Dark Days

The Walls Come Tumbling Down

©JRF2016

"Daddy!" Grace screams as she does a flying superman leap on top of Reid waking him up the hard way. She lands right on his sweet spot and Reid lets out a grunt as he rolls Grace off him holding onto the jewels his lovely daughter just crushed. "What's a matter daddy?" Grace looks at him. "Nothing, daddy's okay." He groans, "You want some breakfast?" Grace shakes her head yes as she takes Reid's hand. He walks her into the kitchen to fix her something to eat. They see Charlie and Riley sleeping on the couch as they pass. Grace starts to run over to wake her big brother up when Reid pulls her back, "No baby," he whispers, "Let 'em sleep a little longer."

They are still sleeping when Darrick walks in with Cathy and Jenny. "What you lettin' 'em do over here?" Darrick asks. "There just sleeping," Reid keeps watching out the window. He knew she was gone to get stuff for this party that she wanted to throw for Grace but a part of him still wondered if she was really okay now. A part of him wondered if she would come back. She was so freaked out with seeing Lucy. Reid looks back and Darrick was staring at the two kids asleep on the couch. Reid smiles at Darrick, "What's wrong? Worried what Conner will say if they make him a grandpa too soon?" Cathy and Reid both laugh as Darrick stuck out his tongue at them. "It ain't gonna be my ass he kicks if they do, you're the one letting them run wild over here. Whatcha lookin' for Reid?" Darrick asks when he catches him looking out the window again. "Just waiting for Rachel to get back with the stuff for..." Reid pauses, "For Rachel to get back from her run." Darrick nods, "You two talk things out last night?" Reid nods back. "Then don't worry, she'll be back. They gonna sleep all day?" He points to Charlie and his niece and Reid shrugs. "I gotta do somethin' about these lazy kids," Darrick says smiling as he goes into the kitchen. They could hear him rummaging through drawers and cabinets. He comes back in the room a few minutes later with a wooden spoon and a pot. He walks over to the couch, inches from the sleeping teenagers' faces and starts smacking the pot with the spoon. Charlie and Riley both fly off the couch and land on the floor. Everyone was laughing except the two of them. They pick themselves up off the floor rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. "Not funny Darrick!" Riley snarls at him.

"Hmm," He said, "Everybody else thought it was a riot." Reid turn back to the window and Darrick stares at him. "What do ya say we go outside and take watch, Reid?" He turns to see the understanding in Darrick's eyes and nods. "Daddy can I come?" Grace pleads. Reid lifts her onto his hip.

"Come on," he said smiling at her. They weren't waiting long when the truck comes into view. Reid sets Grace down and jumps down off the wall. He walks over and opens the gate for her. She pulls in and hops out of the driver's seat while Conner steps out of the passenger side. "Everything go okay?" Reid asks her but before she can answer Conner blurts out, "How could it not go okay? She took me with her didn't she?" Grace wanted down as soon as she saw Rachel and runs right into her arms.

"You big, strong menfolk can unload all that right?" She grabs a bag and carries it and Grace inside while the three men unload the truck. They put all the toys in the middle of the yard and when they were done Reid yells for his girls. Grace runs out first in all her excitement. Her eyes glowed when she saw all the toys. Reid watches her testing each one when he catches a glimpse of Rachel holding a tray full of Twinkies with two candles stuck in the one on top. "Look, mom's got cake," Reid says after picking up his daughter. Grace looks at Rachel and climbs out of Reid's arms running over to her. She kneels down to Grace, "Make a wish and blow out your candles." Reid swells up with pride and joy watching his two girls. Just when Grace puffs out her candles there was a loud crash at the gate.

Reid turns around to see the truck come barreling through the gates. He put his hand on his gun ready to draw if he needed to and walks toward the truck. The door swings open and the driver climbs out. He starts toward Reid with a shotgun raised. All Reid can see is a tall shadowy figure at first. As he nears his facial features begin to show. Everything turns to slow motion as Reid starts to recognize his face. He starts moving his mouth but Reid doesn't hear his words. He looks back to where Rachel was standing holding Grace and they're gone. Darrick, Conner, Cathy, Charlie and Riley aren't there either. He's alone with this ghost from his past. Reid looks back at him, still silently screaming. "You can't keep 'em safe!" Reid finally hears the words the man has been repeating. He bites his bottom lip and pulls out his pistol. He fires a round into the guy's chest and he keeps walking toward Reid. His brown eyes milky and cataract covered now. He's snarling at Reid. He has a combination of drool, blood and pus rolling from his twisted dead mouth. "You can't protect her, Reid." Reid is now standing face to face with him. "I'm a better man than you Reid. I'm a better father than you, Reid." He unloads the rest of the rounds into him, screaming. Tony falls onto him and they hit the ground. Tony opens his mouth wide and draws closer ready to feed on his one-time best friend.

Reid sits up in the bed with sweat rolling down his face. He wipes the sweat from his forehead gasping for breath. He looks down to the spot in bed next to him where Rachel was sleeping. She's gone. Reid draws his knees up resting his arms on them and drops his head. "It's just a bad dream, we're safe here," he tells himself, "Tony's gone, you killed him dummy." He rubs his hand across his face and falls back onto the bed letting out a big puff of air and whispered to himself again, "Just a bad dream."

K