Retribution, A Spencer Reid/Criminal Minds Fanfic

Chapter 60. In Flight

“Get him up.” Rossi’s voice was rough with concern and self-recrimination.

I should have known he’d do something like this. Big, dumb, stupid, loveable, idiotic, brave, moronic, selfless… He couldn’t continue berating Hotch, even in his own thoughts. He was too worried, and too scared. And feeling rather isolated.

Everyone knew Reid’s daughter was at risk. No one knew it was Rossi’s son who had just endangered himself.

xxxxxxx

Melinda was frightened. This place wasn’t warm and bright like the space she was used to. And when she was taken out of what she would later learn to call ‘home,’ there had always been the alternative warmth and security of Partly Her’s arms. But Partly Her was somewhere else and behaving like someone else. Panicked and drugged and hurting. And struggling. And it hurt. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt to get too close to Partly Her right now.

Little Melinda vaguely remembered The Power. He had tried to instill in her a respect for Beautiful Him’s sanctity, for his need to be left alone. And at the same time, something new had appeared around Beautiful Him. Even when she tested for Beautiful Him’s presence, there had been a blocking. She couldn’t touch that perfect place so easily anymore. It slowed her every time she tried just long enough for her to remember The Power’s warnings. If you love him, leave him alone. Leave him. Alone. Alone. Alone.

But Alone was such a terrible thing!

Melinda didn’t want to be alone. She couldn’t understand how it could be a good thing for anyone.

She tried reaching out to the Not Us again. But it was intolerable. In her first conscious demonstration of endurance, Melinda tried to look deeper in spite of the discomfort. It became worse than intolerable. Not only was the image of Beautiful Him twisted and warped into a lie, but she saw Partly Him and Partly Her as well. The images were all wrong. All bad. There was no comfort to be found in Not Us.

The images were wrong, wrong, wrong…

In desperation, she sent her psychic tendrils streaming outward, powered by fear and tears. And then…

…far, far away, almost beyond reach, she found Partly Him. It was faint and her heart sank when she realized whatever was making Partly Her hard to be around, had also gripped Partly Him. Melinda wailed and was about to give up and return to the chilly, bad place where Not Us was staring at her and laughing, when…

…Find me…Find me…little one…loved one…Find…me…

It wasn’t the words that enticed her. It was the curiously familiar mixture of energy and desire.

It was…beautiful. Beautiful Him! Calling for her as she’d known he would someday.

Someday was now.

With gratitude and love, and all the terror and grief her young soul could contain, Melinda slammed into Beautiful Him. She clung to him and poured out her heart.

And even though some of the same bad thing transforming Partly Him and Partly Her lingered there, there were also streams of energy that were pure and untouched by the bad thing…echoes of the Partly Him and Partly Her from before the bad thing had happened, that Melinda knew and recognized and loved. At long last she could touch Beautiful Him, and it felt so, so, so, good, good, good…

xxxxxxx

Morgan and Rossi laid Hotch out on the longest banquette in the cabin.

He was narrow enough so Rossi could sit beside him, leaning over him, debating whether a smack or a hug was in order. He settled for thumbing away the tears leaking out of the corners of the Unit Chief’s eyes.