Sincerity - Criminal Minds || Spencer Reid Fanfiction

32. Storytime

"If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all." ― Oscar Wilde.

The Father

The explosion reverberated back to Stew and I, and we shared worried, fearful expressions.

"He's not going to leave her, not now." Stew said, referring to Jason as we made our way along the hallway towards the man sobbing and swearing, rocking Emily in his arms.

"Jason," I said, clearing my throat gently. "Jason, it's no use, we have to keep going."

"No!" He yelled. "I need to find that bastard. What's her name? Dylan? She did this, I need to find her."
"Jason, you're angry, you're upset, if you go after her now, she'll use that against you."

"I don't care!" He spat, looking up at me with tears smudging the bloodstains on his cheeks. His hands were red with Emily's blood, her body limp and lifeless against him.

I shuddered and looked away, feeling sick.

"She agreed to marry me," He choked, a sob raking his throat. "We were going to spend the rest of our lives together,"

I winced.

Why did people fall in love in the middle of war? Why promise themselves a life they could never hope to lead?

I guess that was the beauty of love... It made you feel powerful and alive. What better place for those emotions than in a war zone where death and weakness prevailed?

"There's no pointing in living a life without her. Dylan can kill me for all she wants. But if she tries, I'm taking her with me."

He sniffed and rubbed the back of his bloody hand over his snotty nose and cried as he laid Emily down on the floor.

"We'll come back for her, I promise." I told him as he moved onto his knees to kneel by her side.

Stew and I continued down to the end of the corridor to give Jason some privacy.

A few moments later, he joined us, cocking his gun.

"Let's go." He said, cracking his neck.

I sighed and followed him further along the corridor, which broke out into a landing that overlooked a small lobby beneath us.

There were no bannisters at the edgings of the landing, and the stairs were blown to pieces.

"What the hell happened here..." Stew mumbled as we walked to the edge of the landing and looked over, seeing nothing but the rubble of broken doors, marble, wood and glass.

"They must've bombed here." Jason shrugged absentmindedly, his eyes staring glassily down into the bomb site beneath us.

I realised then, as the dust and smoke were beginning to settle, that there was blood everywhere.

I could smell it, too. The coppery iron heat of blood was everywhere. Of course, we could smell smoke and fire and gunpowder, too. But mainly blood.

My heart squeezed and my stomach dropped.

"Melanie..." I mumbled, and the two men turned to me in confusion.

"Melanie!" I called out, realising that of course, she'd be down there.

I looked down frantically into the pit beneath us, desperate for a sign of life.

A hand protruded from the rubble and I gulped, trying to find it's owner. It took me a while before I realised that it had no owner...