Hi all, sorry for the long hiatus. My health took a turn for the worst just before Christmas, and despite hundreds of dollars spent on doctors and specialists, they still can't seem to work out what's wrong with me :(

"Mommy! What did you bring me?"

JJ was barely through the door when Henry ran at her legs and held on tight. She wondered if there was anything in the car he could have; he always got a 'souvenir' when she had to go away on the case - usually in the form of chocolate or action figures - and this time, she had been away from home for two weeks.

"Henry, mommy will bring you something extra special next time, okay?"

Henry looked somewhat disappointed, but having his mother back was good enough for the time being. JJ bent down to pick him up, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty, and realizing just how much she had missed her son.

JJ looked up to see Will walk in from the kitchen wearing an apron and holding a wooden spoon, and she couldn't help but snicker.

"Will the Domestic God." She teased, accepting a hug that squished poor Henry in-between his parents.

"Missed you." Will said.

"Missed you more."

"How's Reid?"

Then JJ was torn away from her family; from the smell of chicken roasting and the thoughts of the nice hot shower and comfortable bed that awaited her. She was thrown back to Spencer and the hospital. His broken body and frail state of mind. She didn't answer for a long time, letting Henry free and watching as he ran back to his Spongebob DVD and myriad of action figures scattered across the living room floor.

"He's not okay." She managed finally. "I keep telling everyone he's doing better, but he's not. He's so scared, Will. He sits in the bed and watches the door, just waiting for whoever had him to come back."

Will held JJ silently. Over the past four years he had exhausted himself trying to find the right words to make everything better, to show his wife that happiness could still be found, despite the fact that Spencer was gone. But there were no words. Loosing Spencer had been like loosing a sibling. Another sibling. And now, even though he had been found alive, JJ wouldn't be better until he had recovered.

"I want him to stay here." JJ whispered. She felt Will tense, and added, "Just for a little while."

There was another long pause.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Will was apprehensive, and JJ knew he was merely covering his tracks when he quickly added, "With Henry and all..."

JJ's eyes met Will's.

"We both have vacation time stored. I was thinking you and Henry could take a trip. He's never met any of his cousins..." Will looked away and shook his head firmly.

"I know it's a big ask." She pleaded, but with a little more caution this time. "And I know it's not fair on you or Henry, but he really needs me right now."

Will looked to Henry, sitting in front of the TV in the living room. He wanted to remind JJ that she had been gone long enough, and Henry needed her too. That Reid had other friends that would gladly aid him in his recovery. That she didn't owe Reid anything because no matter how many nights she spent screaming that it was all her fault, it wasn't. But he bit back his words yet again. Smiled. Nodded. Kissed her. Agreed.

Spencer awoke to a room bathed in black. Z's final beating, JJ's soft hands and the light than stung his eyes had all felt so real, but now it was as if all the air had been sucked out of the world, and he cried as he began to believe he was still in his box.

There was beeping. Noises. Sounds. Whispers. Spencer was used to the hallucinations that came with prolonged sensory deprivation. Terrifying visions of snakes crawling over his legs, spiders that spoke to him in French and ominous chanting accompanied by psychedelic, swirling colours that made his heart race.

He found no release in sleep. In his dreams, his family came back for him. When he awoke, for the briefest of moments he would be overcome with unimaginable relief before he was met with reality and the familiar, all-consuming blackness that trapped him.

And it was like falling. His hands would search for something to latch on to, fingers finding the indents he had left in the walls of the box. He had given up on trying to escape, but continued to scratch and claw with bare fingers - nails long since worn away - and feel comforted by the blood that trickled down his arm. He couldn't see or hear, and sometimes it was hard to tell if he was awake or asleep, but as long as he could feel, he knew he was alive.

Mustering all the strength he had, Spencer reached out and felt for the roof of his prison, finding nothing but cool, fresh, open air. Suddenly, it wasn't so hard to breathe.

As JJ hurriedly made her way to the hospital, she tried to push away lingering feelings of guilt. She told herself Henry would enjoy his trip, and she would be sure to call him everyday.

Viewing Spencer from the small window into his room, JJ discovered Spencer was already wide awake, and laying flat on his back with his head angled towards the door. She moved slowly as she entered, and tried her best not to spook him as she crouched down beside his bed and let him take her in.

"Hey, Spence." She offered finally. "How long have you been awake? I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner."

Spencer stared, but didn't answer. He didn't protest when she brushed back his hair with her hand or ran her thumb over the bandages on his cheek. JJ wasn't sure if he could understand or not, but he didn't seem so scared today, and surely that was a good sign.

"We're going home today." JJ hoped that the news could bring him some joy. "You're going to stay with me for a while, if that's okay."

Spencer's eyes remained vacant, betraying no emotion.

JJ moved to pack Spencer's possessions - his books, his stuffed animal and the photograph of his mother. As the nurses came in to unhook Spencer and to change him into his own clothes, JJ noticed he was still wearing the soiled gown. She questioned whether or not he had even been given food or water while she was away.

Two of the nurses lifted Spencer into his wheelchair, and JJ secured his green blanket around his legs. She watched him look up at the ceiling and stare at the tiles, trying to reach up, clawing as if he wanted to dig his nails right into them.

"JJ."

JJ looked up to see a dishevelled-looking Morgan standing at the door, eyes locked on Spencer.

"Thanks, we've got it now." JJ begrudgingly thanked the useless staff and beckoned Morgan towards her.

"Hey there, Pretty Boy."

JJ didn't think she'd ever heard Morgan sound so dejected. He stood dumbly in front of Spencer, trying to make comprehend it all. He opened his mouth, hoping for words that expressed just what the last four years had been like to fall right out and go some way in comforting Spencer, but he remained static.

'Let's just get him home." JJ said finally, and Morgan moved to push Spencer's wheelchair.

Next chapter : Spencer gets settled with JJ, and a flashback to four years earlier. Please leave a comment :)