Author's Note: No, I don't own Criminal Minds. I wish I were that awesome…

Chapter 15 What Olivia Saw

Olivia smiled happily as she sat at Spencer's desk and watched him go into the meeting with the other BAU members. It was so good to see him again, the last time they had been together was her birthday in October. She had missed him so much it was kind of crazy. Was this normal? According to her sister, she felt the same way when she was away from Jude. Olivia had spent many days thinking about how she felt for Spencer and could only come to one conclusion: she was in love.

She had found him attractive since day one, she knew that without a doubt in her mind. There was something about him that made Olivia smile whenever he was around. He was different, and not just because his IQ was through the roof. There was never a boring conversation with him because he always had something funny to say or talk about. He was perfect.

At first, Spencer had refused to talk about his work. If he did, it was only the funny stories that happened while they were working. He was afraid it would bother her to hear about the horrors he had witnessed. But after a while, Olivia finally convinced him to talk about it. Instead of bothering her, it made her feel better. For a long time, Olivia had felt like a failure because of what happened. No one else she knew had something like that happen to them. But hearing Spencer tell her about the other cases had let her know that she wasn't the only one out there who had been the victim of a serial killer's killing spree. It brought her a little bit of comfort that she hadn't had before.

Olivia looked at Spencer's desk. It was neat and organized; it seemed to suit him. There was a pile of case files on his desk but she looked closer and saw the title of a tabloid magazine poking out of it.

He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who likes this stuff, she thought as she pulled the magazine out.

Her eyes widened as she read the headline: A Mystery Man in Lila's Life? The picture was of Spencer with his arm on the shoulder of a gorgeous blonde woman. Olivia knew of Lila Archer. She was an actress on a well-known television show that took place on the beaches of L.A. Olivia didn't particularly like the show because it was mostly about one-night stands and pregnancies but she had heard Lila made the show. She was the real reason why people watched it. Spencer had told Olivia that he had met Lila during a case they had out in L.A and that he had to protect her, so she assumed the tabloids had taken off with that. Still, the article caught her interest so she searched through the magazine and found the article. It was poorly written and Olivia knew it had to all be based on speculation. She turned the page, however, and felt all the blood drain from her face.

There was a two page spread of different angles of the same scene. Spencer and Lila were standing in the pool, dripping wet and making out. At first, Olivia told herself it had to be a different guy. That couldn't be the Spencer Reid she knew. He would never do something like that when he was supposed to be guarding her. However, after looking at the picture closer, she knew it was him. Her insides turned to ice and she lowered the magazine with shaking hands.

She and Spencer had gotten…close while he had been protecting her. It seemed to be the same with Lila. How many other women had Spencer "protected" during his time in the BAU? How many during the last three years? Just the thought made her feel nauseous. She had never felt so stupid in her life. Of course he had been playing her, it was so obvious now. He had only agreed to go out with her the first time because he thought she'd give him a fun time. Afterwards, when he would've usually dumped her, he continued the relationship because he felt sorry for what happened during the date. Who knew how many women he had been seeing during the last three years? She had been in another state for heaven's sake!

Olivia suppressed a sob as she rose to her feet and walked quickly to the elevator. She shouldn't have come, he probably didn't even want her there. As she pressed the down button, she heard her name and looked up. Spencer was walking towards her with a frown.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

She made up some excuse that she knew sounded terrible. She didn't care though, she just wanted to get out of there.

"I shouldn't have come here, it was a stupid idea," Olivia whispered, "You're obviously extremely busy and I don't want to bother you. I'm sorry."

"Well sure, I have some reports to write up but-"

"Then it's better if I go," she interrupted and stepped into the elevator. She didn't even care that elevators scared her. Olivia couldn't stop her eyes from filling up as she said to Spencer, "I'm sorry that I bothered you. Good-bye."

The doors closed and she let the tears fall freely. Luckily, no one else came into the elevator so she had time to wipe her eyes before she reached the bottom floor. As Olivia walked by the receptionist desk, she saw a blonde woman talking to the lady at the desk.

"Could you please tell me which floor Dr. Spencer Reid works on?" the woman asked.

Olivia looked up and saw, to her horror, Lila Archer leaning against the desk. She really was a beautiful woman.

"Are you looking for Dr. Reid?" Olivia asked, thankful her voice sounded calm while her insides were anything but.

"Oh, yes I am," said Lila with smile, showing shining white teeth, "Do you know where he is?"

"On the fifth floor, straight out of the elevator," replied Olivia quietly, "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

"Oh, do you know him? Are you a friend of his?" she asked politely but Olivia could see a flash of jealousy in her eyes. Olivia smiled at her and chuckled grimly.

"I know him, but we're not friends," Olivia said sadly, "Good day Miss Archer. I hope you find what you're looking for."

Olivia quickly walked out of the building and down the street, dialing her sister as she walked.

"Emma, it's Livvy. Can you talk for a bit?"

"You sound upset, what's wrong?" Emma asked, "I thought you were going to the BAU to surprise Spencer."

"I…I did," said Olivia, fighting tears as she reached her car and sat inside for a minute, "Em, I was so stupid. He was playing me the entire time! Do you know that Lila Archer? The T.V star over here?"

"The one on that stupid beach show? Yeah, I saw a bit of the show the last time I was over," said Emma, "What about her?"

"He told me he had protected her during a case but…I saw a picture of the two of them," she said, "They were in a pool and were…w-were kissing."

"What do you mean? Like a peck or more?"

"Like practically doing it in the pool!" Olivia said furiously as she ran her fingers through her hair, "His job is to find killers and keep potential victims safe. Do you have any idea how many cases he does every month? He could have a woman in every state in the same position as me!"

"He doesn't seem like that kind of guy, Olivia," said Emma, "I met him, remember? Trust me when I tell you that I have never seen a guy more in love with a girl than he is with you."

"Maybe it was an act, maybe he's really just some Casanova who enjoys seeing women suffer," Olivia spat, "I feel like I don't know him Emma, I feel like the last three years have been a lie. He told me he hadn't seen Lila in years, yet she was at the BAU headquarters asking for him. He was making out with her when he was supposed to be protecting her. We almost kissed while he was protecting me and we probably would have if I hadn't gotten cold feet at the last minute. Maybe something about feeling like a protector turns him on, I don't know."

"Did you ask him about the article?" Emma asked.

"I couldn't, I freaked out and left," she replied, "I can't talk to him now Emma, it hurts to even think about it."

"I really think you need to talk to him sweetie," her sister said sadly, "At least listen to what he has to say and if you think it's a load of bullshit, then you can tell him to shove it. You don't have to do it today, why don't you call him tomorrow before work? That'll give you a while to calm down so you can be composed when you talk to him. Okay?"

"Okay, thanks Emsy," said Olivia with a sniffle, "I'll call you tomorrow then and say hi to everyone for me."

"I will Livvy and don't worry. Things'll work out."

Olivia said good-bye and hung up the phone. Sighing, she started her car and drove off to her new home to be with her animals. After walking Cujo through the nearby park, she made sure the cats were all right before showering and getting ready for work. She blow-dried her hair and pulled it back in an elegant twist before she pulled on a white dress shirt and black pencil skirt. She slipped on a pair of black pumps and grabbed a bag for clothes for later. Olivia knew she'd be getting home late and wanted to be comfortable for the ride home.

Marci had gotten her a job as a musician in a restaurant that opened just a few weeks ago in downtown Quantico. The restaurant was owned by her brother's best friend. Marci had always encouraged Olivia to play her violin. She believed it would help with the stress of everything to have a creative outlet. And she had been right because playing had made Olivia feel calmer and more at ease.

Olivia loved her temporary job. The other musicians were nice and welcoming. When Olivia sat down at the stand next to her friend Jane, she felt the stress and emotional strain of the day lift away as she began to play. Hours went by but they felt like minutes to Olivia. She even managed a smile when Jane pointed out the cute guys at the bar. Finally the musicians had their break and Olivia sat with Jane at the bar.

"So when do you start your other job?" Jane asked. Jane was a beautiful twenty-five year old Asian woman who was a viola prodigy. Her dream was to play for the Philadelphia orchestra and Olivia knew one day that would become a reality.

"Next week," said Olivia with a smile, "I'm really excited, but I'm going to miss this."

"You know you're always welcome back," said Todd, the owner, "We love having you here."

"Thanks Todd," she laughed.

"All right, enough break time. It's time to do what you're being paid to do."

Jane stuck her tongue out at Todd and left so she didn't see Todd staring after her. Olivia did and she elbowed the owner in the ribs.

"Be sure to wipe your drool off the bar," she said and laughed as he actually checked.

Olivia sat at her chair and was about to play when she looked up and gasped. Spencer and Lila were sitting at the table by the window that she could see every time she looked up.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked with concern.

"Do you mind switching seats? Now that it's darker, the light on the music is reflecting on my glasses and making my eyes hurt," Olivia lied.

"Oh sure, that's perfect actually," said Jane happily, "I'm having a hard time reading my music because of the lack of light."

Olivia let out a sigh of relief as she switched chairs. Now her back was to the couple and she didn't have to worry about seeing them. She looked down at the music in front of her and saw it was the Fur Elise. Good, something she knew by heart. Olivia nodded the count off and they began to play. Again, she felt the strain lift and she relaxed.

At the end of the night, Todd came up and whispered something to Jane. She smiled and nodded, turning to the other musicians.

"He said that he wants us to do an encore of the Fur Elise," she said, "You up for it?"

"You know it!" Olivia laughed and they played again.

Olivia felt much better when she drove home. Maybe it was because of the violin or perhaps it was because she was in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Either way, she smiled the entire way down and laughed when Cujo jumped on her when she came home. She gathered the animals together and decided to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail. She could do with a bit of silly British humor. Curled up on the couch with a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream and her babies, she could feel herself drifting off after King Arthur destroyed the Black Knight.

KNOCK! KNOCK! Olivia sat up quickly as Cujo began barking at the front door. She groggily sat up and looked her watch and saw it was one thirty. Who the hell was knocking at her door at this ungodly hour? Carefully, Olivia went to the door and grabbed the baseball bat she kept by her door. She looked through the peephole and swallowed. Olivia opened the door, although still holding the bat tightly.

"What brings you here Spencer?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

Author's Note: So did you like hearing from Olivia's POV? If a lot of people say they do, I might make another chapter like this to switch things up a little. If I don't hear anything, then the rest will be from Spencer's POV. Therefore, please review and tell me what you thought! CC is loved and appreciated so don't be afraid to say what you think. If you love it, tell me so because I love knowing I'm making my readers happy. The next chapter will be how Spencer ended up outside her door and I think you'll enjoy it, especially if you're not a huge Lila fan. Hehe!

I know that the roll of film with the pool pictures was destroyed in the show but, in my little world, let's pretend that some of the pictures weren't exposed to the light and survived to be published. Also, I don't know what floor the BAU is on so I made it up. I don't even know if they mention it in the series but if you know and want me to change it, leave it in a review or PM me. :)

Thanks to my reviewers and those who have me in their favorites and on alert. You all make my day! :D