2 | GREEN LIGHT. [SPENCER REID]

FIVE.

"Did you break something?" he asked, voice growing louder as he got closer.

She sighed, not facing him as she opened a closet door to retrieve a dust pan. "Yes," she replied, not masking the annoyance in her tone. She turned to him, voice nearly catching in her throat as he rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"No, no," he said, shaking his head. "Let me help," he offered, stepping toward the mess.

Quinn shook her head. "I'll be okay, Spence. It's just a little glass."

"There's a lot of pieces," he responded, already kneeling down to assist her. Quinn caught his eye briefly, quickly looking away. "I can help."

"Please, go back to sleep. You need it. I can see it in your eyes."

Their gazes met again. This time, he held it as he spoke. "I'm helping you, Quinn," he stated, confused as to why she was being so stubborn about something a simply as a glass. He looked away from her. "I'm always going to be there to help you." His voice was so quiet she nearly missed it.

Quinn didn't speak for a moment. She felt his eyes on her as she stared intently at the mess she had made. "It's a shame," she mumbled. "I liked this glass."

"You can try to piece it back together," he offered. Quinn nearly chuckled, but stopped herself as she saw how serious his expression was. "It'll be difficult, but it's manageable."

Quinn scrunched her eyebrows, suppressing a smile. "It's completely shattered. There's no fixing it."

"You can try," Spencer repeated, gaze focused on the small pieces of glass he was picking up. "And you can do it. I mean, it's not going to be easy." Quinn watched him carefully, unsure of where he was going to take this conversation. "But if you try hard enough, you'll be able to make something that resembles what it was. It's never going to be the original, it's never going to be the way that it was before the break." His eyes met hers. "But it's going to be something with the same purpose and value. The cracks will add to it's history," he said, "and will create something even more beautiful."

She knew that he was no longer talking about the glass. Her breathing was shaky, eyes beginning to water. "I don't think that I can put it back together on my own."

A ghost of a smile graced his lips. "I suppose that's where I come in."

Quinn's bottom lip quivered. She bit it to stop the shaking, blinking away the tears she knew would fall. She didn't deserve him. She couldn't form words, her breath catching in her throat. She simply nodded, bowed her head, then closed her eyes for a moment.

Spencer knew. He knew her well. He shifted from his position across from her to be next to her. He placed his arm around her shoulders, letting Quinn collapse into him, a shuttering breath leaving his lips as he listened to her quiet cries. His other hand found hers, lacing his fingers with hers.

"Nothing's ever broken, Quinn," he whispered. "Especially not you. Never you."

Quinn simply squeezed his hand tighter.

-----

A GASP LEFT Quinn's lips as she opened her eyes to see the numbers on the clock beside her. She was late. God, was she late. She shot out of bed, running into the other room to wake Spencer.