C A P T I V E || S.R

N I N E

It had been about a year since the court case. Cloud had eventually reached a point where Spencer almost forced her to see a therapist. There was about a week while Spencer was on a case where all she did was lay in bed. She found that she was still so angry with Liam, with herself. She was terrified and constantly on edge. It was her senior year in college and her grades were starting to slip. It was soon after this that she decided Spencer was right. She made an appointment with a therapist and went to her first appointment while Spencer was out running errands. He had offered to take her, but she decided this was a step she needed to take on her own. She had left her therapists information on the fridge for Spencer in case he needed it at some point for whatever reason.

It wasn't until the appointment that Cloud learned anything about this therapist. Her name was  Mia Davis and while Cloud couldn't bring herself to fully trust her, Cloud did piece together that she was a very genuine person. Throughout the session, Cloud revealed little bits of what she experienced and how she was doing now that it was all over.  Mia simply listened when Cloud chose to express her feelings. She definitely appreciated it. It was nice just to get everything off of her chest.

Over the next few weeks, Spencer could see the improvement in Cloud's mood. She seemed happier and overall better than she was. He was glad to see his friend seemed to be healing. There were still nights where he would wake up to her screaming or nights where she couldn't sleep. She still had days where she couldn't bring herself to get out of bed. Despite that though, those days started to occur less and less. Cloud had even reached a point where she felt comfortable going out and running errands with Spencer without feeling as if she had to be right next to him. Of course, he would still be more than happy to help her in anyway he could. But it also  felt nice to see the difference between the girl crying in his arms and the girl who laughed and smiled more often than not.

Soon enough, Cloud even managed to graduate college with her masters in forensic psychology. She wasn't sure what she wanted to use her degree for, so she decided to help the BAU whenever they needed. There was one day Spencer had called her asking her to come in. She agreed and somehow managed to leave the apartment by herself. She gets to the BAU and is greeted by Spencer, a wide smile on his face. "So, I have some good news." Cloud gives him a curious look before nodding a bit. "Hotch and I were talking about how you weren't sure what your next step was. He said that we don't have a place in the BAU for you, but you could still join the FBI and we would still be able to work together. Then you could also use that fancy degree you have and help others like you wanted." Cloud smiles brightly as she pulls Spencer into a tight hug. "I would love that."

It didn't take long for Cloud to start her new job at the FBI. She mostly consulted for other agents and talked to suspects claiming they didn't realize what they were doing. That was, until the BAU got a case they needed her help with. Cloud made her way to the BAU and leaned against Spencer's desk as he goes over the case. "If any part of this makes you uncomfortable, just tell me to stop." Cloud nods, not really knowing why he felt the need to say that. "We have 5 women that are victim of rape. We have someone in custody but none of us have been able to get anything out of him." Cloud takes a deep breath before nodding. "I'll talk to him." Spencer gives her a concerned look. "Are you sure?" Cloud simply nods. She didn't want her past to prevent her from doing her job. She didn't want to let Liam have any kind of control over her. Both Cloud and Spencer make their way to the interrogation room. As they do, Spencer fills her in on the profile and she decides on how she's going to do this.

Cloud walks into the room and watches the man look up at her from the table. He gives her a smug smirk. She sits at the table across from him, reminding herself that Spencer is just on the other side of the glass. "Hello. I hear you've been quite a busy man." The man simply nods as he looks her over. "Why don't you tell me about what has kept you so busy." She urges. The man looks at her for a moment before speaking. "Well, since you're so pretty, I guess I can bend a little." Cloud takes a deep breath bracing herself. "You see..." He starts. "I found myself a few playthings, so I used them. You should have seen how much they fought.  Their screams no one could hear.  Felt the fear radiating off of them." He leans forward. "You should have been one of them. It's a shame, really. A shame that such a pretty little thing like you evaded me." Cloud feels her heart race, her mind flashing back to Liam, to what he did to her. She manages to keep her resolve long enough to walk out of the room and over to where Spencer stood. He gives her a concerned look as she sits down. Her head falls into her hands as the images of that night race through her mind. If Spencer had something, she hadn't heard it. She feels a hand rest on her shoulder and quickly stands and moves away. She feels tears stream down her face as she feels Liam's hands on her body. She sinks to the ground,  her body shaking violently. After several minutes, she slowly comes out of it. She stares at the floor as she runs a hand through her hair. "Cloud?" She hears Spencer speak up as she feels his eyes on her. She slowly stands as she wraps her arms around herself. She walks up to Spencer and melts into his arms as tears continue to stream down her cheeks. Spencer holds her as he whispers to her. Things like "it's ok" and "he can't hurt you". Cloud manages to calm down and pulls back as she wipes her tears. "I'm gonna go call Mia." Spencer nods and watches her walk out of the room. She walks to the bathroom and pulls out her phone. She dials Mia's number and waits for her to answer before explaining what just happened. "I'm glad you called." Mia starts. "Cloud, what you just experienced is called a PTSD episode. It would appear that you've formed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." Mia goes on to explain what Cloud was dealing with and how they would treat it. They finish their conversation and Cloud goes to find Spencer at his desk. She explains what Mia had told her, despite knowing Spencer already knew  the information. Saying it aloud made it more real though. The two of them then head back to the apartment and cuddle on the couch before she falls asleep. She was gad to have been able to help get his confession, but Cloud questioned if her job was really worth risking her mental health over.