Thnx for all the feedback everyone! I know all the ghosts were confusing, but hopefully you'll understand them as the story progresses.

The Ghosts of UnSubs' Past-Chapter 3

Eidetic

"I'm the ghost of Christmas past, Spencer." Amanda took Spencer's hand and smiled sympathetically. "And you were right; this isn't real, but it's real enough to matter."

Spencer watched as Amanda looked back to the children who were hurting Spencer. After they had shoved him to the ground, they had started throwing pages of his ripped-up book at him.

"The hell are you doing here?" one of them hissed. "Get out of here!"

"You don't belong here freak!"

"Do us all a favor and leave!"

"You know why we're here, right?" Amanda asked gently.

Spencer's eyes wandered away from the scene in the park and back to Amanda. He merely shook his head as he sighed heavily. Amanda guided Spencer from his seat and started walking away from the park. "You don't have to have an eidetic memory to remember your first day of high school, do you? They followed you home and attacked you at this same park. You probably didn't know it then, but this was the start- the very beginning of your future."

"What do you mean?" Spencer frowned. Amanda pointedly ignored him, though, and instead she led him into an old-fashioned domed building. Inside, Spencer recognized it as the set-up of his childhood living room. His mother was reading on the couch while his father was holding a bundle of blankets in his hands. William sighed as the baby started crying, and he promptly left the room. When he came back, he had a fresh baby bottle in his hand and a more content-looking baby in his arms.

"He wants you, Diana," William frowned.

"Tell that damned government agent to leave me the hell alone! He can't have Spencer!" Diana shouted.

"That was your mother's first, uh, episode, I guess," Amanda explained. "At least with you, anyways."

"Why am I here?" Spencer asked, his arms folded over his chest. He tried to block out the scene in front of him, but Amanda made sure that even with his eyes closed he could see it. Instead of seeing black, he still saw the scene. "You can't hide from this, Spencer. You were just thinking about this day."

"How do you know?" Spencer asked miserably.

"Because right now I'm not Adam's; I'm' yours," she whispered. "I'm in your head now. You better get used to it for a little while."

"Can we leave here, please?" Spencer ignored her all together, knowing that if he didn't he would lose his mind. Amanda just shook her head, silently wondering when Spencer would let her in. Ignoring it for the moment, she allowed Spencer to walk out of the room. Following behind him, she changed their surroundings.

"Spencer, don't leave me here!" Diana begged.

"I'm sorry Mom, I can't take care of you," Spencer cried back.

"No! You're working for them now, aren't you? They turned my own son against me," she hissed.

"Please, Mom, just listen to me!"

"I'm sorry Spencer, but we have to take Diana away now."

"What are we doing? I thought the ghost of Christmas past was supposed to-"

"Spencer, this isn't a storybook. This is what you need to see," Amanda explained.

Spencer wiped a stray tear from his eye, shaking his head. He had to leave before-

"Before what, Spencer?" Amanda growled. She grabbed Spencer's wrist and pulled him from the room before he could answer, though. Forcefully, she slammed the door closed behind them and pointed to the center of the room.

"Spencer, are you sure you want this?" Gideon asked. He held Spencer's FBI badge in his hand as he frowned at the younger man. Spencer nodded briskly before clearing his throat.

" I want this, Gideon. You trained me for this, and this is what I want to do with me life." The younger man spoke with pride, with such reassurance and with such faith. Gideon smiled at that, and he dropped the badge in Spencer's hand. "Welcome to the team, SSA Dr. Spencer Reid."

Amanda smiled as Spencer's face lit up. He, of course, had remembered that day with striking detail. He had missed feeling so assured and so happy with his job. 'My god,' Spencer thought, 'what happened to that feeling?'

"You grew up with the job, Spencer. That feeling always fade, but it's not too late to bring it back," Amanda softly said. Spencer didn't bother to respond; what was the point, really? Amanda knew what he was thinking, and even if she didn't, it wouldn't change what memories she brought back to the surface. Sensing Spencer's sudden resigned mood, Amanda sighed and continued. "Let's go back a little further."

In an instant, Amanda and Spencer were in William Reid's childhood home. Spencer was sitting on his grandfather's lap with a grin on his face.

"I thought you might like that book," he laughed. Then, turning to William, he said, "It seems my grandson appreciates these books more than my own son," he smiled. William couldn't help but smile along. He hadn't seen Spencer smile so much in a long time; he loved it, but he honestly wished that it would happen more often.

"Yeah, well, I'm sure Spencer understands it and knows how to appreciate it more than I ever did," William laughed. He reached over to ruffle Spencer's hair, and his son laughed as he did so. "I'll be right back; I want to check on Diana really quick."

"Take your time," Daniel smiled. "Tell her I send her my best wishes for the holidays."

"Thanks Dad, I'm sure she'll appreciate it that." William grabbed his cell phone before he left the room.

Daniel waited for William to leave the room before he turned to Spencer. "So, what does young Spencer Reid want to be when he grows up?"

Spencer Reid smiled at his grandfather, and with the most certainty that a six-year-old could muster, he spoke, "I'm gonna be a police officer just like you!"

Daniel laugh at the child on his lap, and with one light push, he swept Spencer onto his feet. "Come on, officer, I want to show you something." Daniel guided his grandson into the room next to the living room, and he flipped on the light switch.

"Do you remember what happens next?" Amanda asked, smiling down at the scene unfolding before them.

Spencer mimicked her smile, not even bothering to reply.

"Oh my…." Spencer whispered. The room held a very classical 'feel'. It was decorated in reds and dark blues, and high up on the walls were police rewards and honors. Above the fire mantle was a black and white picture of a police officer holding his hat in his hands. On the surrounding walls, four large bookcases in an accenting dark red wood were filled with dozens of cherished books. The younger Reid looked in awe at the books, and the older man laughed as he picked him up. "Do you like this room?" he asked.

"Yes!" Spencer cheered. Daniel moved his grandson toward the top shelf, where a wrapped-up book with his name on the spine caught his attention. The grandfather wordlessly pulled out the package and gave it to Spencer who eagerly unwrapped it with his small hands. A wide smile spread on his face as he read the title, and the fact that it was a first edition helped, too.

"I've had this book for years, but I think it's time that I gave it up," Daniel smiled sadly. "I thought it would be in better hands with someone who could appreciate it."

Spencer moved the first edition of 'A Christmas Carol' to his left hand so he could hug his grandfather. "Thank you so much! I love it!"

Daniel laughed heartily as he sat the young boy down to the ground. With a smile on his face, he sat down on the sole chair in the room and motioned for Spencer to sit on his lap again. William Reid appeared at the doorway with his own type of smile, and Daniel motioned for him to join them. "Come on, son, how about we read a story?"

Spencer and William looked up at Daniel gratefully as he pulled out his traditional Christmas storybook, and as the old man turned the first page, Spencer whispered, "How's Mom?"

William frowned at first, but he forced himself to smile for his son's sake. "She's been worse, Spencer, but she'll be okay."

"Okay," Spencer nodded. Then, he leaned into his father's chest, and William pulled his son closer to him.

" 'Twas the night before Christmas, and all the house…."

"Christmases weren't always terrible, were they?" Amanda sighed. Spencer turned his head toward Amanda, a slight smile on his face. He had forgotten about that Christmas, but seeing it again was nice- even he had to admit. "But they weren't always great," Amanda added under her breath. She led Spencer out of the room and into a new one. "This memory's probably a little more fresh, but I still think you forgot some of the most important details behind it."

Spencer's eyes wandered around the fancy ballroom, and in mere seconds, it was transformed into a Las Vegas airport. He could see himself eyeing a flight cancellation sign sadly, sighing quietly to himself. "I remember this day," he said. "It was my first flight home after taking the BAU job-"

"And your flight was cancelled," Amanda nodded. "You were stranded at the airport for Christmas, but it wasn't all bad, was it?" Spencer frowned as he tried to think of what she may be talking about, and as he watched a young woman sit down next to himself from about six years ago, he smiled. "Yeah, I suppose not," he admitted.

"Do you mind if I sit here, Doctor?" the friendly brunette asked. Spencer looked up, frowning. How did she know to call him doctor...?

Oh right. FBI badge.

Embarrassed, he tucked the badge away with blush forming on his face. "Sorry, I normally don't have it out..."

"That's okay; you should be proud of it, anyways," she smiled. She sat down opposite of Spencer and sighed. "My kids are going to have to spend Christmas alone; god, I hate doing this to them," she mumbled as she flipped her phone opened and closed.

"Do you leave home often?" Spencer asked.

"I'm afraid so," she nodded. "I'm a businesswoman for a small company in northern Illinois. The good news is that they're expanding; the bad news is that I'm their go-to girl for travel expeditions."

"I work for the BAU, which is the behavioral-"

"Analysis Unit," she finished with a smile. "I've actually been to a few seminars by some David Rossi-fellow. I find your line of work interesting."

"Yeah, well, it may have its moments, but times like this...?" Spencer just shook his head. "Well, let's just say that travel isn't the only part of my job I don't look forward to," he sighed.

"That must be horrible, seeing all those victims and bad guys. I know when my son was kidnapped I was devastated; I can only imagine the mental toll it would take on someone as young as you."

"Yeah, well, it's the job, right?" he sadly smiled. The stranger sympathetically took his hand with a smile on her face. The sound of her cell phone ringing, though, ruined the moment.

"I'm sorry," she lightly laughed. "It's my fiance. Would you excuse me...?"

"Of course," Spencer nodded, and as she walked away, he shouted, "Merry Christmas!"

She stopped and turned around in her heels, her smile much more sincere-looking now. "Merry Christmas," she repeated. Then, she turned back around and answered her cell phone. "Hello, Mark; I miss you so much...!"

"Who was that?" a voice from behind him asked. Spencer whipped his head around to his his father smiling back at him. "I heard you were stranded here; come on, let's go back to my place." Spencer sighed before reluctantly standing up. He let his father wrap an arm around his shoulders, and as they walked out of the airport, they almost expected heavy masses of snow to fall on them.

"That didn't end very well, did it Spencer?" Amanda asked.

"No," Spencer admitted. "I should've stayed back; I should've known that it would end badly-"

"What happened, then?" Spencer turned toward Amanda as she changed the scene again. Now they were back in William Reid's house, and both Spencer and his father were yelling at each other. "Do you remember what you were fighting about?"

"My job," Spencer nodded. "He wanted me to quit, but I told him I couldn't. He kept telling me that I couldn't handle it, that I should be a teacher or something else. He only said it because he loved me and didn't want me to get hurt, but still, when he said those things, he did just that- he hurt me," Spencer quietly replied.

"Looking back," Amanda started, "do you regret not quitting then?"

Spencer stared at Amanda with a blank expression. He knew that he couldn't take the job anymore, but would he really change the few years he had experienced with the job? It had become such a big part of his life, and it had helped him grow up so much. He had met people that he probably wouldn't had without the BAU, and he did love his team. The experiences that it had provided him were worthwhile, and at one point, he could have honestly sworn that he was happy. So he turned to Amanda with the saddest of smiles on his face, vigorously shaking his head no. "I'm glad I didn't quit then, but I think-"

Amanda silenced him with a smile and a shaking head. "Then my job is complete," Suddenly, Amanda laid her delicate hands on his shoulders, and with a gentle push, Spencer was taken to a place full of light and brightness, but as he looked again, it somehow seemed...dark.

"I don't suppose you have the time, do you, Spencer?"

~*MC *~

Duh, Duh, duuuuh! I hope you guys are enjoying this; if anything's confusing, it should be clarified by the end. And just to let you all know, Amanda's sequences were scattered and seeming 'at random' by purpose. This is b/c Spencer remembers everything, but as we know, there are some parts he's suppressed, and also, Amanda's only a personality, so of course she can't do as much as an actual person would. Thnx for reading everyone; Cheers and happy holidays to all!