FOURTEEN ; GHOSTS.

Quinn awoke in a cold sweat that night.

The nightmares Spencer spoke of. They had begun.

Trembling hands clutched to the sheets of her bed as she clenched her eyes shut and bowed her head. They weren't here. It was just a dream. It was all in her head.

No matter how many times Quinn Carson repeated those words to herself, the tremors did not stop. Her past days haunted her, replaying in her mind like a broken record.

Those words didn't work for one reason; her nightmares, the true ones she feared, were real. They lied in prison, held captive by the government, awaiting the day their punishment was to arrive. They were The Horsemen, and they were very much alive.

How strange it is to be haunted by someone who is still living.

Quinn no longer feared ghosts. She knew them. She was one; she was the ghost of her old self, trying so hard to revive herself back to the person she once was. Ghosts, she decided, were not something to be afraid of. They were much less frightening than live people.

A labored breath escaped her lips. She looked at the digital clock beside her, the time flashing the numbers 3:23 at her. Quinn inwardly groaned, laying back down upon the mattress and staring up at the blank ceiling. The dark of the room contrasted to the white above her, letting Quinn see it ever so slightly.

Her breathing slowed as she listened to the silence of her room. There were no hysterical women, no screams of agony or orders to be heard. She was not returning. She had to remember that.

Easier said than done.

Quinn knew she would not be getting any more sleep that night. It was okay with her. If these dreams were to continue, she wasn't sure if she would ever want to fall asleep again.

So Quinn laid in her bed, face up and staring into nothing. She listened to the occasional car pass, to the steady blow of a fan beside her. She stayed stationary and inhaled deeply.

The sun would rise soon enough.

-----

The floor of the BAU was quiet when Quinn entered.

She had gotten to work extraordinarily early, something many did not do. She brought herself over to the desk they had assigned her, throwing her bag on the surface and sitting in the swivel chair they had given to her. She put her face in her hands, feeling a slight amount of fatigue that she knew would only grow throughout the day.

She contemplated getting up to get coffee, but soon realized that not only was it too far away, but that Morgan had texted her fifteen minutes ago asking her what kind of coffee she's like from his favorite shop that he had told her that she 'had to try'.

A voice interrupted her mental complaining. "You're here early." The voice was female, making Quinn glance up. JJ had arrived with a cup of coffee and was currently walking to Quinn's desk. She gave her a small smile to which Quinn returned.

"I could say the same about you," Quinn replied, chuckling slightly.

JJ laughed and took a sip from her cup. "My son, Henry had a field trip today, so he had to be at school extremely early," she explained while pulling out a chair from Callahan's desk that sat beside Quinn's. "I thought about coming in early and said 'why not', so you know, here I am." She raised an eyebrow. "What about you? Why so early?"

Quinn grinned, rubbing under her eyes. "I just, uh, woke up early this morning and couldn't fall back to sleep." It wasn't a lie. It just wasn't the entire truth.

JJ's smile faltered as her gaze became suspicious. Her lips pressed together and her face became sympathetic. "Was it a nightmare?"

Quinn's eyes widened. "How did you-"

"Slight bags under your eyes, you're a bit jumpy, and you're lying about what happened," she replied, inching closer to Quinn.

The girl pursed her lips. "Profilers," she muttered.

JJ chuckled, looking at the brunette. "Listen, Quinn, I know that I was hesitant to believe that this whole thing was a good idea," she began, motioning her hands around the BAU as she spoke. "And I cannot possibly imagine the severity of what happened to you, but if you need someone to talk about this kind of stuff with, it's me." Quinn furrowed her brow in confusion at her words. JJ's smile became somber. "About two years ago, I was on an undercover mission in The Middle East. The people I was spying on were... really bad, awful people."

It seemed as though this was hard for her to talk about, so Quinn interjected, "Jennifer, you don't have-"

"Please," she chuckled, "Call me JJ, everyone does." Quinn nodded, smiling slightly. "But no, I want to tell you about this." She inhaled deeply. "There was this ambush in the military base and uh-" She paused, trying to word this correctly. "-Some bad stuff went down, I'll spare you the details," she said. Quinn was able to see that sparing the details wasn't for her, it was so that JJ wouldn't have to verbally live through it again. "But, uh, yeah. They found out I wasn't who I said I was and they went mental. I was tortured and hurt and almost killed." She let out a sharp breath, something that could have been considered a laugh. "I didn't expect to be talking about this at seven thirty."

"JJ, I'm sorry," Quinn told her.

JJ shook her head. "No, no, it's fine." Her eyes met Quinn's. "But I experienced some of the things you are. The dreams, the fear-"

"The PTSD?" Quinn blurted. JJ's mouth twitched as she nodded.

"Yeah," she replied. Quinn gave her a tiny smile. "So, if you do need anyone to talk to about this stuff, don't be afraid to come to me, okay?"

The girl grinned at her, finally feeling on the same wavelength as the blonde. "Thank you," Quinn told her, "thank you so much." There was a moment of silence before Quinn spoke up. "So how old is your son?" she asked, desperate to change subjects.

JJ's eyes lit up as Henry was mentioned, and she began to tell Quinn all about him, beaming as she talked. She showed the girl a picture of him dressed as a man that she was all too familiar with.

"He loves Spence," she said, smiling to herself as Quinn looked at the picture of Henry dressed up as Spencer for Halloween. A soft smile appeared on Quinn's face as JJ told her the story behind it.

Their conversation was interrupted by Penelope Garcia's frazzled voice. "What are you doing here? You're never early," she said to JJ. "And you! You're early too!" Quinn laughed as Penelope spoke. "I love it! Oh, and Quinn Carson, I owe you endless hugs."

Quinn's face contorted into confusion. "Why?"

"Your sleeping tips? They saved my life," she gushed. "I slept like a baby, it was wonderful."

"Are we talking about how well we slept last night?" A voice piped up from behind them. Quinn smiled as she saw Spencer enter the conversation. She noticed how the BAU floor began to get busier. "Because I got the best sleep of my life."

"Well, I'm glad one of us did," Callahan said as she joined as well. "Meg didn't come home until after curfew and I almost had a heart attack. Spent the whole night thinking about what could have happened."

Spencer observed Quinn as the name 'Meg' was mentioned. She wore a confused expression until the doctor came over to her. "Meg is Kate's niece," Spencer explained, making Quinn nod her head in understanding. "Morning, by the way."

Quinn smiled at him. "Morning, Spencer."

"Quinn Carson!" A voice boomed from across the room. Quinn's brows shot up to her forehead as she saw Derek Morgan grinning at her from the door, two cups of coffee in his hand. She laughed at him, taking the cup out of his hand as he neared the group. "You're very boring with your order, by the way."

Quinn let out a gasp. "It's not boring!" she protested, the cup warming her fingers. "But thank you, nonetheless. I needed this."

"Rough night?" he asked her, eyebrows furrowed.

She caught JJ's eye before speaking. "I just didn't sleep well," she replied, shrugging nonchalantly. Morgan nodded, not expanding the conversation any further as the team saw Rossi walk on the pathway to his office.

"Rossi!" Morgan called, making the man turn to him. "Did you see that your Cubs lost to the Cardinals last night?"

Rossi's face turned bitter as he looked at Morgan. "You're just asking me to kick your ass this early in the morning." Morgan let out a bark of laughter as Rossi entered his office. The team shared a chuckle, turning as Rossi stuck his head out the door once more. "Oh, and don't you all have paperwork to do?"

A low groan escaped each team member as Rossi laughed to himself. "How could you do that to us?" Penelope asked Morgan. "You know how he gets about his team."

Morgan shook his head, shutting his eyes as he backed away from the group. "Sorry guys," he apologized, walking towards his office.

"We'd all better get started," Callahan said, a scowl on her lips.

The group agreed, all heading towards their appropriate desks or offices. Spencer turned to Quinn as they walked. "I could have brought you a coffee," he offered, nodding towards the cup Morgan had bought her. "I stopped at my favorite place on the way here, I would have been happy to."

Quinn smiled at him, but waved her hand dismissively. "Morgan texted me this morning, it's totally fine. He had insisted earlier that I try this place he loves," she explained. "And I do have to say, it's pretty good."

Spencer scoffed, surprising Quinn. "Okay, if you like that, you're going to have to try my place. I'm a regular there, it is the best coffee I've ever had."

"Well, alright," Quinn agreed. "When you put it like that, I have to try it."

Spencer went to speak but was interrupted by Hotch. "Morning everyone," he said, a small smile on his face as he walked in. "Let's get to work so we can go home early, sound good?"

Kate let out a cheer of agreement, making Quinn laugh. She turned to Spencer. "You heard the man."

Reid grinned at her, raising his coffee cup to her's. "To going home early."

-----

Quinn had spent the entire day looking over contracts, highlighting, and watching videos of various interrogations around the United States in Penelope's office. Hotch had assigned her to pick out the lies, if any, so the results could be sent back to the brother and sister stations around the country.

Penelope claimed she had never seen someone work as 'awesomely' as she did.

Hotch had kept true to his word, letting the entire floor out early. Quinn currently stood at her desk, packing up her bag. She felt a presence next to her and she jumped as she Spencer.

"I've got to stop doing that to you," he said apologetically, laughing softly. Quinn chuckled and shrugged.

"I'm just very jumpy, it's not your fault," she replied, shaking her head.

Spencer nodded, clutching at the strap on his bag. "I was, uh, wondering if you wanted to go get coffee with me?" Quinn raised a brow at his offer, looking at him astounded. "I mean, if you've got nothing going on. You just- you haven't tried the coffee at my place and I can promise you that it's better than Morgan's." His voice held distaste as he spoke of the coffee she had been given this morning.

Quinn laughed as the two walked out of the BAU office. "You really don't like Morgan's coffee."

"It tastes like gasoline!" Spencer protested, pressing the 'down' button on the floor's elevator. Quinn threw her head back as she laughed, Spencer laughing slightly as he watched her.

"Oh my god," Quinn said. "You're a coffee snob."

Spencer feigned offense. "I am not!" he insisted as the two stepped into the elevator. "I just know decent coffee."

Quinn's grin grew as she looked at him. "Fine," she agreed, "I'll try the coffee." The doctor let out a small cheer and they walked out of the building and into the parking lot where they got into Spencer's car.

The ride contrasted to their previous one; this was full of conversation, topics ranching from their work to the best English literature that they two had studied.

When the coffee shop came into view, Spencer parked his car and they walked on the sidewalk in front it. She read the sign above it, turning to Spencer with a smile.

"You only like this place because of the name," she accused.

Spencer laughed, shaking his head. "I mean, 'Brewed Awakenings' is a great name, but no." Quinn looked at him suspiciously. "Trust me." He opened the door for her, letting her enter first so she could observe it.

The first thing Quinn noticed when she walked in was the aroma of coffee. The shop was brightly lit with large windows that overlooked the road. There was one or two people in the room, one at a small, round table and the other in a booth. It was a small place, but held a certain charm that Quinn couldn't help but love.

"Okay," she said. "I can see why you like this place," she admitted. Spencer grinned at her smugly, an emotion she had never seen on him.

"Thank you," he said, stepping in front of her. "What would you like?"

As Quinn was deciding, a man in his thirties appeared behind the counter, a beam taking over his face. "Spencer!" the man cheered.

"Hey, Ralph," the doctor greeted. "Anything new today?"

"Nothing since this morning," Ralph teased, folding his arms on the high counter and placing his head in them. His eyes suddenly met Quinn's and they widened considerably. "Hey, you're that girl from the news," he said. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you."

Quinn shook her head awkwardly. "It, uh, it wasn't your fault," she stammered, making Ralph smile at her.

"Anyway, what can I get for you guys?" he asked.

The girl and he doctor gave him their orders, getting them on the house for Ralph's favorite customer and because of who Quinn was. The two took their cups to a table after thanking Ralph.

Quinn looked down to blow on her coffee, but when she looked up, she saw Spencer staring at her in anticipation. "What?"

"I'm waiting for you to try it," he urged, nodding. Quinn laughed to herself, shaking her head at his antics.

"Okay, okay," she agreed, raising the cup to her lips. Spencer watched as she did so, awaiting her reaction. She took a sip and looked at Spencer. "Okay, wow, that's really great."

Spencer cheered quietly, making Quinn laugh softly once more. "I told you."

Quinn drank from her cup once more before pointing at the genius. "We're not done with our conversation about Pride and Prejudice, though." Spencer let out a teasing groan, throwing his head back. This had been an avid debate that they had had in the car and Quinn was not about to let it go.

And that was how they sat for the next hour, talking back and forth, simply becoming more familiar with one another. Quinn was happy to talk to Spencer; she loved debating various topics with him. She hadn't felt this comfortable around someone in years.

It was a change that Quinn welcomely accepted.

"Quinn, I'm not saying you're wrong," Reid began, "but you're wrong."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Are you going to fight me on everything?"

"When you're wrong, yes," he shot back, laughing as he did so. Quinn smiled at him incredulously, tapping her empty coffee cup on the table.

"Ringo Starr was the best Beatle, not John," she argued. "I mean, I love John, don't get me wrong, but Ringo meant so much to me."

Spencer went to speak, but was soon interrupted by Ralph. "Hey, so we're closing up right now," he told them. "As much as I'd love to let you stay here all night, I can't."

"God, it's that late already?" Spencer asked, checking his watch.

"Unfortunately so," Ralph replied. "But it was so nice to meet you, Quinn. Don't be a stranger, please."

Quinn smiled at him. "I like the coffee here too much to ignore it," she chimed, making Ralph clap his hands together with a grin.

"That's good news!" he said, glancing at Spencer. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Definitely," the doctor responded, throwing his bag across his body. Quinn pushed in her chair, throwing one last wave to Ralph before exiting the shop. "So?" he asked her.

"I'm glad you took me here, Spencer Reid," she replied, making Spencer's cheeks flare. "Thank you."

Spencer shook his head. "It was my pleasure."

Spencer then proceeded to drive her home, wishing her a good night, but not leaving until he got his 'green light' text. A grin fell upon his lips as he drove away.

Quinn laid on the couch in her apartment, listening the the quiet noise of the television, recounting her day. A day that was supposed to be dull and dry had exceeded her expectations. She had truly talked with JJ, had gotten work done, and had coffee with Spencer.

She counted this as a good day in her book.

A sound coming from her open computer alerted her. She furrowed her brow, walking over to it and lighting up the screen. There was a number one next to one of her tabs. She had left the Horsemen email open from the case. It had gotten a message.

Strange.

She clicked on it, seeing the new email sitting in her inbox. Her stomach dropped as she saw the address.

[email protected]

How had he known that she'd have entered the email page again? Was she really that predictable?

With a steady breath, she opened the email.

Lawrence had messaged her in code. It was a code he had required the entire team to learn so that they could communicate in secret in dire situations.

As her eyes scanned the screen, she felt her stomach churn. Her head began to spin. She felt like throwing up.

This was because Lawrence had messaged her the following:

Y O U  C A N T  H I D E  F R O M  W H O 
Y O U  T R U L Y  A R E

I ' M  C O M I N G  Q U I N N 
C A R S O N

-J.L

-----

lawrence u bitch

anyway i picture lin manuel miranda as ralph but you can pick who you please !!

THANK YOU FOR THE READS AND VOTES I LOVE YOU ALL IT FEELS LIKE I HAVE A MINI FOLLOWING FOR THIS STORY AND IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY

i love you all tons.
-mags