TWENTY SEVEN ; VICTIM.
It was the clicking of Penelope Garcia's heels against the tile of the sixth floor that caught the attention of all. Her usual amiable expression was replaced with fear. The light in her eyes was no longer there; rather, tears took the light's place.
Other agents chatter. Their murmurs can be heard. They're confused- Garcia's the fifth member of the BAU team that they've seen in a state of panic. Their eyes followed the nearly running woman. Something had to be happening.
The clicking continued. A single tear fell down Penelope's cheek. She grimaced as she heard her teammates voices. They're frantic. She's frantic. Inhaling sharply, she opened the door, eyes meeting those of her best friends.
Derek Morgan was seething. The anger was evident as he stood tall, arms crossed over his chest, looking at the board that held a map of Virginia. The subtle glances toward Quinn don't go unnoticed. He, like the rest of them, was worried. His eyes are the first to catch Penelope's.
"I came as soon as I heard..." Penelope whimpered, glance traveling around the room. She saw Quinn stationary on the couch against the wall of the round table room. One of her hands covered her mouth, the other laid intertwined in Spencer's, knuckles white from latching onto him. She was frozen, expression stoic, never looking anywhere but in front of her.
Penelope let another year fall as she looked at her friend. She had only seen her this was once before, and that was when they found her six months ago. The last thing that the technical analyst wanted was for anyone to be in pain.
"Quinn..." she whispered. She felt an arm upon her shoulder. Penelope glanced to her right to see JJ shake her head.
"She's been unresponsive since we got the call," the blonde explained. The pain in her voice was masked to the untrained ear, but could be heard by all of the profilers in the room. Though JJ took the longest to warm up to the girl, she had become close to her. The fear she felt only built up as time passed.
"Well, if this son of a bitch is back, we have to figure out a way to stop him!" Morgan protested, eyes blazing as he looked at Rossi. "We have to stop him."
The elder man nodded and raising his hands in a calming fashion. "We have to find him first," he replied. "We have to think about where he could have run off to." His eyes traveled to the ex-convict sitting on the couch. Though they hadn't been exceptionally close, the two agents always had each other's backs, and Rossi would be damned if he were to lose a teammate and friend to Joseph Lawrence.
"Rossi, you know these guys the best," Morgan said. "You told me you studied them for years. Where would he go?"
When David went to answer, he found himself cut off by another voice. "He wouldn't go to anywhere we'd expect him too," Spencer spoke up, gaze transferring from Quinn to his team. "Lawrence is too smart for that. There has to be some secondary location that he would hide out in."
"He knows the area," Aaron Hotchner said as he walked into the red room. His posture was rigid, eyes formed into slits. The team had seen him serious many times before, but rarely was he angry. "This is where he grew up."
"But wasn't his father shot in Palo Alto? I thought that was his hometown," said Kate, looking up from the laptop upon the table she sat at. Hotch shook his head.
"That's not what he told the prison ward psychologist," he replied. "His father was shot on a business trip. He said that if he were to ever escape, it would be easy because he knew the area so well."
"And that wasn't a warning sign that they needed to increase security?" Morgan asked in disbelief. A murmur of agreement waved through the team.
A sigh escaped the lips of the leader. "Listen to me," Hotch instructed. "I'm angry about this too. But this is an ongoing investigation of a serial killer on the loose. I need all of your heads in this. I can't have emotion clouding your judgement."
Don't let your heart rule your mind, Quinn said to herself as she listened to the conversation that was taking place before her. The words of Masters rang out in her head, mixing in with the thoughts and worries that plagued her. Her grip around Spencer's hand became tighter and the doctor glanced down at her. "Quinn?" he asked.
All eyes fell on her. The girl did not move. She did not open her mouth. The doctor frowned, squeezing her hand in response.
"JJ," Hotch said, eyes falling on the woman. "I'm going to need you to ask her some questions."
Spencer's lips tugged lower. "Ask her questions?" he inquired, brow furrowing. "Why?"
The leader exchanged a glance with Rossi. "Lawrence is after Quinn," Hotch began to explain slowly. "Dates, names and place are important to him. That's who he is, that's his MO. We've never pried about her past, but right now, if we want to save her, if we want to catch him, we have to figure what his endgame is. Right now, we have to treat this like any other case. Quinn's the victim, the target. There has to be something connected to her that'll help us find him."
The genius bit the inside of his cheek as he listened to his boss talk to him. Quinn, a victim. Memories flashed through his mind, those of Maeve, everything leading up to that day. He thought about the significant people who had terrorized him in his life. He thought of the man called The Fisher King. He thought of Tobias Hankel, the man who had kidnapped him years ago. He thought of everyone.
"A v-victim? She's a-" He visibly grimaced, then nodded. "I-I can't listen to this." He dropped Quinn's hand and suddenly stormed out of the room, surprising all who watched.
Derek Morgan let out a soft sigh. "I got him," he replied, following the doctor out of the room, sending one last glance back at the frozen Quinn.
Hotch and Rossi exchanged a look, both of the agents pulling chairs to be around Quinn, yet giving her enough room to breathe. JJ sat down on the sofa beside Quinn, voice soft as she spoke.
"Quinn?" she asked. The tone she held was relaxing, yet affirmative, something only Jennifer Jareau could do. "Quinn, can you hear me?"
The girl did not speak. She didn't make eye contact with any of her teammates who sat around her, worry radiating off of them. It was strange to be worried about, she thought.
A simple nod was sent JJ's way, giving the blonde the confirmation she needed to continue speaking. A sigh of relief left JJ. "Quinn," she began, "I know you're terrified right now. We understand. We are too." Quinn exhaled shakily. "But we can't have you shutting down on us. Not right now at least," she pleaded. "We need you Quinn. Help us catch him. Help us."
Help us. Her words rang in the girl's mind. We need you.
She was in a safe environment at the moment. Lawrence wouldn't dare place himself near a federal building. No, that would be too obvious. She was okay- okay for now. Now would have to suffice.
"I'm here," she whispered, voice catching in her throat. "Sorry."
"Don't you dare apologize," JJ replied, shaking her head. "This isn't your fault."
Quinn wanted to disagree but couldn't muster up the energy. It was her fault that she got the only people who had shown her kindness into this mess. That was on her.
"We're going to ask you a couple of questions, Quinn, is that okay?" Hotch asked. The leader recieved a nod in response. He cued JJ to begin, observing Quinn carefully.
JJ moved slightly closer to Quinn. "We're going to start out with simple things, okay? Just your basic questions, about you, about your family, about your favorite things." Another nod was directed toward the team members who watched her. "Okay Quinn, can you tell me where you grew up? What town or city?"
"Visalia." Her team members had to strain to hear.
"California?" Rossi asked softly. Quinn nodded, eyes still glued to the floor beneath her.
JJ nodded, glancing behind her to see Kate place a pen down and nod. It was crutial that they knew everything they could about her. Anything could be a clue as to Lawrence's endgame.
"Did you have any pets growing up?" JJ inquired. "A dog, cat? Even a fish?"
Quinn shook her head. "Always wanted one," she answered briefly. "Couldn't."
"Why?"
"Dad was allergic." She shuddered as a memory of her family flashed into her head.
JJ nodded, accepting the transition she had been given. "On the topic of parents," she began, "what did yours do? What jobs did they have? What were their names?"
Quinn paused for a moment before exhaling harshly. "My mom's name was Beatrice. She was a law professor at the local college. My dad's name was Andrew. He--" Quinn abruptly stopped, eyebrows furrowing as she thought of her father's work situation. She wasn't even exactly sure what her father did. Though he had told her that his main profession was in the financial area, she was never truly clear. Quinn felt herself blush in embarassment. She couldn't recall a time she had ever asked her father what he actually did. "I-I don't know what he did. I think it was finaces. He was away a lot."
"Okay, good," JJ said, "You're doing so well, Quinn."
The girl almost smiled. Almost.
Outside, Morgan found Reid in the sixth floor's lobby. The genius stood against the wall, facing the opposite side that held the photos of the agents who had passed in the field. Though he didn't face his friend, Spencer knew he was there. "What if she's up there next?"
Morgan went rigid, shaking his head and scoffing. "I don't want you ever talking like that again, you hear me?"
"Derek, it's a possibilty!" he protested. Morgan saw a tear fall down his face. "It could happen. He could outsmart us all. It could happen."
"Yeah, well it's not going to," Derek insisted, stepping closer to Spencer. "Kid, look at me." When the two didn't meet eyes, Morgan placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look at me." A shaky breath escaped his lips as the genius glanced up at him. "We're not gonna let anything happen to her. I know your feelings for her, but Reid, Q's apart of our lives too. We're going to keep her safe."
"I told her that Lawrence wasn't going to escape," he stated, suddenly fixated on the tile beneath him. "I told her that she had nothing to worry about. Just like I told Maeve." His voice broke on the last syllable, biting his bottom lip.
Derek closed his eyes before exhaling softly. His stomach churned as he recalled what had happened to his friend's first love and as he thought about the scenarios that were probably occuring in his head. "You can't blame yourself for that. You didn't know. For both of these situations." Spencer didn't look at him. "Kid, it's not your fault. Don't put this on you. Put the blame on Joseph Lawrence and use that fire to catch this son of a bitch."
Reid wiped a tear away with the back of his hand before taking a deep breath, calming himself down. "I can't lose her, Morgan," he whispered. "Not her too. She's one of the only people that I know for a fact won't ever let me down."
"Do you love her?" Morgan asked, tilting his head to the side.
Spencer furrowed his brow, biting the inside of his cheek. "I-I..." He trailed off, eyes falling shut. "I don't know." Morgan nodded slowly. "I feel like it's too soon for me to truly know."
"Have you told her how you feel?"
The genius avoided the agent's eyes. "Kind of," he shrugged.
Derek let a smile appear. "Okay, okay, baby steps, I can respect that," he said, chuckling as he watched Spencer roll his eyes. "You okay now? You ready to go back in there?"
Spencer sighed. "No," he replied. "But I know I have to. This isn't about me. I have to be there for her."
"Atta boy," Morgan chorused, ruffing his hair with a smile. Spencer shook his head, lips tugging upward. "I think they're just finishing up with asking the questions."
Spencer nodded before his eyes suddenly shot open. "They're not doing cognitives on her, right? They're not making her relive anything?"
Morgan's face fell blank, worry gracing his features. "I don't think so," he replied, unsure. "I think they'd be smart enough to know what would set her off." The doctor relaxed slightly, nodding. "C'mon Pretty Boy. Let's go save Q."
-----
"Wicked," Quinn replied, smiling softly as she answered JJ's question. "My favorite play is a tie between Wicked or Hairspray. Kind of basic, but they're great." JJ chuckled, glancing toward Spencer who was back in his position beside Quinn. The genius hadn't taken his eyes off of her for more than three seconds.
Quinn knew by now what JJ was doing. They had realized they couldn't preform a cognitive interview with her- that was too dangerous. So, the team decided upon the next best thing; to ask her a question that had potential clues to it, then relax her with a question or two that meant nothing. It was effective, and Quinn silently praised the team for it. Reliving moments with the Horsemen were definitely not what she needed at this time.
"With the Horsemen," JJ began, voice becoming softer, "was there ever an instance that they talked about a plan after killing Jonah Grey? Was there ever a plan for Lawerence to escape?"
The girl shook her head after she recounted conversations she either participated in or overheard. "Lawerence wants me dead because I was the one who led you to them. I didn't do anything else to him or the team."
"Was there ever an instance they spoke of a higher power?" Hotch asked. As he watched Quinn furrow her brow in confusion, he expanded upon the subject. "Did Lawrence or Masters or Nelson ever talk about other Horsemen? Did they talk about a boss?"
She shook her head once more. "As far as I know, The Four Horsemen start and end with Lawerence. It could be a possibility though."
"So you think the 'higher power' planned with Lawrence to break out of jail and come after her?" Morgan questioned, arms crossed over his chest. "You think he had an issue with Quinn?"
"Anything's possible," Rossi commented, shrugging. "When I did my research on them, it was never clear if Joseph Lawrence was the true leader. The formation and depth of the group was always cloudy."
"We're just brainstorming ideas to figure this out as well," Hotch added. "That's all we can do until we either catch him in the act or come up with a definite answer." The leader's eyes found Penelope Garcia's. "I want you to do some digging. Find out everything in your power about the Horsemen, about Lawrence, Masters, Nelson, Jonah Grey. Anyone or anything that has a connection to Carson or the Horsemen, I want to know."
Garcia nodded rapidly, ready to leave and work. "I'm on it."
"I'll help you," Kate said, sitting up and following the technical analyst out of the room.
Hotch then turned to Quinn, stiff posture falling as he saw her frightened figure. "Do you have someone that you can stay with until tomorrow?" he inquired. "I've tried to contact Witness Protection program, but they're unable to transfer your files at this time of night."
"She can stay with me," Spencer told his boss. A ghost of a smile appeared on Quinn's face. "It makes the most sense."
Hotch hesitated, eyes flashing between the two. "Okay," he agreed, nodding toward the genius. He focused on Quinn once more. "I want your phone. If he was able to call it from a payphone, that means he got it from someone who had your number. If he knows your number he can track you." Her eyes widened, all ideas like that slipping her mind. She quickly gave the leader her phone, eyebrows scrunching together as he held her a disposable phone. "This is to use if you need to contact us. It's just in case. Nothing's going to happen, okay?"
Quinn nodded, though she didn't fully believe him. She took the phone in her hands, flipping the top up and down. Her eyes fixated on it. This was real. Lawrence was after her.
Spencer nudged her softly, breaking her out of her thoughts. Her gaze met his. The eyes that usually were lit up, making the brown seem just the slightest bit lighter, were tired. They were worried. "You ready to go?"
Quinn nodded, placing her shaking hands inside of her pockets. She followed Spencer out of the room, confusion falling across her face as Morgan stopped her in her tracks after they left the round table.
He placed his hands on her shoulders, ducking down slightly to directly meet her eyes. Quinn felt herself shutter out an exhale. His lips twitched up. "You're going to be okay. Breath easy, Q."
Quinn felt her eyes burn. She knew the tears were coming. "I know," she whimpered, voice giving away how scared she truly was.
Morgan shut his eyes, pulling Quinn into his chest and wrapping his arms around her tightly. "You're gonna be fine, kid."
Quinn nodded into his chest. "Thank you," she told him. Before she could pull away, Morgan pressed his lips to the top of her quickly, heart falling to his stomach as he watched Quinn wipe away a stray tear that had fallen. She smiled gratefully to him, glancing back at the team who stood behind her. "See you tomorrow," she told them, smiling meekly as she did so.
She didn't look at them long enough to watch their reactions. Quinn found Spencer's eyes, the smile on her face growing a fraction of an amount as she looked at him. "You ready?"
Quinn nodded slowly, regaining her composure. "I'm ready," she responded. She half-heartedly chuckled. "Let's have ourselves a slumber party."
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quinn's scared and i'm emotional
thank you guys for reading, and thank you to those of who continue to comment and vote and message me about this story. it's what motivates me to update !!
love you all tons!
-mags