Glad to see you all wanted more! In case you're wondering, the last chapter took place about a week after "The Thirteenth Step;" this one takes place right after the end of "Sense Memory." I'm also sorry I didn't get to this until now; I had classes all week, then last night I was hanging out with some friends... If you haven't heard of the "goffik" story "My Immortal," consider yourself lucky.

Anyway, I have a family thing to go to, so I'm just posting this quickly; I'll reply to reviews soon!

I don't own Criminal Minds!

~…~

You don't get to choose how you are going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you are going to live. Now. ~Joan Baez

I stood outside my apartment, Sergio tucked into my arms and my Go-Bag slung over my shoulder. The memory of the purple iris and the strong emotions of that day still surged through me. I could still hear the wind rustling the trees, the birds singing; I could still see the flowers, the cars… and Ian. The look on his face, the way he had watched me get into the car and drive off.

"What do we do now, Serge?" I asked the black cat in my arms. "We can't go back into the apartment, Cheryl is allergic to cats, and Brianna's out of town visiting her mom." I paused, adjusting the strap on my shoulder. "So… Where do you want to go?"

Sergio purred softly, a low "mrrp" coming from deep within his body. I sighed.

"At least I know where your loyalties lie," I said, digging into my pocket for my phone, hitting the appropriate buttons as I did so. It only took a moment for him to answer.

"Emily!" Reid chorused into the phone. "Did you change your mind about going to Solaris?"

"Actually, Reid," I admitted. "I- I need help."

He paused for a moment before speaking again. "Is it… Him?"

"I think so; he sent me a flower. A single purple-tipped iris; we used to grow them in the garden back in France."

"Are you in your apartment?"

"No; I just walked out. My alarm had been tripped and I thought he might still be there."

"…Meet me at my place. Let's say in about… 20 to 30 minutes. Do you need anything?"

"No," I answered. "I have my Go-Bag and Sergio; I'll see you when I see you."

"Bye."

As soon as he hung up I stowed my phone, shifted my grip on Sergio and headed for the stairs.

…:...:...:...:...

Reid's apartment reminded me of a cross between a college professor's office, a college student's dorm room and the typical male bachelor pad.

As soon as he let me in, my eyes fell instantly on the fake skeleton sitting in a white rocking chair in the corner of the entry way. It was wearing a porkpie hat, and a corncob pipe was clenched in its teeth. There was a small, plainly decorated kitchen that the door opened into. The living room was decked in book shelves, save for a single kiwi green wall with a maroon couch and matching loveseat. A circular wooden coffee table sat in front of the couch, with papers, textbooks and an Amazon Kindle strewn around the surface. The floor was wood, with a shag carpet of blue, red, yellow and green. An opening in the bookshelves revealed a medium flat-screen television on standby.

I set Sergio down to explore his new surroundings, and he immediately wandered into the kitchen.

"The bathroom's down the hall, along with the guest room," he said. "There's also another room that I made into an office. The guest room's right through here…"

He opened a simple wooden door to a small aqua-colored room with a fully-made bed, a half-full bookshelf. The bedspread was a light blue to match the walls, and the shaggy carpeting was a dusky purple. The ceiling was also a dusky purple to match the carpet, complete with glow-in-the-dark stars scattered across it. Over the bed, I saw a purple dream catcher with matching purple feathers and light blue beads.

"It actually used to be my library," Reid explained. "But after Georgia, and the Anthrax case, Morgan moved all the books into the living room; he had liked the couch, but he felt uncomfortable lying on it. Gideon told me something similar after Georgia. To be honest, I agree; I bought that couch at Goodwill, but it's only ever really good for sitting, not sleeping." As he spoke, I set my Go-Bag on the edge of the bed, on a spare blue blanket folded up by the footboard.

"And the bathroom is right behind us," he added, gesturing back out into the hallway to two sinks resting on a counter between two more wooden doors. I opened one to find a shower/bathtub combination; I assumed that the other one would hold the porcelain throne, confirming that thought as I opened the other door. The floor was tile, many small white tiles interspaced with tiles of black, red, orange and yellow.

"Where's your room?"

By now we had reached the entry way again; Sergio was inspecting the skeleton in the rocking chair when I had spoken, and dashed over to us, giving me a look that said he was demanding to be picked up again, which I eagerly complied to.

In answer to my question, Reid pointed to a wall with a door next to the couch "It's through there," he admitted, moving away from me and toward the wooden door; he opened it to reveal a tan colored wall with a bed resting by the wall closest to the window. Above it hung a tan-colored dream catcher similar to the purple one in the guest room. But it wasn't the wall or the bed, which was a full-size bed with a golden comforter and matching golden pillows. It was the chalkboard that covered the other three walls.

Each chalkboard had math equations, scientific equations, diagrams, random musings, statistics, quotes and quirky drawings, as well as scattered pieces of paper of varying size and color with more pictures and more quotes taped to the boards.

"What do you think?" he asked. "Sorry if it's a bit messy; it isn't much, but I call it home."

"It's a charming place," I admitted, setting Sergio down again; he stretched and shook his head before licking his lips and letting out a soft and plaintive "Mrow."

"Um, Emily," Reid began, staring at the cat. "Has Morgan or Hotch told you about the 'Reid Effect?'"

I smiled slightly. "As a matter of fact, they did," I said. "But… Serge likes everyone. He's a very social cat." Indeed, as I spoke, Sergio made his way over to Reid and began rubbing his face and body along my friend and co-worker's pant leg before looking up at Reid with his big eyes and emitting another "Mrow."

And then, to my complete surprise, Reid crouched down to stick his hand out in front of Sergio, who began nuzzling his hand; I heard a loud, rhythmic purring sound as Serge move closer to Reid, once again rubbing against his leg before leaping onto his shoulders and nuzzling his ear.

I grinned at the scene in front of me. "Looks like Sergio and I are gonna hang with you for a while," I pointed out.

He nodded. "You're more than welcome," he whispered, a smile on his face.

Neither of us spoke for a moment while Sergio calmly kneaded his way across Reid's upper back a few more time before leaping from his perch and dashing into the living room. As soon as he was gone, Reid stood up.

"How does Chinese sound? Or would you rather have pizza?"

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. ~ Albus Dumbleore

~...~

Please review!

*~N_CBAU~*