Not long after arriving at the house we were bombarded lovingly by Luke. The second we stepped over the threshold of the front door he ran at us, pulling us in for a group hug despite Reid's uncomfortable expression. After he released us from his grasp we filled him in on what had happened; sparing the gorier details in favour of keeping things light. As we spoke his expression transitioned from concerned to relieved, eventually becoming happy once we assured him that both of us were safe and that Kane was gone.

"I'm really just glad you're both okay," Luke shook his head and made his way towards the coffee maker. As if reading our minds, he started a pot, pulling a couple of mugs out of the cupboard before placing them onto the counter in front of him and moving to grab some sugar.

"Same," I replied. I stared at the coffee pot intensely, watching the dark liquid drip from the filter as slow as humanly possible. I tapped my foot against the ground impatiently, feeling my head pound. On the way home I could feel a headache coming on, the familiar pain forming behind my eyes and slowly radiating across my forehead.

Luke moved the mugs to the island, watching as both Reid and I sat down at the barstools and reached for them. "I'm sure you guys are both exhausted."

Reid nodded his head. "A little. We didn't get much sleep last night." I turned to glance at him, watching a small smirk form across his lips the second Luke turned around to grab some milk out of the fridge. I gently elbowed him, rolling my eyes before Luke would notice.

Once the coffee was done Luke filled up our cups, breathing in the smell before letting out a satisfied sigh and closing his eyes. He handed us the sugar and grabbed the milk, filling up the rest of his cup before taking a quick sip and nodding to himself.

"Thanks for the coffee," Reid smiled. We both poured our sugar in, watching the disgust on Luke's face grow the more we took.

"Do you not put sugar in your coffee?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"You're missing out," I replied. I poured one last spoonful in, giving it a quick stir before pulling out the utensil and popping it in my mouth to clean off the excess sugar.

"I highly doubt that," he laughed.

"Did you know that the average American consumes approximately seventy-six point seven pounds of sugar per year?" Reid asked.

Luke gave him a horrified look, while I just laughed.

"That equals about twenty-two teaspoons a day," he added.

"Well, on that note, I'm going to take my sugar free coffee and get back to work," Luke raised his drink in the air, flashing a smug smile as he retreated down the hall and into his bedroom. Once I heard the door close I reached out to Reid, giving his upper back a light rub as I leaned my elbow on the counter. I rested my cheek against my palm, smiling lazily in his direction as I watched him drink his coffee and glance over. 

"How are you?"

He smiled back, placing a hand on my thigh. "I'm good."

"Good," I gave him a small nod, lightly tapping his back before grabbing my mug to take a sip.

We sat in silence after that, zoning out as we sipped our coffee and relaxed. The last couple of days had been a lot, so just sitting here together was nice.

At one point, Reid turned to face me. He reached over, cupping my face with his hand as he thumbed my cheek and smiled. The second I saw the corners of his lips start to turn up my heart fluttered. His smile was perfect and even though I'd seen it a fair amount already, every time it felt more special than the last.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you, too." Without a second thought I threw my mug onto the counter and slid off my stool. I reached around him, tucking his neck into my arms as I kissed his cheek and snuggled into him.

He chuckled and placed his hand at the small of my back, playfully pinching the fabric as he glanced down at me. As he did I moved my face, pressing my forehead against his. "So, uh..." His smile widened, his face gradually becoming more pink as he pushed a couple of stray hairs behind my ear.

"So..." I repeated curiously.

"We should, um," he cleared his throat nervously, "probably talk about last night, huh?"

"I don't know," I smirked, "I think you made things pretty clear when you publicly seduced me."

"I wouldn't say it was public," he scoffed.

"Literally anyone could've walked in on us," I argued jokingly.

He rolled his eyes and playfully pushed my face away, shaking his head at my ability to ruin the moment. "You're terrible at taking things seriously," he pointed out.

I wiggled my brows, turning my body to reach for my mug. As I took a sip I kept my other hand at the base of his neck, playing with a couple pieces of hair. "It's not that I don't take things seriously, it's that I make things difficult," I pointed out.

He scoffed again.

"Seriously though," I laughed, "I agree. We should definitely talk about what happened."

"Okay." He nodded.

I pulled myself from his grasp and sat back down. As I did I let out a heavy sigh, feeling suddenly nervous.

"I think that we should get back together," he stated.

I pressed my lips together tightly, the warm familiar feeling of blush filling my cheeks as I watched him squirm anxiously in his seat. Part of me was tempted to make another joke, but I held back, figuring now definitely wasn't the time. So, instead I nodded my head. "I'd like that."

"Really?" For some odd reason he seemed surprised.

I raised my brow. "Yeah... did you not think I was going to say yes?"

"I mean, yes... or no." He narrowed his eyes, his gaze moving to the table in confusion. He sat there for a minute, using the time to process his words before looking back up and shrugging. "I wasn't sure."

I snorted and reached out to grab his hand, giving it a tight squeeze. As I did his phone rang from the inside of his pocket. Instantly he sighed, closing his eyes in frustration as he stood from his seat to pull it out. For a second he stared down at the screen, blinking a couple of times before looking back over at me sadly. "Go ahead, it might be important."

"Sorry," he mumbled. After that he brought the phone to his ear. "Hey Hotch, what's up?"

As the two exchanged words I zoned out again, staring at various things around the kitchen, while Reid casually played with my fingers. I smiled to myself as he did it, feeling the pads of his digits tap playfully against my hand in a series of patterns. When the conversation was done he hung up with a sigh, pushing my hand upwards so that just my wrist was resting on the counter. He moved his fingers through mine, locking our hands together as he smiled in my direction.

"So?" I raised my brow curiously.

"I'm being forced to stay off the field for a bit," he sighed. "Strauss's orders."

I rolled my eyes. Even at the mention of Strauss's name I could feel my blood boil.

"Calm down," he chuckled. He used his other hand to give my shoulder a rough rub, pulling me out of my suddenly angered thoughts. "It's only for a week or two while I heal up."

"I know," I sighed.

"Strauss doesn't scare me."

"It's not that she's scary. She's just a bitch."

He laughed.

"I'm sure she's screaming at Hotch right now," I said, "I can't believe you reinstated that harlot and almost got your best agent killed." I mocked her angrily and rolled my eyes.

"You do know harlot means prostitute, right?"

"That's probably how she sees me."

He pulled me into his chest. "I don't think sleeping with the same guy on and off for nine months considers you a harlot."

I pressed my forehead against his chest, stifling a laugh. "No, but getting fired from my dream job probably does."

He let out a heavy sigh. I knew how bad he felt about that, especially after telling me it wouldn't happen. From the moment we started this whole relationship I knew that's probably how things were going to end, yet I continued it anyway. At first I definitely thought I was stupid. Having sex with a man while my job was in jeopardy was something I never really saw myself doing. As time went on though, despite the negative outcomes, I began to realize it was definitely a blessing in disguise.

"Hey." I grabbed his chin, flashing him a warm smile before quickly planting a quick kiss on his lips.

"Hey."

"We should celebrate."

He cocked his brow curiously.

"Did you know we've never properly been on a date?"

His eyes darted around, while his brow furrowed. I could tell he was thinking pretty hard, trying to rack through his brain to prove me wrong. When he realized I was right though, he frowned and looked down at the floor.

Not wanting him to be sad, I grabbed his chin again, pressing my lips against his before pulling away and hopping off the stool. As I did, I pulled him with me, watching his sad expression gradually fade. I dragged him downstairs and sat him down on the bed. The whole time he stared at me intensely, watching as I gave his chest a quick pat and moved towards the closet. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm going to get dressed into something very nice," I turned to face him, biting my tongue as I wiggled my brows, "and then I'm going to spend the whole night ravishing you."

He looked at me surprised. Afterwards he opened his mouth and leaned back on the bed, propping himself up with just his elbows as he watched me turn around to get ready.

I quickly glanced through my closet, taking a couple of moments to scan certain items before deciding on a simple black cocktail dress. As I grabbed it I tucked it into my torso, hiding it from his view as I looked over and smirked. When we made eye contact he raised his brow, watching as I scurried into the bathroom and threw the garment onto the counter.

"Am I not allowed to see?" He called out.

I poked my head from behind the door, shaking my head. "I have an idea."

"What is it?" He laughed nervously, moving his body fully upward as he stared in my direction. Reid wasn't the kind of guy who enjoyed secrets so I could tell my mysterious nature wasn't sitting well with him. As he sat he moved uncomfortably, continuously adjusting himself against the side of the bed while I refused to reveal my secrets all at once.

"Go home and get dressed," I stated, "when you're ready meet me back here."

"Why?"

"Because," I groaned impatiently, "it'll be worth it, I promise."

He pushed himself off of the bed, making his way over towards me. As he neared the door I closed it slightly, positioning it so he couldn't see inside the bathroom. He rolled his eyes and leaned down to kiss my forehead, ultimately accepting defeat. "Fine," he sighed.

"Thank-you," I responded.

As he straightened his body back up he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants, giving me one last look before moving back towards the stairs. While he walked I stared at his ass, biting my lip at the sight. He really was quite the looker, even if he didn't realize it.

"I love you!" I yelled excitedly.

"Love you too," he laughed.

When he was finally out of view I let out a heavy breath, feeling my heartbeat quicken as I thought about last night. Obviously the sex wasn't out of this world mind-blowing, but it was enough to still get my blood flowing at the thought.

I closed the door and ran my fingers through my hair, giving myself a quick once over in the mirror. Despite the cuts and bruises on my face I still looked like me. Sure, I looked a little rougher around then edges than normal, but with a couple of coats of concealer and a bit of effort I could make it work.

Without a second thought I started getting ready, jumping into the boiling shower. The second the water touched my skin I almost cried of happiness. I washed myself clean, pouring layers and layers of body wash over my skin as I scrubbed away the disgust of Kane and what he did to me. Now that I was alone I unfortunately had time to think about it. My mind wandered to his face. His devilish smile appearing at the back of my mind caused me shiver.

As I shaved my legs I recalled the first time he cut me. How absolutely euphoric he felt. After it happened he laughed so hard he almost stopped breathing, circling around the room excitedly as he stared me down. I remember being so horrified at how he bounced around the room, swinging his knife around like some guy who'd just hit a home run. At that moment something I knew something had clicked in his brain. He'd found something to help him cope. Cutting, for him, wasn't just a means of making me hurt. It was a way for him to process something. A way of helping him sort through his feelings to get the release he so desired.

Part me wondered what that release was. What happened in his life to make him want to do this to people? What traumas did he suffer? What was his relationship like with his parents? These were questions I asked myself a lot while he tortured me.

I closed my eyes, letting out a shaky breath as I tried to shake the thought of him from my mind. As hard as I knew it was going to be to focus for a while, I needed to stop thinking about him. Kane was dead and he couldn't hurt me anymore.

I washed my hair and face before turning off the shower. As I pushed back the curtain I grabbed a towel and stepped out, feeling my body shiver from the sudden rush of cold air. I pressed my lips together, tightening the muscles in my body as I clutched the soft fabric around my shoulders to warm up. By now Reid would probably just be getting home which meant I had probably another half an hour to get ready.

I moved quickly, moisturizing my face before slapping on my usual makeup, along with some excess concealer to cover up the rougher parts. When I done and happy with the outcome I moved onto my hair, giving it a quick blow dry before throwing some product in and smoothing it all out.

By the time I hopped into my dress I heard Reid coming down the stairs. He called out my name and made his way to the door, giving it a quick knock. I jumped at the sound, attempting to zip up the back of the dress. Awkwardly, I reached back, struggling to get a hold of the zipper. When I missed it I tried again, curving my back as I let out a disgruntled sound.

"Isla?"

I let out a sigh of defeat and opened the door. The second he saw me he smiled, his eyes widening. I figured he liked what he saw and while I was definitely thankful I was also annoyed. I turned on my heel, pulling my hair forward as I pointed to my back. "Can you zip this? I can't do it," I grumbled.

"Of course," he chuckled. I felt his soft hands trail down my bag as he zipped it with ease. When he finished he placed his hands on my shoulders, leaning forward to plant a couple of kisses along my neck. "You look beautiful."

I rolled my eyes, holding back a smile as I turned to face him. The second I did I practically swooned to the floor.

He wearing a pair of tight fitting black slacks, paired with a grey button up and dark waistcoat. Overtop he wore a nice a jacket, with matching tie, and like always, his black converse. His hair, despite still being messy, was tucked behind his ears, showcasing his impeccable jawline. I bit my lip at the sight of him, reaching out to grab his hands as I looked down to see his socks, which unsurprisingly didn't match.

"Is this okay? I wasn't sure exactly what we were doing so I just k-"

"You look great," I cooed, "real handsome."

He looked down at his feet and laughed.

"I'm serious! You look like you belong in a James Bond movie," I continued. I pulled him into me, feeling his arms snake around the small of my back. As I looked up at him he closed the space between us, moving one of his hands to my cheek to steady himself as he moved his lips against mine.

At that moment I felt truly happy. Being here with him without the complications of work or life was something I never thought would happen. For so long we'd struggled and while at the time it was hard I knew now I could look back on everything and smile. If it hadn't been for everything we went through I probably wouldn't have grown into the person I was today. I'd still be the same Isla; taking life for granted.

As Reid pulled away he gave me a tight lipped smile and ran his fingers through my hair. "Ready to go?"

I nodded.