Stepping into the Unknown
Chapter 25: One Day at a Time

Author's Note: This takes place after Daily Morning Routine. Since this is part of my first Criminal Minds story, I don't think I am going to go into cases in detail. This will mainly be focus on what Dr. Reid's life outside of work might be like.

I do not own Criminal Minds or Dr. Spencer Reid. I do own Michelle, though.

He sits on the plane on their way to Atlantic City, simply staring at his wrist, smiling. It's nothing huge, but it gives him hope; the war isn't won, but today is still a great victory. His attention is brought back to the case when Hotch tells him to go back over the post-mortem when they land.

He calls her from the hotel to check up on her and she sounds chipper when she picks up. He asks how her day went and how she's feeling and she tells him that she's feeling pretty good.

"You were right, therapy does help a lot. Oh and by the way, hum, don't be surprised if the apartment smells quite nice when you get back..." She trails off and he can almost hear her smiling.

"You started working again?"

"Hum-hum."

"That's wonderful news!"

She starts telling him about new ideas she had, that she wants to take her website off hiatus and that maybe she could have the orders from before the... event... out by next week. He tells her to take it slow, to remember that today is a good day, but she doesn't know how she'll be tomorrow. She snaps that he should be happy for her and he replies that he is and that he just doesn't want her to crash if the next day or the one after isn't as good. He reminds her, and himself, of first thing he learned when he started going to meetings: 'One day at a time.'

He makes his way to park after landing and texts her that he'll wait for her there until she's done with her session; he plays chess for the first time in well nearly two years and gets absorbed into the game. After the third game against Eric, there's a pretty good crowd around them and he feels someone standing a little too close for comfort, he's about to ask the person to move back when a hand is placed on his shoulder. He looks up and their eyes meet, she's smiling, the fedora on her head hiding her very short hair.

"Sorry about that," he chuckles. "I guess I got a bit distracted, I can be done here in 4 moves."

Eric protests that it can't be and she tells him he's wasting time pointing at the game clock. He plays his moves as quickly as he can, not just so that he can walk her home, but also because it's the first time she sees him play and even after being together for over a year and a half, he still feels a desire to impress her. He wins and the crowd disperses, he introduces Michelle to Eric and they slowly make their way home.

They stop at the market to pick up a few things and a few blocks from their apartment, she slides her hand in his. He almost stops dead in his track but since she's acting like nothing out of the ordinary is happening, he simply follows her lead.

Later on, after dinner, they sit down to watch a movie they have seen many times before and he can tell she's slightly distracted. Halfway through it, as the characters on screen sing about something being up with Jack, he looks at her and she's looking at him.

"Don't move okay?" She asks in a nervous voice, he nods, unsure as to what to expect. "I want to try something but, I don't know if it will work."

She moves closer to him on the couch and bites her bottom lip; she takes a deep breath and slowly leans in toward him. Her lips touch his and his heart rate spikes up; he feels ecstatic and a little light-headed. She's kissing him, it's the first time in close to two months and it's absolutely wonderful.

His hands find her waist and, very carefully as not to alarm her, he pulls her closer. One of her hands makes its way slowly up his arm then up his neck and into his hair and his breathing becomes a little shallower; that probably explains why his brain doesn't make him stop as his hand reaches up and cups her face, his large, fine hand reaching from her cheek almost to the back of her head. She stiffens and pulls away, shaking and he's already apologizing.

"I'm... I'm so sorry... I truly didn't, I didn't think... I just... I miss you so much." He passes his fingers through his hair attempting to calm down his overly stimulated nerve endings.

They try again over the next few nights, going a little further with each one and learning about what triggers her panic attacks; her hair is a big no-no as well as her wrists, the back of her neck is also to be avoided. She has some bad days, but she fights through them and on the days when he feels that intense, burning need to escape, to relapse, she becomes his inspiration to stay strong, to stay sober; she needs him, despite all she says, he knows it is his fault that she is in that situation, and he's not going to let her down again.

He gets off the plane from Wyoming, he puts down his go-bag and frowns at the amount of reports to fill that piled up on his desk, normally writing reports doesn't bother him, but he's drained and all he wants to do is to go home and, hopefully, sleep. Emily sighs as she sits at her desk and he asks where she got that 'Star Puzzle', she tells him it was at the convenience store they stopped at on their way to the airstrip.

"Why?"

"I was just wondering. It's the kind of romantic story Michelle tends to like and I would have gotten..." He trails off, looking for his favorite pen through his bag. When he lifts his head the puzzle is resting on his desk and Emily is looking at him above the partition screen.

"Keep it. You're the only one who'll ever be able to remake it anyway." She says with a wink and a chuckle.

"Are you sure?" She nods in answer. "Thanks!"

He walks into their apartment and he finds her asleep on the couch, she seems peaceful and he makes sure to be as silent as possible. He is putting the clothes from his go bag in the washer when he hears her behind him.

"Hey!" She says in a yawn, her arms wrapping around his waist as she rests her head against his chest. Her hair as grown enough now that even from above, he can barely see the scars.

"Did I wake you?" He asks and she shakes her head no, still holding on to him. He lifts her chin to have her look at him as he adds, his left index moving as he speaks, "I have a surprise for you!"

They sit on the couch and he takes out the star puzzle from his jacket pocket; he explains that Emily told them this story on the plane and he made him think about her.

"There was this young prince," he starts pointing to himself, "who wanted to win the heart of the fairest maiden in the land." He does a little bow toward her and he's pretty certain she blushes a little. "...so he climbed to the top of the tallest tower in the kingdom and he caught a falling star for her," he continues as he stands up and he does a little slight of hand with the star puzzle to make it seem like he just caught it, adding a little more magic to the entire thing and she's beaming. "Unfortunately, he was so excited that he dropped it and it smashed into all of these pieces." He lets it fall on the floor and quickly takes it apart. He's on his knees in front of her as he adds. "So, he frantically put it back together again to prove his undying love to her and he succeeded and they lived happily ever after." And as he says the last word, he finishes putting it back together and holds it up for her.

She leans forward both hands on the side of his face and she kisses him with more fire and passion than she has since the abduction. At some point, he must have dropped the puzzle since both his hands are on her when she whispered three words he didn't know if he would ever hear from her again: "I want you."

That night, for the first time in three months, they spend the night together, in their bed and no nightmare even dares to try and wake them.