status: extremely unedited. will be editing within the next night.

TWENTY FOUR ; AWARE.

Quinn sat in the conference room with a shock blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Though she didn't see much of the point in wearing the blanket (because she wasn't exactly in shock), the team had insisted she stay in the room with the fabric, dissecting files until they found something safe for her to do.

They had updated her on the idea that the police officers did in fact know Devon White very well (too well if you were asking her). These officers also put the inmates up against each other in fights, later betting on the outcome of the fight, hence why the young and thin Devon White made so many trips to the infirmary.

Quinn's eyes snapped to the door as she saw the team enter the room once more, evaluating what they had just seen at the sight of yet another murder. Inmate Patrick Butler had attacked Captain Shavers, the fight ending in a nasty gash upon Shavers's forehead and Butler with his skull cracked open, bleeding out. Hotch had sent her pictures, telling her to look carefully at the scene. Though she knew it was mostly busy work, she didn't complain, as it gave her something to do other than fork through papers.

JJ gave Quinn a small smile, squeezing her shoulder and taking a seat beside her. Quinn struggled to return the favor, her lips weakly turning upwards. The profilers packed into the room, laying folders out before all. The girl felt eyes on her, her gaze focusing on the file of Patrick Butler she held in her hands. She saw Spencer shift uncomfortably out of the corner of her eye.

"You really think this Butler guy did it?" JJ asked, turning to face Hotch, who stood behind her.

"It's possible," he replied, eyes trained on the board behind him. "And our profile may have led Shavers right to it."

Morgan spoke up, hands shoved into his pockets. "But if this is about foul play, why would Shavers want him dead?"

"He may have known too much about something the Captain's trying to hide," Spencer reasoned. He crossed his arms over his chest, frowning as he realized that Quinn refused to look at him- anyone for that matter.

"You think the Warden knew about this?" Kate asked.

Quinn shook her head, feeling all gazes on her once more. "No." Her voice was feeble. "The man is completely clueless to everything that has happened behind the scenes. At this point, he's just trying to stay above water and keep his job."

They all nodded, a sudden quiet falling over the group. Glances were exchanged, everyone attempting to figure out what was to come next. "So what's our next move?" Kate questioned, voicing the thoughts of all.

"We proceed as planned," Hotch instructed. "We keep conducting interviews until we find out what happened to Devon White, and then we figure out if Butler or Shavers had anything to do with it."

They accepted their orders, some of the team traveling to the other side of the room for coffee, other staying put and planning out the task at hand.

Spencer took a seat next to Quinn, eyes fixated on her. She warily looked up at him, greeted by a soft smile that appeared on his face. "How are you?" he asked, face contorting as soon as he said the words. "Sorry. That was a dumb question-"

"No," she quietly interrupted, laughing softly. "Not a dumb question." She shrugged. "I'm okay," she stated.

His eyes narrowed at her, lips twitching upward. "I don't need to be a lie detector to realize that wasn't true."

Quinn sighed. "I'm better," she corrected. Spencer nodded, a bit more satisfied with her answer. "He just got in my head, you know? He's learned from Lawrence in that aspect. Nelson's good at making you second guess every move you make." She shuddered, thinking of the words he had spoken to her.

Reid frowned once more, a small sigh leaving his lips. His eyes flicked to where Morgan was standing, watching the two of them, along with JJ and Kate. He raised his eyebrows in question, silently asking if Quinn were okay. Spencer nodded, glancing down at her once more.

He could only hope that this case would be over soon.

-----

The team had divided, taking different inmates in for questioning. Three hours of this had gone by, and the team was no closer to finding a solution for their issue. No suspect had popped up, they had no evidence proving their suspicions about Shavers. Frustrated was an understatement.

Their last hope was Shavers's right hand man, Tom Polinsky, the man they had met when the team was checking in. Morgan, Kate and Quinn had sat him down in one of the interrogation rooms. Quinn was already able to sense how nervous he was.

Morgan and Kate both pulled out their chairs, exchanging a glance with Quinn who sat on top of the other table in the room behind them all. She gave them a nod, signaling to both of the them that she was ready.

"Officer Polinsky," Morgan began, glancing down at his file. "Is it okay if I call you Tom?" The man nodded, folding his hands together. "So you reported directly to Officer Rivers?"

"Yeah," Polinksy replied. "He was my block commander."

Morgan slid a picture across the table in the direction of the officer. Quinn took notice of the subtle change in color of Polinksy's face. "Do you remember this inmate?"

Polinsky hesitated and shook his head 'no'. "Yeah, he looks familiar," he answered. Quinn's eyes narrowed at him. A hesitation and a statement contradicting an action. Bluff.

Quinn typed an 'L' on her phone, quickly sending both Kate and Derek the text. The vibration that both of their phones gave off told the profilers what Quinn saw.

"You took him to the infirmary four different times," Kate stated.

"His name's Devon White," Morgan rehashed, staring Polinsky in the eye. "He was on D-Building."

Another hesitation. Polinsky nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Devon. I remember him."

The girl sitting on the table furrowed her brow. He was being hesitant. He wasn't just lying to get the FBI out of his hair. He was lying because he was afraid.

"Do you remember anything about his transfer?" Kate inquired. Polinsky shook his head, eyes never meeting Kate's for more than a second. "How about the infirmary visits?"

Another shake of the head. "Nope, uh, nothing."

Kate and Derek exchanged a glance. Quinn knew that they saw what she did. She typed a message to Hotch, eyes flicking up to the ongoing interrogation.

Polinsky is lying because he's scared of something. Maybe someone.

"You okay?" Derek asked. His eyes never left Polinksy's. "Would you like some water?"

The officer quickly agreed, nodding his head. Looking for a way to get out of a discussion, even just for a moment, to buy himself some time to think. Morgan pushed out his chair, turning to the table where Quinn sat. He grabbed the pitcher of water placed next to her. The two met eyes, silently sharing the same thought. Something was wrong.

"You know, Tom," Morgan began, traveling back to the other table. "Well it's just- it's a little odd." He poured the water into a styrofoam cup, sliding it to the officer, who immediately began to drink it. "Devon lived on your cell block. And you saw him at least five times a week." Polinsky put down the cup, avoiding eyes with the agents. "But all you got is, 'yeah, he looks familiar'?"

Polinksy shrugged sheepishly. "There's a lot of guys on D-Block," he stated. His eyes transferred back to the pitcher of water. "You mind?" he asked, pouring himself another glass of water after Morgan nodded.

"Okay, look," Kate began, "I'm just gonna cut to the chase here, because you seem like a man who is scared and carrying a burden." Quinn smiled softly as Kate spoke, praising her for catching on. "Maybe it's just stress, I don't know, but it seems like your hiding something and it's eating you up."

Polinsky stared at Kate, almost pleadingly. Quinn hopped off the table, crossing her arms over her chest. "Tom, listen to me." His eyes flashed to hers, widening as she neared him. "I, out of everyone in the jail, know exactly what you're going through. You've been pulled into something you didn't want, nor planned to be apart of, right?" When he didn't answer, Quinn continued. "They're threatening you, aren't they? Telling you that if you don't do these things or if you don't play along, they'll kill you. Or worse." Quinn uncrossed her arms, now directly behind both Kate and Derek. "Listen to me, Tom. Playing along isn't going to get you anywhere. We can help you. We can help whoever they're threatening."

Polinsky let out a shuddering breath, but didn't respond. Morgan turned to him. "Is there something you want to tell us Tom?" The room was silent. "Something maybe about cell number thirty-four."

Polinksy's face dropped, eyes widening in fear, bottom lip quivering. The tension was thick. The agents patiently awaited Polinsky's answer.

The officer's facade dropped, closing his eyes and bowing his head. "You gotta keep my daughter safe," he muttered, eyes watering. "Please."

Morgan and Kate exchanged a glance, Quinn nodding at the man. "Of course," Quinn replied. "We're going to keep you safe too. Just tell us what's going on."

Polinsky let out another shaky sigh before folding his hands together. "Shavers and his guys, they're like their own little gang."

"What did they do to Devon?" Kate questioned.

Polinsky grimaced, bowing his head. His eyes closed as he saw the picture of Devon White below him. The officer became choked up, unable to speak to the agents before him. He shook his head, not going into detail about what had happened to the passed inmate. "They told me if I talked, they'd hurt my daughter," he replied. He clenched his jaw.

Kate exchanged a glance with Derek. "Okay Tom, how did all of this get started?"

"They'd round up a few inmates. Misfits. You know, none of them affiliated. They'd pick the quiet ones 'cause they knew they'd be weak. They made Devon and Butler fight. Those two, I guess they were, uh, close."

"How close?" Quinn asked.

"Like, more than friends," Polinsky clarified. "And when they refused, they only got it worse from Shavers and his gang." He sighed heavily. "I wasn't supposed to be down there, but I was looking for Rivers. And that's when I saw it. Devon's lying there, all bloody, and Butler's freakin' out."

"They made you get rid of the body so you were an accessory?" Though Kate asked the question, her tone said it as more of a statement. Polinsky nodded solemnly, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "You helped them kill Hightower, Rivers and Jones too?"

The officer shook his head. "I couldn't kill anybody," he replied. "It-It was Butler and I don't know who else. I just- I just got 'em keys and stuff."

"Will you testify to all this?"

"Yes."

Kate nodded gratefully, sending a small smile his way. "How was Randall Jones involved?"

"Jones, their lap dog, he'd help them out, round up guys, get them information. Whatever they needed-"

His words were suddenly interrupted by footsteps. Arms started banging up against the bars that enclosed the interrogation room. Quinn's heart dropped to her stomach as she looked at her teammates in fear.

The inmates were out of their cells.

One had stolen keys and unlocked the door, letting all hell break loose inside of the cell. Derek pulled Quinn behind him, shielding her from the incoming prisoners. "Morgan," she hissed, "I can fight. I'm trained, I'm good at it."

He quickly glanced down at her, realizing that he had no other option than to let the girl battle the men. He nodded, turning to the inmate who challenged him. Kate looked up at one who neared her, swiftly hitting him across the face with the pitcher of water that was placed on the table. Morgan balled his fist, knocking out the man with one punch.

The man who challenged Quinn gave her a grin, laughing darkly at her. He pointed a small knife in her direction as he spoke. "You are the size of a toddler," he told her, eyes trailing up and down her body. Quinn clenched her jaw, noticing the Russian accent his voice held. The girl raised her brow, cueing the man to come closer to her. He laughed and swung at her, eyes widening as she struck his arm, catching the knife her her hand before it fell to the floor. Quinn unconsciously smirked to herself, kicking the man's leg to drag him down to her level and swinging her legs around his neck so that she was sitting upon his shoulders. Her thighs squeezed his neck, cutting off the air he was receiving. The man gasped, ramming her into the wall behind them. Quinn let out a small yelp, tightening her legs as he tried to remove them. Seeing more inmates enter the room, she sighed. Quinn jabbed her elbow into the man's temple, hopping off of his shoulders before the man hit the floor. She grabbed the chair she landed beside, hitting the man to the left of her over the head, then turning to her right and hitting the man on his back.

A smile came over her face as she saw the inmates become hesitant before her. "Who's next?" she asked, twirling the knife between her fingers.

Kate let out a groan as she was hit, then thrown across the table. Quinn's eyes traveled to where she had landed. "Kate!" she yelled.

"I'm okay!" came her shaky response.

Quinn saw a prisoner stab Polinsky twice in the stomach as she dodged a punch from the man before her. A strangled yell left his mouth, Quinn's heart dropping as she heard the noise.

She caught the man's fist, bending his wrist back to an ungodly angle. She placed her foot on his thigh, using his chest to run up to where his chin stood, breaking his jaw with a single kick and knocking him out in the process.

"Q!" Morgan called out. Quinn turned to see Morgan shove an inmate towards her, eyebrows furrowing as he saw Quinn smirk, roundhouse kicking the man in the temple. Did she enjoy fighting?

Quinn huffed as both feet hit the ground, turning to face Morgan who was staring at her in shock. "Nelson was a dick," she explained, hitting another inmate in the head with her elbow, "but he was a great teacher."

As they continued to fight them, Quinn realized just how outnumbered they were. There were so many prisoners and only three of them. Kate was fighting against a man who had captured her in his arms and held a blade to her neck. Morgan was getting double teamed. Quinn had three people surrounding her. She let out a gasp as one of the men grabbed her around her waist, holding her to him, and the other two holding blades to her.

Morgan let out a groan. "Okay!" he pleaded. "Enough! You win!"

-----

Quinn grimaced as the man whom had captured her slipped his hands under her shirt. He ran his hands slowly up and down her stomach, laughing to himself as he watched her. "My god, you are beautiful," he muttered to her. Quinn gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to knock his teeth out. Fighting would only make things worse.

The inmates led Morgan, Kate and Quinn down the halls, knifes to their throats, threatening their every move. Though she was terrified out of her mind, Quinn was able to tell that these inmates had no idea what to do. They had the upper hand, but didn't know how to use it.

"You smell good," the man who held Kate told her, smelling the woman's hair for a longer time than necessary. Kate rolled her eyes, turning around and kicking the man in the groin, elbowing him in the side of the head.

"Get that bitch under control!" the leader yelled, glaring at Morgan.

"Just let her go, man!" Morgan told the inmate, pleading for the safety of his agents. "Both of them! Let 'em go!"

The man Kate fought grinned. "No," he hissed, brushing hair out of Kate's face. "I like her."

"And we can't let gorgeous over here go," the convict who held Quinn chimed. "She is so important to us right now. I mean, how often do you get to reunite old team members?"

Quinn felt herself pale. Her breathing cut off and she closed her eyes, pleading to any God who would listen that she wouldn't see Nelson's face.

The door to the cafeteria open, and the prisoners shoved the agents into the room. Derek let out a groan as he was thrown to the floor. Quinn called out his name, as he shut his eyes in agony. "I'm fine," he choked out. He met her eyes. "Q, I'm fine."

"Gather 'round!" the leader taunted. "I want everyone to see this!"

"Hey," the one holding Kate said, "I want to have some fun with this one first."

The grip around Quinn's waist tightened. "I'd like to play around with her as well."

"I think you'd know that that's my job," a voice said. Quinn shuttered at the voice, her blood running cold. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulder, pulling her back into his chest. "Nice to finally hold you again, Carson," Nelson whispered in her ear, grinning as Quinn's hands began to shake.

"You sure as hell better leave her alone!" Morgan snarled from the ground, glaring at Nelson. Nelson feigned offense, placing his chin on Quinn's shoulder.

"Now, why on earth would I do that?" he laughed. Quinn fought against his grip, releasing a soft whimper as he tightened his arms around her.

A yell interrupted the commotion in the cafeteria. "Nelson!" a voice shouted. "Weeks!" Julio Watson entered the area, hands thrown up in question. "What the hell you doin' man?"

"Mind your business!" Weeks, the leader, shouted.

"I'm makin' it my business!" Watson shot back, eyes fixed into a glare.

Weeks shook his head. "This ain't your show! Now go on, get out of here." Quinn felt a sense of relief as she watched Morgan stand up on his own.

"This doesn't have anything to do with you, Watson," Nelson snarled, pulling a knife from his back pocket and placing it to the girl's throat. Quinn's breath came out shaky. "This is between me and this traitor right here."

"This is Feds, you idiots," Watson stated, pointing to the three. "Anything happens to them, we all end up on Death Row."

Nelson let out a throaty laugh, stubble brushing up against Quinn's cheek. "I'm getting offed in less than a month, I don't think one more slit throat will hurt my fate."

Quinn gritted her teeth. "Listen to Watson, man, he's right!" Morgan pleaded.

"You shut the fuck up, or I'll kill her right now," Nelson barked, chuckling as he saw the girl close her eyes. "See, she already knows her fate. We had a lovely little talk earlier today."

"Nothing good can come from hurting us, man!" Morgan pleaded. "If you let us go, it can help some of you!"

Nelson laughed darkly, grip loosening on Quinn. "Nothing good?" he snapped. "How about the satisfaction of seeing the life escape from the eyes of the person who got you caught?" He glanced down at his former teammate. "I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty damn great to me."

"We know about Shavers," Kate said.

"We have enough to bring this place down," Morgan pleaded. "With your help, Shavers, all of them, maybe even the entire Citadel Corrections Company. We can shut them down!"

Quinn released a small sigh. "You don't have to do this, Lucas," she whispered to him. Nelson's grip faltered at the sound of his real name falling out of her mouth. "You don't have to kill me."

"I do," he hissed, arms tightening once more. "You ruined my life."

Quinn shook her head. "I didn't do anything you wouldn't have," she countered. "If you were given the opportunity to do what I do now, you would have taken it without second thought." Nelson didn't reply, but she could feel him inhale sharply. "Lucas, please. Let me go."

"I loved you," he snarled. Quinn froze. "Masters wasn't the only one." There was a subtle amount of hostility in his voice as he said Masters' name. A laugh left his lips. "I loved you and you betrayed me. You betrayed the Horsemen. You put me in here. This is all your fault. You have to learn."

The girl was unable to reply. She couldn't. In his own, convoluted, messed up way, Nelson had fallen in love with her. She was the only woman that he was around for seven years. He had convinced himself that he loved her.

"Stay out of this, Watson!" Weeks shouted as Quinn tuned back into the fight ensuing.

"It's too late," he said. "I'm already in."

Polinksy suddenly stumbled into the room, pleading for help. Blood was pouring out of his stomach in the places where he had been stabbed. "Get him some help, man!" Morgan pleaded.

One of the inmates grinned deviously. "I'll help him," he taunted, pulling Polinsky to the corner of the room. The man began to kick him in the place where he had been stabbed. Polinsky cried out, hidden in the pleads of the agents.

Then, a gunshot hit the inmate.

The bullet broke through the glass, shocking all in the area. Nelson's grip around Quinn became tighter, bringing her down to the ground as they all cowered from the shots.

SWAT team bust through the door, guns raised and aimed at the inmates. They all suddenly put their hands up, surrendering to the authorities. Kate began yelling about Polinsky, telling the team that he was still alive. The rest of the BAU entered the room as well, checking in with the members that they could see.

"Where's Quinn?" she heard Spencer ask. His voice was panicked.

"Morgan, where's Carson?" Hotch asked, turning to the injured man.

Morgan took in a sharp breath. "Nelson's got her. She's in here."

They heard guns load. Nelson's grip released from her waist. Quinn slid away from him, eyes wide. She turned to look back at the man she had been forced to know for seven years.

"He's coming, Quinn," he whispered. Quinn saw him grip the knife between his fingers tighter. "He's going to kill you. That's his plan."

Quinn felt her heart drop to her stomach. She knew exactly who he was referring to.

She could feel the presence of the SWAT team. The fear in his eyes was unlike anything she had ever seen before. "He's coming," he repeated. "He's coming." His eyes met someone's who stood behind her.

"Lucas Nelson, drop your weapon," Hotch ordered. "Drop your weapon or we will be forced to shoot."

Nelson grinned solemnly, salt water welling up in his eyes. Quinn looked at him in shock. The man shook his head at the agent. "I'm dead anyway," he stated.

And with that, he drew the knife to his throat and slit a large gash into it.

Quinn threw her hand over her mouth. She scrambled to stand up from the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks. She stumbled away from the body that laid before her, backing into the person she could constantly rely on to catch her.

Spencer pulled her into a hug, running a hand through the ends of her hair, hushing her cries. "He knows," she whimpered. Spencer pulled away to look at her. "He knows about Lawrence. About how he's coming for me. How could he know that?"

A sense of fear crept into Spencer's chest, but he didn't let it show on his face. "I don't know, Quinn," he whispered. She collapsed into his chest, eyes shutting. "I don't know."

Perhaps they wouldn't know. Perhaps the words meant nothing, perhaps they were only used to place trepidation into their minds. Perhaps they had nothing to worry about. Perhaps they wouldn't know.

Perhaps they wouldn't know until it was too late.

-----

i think this is the longest i've ever gone without updating this story

but this was intense and had a lot of information to take in and was kind of weird for a filler but idk

LUCKILY THE ACTUAL ACTION WILL COME INTO PLAY IN THESE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS. GET READY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 26K. THIS STORY HAS BLOWN UP IN THESE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. I DONT KNOW WHY OR HOW, BUT I'M SO GRATEFUL TO YOU ALL. THANK YOU.

LOVE YOU ALL TONS!
-mags