So sorry for this wait! All the comments have been absolutely amazing!! Thank you guys so much!

I wasn't going to post because I was afraid I'd change something in this chapter but it's been so long and I'll just have to find a way around anything problems I find.

I love this story, I see where I want it to go but at the same time I can't. Anyone got any insparational words? Please send them my way if you want, I'd apretiate it. What do you guys want to see? Tell me and I'll do it.

Thanks for reading, enjoy and let me know what you think!

Words: 3,309

Also, I haven't read this since I wrote it a while back, so I apologize for any mistakes.

Ryder hadn't known there was a weight on her shoulders. She hadn't even been thinking about Mark, after all. But just knowing she has a restraining order on him, she sleeps better, her posture us more relaxed during the day. Stress isn't good for the baby, after all.

But despite this, Spencer seems more tense. He tries to hide it from her, she knows, but the way he checks on her often, through text, phone calls, or just looking at her from across the room. He asks if she has her gun almost every time before he leaves the house. She tries to reassure him, but with the things he's seen through his job, it isn't easy.

Mark hasn't made an appearance. Nothing has happened. Though it's only been a couple of days. Ryder tries to put the whole thing out of her mind. She has her job and a wedding to focus on.

Speaking of work, Ryder smiles down at the three german shepherd dogs sitting patiently in front of her. Family portraits always include the family's pets. It was one of her favorite things. Ryder's always loved animals. Her mother had a Doberman when she came to live with her. He was a very well behaved dog from all his training. It hurt when he passed away.

"I don't want to take a picture," Ryder looks up at the young voice to see Mallory, her client's youngest daughter storming away. Mrs. Foley sighs and puts her forehead into her hand while her husband tries to go after their pouting child.

"Uh, Mr. Foley," Ryder calls out, holding up a hand to stop him. "If you don't mind, maybe I could try?"

"Of course, Ryder," The older man nods with a small smile. "And I think we've known each other long enough for you to call me Robert."

"Right," Ryder chuckles with one of her oldest clients before heading over to the girl in her blue dress. Crouching down beside her, Ryder sighs and sets her camera in her lap. "What's up, Mal?"

"I don't want a picture." She mumbles, kicking her feet back and forth from where they hang over the cobblestone ledge.

"Oh, yeah, why's that?" Ryder asks patiently, keeping her eyes locked at the view in front of them. The Foley's did have a beautiful home.

"I hate my dress." The girl says quickly, picking at the hem of her sleeve.

"Really?" Ryder over exaggerates her shocked reaction, finally turning to look down at the girl. "And here I was all jealous over it. Blue is my favorite color, after all." Mallory puffs her cheeks out but can't quite stop her lips from twitching up. "It makes your eyes look so much brighter."

"Really?" Mallory squints up at her and Ryder nods sternly.

"Yeah, they look like the sky," She points up at the clear sky and the girl follows her motion. "And," She lowers her voice, whispering like it's a secret. "You know how to make bunny ears?" Mallory nods with a growing smile. "I think maybe your older brother will make the perfect victim of bunny ears in a photo or two."

Chuckling, Mallory nods, excited at the idea. "He'll get mad."

"Not if we don't get caught." Ryder shrugs, offering her hand to pull the girl to her feet.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Mallory shouts as she rushes back to her parents and brother. Her mother shoots Ryder a grateful look before she turns to situate her children in the way they'd discussed.

Ryder snaps many pictures of the small family, half with Mallory gives both her father and brother bunny ears before they catch on and, instead of stopping the girl, they join in on the fun.

"Well, I thank you once again for putting up with us." Mrs. Foley, Selena, tells Ryder as the woman packs up her things.

"You know I love you guys," She waves off the thanks, turning to smile at the couple. "And I always love seeing the dogs." The Foley's were well-known dog trainers, they have their personal dogs but others they keep for clients or the service dogs they raise.

"They like seeing you too." Robert says with an arm around his wife's waist.

"You know, I actually thought about getting one." She's mentioned it to Spencer and she was serious. "Got any advice?"

"A boxer," He says immediately, sharing a look with Selena.

"Actually, if you have the time," She starts slowly. "Mind taking a little walk?"

"Uh, sure," Ryder nods, setting the last of her things into her car before following them to one of the fenced yards.

Robert lets out a loud whistle when they reach the gate, gaining the attention of most of the dogs, but only one comes when he calls her name. "Willow!" The big brown dog seems to smile as it bounds over to her owner, tail wagging behind her. "Hey, girl," Robert greets with a matching grin and opens the gate.

"This is Willow." Selena introduces Ryder to the dog, watching the younger woman crouch down to her level.

"Hello, girl," Ryder pets the dog with an impossibly wide smile. "Aren't you beautiful."

"One of our best students," Robert says after closing the gates. "Well behaved though she definitely has a personality. But uh, she's ready to go to a home." Ryder's head whips up to look at them, her hands still petting the dog in front of her. "Though we've fallen in love with her, so it has to be someone we know and trust."

"I can't- are- are you being serious?" Ryder stutters with an incredulous laugh.

"A hundred percent," Selena nods. "We know you'd make her a great home. And she's great with kids." She smiles a knowing smile. "Of all ages."

Laughing again, Ryder turns to look into Willow's big brown, literal puppy eyes. "I have to talk to Spencer." She decides on. She knew if she took the dog today, he would accept her, fall in love as quickly as Ryder has, but this is something you talk about when you're in a relationship.

"Of course," Robert nods in understanding. "I remember the days Selena actually asked me before just bringing an animal home." Huffing, the man's wife hits him on the chest fondly.

"Take your time, talk it out and let us know," Selena offers Ryder a hand to pull the woman to her feet. "She'll be here."

"Thank you," Ryder smiles and opens her arms to hug the woman while Robert motions for Willow to return to her pen, the dog going willingly.

"Consider it a wedding gift," He tells her. "If you choose to accept, that is."

"Well, I'm sold, if Spencer agrees."

"He will," Selena winks before the trio walk back up to Ryder's car. "Thank you again, for today."

"No problem, it is my job, after all." Saying their goodbyes, the adults part ways. That was her last appointment of the day so Ryder heads home. She has to pick out the best pictures, edit them, get the family's opinions before sending them off to get printed. But luckily she could do that in the comfort of pajamas inside her home.

Climbing from her car, Ryder lifts her purse onto one shoulder and her camera bag onto her other. She can get her tripods later. Or ask Spencer too. Shaking her head to herself, Ryder slides her key into her mailbox and gathers the many papers into her hands. She nearly drops some but manages to balance them all and heads inside.

With no one in the lobby to help, Ryder uses her elbow to push the elevator button. It comes quickly, the ding echoing into the silence of the building and Ryder does the same as before, almost hitting the wrong floor number. But she manages just as the thought hits her. How is she supposed to unlock her apartment door?

Groaning, Ryder struggles the mail under her arm and grabs her keys before forcing them into the lock and opening her door. She sets everything onto the table with a loud sigh.

Rolling her shoulders, Ryder rubs her neck and grabs the stack of mail and transfers it to the kitchen and places it on the counter. She's about to grab the letter opener - she'll never tire of how easily the sharp blade slices the paper open - when a small, manila envelope catches her attention.

"It could be anything," Ryder shrugs before rolling her eyes. There she goes, talking to herself again. Shaking her head, Ryder grabs the envelope, eyeing the writing before opening it, sans letter opener. Not that a manila envelope really needs one. They usually open smoothly without one. Okay, off track.

Perching herself on a barstool, Ryder reaches her hand into the envelope and pulls out a very familiar feeling paper. The pictures are turned backward but as soon as the young woman flips them over, she's on her feet, heart falling into her stomach.

Gaze sweeping over her supposedly empty apartment, Ryder stuffs the pictures back into their envelope and grabs her bag from the table and exits her home. The door across from her's groans when she bangs her fist on it. She glances over her shoulder while she waits for it to open.

"Hey, Philip," Ryder tries to smile at the older man. He was good at picking up on emotions.

"Ms. Mathews," He nods to her with a smile. Philip has been here since she started living here. They converse when they saw each other but were peaceful neighbors otherwise. And Ryder always brings him a cupcake on his birthday.

"I hate to ask, but do you mind walking me to my car, please?" He was to nice to say no and she knows it. It makes her feel a little bad but it's just a walk to the ground floor. And for good reason.

"Of course, dear," He smiles a grabs his keys before joining her in the hall and walking side by side with her to the elevator and into the darkening night. "Is everything okay, Ryder?"

"Yes, of course," She says but has trouble believing even her own words. "I should be back later. I'll check-in, okay?"

"Alright," Philip nods, not look entirely convinced but doesn't stop Ryder as she closes her car door and starts it before pulling out onto the road.

Ryder chews her lip and drums her thumbs on the steering wheel the entire drive. When she parks the car and grabs her purse, she takes her gun out before slipping it into the glove box.

Pausing, eyes glued to the envelope, Ryder swallows before grabbing it and exiting the car.

"Ms. Mathews, to what do we owe this pleasure?" Micheal smiles in greeting, immediately helping the woman get through security.

"Uh, just...picking up Spencer." She's not sure why she lies. It just came out.

"Alright, good to see you," He tells her while handing her a guest badge. "Head on up."

"Thank you." Ryder gives a weak smile in return and heads into the elevator. She feels better now, being in this building, but her hands still shake.

The ride is quick and thankfully uninterrupted. It's getting late, everyone's probably finishing up for the day. The BUA team included. Ryder wonders why she didn't text Spencer that she was coming when he spots her entering the room. His eyebrows furrow in confusion and he leaves whatever conversation he's having with Morgan to approach her.

"Ryder?" He questions when he gets closer to her. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you but...why are you here?"

"Um," Ryder hesitates, glancing behind her fiancé to see they'd drawn the other's attention. "These were in the mail." She finally forces out before handing him the envelope.

Taking the offered object, brows more furrowed in worry than before, Spencer pulls out the same photo's Ryder had earlier. Photos of Ryder. Taken from afar as she goes about her day. Getting lunch, working a photoshoot, walking down the street. Other than that, the thing that catches his attention most is whoever else is in the photos have their faces scratched out.

A hand, Morgan's hand, comes into his sightline to take the photos from him, finally snapping his out of his frozen state. Ryder still stands in front of him, her hands wringing together nervously. "Hey," Spencer whispers to her as calmly as he can, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay?" It's a stupid question but he has to ask and Ryder nods, offering him a shaky smile.

"Yeah, as soon as I saw them I came here." She tells him with a glance at the others who are looking the photos over, giving the couple a minute before the questions start. "Had Philip walk me to the car."

"Good," Spencer nods. "You did the right thing."

"I don't..." Ryder takes a deep breath, eyebrows furrowing. "It has to be him. But this-this is crazy."

"Has to be who?" Emily asks, stepping up with the others, two photos held in her hands.

Sighing, Ryder closes her eyes for a moment. Spencer takes her hand and stands by her side. "Mark," She tells them and everyone stays silent, allowing her the chance to speak. "My ex from college. I ran into him a little while ago then again and again. I got flowers from an unknown person sent to the apartment. Last time I saw him, I knew the encounters hadn't been coincidental." She glances up at Spencer and he squeezes her hand. "He never actually did anything but he made me uncomfortable and when I told Spencer, he helped me get a restraining order against him."

"Last name?" JJ asks, phone already pressed against her ear.

"Weston," Ryder says clearly, and the blonde nods, turning away to relay the information to whomever she was speaking to. "I knew he was creepy, I never thought he'd do...this." She gestures to the photos currently spread between the team.

"How long did you date?" Derek asks her, keeping on a professional facade when really he wants to find this guy and do some not very legal things. No one even thinks about hurting his family without consequences.

"A few weeks until I broke up with him."

"Why did you break it off?" Emily questions as everyone walks further into the room and Spencer pulls out his desk chair for his fiancée.

"Short answer? He was an ass." Derek smirks at her answer but it falls quickly. "He wasn't so bad at first," Ryder starts again with a sigh. She figures it was important to use more detail. Maybe. Spencer always tells her the smallest thing can be really important in a case. "But after we started going out, he became possessive and controlling. I still stayed for a little while, thinking he'd get over it but when he didn't, I broke it off right before we graduated. Never saw him again until recently."

"How did he react when you broke up?" David asks, leaning against the desk across from her.

"He tried to talk me out of it," Ryder shrugs. It hadn't seemed like a big deal. "I don't remember a lot but he kept trying to talk to me for a while after. I think two, three months before I finally blocked his number."

"He sent you flowers and mailed these, it means he knows where you live." Hotch holds up the pictures he'd gathered, already running everything they knew through his head. The team has handled stalkers before but it's not their typical case. But this is different, this is one of their own. He knows without even asking the others that they're willing to work on this.

"You don't think he'll actually...do anything?" Ryder questions with furrowed brows. Yes, the pictures scared her and they were very concerning, but they were pictures. Mark hasn't actually done anything to physically harm her or those around her. Yet, her brain can't help but think. He hasn't done anything yet.

"The scratches in those photos, the way he eliminates any other person's presence besides yours, it shows aggression," Emily explains. "And it sounds like it's escalated quickly. I'm guessing the restraining order made him mad."

Ryder nods and worries her bottom lip between her teeth. "And I might not have been...over kind, the last time I saw him." She states hesitantly. Maybe saying those things had been a mistake.

"How do you mean?" Morgan inquires.

"Uh, well, I told him I didn't want to be around him and that he makes me uncomfortable." She tells them all. "I left before I could really see his reaction."

"The rejection probably made him mad," Emily says to her team more than to Ryder. "Then the restraining order on top of that. No telling what he'll do."

"He scratched out everyone else's faces," Morgan says while taking the pictures from Hotch to look through them again. "But not Ryder's. If he really wants to hurt her, wouldn't he have done the same to her face?"

"Excuse me," Ryder stands from her seat and Spencer lets his hand fall from her shoulder. It isn't their fault but she doesn't want to hear what they were talking about right now. She's tired from working all day, stressing over the wedding and the human growing inside of her. Said tiny human was making her feet swell at they're uncomfortable in her shoes. And shoes hungry but feels sick at the same time. From the situation or the pregnancy, she isn't sure. Probably both.

The bathroom light is on but no one else is in there. Ryder is grateful as she braces her hands on the edge of the sink. She takes a deep breath and runs her hands under the cold water before drying them. She throws the wet paper away and leans her back against the wall, closing her eyes.

The door makes a nearly inaudible squeak when it's pushed open. Ryder doesn't open her eyes when she feels someone settling next to her. "Sorry about that," Emily tells her softly and Ryder offers her a small smile to let the woman know she wasn't upset by her. "Just, work mode. Can be hard to break out of."

"No, I get it," Ryder sighs. "Sometimes Spence comes home and profiles the apartment or what I'm doing without even realizing it." She chuckles weakly. "I'm honestly surprised he didn't notice I was pregnant before I did."

"That sounds like something he'd do." Emily laughs but quickly sombers. "It'll be okay. We'll figure this out."

"Thank you," Ryder offers her friend a smile. Taking a deep breath, the young woman pushes off the wall and rubs her hands on her pants. "Best get back. Only a matter of time before Spence comes looking."

Snorting, Emily nods and follows. "I don't doubt it. He nearly followed you in here."

When reaching the group, Ryder smiles at her fiancé to let him know she was okay and wraps her arms around him. "Come on," He places a kiss to the top of her head. "Let's go."

That jerk. His photography skills aren't even that good. Yeaaaah...I wish I could promise a quick update but I can't. I should probably wait until I have lots of chapters before posting.

You guys tell me anything you want to see happen in this story.

I don't condone puppy mills and the such. But professional breeders who treat their animals well and with respect are okay. This coming from someone who's seen animals in horrible conditions and rescued over two-three hundred dogs and cats (not an exaggeration, I'm being serious) in her life, so I'm biased.

Thanks for reading!

'-'