I declined the rape kit, against the advice of the doctor, because I was confident in my memory of what had happened and I felt fine. The last time I had discomfort for days, but I didn't feel like that this time. They still wanted to keep me in that day anyway though to keep me on the drip and to give me some vitamins that would lessen the 'come down' effects that I could feel creeping in.
I sent the rest of the team home to get some sleep and made Spencer climb into bed with me to take a nap. At first, he resisted, but I insisted and we quickly feel into a deep sleep, wrapped in each other's arms.
I woke up before Spencer did and was pleased to see him getting some much needed rest. I watched him for a few minutes before I couldn't resist any longer and placed a gentle kiss to his lips. His eyes snapped open and his grip on me tightened momentarily before he realized where he was and relaxed.
"I'm sorry," I told him for what felt like the millionth time. "I messed up."
He sighed and kissed the top of my head before he answered.
"You did," He agreed. "But I think you learned your lesson."
"I have," I nodded. "But I know I let you down."
"It's just frustrating," He admitted. "I could have kept you safe, I don't understand why you kept me in the dark."
"I didn't want you to worry..."
"But when I pushed you away to stop you from worrying about my drug problem, you didn't like that very much, did you?"
"No," I shook my head. "So now we're even. We've both hurt each other while trying to protect each other."
"Can't keep score like that in relationships," He pointed out. "It's not about being even. We shouldn't have secrets, Mickey."
"I know, I know. I won't do it again, I promise."
"Well I hope this doesn't happen again," He said, smiling even if it was somewhat half-hearted. "Unless you have more crazy stalkers that you'd like to tell me about?"
"Nope, just the one."
Spencer leaned down and connected our lips again.
"I love you, Mikayla."
"I love you too."
There was a knock at the door and I looked over just in time to see my room filling with FBI agents. The whole team had returned with the addition of Rossi and Hotch.
"Sorry to break up this lovely moment, but we have news," Rossi said as Spencer practically launched out of the bed, his cheeks pink.
"I spent the entire morning tracking this bastard down," Penelope informed me, ignoring my protests that I sent her home to get some rest. "I was under the impression that he had only been in town briefly the first time you saw him because there was no leases or house deeds in his name and there still aren't. But then I remember what kind of guy he is, the typical spoiled rich white frat boy and it turns out that even at the age of thirty-six, daddy still pays his rent. Or at least Daniel Richley pays someone's rent at apartment number seven one-zero-six-three Pennsylvania avenue."
Penelope took a deep breath after he long winded explanation, but I didn't feel any more comforted.
"So what happens now?" I asked. "He didn't leave any evidence on me, you can't just barge in and arrest him..."
"Doesn't mean we can't go and talk to him," Derek shrugged. "Ask him about his whereabouts last night, scare him a bit."
I was sceptical. He'd already attacked me in a club full of FBI agents, but I appreciated their eagerness to help.
"There's one more thing..." Penelope said, looking a bit sheepish all of a sudden. "Your parents are in the waiting room..."
"You called my parents?" I groaned as I saw Spencer pale a bit as well. "Why would you do that?"
"I found you unconscious on the floor of a club bathroom," She reminded me sternly. "Of course I was going to call your parents about that."
"Well now that I'm awake and fine can you tell them to leave?"
"No can do, Mickey Mouse," She informed me. "They're desperate to see you and you need to talk to them."
I groaned again earning a chuckle from the crowd in my room before they said their goodbyes as they went off to face my nemesis.
As soon as my parents walked in, my mother burst into tears. It seemed like a bit of an overreaction considering I was in relatively good condition and she'd barely spoken to me for years anyway, but she was always an emotional person. My dad reacted just like I expected him to, stoically and with a scowl. Standing at almost six feet and five inches, he made even Spencer seem short and he seemed to shrink even more at the sight of him.
"How could you let this happen?" He practically growled at Spencer who's jaw dropped slightly at the accusation.
I was ready for that kind of reaction though and jumped to his defense.
"Don't you dare," I snapped back at him. "Don't you dare blame Spencer for any of this when you had no idea that it was happening before, when I was child in your care!"
"You were sixteen, you weren't a child," He argued, rolling his eyes, but softening his tone slightly as he spoke to me. "And you never told us, how were we supposed to know?"
"I was drunk every night," I pointed out. "That's not normal for teenagers and why would I have told you when you didn't even believe me when I told you that he raped me?"
My mom cringed at my words, but my dad was the one who surprised me this time as his tough exterior crumbled. He face soften and he looked down like he was ashamed.
"I'm sorry, Mikayla," He confessed, his voice weak and not at all like the fierce tone he'd come in with. "I let you down, I know I did. I should've been more supportive."
"Then why weren't you?" I asked, lowering my voice to match his. "I never lied about things, I was a pretty good kid. I don't know why you didn't trust me."
"You were a great kid," He nodded. "I just...I couldn't handle it. I couldn't handle the thought of you being in that situation, someone hurting you in that way. I needed to believe it didn't happen like you said. It was wrong of me and so unfair to you and I'm sorry."
I stared at him for a moment, completely blindsided by his apology. In all the years since it had happened, he'd never even come close to taking responsibility for how he'd treated me that day.
"What?" I asked after a few silent minutes.
"I've known for a long time that I handled it badly," He admitted. "I just didn't know how to tell you, I had too much pride to admit I was wrong, but I thought I had time. When we got the call that you'd been hurt and I thought I might never get to tell you..."
His voice broke as his sentence trailed off and then for the first time in my life, I saw tears in my dad's eyes.
"It's okay," I rushed to assure him. "Dad, it's alright. It was a long time ago."
"It's not, it's not alright," He insisted, wiping his eyes frantically to hide the tears that slipped down his cheeks. "We could have ended this years ago if I'd known what was happening to you. If you felt like you could talk to me."
He was right, if they'd supported me I would have felt more confident in pressing charges about the rape and would definitely have gone to the police when the harassment started. You can't change the past though and one of Penelope's favourite sayings echoed in my head.
"Everything happens for a reason," I informed them. "If things had gone differently back then, maybe I wouldn't have moved here and then I would never have met Spencer. And I would take this stress and pain ten times over to keep him in my life."
"It's nice to meet you," Spencer finally piped up, looking a bit less terrified than when they first walked in. "Even if it's under such horrible circumstances."
"You too," My mother smiled, her tears from the shock at seeing me in hospital seemingly dried up as she eyed him up. "We've heard so much about you! Granted, most of it was from Penelope and not our darling daughter, but she didn't do you justice when she told me how 'cute' you are."
Spencer's cheeks instantly turned bright pink as I smiled at her comment before rolling my eyes.
"Mom, you've been here ten minutes and you're already hitting on my boyfriend?"
She blushed and giggled at the accusation, but nodded her head.
"Well he is rather handsome," She insisted. "I couldn't possible just ignore it."
"I must say, it's obvious where Mickey gets her good looks," Spencer smiled, surprising me with the confidence he made that statement with. My dad, however, shot him a playfully glare.
"Careful now, she's a married woman," He teased, but I was relieved that his tone used to address my boyfriend was a lot less vicious than it had been before. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's been a tough few hours, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
"I understand, it's been tough here too," He nodded as I gave my dad a confused look, surprised by his second apology of the day.
"Do you have any sort of plan to catch this monster?" My mom asked Spencer. "Penny wouldn't tell us anything."
"My team have tracked him down and gone to interview him," He informed. "I'm sure they have a plan. They wouldn't confront him if they thought it would be pointless."
"Well I hope they get him soon or I'll track him down myself and we'll get a different kind of justice."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at my dad's declaration. I appreciated his apology, but it didn't make up for the years of disconnect. Why was he now so ready to fight for me? And if I hadn't almost died would he have ever tried to make peace with me?
I tried to push away the resentful thoughts as I saw my parents laughing and bonding with the man I loved, but it was still there in the back of my mind.
It was just after we got back to our apartment once I was released that evening when Spencer got the call. Penelope and Kevin had joined us and my parents for dinner and Penelope quickly chased after him when he slipped off to the bedroom to hear how it had gone with Nick.
Penelope hadn't told us anything about their plan so I was waiting anxiously from my spot on the couch for them to come back and explain.
"They got him!" Penelope yelled with glee as she practically ran back to the living room and threw her arms around me.
"Got him? How? There was no evidence..."
"Not for this crime," Spencer agreed. "But that doesn't mean there wasn't for any others."
"What do you mean?"
My confusion was written all over my face as Penelope let me out of her grip.
"My always wonderful chocolate thunder saved the day," Penelope said, describing Derek in a way that made my dad cringe despite him being quite used to her ways. "Spencer called us earlier to point out that even though he may not have left any DNA on you, if he has raped other girls there could be plenty of rape kits with his DNA in them. So when Morgan and Rossi went to the house to talk to him, and they said he is quite a piece of work by the way, they took the cigarette butt that he carelessly flicked to the ground in front of them before he slammed the door in their faces and ran it through the system."
"He's been connected with thirteen other rapes in California," Spencer smiled, rocking on his heels. "They arrested him fifteen minutes ago."
I was relieved at the news as my parents and Kevin all cheered, but I couldn't bring myself to join in the celebrations.
"Thirteen other rapes?" I asked, my heart heavy. "Were they all teenage girls?"
Spencer nodded.
"All between the ages of fifteen and eighteen."
"Oh my god..."
I felt tears well up in my eyes, but Penelope was quick to jump in.
"No, no. Mikayla, no," She scolded me. "You will not blame yourself for this, not for one second."
"How could I not?" I whimpered. "I was his first, he said so himself. If I'd reported him eleven years ago when he raped me, he would've gone to prison and he wouldn't have hurt anyone else!"
"I wouldn't have that much faith in our justice system," Kevin spoke up, offering me a sympathetic smile. "As depressing as it is, not many men accused of rape actually get convicted. Especially if you don't go to the police station immediately for a rape kit or if he uses protection."
"I could have done something," I insisted. "I could've helped those girls, but I just let him take over my life and ruin theirs..."
"Mikayla, you were only sixteen," My mom reminded me. "We let you down, we should've helped you press charges instead of ignoring your cries for help, but you can't blame yourself for any of this when you hadn't even graduated high school when it happened."
"And even if he did get convicted, sentences for rape are shockingly short and usually they get out on good behaviour long before the sentence is complete," Spencer informed me as he lifted my legs to sit on the couch before placing them back in his lap, rubbing my shins reassuringly. "He would have found more people to hurt even if you got justice for what happened to you."
"He should be shot," My dad grumbled from across the room. "I'd happily do it myself."
I rolled my eyes, but the small smile that slid onto my face gave away my feelings that it was nice to hear my dad being protective instead of blaming me like he had all those years ago.
"Helpful, Dad," I said sarcastically. "Then you'd be in prison."
"It would be worth it," He shrugged. "The man's a monster."
"Well luckily there are people like Spencer, Penelope and Kevin who work for the FBI and can catch those monsters without you being needed to go around murdering everyone."
My dad opened his mouth to argue back, but my mom cut him off.
"That's enough, you two," She said sternly. "Can we please just have one evening without bickering?"
My dad flashed me a smile and an eye roll behind her back as I apologized to my mother.
Things weren't great between us, there were still a lot of conversations to be had and things to be hashed out, but this was a massive improvement. For the first time since I was sixteen I felt like there was some level of understanding and respect between us. And with that accomplishment and the fact that Nick was behind bars and out of my life for good, the future seemed a little bit brighter.
Note: Today was hectic and I had no time to write so I'm posting this one as promised, but don't have one prewritten to post as soon as I'm home so it will probably be a solid two weeks until I can post again :(
I know some people weren't keen on this whole stalker story line, but I had it planned from the beginning so I'm sorry if people found it off putting...I hope you will all stick with me though and join me after this short hiatus to see what other adventures Spencer and Mickey will have :)
