A/N: Welcome!:) So, this story takes place pre-season 1. Please leave me a review
and let me know what you think:)

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of the characters on the show.

It was a cold, gray Saturday morning in the middle of December, when Dr. Spencer Reid decided to go out for a stroll. Usually, on the rare occasions that he didn't have to work, he spent his time either reading books, playing chess in the park, or watching reruns of Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who. No, these were not the only things he did. But these were the things that other people called normal. If he'd tell someone that he enjoyed reading government reports and memorizing maps of certain areas, they would, without a doubt, call him crazy. That was for sure. Even the members of his team probably thought so, too.

He had always been different than people who were his age, or, just people in general. But what should they expect from a "kid" (Reid still had no idea what to think about Morgan's nickname for him) who graduated high school at age 12, was able to read 20,000 words per minute, and had an IQ of 187? Yes, he was a genius who had an eidetic memory, that's undeniable, but not only that. He already had two BAs and three PhDs, and was currently thinking about obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy.

But first, before starting something new, he just wanted to feel like he was a real part of his team. It had been three months since he started working his dream job as a profiler in the Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia. He had been elated, yet surprised, when Gideon, had hand-picked him from the FBI Academy to work for the BAU. He was the youngest agent who had ever worked for the FBI, and smarter than most, but he still couldn't quite understand why Gideon always introduced him as Dr. Reid, even though the others were just introduced as "agent". He'd find out why, in time, just not today. Today, he'd try to get to know the new city where he now lived. He had been so busy lately that he hadn't even gotten the chance to explore and walk around. He needed to find a new getaway place, somewhere he could just relax and be himself without worrying what others may think of him.

Pulling his jacket tighter around himself in a futile attempt to keep the wind out, Reid quickly wandered the streets of DC, the map that was ever-present in his head guiding him. His hands were curled into tight fists in his pockets, but they were still freezing cold. His feet felt numb, but he kept walking, hoping that soon he'd feel warmer. The snow on the ground muffled his footsteps and he could see tiny snowflakes gently falling down to the ground, adding to the growing piles. The chill of the air turned his breath into a puff of soft frost. People were walking and talking near him, but their soft voices did not disturb his thoughts.

The city had already began decorating for Christmas, and most people were trying to find their idea of a perfect gift. Reid wondered what kind of present he would get for his mom. Maybe he'd find a book she'd enjoy reading. He already had written and sent a letter to her, just like he had ever since he turned 18. Reid felt guilty for leaving her in Las Vegas, but what else should he have done? Of course, he loved his mom, but he also knew that he couldn't take care of her, at least not in the way she really needed. Reid sighed outwardly.

Why couldn't he just stop thinking for once?

Suddenly, he saw a side-street to his left and could smell coffee. A coffee with lots of sugar was exactly what he needed right now, and a book. If he couldn't find a store, he'd have to read one of the books that he had brought with him, which wasn't all that bad. Reid turned the corner and could already see the cafe when a little sign on the other side of the street caught his eye. It read 'The Open Book'. In order to even read a book, you had to open it. So maybe it was an invitation to do so? Or maybe it could just be creative. In the store window he could already see the different categories of books, and he couldn't help but smile. It seemed as if the store wasn't too big; Reid preferred it that way anyways. A smaller store meant less people, which left more space and books for him.

With hasty steps, he crossed the road and opened the door that led into the bookshop. A small bell rang above his head as he stepped inside. Pleasantly warm air greeted him and made his rosy skin tingle, and he was immediately surrounded by the familiar smell of the books. To him, it was almost like smelling little bits of history. Every book told its own story, and each one was ready to be opened and share that story to please new readers. But it was not just the story that Reid sought. Books were like loyal and trusted friends to him, and they always reminded him of his mother and the times she had read to him. He could hear the soft murmur of voices, and he could see the backs of two heads. They were just poking out above a shelf, which stood in the middle of the room, and could probably be used as a room divider. One of the people in the shop was a woman with long, dark brown hair, which seemed to be curly. She was talking to a man who had short blonde hair, from what he could see. Reid turned back to the books.

First, he would decide on what to read, before looking for an employee to pay for it. His gaze wandered around, taking in everything. Like he had observed before, the store wasn't all that big, but it was nice and cozy. Perhaps, if he was allowed, he could read in here. Reid hated to be in the midst of a large amount of people and for him, this place was like heaven. No kids were screaming, no one who was talking loudly; he had found his little getaway. A thin layer of melting snow wetted the blue carpet, but Reid was already on his way to pick a book. He was standing in front of a light brown bookcase, which was stocked with too many books. His hazel eyes flew over the titles, and when they landed on 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens, he decided to read the classic book to help him get in the mood for Christmas.

Someone appeared behind him, curiously looking over his shoulder.

"Need any help, young man?"

"Uh…what?" Reid jumped and then turned around to see an elderly woman, who was probably in her 60s, with her ebony eyes trained on him.

Her silver hair fell down to her shoulders and framed her round face nicely.

"I was just wondering if you needed any help," The woman clarified, raising an eyebrow, "You came in a few minutes ago, and usually I ask my bookworms what they are exactly looking for. I know where to find each and every book." She gave him a kind smile and offered him her hand. "I'm Elizabeth Flair, the owner of this little book-temple, but you can call me Beth, everyone does."

Reid took a step back and blushed bright pink, his hands clutching his satchel. "Um, I don't like shaking hands or being touched, at all, really. Sorry, it's just, I have a…germ thing," he finally explained quietly. He was about to go off rambling about what he knew about bookworms, but stopped himself. She seemed friendly, and no one liked his little lectures. Well, besides his mother, but his mother liked everything about him. She was his mother, after all. "Well, I guess that means back to business, huh?" She didn't seem to be offended by him at all. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

Reid turned around and reached for the copy of 'A Christmas Carol'. "I was thinking about buying this one."

Beth took the book out of his hands, reading the title. She nodded. "Good choice. You've never read it before?" She asked while going to the counter to put it down.

"I have," he didn't have to mention that he remembered every single word of it, "but when I moved to DC, my copy got lost," he explained. "Did you know that Dickens was the first famous writer who gave public readings of his work, and his first reading was A Christmas Carol?" Spencer blurted out. He still was facing the bookcase, scanning it once more. "Oh really? I didn't know that," he could hear Beth saying behind him. The ringing of the bell announced that someone had left, but Reid didn't bother looking up. "Yeah," he nodded lost in his own thoughts, "But rather than simply reading excerpts from his book, he loved to perform them, and so he created a prompt copy of A Christmas Carol."

"Are you studying literature or something? It seems that you know more about books than I do," she joked.

"No," he went over to a bookshelf that was near the counter and shook his head, "I'm not in school, I work for the FBI." Reid was sure that Beth wouldn't believe him, or she'd say something like, 'You're still looking like a kid, how can you?' But before she could reply, someone called her name from the back.

"Beth?" The person called in a soft tone. Reid glanced over his shoulder to see who's voice it was, and then he saw her.

" Yes, hon?" Beth replied nonchalantly. Next to her was standing the young woman he had seen before; well, he had seen her hair. Apparently, the blond man had left. Reid, even with his massive vocabulary, couldn't think of a better and more pure word than beautiful to describe her. Her chocolate brown hair went down to her waist in nice curls. The color of her hair let her blue eyes shine bright. The jade green pullover that she wore formed a beautiful contrast to her tanned skin.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you," for a short moment her glance flickered over to him, her crystal eyes looking apologetically, at him. Spencer's cheeks turned pink, but she didn't seem to notice. "Cam called me, and I-"

Beth held up her hand. "You take care of whatever he needs, and then you can come back, all right?"

" I'm really sorry, Beth. I know this isn't the first time, and…I'm really sorry," she said nervously while brushing a curly strand of dark brown hair behind her ear.

"Don't be so ridiculous, Lola," Beth hugged her tightly, "Go, and I'll have a nice chat with this young man," she gestured to Reid, who blushed again. Lola sighed in relief. "I'll be back as soon as I can, promise," she smiled at him, "Take good care of her while I'm gone."

Reid, flustered, could just nod in agreement, not able to open his mouth. Hell, that had never happened before. He could always think of something to say. He blinked and when he opened his eyes again, her petite body disappeared through the door and into the freezing cold.

Beth flashed a warm, knowing look at Reid, which he didn't see. He was still too busy looking at the door the young woman occupying all of his thoughts had just left through.

"And now you've meet the lovely Lola. I tell you, that girl is like an angel. She hates it when I'm alone here, always so protective," she murmured softly, pulling Reid out of his trance.

"Yeah," he cleared his throat, still not fully recovered from the shock of the girl's beauty.

Did Beth notice that I spent to many seconds watching Lola? Reid worried. He had never been interested in girls, and the one time he ha - uh, no, he didn't want to think about that.

"Does she work here full-time?" He inquired.

"No," Beth shook her head, "She's studying medicine at Georgetown University," she said proudly.

"Ah, I see." There were so many things he wanted to ask about Lola, but he didn't even know her. So why should he ask?

"Well, I guess you're stuck with me now," Beth laughed, changing the subject, "And about our nice chat, do you want to drink something? Tea or-"

"Mrs. Flair," Reid cut her off, "You don't have to do this. I'm just gonna pay and then I'll be gone."

She was probably happy if she could have some time to herself, besides, who wanted to hear about his life?

"Don't," she wanted to put a hand on his shoulder, but

remembered that he wouldn't feel comfortable with it, "I'm glad you came in today. And I told you, call me Beth." she said honestly.

"You are?" Reid turned his head slowly, his eyes remaining on Beth.

"I am," she smiled, "It's still early. Most people are coming in the afternoon, anyways. I usually get to know all of my customers, and I really want to know more about you."

"Why is that?" Spencer asked, clearly confused.

"I'm sure that this won't be your last visit here." she went behind the counter, "But first, what's your name?"

"Spencer," He answered.

"All right, Spencer. Getting back to my question. Tea or coffee?" She chuckled in amusement.

Reid realized that she was being serious. "Coffee, please, with lots of sugar."

"Okay," she pointed in the direction of the back of the store, "You get yourself comfortable, and I'll be right back with your coffee."

The next two hours were spent happily talking to Beth about books, work and just life in general. It was a nice change, but in the back of his mind, he wondered when Lola would be back. Unfortunately, Hotch called him on a case just five minutes after Lola had called to let Beth know that she'd be back in half an hour. He would've liked to see her again today, and had to hold back his disappointment when he had to go into work. But he assured himself that he'd come back. That he knew without a doubt. Reid knew he needed to, eventually, find Lola. Maybe they could become friends. He smiled as he walked towards the train station, the prospects of meeting Lola again making him feel light and happy.

Today was going to be a good day.