Dark Academia- Spencer Reid

Chapter 16

A.n - thank you all so much for 1.1K reads.  When I started I never even thought I would have 5 readers, let alone 1,000.  so thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I also wanted to add that I'm not following a specific timeline, rather just incorporating parts of the show that I feel would fit well within the story.  Enjoy!

The whole house was woken up by screaming that could scare the most sadistic of villains. Everyone sprinted out of their respective rooms to see what was going on, only to find Spencer standing with his pointer finger over his lips, leaving Zena to thrash and wail in her sleep.

"If we wake her up from her nightmare it could take her several hours to go back to sleep, and when she finally does, she may relive the pain over again. We need to let it run its course," he said. Though no one else could see it, Diana saw a single tear slip out of her son's eye and cascade down his cheek. She placed a comforting hand on his back and smiled up at him, reassuring him that he was doing a great job at taking care of her. "I suggest everyone goes back to their rooms, that way when she wakes up she isn't overwhelmed by the amount of people crowded over her."

"This is why you're the genius," Delilah said ruffling his already messy hair heading back to her room, everyone else following in suit. Spencer stayed where he was watching over Zena, observing Pavlov's response to her screaming. He never once barked or whimpered, rather he curled himself up tight under her arm and stayed put. Spencer padded over to the kitchen to get a treat for Pavlov, the poor pup had no idea how much he was helping and needed to be rewarded.

A few minutes later Zena woke up in a panic. Her shirt was clinging to her body, drenched in sweat, heart thumping so hard she thought it was going to stop, and watering eyes. When Spencer finally realized that she was awake he slowly approached her, unsure of how to handle the situation. However, when he saw her arms stretched outward in his direction he scooped her into a big hug, rubbing circular patterns on her back while she cried into the crook of his neck. "Th-ey were gonna ki-ki-ll you," she stuttered trying to talk through her dream. "I thought th-at I wasn't going to have nig-htmares. But it felt so real."

Spencer worked with people who have undergone the same trauma she had, but it was suddenly so different when it was the person you loved. "I know baby, I am so sorry. Come, here I'll read to you. What's the next book on the list?" After consulting the list, Zena snuggled into Spencer's side as he began to read to her. Little did the couple know, Diana was watching them from the staircase a proud smile playing on her lips, admiring how well they worked together. She raised an incredible son, and he was so lucky to have a woman as incredible as him. After seeing the two dose off after three chapters of "The book of Margery Kemp," she decided to make her way back to bed, her smile never once leaving her face.

Two weeks had come and gone, and Zena had fully recovered. Thanks to Delilah, Spencer could work and still have someone at the house with Zena just incase there was an emergency. Unfortunately it was time for Delilah to go home and live her life again. "Thank you for everything, D. I couldn't have recovered without you. I love you," Zena said giving her best friend one last hug before Delilah walked into the airport. "No need to thank me crazy lady, no more getting kidnapped though," she said laughing.

It was an odd feeling for the house to be empty. After two full weeks of nonstop company, it didn't feel normal to be alone. She carried on with her normal tasks and began to cook dinner for her and Spencer. Him being on a local case was ideal for the couple, because it meant that she would see him at some point during the night. She truly looked forward to seeing her fiancé for a late dinner and for Spencer- a quick nap before he had to head back to work.