White Rabbit - A Criminal Minds Fic

Seven

"Wonderland."

Alice was fully aware of how ridiculous it sounded and she could feel the eyes of the other four people in the room upon her.

Ellen started to laugh, more of a mean cackle than anything.

Alice knew her sister resented the fact that Alice refused to tell her where she'd been for the years she'd been gone. She knew Ellen loved her deep down, but the woman had an odd way of showing it sometimes. The two sisters had never been close growing up, the age difference was too big for Ellen to want to play with Alice when she was a kid. When their parents had died and Alice was entrusted to her twenty three years old sisters care, they grown momentarily closer. But it hadn't lasted long. Ellen didn't have the time for her, she still didn't now. She was impatient and if she didn't get results straight away she could become awfully mean and scathing. Alice knew she'd only been allowed to stay with her sister for so long because of the guilt Ellen had felt.

"So your name is Alice, you have a tattoo of a rabbit and you claim to have been in Wonderland. And you expect me to believe that you weren't high on smack or whatever else for those four years."

"Ellie.... " Robert warned his wife, touching her arm lightly and glancing at the two agents who looked equally confused.

Alice finally placed the salt shaker down, screwing the lid back on.

"Look I know how it sounds. The whole thing sounds absurd. But I wasn't high. And it IS a place. I didn't choose the name, it's been there for years, since before I was even born. But my stupid ass name made me a target, made them think I was special."

"Who is they, Alice? We're going to need to know everything here." Spencer spoke to her carefully.

"I don't wanna talk about it, not here." She told him.

"Well we'll need you to come down to Quantico anyway." Agent Hotchner checked his cell which had just lit up, Alice hearing a beep coming from Spencers pocket as well.

"I'm not going anywhere now. It's after eight thirty."

"Eight thirty?" Spencer asked her, unsure as to why the time was important.

"Alice doesn't go out after eight thirty and she doesn't leave before six am." Robert told him, his wife rolling her eyes. The pair were obviously still very confused about what was happening. The two Agents were as well if they were being completely honest. But given the text Penelope had just sent the pair, they had a case. A big one. And this woman was key to it.

"Can I ask you why not?" Spencer looked at the woman sat to his right.

"Because we weren't allowed to leave the compound after eight thirty. It was the rules and they stuck. It stuck, okay."

Compound. A place called Wonderland. Reid needed more.

"Okay Alice. So we won't ask you to leave here today. We'll need you to come in tomorrow though. Can you do that?"

She smiled and look towards the back door "Sure. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll be there."

She was far too relaxed when she said that and Spencer knew exactly why. If they left her to her own devices, she wouldn't be turning up tomorrow. She'd run. Or worse.

"Dr Reid, can I talk to you in the hallway for a moment." Agent Hotchner spoke up and Reid nodded, following him out and closing the kitchen door behind him.

"Garcia has narrowed it down to 38 bodies, all discovered around the Bluedoves and all with some form of marking to the neck. She says only a few have actual tattoos but the rest were missing flesh there."

"38. Are we... are we investigating then?" Reid asked him.

"We have to. We don't have a case at the minute anyway and some of these, ARE our own cases, just shelved ones. We'll assemble the team first thing in the morning. And we need to know her story. From what she's said so far, it has to be some sort of cult. What kind, and who the leader is, are the questions we need answers to. "

"Hotch, you saw her to look to the door though. If we leave here tonight, I doubt we'll ever see her again."

Aaron nodded and opened the kitchen door, beckoning to Robert Manchester to join them.

"What can I help with?" He asked the two men.

"You encouraged Alice to hand that folder to Dr Reid. You believe her?" Aaron addressed him.

"She hasn't exactly told me much. But when she turned up again five years ago, she was terrified of something. She's come a long way since then, a very long way. She still has her little tics and ways but she's progressing. When she started collating the information in that folder, you could tell that she was scared again, frightened. I believe she has a reason for that."

"Okay. Robert, we'd like Dr Reid to spend the night here if that's alright. I'm worried that Alice may try to leave and not come to Quantico tomorrow otherwise and we need to know her story. Whatever went on at this 'Wonderland' place, we need to know why it's linked to these bodies. And right now, she's the only person who can help with that."

Spencer looked at his boss, surprised at his suggestion that he spend the night.

"Thats fine with myself and I'll make it fine with Ellen. Whatever help we can be Agents."

Aaron turned to Spencer. "She seems to trust you. Perhaps because your not that much older than her, I don't know. But you've got a connection. We need to use that connection. I'll have a car come and pick you both up tomorrow morning."

"Yes Sir."

The three men entered the kitchen, Robert going over to his wife again.

"Sweetie, Dr Reid is going to spend the night to make sure Alice is okay."

"Alice is fine." Both sisters spoke at once, Alice referring to herself in the third person and narrowing her eyes at Spencer. They'd foiled her plan and she knew it.

"Alice, we know you're scared. And we know you don't want to talk to us. But you bought us this case so we're going to need you to. Dr Reid will remain here overnight and will accompany you to Quantico tomorrow. We'd like both of you to come as well." Hotch spoke to Ellen and Robert, them both nodding.

"Before I head back to headquarters, can you give me a name Alice. Whoever was in charge of this place you were at."

"If I give you a name will you leave me alone for today. I'm tired and I have a headache, I just want to sleep. I'm not gonna run, I promise. I'll help. But you have to keep me safe."

"We'll keep you safe, we promise." Reid spoke to her quietly.

"Do you have a gun?" She asked him.

"Yes. It's in my bag, I just wasn't wearing it when I was lecturing. I didn't need to."

"Good. Fine. His name as Lewis. And hers was Marnie."

Spencer had heard those names before, quickly sifting through the masses of information stored in his brain.

"Marnie Goldstein?" He asked her.

"I don't know her last name. They were just Lewis and Marnie to everyone."

He glanced at Hotch seeing that he'd recognised the names too.

"It has to be. I always suspected something would come of them, their story was just too strange." Hotch commented.

"You're telling me." Came Alices reply.

"Alright. I'm going to head back. Reid, I'll text you details of the pick up tomorrow morning. I'll have the team briefed by the time you get in. Alice, once again. I promise you that we will keep you safe."

She didn't respond to Hotch this time and just looked directly at Dr Reid.

"Promise?"

"Promise."