Just wanted to thank you guys for sticking with me! Here's the newest chapter and the next one should be up real soon. :)

Chapter Eight: "Can't exactly play solo, can you?"

Thursday-6:00pm

Reid's dream

The room was all white. well, if you could really call it a room. There was no differentiating the wall from the floor and in all honestly, it felt to Reid to be nothing more than a vast emptiness; a vast emptiness that continued on and one for no real rhyme or reason. Reid stood at what felt like the edge of this vast whiteness, though he knew there was space behind him. His gaze was fixed on the object in the middle of the space.

In the center of this so-called room was a circular granite chess table; a swirl of blacks, greys and whites. Matching chairs, which Reid could only imagine were extremely uncomfortable, sat on each side of the table.

He walked over and ran his fingers across the cold, smooth and polished stone. He sat down on the black side and picked up one of the pawns. He turned it over and over again in his hands. The piece was made of cold, shining metal and it felt so foreign in his hands. He could think of thousands and thousands of times he had picked up this piece and yet it felt as if it didn't belong.

His eyes focused fully on the pieces, the round globe sliding effortlessly across his slightly calloused fingertips. He couldn't get over the overwhelming feeling that something was wrong or missing from it.

He looked up from the piece and jumped out of surprise. "Sophia! You scared me!" Reid said, clutching his chest as his heart beat fast. He let out a little chuckle and closed his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief and humor.

Sophia laughed, her voice echoing off the nonexistant walls. It sounded like the jingling of bells in the fresh. crisp air. Her eyes scrunch when she smiles, her high cheek bones covering the bottoms of her eyes. Her lashes graced over her cheeks and it made Reid laugh in cue with her.

"I didn't mean to scare you," she squeaked out as her laughter calmed down. When she calmed down completely her face was graced with a small smile, her cheeks pink with blush. Though she wasn't laughing anymore Reid could still see the laughter held in her eyes. "Do you remember this place?"

The background suddenly changed; the white was filled in with tall oak trees, thick grass that tickled around Reid's ankles, strategically placed flowerbeds filled with purple, yellow and pink flowers, and people; lots and lots of people. They were running around, throwing baseballs, sharing a lunch, walking dogs.

"I'm sorry to call you like this." Sophia's body was thinner than Reid remembered and her hair lay short and lifeless against her pale, tired face. He suddenly remembered this day in every perfect detail; the first time Sophia called him for help. He quickly recalled the conversation and jumped in.

"Don't ever apologize for calling me. Now, can I join?"

"Can't exactly play solo, can you?" She smiled and gestured for Reid to join her. Eventually a conversation began to build, fluidity growing as they both relaxed.

"My brothers…they keep asking me what's wrong with me. They want their old Sophia back." She finally added, diverging from their leisure conversation about their mutual distaste of Catherine Earnshaw from Wuthering Heights.

"I don't want to be that old Sophia. That old Sophia was weak. That old Sophia was…attacked…That old Sophia was damaged goods. I want to be a different Sophia. I want to put this all behind me."

"I'm not going to lie; that Sophia is gone. You'll never be the same. It changed you. But that changes isn't negative. It makes you stronger. Besides, I like this "new" Sophia. Though its not new…it's the only Sophia I know. It's the Sophia that I've found myself enamored with."

Sophia blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear. The blush crept behind her collar and Reid could feel his cheeks reddening as his mind started thinking about how far the blush really traveled.

'So? I think you were saying something about Hinley Earnshaw before I jumped ship."

Reid laughed for what seemed like the hundredth time today. The game moved along at a leisurely pace, stopping every so often when Sophia became so animated in her speech that she simply held her piece in her hand as she gestured.

She reached for her knight but suddenly stopped, glancing up at Reid. Tears began streaming down her face like a waterfall. A bruise slowly appeared on her cheek and blood dotted her lips. Her eyes were wide with almost inhuman fear.

"This…this isn't what happened next…no…this isn't how it went." Reid muttered more to himself than to Sophia. He stood up from his seat, taking a step towards Sophia. 'This…is the first day you didn't cry. You…you laughed. No…this is all wrong. This isn't right." He grabbed Sophia, pulling her up out of her seat.

He watched her face as her lips began to quiver, trying to stop her tears from falling. Reid reached forward, placing his hands on either side of her face. He tugged her closer. He could feel her breath hitch, a puff of air wiping past his parted lips.

He took another step closer so his body was pressed against hers. He could see the look of panic consuming her eyes. She didn't pull away, her eyes flicking down to his lips. Reid leaned forward, capturing her lips in some attempt to ease whatever spell she was under. He felt her body go rigid.

"Sophia?"

"Please…please, you're hurting me." She sobbed. "Stop! Please…don't."

"What? What's wrong?!" She fell to her knees as Reid let go of her in a panic and instinctively took a step back.

'God, please…No! No! I don't want to. Please don't make me." She gripped her head and shook it back and forth as if she was trying to knock something loose inside of her. She started gasping for air. "Why are you doing this to me?! Why are you hurting me?' She looked Reid dead in the eyes.

"Sophia?" He whispered, a sob caught in his throat. He reached forward and as his hand made contact with her cheek she let out a sob of pain.

"NO! Don't touch me. Stop! Stop!" Suddenly everything around him turned white and he felt his body being tugged backwards.

Reid jolted awake, gasping for air. He shot up in the chair from his slumped position, clutching his chest as he felt his heart pounding.

"No…stop…stop!" He heard Sophia's muffled pleas fill the room. Leaping from his chair Reid sat on the edge of the bed and gently touched Sophia's shoulder. Her body was shaking and her eyes were scrunched closed in fear.

"Sophia"

"Wake up."

"It's only a dream."

"Please."

"It's me. It's Spencer."

"Open your eyes Sophia."

"You're safe."

He repeated these phrases over and over till Sophia's cries became soft whimpers and her eyes slowly blinked open. When her eyes finally opened she focused on Reid. Her pupils were dilated and tears poured endlessly down her face, pooling at the base of her neck.

"Shhh" He ran his fingers through her hair as he pulled her into his lap. He felt her forehead press against his neck, a thin layer of sweat soaking into his skin. His fingers continued to move as he rested his chin on the top of her head, rocking her body side to side slowly.

"How about a bath?" He asked as he felt her trembling body finally relax. Sophia nodded and after a few moments untangled herself from Reid and stood up. She walked to the bathroom and began filling the tub with scolding how water, leaving Reid sitting quietly on the bed.