The next step

                                    

                                          
TW: mention of drowning, mention of death, mention of murder.
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July 5th - Sunday
Spencer woke up to a screaming Ava who rolled around and yelled inaudible things, crying heavily. He softly wrapped his arms around her and whispered "I'm still here, Baby" while Ava kept moving. "It's okay, Baby, I'm here, it's just a dream... Ava, I'm still here... " he softly stroked over her hair.
Then she suddenly woke up, inhaling sharply. Ava needed a second to realize where she was and that it had just been a dream, shaking heavily so Spencer pulled her closer and the blanket up. "I'm still here, Baby, I'm never gonna leave you" he whispered, feeling Avas heart beating fast. "I'm here if you wanna talk." 
Gently Spencer stroked over her arm before he reached for her hand and intertwined his with hers. Ava was heavily breathing, still crying but felt Reids heart beat slow against her back, his breath on her ear and heard his calming voice. "I'm never gonna leave you, Ava. I'm still here, Baby, Okay?" He asked in the darkness and Ava whispered a breathless "okay" back. 
Spencer kissed her neck, breathing in her smell and wondered what she had dreamed about as she suddenly, almost inaudible whispered "I drowned."
"What can I do?"
"Nothing, I... just stay" she mumbled.
"I will, Baby" he whispered and pulled her as close as possible. The tears had stopped and Ava stroked over his fingers with her thumb trying to push away the memories of the dream. She felt Spencers warmth and took a deep breath while he placed two more kisses on her neck. "I'm still here, Ava" he whispered. 
There was a moment of silence before Ava opened up a little. "As he pulled me underwater, I... I thought I would die.... He... The water was soooo cold and I... I... I couldn't breath... He... it was so dark and... I'm so terrified of water... That... I... Goooood, I don't wanna think about that again."
"But maybe that will help you progress what happened" Spencer whispered in her skin.
"One of my biggest fears is drowning... I... I don't even know where this is coming from, but... I... I think about that night so often and I don't even know why, because he's dead."
"Because it traumatized you, Ava" Spencer closed his eyes to the memories of that night. "You were confronted with you biggest fear and almost died."
"But he's dead."
"No, Ava, it doesn't work like that" he placed another kiss on her neck. 
"I know" she whispered.  "I just....I don't know how to keep this dream from coming."
"Maybe exactly like this, Ava, TALKING" Spencer suggested.
Ava thought about that for a moment. "Maybe you're right, but I don't wanna pull you into this darkness."
"Ava... I... I'm here. And it hurts me more to see you in pain than it hurts me to talk with you and maybe help you heal."
"I don't want to hurt you."
"You don't... no, noooo Ava... YOU don't hurt me. The fact that you are in pain hurts me. Thinking about you getting hurt hurts me. But not you" he buried his face in the crook of her neck and placed another long kiss onto her skin. 
"That scares me as well", Ava confessed. "I don't think I could keep my cool if you would get injured."
Spencer swallowed, THAT was HIS biggest fear, seeing her getting shot or whatever is what he feared the most. "We will be careful, Ava, I promise you, I will be careful."