Title: Feels Like Home
Author: Trista Groulx aka dustytiger
Rating: T same as the show
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or Criminal Minds sadly. I remain a poor barista and artist who is borrowing all these lovely characters who belong to their network, creator, writers, actors and actresses who bring them alive, to play out a fan fueled idea.
Summary: Spencer Reid meets Abby Sciuto at a lecture, and things grow form there.
Notes: Um... so this the last part before the epilogue tomorrow. If you've peaked at my profile you'll see I live outside of Ottawa, and if you look at your news it has been horrifically surreal day. Thankfully my friends and family are all safe, and trickling home from lockdowns. I don't work anywhere near the downtown core. So yeah so glad I have this written my head is just spinning.
Abby woke up, not because Artemis was crying but because of a dream she'd just had. She went into her daughter's room anyway, and sat down on the rocking chair and watched her sleeping for a few minutes. She wasn't sure how long she'd been in Artemis' room when Reid came in.
"Abby is something wrong?" he asked.
"I'm fine Spencer, go back to bed," she assured him. "I just wanted to be close to our sweet girl."
"There's something you're not telling me. Talk to me please."
"It was a dream, or I think it was, I don't know."
"Are you having nightmares again?"
"It wasn't a nightmare I just- didn't want it to end," she explained.
"What happened?"
"I had a dream about my parents, but it was so real Spencer. You're going to think I'm crazy."
"I never could, Garcia tells me all the time that dreams can give you the answers you need." He hugged her.
"I didn't want it to end. I wanted them to know Artemis. I want Artemis to know them," she whispered, tears in her eyes. "It was so real. It was like I was talking to them again and telling them all about you and Artemis. They were so happy for us. Why did it have to end?"
"I don't know Abby." He kissed her forehead softly. "Maybe your dream was meant to tell you that you need to talk about them more often. I know it's hard for you, but if you tell us about them they won't be strangers to Artemis."
There were tears falling down her cheeks. "Spencer it's so hard."
He squeezed her hand. "If I wanted to know how you lost them I could get the report from Garcia. I'm not asking you for that. I want to know about how they lived."
She nodded. "They used to take us up to this amazing cottage every summer for about three weeks. I still remember how the air smelled and how cool the water was. We all loved going there. I guess that's why I've never been one much for big vacations. Getting away was the greatest. Sometimes we'd all just go exploring in the woods for hours. I always wanted to bring things home to look at under my microscope but mom and dad always told me I had to leave nature as it was." She yawned softly.
"Let's go back to our room before we accidently wake Artemis." He lead her into their room, where he laid down and curled up next to him.
"Mom used to make the most amazing pies, she tried to teach me but she said I was too impatient. She was probably right, I still get frustrated when I bake cause I want to eat everything right away."
"But you can still make amazing meals."
"She taught me that too, I learned that a little better. She said it was because I didn't want any meal more than dessert. She'd constantly find me trying the batter or eating icing while cupcakes cooled. Maybe you should teach Artemis how to bake when she gets older so she doesn't pick up on my bad habits."
"All right, that seems fair. What about your dad?"
She curled in tighter to him. "He bought me my first microscope, he's the reason I love science so much. He'd be so proud of me because of my job. He'd have been happy I found a guy who likes science too, although he would have acted like a tough brute around you, like I know you will one day when Artemis starts to date."
"I understand," he told her kissing her forehead softly.
"They always taught me to be proud of who I was, they never said anything about how I dressed. A lot of my other friends' parents would complain about it, but my parents never did. I was comfortable dressing like I did, and it didn't change who I was on the inside."
"I knew that within minutes of knowing you."
She smiled. "That's why you're the person for me. This helped a lot, but I'm getting sleepy."
"All right I'm glad you told me about them."
They curled up together Reid's mind began to drift, thinking about how lucky he was to have found her, and that she had given him a family. It was more than he had ever dreamed about. He loved her more than anyone else and knew he'd do anything for her. He hoped he had helped somehow. Abby began to let herself relax so she could sleep again. It had been healing to tell him about some of the good times she had growing up, and she knew she would share those memories with Artemis too. It might not be how she thought it would turn out, but she was happier than she'd ever been, and she wasn't going to let a missing piece distract her from all the blessings she had in her life. She had someone who loved her and she had the start of her family. Nothing could take that from her and she was going to continue to focus on that each day as she moved forward although she would always wonder what it would be like to share this with her parents.
Notes: So that was that let me know what you think. Heartz to all you amazing people reach out to someone you love tonight cause we live in a world where we just don't know what happens next.
