The Telepath's Daughter

A Destination of Mixed Blessings

The last time Rossi had traveled to the sanctuary, it had been a marathon event with Morgan snarling and grumping and cracking the whip. They had bounced and sped and grudged every stop, even though stops were limited to the absolutely necessary. This time was different.

The pace was considerate and the stops were more frequent. Ana's bathroom breaks and all their nutritional needs were met with calm precision and no badgering about the need for speed. They found overnight lodgings that were decent and clean, if not luxurious. The brief respite during which the little group shared meals, conversation and accommodations, and watched the land transform into the majestic, primeval forests of the north was healing in many ways.

Except for Ana.

While the others relaxed into the rhythms of travel, she couldn't stop herself from imagining whatever the old doctor was keeping to himself. Since he had mentioned Reid's mother, Ana fixated on her mother-in-law's mental issues. There was a genetic factor. Spencer had been anxious about developing paranoid schizophrenia for years. He was only now edging his way out of the age bracket that was most susceptible. She'd sensed the tremendous relief in him. And now? Now did the gene skip one generation just to afflict the next? And if it didn't come to pass, as grateful as they'd be, the ceaseless worry would be passed down; in its own way as corrosive as poison.

Out of respect for the convivial atmosphere that the others were enjoying, Ana kept her thoughts to herself, but she couldn't hide from Reid.

Ana, what is it?

Hormones. Leave me alone. Better that way.

Never. We both know neither of us will ever be totally alone again. That's the deal we made. You agreed to it...remember?

The sweetness and longing that pervaded Spencer's declaration brought tears to Ana's eyes. She was a passenger in Rossi's car. Reid was up ahead, riding shotgun with Hotch. It brought home to her that distance couldn't separate them. Nothing could. That's what their marriage vows had been about. She heard the echo of that misty, graceful ceremony years ago...Until death and beyond. This is forever...

Spencer, I don't want to spoil your time with your teammates when you guys don't have a case casting a shadow over everything. And I don't want Mellie to pick up on anything. Ana felt Reid's burst of frustration mingled with affectionate respect wash over her.

Okay, but when we get there...an image of Millie's Bed and Breakfast emerged...will you tell me everything?

There's nothing really to tell. I'm just worried and the closer we get to that old doctor and whatever he's going to tell us, the worse it gets! He should know mothers can't help worrying! I know it sounds stupid, but I can't help it.

Doesn't sound stupid, Ana. Sounds...nice. There was a pause and then, if Ana had felt a pool of emotion in Reid's thoughts before, now she felt an ocean of them. You're such a good mother. I wish...I wish... Snapshots of her husband's life with his own mother flashed through his tumultuous outpouring. Ana saw a boy who never had friends over, not just because they were hard to come by, but because he never knew what would greet him when he came home from school. Or rather, who would greet him. She saw a boy to whom secrecy was second nature, because he was burdened with hiding his mother's mental decline. His father had left. He himself was underage. What would happen if his mother was committed before he was eighteen? The foster system? All the insecurities and deep terror of a child's uncertain fate were embedded in Reid's psyche. Still. Ana could lose herself in it. She felt herself being carried away on a tide of remorse and loneliness until...