The Telepath's Daughter

A Tense Homecoming

Can you tell me what's wrong now?

Reid parked in his driveway and was sprinting up the walk before the engine grumbled to a stuttering stop.

I'm just not sure if it's something really bad or not. Ana's reply had a metallic ring to it in Spencer's mind. It meant she was shielding her thoughts from Melinda. The strange quality of such communication was relatively new. Reid had decided it was an effect of their shields growing stronger with practice.

And then, he was through the door and had to put his curiosity on hold until he'd had a chance to hug his wife.

Spencer, her teacher wants to meet with us and talk about her. It's only been a few days and already something's gone wrong! Ana kept her head buried against Reid's chest and savored the sensation of being wrapped tight in his arms; a greeting that was protective as well as affectionate.

He nuzzled her hair, breathing in the scent that had come to mean a comfortable kind of love that he could depend on no matter what. It could be anything, Ana. Let's not jump to conclusions just yet. After all...worry is...

...the misuse of imagination, she finished for him. It was a lesson they'd learned together and had become something of a talisman they could use to calm themselves.

Reid pulled back and coaxed Ana's head up enough so she could see his wide, happy grin. Guess we have to keep reminding ourselves, huh? His wife nodded. Her own lips approximated a smile in return, but Reid could still see shades of concern deep in her eyes. He gave her one more reassuring squeeze. Does Mellie think she did anything she shouldn't have?

She says no, and I believe her. She...she didn't feel as though anything was troubling her. And she's not good at hiding stuff, you know?

Yeah, I know. When she does figure out how to be secretive from us...that's gonna be a whole new ballgame. Reid took a deep breath and made a conscious effort to lower his mental shields. He released Ana and, giving her a look he hoped expressed confidence, went in search of his daughter.

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Melinda knew when Reid arrived. She knew her parents were discussing her. She knew they were shielding their thoughts from her. She knew they were worried. She knew whatever had happened might throw her educational career into limbo. After all the haggling and pestering and importuning to be allowed to enter the school system, Melinda knew she might have to fight to retain the privilege.

Melinda knew a lot. The only thing she didn't know was why she'd been singled out by her teacher, Ms. Keller, for the singular honor of a note addressed to her parents.

So when Melinda sensed Reid coming to her room with shields lowered, she can be forgiven for reaching out in an almost-reflex and trying to dig the information out of her father's mind.

Mellie! Stop that NOW! Reid felt his daughter flinch and immediately softened his response. It's okay, Mellie-bear. I'm just worried and, well...you know.

I do, Daddy. I know...She sent her father an image of a large wolf snapping at a pup and herding it, none too gently, back to the safety of the den. Father and daughter watched nature films a lot.

When Reid tapped on the door to her room and poked his head around the corner, his expression was gentle. "That's right, Mellie. You're the most important thing in the world to me and I'll protect you to my last breath, but..." He raised a quizzical brow. "...no one's ever thought of me as a wolf before. You sure you're not mixing me up with your godfather?"

Mention of Aaron Hotchner, who would forever be known in the deepest, most primal depths of Melinda's mind as Beautiful Him, eased some of the tension from the room. Melinda giggled.

"No, Daddy." But I miss him. I want to see him.

"Out loud, Mellie-bear. Remember we have to practice normal-talk so we don't slip up in public." Reid took a deep, preparatory breath. "And speaking of slipping up..."

"I didn't do anything wrong." It tugged at Reid's heart that the statement wasn't in the strident tones of childish denial. It was solemn and deeply sad. It was the declaration of someone unjustly accused, yet powerless to prove it.

Reid took a seat beside his daughter on the edge of her bed. The bedspread was fanciful, frilly and done in pastel, Easter-egg colors. It was the fallout from a practical joke war between Hotch and David Rossi that had taken place before Melinda was born. Reid ran his fingers over the fabric, taking comfort in the knowledge that, even if they weren't related by blood, his BAU team was family, too. He used to think that if he ever became a dad, he'd be asking Hotch all manner of questions, using the Unit Chief's fatherhood as a reference tool for his own journey.

But now Reid had to admit that there were no precedents or rules for a child like Melinda. Or for parents like him and Ana. It was nice to know Mellie wanted to touch bases with her godfather, but Reid wasn't sure how helpful that would be. He draped one arm around his daughter's small shoulders and remembered what it was like to have a phenomenal brain and to be a misunderstood kid himself.

"I don't think you did anything wrong or anything bad, Mellie, but sometimes just doing things differently makes people stand out. Do you think that's what might have happened today?"

"I dunnooooooo!" This time it was a childish wail.

Reid chewed on his bottom lip as Melinda's distress became his own. He considered his options.

He could do nothing and wait to see what the teacher, Ms. Keller, wanted to discuss. It dovetailed with his mantra about the misuse of imagination, but he could feel both Ana's and Melinda's anxieties building. As gentle as Reid was, the alpha in him stirred at the thought of protecting his little family. It might not be physical danger, but emotional danger could be just as bad. Sometimes worse.

So I can let things be, or...

"Mellie, honey, mind if I take a look?"

Reid didn't take what he was proposing lightly. He'd been warned about trespassing in others minds. He'd seen the disastrous effects such an unconsidered action could have when Hotch had suffered from it.

But Melinda was different.

That was the wonderful part of it all.

It was also the trouble of it all.

"Can I?" Reid asked again and saw relief wash over his daughter's features.

"Yes, please, Daddy." Melinda was so hungry to learn everything, but she felt more frustration than satisfaction when it came to school. There were so many opportunities to see new things and explore hitherto unknown facets of everything, but it wasn't joyful. There was too much and she hadn't had a chance to mull things over the way she liked. The other children were always moving, always so active. When did they take time to study something until it was so understandable it was kind of a mental possession? No one else did that. It made Melinda confused in a sad sort of way.

She slipped her hand into Reid's and took a deep breath. Her eyelids dropped, shuttering the glowing amber of her eyes. "I'm ready, Daddy."

Reid leaned into his daughter, resting his chin on top of her head and letting the softness of baby-fine hair cushion him. He closed his own eyes.

And began the journey of Melinda's Day At School.