Remeber: This story maybe in its last stages, but the reviews are wanted and appreciated! :[/]
Relief broke across Tiffany Gouldebourne's face. She couldn't have been sure if her daughter would recognize her after all this time. After all she'd been through...
Richard stepped close behind her, grabbing a hand and resting his head on her shoulder, using the free hand to rub her arm reassuringly.
"You know who I am?" He asked sweetly.
Lyssa blinked, "Daddy? Daddy!" Lyssa released Reid's hand and jumped into her father's arms. The little family wrapped together in a fierce hug, looking like they might not break apart anytime now.
Reid stood in the doorway awkwardly, not sure what to do. He resided to leaning against the frame and look around while Lyssa had a moment with her parents.
The room was a soft, bright white. It looked like it was filled with mist, so much infact Reid couldn't see any of the wall or corners. Even the cieling was hidden from view, except for a few scraps wich were painted a soft, sky blue.
The floor looked like white marble, little, faded veins of light pinks and pale blues running under the hard white surface. Reid couldn't see any baseboards either, mist crawled up the walls and across the floor.
Outside, the pitch black grew ever colder, like a draft had been let in, and the room grew slughtly warmer, like the heater had somehow been switched on. Reid tried hard to peer into the black outside, to maybe see something with the white light emmiting from the second room. But nothing beyond a gold and yellow tiled floor meeting a gray marbe doorframe and the beginings of marble based coloumns could be seen.
Looking away from the Gouldbournes, Reid finally noticed the change that had taken place in the young girl since she'd entered.
Her pale, dead, blonde hair had suddenely gained life, becoming a shining gold. Her burned and mangy purple dress had cleaned itself and was turning a pale purple. When Reid blinked a few times from soot entering his eyes, the dress faded to a soft white. The burns and holes in Lyssa's face healed, skin appearing and closing the holes in her face. Her eyes were a deep, bright blue. She looked alive, like she'd never lived through the Witch's unimaginable tortures.
Reid sighed, exhaustion rolling over him in waves. His eyes burned from lack of sleep, his frame shook with a yawn. The lower area of his back hurt, like his spine was telling him to lie down. The warmth of the room was inviting, especially compared to the icy air washing over him from the other room. Reid felt himself start to slide down the wood frame, until he was sitting with his back against it. His head started to dip down in sleep.
Tiffany opened her eyes for a moment amid the laughter and rejoicing of regaining her baby. She saw the poor man who'd brought Lyssa back to her crumpeled by the door. His skin was a deathly pale, like a corpse. His hair was lank and brittle, like twigs that could snap any moment. His clothes were filthy and burned in places.
Placing Lyssa fully in Richard's arms, she crossed over to him, raising his head. His eyes were a pale, dead brown. Tiffany could see his lips turning blue, and his body was growing cold under her warm hand.
"Your supposed to be alive aren't you?" She whispered.
The Team sat in shocked numbness. Reid was dead. He'd come close several times, but he'd always survived...
Couldn't he survive this time?
Morgan sat with his back against the mirror. He couldn't watch this. He couldn't see his friends corpse, and his team staring down at it.
Orbus had opted to continue tapping against the glass, but it was a soft, half-hearted tap instead of his full on banging like earlier. He looked weak, like he might collapse any second.
"I don't feel the Witch anymore... her presence." He mentioned weakly.
"That's good man." Morgan said.
"But I also don't feel Lyssa's." Orbus sobbed.
Ivona looked at either side of her, careful to make sure the police men inside didn't see her. Then she slid nimbly, like a cat, underneath the yellow tape.
After the ceremony wear the FBI agents entered the spirit world worked, she'd plaid the role of the confused and frightened dumb girl perfectly. Several strong, masculine officers were happy to call the poor girl two ambulances to carry the five unconcious agents to a hospital were they were treated like any other coma patient.
Now all Ivona had to do was wait for them to return to the physical world somehow.
What she was hoping for was some sort of sign Emily and her commrades were allright. Maybe they'd pull a stunt like The Witch had and be able to pass over to the real world. Somewhere, there had to be a sign somewhere, Ivona was sure of it.
The Hall of Mirrors looked promising to Ivona.
Especially when, upon opening the door, she heard a loud sob emit from somewhere.
"Right." She said, reaching into her black purse. She pulled out a ball of yarn. "Lead me to the minotaur." She grinned, tieing the end of the ball to the doorknob. She then held the ball loosely in her hand as she began walking inside the maze, trying to follow the sound of someone crying.
Orbus had broken down, Morgan had to support him otherwise he'd have fallen to the concrete floor. Morgan's mind was racing, trying to process what was going on.
"Ok... Seven stages of Grief" He thought, rolling with the flailing Orbus as he had a total meltdown, "Stage 1: Shock and Denial." Orbus had been shocked as he'd watched Lyssa ignite and then as he'd tapped the glass till he'd begun sobbing uncontrollably.
"Stage 2: Pain and Guilt." Morgan, who was sure he was still in the first stage, was imagining what Orbus was going through, "Griever will feel unimaginable emotional pain and begin blaming themselves for their loss."
"It's my fault!" Orbus screamed, "I led everyone on this stupid chase after her! I escaped from her! I shouldn't have left! I left Lyssa open to all this! I was supposed to take care of her! I was her Godfather for pete's sake!" he screamed.
He was becoming increasingly more difficult to hold on to. Morgan feared he might fall to the ground soon.
"She's allright!" Someone cried from around the corner.
Morgan looked up to see Ivona walk in, holding a ball of string in one hand and a large water bottle in the other.
"She's fine." She said again.
"What are-uhh! knock it off!" Morgan gave the flailing man in his arms a sharp shake. Ivona sprayed Orbus with the waterbottle, Orbus quieted instantly, looking at Ivona confused.
"Everything happened like it was supposed to... well, most of it." Ivona said, "Reid wasn't supposed to go with her."
"What do you mean?" Morgan asked. Orbus regained strength in his legs and he extracted himself from Morgan's grip.
"When they ignited," Ivona said almost impatiantly, "As Im sure they did, you typically see that with fire curses, They basically went through something like Purgatory I guess. Lyssa was then free'd, and since The Witch was caught in the Purgatory, she was destroyed. That should have free'd everyone."
"So what does that mean?" Morgan asked stupidly.
"The curses are broken and the spirits can now go to Heaven or Hell, depending on which they are more deserving of. My guess is Reid was swept up with Lyssa.'
"So he's in Heaven... he's dead?" Morgan felt what little hope he'd gained as Ivona had been explaining die right there.
"Or at the gates, in which case he could have a chance."
"How?"
Ivona looked over at the silent Orbus. "Well, If he's ready-"
"I am!" Orbus interjected.
"-then I don't think he'll have a problem dying for the final time. Get Reid's body and the others. I have an idea." Ivona turned to go.
"I cant!" Morgan cried.
"Whaddaya mean?" Ivona asked, turning sharply.
"We can't get through the glass." Orbus clarrified.
"Hmm." Ivona walked to the mirror and placed her hand on the glass, "No, Orbus and I can't. You can." She said, turning to Morgan.
"Wha-?" Morgan asked.
Ivona looked at him like he was an idiot, "Didn't you notice when Malifeciis was burned up? You've been trying to get through the mirror right?"
Morgan gestured to Orbus, "Been kinda busy."
Ivona nodded, "Allright well, the thing keeping you out was Malifeciis power. When she died her power with her. You can go through the mirror. Orbus and I can because were in physical bodies. Your not connected to your body right now, your not connected to any physical body so there's nothing keeping you seperated from the physical and spiritual worlds."
Morgan nodded, then placed a tentative hand against the smooth glass of the mirror.
Then nearly fell on his face as he passed through smoothly, like there was nothing there.
"Morgan!" Garcia cried, seeing him materialize out of no where.
"Grab Reid!" Morgan said, pointing at Reid, "Ivona knows how to get him back!"