Disclaimer: I wish I owned CM, but sadly I'm not that lucky. I only own my imagination.
Things That Go Bump In The Night
The hot water scolded her skin, sending ripples of fierce pain through the scratches along her back. The streams of water beat on her bruises, and the steam clouded her eyes.
Garcia could feel the man's hands washing off her as she soaped her lufa. She could feel his harsh grip sliding away with the beads of water, traveling over freckles and scars.
She felt her hair begin to soak through, the blonde strands hanging limply beside her face, clinging to her tear stained skin.
Her tears began to mix with the water as is ran over her, and she relived the recent events in her mind.
The evil man...she didn't even know his name. She wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing.
But she did know his piercing eyes. And his rough grip. And his messy hair, malicious grin, and the way he spoke...
She shuddered, running her hands through her hair, feeling particles of dirt from the brick wall slide out, along with her emotions.
She looked down seeing bruises on her fair skin. Angrily, she raked her nails over them, hoping to erase all sign of him. It hurt, and did nothing but turn them an angry white.
Garcia's overwhelming emotions took hold, and she felt light headed. Her legs began to shake, and suddenly she felt ill.
Clumsily, she fell to her knees, the echoing bang vibrating through her.
Her sobs racked her, and the water seemed to go instantly cold. Her head swirled, and her hands slipped off the tub side to the floor, where soapy water was pooling.
Blackness taunted her vision.
XXX
Reid jumped as he heard the large bang resonate from within the bathroom, and he and Emily looked at each other, wide-eyed.
"Garcia?" Reid yelled loudly, and jumped up to run to the bathroom along with Prentiss.
"Penelope?" Emily shouted, rapping on the door harshly.
They received no answer, and Reid felt fear rush through him, paralyzing his muscles.
"Please answer! Garcia come on, you're scaring us!" Emily shouted, and they froze, waiting.
A mumble was heard, and Reid didn't relax.
"Penelope, louder. Talk to me. Just let us know you're okay." Spencer yelled, straining his ears.
"I'm okay." He heard. Faint and strangled, but still there.
"Are you sure? Did you hit your head?" Emily asked, and made frantic eye contact with Reid.
"Penelope?" He shouted when she didn't reply.
"No. No I'm okay." She said, but it sounded as if she wasn't sure.
"Okay, get dressed and come out, we need to see that you're okay." He said loudly, and breathed a deep sigh.
"I am!"
"Come out anyways PG." Emily argued, and they heard the water shut off.
XXX
Penelope stumbled out of the tub, nearly falling. She grabbed the towel rack to steady her, but the towel merely slid with her arm, and she tumbled to the floor.
"Penelope?" She heard Spencer asked, and she shook her head.
Naked and crying, she struggled to retain some composure as she stood back up, albeit wobbly, and dried herself off.
The towel stuck slightly to her cuts, and she winced, hissing occasionally.
Before getting dressed, her silent cries still shaking her, she wiped the steamy mirror and closed her eyes.
Her tears pushed at the barrier but she took calm, steadying breaths.
"You need help?" Emily called from the other side of the door, and Penelope kept her eyes shut.
"No." She uttered, and braced herself.
Finally, she opened her eyes, and took in the sight before her. It was worse than she thought, mostly due to the harsh memories it triggered.
Scratches were visibly on her shoulders, neck and hips. They could be seen even on her legs, and she rotated to see them decorating her back.
Bruises checkered her wrists and arms, also on her legs, shoulders and hip.
Leaning closer, she saw a cut above her left eye, and a small bruise forming around it. She had no idea how it got there.
Penelope could feel bruises beginning to form on her knees where she had fallen.
The sight was too much, and she let a strangled sob escape her delicate lips.
"Penelope? It's okay, just come on out." Spencer said through the door, and surprisingly, it helped.
"Mhm." She mumbled, wiping her tears and left over makeup off her face.
XXX
Reid glanced up when he heard the door click, and stumbled to stand up from where he'd been sitting against the wall.
Penelope emerged, her hair up in a messy, wet bun. Her pajamas hung to her limply, and her eyes were glossed over.
She was no longer bright. Her ever-present smile had vanished, along with the pink of her cheeks, the sparkle in her eye and the wit in her gaze.
Penelope Garcia was nowhere to be seen.
This new...this empty, broken person was all that was left. At least for now, he hoped.
"Are you okay?" He asked, checking her over for any new injuries. "What happened?"
"Nothing." She defended, looking at her sock covered feet. "I just fell."
"Uh...okay." Emily said, a quick glance to Reid depicting that she didn't believe her.
"Why don't you go lie down? I make great tea." Emily offered, and Penelope obliged without a word. Again, very unlike her.
Reid rushed into her bedroom, his hair catching on her bead curtains to produce a wind-chime-like noise.
He pulled down the covers, not surprised to see Winnie The Pooh sheets covering the mattress. He plumped two furry pillows for her to lay her head on, and watched as she picked up a well used teddy bear off the bedside table.
Penelope maneuvered herself onto the bed, wincing as it creaked. Reid put his hands out to help her, but she shot him a look, and he retracted them.
Once she had lay back on the pillows, her bun splayed across them, he reached to pull the warm comforter over her.
"Thank you." Garcia whispered, her voice laced with weakness.
"It's not a problem." Reid said, and decided to lightly sit on the bed.
"Uh, so Emily's making you tea. Do you want to do something while we wait?"
XXX
Penelope looked up at him, seeing only innocence and eagerness to help in his caramel eyes.
"Um...I don't know. I'd...I'd like a distraction I guess. We could watch tv." She suggested, gesturing towards the pink television on the cabinet.
"Sure." Reid said, and grabbed the remote.
He flicked on the tv, but Garcia found herself not paying attention. Light and images passed before her eyes, but she herself was frozen, emptiness clouding her.
"You must have had that bear a long time, huh?" Reid's voice said, and she forced herself to look up at him.
"Oh..uh, yeah." She said, and realized he was attempting to keep her occupied.
"How'd you get it?" He questioned, and she felt her nose sting.
"My parents. Last thing they gave me before they died. I was 18." She admitted, hugging the stuffed animal closer.
"I'm sorry." Reid said.
"Thanks." She replied simply, and pressed her lips into a line.
...
Emily walked in with her tea, and Garcia forced herself to smile politely.
"There you go. I hope it helps you feel better." Em said soothingly.
The aroma of the herbal tea was enough to already begin to relax her; her breathing slowing, her muscles preparing to rest.
"Thank you."
Emily seemed to struggle, unsure of whether to stay or go.
"We'll let you sleep, you need it." Reid said, solving the moral issue.
Penelope took a sip of the tea, and took a deep breath.
Emily leaned over, and pressed a light kiss to Garcia's forehead, before smiling and walking out of the room.
"Goodnight Penelope. Get some rest." Spencer said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
With that he too left, leaving Garcia alone, the tv still on with minimal volume, the lamp sending strange shadows on the blue and purple walls, and the all consuming terrible memories pushing at the back of her head.
It was going to be a long night.
XXX
Reid awoke from his light slumber on the couch when he heard a cry. He sat upright, and realized Garcia was thrashing in her sleep.
He stumbled onto his feet, heart pounding, He looked to where Emily was sleeping heavily on a chair. Of course.
He rushed to Penelope's bedroom, his hair once again catching on the bead curtains, and he winced as the sound interrupted the night atmosphere.
Once inside he saw Garcia struggling, cries escaping her. It was clear she was having a vivid nightmare, one terrifying enough to have her flipping over and flailing in her sleep.
"Garcia!" He shouted, putting a hand on her, only for her to wack it away with a shriek.
"Penelope! Wake up!" He yelled louder, shaking her shoulders violently.
He knew nightmares well, what with all his issues. And he knew that the only way to wake her up fully was to give her enough perpetual motion to actually move her out of the trapping dream. And that was difficult too.
He shook harder, breathing loudly.
"Penelope! It's Reid, wake up! Come on!" He yelled again, becoming frustrated.
Garcia continued to flail, crying and shaking.
"No!" She yelled. "No, get away! Get away, now! NO!"
"PENELOPE!" He nearly screamed, and finally, her eyes flew open with a shocked gasp. She panted, sweat clinging to her forehead.
"You were having a nightmare." Reid stated simply, falling onto the bed with a huff.
"He was...he was chasing me. And I couldn't get rid of him. God, I couldn't get away." She said, breaking down into tears.
Spencer put a hand on her shoulder, his thumb running circles on her pink shirt.
"Penelope, it's okay. He can't touch you. He's cuffed to a hospital bed, miles from here. We're here to protect you. I won't let anything happen to you." Spencer said, and wiped a tear from her cheek with his index finger.
She nodded, and it was all he needed to know that she understood, and appreciated him.
He gave her one last shoulder rub, and stood back up, leaving Penelope lying facing the other way. Spencer sighed, and turned with a creak to go back to the couch.
"Stay." Came Pen's weak voice from behind him. It was a plead, based off of true fear.
He hesitated, unsure.
"Please." She begged, and with a sigh of resignation, he moved back to the bed.
He lay down, albeit awkwardly, and lay his head on a fuzzy, heart shaped pillow.
Penelope was silent. Spencer was silent. Emily, who miraculously had remained asleep, was silent. Everything was silent.
Reid wasn't sure what to think about that.
So? Thank you again for reading!
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xo