A/N: I know the last chapter was pretty slow and quiet, but it's going to be like that for a little while as I settle things down and give our lovely ladies a break before I build the suspense back up again. I may spend a little time with specific couples as well, and there will definitely be a more in-depth explanation of what went on between Emily and Alex soonish.

I wasn't really expecting any reviews on the last chapter simply because it was posted around Christmas and I figured everyone would be away over the holidays. So imagine my happy dance in excitement as I realised I actually got not 1 review, but 7 amazing ones (even if a few of them weren't for this chapter). Thanks and belated Merry Christmas to greengirl82 for chapters 10, 11, 12 & 13, Hazmatt, HPforever-after and HGRHfan35.

As to what was on the paper Emily handed to Aaron, stay tuned everyone for the answer coming to you in the next few chapters.

Warning: This chapter is a touch heavy going and will be focused mainly on Carrie and Mirkal as I explore Carrie's past. This chapter contains a sex scene.

Yes, it is long, but it is necessary and you may find slightly longer chapters over the next few anyway.

Rated M for violence, torture themes, drug use, coarse language and sex scenes. (yes, this is going to have a little bit of everything)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly and Brad and Ben.

Arabian Nights – Chapter 15

Carrie smiled as she watched Toby and Jack embrace as they discussed excitedly what they were going to do that day. Derek and Jordan had volunteered to look after the twins for Aaron while he had a serious chat with Emily before they had to go to the office so that Emily could deliver her statement. Dave and Teresa were going to spend some time doing 'wedding things' as Dave had termed it – they both needed something sane and normal after the shock everyone had suffered - and had volunteered them both to take Jack for the same reason as the twins and then he'd extended the same offer to her for Toby as well so that Carrie too could give her statement and perhaps even get some rest because apparently, she looked exhausted.

Teresa hugged her about the shoulders and walked off. She watched until they were out of sight, aware that she wasn't the only one watching as she thought about how weird it already felt to have a day off from all the children.

When the last car had driven off, she turned her head to the right and watched as Mirkal walked towards her dressed in jeans and a warm sweater underneath a thick jacket. She couldn't help but smile to see he was huddling into his clothing and that the beanie on his head was double layered and pulled down low over his ears.

He really doesn't like snow...that's just too cute.

She held the door open until he was past her and then she turned as it closed automatically behind her.

Smothering a bout of giggles, she said softly, "I'd offer to turn up the heater but I think we'll be creating enough heat all on our own...we wouldn't want to pass out because it was too hot in here."

"Oh I'm pretty certain there is no such thing as too hot...though looking at you right now, I'm certainly of a frame of mind to have my opinion changed."

She blushed as she ducked her head. When she looked back up, a giggle escaped, causing him to frown at her as she ducked her head again and attempted to get her mirth under control. He'd pulled off his beanie sometime while her gaze was on the floor as she'd attempted to get her blush under control. His hair was now sticking up every which way what.

"Well?" he demanded, though there was no anger in his tone and when she looked up again, she was led to wonder if he hadn't done it deliberately in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere considering the smile he wore.

"It's um, a good look on you."

His mouth dropped open in surprise; he'd obviously not expected that to be her response; before he smiled and bowed.

"I take joy in your happiness, oh beautiful one."

She blushed again and moved past him, but he caught her hand and tugged her back round to face him. His hand under her chin was gentle as he lifted her face up to his and his kiss when it came was as sweet as she'd known it would be, but she suddenly found she was fighting the same nightmare that had kept her awake for most of the night in a panic.

So much for thinking I had it under control...

As if he somehow sensed that something wasn't right, he pulled back and wrapped her up in a hug that did more for her fear than she might ever be able to put into words.

"Should we sit down and talk first?"

She nodded, but made no move to leave his embrace as her shaking eased and her breath shuddered out of her in a deep sigh.

"Can I take a guess?" he asked softly, his hand coming up to stroke through her long hair. She hesitated a moment before nodding slowly, wondering if there was any way for him to get even close to the why of her fear; something she'd not even told the Hotchner's when they'd encouraged her to tell them what her husband had done to her so that they could be better prepared to protect her from him.

And in the end, it didn't matter anyway; he simply watched and waited until I was vulnerable; just like he always did...

His hand came to rest against her head, the weight comforting and the smell of him relaxing her further. He'd certainly never held her like this before.

"I know you said your husband abused you pretty horribly, but I did get the feeling that you were holding something back. Your reaction just now makes me think he also raped you at one stage or another. Am I right?"

She turned her nose into his chest and breathed deeply for a second before forcing her head back to look at him.

If I'm serious about moving on, I need to be braver than I have ever been...

"He did. He came home from a hard day at work one day. I was dressed like this, just getting ready for bed and feeling pretty crappy thanks to a virus that I'd caught from Toby. He pulled me in and kissed me like he always did as a prelude to sex. When I pulled away from him and said I wasn't feeling well, he said I had no choice in the matter because it was a wife's duty to her husband and...he forced me. I waited until he fell asleep before I crawled out of bed and went to sleep on the floor in Toby's room. The next day, I took Toby and we went to visit my mother for a week. This was after I found out the police would do nothing to protect me from him and right before I found out my parents thought Vincent walked on water and could do no wrong."

Mirkal gently kissed her temple. "I'll bet he was furious when he found out."

"That's putting it lightly. It took him that week to figure out where I'd gone. Then he came to get me, apologising to my parents for my imposition on their time and resources when I was feeling mentally unstable. He dragged me back home, beat the crap out of me and told me if I ever left him again, he'd kill me."

He went back to gently stroking his hand through her hair, not seeming to be in a rush to do anything.

"Do you want to wait some? We don't have to follow the plan we made last night. Though now that I'm thinking about it, you didn't do much more than agree I could come here when Toby left for the day, did you? Poor love; you probably lay awake all last night panicking about trying to do something that is probably now abhorrent to you and here I come, all thumbs and sharp edges, trying to make things worse for you when you're already traumatised enough at the moment. How about I go and we can try this at either a later date or not at all?"

Be brave...

"No, don't go; please. Perhaps if we could just lie on the bed and talk or just cuddle or something innocent like that." She closed her eyes against the look on his face as tears began to slip down her face. "I don't want to be afraid of intimacy for the rest of my life, not when I trust you this much. Please, stay and help me heal from this? I know I don't have the right to ask this of you, but I never felt safer in my entire life than when I was with you; if you don't help me through this, I don't know that I'll ever find my way on my own. Please Mirkal, please..."

Her voice dissolved into sobs as he pulled her back into his arms. He started walking her backwards as he spoke soothingly to her, rubbing her back and stroking her hair. When the back of her legs hit the bed, she was still too distressed to notice or even care where she was; the only thing that seemed to matter was that he hadn't gone anywhere. She didn't know how long she lay sobbing in his arms but when she became aware of her surroundings, she was lying on the bed with his arms around her and her light wrap gone. His hands stroked gently up her back, over her hair, down the side of her head, neck and arms and then back up again. His fingers gently brushed over her butt every second or third pass, but she found that she was intrigued by the sensation more than repulsed by it.

"That's better," he said softly as she relaxed fully in his embrace. "Nothing is going to happen here that you don't give me full, firm permission to do. And if you give me permission and then revoke it later, that is fully alright with me also; I will never force you where you are not willing to go. I'll also reassure you now that if you do change your mind, I won't think you wishy-washy or silly in the slightest. You have every right to decide what happens to your body and..."

He stopped talking as her hand came up to cover his mouth, but he couldn't stop his lips from kissing the palm of her hand. Her eyes grew large as a shiver ran through her, but when she pulled her hand slowly away, her eyes searched his as she replaced her hand with her lips.

She discovered the beauty about lying where she did was that she had full control over how close she was or wasn't to his body and he was quite content with whatever she offered. At least she thought he was, but maybe that was an illusion because his hands were always gently stroking over various parts of her body as he returned her slow intimate kisses with ones of his own.

But always he eased back slightly if he felt her tense up in any way, though she began to notice that he would only retreat from an area for a short period of time before he would slowly make his way back to it. And with every retreat and return, she found allowing him further access was easier with every passing minute they were together. If his goal had been to drive her so crazy with wanting that she wouldn't be able to help giving all of her to him, he was going about it in completely the right way.

But he never rushed his pace; it was always in tune with hers. And he never brushed the areas that were beginning to beg for attention. He also didn't seem interested in deepening their kisses and with a growl of frustration, she pulled back slightly to look at him.

"Are you trying to kill me with kindness?"

He smiled at her in a way that made her heart go ka-thump as he lifted a hand to push her curls away from her face.

"No, I'm waiting for you to lead me where you want to take this. I thought I made it clear at the start that I need permission from you to do what I want?"

She found she could barely breathe all of a sudden. Sure, she remembered him saying it, but he was a male; they had no control over their sex drives. Yet here he was, keeping his word.

Now I just have to figure out how to tell him what I want without bolting for the door or having him fall off the bed laughing at my awkwardness. Ugg!

But he hadn't laughed at her yet, nor had he belittled her fears or the pain that lingered over what had been done to her throughout her marriage. He had in fact been nothing but supportive.

You were a brazen little hussy in the lounge last night, necking in the waiting room at the hospital like a teenager, her subconscious reminded her.

Yes, but I was fully clothed, the boys were sleeping less than a meter away and there was always the chance that someone might come in at any moment. This is completely the opposite and totally different. So back off...

Her subconscious retreated with a mocking laugh that spurred her on to take a chance and grab what she wanted for once in her life.

"I really want to be with you, here and now, but I don't know if I'm going to chicken out once the clothes come off, particularly cause I'm not without scars. I just, I really want to try but..." she dropped her head forward, letting her hair come down to cover her face as her words petered out. It was times like these she wished she was more eloquent.

He lifted her head up and gently kissed her temple. "You say start and we do this but the second you say stop, we stop; no matter how far we've gone. Even if we're butt naked and I'm poised on the edge of heaven."

That surprised a laugh out of her, but the laugh backed up in her lungs as he shifted her suddenly, lifting her to straddle his hips, to straddle that part of his anatomy.

Oh my...

"Do you want us to continue to take it slow, or would you like me to pick up the pace according to how relaxed I feel you are?"

"Uh..." she found she couldn't focus; her whole attention was focused on what she could feel at the junction of her thighs. Despite the layer of denim and her panties between them, she was fascinated by the obviousness of how much he wanted her and the accompanying knowledge that, despite his clear need for her, he'd put her first and was continuing to do so.

Maybe it's not so hard to be brave with him after all...

She rocked her body forward and kissed him again, but this time she led the dance with a little more force. Thinking about it later, she knew it had more to do with feeling in control through her position on top of him (something she'd never experienced before) and with seeing him; his skin colour and the look in his eyes as he met her kiss for kiss and touch for touch; but suddenly her fears melted away and she rediscovered the 'brazen hussy' from the night before.

Their clothing disappeared in amidst the touches they shared and as she straddled him, naked but for her panties and his jeans, she found she liked the tentative attention his hands gave her body as he gently explored the many marks and scars that had been left by Vincent over time. But then he took his hands away and replaced them with his lips and suddenly liking was such a weak word to describe the fire raging in her body and the heat beginning to pool where her body met his.

When his mouth returned to hers, there was nothing patient or gentle about the kiss they exchanged and she gloried in the feelings of possessiveness that washed over her at the realisation that she was the one inciting this passion and fierceness in him; that it was all directed at her was a wondrous thing and she suddenly couldn't get enough of his mouth and his hands and the scent of him.

The rest of their clothing disappeared in a rapid flurry and she felt suddenly exposed and shy again as his fingers trailed up her thigh towards her inner heat. But like he'd promised, he stopped all of a sudden; just froze underneath her as he gently shifted her head so he could look her in the eyes.

"If this is too much, you just say so and we can put something back on."

She was suddenly crying again, and hating herself for her weakness, but all he did was tug her down to lay flush against him. The only thing that seemed to matter to him in the minutes that followed was comforting her, though she was distantly aware that she could still feel him solid yet silky against her abdomen. But he did nothing with it and slowly her crying eased.

"Better?" he asked softly as he continued stroking her hair. She nodded slowly as the realisation came that she did feel better this time. "Can you tell me about it?"

She thought about it for a few seconds and then whispered, "It just suddenly dawned on me that my life might have been a train wreck at one stage, and recently at that, but that I have been so blessed in the last year. I have work that I love, for people that I have also come to love; this has given me the opportunity I needed to spend all my time with Toby as we healed together and has let me see that I can do life well, particularly as a mother.

"And now I'm getting a second chance with you, something I never thought possible after you left me in India, and here you are being patient and kind and everything I'd come to think was a myth when it came to male/female relationships after how Vincent treated me. Add to that your hints that you aren't going anywhere and the fact that you might be willing to move to a side of the country that regularly sees snow when you hate it so much and it all just swamped me for a bit there."

"You know, it suddenly dawned on me that if I hadn't been such an ass all those years ago, we might have ended up together and you wouldn't have ended up with such an abusive bastard of a husband. We could have been married already with a whole bunch of kids..."

She lifted her head and shook it. "Don't Mirkal. I still believe everything happens for a reason, even the bad stuff and besides, I wouldn't change having Toby for anything. Add to that, if you are willing to stick with me through all the stops and starts as I discover love with someone I know will treasure me, you'll come out the other side with a woman who is stronger than she ever would have been otherwise."

He grinned suddenly. "I always did like a strong woman with the occasional aggressive tendency...still, I am sorry for leaving you like I did and for the life you were forced to live because I wasn't around. And if you will allow me to continue being patient and kind with you, I'm quite happy to pass the time with you while we watch the strong young woman we know you are come out of hiding."

She swallowed hard in an attempt to avoid more tears as she nodded. "I have no problems with that whatsoever."

"Good," he murmured as he pulled her back into position for more hot kisses.

Again she felt her fears and doubts melt away and when she eventually felt his hand on her thigh again, she shifted to allow him better access. Of course, all thought after that, whether to help or hinder his efforts to seduce her she didn't know, went out the window as he stroked her lightly.

Someone call the fire brigade...

"Hmm, feels like you're ready. Last chance to back out."

She knew he was just teasing her, so she just watched him steadily as she thought about what she wanted. And as an answering light appeared in his eyes, his hands shifted on her hips and he wedded their bodies together.

She'd thought she'd freeze up like she always seemed to do with Vincent after he'd forced her that time, but here it felt so natural and right that she went with it, following his lead as she rode him higher than she could ever recall going.

"I don't know how this is supposed to end," she whispered brokenly, as a small voice in her reminded her that Vincent had never been that satisfied by her.

"Shh, just keep going unless you really don't want to."

"It's not," she stopped on a gasp as he shifted the angle of his hips slightly, but continued on, needing him to understand her deficiency. "It's not that I don't want to...I really, really do...oh." She was stopped again as something changed; something she'd never felt before.

"Are you alright?"

She'd stopped moving altogether and now she struggled to explain it. "Vincent said I was well enough in bed, but it was never very satisfying for him to be with me. I'm worried that you'll find the same thing...and now this."

"I'll address your ex's stupidity later. What does this feel like?"

"I...tight; tight like I'm ready to explode. That sounds so bad, doesn't it?"

He smiled at her, the pleasure in his eyes taking her by surprise. "Not a bit; it means I'm doing my part of this dance right and I can tell you that, without a doubt, just before you stopped I was well and truly on the edge of my own release; meaning you are doing it right too."

She looked at him as her brain struggled to comprehend his words. "What?"

His smile turned tender as he stroked his hands down her sides to her hips. "May we continue this dance? I don't think I can explain it properly but if you can experience it, maybe you'll stop doubting yourself. And if that happens, we'll both benefit amazingly from it."

When she continued to look at him without comprehension of his meaning, he took her hands and lifted them up between them.

"I'll put this simpler; finish now, or continue on?"

Stop this, whatever it was? Was he crazy? She could no more stop than she could recall her own name in that moment. She shook her head.

"Is that an indication that you want to continue on?" A nod of her head later and he grinned at her so suddenly that she smiled in return. "Oh goody; I might have died if we'd needed to stop now."

He flexed his hips under hers, his grip on her hands tugging slightly and somehow she comprehended his meaning this time. She shifted her own hips up, then down and suddenly the sensations that had fizzled out as they talked were back with a vengeance and this time, she ignored the little voice in her head that sounded like Vincent and she kept going, her eyes locked on Mirkal's and the clear expression of how he was feeling as he moved with her.

The explosion, when it came, was like nothing she'd ever experienced before in her life. Her entire body flew apart, the pieces soaring out into nothingness, the sensations washing them away to leave her floating weightlessly in the nether. Yet she could feel Mirkal with her here, and there was nothing scary about it.

"Oh...oh my...is it always like that?"

He chuckled under her, causing her to shiver in delight as his body moved with his amusement.

"Only when it's done right. And when your fear lessens and we have more time together, I think it will actually get better."

She wanted to lift her head to stare at him in shock, not believing what he'd said; for there was no possible way this could get any better; but she was just too tired and boneless to manage it.

"Mmm; I can feel your doubt. I'll let you keep it for now. We can come back on this discussion at a later date; say, after I've proven to you that I'm right."

She smiled just slightly at his confidence and shivered as the sweat cooled on her body. He immediately shifted under her, reaching out for the bedding they'd bunched up under them with their movements. Once he had them both covered up, she snuggled closer still and yawned as exhaustion pulled her down.

"I have to go make a statement soon," she mumbled as the warmth of his arms warred with the warmth of the blankets over them to pull her towards sleep.

"Later," he said softly as she slipped into sleep. "I'll wake you later, my love.

End-

A/N: Okay, I know that was long, but I really wanted to spend some time with Carrie and give you all a small taste of her world before I move on with the story. I hope that was alright.

Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker.