╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

Featuring Kelley Curran

as Ashley Rockwell

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The cafe was closed. Weighed down by her suitcase and the single minded desire to find her sister, Jet felt frustration settling deep in her chest. She tried not to panic, she really did, but when no one was answering her calls, and the unmistakable Sorry, we're closed sign was the only thing to greet her arrival back home, it was difficult to maintain her wits.

Where are you? I just got back. She sent two texts to Leni and Melissa for the fourth time, trying to keep her fingers from shaking. There's no scent of honey now, but she wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one. Did this mean Leni was safe?

Jet hoped, with all the magic she could muster, that this was the case. She didn't care about anything else, just that Leni was safe and healthy. Once that was confirmed, then she would worry about how to help them fix this mess.

"Bridget?"

Jet whipped her head to the source of the sound so fast she heard her neck crack. She winced, and she's unsure if it's because of the crack, or because Ashley Rockwell's face came into view, smiling in such a condescending way that Jet could feel hives go up and down her arms.

"Ashley," Jet forced a smile, "Hi."

"Oh, wow, it really is you! Long time no see," the brunette stepped closer, an arm raising as if to reach for Jet, before the weight of their past seemed to drag it back down, reminding her she's not allowed to do that anymore. It dropped back to her side awkwardly.

The silence stretched on.

Jet let it.

"You look good," Ashley tried again.

Unshowered and disheveled from almost seven hours of traveling without her own car, Jet knew she was far from looking good. She snorted, "You're still a bad liar, Ash." It seemed like some things never changed, not in this town.

"Yes, well..." Ashley trailed off, glancing at the cafe. She perked up, finding another thing to latch onto, "You've heard the news, huh? Is that why you're here?"

Jet wasn't in the mood to discuss the news with people, especially not with Ashley Rockwell who looked a little too pleased about Blue Moon Cafe being closed. She didn't owe anyone an explanation. Still, this might be her one chance to actually learn something, and maybe find out where Leni and Melissa went.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're thriving because of all this scandal." Jet replied, turning pointedly at the newer building right across the street, where Ashley's own cafe stood, proud and shiny. "People dying from your business rival's coffee."

Jet knew that was morbid and, judging by the disturbed expression that settled upon Ashley's face, perhaps even below the belt.

"That's inappropriate," Ashley said, crossing her arms, "You shouldn't speak that way when people- well, you know."

Defensive, Jet thought, but warranted. Her statement was quite aggressive, Jet can admit to that.

"I'm sorry," Jet backtracked, "I'm just frustrated; I haven't really slept, and neither Leni nor Melissa are replying to my messages, and then I find their cafe closed for the day."

There's also the fact that I've been dreaming of this man, who may or may not be my hallucination, but that's beside the point. Jet knew she already had a reputation for being abrasive and solitary in her hometown, she didn't need weird to be added to that unflattering list.

Ashley frowned, and Jet could feel the appraising look burning against her skin. Finally, Ashley sighed.

"Last I heard, they were asked to come into the police station."

Jet almost wished the woman hadn't spoken. Almost.

"The police station?" Jet repeated, her mind whirring with possibilities. It should be all right, this is just part of the procedure. Both Mel and Leni were persons of interest, after all. She went through everything she knew about the murders, enumerating the facts in her head in an attempt to calm herself.

There had been three deaths, from what Jet had read from the news articles she had found. All of them with a different cause-one had been strangled, two with their throats slit. The bodies had been found in their houses, and Jet had recognized one of them. A man, a couple of years older than her-they had gone to the same high school, and he had been on the football team.

There had been a couple of weeks in between each death, which, paired with the different causes of death, made the police conclude that they needed outside help. There was no discernable pattern to the deaths, but the one thing that the victims had in common was the fact that they were all regulars to Blue Moon Cafe.

The cafe Leni worked at, the cafe she wanted to co-own.

The cafe which was currently closed, because, apparently, both Leni and Melissa were at the station, being questioned.

It's just part of the procedure, she repeated over and over. They're persons of interest, of course they're being questioned. Still, she couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that kept squeezing at her chest, cutting off her airflow.

"Yeah, a bunch of guys flew in this morning. Apparently, the FBI's getting involved." Ashley replied.

She wasn't sure if she heard that right. The FBI?

Jet closed her eyes, trying to take deeper breaths. She bit her lip as the scent of honey invaded her nose again, saccharine and unpleasant. Why on earth was the FBI involved? What was happening? And why did the cafe have to be in the middle of it?

She must have turned pale, because she could feel Ashley's hand closing around her arm.

"Hey, Bridget, easy."

"I'm fine," Jet stepped away, gently shrugging off the other woman's hand, "I'm fine, I just-I need to get to the station."

"You should probably sit-"

"I'm fine," Jet cut off, holding up her hand, "I promise. Thank you for letting me know where they are."

And then she's speed walking to the police station, hauling her heavy suitcase with her. She's grateful for all of her time in New York, walking through the streets and weaving in and out of crowds, because it allowed her to retreat into her body and refocus her energy. Jet just had to get to the station and find Leni.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Spencer Reid rubbed at his eyes until black spots danced across his vision. This new case was difficult-not particularly gruesome, but it was one of those cases that seemed so random. He blinked until the spots cleared up, and stared at the board before him, trying to decipher the geographic profile.

Victimology had been all over the place. Two men in their 30s, and one woman in her late 20s, all of varying ethnicities and backgrounds. He hoped that the map, something visual and solid, could help reveal something about this unsub. He looked at the victims' houses, all spread out across the small town, measuring and calculating distances between each house and the Blue Moon Cafe, which was located right in the heart of downtown.

He came up empty. He sighed as his hand came up to his eyes again, rubbing them in an attempt to ground himself.

It didn't help that his mind was preoccupied.

With memories of her. Sharp and vivid, she had appeared in his dreams when he had fallen asleep on the jet ride here. It had been so surprising that he'd woken with a start, earning surprised looks from Luke and JJ, to which he had responded with a sheepish smile.

She was beautiful, he knew that. Not that he was vain. Not that he privileged appearances over values and personality, but oh she was so beautiful. He woke up, and wondered why she suddenly became so clear.

He wanted to know her name, wanted to find her. It was like an itch that refused to leave, until he scratched his skin raw.

He needed to find her.

But no, he had a job to do and he had to focus.

"Tara and Rossi are coming back from the coroner's office," Emily's voice drifted through the space, cutting through his thoughts, "The lacerations were uneven and jagged. The unsub is inexperienced, as we initially suggested."

Spencer inclined his head to show he was listening.

"JJ and Luke are just about done with the cafe owners' interviews." Emily continued, "They both seem to be planning to go on a vacation to Paris because they actually did kill their customers and this is all one elaborate ruse."

At that, Spencer looked up. He was met with Emily's sharp gaze, eyebrows raised in concern.

"Ah, good, so you are listening." she deadpanned.

"Of course I was."

"Reid."

"The geographic profile is done, but it's not really telling us anything helpful at the moment."

"Will you tell me what's wrong?" Emily's voice had taken that softer, almost pleading tone that immediately made him pause.

"Nothing's wrong." Even he was unconvinced by his own words.

Emily pressed her lips in a tight line, and Spencer fought the urge to wince. He knew she could see right through him.

"You know you can take a break, right?" Emily started, her voice gentle and barely audible, "That injury was no joke."

He almost sighed with relief. She didn't suspect anything, although her line of thought was alarmingly close. The dreams did seem to be an effect of that bomb going off, the sustained trauma manifesting into something quite surreal and unexplainable.

But he also wasn't sure if he wanted to take a break; a break meant more time to think about her. More time to try and find the mysterious woman from his dreams, the woman he thought existed in real life based on what-a feeling?

No, he didn't want the break.

Emily must have taken his silence as confirmation, because she walked closer to him. "Spencer,"

Oh no, not that.

"I'm all right, Em. Really. You don't-"

The words died on his lips as Luke stepped into the conference room, running his hands through his hair.

"Melissa Santos has a solid alibi," he said, nodding at both Emily and Spencer, "She even closed the coffee shop today out of respect for the victims."

Spencer nodded in return, grateful for the distraction. He ignored the suspicious look that Emily gave him, before she turned to Luke.

"And Lenore Clarke?" Emily prompted.

"JJ's still working on her," Luke said, walking to the glass windows. He hooks two fingers through the blinds that keep them secluded from the rest of the police station and tugs them down, "Apparently, her sister just came in."

Emily followed him, looking through the window, "Her sister? The one Garcia said was in New York?"

"Yeah. Came all the way from the city just now, according to some of the officers."

Spencer wandered over to them, hands fiddling with a pen, "How's any of that relevant?"

Luke paused, stepping away from the window. "Not necessarily relevant, but apparently, they have some sort of reputation around here. The older one, more than Lenore."

"Well, it's a pretty small town. Everyone knows everyone else's business." Emily shrugged, still peeking through the window, "Is that the sister?"

At that, Spencer's curiosity became too much to ignore. He leaned down, peering over Emily's shoulder. From here, he could see Lenore Clarke following JJ and one of the officers across the station. He followed the way Emily was angled, turning his head to the left to catch a glimpse of the sister in question, just as Luke spoke the confirmation.

"Yeah, the blonde one. Her name's Bridget."

Bridget.

Spencer swore his heart stopped beating.

Everything felt cold. The world was a hazy blur, as his vision zeroed in on the woman decked in a pastel pink sweater. Just like she said in his dreams. Luke and Emily's conversation became a muffled sort of noise in the background as memories of her voice took over his brain.

Her.

Right there, with her honey colored hair held back by a dainty pink bow at the nape of her neck, running to meet Lenore Clarke halfway. He knew it. He knew she was real. Even though every ounce of logic in his body told him he was being delusional, some deep, primal, inexplicable part of him just knew.

The woman from his dreams. She was right there.

And now he had a name to put to her face. Bridget.

Bridget Clarke.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Notes:

So, I lied in my last author's note lol, there's one more chapter after this, and then that's the end of act one! I couldn't resist the cliff hanger lol sorry; in other news, I'm already writing the next chapter so yay!

Please leave a comment and vote, they seriously help with motivation to write <3 Thank you so much for reading.