Crossing Boundaries
Chapter 20: Family
Out in the hallway, once the interrogation room door swung closed, I slid down the wall onto the floor. Mentally exhausted and drained of nearly all emotion, I cradle my head in my hands. I can barely believe that I have just confronted Drenik. The encounter has left me ragged, and my body trembles slightly. To my left, I feel Spencer settle on the floor beside me. Wordlessly, I place my head in the hollow of his shoulder.
"You did well," he murmurs against my hair.
"It still does not atone for the deaths of Nadya and Jatin. Tears well up in my eyes, then slowly roll down my cheeks. Spencer wraps his arms around me and lets me cry out my tears.
The shuffle of feet alerts me that the rest of team has emerged from the interrogation room. They are silent, unsure of what to say to me. From the corner of my eye, I can see Gideon give Spencer a helpless look. Apparently, none of them know how to deal with what I have just done.
Finally, Hotch summons enough courage to place a gentle hand on my shoulder and say, "Thank you. You've done something that the rest of us could not." Such words coming from Hotch are the highest praise possible.
Garcia comes running up to our group breathing heavily. "I hate to ruin the party, but there's a man here from the Immigration Office who wants to see Anika."
My head snaps out of Spencer's shoulder. "Immigration?" Panic begins to creep into my voice. This was not at all expected.
"I'll come with you," Spencer murmurs in my ear as we stand.
Over the past few days, I have come to appreciate Spencer's care and concern for me more and more. It is touching to know someone cares, considering that I am now alone. Alone in a society that is not willing to accept me.
As he and I walk down to where the immigration agent is meeting us, I try to pull myself together. My hands have Spencer's forearm in a death grip, as both my heart and mind fear for the worst.
"Anika, look at me."
Spencer's voice is firm and compelling. I raise my grey eyes to meet his brown ones. Stupid profiler tricks for making me compliant.
"I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Spencer's face is drenched in concern. His free hand tucks an errant lock of my hair behind my ear. In a soft voice he says, "I've come to care for you a great deal. I couldn't live with myself if something happened…"
His words, though few, are powerful comfort to me. In gratitude, I hug him fiercely, nuzzling my face in his neck. Despite his thin frame, he holds me tightly, as though the building's air conditioning could blow me away any moment. I realize in this moment that I have come to love the awkward Dr. Spencer Reid. Braver now more than ever, I continue my walk towards the immigration agent.
An older gentleman, perhaps in his early fifties, stands waiting for me. His grey eyebrows rise in surprise when he sees me accompanied by an agent. However, he deals with the situation gracefully.
"Miss Paranosz? Hello. I'm agent Devon Finley with the US Immigration Services." He pauses, passing an even more questioning glance at Spencer because he has not left.
"Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid of the Behavioral Analysis Unit stays with me," is my curt reply to the unasked question.
"Certainly. This way please."
While we follow Agent Finley, I mutter to Spencer, "Your name is such a mouthful." He declines to answer, but instead takes my hand in his.
"We have a simple matter to resolve. If you could just come inside the office, we can settle it quickly."
As soon as he opens the door, I dash forward, yanking Spencer behind me.
"Majka! Otac!" I shriek.
"Ani!" they exclaim in unison. I drop Spencer's hand to embrace my parents. They embrace me warmly and kiss my cheeks. In rapid, musical Croatian, I explain everything that has happened since I left home. At first, their expression is one of shock, but then it turns to shame.
My father looks at me gently before speaking. For the benefit of all, he speaks in careful English. "I am sorry, Ani, for not being more supportive of you. But you have not suffered alone. Jatin was not the only one murdered by Pawel. He also destroyed Dimitri, Laslo, and Kalman in his quest for you. Now only you and Miko survive."
I stare at my parents, aghast. "Four are dead?" It is too much for me to handle. Not only have I lost my best friend who was nearly a sister, I have lost the majority of my family. I sink into the closest available chair as my sorrow washes over me. My mother cradles me as though I am a toddler again as she strokes me hair in soothing motions while singing a folk song.
After a time, I come to myself again. I wipe my face with the back of my hand, then look about the small office. Off to the side stands Spencer, carefully standing away from my family dynamic. Seeing him alone like that saddens me.
"Spence, come meet my parents."
He awkwardly comes forward in answer to my call.
"Majka, Otac, this is Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid. Spence, my majka Alina and otac Vadim."
Before he can offer a hand in greeting, my mum swoops forward, seizes him firmly by the shoulders and kisses both cheeks. My mother is tiny like I am, so she needs to stand on her tiptoes just to put her hands on his shoulders. From the side, I can see the blush that creeps across his face at receiving such a gesture. Once my mum releases Spencer, my father steps forward and wraps him in a mighty bear hug.
"Thank you for watching over my baby girl."
"You…..you're…welcome," Spencer stammers.
All the while, Agent Finley has stood quietly off to the side, observing the family reunion. "If I could distract you all for a few moments, there is a very small matter to take care of. Miss Paranosz, your parents have expressed that they would like to remain in the US. Do you know where they could live?"
The answer comes easily. "They can live with me." We spend the next half hour going over the necessary paperwork. It is a tedious process, but my heart is lightened by my family's presence. When everything is done and in order, I turn to Spencer saying, "We should go ease Gideon's fears."
Spencer nods in agreement. "They've all probably feared the worst."
"Come," I say to my parents. "Meet the people who have kept me safe."
We bid goodbye to Agent Finley before heading back to the BAU. As we walk, Spencer slips a hand through mine, interlacing our fingers. I smile up at him, and walk a little closer to him. The gesture does not go unnoticed by my mother. She nudges me with her elbow, then nods towards our interlaced fingers. Her eyes are filled with questions. I look at her, begging her silence. Blessedly, my father does not make any mention of it.
Upstairs in the BAU, the team stands clustered about Morgan's desk, relief that the case if over glowing on their faces. But there is another emotion there; one I did not expect to see. I see concern about the potential outcome of my meeting with the Immigration Office. When they see me approach with Spencer, they all break out into smiles.
"Ani!" Garcia and JJ cry in unison before they come dashing towards me, arms open for embrace. "You survived!" Garcia exclaims.
"They just wanted to talk to me about my parents." I gesture behind me where my parents stand beside Spencer. "Everyone, these are my parents, Alina and Vadim."
The team all says polite greetings as I introduce them one by one. Before we can get much further, the service men bring Drenik out from the interrogation room. My father catches sight of him, and lunges forward.
"Drenik! Ti podao supak!" (Drenik! You vile bastard!)
I lunge after my father. "Otac, stati! (Father, stop!) It was almost comical to have tiny me trying to hold back my father who is built like a mountain. "Otac molim stati. Nema potreba." (Father, please stop. There is no need.) Somehow, my pleading calms my father from outright attacking Drenik.
My father looks Drenik squarely in the eye before speaking. "You are also condemned for my sons Dimitri, Laslo, and Kalman, along with Jatin and Nadya." He spits in Drenik's face before returning to his wife. Drenik stands there, baffled.
"How did you find out?"
"You are not as clever as you think you are Drenik. This is one of the many reasons why I refused to allow you to marry Anika. My daughter deserves better than the filth that you are." My father places a protective arm about my shoulders.
"Get him out of here," Hotch commands.
A yawn escapes my mouth. Suddenly, all of the excitement of the day has caught up to me. "Is it alright if I went home? The thought of sleeping in a real bed sounds amazing right now."
Gideon smiles at me in his fatherly way. "Absolutely. You've done quite a bit these past two days. Go home, rest, spend time with your family. Morgan will dive you all home." Gideon looks around to the rest of his team who wear similar sleepy countenances. "In fact, all of you go home and get some decent rest. You've got the next 48 hours off."
A cheer rises up from the BAU. Eagerly we all leave the BAU in search of our own beds for some quality sleep. Tomorrow is a task to tackle when it gets here, not now.