Chapter Twenty-Four

~Reid's POV~

I could tell this wasn't going to end well.

   You could feel the tension in the air, seeming to only build the longer Rachel and her mom stood there. I was confused at how to handle the situation. I was hoping the others would help me out, but only Hotch stood with me in the empty hallway. I stepped between them once again, seeing Rachel's hand tightly on the IV stand.

"You don't want to do this, trust me. Rachel deserves a rest from all of this, it's the least you can give her. The last person she wants to see right now is you. Haven't you already put her through enough? Now, I advise you to sit down and wait until further notice."

   I knew I wasn't being as professional as I should be, but I was too out of it to notice. Which wasn't me, at all. What was wrong with me? Hotch didn't seem to mind my little outburst, crossing his arms and watching.
   Rachel's mom didn't look too pleased as she stopped dead in her tracks. She glared at me and once she took a step towards me, I already knew what was going to happen. In a quick motion, I felt pain explode on my right cheek and blossom through my face. It stung and pricked at my skin, the force making me stumble back.
   Tears sprang in my eyes, my cheek brightened with heat. Hotch hooked an arm around the mother and started dragging her off down the hallway. I was still standing there, rubbing my face.
   She rushed to my side, the squeaking wheels of the IV stand filling my ears. She touched my arm, her eyes wide and her lips parted. I held my hand up, motioning towards the plastic chairs in front of us. I sat by her side, resting my hands in my lap. She grumbled under her breath, her knuckles turning white from gripping the sides too hard.

"I am so sorry she did that to you! Are you okay!? Look at your cheek!" She said, her voice shaking.

   Soon I felt the cool touch of her fingertips against my cheek, making me wince. She sharply pulled back and apologized. I smiled lightly at her and shook my head.

"It wasn't the most appropriate thing to say at the moment. I knew what I was getting into the minute I said it. It was very unprofessional of me to do."

   She scoffed out loud and shook her head, a cautious smile reaching her lips. I stared at her, not saying anything. Just staring. My cheek was throbbing, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.
   She wrapped her arms around herself and looked at the ground. When she glanced back up, she met her eyes with mine and immediantly looked away. I noticed her cheeks turning a scarlet red, she was blushing. Why did I have to make things so awkward?
   I looked around, hearing Hotch somewhere down the hallway and around the corner. It was just us out here. I gently grabbed her hand, I don't know why. I was glad that we were the only two out here. Her eyes trailed my face, examining. I was startled when I saw tears in her eyes and the grip on my hand tightened.

"I don't like crying in front of people Reid. Crying shows weakness, and it only causes more problems. I don't like feeling weak, please don't think I am."

   I nodded, giving her hand a squeeze. She scooted close to me, cautiously laying her head on my shoulder. I looked down at our hands, hearing her quiet breathing. She pulled her hand away, only to intertwine them with my fingers. The feeling was unfamiliar, but I liked it.
   We were both staring at our hands, my thumb absentmindedly running against the back of her hand. We stayed like that for a free minutes until she sat up straight and turned to me. I looked up after a few seconds, instantly caught off guard. She softly pressed her lips on mine, without any warning.
  Slowly, I deepened the kiss. Our hands remained clasped. I used my free hand to caress her cheek, pulling her towards me as we kissed. My stomach was churning and my head seemed to be spinning. Everything that I was ever taught and learned, was screaming at me to stop. This wasn't professional, this wasn't okay, this wasn't ME.

"Im sorry...." Rachel whispered, pulling away from me.

   I felt my own face start to heat up as I shook my head and cleared my throat. I knew we had more to talk about, but I decided to ask them later as I heard heels walking down the hallway. I shot up and J.J rounded the corner and gave Rachel a warm smile.

"Rachel? Hotch wants to talk to you, down that hallway and to your left. Do you think you can make it down there?"

   She nodded and slowly but surely made her way down and vanished around the corner. J.J sat down next to me now, grinning at me.

"How's Rachel doing?" J.J asked.

"She is doing great actually. She remembers the team now, her dad, the situation. It's still a little blurry, I was going to fill her in on the details later."

   She noticed the mark on my cheek and asked if I was okay. I waved her off, giving her an embarrassed smile and rubbing the back of my neck.

"Oh, the mom didn't take too kindly to my words. Hey...is it okay if I ask you something?" I asked, looking away from her.

She looked at me curiously and nodded, waiting for me to go on.

"I know a person..who is..interested in someone else. This said person wants to try and start something with the other, but the consequences may not be worth it. What should..that person do?" 

"So, they haven't went on a date with this other person yet?" She asked.

   I looked at her in the corner of my eyes, her tone of voice. Her body language read that she knew what I was talking about. That's impossible, she couldn't possibly know.

"Well, are they worried about how others will think of them?"

   I shook my head once again and decided to look her in the eyes. I clasped my hands in front of me and smiled lightly.

"Not at all. I mean to them, that person is already the most beautif- I mean interesting person in the world. What they're worried about is that the other person will not like them later down the road."

"Well, Reid, it seems like your friend has quite the predicament on their hands. Honestly, you want the truth? You love who you want to love, meaning you should go in the direction they think they should go. Consequences or not, if that person wants to be with someone, nothing should stop them.
   You know, sometimes taking risks leads to the most wonderful of things. Look at me! The husband of my beautiful son was a detective on another BAU team. We were completely two different people when we met, and we still are now. I fell for him, though, I fell completely head over heels for that man. Now look at us, he's my husband and we have a son together. It was worth the risk and the fears and the consequences." I nodded, almost feeling relief in a way.
   J.J chuckled and patted my hand before standing up and heading towards the cafeteria for some more coffee. I was left along in the chair, waiting for Rachel to come back. She soon came around the corner, this time the woman who was held hostage and her baby followed behind.
   The baby was asleep in her mother's arm, slight burn marks covering her soft pink skin. The mother smiled brightly at Rachel before giving her a huge hug and walking out the exit. Rachel slowly walked over to me and smiled. I smiled back to her without hesitation.

"The baby is in good health and they both are able to go home today. I'm so glad that baby is okay, I would have never forgave myself if she wasn't. So..is my dad really gone?"

Her question threw me off guard, but I recovered and nodded slowly.

"He knew he wasn't going to make it out alive so he committed suicide by blowing the barn up with all of us still in it. He was determined to try and kill you with him. You're safe now, Rachel.
   He's gone now, he cant hurt you anymore."

   She nodded but I could see the tears welling up in her eyes and on the verge of spilling over. She turned away and wiped her eyes quickly, taking deep breaths. She had to take a few moments to compose herself.

"Its just hard to accept, you know? That the people you thought loved you..are finally gone. That they will never come back again. A father is supposed to love and support, not try to murder me. Pretty messed up, huh? Um..what happened to your father? If you don't mind me asking." She asked shyly, turning back to me and looking me in the eyes.

I shifted my weight and cleared my throat. It wasn't a very pleasant story. A story that I don't tend to share often. My father is part of my past that I'd like to keep hidden and locked away.

"My father was a...murderer and killed a young boy I used to be friends with when I was little."

   I heard her quiet intake of breath and her hand covered her mouth. I didn't look at her, crossing my legs and running a hand through my hair.

"No need to sympathize, it happened years ago. I didn't find out for a very long time, but I was the one who solved the case. So, I guess we both can relate on having dark pasts with our fathers. I never had a perfect family either."

"Hey Reid?"

"Hmm?" I answered to her.

   She looked down at the floor and twirled the IV tube in her small hands. She finally met my eyes but quickly looked back down again.

"How long does it take to close your eyes and finally not be able to see them?"

   I knew what she was talking about and heaved out a sigh. I gently grabbed her hand. It was so small compared to mine and I closed mine around hers. I knew exactly what she meant, and I couldn't fix it for her.

"After all these years I still don't know the answer."

   She groaned and laid the back of her head against the beige walls and closed her eyes. I pursed my lips, watching her rub her face and look over at me.

"Would you want to hang go to dinner with me? When everything settles down of course and your case is closed. This was horrible timing that I'm realizing now to ask you this. You can always say no, of course. Um.."

Impeccable timing, Reid, impeccable timing..