Hi!
Chapter Fourteen:
Diana:
I felt myself laying on a cool smooth surface. Something was thrown on me. I opened my eyes.
"Hey sweetie! Are you okay?"
My dad had thrown his purple dress shirt over my naked form. Reid looked exactly as he had the day of the party. He was wearing a white undershirt.
"You haven't aged," I said.
He smiled.
My mom appeared with an apron. She also looked exactly the same.
"Mommy," I whispered.
"Hey, kiddo," she said.
"Is everyone accounted for?" Hotch was saying.
I looked around. It was the most surreal scene. Everyone was dressed as they were for Dad's party. Dad's teammate's kids were rushing around. Spouses were hugging. People looked happy.
The FBI team of the present looked worn out and were missing clothing articles.
"Where's Morris?" Esper could be heard saying.
I knew in my heart he was dead. I began to shake.
Cole appeared.
"Diana, this isn't your fault," she said.
"Your boss is dead," I whispered.
Thompson appeared. "We brought back all of these people!"
Esper joined them. "Diana, we do this job knowing the risks. He died a hero."
"Excuse me."
A black bathrobe enveloped me. My mom helped me put it on.
"Agent Anderson?" J.J. gasped.
"It is deputy director, soon to be acting director, Anderson now," he said.
I stood up shakily and faced him.
"You missed dad's party because your son was going to basic training."
"Someone had to stay behind," he said.
"Did you know about Crown?" Esper asked.
"No," Anderson said. "He did leave us a video confession after the plane took off."
"The president!" Cole said. "Wait how long have we been gone?"
"Two hours," he said. "The president's child has been secured. I wrote a report about how your plane reversed course during lightning storm."
"Morris died a hero," I said quietly as I started shaking again.
My parents clutched me tightly.
"Can we take our kid home?" Max asked.
"It's not that easy," Anderson said. "You've been declared dead for over sixteen years and haven't aged."
"What do we do?" Prentiss asked.
"Diana, some of us we believed those dreams were real. We studied your therapy notes. Tried to fill in the blanks of what you weren't telling people for fear of being labeled crazy. We planned. We developed an explanation for what would happen if you managed to bring them back."
"Except Morris," I said.
I couldn't take it anymore. I blacked out as my parents kept me on my feet.
…
The room was brightly-lit and I was in my favorite pajamas. A constellation was painted on the ceiling.
"Daddy?"
My dad appeared in my line of vision.
"I'm here."
"What is this place?" I asked as I sat up.
"When they renovated the FBI offices, they built special housing for us in the sub levels, if we came back. This is the Reid Suite."
Reid hugged me.
"I've missed so much time," he said.
"We have the rest of eternity to make it up."
The door opened, and Max appeared.
"Look who's up?" she said.
"What do both of you remember about what happened after the explosion?"
"Flashes of what happened," Reid said. "It's not as bad as you think."
"Just being in a blank void," Max said. "Not much of anything."
They both climbed into bed on either side of me. We snuggled together as if I was five.
"What happens next?" I asked.
"I was thinking we catch up on all the Star Wars I've missed," Reid said with a smile.
"Seriously," I said.
"The FBI has come with a 'cryo-bomb' story. Crown was behind it all and used his connections to cover everything up. It was through your team's work that you managed subdue him and uncover where we were being kept."
"Because the truth is stranger than fiction," I said.
"Exactly," Max said. "We have to stay here for a few months as the press absorbs the news. Everyone will have to work on their stories."
"Do I have my own room in case you want to…"
"Ew," my parents said at once.
"Seriously!"
"Yes," Max said with a sigh.
"I'm not five, in case you haven't noticed."
"You did a brilliant job, Diana," Reid said. "We couldn't be prouder of you."
"I could have done better."
"Diana," Reid said. "We didn't have many good ideas at the time. In retrospect that was the worst decision I ever made."
"I've spoken to your father," Max said. "If the BAU isn't your dream, you don't have to pursue it anymore."
"It feels weird fulfilling my destiny at twenty-two."
"Exactly," Max said. "It is your choice what happens next."
"I say Star Wars," I said.
My dad turned on the projector. The movie started playing. I fell asleep half-way with my parents cuddled beside me. This had been what I had spent so many years fighting for. This was everything. I vowed to make sure Morris did not sacrifice his life in vain and make to live every moment to the fullest.