From: Emily Prentiss
Come over.

Spencer looked down at his phone, head fuzzy and hands shaking. He was tired. His bed calling out for him, Spencer groaned as he pushed himself to his feet. Far before any of this, he and Emily had an agreement. When either needed the other, they would come. He'd called upon her multiple times when things with his mother plagued him, but she'd never needed him. Until now. Emily Prentiss wasn't the kind of person who needed people.

Emily stood in her bathroom again, gazing at her contorted reflection in the shattered mirror. This was her routine: every night, she would step out of the shower and confront her reflection. She'd force her brain to acknowledge this new reality; however, it wasn't working. She felt more alienated from her body than ever, gently fingering the crescent shaped scar on her neck.

She'd text him, against her better judgement. She knew he would come, regardless of their reality.

59 days. She hadn't seen Spencer Reid in 59 days. 59 days since she'd shared her coffee with him. 62 days since he'd beaten her at chess.

Wiping her tears on the back of her hand, she lifted the long-sleeved green turtleneck from the counter and carefully tugged it over her head. Tugging on her jeans, she felt herself relax slightly. This was when she felt normal, every inch of her body covered.

They'd been in silence for over an hour. Having exchanged awkward 'hello's', they'd awkwardly posted up in her kitchen, her on a barstool and him leaning against the opposite counter.

"You look good. R-recovered, I mean." he finally murmured awkwardly, fidgeting with his hair uncomfortably. Unsure of how to respond, she didn't, casting her eyes down at her hands.

"How long have you been using?" her words were barely audible, but her eyes locked his from across the room.

"I don't know what you're talking about." his tone was icy, arms folded tightly across his chest.

"Spencer..." the pain in her voice caused his facade to falter only briefly as he scratched at his chin anxiously before reaffixing his firm posture. Slowly, Emily rose from her seat, trying to ignore the pain that still shot through her at each step. Moving around the bar, she stopped in front of him, mere inches between them. She held his gaze as her hands slowly pulled at his arms, removing them from their firm grip around his abdomen.

"E-Emily." a warning, as her hands slid under his sleeves, exposing his forearms as she worked his shirt up. He held her eyes, emotionless. Her eyes closed as her hands reached the bend of his elbow, the pad of her thumb gently rubbing against the small pinprick scabs that littered his left forearm. They were silent. Emily gently let herself lean against his chest, her head resting against his neck. After a moment, he relaxed against her and she heard him sniffle above her. Her hand remained on his arm, the other wrapping around his lower back.

"I'm sorry, Emily."

"I should have been able to save you." His voice broke hours of silence from beside her.

"You did." Slowly, Emily turned onto her side to face the scrawny man beside her.

"It was too late." Tears silently slid down his face as he stared directly above them at her bedroom ceiling.

"I'm alive, aren't I?" She wanted to hug him, provide him with some physical reassurance that she was alive, but the beads of sweat plaguing his forehead told her to give him space. His internal body temperature was sky rocketing as the drugs began to leave his system. He was quiet, lost in his own thoughts for a while.

"Cravings?" she wondered aloud, curious as to what was so interesting in his own head.

"Not unbearable yet."

"Then what is it?"

"Honestly, I'm thinking about how entertaining it would be to tell Morgan I spent the night in your bed." he cracked a grin, turning to face her. She knew there was far more in his head, but appreciated the comedic relief. He'd agreed to stay with her tonight as they made a plan to handle his sobriety.

"You're awful!" she laughed, swatting his arm gently, "Don't give his imagination more fuel, that's the last thing anyone needs!"

They laughed together for a moment before returning to their silence.

"I'm okay, you know?" she offered a small smile, hoping to penetrate the bubble of his thought process.

"You're not. You're pretending to be because you're afraid of sending me over the edge, which I appreciate but really it isn't productive. You're the one person who doesn't baby me, Emily. And now you're acting just like everyone else. I know you aren't okay. You're healing, sure, but it doesn't mean you don't still have pain and discomfort. I'd rather you just be honest with me than lie to me to protect me or whatever."

"Fine." she shook her head, easing herself into an upright position, crossing her feet under her, "I'm not perfect. My shoulders and lower abdomen are sore when I move. Sometimes if I breathe too deeply, there's a stabbing pain in my lung for a second. I have nightmares when I sleep. But I am okay. I lost consciousness at the end, but Spencer, trust me, I remember far more than I'd like to. Compared to where I was, I'm completely fine. I'm healing. I go to my mandated therapy twice a week. Take my medications as directed. I might not be perfect, but I'm okay. I survived, Spencer."

He watched his friend intently, his hands laced behind his head, but remained silent.

"What are you thinking?" Sighing in exasperation, she rested her head in her hands.

"I'm thinking that I want to talk about this when I have more control over myself, but that now is probably not the best time." He frowned at his friend above him, avoiding her in understanding, Prentiss laid back down beside him, curled onto her side. He was shaking slightly, blinking rapidly to try to focus his eyes. Her hand rested on his bicep reassuringly. Without thinking, the man reached for her, pulling her into his side. His face nestled into her dark hair, Spencer began to slip into sleep. Emily adjusted to relieve the pressure on her shoulder, laying her head against his chest.

A/N: Just wanted to say thank to everyone who has hung in this far! I haven't written in a really long time and I'm really appreciating the encouragement. Please let me know your thoughts and any input you'd like to see going forward!