A/N: As always, I love each and every one of you! :)

Chapter Ten

Spencer awoke with a start, sitting upright and gazing around his darkened bedroom in a confused daze. For a moment he groped around in the darkness, searching for Mia, before remembering he'd chosen to sleep at his own apartment so as to not disturb her when he got home in the middle of the night. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, wondering what had woken him, and jumped when a simultaneous flash of lightening and clap of thunder answered his question. Groaning, he turned and reached for his phone to check the time. Four thirty in the morning. He hadn't even had four hours of sleep, and was expected back at the bureau in an hour. After briefly debating the pros and cons of trying to grab another half hour of sleep, he climbed to his feet and made his way to the bathroom for a hot shower.

Forty five minutes later, Spencer was behind the wheel of his Volvo, nursing the very sweet cup of coffee he'd picked up on his way. He was about ten minutes away from Quantico, but the raging thunderstorm would likely make it a much longer stretch. The wind howled dangerously and rain pounded his windshield relentlessly while the dark sky lit up every few seconds with forks of blue, yellow, and pink lightning. According to the weather forecast he'd listened to while getting dressed, the rain was supposed to last for the remainder of the day and stretch into the night. It would be the perfect day to sit by the fire, Mia at his side, both preoccupied with books. Instead, he would be chasing a killer with a preference for women identical to the one he loved.

Spencer was minutes away from the bureau when his phone rang. He quickly set his coffee into the cup holder and grabbed his phone from the passenger seat. After glancing at the caller ID, he put it to his ear.

"Hotch?"

"Reid," Hotch said quickly, "We've got another body."

"What? Already?"

"Apparently. Rossi is already on his way. Meet him there."

After getting the address, Spencer hung up, tossed his phone back towards the passenger seat, and pulled a quick u-turn. Heedless of the rain slicked roads he pushed his foot to the floor, speeding down the highway, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. It hadn't even been more than twenty four hours since the last body was found, and they already had a new one. Something wasn't quite right, and it filled Spencer with dread.

In spite of the storm and early morning traffic, Spencer made it to the new crime scene in a matter of twelve and a half minutes. Leaving his keys in the ignition, he jumped out of the car, slammed the door, and trudged down the muddy path towards the crowd of police officers. The forensic team stood nearby looking disgruntled. The rain had undoubtedly washed away any real evidence before they'd shown up.

"Reid!" Rossi appeared at the yellow police tape. Something about his expression made Spencer feel sick. "Stop. Hold on a second. We need to talk."

"Why?" Spencer asked, lifting the tape and ducking underneath it. "Where's the body?"

"Just past that tree," Rossi replied, motioning behind him vaguely. "You need to just…wait."

Spencer frowned, pushing his wet hair from his face. "Wait? For what?"

Rossi sighed, putting a hand on Spencer's shoulder. His dark eyes glinted with an emotion Spencer didn't recognize right away, and he waited for the man to speak, his frown deepening. When Rossi let out a shaky breath Spencer realized the wetness on his face wasn't simply due to the rain, and suddenly he understood. The sound of the surrounding police officers shouting over the raging storm faded away, and Spencer felt himself go weak. Ignoring whatever words were coming out of Rossi's mouth, he pulled away and stumbled forwards, in the direction of the drenched white sheet lying near a massive oak tree.

"Reid," Rossi called out, "Don't—"

Spencer dropped to his knees beside the sheet, indifferent to the cold mud that soaked through his pants almost immediately. With a very shaky hand he reached forwards, slowly pulling the sheet back to reveal the body underneath. Her normally gleaming curls were a mess of mud, leaves, and twigs, and someone had closed her blue eyes, but there was no mistaking the woman he loved.

Spencer was vaguely aware of his own strangled cries, but he couldn't seem to stop. Completely disregarding any pretense of maintaining what was left of the crime scene, he scooped Mia's lifeless body into his arms, burying his face in her mess of muddy curls. He rocked her back and forth, begging her to wake up, reminding her that he loved her and couldn't live without her. It was, of course, entirely futile.

Spencer's reason to live was gone.

Mia Hale was dead.

Mia opened her eyes, frowning up at the ceiling, not entirely sure what was happening, why she was awake. Outside her bedroom window Mother Nature seemed to be having a bit of a meltdown, but normally she slept right through thunderstorms. When the door to her apartment crashed open, she stifled a scream and jumped out of bed, searching frantically for some sort of defensive weapon. She'd decided on the lamp beside her bed and was in the midst of unplugging it from the wall when Spencer called out.

"Mia?!"

Mia spun around in time to see him appear in the doorway and stop, staring at her from across the dark bedroom. She stood motionless for a moment, giving her heart time to calm down, before setting the lamp back atop the bedside table and clicking it on. When her eyes adjusted to the sudden light, she gazed at Spencer in surprise. He looked as if he'd just swam from his apartment to hers. His hair was plastered to his forehead, his clothes clinging to his body in a way that would have been attractive under different circumstances.

"Spence," she said tentatively, "What's going on?"

Spencer didn't answer. He continued to stare at her, breathing heavily.

"Spencer," she said, moving towards him, "You're soaking wet. It's two thirty in the morning. What's going on?"

"You were—" he gasped, and Mia noticed that he was trembling. "I thought…I just…I couldn't…"

There was no mistaking the absolute terror in Spencer's eyes. Mia frowned as she reached him, still not quite understanding the situation. "What happened, Spencer?"

He shakily brought a hand up to her face, the distress on his face breaking Mia's heart. He held his hand there a moment, his eyes locked with hers, his frantic breathing slowly calming. Suddenly realizing what was happening, Mia raised her hand to twine her fingers with his and stood on tiptoe to kiss him gently.

"It was just a dream," she whispered against his lips, "I'm okay."

Spencer relaxed immediately, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. Mia said nothing, simply returning the embrace, resting her face against his very wet chest. For several minutes they stood in the doorway, their arms around each other, neither saying a word. It took a while, but Spencer's racing heartbeat slowed to a much more regular, soothing speed, and Mia felt herself drifting off in his arms.

"I'm sorry for waking you," he said finally, his voice heavy with emotion. He slowly let go of her and took a small step back. "I just had to see you. I had to be sure. I'll call you in the morning."

He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before turning and making his way back through the quiet apartment. Mia blinked in confusion, not entirely sure how to react to his sudden departure. When she heard the front door she came to her senses and broke into a run, calling his name as she went.

"Where are you going?" She demanded as she reached the entranceway.

Spencer stood with his hand on the doorknob. "Uh, back home."

"Don't be ridiculous," she scoffed, tugging him away from the door and kicking it shut. "You're staying here."

"I have to be back at the bureau early," Spencer argued lamely as she relocked the door.

"I have an alarm clock," Mia reminded him, taking his hand in hers. "You'll sleep better here, and you know it."

Spencer wordlessly followed her back into the bedroom, and Mia grabbed him a towel while he stripped out of his wet clothing. She handed him a pair of his pyjama bottoms and toweled his hair while he pulled them on. When he was relatively dry, Mia tossed the towel aside aimlessly and got into bed, Spencer close behind.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked softly, snuggling close to him beneath the covers.

"No," he replied quietly. "Being here with you is all I need."

Mia awoke the following morning to an empty bed. She lay there a moment, hurt that Spencer had left for work without saying goodbye, but smiled when she heard him crashing around in the kitchen—a sure sign that he was making coffee. After a long, languid stretch, Mia got out of bed, pulled on her fluffy robe, and padded out towards the kitchen. As she'd expected she found Spencer leaning against the counter, his eyes on the clock opposite him, timing the French press carefully.

"Sorry," he said, smiling weakly at her, "I tried to be quiet."

Mia shook her head as she took a seat at the small round table. "Don't apologise," she told him. "I'm glad you didn't leave without saying goodbye."

Spencer moved to kiss her. "I wouldn't do that," he assured her. "Do you want a cup?"

"Not right now," she answered, watching him return to the task at hand. "I think I'll go back to sleep for a bit after you leave."

After pouring himself a cup of coffee and adding the appropriate amount of cream and sugar, Spencer joined her at the table. "I'm sorry about last night."

Mia reached out and slipped her hand in his. "You don't have to be sorry," she said. "I'm sorry you thought I was—"

"Don't say it," Spencer interrupted. "I just…don't."

Mia smiled softly, and was quiet while he took his first few sips of coffee. "Are you going to tell me what caused it?"

"The dream?"

She nodded.

"I…I dream about you all the time," he admitted, avoiding her gaze. "Nightmares, I mean. You're always a victim in our latest case. It happens almost every night."

"Why have you never mentioned them before?"

Spencer shrugged. "Usually I'm able to convince myself they're just dreams."

"What was different about last night?"

Spencer took a deep gulp of coffee and grimaced as it burned his mouth. "No reason."

Mia narrowed her eyes at him. "You're lying."

Spencer looked ready to disagree, but sighed instead. "I'd really rather not say."

"Tell me, Spencer."

"You, uh…" he started slowly, "You look a lot like the victims in the case we got yesterday…"

Mia's eyes widened. "In what way?"

"In every way," Spencer replied. "You're identical to them."

Sitting back in her hair, Mia crossed her arms over her chest and took a deep breath, processing the information she'd just been given. Identical. She was identical to the women who were, presumably, being killed by some lunatic. Suddenly Spencer's reaction to a nightmare made sense. It hadn't just seemed real, it legitimately could have happened. She could be next.

"Mia?"

Giving her head a little shake, Mia glanced at Spencer. "Am I in danger?"

"I don't think so," Spencer replied. "It's just…an unfortunate coincidence."

Mia nodded and got to her feet. "I have something for you."

"Uh," Spencer frowned, surprised at the sudden change in subject, "Okay…"

Finding her handbag by the door, Mia carried it back into the kitchen and returned to her seat. Flashing an excited smile at a very confused Spencer, she dug through the bag for a small box she'd hidden there the day before.

"I planned on wrapping it and giving it to you at some sort of romantic dinner," Mia told him as her fingers closed around the gift, "But I think we need it now."

Spencer took the small square box she handed him. "What is it?"

"Open it," Mia urged with a smile.

Brow furrowed, Spencer obligingly removed the lid and a fluff of cotton from the box, revealing a shiny blue key. He picked it up, examining it closely, before giving Mia a questioning look. "It's a key."

"A blue key," Mia nodded. "TARDIS blue, to be exact."

"What's it for?"

"My apartment."

Spencer chuckled. "I already have a key to your apartment."

"Yeah," she agreed, "But this one's special."

"Because it's blue?"

Mia laughed. "Because I was hoping it could be a key to our apartment."

Spencer's eyes widened as he glanced back down at the key in his hand. "Are you...are you saying you want to live together? You're asking me to move in?"

"Yes," Mia said, smiling nervously. "To living together, I mean. We can live here, or at your place, or find a new place of our own. I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it? When you're in town you spend ninety percent of your time here anyway, and I absolutely hate the other ten percent of the time. If it's too soon, or you don't want to—"

Spencer leaned forwards and kissed her, cutting her off midsentence. Mia smiled, clinging to the front of his shirt, relief washing over her. After a few seconds Spencer got to his feet, pulling Mia up with him, and wrapped his arms around her tightly, deepening the kiss. It was several moments before they broke apart, both breathing rather raggedly.

Mia smiled up at him. "I take that as a yes?"

"Of course," Spencer grinned, all trace of the case related stress gone from his face. "God, I love you, Mia Hale."

A/N: I'm going away for the weekend, so hopefully this nice, long, (relatively) happy chapter will hold you over until I get home! Review lots and you'll have a new one Monday morning! :)