Chapter 8: The Darness
Emily and Derek walked along the street in the dark being guided by the street lights. Every once and a while Emily would show concern as Morgan would lights prod his bruised head.
"I was going to stay over the Bridge's tonight, Hotch wanted you to join but after your-"
"No. I'm fine." Where was Reid? He looked around thinking he would see him by now. He couldn't even feel him near. Had something happened as he was back in "their time."
"Derek, who is this person you told Garcia about."
"Huh-What?"
"She had said you mentioned-"
"No, it's nothing. It's fine."
Outfront of the door was there was still no sign of the ghostly Reid. The door opened and JJ stepped out. She looked the two of them over and motioned to Emily.
"You being nice?"
"I didn't-"
"Suuuuure." Laughing she walked to the black SUV holding Hotch and prepared to head to their hotel. They motioned to them a good night and entered the house.
Morgan did a quick look around. No lighted silhouette anywhere.
Laying on the couch immediately, he almost tuned out Emily wishing him a good-night.
"You too." He muttered a response.
She stood on the steps, dropped her shoulders in defeat and went upstairs.
He laid on the couch looking around.
"Come on man, where are you?"
He never felt emptier.
No tears would form nor be shed. It was only darkness.
He felt Morgan leave this world. Mentally. It threw him into darkness. He stayed there and no one came. There was no life. There was no death. There was nothing. No in between.
Then, one street light. It blinked for a minute and then lit bright. He walked under it. Almost automatically another light came on a couple feet away.
Click, Click, Click. Another light blinks. The street goes forever. There is no end. He can't even feel strength leave him because there was none to begin with. Another light blinks awake. He lets out a gasp and falls in defeat.
"Is this my purgatory?"
1.
2.
3.
He is brought back. Just like that. He finds himself in a basement. He feels Morgan close but he cannot yet move past the experience he just had. He stars at his hands. The faint glows appears less pure and bright around him. He feels Morgan calling for him. Of all the knowledge of the world, he cannot find words to explain what just happened. Nor can he move past it. But then he looks past the dryer and sees a pair of legs sticking out.
"Riley…" He picks himself up. He moves towards the dryer, it would make sense. Him having this vision, he had them when he was first working this case…
Moving past the dyer and to see the rest of the body he froze once more.
"No." He felt panic return. "No. That can't be it. That can't be what happened…."
He stared at the younger version of himself behind the dryer. Suddenly, the four year olds eyes snapped open. He stood and faced his other self. Both not of this world.
"You have to help me."
"I, I know, it was Gary Michaels. He was then killed by-"
"It's not that easy this time."
"Look, why-"
"Help me. There isn't much time."
"How?"
"You're fading." He looked to himself, that light was fading. He looked at his younger self.
"What does that mean?"
"You're dying."
"I'm dead-"
"Only in this world, in your world your dying." He suddenly felt himself fall to the ground.
"You have to solve this case, and you can live."
"What?"
"Help the man and he can help you."
"Morgan?"
"Help the man and he can help you."
"What happened to you, was it-"
"Help the man and he can help you."
Then all at once a light erupted the room for a split second, surrounding him and turning off almost automatically.
"Who's the man, it's Morgan right?" He stared off into the darkness of the Bridge's basement for a while.
"MORGAN!" He scream and ran up the steps. Stepping through the door to the basement he looked to see Morgan panting on the couch.
"Kid, you're here."
"I'm dying."
"You're dead?"
"No, in the other world- I'm"
"In a coma, I know. I saw."
"No, I'm dying Morgan. We have to figure out who killed me, or I'm not going to make it, and honestly, I think if we don't do this you can't go back to the other world"
"I was just there when I was knocked out."
"Do you want to always have to be knocked out to get back home? Oh, and where I'll be dead!"
"What do we do?"
"Help the man who can help me."
"What?"
"Reid… rewind, what happened kid?"
Taking a few steps back Reid began to tell Morgan everything that happened while he was gone. From the blackness, to the street lights, to the Younger dead Spencer telling him his mission.
"Look, kid, I didn't mean to get knocked out and put you through this."
"Well, it was going to happen eventually. Now we have a direction."
"We do?"
"We have to figure out what happened to me. If I still was living in Las Vegas then well, you have access to police files."
"Reid, I'm supposed to work this case as we decided-"
"No, we know how this ends. Just finish it Morgan. I don't want to be lost between this world and the next. Do you want to keep going from one world to the next?"
"No." Stretching up from the couch he looked at the genius. "Why not just take care of it now."
"It's like 1:30am Morgan."
"Well, I don't feel like sleeping and if we are now on a time limit for you, we'd better finish this now." Standing and facing a now smirking Reid, Morgan continued. "Tell me in that eidetic memory of yours your remember the address we're heading to."
Smirking back Reid continues. "Clare Bates, I know the way. Let's go!"
"We sure it's going to be as cut and dry as we think Reid?"
"She's not really going to be wanting to hurt the boy, plus its near nighttime she won't know what's going on. It'll be a piece of cake Morgan and then on the way back we can get to the Vegas police station and read about what happened to me."