Alice felt her grasp around Aiden's chest begin to slip. She let out a huff as she adjusted her grip, trying to hold him as firmly as she could. Encircling her arms under his armpits, she grabbed her other hand behind his back, trying to ignore the searing pain in her shoulder as she dragged him through the snow. She couldn't feel her fingers, she couldn't feel much of anything, she didn't know if it was from the cold or the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She did not stop, going as fast as her exhausted body could. Aiden groaned, blood still spilling from his broken nose, dripping in contrast to the white flurry beneath their feet. He wasn't much help. His leg was a broken, bloody mess, meaning that he couldn't aid her in her haste to find help. If they couldn't find it soon, he'd be a goner for sure.

"What did you do Alice?" He sputtered out, some of the blood on his lips spattered onto the shattered lenses of his glasses as he coughed. The rest dribbled down his chin before hitting the snow below as he turned his head to cough once more. He was trying his best to keep his grip on her too, his hand gripping onto the back of her puffy silver coat, which was stained maroon with blood.

Alice didn't answer, she didn't have to. They both knew what she had just done.

If the dead man behind them didn't answer his question, then the interrogation once they were found, would.

She wished this had all been a dream, a terrible nightmare that she could wake up from. Then she'd be back at work with her friends, helping put faces and names to the bones of murder victims. Aiden would be back in his office at home, clacking away at his typewriter as he grinned about a major revelation in his new novel. Alice would bring him takeout when she got home, and they'd watch an episode of whatever show they decided on binge-watching that week. Then they'd part ways and head to bed.

But she had learned long ago that life was unkind, and this was no dream.

With the sound of ravens screeching overhead, Alice tightened her grip around her brother and began to run.

_

Three Months Earlier

Alice Wheeler sat hunched over the examination table, her gloved fingers rotating the clavicle of some poor soldier. If her mother was there, she would scold her for her poor posture, saying she would grow a camel's hump. Her dark brown hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, she didn't want to contaminate or disturb the remains anymore than she had to. Her fellow graduate student, Zack Addy, sat scrawny and shaggy-haired beside her. The two had been assigned by Dr. Temprence Brennan to help identify an unknown WWII soldier that died in battle. Given that they had not gotten a case from Agent Seeley Booth in over two weeks, the two were happy to take on the task.

"There's grazing from a bullet on his right clavicle bone," Alice said, offering Zack the bone to look over, and pointing out the mark with her pinky as he held it up to examine it.

Zack nodded, "There's also a similar graze on the upper part of this rib bone," he said as he placed the bone back on the table, motioning to the rib next to it.

"So we know how he died," Alice nodded, "now to just figure out who he is," she let out a short chuckle, the task not as easy as it sounded.

The two were interrupted by Hodgins, the curly-haired man was zipping up his field coveralls when he stepped up to the table, "Zack, Dr. Brennan called. She wants us to meet her and Booth at Anacostia Park. Wheeler, she wants you to stay behind and put those remains back in storage. We're gonna need that table."

"We just got started-" Alice began to say, but Zach was already gone. She sighed and began placing the bones back in the case that they got them from, "This better be a good one," She glanced up from the remains to look at Jack, who had the usual snarky glint in his eye.

"They're always good ones, aren't they?" He chuckled, before turning to join Zach who had his coveralls on and camera case in hand, "That was fast," He commented before the two turned to leave.

Alice continued to place the bones back into the container. Gently wheeling the remains out of the lab she headed for storage, a funny feeling tinged at the back of her mind as she did so. She figured it was from being thrown off-kilter this morning. The feeling remained until she got back to the lab, but the sight of Angela made it vanish, "What's going on?" Angela asked, "I was coming to ask you about doing a reconstruction of that soldier. Where's Zack?"

"Bringing in another body," Alice explained, "Hodgins nabbed him and they dipped to meet with Dr. Brennan and Booth."

"Just as I was hoping people in this town would stop murdering each other," Angela said sarcastically, taking a sip of her coffee. Alice looked at her with a smidge of envy, she had woken up late today and didn't have time to stop for breakfast or coffee.

"If they didn't we'd run out of bones to identify," Alice told her as she grabbed the supplies to sterilize the table they were just working at.

"True," Angela sat down her drink and tablet and turned to help her, the two scrubbing down and drying the table before leaning against it to talk. Alice liked working with Angela, hell she liked working with the whole team, but there was something different about her. She wasn't hardened like the rest of them, she didn't have to get used to peeling away flesh to see bone. She was kind.

"So what's up with you and Jack, hm?" Alice grinned, nudging Angela with her elbow. She had noticed them eyeing each other the past few weeks and heard their sly comments in passing, "You two hooking up or what?"

Angela's eyes went wide as she sipped her coffee, "What? No, why would you think that?" Alice gave her a look as the woman paused, "No, we're not hooking up," Angela told her, "We're just friends- Hey, is that your brother?"

Alice furrowed her eyebrows and scoffed, not diverting her gaze from Angela, "I doubt it. Don't try and distract me Montenegro, I will find out the truth."

"No, like that's actually your brother," Angela grabbed the stubborn brunette by the chin to turn her face toward the lab entrance.

Talking with the guard, Alice could pick out her brother's dorky frame immediately. Clad in flannel and khakis with wire-framed glasses perched upon his nose, he stood with a cup of coffee and a brown paper sack of what she assumed was food. Her stomach audibly growled at the thought. He sat the food down as the guard handed him a book and a pen, a book her brother had written.

Aiden Wheeler was an exceptionally talented mystery writer. He had a flair for horror and suspense, that grabbed ahold of readers and stuck with them weeks after they had finished reading. The Wheeler twins had always been exceptionally talented, Alice in science and math and Aiden in English and history. It was as if the two mirrored each other in their knowledge. Alice had acquired trophies at a very early age for her scientific endeavors, always having very elaborate projects and inventions. Aiden with his writing and knowledge of prose won multiple awards for writing and acting, which eventually lead him to reach the top of the New York Times bestseller list at just nineteen years old. The two were very gifted, which along with the status of their parents had brought them under immense pressure growing up. Pressure to bring greatness, bring change. It was almost too much.

Aiden signed the book for the man and nodded thanks as he was let into the lab, grabbing the food before meeting Alice's gaze with a smile. He muttered a greeting to Angela as he approached the table, handing Alice the cup and bag, "I brought you breakfast, I figured you'd want some since you were in such a rush this morning," The two shared an apartment together in the city. Since Aiden wanted to keep most of his earnings in his savings, Alice agreed to move in and split the bills and rent.

Alice narrowed her eyes, "How did you know I was in a rush this morning, were you awake?" She asked, but the dark circles under his eyes gave her the answer, "You didn't sleep did you?" He nodded and she handed the cup of coffee back to him with a sigh, "You need this more than I do."

"That was sweet of you, Aiden," Angela grinned, thanking Alice's brother for her. She was also glad the topic was off her possible love life.

Alice playfully rolled her eyes, "He's got an ulterior motive," she sent Angela a smile before turning to set her food on the desk nearby.

"It's not an ulterior motive," Aiden held his hands up in defense, "Dr. Brennan being here is just a plus. Is she here? I have some questions I have to ask her," he asked before taking a sip of coffee.

"She's in the field right now," Angela told him as Alice took a bite of the breakfast sandwich. Alice scrunched up her nose as the egg in the middle was cold.

"She's bringing in a body," Alice said between chews.

Aiden clapped his hands together with a smile, "Sweet, advice and inspiration! Guess I came at the right time."

Alice gave Angela a look that said 'I told you so', and continued to eat her sandwich, "You're sick, you know that," Alice told her brother with a mouthful of English muffin. 

"You're the one that looks at dead people all day," Aiden raised an eyebrow at his sister, who shoved her half-eaten sandwich in his hand.

"Touche," She said before telling him to finish the sandwich. Aiden did so, frowning in a very similar way when he found it was cold. 

"I swear you two are like mirror images of each other," Angela shook her head with a smile, "Maybe not physically, but you definitely act the same." 

"We do not," The two of them responded at the same time, then looked at each other in slight annoyance. 

Angela smirked, "Point proven."

The three were interrupted by Dr. Brennan wheeling a body into the lab on a stretcher with Zack and Hodgins by her side. Agent Booth was not too far behind, shouting a lighthearted warning to the three in the lab, "Brace yourself guys, this one's not pretty." 

Alice felt her brother stiffen beside her as the body came into view, and it didn't take her long to figure out why. Her blood ran cold as she gained sight of the remains. Her legs felt numb, like jelly. She couldn't speak or make a sound. The entire front side of the body looked like it was torn clean off, there were marks along the bones that looked like the victim was dragged at a high velocity, "Oh my god," Alice finally got out. She looked at her brother from the corner of her eye, afraid if she moved they both would shatter. Aiden, who had gone pale, grabbed ahold of her wrist in shock.

The three team members who had brought the body in, lifted it onto the examination table so they could all get a proper look at it, "It looks like the victim was dragged at high speeds, most likely by a large car or-" Dr. Brennan began but Aiden cut her off.

"A truck," He said.

All eyes turned to him as Dr. Brennan continued, "Yes, that's right," She said hesitantly, wondering how he knew that, "He wasn't just dragged and left, though. I'd put him at about-"

"A week? He's been dead a week," Aiden finished for her again. His words sounded choked like he was trying not to cry, or throw up. Letting go of Alice's wrist, he wiped his mouth with his hand then left it resting on his cheek, "He's been dead a week, the killer dumped him in a park for someone to find. Out in the open." 

It seemed like they were all avoiding the obvious addition to the body. The young woman was mentally trying not to make it true, as if she can erase it all with her mind. But as Alice stared into the eye sockets of the victim, she saw her own stunned expression staring back at her. Large shards of a mirror were jabbed into where the victim's eyes used to be. 

"Was there a note?" Aiden asked, "In his back pocket, was there a note?"

Booth stepped up, a confused look on his face, "What's going on here?" Everything Aiden was saying was, in fact, what had happened. A jogger stumbled across the body early that morning. The victim was left near the sidewalk in the middle of the park, anyone could find him. 

Realization slowly set in for some of them, it had been a while since they'd read Aiden's first book. Hodgins and Zack lifted up the remains, the grad student reaching into the victim's back pocket and pulling out a piece of paper.

"This isn't real," Aiden muttered, shaking his head. He stumbled back, almost falling off the platform where they all stood, watching him spiral. 

"This victim is an exact replica of Alice's brother's writings," Zack told Booth bluntly, "The killer in his first series would take the eyes of the victims as trophies, and leave behind shards of mirrors," He grabbed a pair of tweezers and began to remove the mirror shards, setting them aside for evidence.

Hodgin's let out a low whistle, the note was unfolded in his gloved hands, "It's down to a T,  I'd say. The note's the same," He flipped it around so the rest of them could read the note.

"The killer is in the eye of the beholder," Angela read aloud, "So, he's saying we're the killer?"

"Not exactly," Zack began explaining the dynamic between the killer and the lead detective in Aiden's book series, but Alice had tuned him out. 

She approached her brother, who was slowly backing his way towards the lab entrance. Trying to calm the hyperventilating man, she grabbed ahold of both of his arms, looking him in the eye, "Aiden you have to breathe. There's no possible way you could've done this."

A stern voice came from behind them, at the entrance, scaring them both. A tall man with dark hair stood at the lab entrance, and an even taller, skinnier man behind him, "Aiden and Alice Wheeler?" The man asked, confirming their identities.

The twins nodded in unison. Alice turned back to look at her coworkers, who were all looking at them in either confusion or shock. The man began, "All of you, step away from the body. Agent Booth, you, Dr. Brennan, and her team are no longer apart of this investigation."

"Now wait a minute-" Booth began, but the man's hard gaze ended his protest, "So the BAU is in charge now?" Booth asked, his brows furrowed and arms crossed.

"What's the BAU?" Alice heard Angela whisper to Booth.

Booth rolled his eyes, "They're like the squints of the FBI," he said before chuckling, "I mean, what seems to be the problem here fellas. Why can't we work on this case?"

The dark-haired man sighed, seemingly annoyed- but his face didn't show it. The lanky man behind him spoke up, "When a member of the team is a suspect in the investigation, that creates a conflict of interest." 

"Conflict of-" Alice began in disbelief, she brought a hand to her chest, "I'm a suspect?" She felt everything in her freeze.

 She felt faint and probably would've if her brother wasn't holding her arm so tight. It was like she could see everything from a third-person perspective, this wasn't real. This was a dream. She must've fallen asleep reading one of her brother's drafts, that's it. She was dreaming this whole thing up. If she'd just wake up.

The dark-haired man looked back at the twins, "You both are. You two are going to have to come with us."

_

A.N.

_

IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS STORY AHHHH