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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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.

"I..."

She opened and closed her mouth a couple times, at a loss for an answer.

"I don't think forgetting is an option."

That didn't quite answer the question, but it was true.

"A valid point. Time will fade the memories..."

Said the man with the eidetic memory, the man who forgot nothing, even if he wanted to. He would never forget how gentle she was with him, how she took care of him, how sweet her kisses were.

She didn't want to tell him how unlikely it was that she'd forget the time they'd spent together. And she definitely wasn't going to tell him she wasn't sure she wanted to forget. In the end, she shrugged.

"If you say so..."

He nodded, as if it were that simple, as if everything were settled now.

"I hope to be able to work with you while we're here, Beckett. I'm curious to see your approach to casework."

So that was it? Subject closed? She fumbled to catch up with his train of thought.

"Really? I mean, uh...you have casework?"

"Well," he sighed. "No. There seems to be a lack of murder here in Taxon..."

He paused, trying this on in his head before spitting it out.

"I kind of... miss it."

"I know what you mean."

She plopped down on the bed.

"I feel like I'm struggling here so much because I don't have a purpose. My job was my life back home. Now I'm lost."

"It was mine as well. Murder is one of the constants of life back home."

He sat back in the chair.

"I'm not sure what to do with myself either."

"I hate to wish for crime, but..."

She shrugged.

"I remember when you asked me about what I'd like to do with my life, besides being a wife and mother."

She hadn't meant to bring it back up, but there it was.

Spencer nodded. That had been another thing he'd wanted to talk about.

"You said you would want to be an attorney. Why are you a detective now and not an attorney?"

She sighed. She hadn't anticipated such a personal question, but she told herself that Spencer had no idea the kind of question he was asking.

"I started out in law school. But my mother was...killed, and the situation made me realize I wanted to catch criminals, instead of just putting them away after the fact."

There it was. Spencer remembered their conversation at the zoo and about how Kate's degree was in pre-law. He was sure something had been the impetus for the switch.

"How was she killed..... if you don't mind me asking."

She really did mind, actually. But Reid - Spencer - had been so good to her during the glitch, when a lesser man wouldn't have bothered. He deserved respect for that. And the truth.

"She was murdered. The police at the time said it was a botched robbery."

Spencer gazed at her. She had his full attention now.

"You don't believe that to be true?"

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