Author's Note: It's been a while since I posted anything and I've had this idea in my head for a long time now. It will make more sense if you read my first story before this but it's not completely necessary. I'm not sure how I feel about it… If it doesn't feel right I'll probably scrap the story, but I'll need your input obviously. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 1

Heart racing. Blood pounding in her ears. Out of breath.

Olivia was running her usual path through the woods for her daily exercise. She was an avid runner – she didn't want to be that hypocrite doctor that cared for others' health and let own self go. Her music up on full volume, she was oblivious to all sounds of the outside. These woods were thick and confusing for those who didn't know their way around them, but she'd been running them for years. Olivia rounded the corner of a thick mass of tall trees and brush and collided full on with a domineering figure running the other direction.

Next thing she knew she was flat on her back in the woods, looking up into the eyes of the man who had run her down. Full of concern, his deep brown eyes looked her up and down, trying to assess the damage he'd done. He was mouthing something that she couldn't hear, and she finally pulled her earbuds out in time to realize that he was apologizing profusely to her.

"Are you alright? Oh god I'm so sorry. I didn't even think anybody else knew about this path. Jeez, are you hurt?" Olivia found herself at a loss for words, still in shock from the collision. He looked like he was desperate to do anything to help her, but at the same time, his hands hovered over her like he was afraid to actually touch her.

"What? No no I'm fine – don't worry about it! It was an accident. No worries", she scoffed it off.

"Can I help you up?" He asked, tentatively holding his hands out to pull her up. Gratefully, she took them and he helped her to her feet. Now standing, she got a good look at him. He was tall, athletic, and she'd be damned if she said he wasn't a 10 on her scale. A head of dark hair to match his piercing brown eyes, and a light tan that emphasized his good looks, this guy had everything going for him. Dressed in a dark gray shirt that was drenched in sweat and a pair of black basketball shorts, it was obvious that he had been running for quite some time this morning. A thin sheen of sweat covered his face, but it took nothing away from his good looks. Olivia was staring into eyes without even realizing, but she found that she couldn't look away.

"What's a girl like you doing running these woods anyways? It's dangerous out here" he said, equally entranced by her green eyes. He had just the slightest hint of a southern accent in his voice.

"I always run this course. Every day. How is it that I've never run into you before?" Olivia cocked her head to the side in a questioning look.

"I'm a night runner, but I gotta work late tonight so I figured I'd change up my schedule and go for a morning run beforehand." He hesitated, looking her up and down. Nervously, he laughed and said "I guess it was a good choice", and he smiled shyly. "I'm John"

"Olivia… But everyone just calls me Liv"

Olivia felt her heart skip a beat and was surprised by it – she hadn't felt that since… High school. But it didn't matter because this guy was making her feel all kinds of high school girl crush. She found herself smiling stupidly as they walked the path together in the direction she was originally headed.

"That's a beautiful name." He stopped, suddenly so unsure of himself. "So uh… Are you sure you're okay? Is there anything I can do for you?" He asked. "I feel real bad knocking you over like that. 'Bout near flattened you"

"It's fine," she laughed. "Besides, I think I can take care of myself."

"You sure? You don't need anything? Like an ice pack… or a dozen roses?" He turned and winked at her and she found herself laughing in a way she hadn't in years.

"Nah, flowers suck. But I could go for a coffee if you really want to make it up to me. I think you bruised my pride a little bit there when you took me down"

"Coffee it is then," John smiled. "Wait… Did you say that flowers suck? What kind of girl are you anyways?"

"The kind that hates flowers", she said. "Why buy a girl flowers when all they're going to do is die in a week? What does that say about the sentiment behind it? It's a waste – but nothing lasts forever, I guess, does it?".

John nodded, deep in thought as they continued their walk back into town. This girl was definitely worth getting to know. Walking back, the two talked, without a single second of a lull in conversation. They flirted with each other effortlessly, as if it was their native language. Olivia smiled to herself, her mind racing with a million thoughts all centered on this guy – why he made her feel so good, and why she literally couldn't stop smiling with him by her side.

A sickeningly loud thunder clap far off in the distance jumpstarted Olivia's heart rate. Her eyes flew open, and it was then that she realized she had been lost in a dream. She silently cursed the storm outside for waking her up, but she was soon over it as the memory from the dream danced in her mind. She often had that same dream – the day she met John - over and over again, but it never grew old for her; it never failed to make her smile.

Lying in bed, she turned over to wrap her arm around her husband. When her hand hit nothing but the mattress, she sighed. Jonathan had gone on a business trip to attend a three-day conference in Connecticut. He had been gone for two days now and wouldn't be back for another three. They had been married for about a year and half now, but the love they shared was something out of a fairytale – it had only been two days but she missed him more than anything. He was her everything and she was his. Exhaling slowly, she pulled his pillow closer to her so that she could at the very least smell him, burying her nose deep in the fabric, hoping that the scent would allow her to slip back into the dream she had been woken up from. Smiling contentedly, she breathed in deeply and allowed her mind to wander.

She listened to the sound of the pouring rain outside and the thunder that rolled quietly and she wondered if the storm was coming to a break. It was supposed to be an ugly week of rain and storms, which didn't help Olivia's current mood in the slightest. Maybe she would see if her brother was busy this week. It had been awhile since she and Spence had gotten one-on-one time and now seemed as good a time as ever. She missed him and as much as she made an effort to keep up with what was going on in his life, she knew that it would be better to do it face to face. Her brother had been struggling recently – after having kicked his awful drug habit for the second time, a series of particularly gruesome cases had struck a nerve and his cravings had started to get the better of him.

Olivia had decided she would call her little brother when she got up that morning and see what he was up to. She was growing increasingly worried about him, knowing that he was suffering – he couldn't sleep, and when he did, he had debilitating nightmares. He was having trouble eating, focusing on their cases, and suffering from terrible headaches (none of which he would admit to, but it was painfully obvious to those around him), and Olivia worried that her brother was slipping into a depression not uncommon for addicts who have gotten sober. He had been on edge for a while now and Olivia had been doing everything she could to pull him back.

To add to her list of things to do that morning, she decided she would also call Morgan. She had always heard so much about Derek Morgan from Spencer, but when she had met him for the first time almost a year ago, she instantly took a great liking to him. Morgan had been there for her brother when she couldn't be, and was always keeping a close eye on him the way Olivia would had she had the opportunity. Morgan was a big brother to Spencer, and she appreciated that sentiment more than she could ever explain to him and she could never thank Morgan enough for everything he had done for her and her brother. Whenever Spencer seemed off, Morgan was the first to come to her and the two had grown to be very good friends, bonding over how much they each cared for her brother.

Morgan was well aware of the impending emotional crash – after all, he was the first one to notice that Reid was beginning to slip through the cracks - seeing him slowly deteriorate as the cases grew worse and worse. He was talking more and more to Olivia as the days passed, keeping tabs on Spencer, and making sure he was doing everything he could to help him. Luckily for them, Spence had not tried to push them away, but instead depended on them heavily through his bad days. They were determined to help him through this rough patch, hoping deep in their hearts that this was all it was – and that he would get back to being his normal self again once everything calmed down.

Just then a loud clap of thunder shook the windows – loud enough to mask the sound of the back door being pried open. It snapped Olivia out of her reverie, but she kept her brother in the forefront of her mind as she closed her eyes and decided she needed to catch a few more hours of sleep before work that day.

She was almost asleep when her eyes suddenly flew open for a second time that night. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was definitely wrong. Her heart was racing, ready to beat right out of her chest, and all of her senses became hyper aware. She begged her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but just then, she heard something – no… someone – brush against her side of the bed.