"What if they disown me?" I reached out to ring the buzzer to Issac's apartment, instantly feeling a wave of anxiety rush over me.

After our little rendezvous at home, Reid and I made quick work of getting ready, showering together to save on time. Once finished, we rushed around the bedroom like a pair of tornados, rummaging through piles of fabric until we found appropriate outfits, threw them on, and rushed over.

"They're not gonna disown you," Reid responded. When we got no response from upstairs he raised his brow in my direction and pushed the button again.

I let out a sigh and reached for it a third time, giving it an aggressive set of clicks, which Reid immediately put a stop to. He furrowed his brow in my direction and grabbed my hand, pulling it down towards our sides as he rolled his eyes. I rolled mine back and pushed my hair aside.

When the buzzer finally sounded off, both he and I reached for the door, our hands smacking against each other lightly. As they did I felt my heart rack against my chest, causing me to retract and mutter a quiet apology. In response, Reid chuckled and ran his thumb along the hand he was already holding, using the other to prop open the door and motion me inside.

Together, we walked up the stairs, nervously fidgeting with each other's fingers as we got closer and closer to the door. While it hadn't been that long since my last encounter in the building, the suddenly familiarity sent a shiver up my spine. When we got to Issac's floor I glanced down the hall at one of the doors, instantly remembering how unsafe I felt the last time I was here. At that point, I stopped in my tracks, feeling my throat tighten with anxiety.

Reid moved into my line of vision, flashing me a warm smile as he took my face in his hands and pulled me in for a kiss. "You're okay. He's not here anymore."

While I knew he was right I still couldn't shake the feeling I was being watched. I glanced over his shoulder and let out a sigh, feeling his palms move to my shoulders and gripping them tightly. "You're okay," he repeated.

I looked back in his direction, giving him a small nod. It'd been a while since Kane had crossed my mind and while normally I could block it out, right now my usual tactics weren't working. As I stared at the doorway behind Reid all I could think about was how violated I truly felt. How unsafe I was during those moments alone in the warehouse. For so long I kept those feelings inside, pushing them away to the back of my mind like a treasure chest of scorn memories. I never wanted to feel like that ever again.

Reid pulled me into him, resting his hand on the back of my head. Quietly, he repeated his words again, telling me that I was okay and that nobody was going to hurt me. I knew deep down he was telling the truth. Kane was obviously dead; I'd seen it all happen. Despite that though, I couldn't help, but let my mind wander to what Morgan had said. Was I ready to come back? And if so, what would I do different to prevent the same thing from happening? To be honest, I didn't know.

When I moved away from Reid's chest I wiped my face, letting out a shaky breath once I realized I'd be crying. In embarrassment I rolled my eyes and groaned. "Sorry, I don't know what my brain is doing."

"It's processing it's environment," Reid responded with a shrug. He moved his hands back to my face and stepped forward, pressing his forehead against mine. "Even if you don't believe it, your mind obviously remembers the trauma that happened here."

I frowned and wiped my eyes again. "Stupid brain."

Reid let out a small chuckle, shaking his head in my direction. "Your brain is most definitely not stupid." He kissed my forehead and pulled away, giving my face a quick scan, before offering me another smile.

I pulled him in for another hug, sighing into his chest as I tightened my grip.

For a while we stood like that, gripping onto one another tightly as we breathed each other in. It was moments like these where I was so thankful for his patience. Unlike him, I was always quick to toss away my feelings; deeming myself unworthy of normal human emotions. I didn't feel myself when I cried and often times when I did, I'd instantly become frustrated. Like the genius profiler he was, Reid figured that out pretty early. I remember the first time I cried in front of him I felt so vulnerable and stupid. I didn't want him to see that side of me, yet somehow he managed to push his way in regardless. I remember how pissed off and confused I felt. How could someone weak like me deserve the love and support from someone as strong as him? It didn't make sense to me.

"Can you guys like wrap that couple shit up? Dinner's ready."

I looked over at the door to see Issac who was wearing a grey button up, tucked into a pair of slacks. Curiously, I scanned his tall frame, narrowing my eyes when I noticed his lack of facial hair and fresh new do. "What happened to you?" I asked aggressively, moving away from Reid. I walked over to Issac's side, pulling at the fabric of his shirt as I scrunched up my face. He wasn't the type to focus on his appearance much, so this was definitely quite the sight.

He gave me a dirty look and smacked my hand away. "Stop, I just ironed it. You're gonna get it all wrinkly."

I widened my eyes and glanced over at Reid who let out a small laugh. When I looked back I saw Issac retreat into the apartment, loudly announcing to the rest of the family of my arrival.

Before I could even process my own thoughts I saw mom and dad running towards me. I blinked in confusion and stood very still, unsure of how to react. It'd been so long since I'd seen them I almost forgot what they looked like.

Dad was the first to pull me into him, his broad arms finding their way around my body. He gripped my stomach tightly, lifting me into the air. I groaned at the impact, immediately feeling panicked once I realized how close he was holding me. While I was fully aware I hadn't gained that much weight I was still worried he'd notice right away. Like most dad's, he had a knack for finding out his daughter's secrets.

"I feel like you've grown since I last saw you," he commented. He put me back onto the ground and glanced over at mom who hugged me next. Unlike dad, she opted for something a bit less extreme; merely wrapping her arms around me as she stroked my hair.

I let out a nervous laugh and looked over at Reid who stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him. When he turned back around he gave my parents an awkward wave before shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Spencer," dad gave him a confused look, "what are you doing here?"

Reid furrowed his brow and looked at me. At that point I realized I'd completely forgotten to tell them we were together again, which in retrospective was completely inappropriate.

I moved to his side and looped my arm with his, giving him an apologetic smile. "Oh, uh, we're uh, dating again. I'm sorry I didn't tell you and I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I didn't tell them." I pressed my lips together, feeling extremely uncomfortable. What kind of girlfriend doesn't tell her parents about her boyfriend? Obviously things were kind of weird at the moment and we were trying to hide the whole pregnancy thing, but the least I could've done was inform everyone.

"Oh, well then it's lovely to have you, dear." Mom smiled.

"Um, excuse me, can we get on with dinner? I'm meeting up with Maggie in an hour." Issac pointed towards the kitchen table as he stared down at his watch. Unsurprisingly, the table was filled with take out boxes. A classic Rafferty dinner.

"Maggie's not coming?" I asked.

Issac shook his head, but said nothing. Instead, he moved towards the dinner table, grabbing a plate from the edge as before grabbing his food.

"Alright, since everything revolves around you, son," dad sighed. He gave Reid and I an over exaggerated eye roll before letting out a loud laugh and moving towards the table. Not long after, mom followed behind him.

When both of them were out of earshot I turned to Reid and frowned, pulling my arm from his to cover my eyes in embarrassment. "Oh, my god, I'm such an asshole, I'm so sorry," I whispered.

Thankfully, instead of reacting how I assumed he would, he merely chuckled and kissed my head, giving my back a light rub. "It's fine. I'm already aware of how much of an embarrassment I am to you," he joked.

I scoffed and smacked his chest with the back of my hand, causing him to groan. "Not funny, Reid."

"Ooh, Reid, now I'm in trouble."

I rolled my eyes and pushed him away, holding back a small smile as I wandered over to grab some food.

Despite my anxiety thinking otherwise, dinner went pretty well. Like usual, Issac and I took the conversation at the reigns; filling in mom and dad about our lives, while they merely listened.

"Okay, so I got good news," Issac grinned from ear to ear as he leaned back in his chair. Casually, he took a long sip of his beer, letting out a satisfied sigh, before glancing at each one of us individually. When he and I made eye contact, he flashed me a wink, which I didn't understand.

"You're not getting married again, are you?" I deadpanned.

Issac scoffed at my comment, placing his palm against his chest, signalling his offence. "How dare you insult my character like that," he gasped.

"She's not insulting your character, Issac," mom responded. She reached over the table to slap my hand as she smirked in my direction. "Now, go on, tell us the good news."

At that point Issac stood from the table, pushing out his chair loudly as he raised his beer into the air and cleared his throat. While he moved I closed my eyes in embarrassment, hearing Reid chuckle beside me. "I, Issac Newton Rafferty-"

I let out a loud sigh, while Reid started laughing harder. "That's not his middle name," I added loudly.

Issac shushed me angrily, placing his index finger against his lips. "Be quiet, your superior is talking."

Despite his annoyance, I couldn't help, but laugh. As I did, I crossed my arms over my chest, giving my parents a good head shake. Thankfully, they seemed equally unimpressed, because almost immediately they returned the gesture.

"Again, I, Issac Newton Rafferty," he paused for dramatic affect, raising his glass even higher, "am proud to announce that I am going to be an uncle." His smile, which was already fairly big, somehow widened.

In that moment I felt like I was going to hurl. Closing my eyes, I pressed my hand to my mouth, feeling Reid's hand on mine. Quietly, he asked me if I was okay, while Issac excitedly cheered in the background.

"Excuse me, what?" I heard dad ask.

"Were you not listening? I'm gonna be an uncle!"

I quickly opened my eyes and stood from my chair, pushing Reid aside as I lunged for my brother. I couldn't believe he actually just did that. It was obvious that he was excited and probably thought he was doing it for my benefit, but right now I couldn't accept that. Out of all the shitty things he's ever done to me, this had to be top ten material. No sane brother would ever announce their sister's pregnancy for them, especially when they knew how their parents could be sometimes.

I gripped the collar of his shirt as I punched him in the face. When my knuckles hit his nose he let out a loud scream and toppled backwards, dropping his beer on top of me in the process. I gasped at the sudden coldness of it, freezing in place. At that point Issac was standing about a foot away, gripping his nostrils, which were now covered in blood.

As much as I wanted to scream and yell the only thing I could muster was a sob, especially after seeing how hurt he looked. Nervously, I brought my hand to my mouth and closed my eyes, feeling a pair of hands connect with the tops of my shoulders. "Hey, hey, it's okay," Reid cooed.

I swallowed hard and nodded my head, feeling unnecessarily vulnerable. On top of having my parents now know I was pregnant and them seeing me punch their son in the face, now I was fucking crying.

"Issac, honey," mom's voice dripped with concern as she rushed to his side. In her hand she held a bunch of napkins, which she handed off to him. Worryingly, she examined his face, taking a couple of moments to rub his upper back.

I ran my fingers through my hair, taking a couple of deep breathes. "Issac I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, fuck." I took a couple of steps forward, gripping my hands tightly against my chin as I moved towards him. "Are you okay?"

"You just fucking punched me in the face! Of course I'm n-" He shut his eyes tightly, letting out a loud groan.

I whipped around to look at dad who was now standing; his hands gripped firmly to the backing of his chair. He shook his head and let out a sigh as he glanced over at the scene in front of him.

"Dad I-"

Before I could finish my sentence he held up his hand. "Isla, stop."

I bit my lip and did as I was told, feeling the guilt inside my stomach grow.

"Linda, go get Issac cleaned up," dad stood upright and ran his hands over the length of his face. "Isla, Spencer, outside." He cocked his head towards the front door, causing both of us swallow hard and share a nervous look. Together, the three of us wandered out into the hall, feeling extremely uncomfortable. As we moved, I chewed my thumbnail and leaned my back against the door, while Reid and dad stood side by side, staring intensely at each other.

"Alright, you gonna tell me what that was?" He pointed to the apartment, furrowing his brow as his tone grew sour.

"I-I don't... I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I think what she's trying to say is-"

Like usual, dad cut Reid off by raising his hand. "Spencer, I like you, but right now I need you to shut up."

His sudden disrespect towards Reid made my blood boil. "Okay, dad, I get that you're pissed off, but you don't get to talk to him like that." I pointed my finger in his face and narrowed my eyes. "Spencer's just trying to help."

"Help?" Dad let out a sarcastic laugh, throwing back his head. "Isla, he got you pregnant. How in the hell is that helpful?"

I forced myself not to roll my eyes. "It isn't, but that's besides the point! He's helpful in other ways."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Well for starters he doesn't judge me when I get knocked up," I snapped.

"Ever since you met this guy your life's gone to shit," dad responded, motioning to Reid who at this point looked like he was going to explode. "First, you lost your job and then you got kidnapped by that Kane guy-"

"Oh, my god! That wasn't even his fault!" I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest.

"And then you stopped talking to us!"

I let out a loud groan and pressed the back of my head against the door. While I was fully aware that the night was going to end in disaster, something about this conversation still managed to surprise me.

"She didn't stop talking to you." Reid stated sternly.

Dad stopped in his tracks and glared at him.

"Are you aware of what happens when the brain goes through a series of traumas, Walter? Because frankly, I don't think you do. You see, when a person suffers from an event such as the one Isla experienced they often withdraw from others. This is known as Avoidance Cluster Behaviour and we do it in order to block out things like distressing memories or other such external reminders." He took a second to lick his lips and glance over in my direction. "Isla wasn't ignoring you on purpose, Walter. She was ignoring you, because of the shame she felt for what had happened. Like avoidance, sudden feelings of guilt a-"

Dad let out a heavy sigh, raising his hand again. This time, it was apparent the gesture was more calm, so instead of fighting Reid merely pressed his lips together, giving me a small nod. "Is that true?"

I shrugged my shoulders, even though it was. After everything happened the last thing I wanted to be was a burden, so instead of coming out and admitting my feelings I pushed them aside. At the time, I obviously knew it was stupid. It wasn't like my parents would love me any less if they knew what happened, but like Reid said, sometimes our brains just took over.

"You could've talked to us," dad frowned in my direction and took a step forward. Without another word he pulled me into him, resting his palm on the back of my head. Carefully, he stroked my hair, which immediately caused me to start crying again.

I hadn't realized until now much I truly missed having them around, which only made me feel more guilty. A lot of people didn't even have parents and here I was ignoring both of mine. It wasn't fair, especially to them.

"I'll, uh, give you two a minute," Reid said. Awkwardly, he snuck around the two of us, placing a supportive hand on my arm as he reached for the handle of the door. He pushed it open and stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind him. When he was gone, dad stepped away to wipe his eyes, which were full of tears. Out of habit, the two of us chuckled; a thing both of us did that when we were uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I just..." I sniffed and wiped my nose, trying to think of the right thing to say.

"You don't have to explain yourself, kid. I've known you for twenty-six years I should know how you react to things by now."

"I should've at least checked in once in a while. I know how much you worry."

Dad rolled his eyes, tossing his hand into the air nonchalantly. "Seriously, it's fine. No more apologizing. We're both stubborn assholes who don't know how to back down."

"I mean, you're not wrong," I retorted with a smile.

"Also, don't tell the others, but Issac definitely deserved that punch." Dad held back a smile as he glanced towards the door.

"Right? I can't believe he told you guys my secret," I scoffed and shook my head, crossing my arms over my chest.

"For what it's worth it's your own fault for telling him first. You know how much a blabbermouth he is."

"Again, you're not wrong," I snorted.

After a few more hugs and casual conversation, dad and I returned to the apartment. As we stepped inside I saw Reid leaning against the wall by himself, glancing over at Issac and mom who sat on the couch talking. When we entered the three of them looked over curiously, their eyes darting between the two of us.

"Isla, apologize to your brother," dad stated simply.

"I'm sorry I punched you in the face," I mumbled sadly.

"Issac, apologize to your sister."

"I'm sorry I told mom and dad you were pregnant," he mumbled back.

"Great," dad clapped his hands together before motioning to the kitchen table, "now, let's sit and finish our drinks, while Isla and Spencer tell us about the baby."

I bit my lip and looked at Reid who merely offered me a head nod. "Uh, okay, so, um," I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling nervous, "the correct term in this situation would actually be babies?" I scrunched up my face anxiously, still staring at Reid who merely sighed at my awful attempt at honesty.

Mom stood up abruptly, cupping her mouth with her hands, while dad and Issac stared in silence.

"We're having twins," Reid responded with a tight-lipped smile.