I own Haley, the word-mesh, and nothing else.
Also, I'd like to say thnks for all the viewership and support. A shout-out especial to both Ren Kayashima and Cassadee Willows for actually taking the time to look over my work, and beyond that, having a real existing-being to existing-being discussion.
That's not to say I'm ungrateful to anyone else who gave feedback. You guys are awesome. It's super encouaging to see that your fan-fiction (mind you, only a FAN-fiction) has a 30 country viewership.
The car snaked along rolling backcountry roads, aided by Garcia's addresses and Haley's instructions.
"Turn here", she directed, indicating a small trail branching off to nowhere in particular.
"Here? Are you sure?" Reid asked.
"The police were all over his butt in this town", she said with strained nonchalance, trying to keep the emotion at bay. "He made us take them out here."
They turned down the rocky, overgrown path, and Haley ordered a stop after the car had made it about 300 feet onto the trail.
"Grave is here", Haley said. "It's the last one I know of. Don't drive over them. Please." She was beginning to choke up and cry.
Prentiss put a location mark on the spot with the GPS system while Reid, in the backseat next to Haley, soothed her gently, holding her head to his shoulder, doing all the things he wished his father would have been around to do when he was a little boy. His mom and dad had fought and split up, leaving him with his mother's talks about strength and his pillows to comfort him. He'd wished he hadn't had to imagine his father's strong, protective arms around him when he buried his head and cried himself to sleep at night. He wanted them to be real, wanted his mom to tell him it was okay to cry. He'd had none of that.
He saw that in Haley. She didn't want to cry, was scared to speak up, and tried to put on an "everything's alright" façade with people around. Deep down in there somewhere, she had wounds, and she'd be emotionally dead if they weren't tended soon.
"It's okay, Haley. It's okay to cry", he whispered to her as the car drove away, pulling her head toward his shoulder and wrapping his arms around her, like he wished his father would've done. "Shh. It's alright. I'm here, and I'll stay here as long as you need me."
Haley nodded amidst her tears. She finally had a shoulder to cry on. Better yet, there was an extra shoulder should that one fail her, a good, moral head on those shoulders, two arms wrapped tightly around her, a broad torso that she was sure he'd put in the way of any lash that came her way, and two long, lanky legs that could lead her away from danger in a half a second or less. She was glad that Reid had offered that shoulder, and the rest of him, sacrificing his privacy to care for her.
Slowly, the crying came to an end as the car reached pavement.
"You look pretty bad", Reid observed when she withdrew from him.
"I've been in worse messes. I'll be fine." She looked away from Reid and into the afternoon sun. "Reid?" she asked suddenly.
"Yes?" He looked at her, and for once, Haley initiated eye contact before pulling him into a tight hug.
"Thank you." Her eyes conveyed her sincerity, and Reid was struck by the fact that she'd initiated eye contact. That was a major step for her.
"You're welcome." Reid was baffled as to what for, but didn't want to push any buttons she might have. "You know, the horses are being delivered tonight", he added, changing the topic.
"I can't wait to hop up on that warmblood", she remarked. "Moved like a dream. A mess of a bounce to trot, but get him at a good canter...and don't get me started on his flying changes", she remarked, making absolutely no sense whatsoever to Reid or Prentiss.
"You'll have to show me everything he can do", Reid said.
"Past FEI. Into High School movements. He'll need a capriole refresher on the surcingle and longs, but he'll be fine after that."
Reid still had no idea what the heck was being said, but he wasn't about to let on. Prentiss knew better, and knew that Reid's silence was an admission of not knowing, but Haley was used to his silence from long therapy sessions that had sometimes lasted up to ten hours.
To Haley, the topic of that particular horse was settled, everyone knowing exactly what she meant, because it all made such perfect sense! "You said others would be delivered?"
"A warmblood mare of the same type", he said, "Garcia said she was the same type, anyway."
"Danish warmblood?"
"Yes, that, and she's as proven, or so I heard", Reid confirmed. "and a mare-stallion pair of Hanoverians, both proven jumpers."
"How proven?" she asked. She was interested now.
"Six foot oxers, they said." At least he was able to speak that bit of horse lingo, throwing it out there and hoping that the sellers hadn't made a total idiot out of him in front of Haley.
Her eyes widened. "Dang!" she exclaimed, "I'll need a confidence boost to ride those!"
"You'd better ride them, or you'll fall off from an increased height", Reid said, taking her to him and tickling her stomach and sides, another bit of childhood she'd missed, again hoping he'd said nothing stupid.
Haley laughed for a bit, forgetting all about her earlier crying and fighting Reid off with surprising strength, but then taking his cue and falling back against him in total trust, submitting to the tickling till she'd laughed herself teary-eyed again.
Reid stopped and dried her eyes, picking up the conversation where he'd left off. "The two mares are pregnant, and the last one is a stallion. Warmblood, but I can't pronounce the name."
"Does it start with a T?" Haley asked.
"Yeah, that T word…"
"Trakehner." She looked at him with an assured nod. "Trakehner stallion. That should be fun." Her mouth was practically watering from a mere description of the equine deliciousness as she looked up at Reid, still lying on her back across his lap.
"Why don't you sit up?" Reid suggested. "It makes for a safer and more legal trip."
Haley complied, and Reid was surprised that in her world full of memories, it only took a few choice words to make her forget.