The first time Reid saw her, she was in a tree.

"Hey, um…do you think you could help me?"

Spencer Reid stopped in his tracks, looking around. He was just heading back to his apartment after spending a few hours reading in the park.

"Uh, up here."

Looking up, he saw a girl in a tree, maybe 6 or 7 feet up. She had long, wavy brown hair and was biting her lip from what appeared to be nervousness. "What are you doing in a tree?"

"Well, I was wandering around the park looking for a place to relax before work, and it was really the perfect place, up out of the way and all…but it seems that, uh…I can't get down. It seems a lot higher up here than it did safe down there on the ground. Can, uh…can you maybe help me get down?"

"Um…sure, I guess. Here, just a second…" Reid slipped his bag over his head and set it safely on the ground. "Alright, here we go. I'm ready when you are." He held his arms up above his head, and the girl began to slowly lower herself towards his outstretched hands. They had almost gotten her to ground level safely when he felt the familiar twinge from the old wound in his knee. "Oh, no…um…gah!"

In a flurry of limbs, the two collapsed in a heap on the ground, the girl pinning Reid to the grass. "Oh, my goodness! I'm so sorry! Here you are being so sweet and helpful and I practically crush you!" The girl leapt off of him and hauled him to his feet, brushing grass and dirt from his clothes.

"No, no, don't worry about it. It's fine, really. No harm done." Reid managed a small smile, though the girl was obviously only slightly placated.

"Still, I feel awful. I shouldn't have been up there in the first place. How can I make it up to you?"

"You don't have to make it up to me, really. Just consider it my good deed for the day."

"No, I have to do something. Do you like musicals?" Reid blinked.

"Musicals? Uh, sure, I guess. Why?"

"Be at the Lighthouse Theatre tonight, there's a show at 8. What's your name?"

"Um, Spencer…Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Well, Dr. Spencer Reid, give the man selling tickets your name and he'll take care of you. I'll treat you to dinner afterwards. Please, it's the least I can do for squashing you when you were being so nice. I insist."

"Well…alright. Um, tonight at 8, then?" She smiled brilliantly, and Reid noticed for the first time how green her eyes were.

"Wonderful! I've got to get to work, I'll see you tonight, Spencer!" With a wave, she turned and ran off.

She had already run out of sight before Reid realized he hadn't even gotten her name.

The second time Reid saw her, she was on a stage.

He had arrived at the theatre as promised, and when he gave his name at the ticket booth he was escorted to a seat in the third row, stage right. As the clock ticked closer to 8, he looked around for the mysterious girl but hadn't yet caught sight of her. When she still hadn't arrived when the lights went down, he decided it didn't really matter, he may as well watch the show anyway.

When she finally appeared, he was taken aback. She was furious, stomping onstage as she sang, her hair in two long plaits over her shoulders. She was dressed in the older garb of the time the show was set. After this first song, she didn't appear for a while, until joining another girl to tell of the sexual abuse they had endured from their fathers. Reid felt his eyes growing misty by the end of the song, hearing the emotion in her voice and seeing the tears running down her own face. When the show had reached intermission, he tracked down a program, flipping through until he found the cast list.

Ilse...Danielle Hamilton

Her name was Danielle Hamilton.

The third time Reid saw her, she was looking at him expectantly.

"Danielle, that was…thank you so much for bringing me here. The show was wonderful, you were amazing up there." Danielle beamed at him and stopped worrying the hem of her dress, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

"Thank you, Spencer. I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, what did you have in mind?"

"I found this wonderful little Italian place this afternoon…"

The fourth time Reid saw her, he made her cry.

After he had seen her show, they had dinner and went back to his apartment, staying up the entire night talking. She had to leave the next morning to continue the tour of her show, but the lighter the sky got, the more reluctant both became to say goodbye. Finally, when she had no choice but to leave, Reid leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. With a laugh and a smile, she kissed him back, promising to call when she reached the tour's next destination.

Over the next 8 months they kept in touch every day, even if only with a text message. Through video correspondence Danielle met the rest of his team, quickly making friends with everyone. Reid practically lived for the moments he could hear her voice or see her face, and they had made a habit of sending each other a picture of themselves once a week doing something they enjoyed. His favorite photos were those of her onstage, playing that marvelous, wounded character with such grace and ease that he nearly forgot she was acting.

Now that her tour was finally over, Reid had taken some of the time off he had accumulated and Danielle was coming to stay with him for a few weeks. He stood at the airport with the rest of his team, waiting for her to pass through into the greeting area so he could finally see her face to face for the first time in months. As soon as she stepped into view wearing the same brown dress she had been wearing that night, he was practically sprinting across the room.

Literally swooping her off her feet, he crushed his mouth to hers, feeling his heart soar when she returned the kiss with just as much passion. Finally stopping the kiss, he gasped out "I love you" – the first either of them had said. She smiled softly before kissing him again, quietly murmuring the words against his lips. Reaching into his pocket, Reid pulled out a ring and slipped it on her finger.

"Marry me."

Her tears and the death grip of a hug she gave him were all the answer he needed.

The fifth time Reid saw her, she was standing across from him in the courtroom that very same day, vowing to be his forever.

The show Danielle was performing with is Spring Awakening, a beautiful musical based on a play written in 1891. I was not alive in 1891 and as such do not presume to have written or hold rights to Spring Awakening in any form.