There has to be something brewing in the universe, since I am so happy, and Lexie is being so open to me. David threw a small dinner for us and Lexie and James the other night, and I know that he took a few pictures of Lexie and me, though he won't let me see them just yet. I think he's going to retouch the best ones, make us look like our best selves, before showing them off. I just want to see what we look like together as friends. It was such a lovely May evening, too, with the crickets singing in his backyard, and the laughter and chatter flowing between us four so easily. My heart is finally feeling at peace by being with him and near Lexie. It's the best future I could have expected after everything that happened during that awful case. And as soon as we find this madman who's replicating our past cases, I know that things can continue faster, since I'll be able to focus on things outside this awful unsub…

Tabitha gasped a little as she finished the final entry her mother had written. It was just days before she had travelled to New York City with her team, to catch John Curtis, and it was clear that she had had no idea the danger she was rushing headlong into. She sounded so happy at this new facet of her relationship with Alex, and Tabitha's heart again ached for all the potential that had been snuffed out when her mother had died at the hand's of that mad fuck.

Setting aside the final volume, she picked up the photo of her mother and Alex, smiling sadly as she stared at their images, the happiness that radiated off their features as they only had eyes for each other. "Mum mentioned that he took other pictures of her that evening. I wonder if he still has them?" she mused aloud as she grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she came to his name. Before she could second guess herself, Tabitha touched his name and started the call, putting it on speaker as she leaned back against her headboard, waiting for him to pick up.

"Tabitha?"

"Dave!" she replied enthusiastically. "I have a question for you, one that I might not get a happy answer to, but I need to ask it just the same. Are you busy?"

"We're out in the field at the moment, but I can spare a few minutes for you, kiddo. What's up? Do you need more money for your first year of college?"

"No, nothing like that. And I should have told you, I have a full ride scholarship to Yale, so I'll be using your money to help fund my gap year, since I didn't want to take a serious job for just a few months."

"That's perfectly fine, sweetheart. But if you do need anything, just let me know. The same goes for Karen and Bruce, too. But if it's not money, what were you wanting?"

She took a deep breath before speaking once more. "Daddy gave me Mum's diaries as a graduation present, since he knows how sentimental I am. I, I just finished reading them, and her last entry was about this supper that you two had with Alex and James Blake?"

There was a brief pause, and then Dave was clearing his throat. "I remember that night. It was magical to see how close your mother and Alex had become once more. If I had known then what was to happen, I would never have let her go to New York with us."

"Hindsight is a bitch," she murmured, listening to his small sound of agreement. "But, she also mentioned that you took some pictures of her and Alex that night. Daddy gave me the one that you printed off for her, and I love it. Do, do you happen to have the others? Or any pictures of Mum that I haven't seen?"

"You know that I'm not good with technology, sweetheart, but I will have Hotch go through my camera roll and send you ever picture that I have of your mother. I'm sorry I didn't think of this sooner."

"Being able to see new pictures of Mum is always going to be a blessing, even if it has been a few years. Thank you, I know that you're busy, so I really appreciate this. Love you?"

"Love you, too, Tabby. And I promise that you'll see those pictures soon. Don't be a stranger. I know that I haven't been in contact as often as I'd like, but I don't want to lose our connection."

"Okay," she whispered. "Stay safe out there, please?"

"I will." She heard another voice in the background, and the low response of Dave. "I have to go now. Keep an eye on your phone for those pictures."

Before she could reply, the call disconnected, and she let out a quiet sigh as she stared at her screen for a few moments. At least she had been able to reach him, and the hope of seeing her mother's image in new pictures. Turning her head to look at the picture of her mother and Alex, she felt the urgent need to know more from the one person who could tell her so much about her mother. But to do that, she would need the woman's current address.

Getting out of her bed, she went over to her desk and took a seat, waking up her laptop as she set her phone aside, her eyes glancing over at her phone every so often to see if those pictures had come through yet. There was nothing yet, but she tried to keep in mind that the team was on a case, so it would take longer than she wanted for them to appear. Taking a deep breath, she called up Harvard's website, scrolling through the names listed until she came across James Blake. That told her that they were still in Boston, to her relief, and then she used the information she gleaned from the website to look up where they lived.

Tabitha wrote down all the information about the Blake household that she could possibly need before she opened up a new tab in her browser and began to plan how she would get to Boston. She really didn't want to drive, since a part of her knew that she would have difficulty concentrating on the road, but she also didn't want to fly, since that was a hassle for such a short time in the air. Finally, she settled on taking the train in, since that would allow her time to formulate her questions for Alex, and also prepare for being rebuffed by the woman. After all, she was being rather impulsive by just planning to visit without contacting her first. But a part of Tabitha agreed that it was easier to ask forgiveness than permission.

She was just about to book her ticket for the train when her phone began to rumble on the desk beside her. Frowning, she picked up the device and saw that Dave was sending through a number of pictures, and she felt herself start to tear up as she unlocked her phone and opened her text messages, tapping on her thread with Dave. There were already twenty, and she could see the three dancing dots which told her that there were still more coming.

Tabitha touched the first picture and gasped a little at the way her mother had been captured. Her head was thrown back in laughter, and she looked so delighted by whatever Dave had told her. Tabitha had a feeling that her mother hadn't known the picture was being taken, which made it all the more precious. She hurriedly flipped through all that came through, tears prickling her eyes when she reached the set from that final supper.

This should be all of the pictures, Tabitha. I hope that they bring you beautiful memories. I know that when Jessica or I show Jack pictures of his mother, it makes him so happy, because he can have her back for those few moments of time. I'm glad that I was able to help Dave with this for you. All the best, Aaron Hotchner.

She giggled through her tears at those perfunctory words. But what she remembered about the man, it was thoroughly him. Tabitha still remembered, though, when he had come up to them at the visitation, and how he'd told them about her last moments. How he'd cradled her close to his chest and let her talk about how much she loved them. Thanks, Aaron. I really do appreciate this. And everything you did for Mum at the end. Hopefully, I'll talk to one of you soon. Tabby

After sending off the reply, Tabitha saved all of the pictures to her camera roll before selecting her favourite of the assortment and making it her wallpaper. Hearing the door downstairs open and close, she smiled through her tears and hurried downstairs to see if her father or brother was home, suddenly feeling the urge to be with another member of her family as she struggled to regain her composure and think about her trip to Boston to hopefully get some new insights into her mother.