[Criminal Minds] The Waiting Behind

It was the same night as always, Michelle was sleeping in her bed with Hotch next to her.In the silence of the night, the two were sleeping soundly. The pendant on Michelle's chest suddenly began to glow slowly. At first, it shimmered slightly, and then the light became more and more intense, and the range gradually expanded, and finally turned into a dazzling huge ball of light that surrounded her tightly. Like a silkworm baby wrapped in a safe silkworm chrysalis.

Then, this strange scene did not end, the light group continued to flicker, but everything around it was slowly distorted: the original objects began to slowly melt and disappear, and what seemed to be superimposed on the back seemed to be another kind of Different decoration environments.

If someone sees it, they will definitely exclaim that it feels like the superimposition of countless spaces.

But Michelle, who was sleeping soundly, didn't know that even if she woke up, the sight blocked by the light couldn't see that Hotch suddenly disappeared almost instantly, leaving only the quilt covering him on the bed silently .

When everything finally settled down, the layout of the room seemed to be the same as before, except for the bed where only one person was asleep.

In the early morning, the chirping of birds woke up Michelle in her sleep with the unique breath of the morning.She rubbed her eyes, sat up slowly, and habitually looked at the other side of the bed.

Already empty.

It looked like Hotch had gone to work, but she had slept soundly enough that she wasn't woken up at all. Michelle smiled, didn't pay much attention, and was going to wash up and open the shop.

However, when she walked to the door of the bathroom, she suddenly paused, turned around and looked at the room again, full of suspicion: Is it her illusion, I always feel that something is different.

Michelle's eyes swept across the room, and it seemed that there was no difference. She hadn't woken up early in the morning.She shook her head amusedly, and walked into the bathroom.

Standing still in front of the sink, she turned on the tap and began to brush her teeth.Finally spitting out the mouthwash, Michelle straightened up, reached for the rack with the towels hanging on it, and paused.

She clearly saw that in the mirror, the very familiar starfish pendant necklace on her chest was gone!

Michelle was back in the bedroom almost immediately, rummaging in and around the bed.Shaking the quilt and pillows, no; scanning the bedside table, no; lying on the carpet to check, no... She almost turned all possible places upside down, but she didn't see even a trace.

This is impossible!She'd seen it last night when she came back from dinner with Hotch. Michelle bit her lip, a sense of foreboding flashed in her heart, she always felt that the necklace that had always given her endless courage was missing, and it was warning her of something.

She stabilized her mind and took out her phone to ask Hotch, but she was startled suddenly when she saw the column of frequently used contacts.

—there was no "Aaron" on it.

The weirdness struck again, Michelle pursed her lips and turned on the dial, she remembered Hotch's number.However, the ruthless reality defeated her last hope:

"Sorry, the number you dialed is empty."

Empty number?This is impossible! Michelle closed her eyes hard, and kept pressing the series of numbers that she had already memorized on her phone.

Then, repeat the actions of dialing and hanging up.

Because the cold electronic notification sounded over and over again, Michelle, who was originally full of confidence, finally began to doubt her memory.

Maybe, she really remembered wrongly?

Michelle recalled the string of numbers again uncertainly, eh?Was that place just now supposed to be 3 or 4?She decided to call Reid or Emily and ask them, hoping they wouldn't laugh at her.

However, such hopes fell through again!

There is no one's number in her mobile phone! Reid, Emily, Garcia, Man... none of the numbers exist!

Now, Michelle really fell into endless panic. Did she cross again?Here is another parallel time and space?

Feeling a void of dread, she stumbled downstairs - the only way to confirm this now was to go to Hotch.

She was going to Quantico first.

With a swish, Michelle vigorously opened the door, but was stunned the moment she walked out.

The door behind him hit the door bar with a "bang" and closed, accompanied by the crisp sound of the bell on the top of the door.

Michelle has no time to pay attention to these, she is deeply amazed by the scenery in front of her.This is obviously not the area where her "delicious shop" is located. It is a strange street and a strange house.

She suddenly thought of something, turned around suddenly, only to find that her storefront was still the one she was familiar with, except for the signboard of that storefront——

"Deliemory, delicious memory." Michelle whispered the words on the signboard, one word more than she remembered.

Is there something wrong with my memory or did I really time travel again? Michelle was confused by this paradoxical reality and her own memory: they were strikingly similar and at the same time mischievously turned a completely non-overlapping trajectory, leading everything to a completely different direction.

"Michelle, it's so early in the morning, why are you in a daze? Could it be that you played too late with your boyfriend last night?" A familiar voice sounded in her ear, full of ridicule.

She turned around almost immediately, and was stunned for a moment when she saw the person behind her clearly: Isn't this Alison, her colleague who worked part-time before?

At this moment, Michelle didn't care about greeting the girl she hadn't seen for a long time, nor did she think about why she appeared here and said such things to herself.She just grabbed the girl's shoulders hard, looking anxious, "Tell me, Alison, my boyfriend's name!"

It must be the one in her memory!

Michelle stared at the other person's lips tightly, praying silently in her heart that the one who was about to be spoken was the person she was familiar with.

but……

"Steve, what's the matter with you? Why did you ask me such a funny question? Could it be that you don't remember your boyfriend's name? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

The girl's joking teasing did not fall into Michelle's ears, and she was completely stunned when she heard the first word.

Steve?How can it be!He obviously already... Michelle thought without thinking, and suddenly got stuck at this moment, she frowned in surprise: Wait, what happened to Steve... What was she thinking just now...

Michelle felt that her memory and thoughts seemed to be slowly wrapped in a fog, which seemed so distant and vague.She shook her head, trying to sort out her thoughts, but finally decided not to care about this issue.

——Things that I don’t remember very well should not be that important.

Michelle just continued to look at Alison, and asked word by word, "Then do you know FBI agent, Aaron Hoter?"

What answered her was the expected indifference expression: "Who is that?"

Sure enough...Michelle lowered her eyes, ignoring the moment of bewilderment when she knew her worst fear had finally come true, but was suddenly startled by Alison's casual words:

"We're in the middle of nowhere in New Orleans, how do we know any FBI agent, Michelle, did you meet through Steve?"

What?New Orleans?

Michelle is really confused now, this is different from everything she remembers, Alison obviously she met in Virginia, and her store is obviously in Prince William County, why are they all coming to New Orleans now?

Michelle pulled Alison into the store and inquired about everything here inadvertently. During the process, the girl was surprised and suspicious a few times, but she made fun of them all.

After watching Alison turn into the kitchen, Michelle organized her thoughts.

This "Delicious Memory" is still its own storefront, which specializes in Chinese cuisine, but the location has changed, and even the hourly worker has changed to Alison.

And Steve turned out to be his boyfriend!

According to Alison, I have been with him for several years, and it seems that the relationship is still very good, and...

Michelle's eyes turned to the ring on her left finger, they were already engaged!

She frowned in disbelief, it was all too hard for her to accept.People who were obviously just friends were suddenly told that they were getting married soon.

This made it difficult for her to adapt.

But... Michelle raised her hand, and the gemstone on the ring was shining brightly in the sun.This ring always brings her endless sense of familiarity and intimacy, as if it has been with her for a long time.

She stretched out her hand in a strange way, rubbing the two ends of the ring, and there were two small bumps just as she thought! Michelle swallowed a few times, closing her eyes and pressing down hard.

When he opened his eyes, the ring didn't change.

Michelle couldn't help chuckling and ruffled her hair, amused at how nervous she was holding her breath just now.

Why on earth did she feel that something was really going to happen!

Just like this, I spent a normal day in a trance, except that Kelly was replaced by Alison, everything seemed very ordinary.

except-

"Hi, Michelle, I found a nice restaurant to pick you up for dinner."

The familiar yet unfamiliar man leaned against the door with a smile, his gray eyes showed the same gentleness as in his memory, and the arc of his mouth was a smile she missed very much, so warm that she wanted to cry.

This seemingly long-suppressed nostalgia burst out suddenly, leaving Michelle a little helpless:

With such deep feelings, could it be that the self in this world is really his lover?

She couldn't help but stepped forward, watching Steve's face slowly burst into a bright smile, the whole face seemed to be rejuvenated by this, and looked so energetic.

Michelle felt her hand being lifted gently and fell into a big palm.She looked up and looked at the handsome young man, who was looking down at herself with a smile: "Let's go, Michelle."

For some reason, Michelle seemed to hear a voice deep inside, telling her not to interrupt Steve's happy mood, because she owed him...

Michelle didn't know where the guilt and resentment that suddenly came to her heart came from, but she just followed Steve out of the store obediently as if she had been bewitched.

She silently followed Steve's side all the time, watching him tease her patiently, carefully help her cut the steak into small pieces, and then slowly ate it under his gentle, almost melting eyes.

Everything seems to be so natural, they are just like an ordinary couple, dating, holding hands, hugging...

Under the signboard of "Delicious Memories", Michelle stood still, looked at the man beside her who was taking her home, and said dryly, "I'm home, Steve."

"Well, good night." The eyes were still extremely gentle, but Michelle felt a little sour inexplicably.She didn't know what was the reason for the excitement that came to her from time to time today, but she just followed her own heart and stayed with Steve.

She always has a feeling that such days will not be long.That's why, she wasn't worried about Hotch.It was a very unreasonable feeling, but it made her very sure.

The moment she turned to leave after saying goodnight, an arm caught her, and it was Steve.She turned her head, and before she could say anything, she felt a gentle goodnight kiss on her forehead, and it fell apart instantly.

"Just forgot about that." Steve smiled nonchalantly, and Michelle couldn't help running away with the heavy emotion in his eyes.

"Don't like me so much anymore, it's not worth it." Michelle didn't know why she suddenly said such a sentence, but she always seemed to feel that one day Steve would give up her most important things because of her.

The panic for no reason made her blurt out, but when she met Steve's questioning eyes, she flinched instantly, and she waved her hand quickly, "It's nothing, good night."

Leaning against the door, seeing Steve's leaving back through one side of the window, Michelle touched her heart, always feeling as if she had forgotten something most important, is it... an illusion...?

After all, she calmed down the emotions that had been tumbling over and over again today, and went upstairs to rest.

Almost every day in the future was like this, and Steve and Steve maintained a frequent dating relationship.Time slipped away like this, but Michelle felt that her memory seemed to be lost even more.

It seems that every day I forget something, but I can't find it.

Michelle stared blankly at the towering buildings in the distance, feeling a sense of familiarity spontaneously.

She's on vacation with Steve in Virginia right now, passing through the county, and Steve says he wants to visit an old friend, which is why they're here at this coffee shop.

"Michelle?" Steve's concerned question drew her attention back, and she realized that she was distracted again. She quickly turned around and sat down, and asked casually, "What building is that?"

She watched Steve swipe it casually, then retracted almost immediately, as if burned by something, "Quantico, that's where the FBI works."

Quantico? FBI?Michelle sounds inexplicably familiar to words that should be unfamiliar, and even creates a desire to get closer.

"Can I visit there?"

Michelle regretted it when she asked, because it was a really stupid question.Sure enough, he saw Steve laugh amusedly and shook his head kindly.

Even knowing this, Michelle still felt a little lost.She lowered her head and stirred the coffee cup, casually looking at the busy pedestrians outside the window.

Then, she suddenly noticed a tall and thin figure.That person was wearing a plaid shirt and sweater jacket that was completely incompatible with the suits and leather shoes around him, and the casual leather bag on his back also replaced the briefcase. He stood out from the crowd and was particularly conspicuous.The way he walked quickly felt like a thin bamboo pole, Michelle couldn't help chuckling, and when she was about to ask Steve to have a look, she saw clearly the face of the young man walking in.

Huh?She stopped smiling, and couldn't help approaching the glass of the floor-to-ceiling window. This man...she seems to have seen...

"what happened?"

The voice of Steve close to her ear brought Michelle back to her thoughts, she smiled sheepishly and shook her head to indicate that it was okay.But when she lowered her head and stirred the coffee, a trace of suspicion flashed in her heart: Here it comes again, an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Michelle picked up the glass, took a sip, and watched Steve stand up and put on his coat, but another man's figure flashed before his eyes.

——The serious and unsmiling face made her want to smile uncontrollably.

"Michelle...Michelle..." The familiar but unfamiliar man's voice entered her mind, but Michelle could tell the endless worries and fears contained in the calm tone.

"What's wrong?" Michelle raised her head naturally, and looked at the man standing in front of her, but got him a surprised look, "I didn't call you."

Michelle looked at Steve's face that didn't seem to be fake, and understood that he was not a man who liked pranks, so the corners of her mouth were tightly pursed: Then who was calling her just now?

Such strong emotions...

Michelle spent the rest of the journey almost absent-mindedly, and she kept thinking about the strangeness of her time.

Obviously, the answer is almost ready to come out, but she always finds the exit just a little bit.

"Take a nap when you're tired." Steve sat in the driver's seat, looking worriedly at the thoughtful Michelle.He naturally saw that something was wrong with the girl during this time, but for some reason, he could only pretend not to see it.

Michelle responded with a low voice, then leaned her head on the seat and fell asleep.

There was only the sound of her light breathing in the car, and there was nothing else in the silence.I don't know how long it took before Steve pulled over the car carefully, and just sat there, quietly watching the girl's peaceful sleeping face, concentrating on it, as if it was the most beautiful scenery in the world.

Perhaps because of being stared at for a long time, the girl snorted unconsciously and frowned. Steve looked at the obtrusive arc, and slowly reached out, trying to smooth out the wrinkle.

However, the moment he was about to touch it, Michelle moaned and she woke up from her sleep.

Steve was startled, but finally withdrew his hand, clenched and fisted where no one was looking.

The half-asleep girl didn't notice that the moment she opened her eyes, the surrounding scenery changed color in an instant, from an empty wilderness to a street full of people.

She just thought she'd slept long enough for Steve to drive home.

"I'm sorry, Steve, I fell asleep too fast, I'm already home…" Michelle's words were caught in her mouth, because she saw that they hadn't arrived at her store door.

"Do you remember this place? This is the place where we first dated. I hope you can accompany me to relive the romance at that time."

Michelle didn't notice the deep loneliness behind Steve's warm smile, she just stared and looked at the movie theater suspiciously, she was vaguely impressed.

"The Crazy Hat? There is a re-release of this? I remember we were watching this!" Michelle got out of the car and ran to the program list to look carefully, and looked excitedly at Steve next to him.

"Well, you wait here, I'll buy tickets." After Steve finished speaking, he squeezed into the crowd.The crowd around him disappeared the moment they touched him, and all this was not captured by the excited girl.

After walking silently for a while, Steve stopped, turned around and looked at the girl not far away, his eyes were almost fascinated and nostalgic, but with an extremely lonely sadness.

——It seems that this will be the same as farewell forever.

Michelle stared at the poster boredly for a long time, and finally waited for Steve, who was sweating profusely, to come back with popcorn and Coke, and hurriedly dragged him into the screening room.

It's still funny! Michelle leaned back and laughed, completely forgetting that she was still holding popcorn in her hands.She was obsessed with the plot, and naturally she didn't notice it, and she became the best movie in the eyes of others.

However, no matter how good a movie is, there is an end moment.

Michelle came out full of enthusiasm and looked at Steve next to her. At this moment, she simply only thought about the happiness just now, and completely forgot the troubles that had been bothering her all the time: "Hey, Steve, let's watch movies again in the future!"

"...Well..." Steve hesitated for a while, and finally raised a big smile, and nodded heavily as always, "The person you love the most will always be with you and do whatever you want. I only hope that you be happy forever.”

"Steve?" Michelle was taken aback by his suddenly serious tone, "What happened all of a sudden?"

A feeling of reluctance filled her heart, as if her heart knew better than her: everything is coming to an end.

Steve just smiled, stepped forward and hugged the girl, with a gentle force, but it contained the most cherished emotion in the world.

Michelle also slowly hugged him back, wondering at the welling up of her tears—what the hell is going on?

Just when she was about to ask, she felt Steve slowly let go of her, bowed his head and slowly moved closer to her, warm breath rushing towards her face eagerly.

The tips of their noses are facing each other, their breaths are intimate and tired, the ambiguous temperature gradually rises, and they are lingeringly intertwined.

Just a second before Steve was about to kiss her lips, Michelle's pupils narrowed and she pushed him away without hesitation.

Almost at the same time, Michelle looked at her hands in disbelief, and explained to the lonely Steve in a panic: "No...Steve...It's not that I don't want to...I..."

He spoke incoherently, but with a tone of anxiety and panic.

Steve just looked at the panic of the girl in front of him, and let out a lost but understanding smile, calming Michelle's emotions: "Haven't you remembered? Don't be blinded by the guilt towards me."

Michelle looked at Steve waving his hands with tears in his eyes, and the surrounding scenes changed back and forth like a revolving lantern. The black and white photos showed all kinds of getting along with Steve, and finally it was frozen to the picture when he first came to this world.

Tears welled up again, and Michelle covered her eyes, trying to hide the tears that were gushing out, only to find it was futile.

——She remembered everything.

Virginia…Prince William County…New Orleans…BAU…Hotch…

And, forgetting about it in the first place...Steve's death.

This is where all the weirdness comes from.

Michelle let go of her hand weakly, letting the tears flow freely, but she looked at Steve closely through the blurred eyes: "I'm sorry, Steve."

"As I said, never say thank you or sorry." Steve looked at Michelle with sincere and warm eyes, but his words were full of willingness to give up.

"I really gave up this time. Without any memory of Hotch, you have clearly accepted the fact that I'm your boyfriend, but you still can't stand my kiss subconsciously."

Michelle choked up and shook her head desperately, desperately trying to say something, but found that she was too excited to speak, and could only breathe rapidly and vigorously.

She saw Steve's figure becoming more and more blurred, and she reached out to grab it, but found that she only caught a piece of air. Steve's voice came gradually, distant but clear: "Sure enough, even without Hotch, you wouldn't fall in love with me. Now, I can leave with satisfaction."

At this moment, Michelle sat on the ground weakly, crying uncontrollably.

"I've let you go, and you should let go of the unnecessary guilt and self-blame in your heart. As I said, you are suitable to live in the sun and smile freely."

Steve...

Michelle buried her head between her huddled legs, feeling the world gradually shrinking until she was the only one left, crying hoarsely.

——It's like wanting to vent all the emotions in my heart.

"Michelle...Michelle..." The familiar voice, Michelle was awakened by a gentle slap, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Hotch frowning and scanning her worriedly.

She felt the familiar wetness on her face, and she understood everything almost immediately.

"What's wrong? Had a nightmare?" Hotch asked softly, wiping away the remaining tears on her face.

When Hotch hugged her into a familiar embrace, Michelle heard herself answering:

"No, it's a beautiful dream. It's just that I am very happy, so happy that I can't help crying."

Michelle raised a big smile and hugged Hotch's broad shoulders tightly, savoring the warmth of this moment carefully.The moment she turned her head, she saw her left hand on Hotch's shoulder, and her eyes widened instantly.

There is nothing on the index finger.

——Since you let it go, let it all go.

The author has something to say: The first update of New Year's benefits! Steve's episode!It can be considered as a continuation of the content of the previous episode.

Hey, banshee, come and get it! ! !

I like Steve, come here~~ What a touch of warmth

Sure enough, Steve is a good guy!

Now he can reincarnate with peace of mind haha

Dear friends who are indifferent to the episode, there will be a second update in the evening

In order not to be fascinated by Steve in this chapter, please review Chapter 75 first!

The hero of this article is Hotch! ! !

Thank you Tangtang for throwing a landmine, mememe!Thank you for your continued support!Happy New Year!