"Gramps, I'm fine, I swear," Sasha grumbled into the phone, pressing her hand to her forehead and closing her eyes. "I'm just a little tired and I hadn't eaten or anything so I felt a little faint, but I'm okay."
"I think you should come home."
"Seriously?" Sasha groaned. "I'm not doing this again, Gramps. I'm fine, I'm okay and I'm staying here to do my job. I just wanted to call you so you weren't worrying."
"Sasha you've been in the company of a convicted – and escaped – serial killer," he huffed at her. "If these people can't even keep a man that dangerous locked up, how to you expect me to believe that they can keep you safe?"
"I can keep myself safe," she rolled her eyes.
"That boy said he'd keep you safe!"
"I can keep myself safe!" she repeated, glancing over towards where Mike was stood with Ryan and Debra. She caught his eye and she swore she saw him blush before he quickly looked away. "Mike has nothing to do with this, okay? It's my own fault, he tried to stop me from running off but I didn't listen so please don't blame him or anyone else for it. I guess I'm more like Ryan than either of us realised."
"You are nothing like that man!" Robert snapped and Sasha winced, pulling the phone away from her ear with a sigh.
"He isn't that bad," she whispered.
"Sasha, that man left your mother when she was barely able to raise a child alone. He left you both and we had to take care of you. We had to practically raise you while your mother went to school and then when she had night shifts at the hospital… He abandoned you after she- when she- he just threw you away like you meant nothing to him and your grandmother and I had to put you back together again, so don't you dare tell me he isn't that bad."
"He's different now, Gramps…" Sasha paused, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I know you'll always blame him for what happened with Mom, I know you hate him for everything he did but he's not the same anymore, he's changed. He cares."
"That man will never care about anyone other than himself, Sasha, and it's about time you realised that before you get your heartbroken all over again."
"Please don't think you're going to lose me just because I want a relationship with my father," she mumbled. "You and Nana have been there for me my entire life and I'm not going to forget about either of you just because I have Ryan back in my life."
"That isn't what this is about at all-"
"Yes it is," she interrupted. "Police psychologist, remember? Plus I've known you since I was born, so I know how your mind works. I love you, Gramps. I'm not going to stop loving you and Nana and I'm not going to forget everything you've done for me just because I want to have Ryan back in my life, too. It doesn't work like that."
"I know you think I'm just a grumpy old man who doesn't like Ryan because he took your mother away from us," Robert sighed quietly. "But that's not it, Sasha. He was a nice kid, we liked him. Hell, even when he left your mother we still liked him, because he wanted to be involved with you and he wanted to help raise you. It's what happened after that…" he trailed off. "I had to watch you wait for him every single day after you came to live with us – it didn't matter what it was, but you held out for something. A call, a message, a visit, and it never came. I had to sit there and watch my only grandchild break her heart crying because she thought her father didn't care about it, and it broke my heart, Sasha. You are so much like your mother, I couldn't stand to see you hurt like that again. I'm concerned about your wellbeing."
"You don't need to be," Sasha told him. "I promise you, Gramps. I know how Ryan works, remember? I'm going to be fine, I swear. I mean it when I say he's different now."
"…Hmm," Robert huffed. "It isn't just Ryan, though. I don't like you being around all this- this… death. All these cult people, this Joe character – if he's the one who killed Laney- I don't like it, Sasha."
"He had nothing to do with Mom's death and you know it."
"But you think he knows who did, and he's still killed dozens of other innocent people."
"It's my job, Gramps."
"…This doesn't have anything to do with that boy you brought here does it?"
"No, Grandpa, it has nothing to do with Mike!" Sasha sighed in frustration. "Stop listening to whatever Nana is whispering in your ear, okay? She likes to pretend she knows what's going on but she doesn't have a clue. Listen, I have to go, alright? Please tell her I called and tell her that I'm okay and I that I love you both, okay?"
"Sasha-"
"I'm hanging up!" she interrupted him, quickly pulling the phone away from her ear and ending the call even though she could hear Robert still talking on the other end. She sighed, shrugging the blanket off her shoulders and handed it back to the paramedic with a small smile as she stood up. "I'm fine, I swear."
"Take it easy," he warned her with a frown.
"I will, I promise I'm going to go back and sleep for a year now," she rolled her eyes, shaking her arms out and stuffing her phone back into her pocket before making her way over to Ryan and the others. "What do we know?" she asked.
"Shouldn't you be resting?" Mike frowned at her and she tutted, waving a hand dismissively at him. "You almost fainted!"
"Shush," she reached out and slapped his arm before turning to look at Debra.
"The helicopter they used wasn't registered," she sighed. "Local airport radar had them for a short time, but they lost them. Warden Montero is in federal custody."
"Any news on his daughter?" Sasha asked.
"…You're worried about his daughter when he let you get into a car knowing Joe Carroll was in there?" Mike raised his eyebrows. "I'm- are you serious?"
"What?" Sasha asked in confusion. "I'm okay, aren't I? No lasting damage," she held her arms round. "Check me over if you want," she shrugged, freezing when she realised Ryan was stood right beside her. "Y'know, for injuries and… stuff," she clarified.
"Stuff?" Mike raised his eyebrows and she glared at him.
"How are we supposed to find these people?" Ryan asked impatiently. "They're nameless, faceless."
"Hey," Debra nudged him. "We'll find them, and we'll break them."
"Well let's start with this guy right now," Ryan gestured towards David who was being wheeled towards the ambulance on a stretcher. Debra followed his gaze and shook her head firmly. "Parker, this guy threatened to shoot my daughter, he threatened to kill her. If we're gonna end this, if we're gonna find Joe, find his son, the rest of them, we've got to start doing things a different way," Ryan pressed. Debra sighed, rubbing her forehead and glancing between Ryan and David.
"I'll give you five minutes," she pointed a finger at him. "You two, come with me," she gestured for Sasha and Mike to follow her and Sasha paused, glancing back at Ryan. "Sasha. Come on. You're not hanging around here any longer."
"I was just hoping maybe I could-"
"Nope," Debra shook her head. "You're going back to the motel and I don't want to see you tomorrow, either. You've had a traumatic day and you're taking tomorrow off. I don't know, put a facemask on or something, something… girly. You seem like the girly kind."
"I'm supposed to stay at the motel all day and- what? Paint my nails? Wash my hair? Sit around in my pyjamas watch repeats of Maury and eating junk food?"
"Whatever takes your fancy," Debra shrugged her shoulders. "But you're not to come in. You can… I don't know, I'm sure Weston can keep you informed about what's going on."
"I guess I can hang out with Claire," Sasha muttered.
"Uh, no, 'fraid not," Debra winced. "Sorry, kid. Now that Joe's on the loose, he's probably gonna try and get her again. She's being moved into protective custody. Tonight."
"What!?" Sasha squeaked. "She's- are you serious? I'm- I won't see her until- until when? Until Joe is caught? Until every last lunatic working for him is caught?! This is- this is bullshit!"
"It's for her own safety-" Mike whispered, his mouth snapping shut when Sasha turned to glare at him.
"I want to see her," she demanded. "I want to see her now, I want to say goodbye. I have to say goodbye in case- in case something happens and I don't- in case I don't get a chance to see her again," she shook her head, tugging on the ends of her hair. "She was like- I just- I have to say goodbye to her, please? Please can I go see her?"
"I can…" Mike paused, turning to look at Debra. "I can take her? I mean, I can take her to Claire's place and leave her there. I'm sure Ryan will be stopping by later so he could bring Sasha back to the motel or- I mean I'd just drop her off and come right back because I know I have work to do here and-"
"If you take her," Debra held a hand up, interrupting him. "I want you there and back in half an hour, Mike. I don't want you pulling over for a little backseat action-"
"Debra!" Sasha hissed. "I'm- there's no- we're not-"
"There's no chance of that happening, don't worry," Mike scoffed. "She's pissed at me anyway, so it's okay. Shall I take her, then?"
"Hmm," Debra narrowed her eyes at them. "Fine. You can take her to Claire's, but if you aren't back within half an hour and I call you and get no reply, I'm telling Ryan about what I think you'll more than likely be doing. Go on, get out of here," she sighed, waving a hand at them and ducking under the police tape as she walked towards the other agents and police officers. "Okay guys, listen up…!"
"Can you believe that?" Sasha grumbled.
"You shouldn't have told her," Mike shrugged his shoulders, placing a hand on the small of her back and leading her towards his car.
"I didn't tell her!" she snapped, brushing his arm away. "She guessed because you're about as subtle as a train wreck," she mumbled, climbing into the car as Mike held the door open for her. He scoffed at her and walked round to the other side of the car, climbing in himself and locking the doors as he started the engine.
"Says the girl who just offered to have me check her over when her father was stood right next to her."
"I-" Sasha huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "That wasn't even- it was- you're just- you know what, Mike? Shut up."
"Excellent comeback," he snorted. "Really. Fantastic."
"I had a gun held to my head less than two hours ago, give me a fucking break!" she snapped, turning to look out of the window as Mike's face fell. He sighed quietly, glancing over at her wearily.
"Hey," he whispered. "You're okay though, right? You're not- he didn't- did he hurt you? Because if he hurt you I'll-"
"You'll what?" Sasha huffed. "There's nothing you can do. We have no idea where he is and we're probably never going to find him so really, Mike, what's the point in making threats? There's nothing anyone can do anymore. He's gone."
"The point is," Mike frowned. "That he hurt you, and I'm not going to stand by and let him get away with it."
"I'm okay," she sighed, rubbing at her slightly bruised wrist. "Really. I- I got off lightly when I think about- you know, Olivia…"
"I can't believe-" Mike stopped, a pained look on his face. "I'm sorry you had to see that."
"I didn't see it," she mumbled, playing with the ends of her hair. "Not really. Mike can we just- can we not talk? Please? I don't- I don't want to go through it again. I'm tired and I just want to see Claire."
"O-of course, yeah. Sure," he nodded slowly. "Just… Just know that if you need to talk, then I'm here, alright? I know you're still angry at me and that's fine, but if you need anyone… I'm here."
"I know," she gave him a small smile. "Thank you. That means a lot."
Mike resisted the urge to smile as the corner of his mouth twitched and he coughed, reaching up to scratch his cheek. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes and sighed quietly when he saw her leaning her head against the window, her arms crossed over her chest and a vacant expression on her face. He wanted her to talk to him, but he knew that that wasn't going to happen any time soon. He wanted her to open up, but he knew it was stupid of him to expect that she'd talk to him so openly when they hadn't known each other longer. It didn't matter how much he liked her or how much she liked him, Mike knew it would take some time before she told him anything.
"I might be able to help," he suggested quietly. "You know, with- with what happened with Riley. I could- we could talk. I could listen."
"I don't want to talk," Sasha mumbled.
"But- well, when you do want to talk, then. I can help."
"I'll be okay."
"But if you're not-"
"It isn't the first time I've seen someone die, Mike," she interrupted him. "Like I said. I'll be okay."
"I'm- right," he nodded. "Right. Your mom. I didn't think, I'm-"
"Mike," she sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Please just… stop talking."
Mike nodded, shifting in his seat as he kept his eyes on the road and his mouth shut.
The rest of the drive to Claire's house was in silence as Sasha stared out of the window and Mike resisted the urge to pull the car over and force her to talk to him, but Parker's threats to tell Ryan about what had happened between them – no matter how empty those threats had been – rang in his mind, and he knew Sasha would be even more pissed off if anything stopped her from getting to Claire.
"Maybe you should go home."
"Excuse me?" she turned to look at him.
"Maybe you should go back to New Jersey."
"Are you-" she paused, her lips pursed as she narrowed her eyes at him, something Mike had come to realise was the trademark Hardy pissed off face. "You're kidding. You have to be kidding. You can't possibly think that I'd just- that I'd leave?"
"I don't know…" he trailed off carefully, pulling into Claire's driveway and shutting the engine off. "If it keeps you safe, then yeah I think you should go back. Maybe it was a mistake bringing you out here in the first place, especially now that you're- well, I don't really think your head is in the best place right now. You're obviously worried about Joey, Joe is out there somewhere, you have your ex calling you-"
"Oh," she laughed harshly. "Okay, I see what this is about. You're sore because my ex got in touch with me after I spent the night with you and, what? I didn't tell you about it? Is your male ego bruised?"
"That is not what-"
"Oh, pull the other one, Mike!" she snapped. "Yes that's what this is about. You don't want me around anymore because- what? You've realised I have baggage? Suddenly you don't think I can do my job properly because my ex-boyfriend got back in touch with me? My job wasn't that high on your list of priorities when you had me pinned to a desk this morning. You weren't overly concerned with my ability to do my job when you were taking my clothes off last night!" she waved her arms in the air and Mike froze, his mouth open as he went to speak, but his eyes caught sight of her wrist. Sasha followed his gaze and groaned inwardly, putting her sleeve over her hand and moving to open the car door.
"No," Mike reached out and gently took hold of her write, pushing her sleeve up. "I thought you said he didn't hurt you?"
"It's just a bruise-"
"He had no right putting his hands on you!" Mike snapped, his face softened when Sasha jerked away from him. "I'm sorry, I just- I should have- we should have – Ryan and I… We shouldn't have let you follow the Warden."
"You need to stop with this whole letting me do things," Sasha whispered, pulling her sleeve back down to cover her wrist. "I'm my own person, Mike. You don't get a say in what I do or don't do."
"I'm just- I'm trying to keep you safe," he told her, his expression showing how hurt he was.
"I know you are," she sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just not- I'm not feeling too-" Sasha stopped, glancing past him and out of the car window.
Mike followed her gaze and sighed when he saw Claire run out of the house, glancing around wildly and he turned back to Sasha in time to see her fumbling with the door handle to get out of the car. He sat back, his thumb swiping at the corner of his mouth as he watched Sasha get out of the car and rush towards Claire, who met her halfway.
"Are you okay, are you alright?!" Claire asked desperately, taking Sasha's face in her hands and looking her up and down. "Are you okay, did he hurt you?"
"I-I'm okay-" Sasha stuttered as Mike climbed out of the car. "I'm okay but- he- he killed her-" she gasped. "Oh God Claire he killed her right in front of me and I couldn't stop him, I couldn't do anything and- and…"
Mike darted forward as Sasha's knees seemed to give out under her, but Claire caught her before she hit the ground and she wrapped her arms around her, pulling Sasha closer to her.
"Shh, shhh… It's okay…" Claire whispered, her hand smoothing Sasha's hair down as she pressed her face against Claire's shoulder. "It's okay, there was nothing you could do."
"I didn't even try," Sasha let out a sob. "I didn't even try and help her, I-"
"Don't," Claire told her firmly. "Don't do that. It isn't your fault, don't think like that. Come on, come inside," she whispered, briefly letting go of Sasha before putting her arm around her shoulders and leading her towards the house. Claire paused, glancing backwards at Mike. "It's okay, I've got her. You go back to work."
"O-okay," Mike whispered, not moving from where he was stood next to his car. Claire stopped, a small smile on her face as she watched him.
"Mike," she raised her eyebrows. "I got her. She'll be okay here."
"You'll… you'll take care of her, right?" he mumbled, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Don't let her out of your sight."
"Of course I'll take care of her," Claire offered him a reassuring smiled as she gently nudged Sasha into the house. "She'll be fine, I promise."
"Claire!" Mike called, stopping her from shutting the front door completely. "If… If anything happens and… You know, if she needs anything or she… Well, just call me, okay?" he sighed. Claire nodded, a knowing smile on her face as she closed the door behind her.
Mike sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair and getting back into the car. He paused, chewing on his thumbnail and glancing back towards the house before starting the engine and slowly leaving the driveway.
Sasha would be fine with Claire, he knew that. She had to be, because Mike couldn't repeat the day he'd just had. He couldn't spend hours worrying about her again, he couldn't spend the day running all around the city wondering whether he was going to find her alive or not.
So, she had to be okay. There was no other option, because Mike didn't know what he'd do if anything happened to her.
"Weston," he grumbled, pressing his phone to his ear. "Yeah, I just dropped her off now. She's fine. …Yeah," he sighed, glancing back at the house in the rear-view mirror before he turned the corner. "Yeah, got it. I'm on my way."
Sasha blinked, the picture on the TV blurring as she tried too hard to focus on it.
"I thought this was your favourite?"
"Seen it already," she mumbled in reply to Claire.
"Hmm," Claire hummed, sighing and running her fingers through Sasha's damp hair as she looked back towards the TV. "The older guy is pretty cute."
"Hotch," Sasha corrected. "He looks like my Dad. Clearly, you have a type," she commented, and Claire snorted.
It had been a little over an hour since Sasha had gotten to Claire's house and in that time, Claire had forced her into the shower and given her some clean, comfortable clothes to change into.
Sasha had wanted to complain, to protest and tell Claire that she didn't need taking care of… but it was sort of nice, having Claire fussing over her and mothering her. Sasha had missed it. She'd missed Claire taking on the role of 'mom' to her, she'd missed being looked after and she'd missed Claire worrying about her, so she kept her mouth shut and let Claire dry her hair for her.
She'd let Claire lead her back downstairs and make her the biggest, most fattening hot chocolate Sasha had ever seen in her life and she'd gratefully eaten the chicken salad sandwich Claire had made her, not even realising how hungry she was until the plate had been pushed in front of her.
And now, Sasha was lying on the sofa, her had resting on a pillow in Claire's lap and her eyes glued to an episode of Criminal Minds which she'd seen probably a dozen times before, as Claire played with her hair.
"So what was that with Mike?" Claire asked quietly, looking down and smirking when Sasha froze. "Uh-huh. Come on, spill."
"I don't know what you mean, what was what with Mike?" Sasha mumbled, suddenly becoming engrossed in the TV.
"You know, the whole him not wanting to leave you here thing? Me having to reassure him five hundred times that you were going to be okay? The look of complete anguish on his face as you walked into the house and I told him to go back to work? Any of that ringing a bell?"
"Nope, none of it."
"Of course not," Claire scoffed. "Come on, tell me what happened. Did you flirt back with him? Did he make a move? Did you make a move?"
"Claire-"
"Humour me," she pinched Sasha's waist. "We need some mindless gossip to stop thinking about everything that's going on and I can't think of anything better to discuss than cute boys who like you. It can be a bonding experience."
"…Is this because you don't have a daughter to terrorise?" Sasha sighed. "Maybe we should think about getting you one. I've heard adoption is a very fulfilling experience."
"You're the closest thing I have – or want – to a daughter," Claire whispered. "So c'mon, it's like a mother-daughter exercise that neither of us got to have. Details."
"This is so awkward," Sasha groaned. "But, okay… So… I kissed him? The night of the- I don't know if you know, like I don't know what Ryan's told you, but… Mike was shot. Clearly he was okay, he was wearing a vest, but he was shot and we found him and Ryan ran off chasing after Emma and… He told me to stay with Mike and I kissed him. Stuff happened, we fought, we got to Virginia and I went to a bar for a little while. He followed me over, he kissed me and then he walked me back to my room," she shrugged weakly, picking at a loose thread on the sleeve of the oversized jumper she was wearing.
"That's it?"
"…That's it, yeah. That was all that happened."
"…You're lying," Claire frowned. "You lie exactly the same way Ryan does, you always scratch your nose when you're not being truthful."
"I do not!"
"Yes you do!" Claire chuckled. "Sasha. You can be honest with me, I won't tell anyone. Did you guys sleep together?"
"…You can't tell Ryan, okay?" Sasha bit her lip. "Yeah. Yeah, we did. But, Claire- don't go getting excited, alright? I doubt it's going to happen again."
"What? Why not?" Claire winced. "Was he bad? He doesn't look like he'd be bad."
"He wasn't bad," Sasha sat up, rolling her eyes and crossing her legs underneath her. "He was- good. He was… really good," she blushed. "But… I don't know. I don't know if I'm ready for something like this, not after- well…"
"Sweetheart," Claire reached out, tucking Sasha's hair behind her ear. "Sasha, honey, you can't keep doing this to yourself. Eric was an asshole, okay? He was… God, he lied to you for how long? He used you and he treated you like you were nothing. He just upped and left without a second thought. Does Mike seem like the kind of guy that would do that? Because, granted I've only had a few moments with him, but I think he seems like a pretty decent person. …Granted, I married Joe Carroll so I may not be the best judge of character, but you can't keep pushing everyone away or you're going to end up exactly like Ryan."
"He text me today," Sasha mumbled. "Eric. He sent me a message and- and I freaked out. I was with Mike and I just had to get out of there, so I left my phone and just left the room. I… When I got back, Mike had my phone and he was talking to Eric. He went through my phone, Claire."
"…Ouch," she winced. "Maybe he was just worried about you?"
"Yeah, he said he was," Sasha ran a hand through her hair. "I… I sort of… yelled at him? I was- God, I was a bitch. I was just, I was scared because I didn't know what Eric had said to him and I'm scared to ask, I don't want Mike to know how totally screwed up I am-"
"Sasha you are not screwed up!" Claire snapped. "You have to get that out of your head! Whatever Eric said to you back then doesn't matter, you've changed so much and you're not the same person anymore, but of course what happened to your mother is going to have a lasting effect on you. You were just a child and for anyone to think that you'll just let that go as you get older is ridiculous. Eric used you for his own purposes and you're a better person than he ever was. You're not screwed up and Mike knows you're not. Even if you were, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't make a difference to him and you'd be sure of that too if you would have caught the way he was looking at you before. He's so worried about you, honey. After what you've been through today, I'm sure he's forgotten all about you yelling you at him… Which, to be fair, wouldn't have happened anyway if he hadn't been snooping around your phone, so he probably deserved it. Let him sweat it out a little."
"But what if I am screwed up?" Sasha looked up at her. "What if I'm so messed up that no one's even realised yet and one day I just… snap? What if I'm so damaged because of what happened to my mom and because of who my dad is that I never have a normal relationship in my life?"
"Sasha if you think like this then you won't ever open yourself up enough to have a normal relationship. Just… it's early days," Claire sighed. "I'm not saying marry the guy, but just see where things go with him. He's nice, he's cute and he obviously likes you. Talk to him. That's one thing your father never did was talk about what was going on in his head, he never opened up to me. Don't be like Ryan, okay? Don't shut everyone out because after everything you've been through, Sasha, you deserve the world, okay?"
"Do you…" Sasha took a breath, fiddling with the hem of her jumper. "Do you still… do you still love him? My- Ryan, I mean. Do you still love Ryan?"
"Sasha…" Claire sighed, leaning away from her.
"What?" Sasha frowned. "I told you about Mike."
"That's… That's different…" Claire sighed.
"How is it different? I'm just asking you a question that I want to know the answer to."
"It's different because whatever is going on between you and Mike is new. Ryan and I… We have history. It's in the past and with everything that's going on now, I'm not sure how I feel matters."
"Are you kidding me?" Sasha pulled a face. "With everything that's going on, it matters more than ever, Claire. Do you really think Ryan would have let himself get dragged into this if it wasn't for you and Joey? Do you really think I would have let myself get dragged into this if it wasn't for you guys? If this was any other guy Ryan put in prison, he'd be perfectly helping just consulting but he was desperate to get out there. He was desperate to catch Joe and e was desperate to bring Joey home, to keep you both safe, and that's because he still loves you. He's… He's never loved anyone the same way he loved you, Claire, not even… Not even my mom," Sasha looked down. "Just… if you don't feel the same, after this is over… Please just let him down gently so he doesn't go drowning his sorrows in a bottle of vodka."
"Sasha…" Claire reached out and took hold of her hand. "You and your father are so important to me. I know we haven't spoken, I know we lost touch and I know we're both to blame for it. What happened between me and your father… I held a lot of resentment towards him for a long time and I know things between you and I got a little awkward, I'll hold my hands up to that, but you guys… You never stopped being important to me. Ryan was there for me at the very worst point in my life and of course I love him for that, I always will. You don't just stop loving someone just because they left you."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Sasha grumbled, her mind flashing to Eric. "But do you think that maybe… I don't you… You guys could give it another go?"
"I don't know if that would be a good idea…" Claire trailed off. "I have Joey to think about, after this I just want his life to go back to being as normal as possible. I'm not sure introducing someone else so soon would be the best thing for him. But, Sasha, no matter what happens… You're in my life for good this time, alright? We're not going to go years without talking anymore. After what you've done, what you've risked to help bring Joey home… You're going to be in both of our lives from now on. You and Mike can come visit us-"
"Okay let's not get ahead of ourselves!" Sasha yelped, holding her hand up as Claire chuckled quietly. "I'll definitely come visit you. You can- you guys could come and see me too, you know? In New Jersey. My grandparents… They'd love to see you, my Nana would spoil Joey rotten, she'll feed him full of cake and sweets and- it would just be nice," she shrugged weakly.
"It's a deal," Claire held a hand out for Sasha to shake. "When I get Joey back and this thing is over, the three of us will spend some time together and you can get to know Joey again. Deal?"
"Deal!" Sasha smiled, reaching out to take Claire's hand and yawning loudly. "Oh my God I'm so sorry! That's so rude, I'm- I'm just so tired after today."
"Perfectly understandable," Claire tapped the pillow on her lap. "Lay back down, have a nap."
"I'll probably fall asleep on you."
"That's fine, come on," Claire gestured for her to lie down and she did, tucking her hair behind her ear and her hands under her head as she rested her head on the pillow, her eyes immediately finding the TV screen again.
"It's weird watching this now," Sasha murmured.
"Hmmm?" Claire hummed, moving Sasha's hair out of her face.
"Criminal Minds," she gestured towards the TV. "I feel weird watching them chase bad guys now that I know what it really feels like. They nearly always catch them, it seems so simple compared to real life."
"It's supposed to seem simple, honey. It's a TV show," Claire told her. "It's like an escape from reality. People probably wouldn't watch it if they had to sit through them almost catching serial killers. Also, I can't imagine you being nearly as indecisive about a certain Dr. Reid as you're being about Agent Weston."
"Reid," Sasha groaned. "He's a dork and I love him. I can't imagine you'd say no to Hotch, either, but you're saying no to my dad."
"Sasha-"
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding…" she laughed quietly. "…Sort of kidding. But you wouldn't, right? There's no way you'd say no Hotch. Oh! He has a son, you know? Called Jack. He should be about the same age as Joey, they could be friends and-"
"Sasha it really sounds like you're trying to set me up with a real person," Claire snorted.
"It's fun to pretend though, right?" she shrugged her shoulders. "And I'm not indecisive about Mike, by the way. I'm just being cautious."
"Claire," Marshall Turner frowned, popping his head into the living room. "You should finish packing. We have to leave soon, Ryan Hardy just pulled up."
"Already?" Sasha frowned, looking up at her.
"No, it's okay," Claire whispered, shaking her head. "I'm packed, I just need to grab my suitcase," she looked over to Marshal. "I can have a couple more minutes with Sasha."
"Just…" Marshall sighed, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Five minutes," he sighed, before he disappeared back into the kitchen.
"This isn't fair," Sasha muttered. "I feel like I just got you back, and now you have to leave again."
"It won't be for long," Claire assured her. "As soon as they stop Joe and get my son back, I can go back to a normal life and so can you, alright? I promise it won't be forever."
"Is it… Is it weird that I'm going to miss you?" Sasha sighed.
"No," Claire shook her head. "I'm going to miss you, too."
"It's just that we haven't spoken properly in so long and I just got you back and now you have to-"
"Uhh…" Ryan coughed awkwardly, interrupting Sasha as he shifted from foot to foot in the doorway. "What are you still doing here?" he frowned at Claire.
"What do you mean, what am I still doing here? I live here," Claire frowned back. "I was hardly going to leave Sasha on her own after everything that happened today, was I?" she asked as Sasha sat up, Ryan glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
"You should get your things together," Ryan told her. "You should have left my now, Claire. You need to pack and you need to get out of here, it isn't safe for you."
"I'm well aware of that, thank you, Ryan," Claire pulled herself up from the sofa and looked down at Sasha. "Wait here, alright? Don't leave without saying goodbye. I'll be two minutes," she smiled softly, running a hand over Sasha's hair before she walked towards the stairs, Ryan following after her.
Sasha sighed, swinging her legs down on to the floor and slipping her shoes on, pulling Claire's oversized jumper down over her hands and picking a bit of fluff off her borrowed leggings as she wondered what Claire had done with the clothes she'd been wearing earlier.
"Uhh…" Sasha looked up quickly and saw Mike stood awkwardly in the doorway, rubbing the back of his neck before gesturing towards her. "You got changed. Are you uh, how are you feeling?"
"I'm okay," she gave him a weak smile. "It was nice to just spend some time with Claire. She took care of me, made me eat something and we've just hung out and watched Criminal Minds. So I'm okay. I'm just tired."
"We'll be back at the motel soon and then we can sleep. We can- I mean, you know… you can sleep in your room, and I can sleep in mine."
"…Mike, I-"
"So we found Montero's daughter," Mike interrupted her and Sasha raised her eyebrows. "Yeah… She's uhm, she's safe. She's traumatised, but she's safe and she's going to be okay. Psychically, anyway. She saw… She said there was a girl there, and she saw Joey so it's safe to assume it was Emma Hill."
"She saw Joey?" Sasha stood up. "Does Claire know? We should tell Claire-" she went to step past him, but Mike put his hands on her shoulders and stopped her. "She needs to know, Mike!"
"Ryan's telling her, it's okay," he whispered, his hands lingering on her shoulders. "I was really worried about you today and all I could think was that I had to get to you in time because you couldn't die being mad at me."
"…So if I wasn't mad at you, I could die?" Sasha cocked her head to the side and Mike's cheeks flushed pink as he shook his head quickly.
"That's not what I meant-" he stopped. "I didn't mean it that way, I just meant that… I had to see you to talk to you, to try and explain and to make you not mad at me anymore-"
"Relax," she smiled, poking his stomach. "I know what you meant, I'm messing with you. I'm not mad at you, either, and I'm sorry for how I reacted. It's just that… I heard who you were talking to and I was scared, I guess."
"…Scared?" Mike frowned. "Scared of what?"
"Long story," she waved a hand dismissively. "It's- it's not something I want to go into right now, not yet. How was- the girl, did she say if Joey was okay?"
"He's fine," Mike smiled softly. "He uhm, he tried to help her, to save her. She was locked up and he got her out, she almost got away but someone else who she hadn't seen before, he grabbed her and brought her back. She's at the hospital right now be as soon as we can question her, we'll get descriptions of who she saw, see if that helps us any. Look, uh, do you wanna head back?" he pointed behind him. "I can take you back to the motel now if you want."
"No not yet, I wanna say bye to Claire," Sasha pointed towards the stairs and Mike turned around to see Claire making her way back down them, tugging her suitcase along behind her as Ryan followed after her. "I swear to God…" she mumbled, rolling her eyes at Mike. "You think he'd carry her case for her, right?"
"Maybe he offered and she said no?" Mike whispered.
"No, trust me… Okay, she'd probably say no anyway but Ryan wouldn't even think to offer," she sighed, stepping past Mike as Claire pulled her case upright and held a bag out to Sasha.
"I put your clothes in here," Claire told her. "You can… Just keep those, I never wear them anyway and you look better in it than I do. Must be an age thing."
"Thank you," Sasha gave her a small smile, taking the bag off her. "So I'll-"
"Claire, we have to go."
"Yeah, I'm coming," she frowned over towards Marshal and, with a sigh, started to follow him out of the house. Sasha ran a hand through her hair and walked after her, Mike falling into step beside her as Ryan trailed behind them. Handing her suitcase over to Marshal, Claire turned around, her lips pursed in thought as she looked at Sasha. "Come with me."
"W-what?" Sasha's eyes widened.
"Come with me. Go back to the motel, pack some things and come with me," Claire took hold of her shoulders. "Please. It's not safe and I'm scared he's going to go after you. Come with you and you'll be okay, you'll be safe with me and you won't have to go through another day like today."
"I-I-" Sasha stuttered, looking towards Mike for help.
"She can't," Mike told Claire gently, and she narrowed her eyes at him as she glanced between him and Sasha.
"What, because you don't want her to?"
"No," Mike shook his head. "No, she can't because she isn't allowed. Joe isn't after her, Claire, he's after you. She can't go with you. If Sasha feels like she's in danger or like they're after her, she'd have to have her own team, like you do. She'd go somewhere different. They wouldn't allow you to go together."
"That doesn't make any sense," Claire shook her head. "If Joey was here, he'd be coming with me."
"Joey's your son-"
"And Sasha is practically my daughter!" Claire interrupted him. "She's like my daughter, Mike, and I want her to come with me. Ryan," Claire looked at him pleadingly. "You can see, right? You know this is better for her, you know she'll be safer."
"She can't, Claire," Ryan grumbled. "She can't go with you."
"Claire," Sasha whispered, getting her attention back. "Claire, I'll be okay, I promise. It's only for a little while and then once this whole thing is over, I can come visit you and Joey like you said. I can find a carnival and I can feed him too much junk food again and we can ride the rollercoaster until he throws up. Things will go back to normal soon, I know they will," she offered her a weak, reassuring smile and Claire sighed, wrapping her arms around Sasha and pulling her into a hug.
"You just make sure you take care of yourself, alright? And stay safe, Sasha. I love you," she whispered as Ryan sucked in a breath.
"I love you, too," Sasha whispered back, giving her one last squeeze before letting go of her and pushing her towards the black SUV. "Go on, you have to go."
Claire sighed, nodding her head before glancing at Mike and narrowing her eyes at him. "You take care of her, do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," he gave her a nod, rocking on his heels and Claire paused, her hands moving to the back of her neck as she unclipped the silver locket around her neck and took it off, placing it in Sasha's hand and closing her fingers around it.
"Claire-"
"No," Claire interrupted, shaking her head. "Keep it. I want you to keep it, you can give it back to me when I see you next, okay? This way… This way you'll have a little piece of me and Joey with you and maybe you'll think twice before running off and getting yourself in trouble."
"I'll be careful," Sasha whispered, her knuckled turning white as she held on to the necklace. "I promise you I'll be careful from now on."
"Good," Claire smiled, gently kissing Sasha's forehead before she turned around and climbed into the car, pulling the door closed behind her. Sasha turned away and quickly wiped her eyes with a sniff, refusing to look at the SUV driving away.
"Hey," Mike whispered, gently nudging her shoulder. "It isn't forever, Sasha. You'll see her again soon."
"Yeah," she whispered back. "Yeah, I know," she shrugged, turning to Ryan with a sad smile on her face. "Okay. Let's go."
Sorry guys! I'm still really busy in work and I'm struggling to find time to write, so updates will probably carry on being a little all over the place for the time being.
Thank you very much for your lovely reviews, asks and tweets and for those who asked - yes, I had a lovely time in London and now I'm completely head over heels in love with Harry Styles again!
So I know there wasn't much Sasha/Mike in this chapter, but there is next chapter, I promise!
I hope you liked this update :) It's a little shorter than normal, I ended up splitting up this chapter and the next one or it would have taken me forever to write and I wanted to get something up!
It's important to me to show the bond between Sasha and Claire as they used to be really close when Ryan and Claire were together and although they haven't seen each other in a while, they never really lost it because Claire sort of became like a stepmother to Sasha, so I hope that came across :)
Anyway.
Let me know what you think! :)
Becca
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