TWENTY SIX ; HELP.

"Is everything okay?" Spencer asked, eyebrows furrowing as Quinn walked into his apartment without even looking at him. She had never been so forward with him before. Spencer shut the door, eyes following Quinn as she paced the floor of his living room, seeming unnerved and in thought.

The girl shook her head, hands intertwined together and cupped around her mouth. Spencer noticed the slight shaking that they had.

"I-I-I-" She started to stammer, unable to look at the man before her. "I, uh- I-"

"Hey, hey, look at me," he said, voice soft, walking over to her and placing his hands upon her shoulders, steadying her. "Breathe, Quinn. Tell me what's wrong. Tell me what happened."

She released a shaky breath, eyes closing for a moment, before opening them and meeting the familiar gaze of Spencer Reid. The eyes she had seen so many times, the eyes that she had looked into on multiple occasions, the eyes that somehow, made her feel at ease and giddy at the same time.

"Masters," she whispered, fixated on the floor beneath them as she saw Spencer frown. "H-he called me."

The doctor furrowed his brow, attempting to maintain his calm composure. "When?" he asked.

"Before I called you," she replied, feeling her heartbeat accelerate. "His lawyer let him have a phone call."

"What did he say?"

She shuddered. "The exact same thing that Nelson did." She glanced up to see the genius' face contort into confusion, then realization, then anger. "Spencer, I don't know what to do. I don't know whether to believe him or to ignore him. I don't know if I should be sleeping with one eye open or if I should be acting like nothing's wrong," she said, voice getting softer with every word she spoke. "All I know is that I'm terrified. I'm scared, Spencer. I'm scared."

The doctor's heart wailed for the girl before him. Some people were afraid of spiders or vicious animals. Some, like himself, feared the dark and the unknown that came with it. But Quinn Carson's fear lied in a single man. A man with a brain larger than his body, a man whose schemes had taunted innocents and enemies for years, a man whose singular mission was to destroy her.

"He said that they think the jury will lean his way," she murmured. She could feel Spencer's eyes bore into her head. "I looked up his lawyer. Apparently she's the best of the east coast. Keating, I think her name is."

Spencer nodded, processing the information he had received. His mind spun, creating scenarios, projecting every possible outcome of the issue at hand. He couldn't fathom the thoughts that were running through Quinn's head.

"You know," she began, a half-hearted laugh leaving her lips. "It'd make me feel a lot better if you said something."

The doctor's cheeks tinted pink, an apology slipping out. "I'm just trying to figure this out," he told her.

"Me too," she responded, removing his hands from her shoulders. "I'm trying to process this too, Spencer."

The two were silent for a moment, each caught up in their own minds. Talking wasn't necessary. Their thoughts filled the silence between them well.

"Quinn," Spencer began, looking at her from the corner of his eye. When the girl glanced at him, he turned to her. "Did Lawrence ever mention anything about ever escaping from jail? Maybe in passing to one of the other Horsemen? Maybe even as a joke?"

She thought for a moment, tracking back to months ago, searching her mind for any remembrance of the mention of an escape. "Not that I can recall," she whispered, shaking her head. "They didn't think that they were going to get caught. They were planning on getting away with it."

"Are you sure?" he questioned, nearing closer. "Is there anyway that they only filled you in on part of the plan?"

Quinn's eyes widened slightly as she scrunched her brows together. "I-I mean, yeah, but-" She shook her head, adding things together in her head. "It wouldn't make sense if they didn't. The plan was to give me to you guys, throwing you off of their trail. I wasn't supposed to tell you anything, and they would get away with killing Jonah Grey." She paused to breathe. "But because I betrayed them, Lawrence wants me dead. It wouldn't make sense for there to be another part to the plan. I didn't do enough wrong in Lawrence's eyes before you found me for him to want to break out of jail and kill me."

The genius nodded, running a hand down his face. He sat down on the couch in the middle of his apartment, motioning for Quinn to follow in suit. When the two were next to each other, he turned to her. "I really think that we need to tell the team about this."

The girl visibly recoiled, worry gracing her features. "Spencer-"

"We need to tell them," he argued. "Hotch can tell the prison to make sure that they have maximum security on Lawrence. We can make sure that nothing happens. This would be got your own safety," she explained. "The team needs you safe, Quinn." He bit the inside of his cheek. "I need you safe."

She felt her heart drop into her stomach. "Spencer-"

"No!" he said, voice rising. "I can't do this again. I can't have someone I care about get hurt, or worse. I can't do it again, Quinn," he pleaded. A shaky breath left her lips. "I know you're scared and you don't want to tell the team, I understand. You think that they'll believe that you can't do you job and have to be treated differently. That's what you think, right?" When she didn't answer, Spencer shook his head. "Nobody's going to think that Quinn. No one will. I'm trying to keep you safe in case anything happens. I can't have someone hurt because I didn't speak up about it sooner. I can't do it." She saw tears well up in his eyes. "You're too important. You're too important to this team, too important to me. Please. Let me keep you safe."

It was as if Quinn couldn't form words. Her mind was swirling with thoughts, thinking about the Horsemen, realizations of the probable déjà vu Spencer was having involving Maeve, and the heartfelt confessions the man before her was making. Overwhelmed was an understatement.

"Okay," she whispered, nodding softly. "Tell them. I'd tell them."

A sigh of relief left the lips of Spencer Reid. His lips pulled upward, silently thanking Quinn. "I just need you to be safe."

"Why?" She couldn't stop herself from asking. Quinn couldn't remember the last time that someone cared so much about her wellbeing.

Spencer flushed slightly, eyes flicking up to meet hers. "Because I care about you, Quinn." He exhaled sharply. "Because I care for you."

Quinn felt her breath hitch in her throat. The two remained stationary, eyes locked. She felt her lips tug upward, eyes pulling away from his. She heard Spencer chuckle softly.

The girl looked at him once more, a smile threatening to break out. "Spencer, I-"

Her confession was cut off by the ringing of a phone.

Quinn furrowed her brow as she glanced down at her pocket, frowning as she saw that the noise was being emitted from her phone. She pulled the device from her side, looking up at Spencer when she saw the unknown number.

She slid her finger across the bottom of her phone, pressing the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

She was met by a monotone, machine operated voice. "This patron is calling from a stationary pay phone. Will you accept the charges if necessary?"

Quinn glanced at Spencer. "Yes." The line went silent before clicking over to the speaker of the phone. Quinn heard car horns, people talking and the bustle of a city. "Hello?" she questioned, voice wavering only slightly.

"Quinn, Quinn, Quinny." Her stomach churned. Her head spun. Tears sprung to her eyes as she felt her world come crashing down before her. A quiet, maniacal laugh left the lips of the caller. "I'm out. See you soon."

The call ended. Quinn Carson froze. Spencer Reid's face contorted into confusion, panic racing into his eyes. A singular tear rolled down her cheek.

And, as her phone clattered to the floor, Quinn Carson felt herself break into pieces, like the world around her.

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if anyone caught my htgawm reference you should marry me

this was hideous. i'm so sorry.

love you all tons!
-mags