The 5'4 girl stands outside the apartment building crying on the sidewalk. In the window, a muscular guy in a black wife beater watches her with a beer in his hand. The chilly October wind causes the girl to shiver as she makes a call on her cell phone. A few minutes later the headlight of an old, baby blue Volvo light up the parking lot. Dr. Spencer Reid climbs out of the car and hugs the girl. She clings to him for a few moments before climbing into the passenger seat of the vehicle.

"Gabbriella, honey, what happened?" Spencer asks as he drives off.

"It hurts Spence," She whimpers, "My side hurts. He tried forcing me to do things and then when I wouldn't he got mad and started hitting me and he threw me against the wall and I think I broke a rib." She talks quickly and quietly.

"I'm taking you to the hospital," He says and pulls an illegal U-turn, "It'll be okay. He won't be bothering you again—definitely not after I'm done with him."

Spencer's eyes are hard, his face cold. He turns towards her, "I love you, you know that, right? I don't want him to hurt you." He whispers and grabs her hand gently as he pulls into the parking lot. Gabriella nods and squeezes his hand.

Spencer helps her out of the car and helps support her weight as they walk towards the hospitals double doors. They don't spend long in the waiting room and a few hours later she is laying on Spencer's couch with two broken ribs and a mild concussion, not to mention the bruises. "Need anything?" Spencer asks quietly from the kitchen. She shakes her head and stares at him for a moment

"What?" He raises his eyebrows.

"You're—just so…" She trails off, "Gorgeous," She finishes.

Spencer laughs and walks towards her. He rests a hand on her cheek and smiles, "What kind of meds did they give you?"

She giggles and breathes in deeply. "Thanks Spence, for helping me." Spencer just shakes his head and grabs her hand.

"It's what I'm supposed to do," He says, "You're my best friend. I'd do almost anything for you," His voice gets quieter and his next words are barely audible, "I love you, Gabby…"

She smiles and sits up enough to hug him, "I love you, too, Spence." He hugs her back carefully.

"

Get some rest, Hun," He says and kisses her forehead, "You need it." She reluctantly releases him and lies back down on the couch. She watches as he disappears into his bedroom.

I love you, too, Spence. Gabbriella's words ring through his head as he drifts into a peaceful dream.

They stay at his house the next day watching cheap movies on his tiny TV. At about 9:30, they decide to go to sleep. Around 3 in the morning he is awoken by her screaming his name. Spencer jumps out of the bed and rushes to the living room.

"What's wrong," He asks as he flips on the lamp and pulls her into his arms, "Honey, what happened."

"I-I'm sorry. I thought—he was here. I swear he was. I saw him. I know I did. He opened the door and walked over to me. I was… I don't know… It must've been a dream," She stutters out quickly.

Spencer rubs her back softly as she cries onto his shoulder, "I'm scared." She whispers quietly. He kisses her on the top of the head, "I gotcha. He can't get you now. You're with me. I won't let him near you."

She snuggles against Spencer, closes her eyes and tries to control her breathing. "Do you want to sleep in the bedroom? I can sleep on the couch."

"I don't wanna take your bed from you Spence." Her voice muffled against her shoulder.

"The bed's big enough for both of us," He nervously suggests.

She pauses for a moment, "That sounds okay, better than being in here alone anyways." She finally responds.

Spencer helps her up off the couch and walks with her to his small room. She lies on the right side of the bed, farthest from the end table holding a lamp, book, and alarm clock. Spencer lies down next to her. Gabriella lies quite still for a few long moments contemplating her next move. Finally, she rolls to her side, drapes one arm over Spencer, and rests her head on his shoulder. Spencer wraps one arm around her waist and lightly kisses her head, "Get some sleep," He whispers softly, "Everything will be okay."