Sorry for the delay. My thanks to Dragonsmaiden for being my beta reader. I do not own Criminal Minds. And thanks for everyone for their reviews and adding me to your alerts.

Chapter #15

"Charlie," Ashley called out as she woke up. She raised her head, still believing that she was dreaming, not in the hospital.

As she scanned the room, "Charlie," she said, as she turned her head around as her dream faded from her memory. She realized was still in the hospital and she was alone. At least her headache was a dull ache and her back wasn't hurting so much.

"Good morning," she heard.

"Paul?" She turned around to see a large man in his fifties, with grey receding hair, looking down at her, smiling at her.

"Hi, how are you feeling?"

She thought for a moment, "Still a bit sore and a little hungry," she answered as she tried to sit up.

"Here, let me help you." She could feel his hands gently helping her to sit up in bed. "Why don't we get you comfortable first and then we can see about breakfast." Paul let go of her and picked up a remote where he pressed a button. The head of the bed slowly moved upward where Ashley could rest easily in a reclining position. He then went back to her and fluffed her pillows for her and laid them behind her as she slowly laid back.

She could feel tears building up in her eyes, but she didn't want to cry. She couldn't cry in front of Ryan's father. She'd never cried so much in one single week. It made her feel weak, and she dare not show weakness.

"Come here," he said as he gently brought her over to him. She could smell his Old Spice aftershave as she laid her head on his shoulder where she quietly cried.

"I'm sorry," she finally whispered.

"For what," he gently asked as he carefully held her in his arms.

"I have been going over the explosion in my head again and again. I don't remember how I caused it."

"Shh, you didn't cause the explosion. You made it out alive, you're all right." He gently pulled her away. He dug out his white handkerchief from inside his jacket and gave it to her.

"Thank you," she said, taking it and drying her eyes.

"The explosion came from the sewers. Now, I want you and Bailey stay with us," he said.

Ashley looked up at him with her green eyes. "I don't think it is a good idea. Rose still thinks I'm a gold digging whore that was after Ryan's money."

He let out a sigh, "I know, but that was three years ago and we were all grieving and hurting. It's time for you to come home and hopefully try bury the hatchet. I know Mary has been missing you. She already got your room ready for you."

Ashley didn't answer him. She did miss them and to be honest, the only other places she could stay, she would have to put Bailey in a kennel.

"I've spoken to the doctors, you can't go back to work for a week, and you can't go back home until the police clear it. I don't want you stay with that gangster. And if you stay in that bar where one of your demons lives—tell me that you are not going to start drinking again."

"With the week, I am having, I can't honestly tell you that. I can't stay with Darcy anyways, it will jeopardized Spencer's career."

He raised his grey eyebrows up, "Spencer? So that is the name of your new beau?"

Ashley could feel herself blushing. She didn't know which was worst, blushing about Reid or simply the fact that she was blushing. "Yeah, Dr. Spencer Reid, FBI. Okay, I admit that I missed Mary's cooking. I will stay there for now, until I can figure out of what I am going to do."

"Marvelous," he said clapping his hands together. "I will see if I can get some of your clothes from the house picked up later today."

A knock on the door sounded and Ashley saw a man peering his head in the door. "Excuse me, I'm Detective Brian Flynn and this is my partner Detective Louie Anderson. We would like to ask you a few questions about the explosion," said Flynn introducing himself and his partner. Flynn had black hair and moustache and looked to be in his forties. His partner was a younger man who had blond crew cut and Ashley guessed that he had less experience.

"Hello, this is my friend my friend Paul Ashburton."

Paul nodded at them, "I'll go and see about breakfast," he said walking out the door, leaving Ashley alone with the two detectives. Detective Anderson flipped open his notebook and uncapped his pen.

"Lets start in the beginning, can you tell me what happen," Detective Flynn asked.

Ashley shrugged her shoulders, "I honestly don't remember." The two men looked at each other; she could see doubt in their faces.

"What do you remember?"

"I remember walking with Bailey and venting. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital and Harry telling me that my house blew up."

"Bailey? Harry," asked Detective Flynn.

"Bailey is my dog. Harry, Harry Davis is my friend."

"What were you venting about," Detective Anderson asked.

"That is a whole different ballgame. I don't think it relates to the house."

"Lets us decide."

She blew out a breath. "I am under contract with Dougherty's Bar. I fill in when the singer is unavailable to perform. I had to fill in for the singer of Bleeding Gums the night before because the idiot's arrest. Am I going too fast," she asked Detective Anderson.

He looked up, "No madam." Ashley then explained to the two detectives about the fight and Reid bringing his team over to meet her and not calling her. She knew that didn't definitely didn't relate the explosion, but they wanted to know. Both detectives exchanged glances with each other.

"Told you, a different ballgame. Why are you here if this was an accident?" Then it dawned on her, "It wasn't an accident, was it?"

"No, the sewer line showed signs of tampering."

"What?"

"The explosion was deliberately set. Do you know who would do this?"

Ashley shrugged her shoulders, she first thought of Darcy, but why would the mob try to kill her? To get to him. She decide not to mention that, the last thing she wanted was to be the Achilles' heel for Darcy, to be the one that threw him in jail. "There's the Scorpions, but they sold me about six years ago. As far as I know, they don't give a rat's ass about me, sorry."

She then thought of Julian, but this wasn't like him. He would never bring this kind of attention to himself.

Ashley could read Detective Flynn's face. "You think, I did it? You think I blew up my house?"

"It's convenient that you don't have any memory," he remarked coldly.

Oh goody, a pissing match, Ashley thought. "But the doctor said that memory loss is one of the common side effects of a concussion. Detective Flynn, why in the world would I set the explosion and be inside in the same time? Along with Bailey and Charlie's things."

"Charlie?"

"My son. The house is not even mine, I am a renter." Breath Ashley, don't lose your temper.

"Not exactly, the house is in Ryan's name, your fiancee. He left that along with a nice little trust fund to you."

"But as my son's executor, they have not been turned over to Ashley. She has not been allowed to have access to the trust fund. As to the house, she pays rent, she is not allow to decorate or anything like that without our permission," Paul interrupted. Ashley turned her head to see Paul standing in the doorway, carrying a tray. He walked in, setting the tray down on the table.

"If Ashley did this, to get back at us as you suggest. Why not, blow up our house? It would be more effective." The two detectives didn't answer him.

"Do you have any evidence to support your claim? Like fingerprints, DNA, or something," Paul continued challenging them.

"I think we are done for now," Detective Flynn said, "If you can think of anything, please give us a call." He set his card down on the table before they left.

Ashley rubbed her face as Paul wheeled her breakfast closer to her. "Did I really cause the explosion?" He shook his head. "How can you be so sure," she asked.

It was after breakfast, after Paul had left to pick up some of her things from her house, Ashley was flipping through an old People's magazine, reading about the celebrity gossip when she started dozing off.

She heard a door open and then felt a warm touch running down her face, in a loving caress. She smiled as she moved her head up towards it, believing it was Reid. That he was finally here.

Then she felt a sharp pain on her face from a backhanded slap, it threw her from her side to her back. She opened her eyes to see a gloved hand covering her mouth. The hand turned her head to one side, facing the wall. She felt her hair being grabbed by the other hand.

She tried to scream, but the gloved hand muffled her sounds. She grabbed on to the hand, trying to pull it away. But the hand pushed Ashley down in the bed. She couldn't get free of his tight grip.

"You belong to me," the voice whispered in her ear.