taxonomites | Case #3 [Visual | Location: Shelley]

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Case #3 [Visual | Location: Shelley]

Kate had been pacing in her room since she recovered from the glitch, trying to determine how to best address the situation. She was pretty mortified by her actions, especially with her "family." She wasn't sure how to act around Reid at all, not to mention the way she'd completely mothered River and Ax. Finally, Kate turned on the tablet, then cleared her throat and took a deep breath before she spoke.

"So, uh...I realize now that I was glitched. Needless to say, I had no idea what was going on, though it seems like I was only one of a few who didn't...you know what, that doesn't even matter.

I just...I want to say thank you to everyone who knew about the glitch and showed me kindness. Especially Spe-Reid, River, and Ax. I...just thank you."

Kate buried her face in her hands.

"I kind of wish I didn't remember everything that happened."

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"Hey.. uh.. Beckett..."

Spencer stood there like a deer in headlights. Why in the world had he done this? Did he actually have anything planned to say to her? He had to admit though, he was much more comfortable being able to call her Beckett again.

"So.. um.. I... saw your broadcast over the tablet."

Brilliant. So did most of Taxon, Spencer.

"Yeah? Come on in."

She gestured for him to enter the room. She pulled the desk chair out for him to sit, then sat on the bed a couple feet from him.

"I guess we should probably talk, huh."

Way to state the obvious, Beckett.

Spencer sat uncomfortably.

"Y-Yeah... we should..."

He looked everywhere but at her eyes. Knocking on her door had been a stupid idea.

She waited for Reid to say something, but when he didn't, she sighed and spoke.

"It was really decent of you. I mean, when you wouldn't..."

She made a vague gesture with her hand, an attempt to say when you wouldn't sleep with glitched me even when I asked you to.

"Thank you."

"Yeah. I.. um.. I couldn't."

Couldn't wasn't the same as not wanting to. Truthfully he didn't want to. Well. Perhaps. No. No, no, no. This was dangerous. Every time Spencer allowed an emotion to peek through, he carefully tucked it back away so as not to get stomped on.

They sat there silently, looking anywhere but at each other, when Kate spoke again.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Oh, um, y-yeah, sure you can ask me... s-something..."

Somehow this was growing increasingly more awkward rather than less. He bit his lip and picked at his fingernails - anything to keep from looking at Kate.

She couldn't get Reid to make eye contact, so she touched his knee gently.

"Why did you go along with everything? Why try to reassure me?"

Spencer jumped when she touched him, embarrassed at the spasm that went through him. His cheeks flushed.

"I.. uh.. I felt.. compelled. We all did. Something innately told us that we had to keep going."

Spencer paused, unsure if he should mention this.

"It was hard to um... to um..."

The right words weren't coming.

Kate leaned in, waiting for Reid to finish. She didn't even realize she still had her hand on his leg.

"Hard to what?"

Spencer shifted uncomfortably. Maybe if he moved just right, her hand would accidentally slip off.

"Hard to.. keep coming up with.. excuses.. as to why we couldn't... you were my w-wife..."

The word tasted wrong in his mouth.

Oh. Ohhh.

She was thankful that she didn't blush easily, otherwise she'd have been bright red.

"Well, I...I was pretty insistent. I was convinced you didn't find me attractive anymore."

Spencer looked up at that.

"Anymore?"

No, this wasn't going to work. Spencer was going to talk to her like he talked to the victims he came in contact with back home. He swallowed hard as he packed his emotions away and turned his cognitions up.

"Yes, well, I didn't think it would be right to have intercourse with you without your consent. If I were to relent, it would have only been, of course, to maintain the illusion."

"Illusion. Of course."

She moved back, away from him. She was never going to admit how much the comment stung.

"In my head, we had this life together. We were happy, in love...I had all these memories of us, married. I can still remember it. It's messing with my head."

Spencer took a deep breath. He could get through this.

"That's normal. The memories are still fresh. In time, they'll fade."

And yet, part of it still poked through. It wouldn't stay in its container. He spoke softly.

"You were.. very good to me."

She covered her face, giving an embarrassed laugh.

"I was very much into the wife and mother role. It was a bit different from how I normally am. Kind of like...how I would be if I'd let myself."

She was quiet for a moment.

"It was nice, though. Parts of it. We had some fun, right?"

"I never pictured you like that, Beckett. That's very insightful of you to know."

He paused, debating how much he wished to reveal.

"We did. We were very comfortable..."

"We were. Eerily comfortable. Like it had always been that way..."

She got up and paced across the room.

"I can't stop thinking about it..."

He watched her move back and forth.

"That was the nature of the glitch, to make everything seem normal, to make you imagine that things are one way when they're actually not."

"It's messing with my head, Spencer."

She kept pacing, completely oblivious to the use of his first name. After a while, she stopped in front of him.

"I don't want things to be...weird...with us."

Spencer gazed up at her.

"It doesn't have to be weird if we don't act as such, Beckett. Reality is very much what you make of it."

Sure, turn it off completely. Spencer didn't realize that not everyone could do that like he could.

Kate stared at him, jaw dropped.

"Reality is very much what you make of it? What does that even mean?"

Spencer took a deep breath.

"Humans have the power to create their own destiny and thus their own reality. It's an idea called free will, which was championed by John Locke, who in turn inspired America's Founding Fathers in the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution."

Kate huffed.

"Don't give me the dictionary definition, Reid. I know what free will is. What are you saying? That if we pretend like nothing happened, we'll eventually act as if nothing happened?"

Spencer blinked. He hadn't expected so harsh of a response.

"Yes."

Spencer knew that wouldn't be good enough of an answer. Instead, he turned it back on her.

"Would you not prefer to forget?"

It had been nice, but it wasn't real. There wasn't any sense dwelling on it.

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