maniac. | spencer reid

| seventeen |

GRACEN.
—

"we're gonna have children one day, gracen."

gracen giggled in a daze, a feeling of euphoria overcoming her. "i'd love to have children. i love kids."

"really?" he came around the corner. gracen's calmness was replaced with horror. that same man—the blank faced one, the one who's head with just replaced with a smooth ball of nothingness, appeared. it was ben. gracen knew for sure now, she just still couldn't make out his face.

"no." gracen gritted her teeth. "not with you. you could never raise a child."

"yes, i can." the man neared, and gracen's breath hitched in her throat. "we can."

gracen jones let out a curdling scream as the man pulled out a sharp, glinting blade.

"stop moving, or i'll punish you for being a bad girl." ben said, pinning her down the mattress. gracen shrieked, kicking and screaming until he cut her with the knife. blood ran down her arm like a stream of water.

"get off of me! GET OFF OF ME!"

ben's dirty, calloused hands roamed on her body and gracen felt the urge to throw up. she wanted to die, she wanted to just end this nightmare already.

tears streamed down gracen's cheeks, she was still screaming, punching, and kicking at the air. "please." the girl managed to croak out. "help—HELP—"

"gracen!"

gracen could hear it—she could hear his voice. it was faint, but it was there. focus on it. focus on him. she thought to herself.

"gracen!!! you're not there, you're here." two hands started shaking her shoulders. "wake up. please."

her breathing narrowed, her dry throat forming a lump as she struggled to open her eyes, tears still pouring out of them. "oh my god." she croaked out, spencer's face finally focusing into view. "oh my god."

"it's okay." he pulled her into his embrace, rubbing his hand up and down on her back as he let out a shaky breath. "geez, you scared me."

"he touched me. he touched me, spencer." gracen whispered weakly, shuddering at the memory. she didn't know if this nightmare was a flashback or not. she didn't want to know.

"...gracen, i'm so sorry." spencer mumbled into her hair. the man didn't have any other words, he felt like there wasn't anything he could say—or do—to help this girl. spencer reid wanted to help gracen, so badly. he just wanted to see her happy. god, when gracen smiled it felt like the whole world around him stopped.

he wished he could only see that smile, but that would be selfish of him.

gracen set there, sobbing hysterically into his shoulder, as they sat there on the couch. by now, the show they were watching had finished a long time ago and it was pitch black outside, indicating it was long into the night. spencer found himself wishing he could stay like this forever.

when it came to gracen jones, he wished many things could happen.

"are you okay?" he asked, when he felt her face lift off his shoulder and her hands loosing their grip on his shirt. gracen looked up at him with terrified eyes, her face stained with tears.