TWO ; RETURN.
QUINN WAS UNABLE to think correctly as she stood inside of the elevator, awaiting to arrive at the floor of her apartment. Her finger tapped against her leg, the familiar one-two-one pattern creating a soft rhythm.
The Horsemen were back, that much she knew. But, the number of people in the group, who they were, and when they would reappear; that was a different story. The uncertainty of the situation at hand made Quinn uneasy.
The elevator doors parted, revealing the hallway of her floor. Her steps were slower than usual, her mind racing with thoughts of the Horsemen and what was to happen when the BAU arrived in London. How would they react? Would they hate her? Would they understand?
The team had lived this before. The return of Emily Prentiss had taken a toll on the entire team. Emily had told Quinn about the aftermath of her revival. How they had taken it, what they had done. She wasn't sure how they would react to it occurring a second time.
"Quinn?" She dropped her keys as she flinched, startled by the voice behind her. "Woah, woah. Sorry," he apologized, eyebrows furrowed in concern as he watched her.
"Connor," she breathed. "Jesus, you scared me. What are you doing?"
"I, uh, heard you coming in," he answered, voice quizzical. "You left your wallet at my apartment last night. Thought you might need it."
"You would be correct," she said, laughing softly as she took the wallet from him.
His eyes never left her face, searching for the answer to his unspoken question. "Are you okay?"
Quinn slumped her shoulders as her door unlocked. She bit the inside of her cheek as she turned to Connor, shaking her head. She swallowed harshly. "No," she responded. "Not really." Connor tilted his head to the side, brow scrunching together once more. "They're back," she said. "He's back."
His eyes widened, disbelief written across his features. Connor seemed taken back by the news, and Quinn could see him attempting to process it. "As in-"
"The Horsemen?" she finished, unable to hold his stare. "Yeah. They're back."
Connor's expression dropped, worry taking place of the confusion. "Christ, Quinn," he whispered, pulling her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her. She closed her eyes, returning the hug, letting herself relax for a moment.
Connor Mallory had been introduced to Quinn Carson days after she had moved into her apartment. Connor, an IT expert at Interpol, had recognized Quinn immediately (despise her changed appearance) after seeing her face run over his screen so many times. The two quickly became friendly, Quinn slowly and hesitantly realizing that Connor was someone that she could trust. Trust was a hard concept for Quinn to grasp after Kyle Masters, but Connor had proven himself time after time.
"I heard rumors," he said quietly, seeming to squeeze her tighter, "I just wasn't sure if they were true."
"They're true," Quinn whimpered, a heavy breath leaving her lips. She paused, uncertain to ask Connor about her issue.
Connor noticed her change in demeanor. "There's something else, isn't there?" he asked, pulling away from her.
Quinn sighed again, shrugging her shoulders. "The team that I was apart is flying in tomorrow to meet with Prentiss. She's going to tell them I'm alive."
"And you're worried about they're going to take the news," he finished. She nodded. "This is the team that you had the boyfriend on, correct."
Her cheeks tinted red, a small smile tugging at her lips. "He wasn't my boyfriend," she muttered.
"Right," he said, unconvinced.
"Connor," she whined, stepping away from him and beginning to walk into her apartment. "What am I going to do? What if they all hate me?"
"They're not going to hate you, Quinn," he assured, following her in and shutting the door behind him. "This was something you had to do to keep yourself safe. They couldn't know that you were alive. They'll understand." Quinn felt herself nodding, even though she was still unconvinced. "But, uh, let's go back to the Horsemen. What do you mean they're back? Are the hurting people again? Do they know-" He trailed off, glancing at Quinn.
"That I'm alive?" she finished. Connor nodded, watching as Quinn shrugged. "If they do, they're not saying anything about it. Messages boards around the world got Kyle's news."
Connor furrowed his brow once more. "What did he say?"
"When the time is right," she recited, leaning back on the counter space in the middle of her kitchen.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"I wish I knew," she replied, a humorous laugh leaving her lips. "Kyle's cryptic. He enjoys leaving people in suspense and surprising them." Quinn paused for a moment, hesitant to tell Connor everything, knowing how he would react. "Prentiss wants to tell the world I'm alive. She thinks it'll speed up the reaction time for Masters."
He looked at her in astonishment. "And you're going to let her?"
"I have to," she responded. "It makes sense if we want to get a reaction from him. He wants to surprise us, we need to surprise him. He'll feel the need to one up us." She shrugged. "It's a good plan."
"No, it's not a 'good plan'," he protested, shaking his head. "You've been safe for two years now, Quinn. Why would you want to ruin that?"
"Because it's my job," she said. "I know what has to happen, and I'm okay with it. This is my mess. I have to clean it up." Quinn sighed, adding on, "And after everything that Emily and Hotch have done for me, I owe them this one."
Connor sighed, defeated. He bowed his head, placing his hands on Quinn's shoulders. "I hope you know what you're doing," he whispered.
Quinn simply smiled softly at him. "What?" she asked. "You don't trust me?"
"That's the thing," he admitted. "I trust you a little too much." He pressed his lips to her temple, looking back down at her. "Which means I know you well enough to know that you'll make stupid decisions to make situations better for others."
Quinn rolled her eyes. "I appreciate your concern, but I know what I'm doing, Connor."
He looked at her uncertainly. "I hope so."
And with that, he gave her one last smile and left her apartment, leaving Quinn alone with her thoughts, letting herself begin to second guess everything she was considering.
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TOMORROW CAME TOO quickly for Quinn's liking. She sat in Baldwin's office quietly, not speaking to the woman who paced back and forth. Adeline had a phone pressed to her ear, talking to an their Scotland Yard correspondent who was currently stationed in Boston, one who had studied the Horsemen to a deep extent. Quinn watched as she spoke exasperatedly to him, placing two fingers on the bridge of her nose.
"Bridges, we have a plan," Baldwin said. She was quiet for a moment, before she answered, "I'm not at liberty to tell you about it just yet. Bridges, don't fight me on this. Just trust me."
The call ended shortly after. Baldwin glanced up at Quinn after her phone went off for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "They're already here, aren't they?"
"Their plane landed an hour ago. They're coming in now," Adeline replied carefully, catching Quinn's uneasy mood. "Everything's going to be okay, Quinn. They'll understand. We'll keep you safe."
Quinn didn't reply.
On the other side of the building, Emily Prentiss greeted a tired looking BAU team. They each gave her a smile and a hug, quickly introducing the team member Emily had yet to meet.
"Luke Alvez," he said, shaking Emily's hand.
"Well Luke, it's nice to meet you," Prentiss replied. "I wish it were on better terms."
Hotch nodded, motioning to the woman next to him. "And I believe you met Tara Lewis the last time we were together," he said.
Emily grinned, nodding. "I remember her well," she answered. "And as much as I would love to catch up with you guys, we have a bit of a situation at hand."
"Has there been any other activity?" Spencer Reid asked, pushing to the front of the group. Emily noted his appearance. It seemed as though he hadn't slept much.
"Nothing," replied Emily, shaking her head. The group made their way through the Interpol area, walking down the hall and toward the conference room she had set up for them. "We're not sure when 'the right time' is going to be."
"But you said that you think you have an alternative option that will speed up the right time?" questioned Jennifer Jareau.
A sigh left her lips as she turned to face the team she once belonged to. She wasn't ready to reveal the news to them just yet. "Yes," Emily said simply. "We hope it's going to work."
"What exactly is it?" David Rossi asked, following his team into the room, looking tentatively at Prentiss before sitting down around the table.
Emily bit the inside of her cheek as she paused. She glanced to Hotch, who nodded, walking to her side and looking to his team.
"After we saw the footage of Kyle Masters on Lawrence's laptop, we were able to establish a new profile on him," Aaron began. "He's a man who likes to be in control and makes sure that everything goes his way. He's a master manipulator, as he was able to convince Lawrence and Nelson to follow him on his crusade. We suspect that with the overwhelming evidence and personal claim of more Horsemen, that when he returns, he will be back with a new team of people, most likely similar to the team we knew, but more advanced."
"Masters is a man who worships the idea of a surprise. He loves the shock value, he loves putting people on their toes, making them uneasy," Emily continued. "This is why he did what he did. He sent the message to shock us, to make us uneasy. We need to counterattack him. We need to throw him off so greatly that he feels the need to speed up whatever is going to happen."
"How are we going to do that?" Penelope Garcia asked, brow furrowing as she listened.
Prentiss and Hotch exchanged a look. They had to reveal it now. They couldn't hide it any longer.
Before Emily could speak, she met eyes with Baldwin. The blonde stood in the doorway, nodding once at her. The team turned to her. "This is my colleague, Adeline Baldwin. Baldwin, this is the Behavioral Analysis Unit from Quantico."
A tight-lipped smile stretched across her face. "It's nice to meet you." She met eyes with Prentiss once more. "She's coming right behind me."
"Who?" Spencer asked. His gaze never left Hotch's. The leader didn't react.
"We told you we needed a big counterattack," Hotch said. "This is ours."
A figure slowly approached the doorway. Her steps were quiet, not attracting any attention. Hotch's posture stiffened. Emily smiled softly in her direction.
Garcia was the first one to pick up on it. She turned toward the door, eyes widening and mouth dropping, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Quinn?"
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alfred enoch as connor mallory
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i don't have a note tonight, just this. this is all we need. i love him.
love you all tons.
-mags