He couldn't believe what he was seeing before him. When they were handed the case, he didn't think it would be as horrific as a lot of his other cases has been, and he certainly never expected to be where he was standing at that exact moment. He could hear his team mates practically screaming in his ear, which was what brought him back to reality.

"Reid, do you need back up?"

When Morgan's words pulled him from his daze, Spencer dropped his gun and immediately bolted to the girl who was tied to the chair, doing the best he could to free her as quickly as possible. "Call an ambulance! NOW!" he screamed back.

"Alpha, Beta... Gamma... Delta..."

Reid looked up at the girl, who was barely conscious, still reciting the Greek alphabet to the best of her ability in a low, pained whisper. When he finally broke her free of the rope, he picked her up, surprised at how easy she was to lift, despite his also smaller frame. She gripped his sweater for dear life with the little energy she had left as he carried her outside, where paramedics were already waiting.

"I'd like to ride along if that's alright." Spencer said in a calm, yet out of breath voice.

"Reid, that's not our job. They can take it from here." Hotchner replied, hesitating to let him do so.

"Hotch, I can't... I can't just leave her. There's no one else to be with her, please..." he pleaded.

"Reid. Our job is done. Case closed." he said in a stern voice, ending the conversation.

-----

The next few weeks were especially difficult for Spencer. He couldn't stop thinking about her, and what happened in the house. He let his mind drift while doing some paperwork to the day he met her.

"Hi! I'm Ayva, it's great to meet you!" the bright eyed girl smiled, greeting the BAU team as they entered the chapter house of the sorority she belonged to. "We really appreciate you taking your time to talk to us like this... Especially with that's been going on and all."

"I'm SSA Hotchner and this is Dr. Spencer Reid. We're happy to help, we just want to keep you all safe."

"Wow... a Doctor? You look so young!" Ayva exlaimed, looking Spencer up and down.

"Uh Spen- Spencer. You can-you don't have to call me Doctor... I'm 25, actually." he stuttered, very nervous to be around a girl with her striking beauty.

"Well, the chapter room is right this way, everyone's already waiting!"

He knew immediately that she would be the next target, her physical profile fit perfectly, and her personality was almost identical to the description of the previous victim. She was the indirect alpha female, or more commonly referred to as the beta. She knew how to grab attention, yet she didn't command it. She was well liked and respected, yet seemingly unaware. And her naivety made her the perfect target. Part of what bothered him so much was the fact that she lived locally, so they all had the falsified sense of security, thinking it would be easier to keep her safe.

"Hey kid, did you hear me?"

Spencer shot his head up when he heard Derek's voice. "Sorry, what?"

"We got another case. Let's go!"

The team kept an unusually close eye on Reid since their last case, all wondering what exactly it was that he saw or heard in that house that had him so moved by it. They engrossed themselves with different activities to occupy their time on the plane while Morgan finally stood up and took a seat next to Reid.

"What happened in there, kid?" he asked softly, pulling Reid from his thoughts.

Spencer paused for a minute before he could bring himself to speak. "When I walked in to the room, I... she was already tied up... and there was this lead pipe... it w- it was inside of her, she was bleeding really badly... then she shot everyone in the room..." he recalled, quietly.

"Ayva?"

"No.. It was Samantha... She put everyone in front of Ayva and she made her recite the Greek alphabet while... while she just open fired on everyone... she told her if she did it fast enough, she wouldn't hurt them, but she shot anyway... And the way she looked at me when finally got to her, it was just… I read the medical examiners report and she had a lot of the same wounds that I did when I... And the police report said that She tried to make her choose one of them to kill… I tried to find a way to get her out without shooting. I took too much time, I could have helped her sooner..."

"Reid, that's not your fault. You couldn't have known what was going to happen. You did the best you could and you saved her. You were the only one who knew Ayva was going to be next, and if you hadn't known, she probably wouldn't be alive. You cannot blame yourself for this, kid." Morgan reasoned.

"It's just one of those memories that I don't think I'll ever be able to 'etch-a-sketch,' so to speak." he said, sadly.

-----

"NO!"

Ayva shot up from her bed, as the nightmare brought her back in to consciousness. It had been three weeks since she had been released from the hospital, and every single night she would wake up multiple times from the same dream. She glanced at the clock 3:32am. Sighing, she put her hand on her forehead.

She couldn't live the way she did before. Walking in to the quaint apartment was a challenge every night. She had to prepare herself every time, and when she walked in, she would obsessively scan every room before going back to the front door to push the table in front of it.

Resting against the headboard, she picked up the small business card that she'd held in her hands every single night since she'd come home. Every time she woke up in a panic, she would contemplate calling him... The agent that had been on her mind since the day she met him. But every time she would refrain, talking herself out of it, insisting to herself that she would just be a bother.

But tonight... tonight she just couldn't resist. He'd been on her mind for far too long, and she finally gave in, picking up the card and her cell phone. She dialed the numbers and hit the 'send' button.

After three rings she finally heard a strained, tired "Reid."

Ayva hesitated before speaking, to which a more alert voice spoke, "Hello? Is somebody there?"

"Spencer, hi... It's Ayva..." she finally said, softly.

He sat up immediately upon hearing her name. "Ayva. Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"No... Yes... Um.. I'm sorry for calling so late.."

"No, don't worry at all! It's not a problem. Is everything alright?" Spencer responded, a bit over-zealously.

"Um... I was wondering... I mean, I know it's late, a-and you don't have to, but I just-" she stumbled over her words. "Would you may-maybe come over?"

"Definitely." he nodded, even though no one could see him. "Do you need anything? Coffee? Anything?" he asked, already getting up looking around for his pants.

"No, I'm okay…"

"I'm on my way." Spencer replied, hanging up the phone.

Ayva sat back on her bed, waiting for him to get there. She decided to get up, figuring that if she was expecting the knock at the door, then it wouldn't scare her as badly.

Wrong.

When she heard it, she dropped the cup in her hands, causing it to shatter on the floor. 'fuck my life..' she whispered to herself, slowly walking toward the door yelling "Who is it?"

"Uh, Spen-Spence... Uh, Dr. Reid."

Ayva smiled at the sound of his voice, and pushed the table out of the way so she could open the door. He smiled when he saw her peek from behind the door to let him in. He looked around her apartment, noticing that it looked the same, but it felt different to be here this time. "I hope I didn't scare you when I knocked..."

She let out a small laugh. "No, it's okay, I just dropped my cup." Ayva admitted, embarrassed. "I just have to clean it up..."

"Here, let me help you." Spencer said, walking over to the area that was now covered in glass.

"You really don't have to, it's just me being clumsy..." she sighed, sweeping up the tiled floor.

"It's really probably best that you don't, seeing as you don't have shoes on..." he gave an endearing smile.

Ayva stepped back and sat herself on the couch, watching him clean the rest of the glass off the floor. She noticed how meticulous he was about getting every piece, how precise his movement was, and just a double check to make sure he'd gotten it all. He walked to the couch she was sitting on and smiled down at her as she was playing with a small blue-ish blanket in her hands.

"Is it alright if I sit here?"

"Of course." she smiled, nodding her head.

They sat in the silence for a few minutes, each engrossed in their own thoughts when Reid finally spoke. "Ayva I'm really sorry."

"You're sorry?!" she exclaimed wide-eyed. "Why are you sorry?!"

"I wish that I could have done more... And I cou-could have stopped her sooner... I felt like I could have done more." he sighed as if he was admitting defeat, fidgeting nervously with his hands

She put her hands over his to stop him from moving. "Spencer, I'm alive because of you. If you hadn't found me when you did, I wouldn't be here right now... I wish I could have said this much, much sooner, and I know it sounds really stupid and insignificant, but thank you. You will never know how much it means to me, what you did... You've done enough... you're doing more than enough."

"I don't know how accurate that statement is... but I'm happy to be here. I'm surprised that you want me here, to be honest." he shrugged.

"I know this sounds really awkward, but you being here… It makes me feel safe." She said, quietly.

"I'm glad I could be of service to a p-pretty girl, especially one like you." He smiled, hoping he didn't sound too cheesy.

"Spence, uh, I don't know what-"

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you or anything of that nature, I really-"

"No, it's not that! I just don't know-" Ayva tried to explain.

"It's alright, really. I've grown accustomed to-" he tried to cover.

"No, it's not alright… And they're wrong." Ayva said pretty sternly as she realized why he was so quickly jumping to conclusions.

"Who's wrong?"

"My sisters." She replied. "I know you must have heard the stupid comments they were making and you should know I had no part in that conversation."

"Ayva, it's really okay. You don't have to do this." he shook his head, a little embarrassed.

"I know I don't, but I wanted you to know. I don't think that way… And that someone like you would never be interested in someone like me, but-"

"What do you mean someone like me?" he asked, intrigued by her way of thinking.

"Well, I just... For what it's worth... I like you."

"I like you, too. And for what it's worth," he smiled, repeating her sentiment, "not only are you strikingly beautiful, but you're extremely strong… And smart."

Ayva scoffed at his statement. "Obviously not smart enough…"

"If it was anyone's fault, Ayva, it's mine." He corrected.

"Let's just agree to disagree, okay?"

"Fine. Agree to disagree."