When The World Stops | Completed

Chapter 67: Teacher's Pet

"Hey, Deanna, there's something I want to talk to you about." I said, peeking into her room. "Are you busy right now?"

She shook her head and closed her computer, "No, what's going on?"

"So, do you remember the case I told you about, the reason I got shot in the neck?" I asked, walking in to sit on her bed next to her.

She nodded, "Yeah, what about it?"

"So, I didn't give you all the details. It's not anything bad, I just thought you should know what happened." I took a deep breath. "So, I went into the warehouse with Morgan. Spencer was with Hotch and JJ at a different entrance. We found Emily and three girls tied up. I let Emily go and went to help the other girls. The one I went to was wired into a bomb. I told Em and Morgan to get out and stayed with the girl."

"I remember, you made Hotch get Spencer out and Morgan cuffed him to a car, right?" She asked. "He's still mad about that."

I nodded, "I knew he'd run into the building to try to save me. It was the only way I could think of to keep him safe. I got the dress off the girl and tossed it down the hall, it exploded safely away from it. But the girl stole my gun."

"She was the unsub?"

I nodded. "She identified herself as Alyss Treaty, but Spencer realized it was a fake name. He warned me, but it was too late."

"I remember the rest of the story." Deanna cut in, "She brought you outside and shot you, she only missed because Aaron shot her at the same time."

I nodded. "So, earlier this week, I asked you to come up with fake names for unsubs for my class. I couldn't give you details, but one of the names you used was-"

"Alyss Treaty. Fuck." Deanna cursed. "Let me guess, it was randomly assigned to the one case it was linked to."

"Bingo." I shrugged, "It's okay, I had a minor anxiety attack but I'm okay now. I just wanted to tell you what happened so you're aware of that as a trigger."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Deanna clearly felt awful. "I never wanted to hurt you like that."

"I know. It's okay, Deanna. Like I said, it was minor, and I'm okay now. The team is aware of things like this, we all have issues and triggers, and I have coping mechanisms." I touched her arm gently. "I just wanted you to know."

"Thank you for telling me. I'm so sorry."

I pulled her into a hug, "It's okay. Really. Thank you for apologizing, but you really were just doing what I asked you to do. And I love that series, I can't blame you."

"Promise you're okay?" She asked.

"I promise." I held out my pinky finger.

She laughed and intertwined her pinky with mine.

"Now, get back to homework, and holler if you need help, okay?" I asked.

"Ugh, fine," Deanna grumbled dramatically.

We both laughed, and I felt the weight lift off my shoulders.

***

Before class on Monday, I was getting ready for class when I saw someone walk in.

"Can I help you?" I asked, unable to see exactly who it was.

"Yeah, I just have a question." It was M, now coming down the stairs. "Is this an okay time?"

"Yeah, of course, what's up?" I asked, walking off the stage to greet them.

They hesitated for a second, "I noticed that you seemed tense at the end of class yesterday, and you left really quickly. Plus, you were breathing quickly."