Author's Note: Did you know I don't own Criminal Minds? Well hopefully you did, I've been forced to mention it every chapter! :(

Chapter 5 Nightmares

After dinner, the two agents insisted on washing the dishes while Olivia showered and got ready for bed. She put up an argument but eventually agreed.

"Just so long as you don't try to put them away," she said with a joking smile as she walked by to the bathroom, "I have a system."

They laughed and heard the door close. A couple minutes went by in silence until Morgan spoke.

"So…she's kind of pretty, isn't she?" he said.

"I didn't really notice," Reid said with a shrug but Morgan saw through his act instantly.

"Kid, I've been watching you since you met her. Don't think I don't know what's going through that little head of yours. You like her."

"I probably only like her because she needs me in her time of crisis," the young doctor said with a hint of bitterness, "And anyway, once the case is done we'll forget all about each other and never talk to one another again."

"You know this girl is different than Lila, right?" he asked and Reid didn't answer. "Look man, I'm not telling you how to live your life but you can't be afraid to take some chances because of what happened in the past. Lila was starting a career in the fast lane and decided to move on. In my opinion, that was the stupidest decision she could have made because you are so much better than any of the guys she'll find out in Hollywood."

"You're just saying that," Reid mumbled.

"No Reid, I'm not," said Morgan, becoming annoyed now, "Trust me, a woman would have to be a complete moron or heartless not to like you. You are a genuine person and want to help people, as shown by what you do on a daily basis. Look, I'm getting ready for bed and crashing so I'll see you tomorrow. Tell the doctor where I am and thank her for dinner for me."

"Yeah, no problem," said Reid and he watched Morgan go into the guest room and close the door.

When the doctor was finished, Reid changed into his pajamas, which consisted of a grey T-shirt with "FBI" written in navy blue writing and red plaid long pants. The March air was cold at night so Reid was glad to see the doctor had put extra blankets on the pull-out couch bed. He smiled slightly as he laid the blankets across the thin mattress, climbed into the creaky metal bed, and turned off the light. Sleep overcame him quickly but it was anything but peaceful.

Spencer walked down a long hallway with his gun raised. He checked every room only to find them empty. When he finally came to the last door, he could hear noises. Taking a deep breath, he banged the door open and found what he was looking for. A small baby wrapped in a yellow blanket was lying in the middle of a circular pool of light. It was fidgeting and moaning quietly. Reid looked around and saw the glint of metal. A man hidden in the shadows of the far corner was holding a gun. It wasn't being pointed at Reid though, but at the innocent baby.

"Sir, I'm with the FBI," Reid said calmly, "You don't have to do this. Just put the gun down and everything will be fine."

"No," the man said in a gruff voice, "I want to do this."

Reid realized he was going to shot the baby and tried to run but it was like everything was happening in slow motion. It took him too long to get started running. BANG! The baby became silent and blood began to pool around the baby's head, like some kind of red halo.

"Now, I'm going to kill you Dr. Spencer Reid," the man said and pointed his gun at Reid.

BANG!

Spencer opened his eyes as he gasped for air. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a shaky hand and sat up as he leaned against the couch. It was just a nightmare, nothing more. He kept his eyes open as he took calming breaths and began to think of the cases in which they had saved the victims before it was too late. He thought of the families smiling with tears in their eyes as they were reunited with their family member. He remembered the profuse gratitude they all showed him and the team. As he did this, he could feel himself calming down and even beginning to feel sleepy. He lay back down and was about to close his eyes when he heard a door open softly. It was coming from behind him and he wondered who it was.

The person passed by the couch and he saw it was a woman's figure. Olivia was awake and walked quickly to the bathroom, closing the door silently. Reid rolled over and closed his eyes, listening to the silence. Well, not complete silence. The young doctor rubbed his eyes and listened closer. Yes, it was definitely the sound of someone trying unsuccessfully to hide their crying. Reid got up, put on his glasses, and walked carefully over to the bathroom, his bare feet making hardly a sound. Just as he was about to knock however, the door opened and Olivia collided with him.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't see you."

"It's fine," he replied. The bathroom light cast a shadow across her face but he could still see the puffiness around her eyes hidden behind square-framed glasses. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course," she said and Spencer looked at her disbelievingly. She just looked back until she sighed, "I just had a nightmare, that's all."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Reid asked.

"No, I mean…I…," Olivia stuttered and turned her head away so Reid saw her eyes brimming with tears.

"I had one too," Spencer said quietly, "We can both share ours."

Olivia looked at him and nodded slowly after a long pause. She turned the kitchen light on and they sat at the table after Olivia made herself hot chocolate and gave Reid a glass of water when he denied coffee.

"You should have something," she said and started her story, "I'm standing beside Sally when the man comes up behind her and strangles her with a rope. I try to stop him but my hands go through him like he's a ghost. Or maybe I'm the ghost, I don't know. I scream for someone to help Sally but no one answers." She took a steadying breath and continued, "Once she's dead, I watch the bastard slash her across the stomach and rub the blood over her body, drag her, and throw her into the den where Raja and Sasha are pacing. They smell the blood and…and…" She couldn't finish and buried her face in her hands.

Spencer sat there for a few awkward seconds before pulling his chair closer to hers and patting her back in a comforting way. Olivia leaned her head on his shoulder as the sobs continued and Spencer automatically wrapped his arms around her. He realized what he was doing and was about to remove his arms when an inner voice stopped him.

She's frightened and needs someone to comfort her, the voice said, Enjoy the moment while it lasts.

Reid sighed internally but noticed the doctor's sobs were quieting. He also noticed how perfectly her body fit in his arms and her hair smelled like lavender, but quickly shoved those thoughts out.

"For months, I had the same nightmare every time I closed my eyes," Spencer said, "There's a baby on the floor in the middle of a room and I can never reach it before a man in the shadows shoots it. Dreams are the result of your subconscious trying to make sense of all your thoughts. Being a part of the BAU, I've seen some horrific cases that stick in my mind."

He instantly thought of Tobias and couldn't suppress a shudder in time. Olivia wiped her eyes and looked up at him. He hadn't noticed before that her eyes had flecks of green in them and they sparkled from the tears and light. Wait, what was he just talking about? Oh right, nightmares.

"Anyway," Reid said after clearing his throat, "Gideon told me about a case when we got to the kid before the unsub hurt her. He told me that we can never save everyone, but we have to try to save whoever we can. I think the reason why have that dream is because you blame yourself for your friend's death."

"I know it's not my fault," Olivia said, "I just wish my brain would let the rest of me realize that."

"We may not have been able to save Sally," said Reid, "But we can save a whole lot more women from suffering that fate."

The doctor nodded and Spencer noticed he still had his arms around her. He removed them and fingered his glass. The minutes ticked by in silence until Olivia stood up and washed out her mug. Reid did the same with his glass and they stood there awkwardly in the kitchen.

"Thank you for listening Spencer," she said quietly, "I'm sorry I woke you up…and for the tearstains on your shirt." She smiled a little and wiped at the darker grey spots on his shirt.

"I was up anyway," he said, "If the nightmare comes back, try to think of potential victims that will be saved. It may help."

"I don't think it'll be back tonight," she said with a growing smile and did something unexpected. She closed the gap between them and hugged him. Spencer was taken aback but quickly hugged her back. They let go and the look of shock and embarrassment on Olivia's face told Spencer she had surprised herself. "Good night Spencer," she said and went to her room, closing the door.

Reid stared at the door for a full minute before a boyish grin spread across his face. He turned the light off and slipped into the creaky bed. He also had a feeling his nightmare wouldn't be back tonight.

…...

Hot breath was the first thing Spencer felt. Then a warm, wet dog tongue began attacking the young doctor's face. Reid rolled to try and escape the onslaught of attacks and ended up on the floor where a pair of green cat eyes watched him in a bored way.

"Good morning!" Olivia said cheerfully from the kitchen as she grabbed breakfast ingredients from the fridge.

"Morning," Reid said groggily as he picked himself off the floor and saw Morgan leaning on his bedroom doorframe. Morgan laughed heartily while Reid just glared.

"Come on honeys, quit bothering Spencer," Olivia said and opened the treat jar, causing the animals to run over. "How do you like your eggs?" she asked.

"Once over is fine," said Morgan as he ran into the bathroom.

"Scrambled please," Reid replied as he wiped his eyes and grabbed his glasses. Now that he wasn't blind, he could see Olivia was dressed in skinny jeans, black boots, and a purple long-sleeved tunic shirt. She wasn't wearing her glasses and let her hair fall loosely down her back. He felt very awkward being in his pajamas and having literally just rolled out of bed.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked as she cooked.

"G-Great," he stuttered, "You?"

"Like a rock," she replied, "Listen, I want to thank you again for last night. I'm usually not that emotional. I haven't been myself lately."

"It's to be expected. I'd be concerned if you weren't emotional," said Reid.

"So what's today's plan?" she asked with a smile.

"Morgan and I need to go to the station but we'll post guards outside your room and building. You'll still be safe."

She nodded and Morgan vacated the bathroom so it was Reid's turn. He grabbed some clothes and his stuff, and went in. He really wanted to wear his contacts but they had bothered him yesterday and thought it best to give his eyes a rest. It wasn't that he didn't like his glasses, but he didn't want to look like a nerd in front of Olivia. She already knew just how smart he was.

By the time he was ready, breakfast was out. Morgan must've told Olivia about his coffee obsession because a huge mug was at his place at the table. Reid took a bite of his eggs and smiled. They were perfect.

Five minutes later, the agents were getting ready to leave while Olivia put the dishes away. Reid had introduced her to the guards outside her room and building and assured her she was safe.

"If you feel uncomfortable or think of anything at all, just call me," he said, handing her his card. She grinned and nodded, waving good-bye. Once the door closed, Morgan looked at Reid.

"What?" Spencer asked as they walked to the car.

"Did you just give her your number?" Morgan asked with a huge smile.

"Yeah, in case she remembered anything or felt scared. You know she's gone through a horrible ordeal and…oh my God!" he exclaimed, putting a hand on his head, "I did give her my number. I can't believe I just did that! I never give people my number."

"Relax kid. If you're lucky, she'll keep it and call you even when the case is over," Morgan said as he hopped into the driver's seat and they drove to the station, Reid still in shock about what he just did.

Author's Note: Thank you to all my reviewers who have taken time to tell me their reactions so far. I always take the time to read what people write in their reviews so know they don't go unnoticed! Also, thank you to those who have me on alert and in their favorites. To those people, if you haven't done so already, what do you think so far? To people who are reading it for the first time, do you like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think! Last, but certainly not least, thank you to my sister missdavinci77 for reading my chapter and checking for anything out of character. She is totally awesome! :D

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