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"Now my dreams they let me down"
"If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more." -Jane Austen, "Emma"
* * *
Sometimes Bella felt as if she was floating. As if she was on a large cloud and looking down at the world below her. She watched people carry on about their day without a care in the world. They didn't know about the death she had to see every day. They didn't know about the killers that lurked around the corner, preying on them daily. Every person she encountered she found herself profiling, trying to figure out if they were a threat or not.
It worked, usually. Other times...Bella found herself to be too trusting. She knew that it would come back to bite her one day. But she never knew when. She didn't want to know when. Something about being left in the dark was entirely...poetical.
"Are you hungry?" Spencer asked as he fished in his pocket for his apartment key. "I can order something. Pizza?"
"Yeah that should-that should be fine," Bella answered softly as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She flipped it open and groaned, realizing that it was dead.
Spencer looked over and knitted his eyebrows together, "What's wrong?"
"My phone is dead. We didn't have any service for that 10-hour flight and I know that someone was trying to call me earlier."
"I have a charger you can borrow if you need it."
"Thanks, Spence."
The two agents walked further into the apartment building, slowly approaching Spencer's apartment. Bella felt tired and she felt sore, the weight of the previous case still weighing on her. She mostly wanted to climb into bed with Spencer and sleep, being able to cuddle with him and feel safe.
They turned the corner towards his apartment and paused, the door being opened a crack. Spencer furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at the doorknob, seeing that the lock had been picked. Bella felt her jaw drop, shock coursing through her body.
"Stay out here," Spencer said, drawing his gun.
"I'm going with you," Bella said, drawing her gun as well.
Spencer frowned before moving into his apartment, quickly flicking on the lights and scanning the area. Bella followed in behind him, raising her gun and checking the surrounding area. She pulled back curtains and looked behind pieces of furniture, trying to find the person who broke in. She was coming up blank, no sign of anyone being there.
Turning around, she followed behind Spencer who flipped on another light in a short hallway. Bella opened up the door to a closet as Spencer quickly whipped open the door to his bathroom before a shrill cry rang out.
