Psychosis

Chapter 32- Well, Better Late Than Never

Isabel was strapped down to the table, unable to move even her head. She knew her partner was near, but at this moment, she didn't know exactly where. She continued to look up, not wanting to close her eyes out of fear that something would happen if she did. Suddenly, the table began to move forward, but Isabel couldn't make out who, or what, was moving it. Her friend was warning her that she was not going to a good place and that she needed to escape, but Isabel was already strapped in, without a way to escape. She simply kept her eyes open so that she could know what was coming before it came. She was placed in a metal tube of some sort, and then suddenly, everything went completely dark. As she waiting in suspense for something to happen, she could only say one thing.

"Hello, darkness, my old friend."

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Reid sat in his hotel room, looking out the window. The details of the case were spread out before him, and he was trying his best to put together the missing puzzle pieces of the case. They were in Columbus, Ohio, dealing with a strangler that liked his redheads. As soon as that detail was learned, everyone had looked over at Akilah, who had just shrugged it off with some sassy remark. She was always being sassy, even when the situation didn't exactly call for it. Reid sighed and glanced back down at the pictures and reports before him, wondering if even Ciara could figure out this puzzle. He thought a little bit more about the brunette, a small smile crossing his lips. They had continued their Saturday meetings after they had been abducted by Lucas McCoy, and throughout the months that they had done them, Reid had seen the changes in Ciara. She had come out of her shell. She wasn't the scared little human she used to be.

Well, that's not exactly true, is it? A voice inside Reid's head reminded him, and Reid sighed at the thought. Before the abduction, the difference in Ciara had been undeniable. She wasn't as afraid to speak her mind, and she didn't jump at every little thing, and she didn't doubt herself quite as often anymore. She still didn't allow eye or human contact, but Reid could tell they were getting there. Until they were abducted. The abduction had obliterated all progress they had made, and they were back to square one with Ciara. Reid put away the details of the case, knowing that once he let his mind drift to Ciara, he wasn't getting it back on the case. He couldn't explain it, but Ciara... well, even he didn't understand what she did to him. He found himself thinking about her more frequently, and he was constantly searching for ways to make her smile and laugh. He had heard her laugh once. He knew he could get her to do it again.

As he continued to think, he realized with a start that there was to be a Christmas celebration that weekend, even though it was the middle of January, and he had absolutely nothing to give her as a gift. Of course, the BAU had meant to get together to celebrate Christmas when it was the actual day, but then life got in the way. They had been called to case after case pretty much back to back, and the one day they got for Christmas that year, they had decided to spend it with their families. They had planned to do it around New Year's, but then Ciara had to go to the doctor. They had done test after test on her to make sure that her seizure wasn't going to have any long-term effects, and finally, they had decided she was okay. And now, finally, the BAU was having a Christmas celebration. Well, better late than never. However, Reid still didn't have a present for Ciara. He had one for everyone else, but he was at a loss of what to get for Ciara.

He remembered that on the plane after the Los Angeles case she had mentioned that CDs or vinyls were a good go-to for her. The only problem was, he had somehow forgotten the list of bands that she liked except for a few, and he didn't know which CDs and vinyls she already had. He didn't want to get her a copy of something she already owned. He grabbed a notepad and wrote down everything he could remember, which was only one band and absolutely none of the CDs. He remembered Panic! At The Disco because of her earbuds. He couldn't remember anything else. The one time his eidetic memory had failed. Finally, he realized that Akilah would probably know all of this. He took his notepad with him so that he could write whatever she had to say down, and went over to Akilah's room, knocking hesitantly. She was at the door instantly.