Spencer. It was unusual for the team to be gone for as long as they had been, and it was just bad luck that Elena wouldn't get to go on her first "non" date with Spencer.
"This doesn't happen often," Penelope pulled Lou out of her thoughts.
"I'm sorry?" Lou asked, confused at what her friend was talking about.
"The team, leaving for so long." She clarified. "They're usually gone for two to three days at a time. They're mostly here for a good chunk of the week, so don't think that this is a regular occurrence."
Lou nodded, the sad look still on her face.
Penelope was going to come up with another way to cheer Lucy up, until she noticed a mess of blond hair bouncing around the other side of the glass doors. Penny lit up instantly, watching as Henry and Will entered the bullpen. Lou noticed the change in Penelope's behaviour, following where she was looking. She watched as the little boy (who was dressed up as Spiderman) entered the room, locking eyes with her friend, and running full speed towards the two.
"Penelope!" The boy cried, arms stretched out towards the tech analyst. Lou would have assumed that it was Garcia's child if she hadn't mentioned that Penny didn't have any children.
"My favourite godson!" Penny said as she scooped up the child, crushing him in a big hug before putting him down. Lou smiled at the two.
"Are you saving the city tonight, Spiderman?" Penny asked.
The boy nodded. "Yup! But Daddy says only before bedtime."
"Smart dad." Penny said, leaning to give Will a hug. "Why aren't you two having fun trick-or-treating?"
Will ruffled his son's hair. "Henry was missing his Mama, so I thought seeing his godmother would help. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten a hold of my wife. Was wondering if you could help with that."
Penelope shook her head. "Radio silence on my part. But nothing to worry about, I'd know if something dangerous would be going on. Give me a quick second, I'll see if I can contact the team."
As Garcia had wandered back to her office quickly, Henry stopped playing pretend when he realized there was a strange woman with pink hair sitting at his favourite profiler's desk. He walked up to her, to which Lou smiled warmly at the young child. "Who are you?" Henry asked naively. Lou couldn't help but find him funny as he sheepishly asked who the foreign being with really cool hair was.
"I'm Lou." She gave a small wave. "What's your name?"
He responded with a smile. "I'm Spiderman. Shh! It's a secret!"
Lou played along, nodding eagerly as she put a finger to her lips. "Okay. I won't tell anyone."
"Tell her your name, son." Will urged, smiling at the new woman.
"Henry." He cutely stuck his hand out as a greeting.
The woman grinned, clasping his hand with her own. "It's very nice to meet you, Henry."
"Why is your hair pink?" He asked curiously.
"I like pink," Lou said plainly. "So I wanted my hair pink."
He eagerly bounced in his spot. "Can I play with it?"
Elena hummed in laughter, being charmed by the sweet boy. "Why yes, of course."
Before Lou could comprehend what little Henry was doing, the boy climbed up into her lap, sitting across her thighs as his legs dangled off to the side. "Henry-" Will reached out instinctively, trying to grab his son off of the woman he had just met, feeling very rude to let his son invade the space of a complete stranger. Lou had noticed the man's hesitance with his son, to which she waved off the child's father in a friendly manner.
"It's okay." She adjusted Henry's position to make him more comfortable. "He's not the first child to want to play with my hair."
"Well since my son is sitting on your lap, it would be a good time to introduce myself." Will offered his hand. "William LaMontagne Junior. Will for short."
Lou accepted the handshake, realizing too late that her title was incorrect. "Professor Elena Richardson. Feel free to call me Lou."
"Professor?" Will asked, astonished. She had been very young to be considered a professor. "No offence, but you don't look like one."
She shrugged her shoulders, watching Henry weave his fingers through the pink hair. "Most people think I'm a college student half of the time, so there is absolutely no offence taken."
Suddenly, Lou had a wicked idea as she lifted her ankles up and down rapidly, causing Henry to bounce in her lap. He giggled with delight at the motion, turning his head to face his new friend after she stopped the motion. "Again!" Henry begged, and Elena obliged. His giggles filled the room, catching the attention of the few people that had been close by. Each one of them had smiles on their faces as Lou played with Henry.
(Penelope had been one of those people as she was standing by the elevator, excited for the people who were in the lift. The number at the top indicated it was on level three).
"Are you with the Bureau?" Will asked, noticing how well Lou was with his son in distracting him. Henry had been sad the entire time JJ had been gone, always frowning with each day he hadn't seen his mother. Yet Elena Richardson had barely spent a minute with him, and he had been smiling and giggling the entire time. It was a relief to his father, knowing that Henry would have a small moment of happiness as he was dreadfully waiting for the arrival of his mother.
She shook her head, letting Henry go back to playing with her hair. "No, actually I'm just friends with Spencer." Lou realized how that sounded before correcting her mistake (Will still noticed the way she said Spencer's name). "And Penelope. And JJ."
"Mama?" Henry asked, looking at Lou. The confused look came over the brunette's face.
"Henry belongs of Jennifer and me." Will clarified.
Recognition fluttered over Lou's features. "No wonder he's so handsome. Henry's got some good looking parents."
"Don't tell JJ, but he gets it from his father." He bragged, which made Lou laugh. She had a comment to say back to Will, until Henry had let go of her hair, squirming out of her lap. Lou was wondering what had happened to Henry in order for him to move from his spot. His next words, however, clarified why he had been in such a rush.
"Mommy!"
Lou watched as the worn-looking JJ knelt down to her son's level, arms out and waiting as her son wrapped around her in a vice-grip. JJ held on to him just as tight, standing up and carrying him as she walked towards her husband. The former professor couldn't tear her eyes away at the perfect family image that was in front of her. Will had wrapped his arms around his wife (with Spiderman Henry squished in the middle), before placing a long kiss on JJ's lips.
"This is a surprise," JJ commented.
Will shrugged. "We missed you, darlin'."
Elena suddenly realized that if JJ had been here, that meant-
"Ellie!"
She saw him. She saw the tiredness that he embodied from the trip. But mostly, Lou saw the happiness that radiated off of him the second he had laid eyes on her. The surprise of seeing her at the office was thankfully a pleasant one. He was carrying a suitcase and his bag, one in each hand, as he practically ran towards the professor, who stood up to greet him. Once he was in front of her, he had placed his bags on the ground, wrapping his arms around Elena's shoulders as her pulled her closer towards himself. Lou couldn't keep the smile off of her face (and couldn't keep the words that Penelope had said out of her mind) as she tightened her arms around his waist. Holding Spencer had been extremely cathartic to her, and what she needed at that moment.
Spencer hadn't felt this calm since he left for the case. The entire time he was away from Elena, he felt anxious, yet dull. Talking to her over the course of five days was somewhat helpful, but to be able to hold her erased all negative energy coursing through his body. Ellie, for the week and a bit that he'd known her, became a safe haven for him, where he could escape the turmoil and repulsions of his work. He could be with Ellie and talk about anything, or he could be with Elena and talk about nothing. Either way, she left a warm and excited feeling in his chest that he never felt before, and he liked every second of it.
She was waiting to ask him about his trip as they slightly pulled away, until he had gone off in his own thought process.
"I am so sorry about missing the show. The unsub had evaded arrest for two days before we caught him. If I had known that we'd inevitably miss the movie I would have called you sooner but the town we were in had very horrible cell reception and-"
He stopped speaking the second he felt two of Elena's fingers on his lips.
"Don't apologize," Lou said with a smile. "That's the job, right?"
Both the individuals heard someone clearing their throat, causing them to turn around to face Dave, Kate, Derek, Penelope, Jennifer, William, and Aaron as they all shared similar smiles on their faces, looking at the two. It was that moment where the two geniuses realized they had still been in each other's embrace, both of them pulling apart sheepishly as their cheeks blazed in red. Kate had taken pity on them, walking up towards Lou with a gleaming smile on her face. They said their 'hellos' as Callahan pulled the younger woman in a hug.
"Did Spencer tell you about the ferrets?"
"Oh, those little devils are so adorable!" Lou gushed to Kate.
"Did I hear you say something about 'little'?" Derek had come up beside the two.
Lou gave him a look. "No, actually, I think you heard me speak of my eyebrow-shaving capabilities."
"I'm sure you're a pro, Little Lou." Morgan said before walking away with Penelope (who gave a small wave to Lou as a goodbye). Lou slanted her eyes in Derek's direction, using two fingers to demonstrate that she was watching the profiler. Kate laughed, giving Lou a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out of the office. She gave Aaron a wave as he nodded in her direction with a smile, before going into his office. Dave approached Lou, holding out a stack of paper. Curious, Lou looked at the pages in front of her.
"A sneak peek at my new novel," Rossi had told her. "I'd thought you would be the type of person to enjoy it."
Lou's jaw dropped in shock as she enthusiastically took the pages. "Oh my goodness! Thank you!"
"Let me know if there's anything I need to fix," he said as he walked towards his office.
"That's a dangerous task to ask someone like me!" She shouted towards one of her favourite authors. Lou turned to face the remaining people, watching as Spencer used sleight of hand on Henry in order to make him smile. The coin "magically" appeared from behind Henry's ears, causing Spiderman to chuckle with happiness. Lou took a few steps closer to the group, standing beside JJ (who was still holding her son) and Spencer as she watched her friend mystify the young child. Spencer became a completely different person when he was interacting with Henry, performing magic tricks. He was confident in his motions, and playful in his expressions. He was carefree, and Lou wanted to see more of that side of Spencer. Her entire attention had been given to the man fooling the child.
Henry's attention, however, caught onto Lou. He unexpectedly leaned out of his mother's embrace and toward the professor's. All four individuals were confused at this action as Henry leaned out further, causing JJ's balance to falter. Thankfully, Lou caught Henry before he could plummet to the ground, fixing him back onto JJ's hip. But Lou made the mistake of being very close to the boy as Henry's fingers had instantly found their way into Elena's pink hair.
JJ, astounded at her son's actions, looked at Lou. "I've never seen him warm up that fast to anyone. Looks like Henry really likes you."
Lou smiled, watching Henry's fingers slow down as his head began to fall onto his mother's shoulder, evidently sleepy. "I'm a magnet for these kinds of things. Must be the hair."
Spencer looked at Ellie, seeing how well she was with Henry. She was a natural with children, obvious in the fact that she had a youthful mindset. While Lou's mind had been extremely advanced, she still kept that childhood mentality of innocence, of giddiness, of pure emotion without ulterior motive. It was no wonder Henry had been drawn to her; they were both the same in the sense that they only saw the good within people.
"Shouldn't you two be off?" JJ asked. "I heard Rocky Horror had been involved…"
Lou's smile was wiped off her face, with Spencer shaking his head. "We missed the show."
"The night's still young," Will offered. "It's also Halloween. I'm sure you two can find somethin' to do."
The professor had taken that as an opportunity. "Will's right. There's nothing like a themed movie on Halloween to set the mood."
"Slasher films or cartoons?" Spencer asked as he walked to grab his bags.
"Depends." Lou said. "Are we choosing between Scream or The Nightmare Before Christmas?"
"You going?" The mumbled voice of Henry asked against JJ's shoulder, cutting into the conversation.
"Yes, Henry," she spoke to the little boy softly, who protested. She smiled at his resilience to stay with her as she playfully tapped his nose. "But hopefully we can see each other again soon."
"Most definitely," JJ added. "I'm sure Henry would love spending time with his godfather and… his godfather's friend."
Lou, realizing that Jennifer had been talking about Reid (who apparently had a godson) and herself, ignored her comment as she waved goodbye to Henry. He gave a small wave of his own as he was on the edge of sleep on his mothers's shoulder. Also waving goodbye to JJ and Will, Spencer and Lou had walked back to the elevator, discussing which movie to watch ("Did you know for the stop motion, they used twenty four frames per second?" "What's the significance of that, Ellie?" "The movie's an hour and sixteen minutes." "…That's a hundred nine thousand four hundred forty frames!" "So we're watching that, right?" "That's if we decide on what movie we're watching."). The parents examined the body language the geniuses had as they disappeared behind the elevator before speaking to each other. They were both thinking how the two individuals had stood extremely close to one another. So close that Spencer's hand inadvertently intertwined with Lou's, neither of them noticing.
"They have no idea, do they?" Will asked his wife.
JJ smiled. "Did we when we first started?"
[ + ]
"You live in the Capital Plaza Apartments?" Lou asked in amazement, realizing that Penny had been right about how close Spencer lived to Howard University. They passed through the doors of the FBI, heading out towards the parking lot.
"I do," Reid responded. "But I don't think it's the best place to watch a movie."
"Why? Your television's out of date?"
"I don't have a television."
Lou should have known, considering how Spencer had an abhorrence to any outrageous technological advancements such as texting, email, or portable computers.
"Thankfully, I bring my laptop with me wherever I go. Now the only issue is what movie to watch."
"How about Pet Sematary?" Spencer offered.
"While the novel is fantastic, I'm more in the mood for something that doesn't require killing animated bodies with morphine." Lou was looking through her pockets, trying to find her keys to her ride.
"Sleepy Hollow?" He offered, and Lou's eyes lit up.
"Johnny Depp? Yes please!" She smiled, watching Spencer's eyes bulge out of his head.
The doctor quickly changed tactics, not liking how Lou said 'Johnny Depp'. "Maybe we should try another movie, like a comedy."
"Hocus Pocus!" Lou screeched, bouncing her spot. "That's it. We're watching Hocus Pocus." Before her counterpart could respond, she kept speaking. "If you tell me right now you've never seen Hocus Pocus, don't even attempt to open your mouth Spencer Reid. What's your middle name by the way? Wait, I'm deviating. What I meant to say was I'm noticing you haven't seen the majority of my favourite movies and for that fact I really don't care if you're against watching them, because we're so going to watch them because it is one of the most underrated gems of the film industry."
Spencer smiled at her determination. "Only if we get to watch the original Exorcist afterwards."
"Deal."
The doctor noticed the former professor stopped in front of a motorcycle. Oddly enough, she had the keys to the said motorcycle, unlocking the helmet from its spot before producing another one from a compartment on the side. Spencer realized very quickly that this had been Lou's vehicle of choice. He was hesitant at first, knowing that eventually, he'd have to get on the back of the chrome and black motorcycle (which left Spencer very uneasy). Lou noticed Spencer's discomfort as she held out the other helmet to him.
"It's a two thousand three FLSTF Fat Boy. I mean, it's a Harley. I mean… You have no idea what I'm talking about. Well, the most important thing is that it's completely safe, and I promise to not gun it down the highway."
"There is still a sixty six percent chance of an accident not caused by you. Most motorcycle accidents occur by the error of another vehicle violating the motorcyclist's right-of-way." Spencer had said out of habit.
"I'm not most motorcyclists."
Reid was still worried. "But, what about my bags?"
Lou smiled, placing the helmets down as she grabbed both of Spencer's suitcases, safely securing them to each side of her bike with multiple straps. Demonstrating the safety of the bags, she dramatically spread her arms out wide, a "ta-da" erupting from her mouth as her jazz hands were in effect. Spencer snorted in laugher as he watched her.
"There, now put this on. Safety first!"
He had been reluctant, but he placed the helmet on his head. Lou motioned with her fingers for him to lean down. Obliging to her command, he watched as Elena was focused on the straps of the helmet, adjusting it so it would fit snugly on Spencer. Being face to face with her without making eye contact allowed Spencer to look over her features in detail.
She had thick eyebrows, and predominate cheekbones. Her mouth had been small with full lips, yet the Cupid's bow on her top lip had been disproportioned slightly. She had a beauty mark on the right side of her face on her cheekbone, the small mole being the only perfect blemish on her face. She had slight rosacea on the tips of her nose and cheeks, combined with the hidden freckles. Her eyes had been a dark brown, and he only saw the true colour in the sunlight once. He saw the scab of the wound she received from Joyce Lombard's assault be nothing more than a small mark on her forehead.
But the most startling thing he noticed was the long scar running down the left side of her face from her brow to the corner of her jaw. It was hidden in the hairline, which is why this scar was new to Spencer. She didn't mention anything about it, so Spencer knew he'd have to ask about it another day. He would have looked further if he didn't notice that Elena had been looking at him, curious. It only took her a second to realize what he had been staring at before her eyes widened. She pulled away, looking anywhere else except for Spencer.
That was the moment that Spencer knew to never bring up the scar. Ever.
"So, you excited?" He heard the forceful nature of her tone, and only could nod in response.
She hopped on the bike, looking to Spencer. "Swing over. Use me as support to get on."
It was a rather clumsy attempt, Lou noticed, but Spencer eventually got onto the bike, sitting uncomfortably as he tried leaning away. She smirked reaching behind her as she grabbed both of his arms, wrapping them around her waist. "If you're not as close to me as possible, you'll throw off my equilibrium on the bike."
Spencer's only response was to tighten his arms around her waist.
"Tap once for me to slow down. Tap twice for me to stop, okay?"
"Is there one for three taps?" The scared voice Spencer had used made Lou want to laugh out loud.
"Sorry, that option is only for me."
The humour in poking fun at her disorder caused him to bark in laughter, losing a bit of his nervousness.
"Trust me, Spencer. You'll love the ride."
Hitting the kill switch and turning the motorcycle on, she waited a moment for the vehicle underneath her to warm up. The sound of the engine was so loud and powerful Spencer had been startled for a moment, holding onto Lou for dear life. She smiled at the doctor's action.
"Don't worry, Doctor." Ellie knew he'd get the reference. "I'll take care of you." She shouted over the engine, hoping he heard every word as she slowly let go of the clutch, turning the throttle, and shooting the motorcycle forward. Lou focused on driving, instead of Spencer's arms around her. If she was paying attention to the man behind her, she'd notice not only the exhilarated expression on his face, but the endearing look he gave her from the words he had indeed heard.
"I'll take care of you."
You guys will be getting another chapter within the next week. I really have to focus on my essays, so you guys just hang on. And TRUST ME, the next chapter will be worth the wait (*insert wink of conspiracy*)
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xoxo N.
Next Time: "A book? ...The Narrative of John Smith. Huh, I thought you didn't like literature, Doctor."
