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"Remind me again how you managed to talk me into this?"
Sera had never really been a religious person but she enjoyed spending time with Ryan and his family so when Ryan had asked her to come to Church with him and his family, she had a hard time saying no. It had taken a lot of convincing but she had finally agreed.
Ryan laughed while placing an arm over her shoulder, "You love spending time with us all." He loved to tease her but he also loved taking her out of her comfort zone. At no point did he wanted her to do something she wasn't comfortable with but he loved seeing the smile on her face when she would be proud of herself for doing something she normally wouldn't do.
Sera rolled her eyes, "Unfortunately." Ryan didn't say anything as he chuckled before walking her towards his family. He hugged both his parents before she did. She had known Jack and his wife for years, before she had ever met Ryan or knew that he was their son. Jack was protective and private when it came to his family, hence why she didn't know much about his children.
"You're looking better." Jack spoke softly.
"I feel much better." Sera replied as she hugged the man tightly.
Ever since her break up, Jack had really been a rock. He made sure she took care of herself, listened to her and gave her the space she needed without giving her too much. He had a way of always knowing what to say to make everything better and always brought her food because he knew she would forget to eat.
Church had surely been an experience but it was an experience that she had oddly enjoyed. Ryan held her hand through the whole thing, keeping her grounded and reassuring her that everything was okay so she didn't get lost in her own head. After the whole experience, Jack had asked them both to breakfast, stating that they didn't see the couple enough.
"Remind me again why I asked you to come over for breakfast?" Jack spoke as he rolled his eyes.
Sera laughed, "You have no one to blame but yourself, old man."
"She has a point." Ryan teased. He smiled as he watching his girlfriend giggle, it felt good knowing she was happy, smiling and comfortable with the people she cared about. He was proud of the progress she had been making for the past couple of months and it was nice to see her in a better place.
Jack scoffed, "I don't like either of you right now."
"You love us." Sera grinned before her phone pinged. She looked at the notification and frowned.
"A case?" Father and son asked in unison.
"No, much worse."
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"Nope. I'm not doing it. I'm not talking about it. It's in the past and it has taken me a long time to get here, therefore, I have no reason to discuss it again."
Matt Cruz sighed, "I'm sorry Sera. You know I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important. This guy has killed again and they're hoping by talking to you, you could give them new leads. Please? You get to pick who will do your cognitive interview and you dont have to talk to anyone else on the case."
Sera hated him asking about the worst case of her life. The last thing she wanted was to relive the worst time of her life, especially with people she wasn't sure she wanted to talk to. Despite her coming to terms with what happened between her and Spencer, she was not ready to talk to most of the team but it was important, otherwise they wouldn't be asking.
"Fine. I'll do it but I will only talk to Derek and Dave."
"Okay. Thank you." Matt sighed as he left the room to get the two agents.
Derek and Dave walked into the room a few moments later. Derek walked over to his best friend and pulled her into a tight hug. He had always known she was brave but to see the horror of what she had been through and for her to come out so much stronger, made him truly see how strong she was.
"I'm so proud of you."
Sera smiled softly, "Thank you. Should we get started?" She wanted it over and done with as soon as possible. The last thing she wanted was to keep thinking about what had happened, she could already see the nightmares she was going to have tonight.
"You can start from the beginning, kiddo." Dave spoke when they all moved to the comfortable chairs.
Sera took a deep breathe before she closed her eyes, "I was walking to the hospital that was a few blocks from my school. I had to walk down an alley way, I remember listening to my music and then it went dark. When I woke up, I was tied to a chair. A man walked into the room, he started saying how I belonged to him and that I was going to feel his pain for not returning his affections. All I really remember was the pain, he cut, hit, stabbed and electrocuted me. At some point he started water boarding me and rubbing salt in my wounds. I don't know how long it went on for but when I heard the police sirens, he shot me, twice. When I woke up in the hospital the doctors were actually surprised that I survived. My heart actually stopped twice."
Both Derek and Dave sat stunned as they listened to what had happened to her. How could something so terrible happen to someone so beautiful, someone that always put others first and always smiled.
"How did you get through it all, without losing your sanity?"
