The dream started the same way it had since the night he first had it.

Dreamy mist-like surroundings brought his attention to the person walking towards him. It was a girl, in his age, perfectly sculptured body and what he assumed was an equally perfect face. He didn't know; her lines were always a blur.

Her uncontrollable curls hung down her body in a stream of brown. It had so many different nuances it reminded him of autumn, when everything toned down and seemed to get brown and dull. Only the shine to her hair brought out the life he had come to connect to her.

As always, they stopped a few steps apart, string bluntly at each other. They always did.

For the past few months, Reid had had the same dream. He didn't know why, but he knew this girl meant something. Somehow she had managed to nestle her way into his thoughts and linger there like a memory to precious to forget. He just couldn't get her out of his mind.

Meeting her glittering amber eyes he knew he belonged with her. In his dreams she was just a perfect girl, meant for none other than himself, but something told him she was so much more than just that. If he'd ever meet her in real life, he'd know her instantly, even if the lines of her face were all a blur. He knew he'd recognize her, just by the sound of her voice, the outline of her mouth that he was sure he knew exactly where it was.

He had to brace himself to what he knew was coming next. He knew by heart what her words would be, and he didn't want to hear them again. He knew by now that he couldn't open his mouth to stop her from saying what she was going to; he'd tried that so many times he'd lost track of them. He couldn't do anything else than listen to her.

"You have to forget, Reid. This isn't reality; it's not a place for you." The bell-like chime in her voice was sad, and it didn't sound right. Even though this was the only time he'd ever met her, he remembered her to be connected with joy and happiness. Love even.

"I can't forget, you know that." The protest was strong in his voice, as it always was. "My place is with you, you can't change that." There was a seriousness and sadness to his voice that he'd probably never used before. The loss was there in his chest, as the girl turned her eyes and met his gaze.

"You have to try. You can't come here anymore. It wasn't real and both you and I know that." A soft breeze grabbed her long sleeveless black dress and made it flow gracefully around her body. The shorter hair around her face moved slowly in the same breeze, a link getting in her face.

He stepped closer to her, as always, and did the same thing he'd done probably a hundred other nights. His fingers graced her cheek as he softly stroke the curl behind her left ear. Her eyes closed the second of his touch, and he leaned in closer, their breaths mingling with each other, her lips gently parted.

"You're wrong. I love you. Always and forever. There'll never be anyone else for me; you'd be a fool to think anything else. And you're not a fool." The words came out in a whisper, feeling no reason to talk in a normal tone. This was something between the two of them, an intimate moment no one else could participate in.

She opened her eyes slowly, her amber eyes meeting his baby blue. The tears rested as a curtain over her eyes, shining in the changing light. He knew this was the time to kiss her. She wanted him to, he could see it in the sadness of her eyes, and he knew that if he just brushed his lips against hers, she would give in to him. She'd realize that all she'd told herself had been a lie, and that they were destined to be together. They were soulmates, even though she denied it.

He told herself that that was just her way of dealing with the pain, as he leaned in that one last inch and brushed his lips against hers. She breathed unsteadily against his mouth, and he slowly caressed her lips with his own. He didn't put any pressure on her; he just enjoyed that light touch, the sensation of her lips against his own.

They belonged together; it was all clear now, he knew she knew that too.

As he pulled back and reopened his eyes, he saw that the tears had fled her eyes and now slowly sailed down her soft cheek. She met his eyes with an uncertainty that, even though he'd seen it so many times before, still felt as wrong and uncharacteristic as if it had been the first time. This girl wasn't uncertain; she was strong, brave and always confident.

And now, seeing her cry for what he thought of as the first time, he just swallowed hard at the lump that had gathered in his own throat. "I'm not going to abandon you ever again. We belong together and that's exactly how it should be. You're going to get out of here, I promise. I just have to convince Caleb it's a good idea."

She nodded faintly, biting at her bottom lip. The tears kept on falling and Reid wrapped his arms around her to capture her in a comforting embrace. She breathed shakily against his chest, leaning her forehead against it. Reid pressed a kiss against the top of her head the same second he heard the sob that escaped through her lips.

Knowing this was the last part, the loss spread inside his chest. There was a knot inside his stomach that seemed to tighten every time he experienced this same exact thing, and he couldn't hold back the tears in his own eyes as he whispered into her hair.

"I love you."

The solidity of her body seemed to fade, slowly fading. Soon he'd be alone, with only the promise he'd made her. A promise he had no idea just how to fulfill.

The girl drew a last shaky breath against his chest, before she was all gone.

And Reid woke up.