She Can't Do It Alone

----Cory's POV----

I walked into Ashley's kitchen, still feeling a little - well - dead. I had been out of the hospital for about a week. I felt lonely as I sat in this small apartment while Ashley and the rest of the gang were out finding the guy that did this to me. Ashley had been keeping any business from me and every one else ignored my calls. I felt like I was a total let down. I had a weak moment, don't we all?

I, too, wanted to find the guy and send him to prison. I wanted to know exactly what he did to my neck. Ashley wouldn't tell me about that, either. She only told me some tool was used, but I didn't believe her, I don't remember a tool being used.

The most I could remember was following the guy down into a room, being laid upon a table, and him muttering something in another language, I think.

I poured myself a cup of coffee and fixed it how I liked it. Once I was done, I entered the living room and sat it on the end table. I sat in the silence for a minute, staring at nothing in particular, when I heard crying.

I cocked my head and stood up. I looked down the hall, into the open bathroom door. It was coming from in there.

I slowly walked towards the noise, holding my hands in front of my face, ready for a fight. Was Ashley home? I didn't recall hearing her move.

I peeked into the room, looking over at the toilet and on the floor. My gaze shot to the tub, where I could see a glowing little girl curled up. She was crying into her knees, her hair covering her face, and her dress torn to shreds.

"Hello?" I called.

The little girl looked up. Her eyes were blackened out, her mouth torn at one of the corners. I gasped and stumbled back a little. She whimpered.

"Help..." The words sounded strangled. She was unable to speak correctly. "P-p-please. I-I need your h-help!" A loud cry and she was gone. I gasped from the loud cry, bumping my head against the wall. This place no longer felt safe.

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I heard the door open a few hours later. I ran from my room into the living room to see Ashley and Hotch standing there. They looked beat, and Ashley looked ready to break down.

"Cory. How's your neck?" Hotch asked, barely even looking my way.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Haven't really paid much attention. I've been too worried by the girl in our bathtub." I said.

Ashley looked up at me, panic in her eyes. "Cor, we have no li--" She cut off, realizing what I meant. "Nobody was killed here, right?"

"We don't know that. It's probably just a part of her imagination. The doctor said she would act different on these medicines." Hotch explained.

I shook my head. "No, no! I'm serious!"

"Sure you are, Why don't you just go take a nap. Ash, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, bright and early. Tell Jack I said hi." She smiled, kissing his cheek and turning towards me.

Hotch walked out of the room. I heard the click of the lock as Ashley walked over and made herself a glass of water. She walked back into the living room and sat down in the chair.

"You know, this is for your own good."

I laughed. "My own good? Ashley, I want to help you guys. I want to be with Reid, not here."

"Do you, Cory? Do you really want to be with Reid?" Ashley looked up at me. "If you truly wanted to be with him, you wouldn't have tried going behind his back, right? You don't see me going after other men. I'm with Hotch, he's the only guy for me. Reid should be the very same for you, but you're just too immature."

"It was for my job!" I glared.

"No, it was for your own selfish reason. Do you know just how badly you hurt Spence? Hm? Do you know today was the first day he showed up since we found you? He looked horrible. I heard him telling Morgan how he can't sleep, eat, think straight, or stop thinking about you. Yet, he can't bring himself to look at you because all he sees is the younger girl that broke his heart because she hasn't figured out what she wants."

I shook my head. " I know exactly what I want, Ashley. I want Spencer. I want to move back in with him, I want to make love to him again, I want to wake up and see him beside me, I want to be back on the team, and I want everybody to forget about what happened."

"That's not possible, not anymore." She stood up and walked out of the room. I groaned. I picked up a pillow and threw it - with force - on the couch.

-----Ashley's POV-----

The next day, I walked into work. I saw Spencer and Garcia talking at his desk. They both looked ill, but hurt could be seen in Spencer's eyes. I overheard him say something about wanting to forget, but he couldn't.

I sighed and sat on Hotch's desk, looking down as he looked through papers. I picked up a folder and looked through it.

"New cases already?" I asked.

"The guy is gone. There is nothing we can do." He said.

"You don't know that. You guys have never lost one before."

"We've lost several, actually. This is one of them. We can't always catch the bad guys, now can we?"

Everybody had been so touchy lately. Even Garcia, who was always so bubbly.

I hopped off his desk and walked over to the window. "Maybe he is a real vampire. He may have put a spell on Cory."

"Not possible, Ashley. Stop making up things. Shouldn't you be doing something?" He asked, throwing down a file and picking another.

The sounds of him shuffling through paper filled his tiny office. I rolled my eyes and sat in a chair. "No. Not really, since we're apparently changing cases."

"We're not changing. I'm just putting us on another small one until we have more leads."

I crossed my legs. "Mhm. And instead of finding more, you're giving up."

He slapped down the papers and looked over at me. "No, I am not. We've worked on this case for a week now. We haven't found anything. We should have already!"

"What if I told you I have a lead?"