THREE ; TOGETHER.

HER HEART DROPPED as soon as she heard her name leave the lips of Penelope Garcia.

Quinn held her breath as she saw all who sat around the table turn to her, some faces familiar, others foreign. Everyone wore the same expression. She attempted a weak smile, ultimately failing as her nerves bested her.

She met Penelope's eyes first. Her friend sat, staring at her in awe, tears welling up in her eyes. Penelope shook her head, looking distraught, yet had joy gracing her features.

JJ was next. The blonde was surprised, looking at the girl in disbelief. Quinn could see a small smile threatening to appear.

David Rossi sat with a knowing smile, greeting Quinn. She nodded toward him, silently thanking the man for the things that he had done for her for the past year. The man had found out that she was alive thirteen months ago after accidentally seeing an email from Emily. He had been mailing her small amounts of money every month since, but refused to give up the secret.

It wasn't until she met Spencer Reid's eyes that she felt her throat close up. The genius' mouth was parted slightly, staring at her incredulously. Tears had started to form in his eyes, and Quinn was able to see him quickly blink them away. She released a shaky breath, bottom lip trembling as she stepped further into the room. Her eyes never left his, watching as he pushed back the chair he sat in, standing up and walking toward her.

Quinn felt her chest tighten as he stopped short of her. "You're..." He trailed off, voice as soft as she had remembered it. "Y-you're-"

"Safe," she finished quietly, tone matching his. She saw a hint of recognition flash in his eyes.

Her heart broke as she saw a single tear escape his eye. "Quinn," he whispered, unable to keep the awe out of his voice.

A ghost of a smile came about her lips, cautiously approaching him. He watched her carefully, stiffening as she wiped away the stray tear that laid upon his cheek. The two met eyes.

Quinn was slightly taken back by the force of his body crashing into hers. His arms wrapped around her, burying his face into her neck. She let out a shuddering breath, placing her arms around his neck.

"I'm so sorry," she whimpered. His grip got tighter as she did so and she felt him move his head upward.

"Don't you ever apologize for this," he replied, lips nearly pressed against her ear. "It wasn't your fault." She released a small sigh of relief, squeezing him once more before backing away.

A chair squeaked in the background. "Let the girl breathe Genius, I need to hold her." A smile broke out on Quinn's face as she tore her eyes away from Spencer's, turning to face Penelope Garcia who was quickly walking toward her. The technical analyst pulled Quinn to her, swaying back and forth, making the girl laugh to herself. Penelope grinned, stepping back to grab Quinn's face in her hands. "Let me look at you," she said, eyes darting across her face. "Your hair's shorter. No more bangs, I can deal with that, okay." Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp. "Quinn Carson, you got your ears pierced! Multiple times!"

Quinn's cheeks tinted pink, eyes shifting to Baldwin's as she chuckled. "Not my idea," she said. "She made me." Baldwin rolled her eyes at her friend.

Garcia shook her head. "I love them," she told her, watching Quinn's lips move upward. The two met eyes once more, laughing softly. "I missed you way more than I should have."

"I missed you more, Penelope." She looked toward the group. "All of you. I missed all of you way too much. I'm so sorry to have done this to you," she apologized, feeling her face heat up. "You didn't deserve to go through this again. I'm so sorry."

Before they could speak, Emily Prentiss cleared her throat. "We're all sorry to have kept this from you. But, with Masters on the run and the possibility of more Horsemen on the horizon, we had to keep her safe somehow."

Quinn sent Emily a nod, finding Spencer's gaze that hadn't left her once. "I hope you guys don't hate me," Quinn stated. Her eyes drifted away from his to face the group. "It was something that had to be done for the good of everyone I knew." She hung her head slightly. "I couldn't let Kyle do anything to you guys."

"So you've heard?" JJ asked, eyebrows raised, disbelief still written across her features.

"That he's back?" she questioned in reply, sighing as she saw the blonde nod. "Unfortunately."

"We're hoping that the news of Quinn being alive with rattle him to the point of exposure," Emily stated.

Hotch agreed, continuing, "The new profile we've created for Kyle Masters over the years covers the man we believe him to be. One of his most prominent qualities is his competitiveness. As we looked deeper into what little there was of his records, we found that he continuously had to be the best. He had to have the best team, the best abilities."

"He's going to want to have the best 'breaking news'," mused Rossi.

Emily nodded. "Exactly," she responded. "We're hoping he takes the bait, which hopefully will fast forward the 'right time'." Prentiss tilted her head to the side, sending a slightly apologetic look to Quinn. "No offense."

Quinn chuckled, shaking her head at the 'bait' term. "I've been called worse, Em."

"How do we know that Masters won't immediately come after her?" Spencer asked.

Quinn turned to him, surprised by the sudden panic in his tone. "He's got something planned," she said, swallowing harshly as they met eyes again. "Kyle may have deceived me, but I know how he works. You can't fake a work ethic. He's going to stick to the plan until it prevails or fails."

The genius looked hesitant. An unfamiliar voice soon spoke up, causing everyone to turn to him. "I know there was talk about this guy working in a team. What makes you so sure that he is?" He caught on to Quinn's perplexed look, waving slightly as he introduced himself. "Luke Alvez."

She nodded in greeting. "Quinn Carson," she replied. A sigh escaped her. "But to answer your question, Kyle left a video for me two years ago, vaguely covering the prospect of a more extensive Horsemen group." She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. "Part of Kyle's work ethic is union. He doesn't work alone. Whatever he's planning involves multiple people."

"Do you think that these people have abilities like you, Lawrence, Nelson, and Masters?" the other unfamiliar team member asked. "Oh, I'm Tara Lewis, by the way."

Quinn smiled softly at her. "I can only suspect so," she said, glancing up at Hotch and Emily who nodded. "It seems to make the most sense as to why they would train us. I would suspect there to be a member who specializes in fighting, one who has some sort of brilliance that cannot be matched, and one who works with weapons."

"Why do you say that?" JJ questioned.

"It makes the most sense to me," Quinn responded. "Most teams use that format. There's a hacker, a genius, a fighter and a hoplologist."

At the confused looks in the room, Spencer expanded upon her term. "That's uh, someone who studies weapons along with human combative behavior and performance." The two shared a glance, smiling at each other before quickly looking away.

Emily suppressed a grin, turning to the team who sat before her. "We plan to announce this in the afternoon tomorrow." Her eyes scanned the faces of her friends, sighing as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You all look awful. I know the time change is in your favor, but you all need to get some sleep. Settle in your hotel rooms and come in tomorrow. We're going to need all of your brain power."

A wave of agreement washed over them all, each person packing up their belongings and standing to leave the room. JJ wrapped her arms around Quinn's shoulders, pulling into a hug that Quinn gratefully returned.

"It's good to see you, Quinn," she told the girl, smiling. JJ's eyes traveled to Spencer's, darting back to hers. "I hope you know that none of us blame you for this. We've lived it before." She sighed. "If he's distant or cold to you," she began, feeling Quinn stiffen as Spencer was brought up, "don't panic. He's not good with change, Quinn. If it comes to that, give him some time. He cares for you too much to turn his cheek."

Quinn nodded, inhaling shakily. "Thank you," she said to the woman honestly. "Truly. Thank you."

JJ grinned, pulling her into another hug. "I'll catch up with you later," she promised, squeezing her shoulder before turning to leave the room, Emily by her side.

The girl took a deep breath before turning around, feeling Spencer's gaze on her. The two met eyes, letting a deafening silence take over.

Spencer was the first to speak. "Hi," he said softly.

Quinn almost smiled. "Hi."

They both then began laughing quietly, cheeks pink with slight embarrassment and nerves. "Can I-I, uh, walk you home?"

"How will you find your way to your hotel?" Quinn asked, voice only wavering a small amount.

Spencer ducked his head slightly as he chuckled, looking back up at Quinn. "I know the area pretty well."

Quinn began rubbing the inside of her arm, not noticing Spencer's eyes flash to it. "Don't tell me that you have the layout of London memorized," she said, attempting to tease him. Spencer's ears went red. "Oh my god, you do."

The genius hid a smile. God, had he missed her. "I don't want to be made fun of for being resourceful."

She then laughed, Spencer catching the anxiousness hidden in it. "Well, Doctor Reid," she began, watching his brows raise, "you can guide me home."

-----

THE WALK BACK was tense. The two made small talk, speaking of the London weather, nervous laughs exchanged as they spoke. It felt unnatural, as the two had always been open with each other, conversation always rapidly flowing. Quinn knew that an explanation was due. She owed it to him.

They had run out of things to talk about as they reached Quinn's door. Spencer's hand were stuffed in the pockets of his jacket, bag thrown over his shoulder.

"So this is what 'green light' meant?" And there it was. "That you were here?"

Part of Quinn was relieved. She felt a weight fall off of her shoulders as he admitted to finding the note that she had left for him. The other part feared the coming conversation. "Spencer-"

"Do you know how crazy that drove me, Quinn?" he asked, shutting his eyes. "I didn't know if it were a mistake, I didn't know if it meant that you were alive. I looked everywhere for you."

"I couldn't leave you like that, Spencer," she told him, feeling tears begin to form in her eyes. "I couldn't leave you grieving over me. I had to let you know that I was safe somehow."

She saw him deflate slightly. "You went against his word, didn't you?" he inquired. Quinn furrowed her brow. "Hotch. When Emily 'died' she couldn't tell any of us. You went against him."

"I couldn't let you falsely grieve," she whispered. She watched him run a hand down his face. "I don't know if that was bad of me, I don't know if I helped you, I don't know if it was selfish, but all I know is that I couldn't leave you thinking that I wasn't with you any longer." She took a breath, wiping away a tear before it could fall. "I'm sorry. I had the best intentions."

Spencer sighed, shaking his head. "I know you did," he said. "I don't blame you for any of this, Quinn. I told you that. I shouldn't be taking this out on you."

Quinn nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. She felt her keys slip out of her fingers, a occurrence that seemed to happen more often than not, and she let out a soft sigh. "Jesus, I've dropped those more than I can count," she voiced, watching Spencer bend over to pick them up. The two met eyes as he placed them in her hand. "Do you, uh, want to come in?" she asked carefully, mentally cringing at how awkward she sounded. "I-I owe you an explanation."

Spencer swallowed harshly, shaking his head. "I don't know if that's such a good idea," he answered quietly, eyes fixated on the floor below him. "I still- um, need a little while to process this all happening."

His heart dropped as he watched her shut her eyes in defeat. She nodded. "I understand-"

"Quinn!" a familiar voice called from down the hall. The girl blinked away the tears she held in her eyes to see Connor approaching the two. He held groceries in his hands, a wide grin spread across his face. "You have got to stop leaving your stuff in my flat," he scolded, chuckling to himself. "I found a pair of boots that definitely aren't mine in the hall." He stopped speaking as he met eyes with Spencer, who was looking at him through furrowed brows. "Who's this?"

Quinn used her free hand to wipe her face once more. "Oh, this is Spencer Reid, he's a member of the team I was apart of in Virginia." At the mention of the name, Connor raised his eyebrows, stiffening slightly. His eyes went to Quinn's in question. "Spence, this is Connor Mallory. He lives in that apartment," she introduced, pointing to the door across from them, "and is also a very good friend of mine."

Connor nodded, grin faltering for a moment before returning to it's full brightness. He stuck his hand out to the genius. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, mate. Are you in town for long? Where are you staying?"

There was an moment of silence as Spencer stared at his hand briefly, before offering a wave. Connor didn't hide his confusion at this action, glancing at Quinn as she began to explain. "Slight phobia of handshakes," she said. "He's a bit of a germ freak," she teased, nudging him softly. Spencer sent Connor an apologetic look, observing him as Connor stared at the two nearly intertwining their hands skeptically, as Spencer hadn't lifted his hand from the keys.

"We're here for work," Spencer explained, "which means we're not exactly sure how long we'll be here. I'm staying here for the night, but we're at the Grange St. Paul's for the rest of the time."

Quinn was taken back by his sudden switch. "That place is great," Connor said, smile still prominent. "Hope you enjoy your stay." He then turned to Quinn. "You can grab your shoes later on." He waved goodbye, nodding at the two. "It was nice to meet you."

"Same to you," Spencer replied, returning the action with a close-lipped smile.

Quinn turned to Spencer after Connor had entered his apartment. "You're staying the night?" she asked, brows raised and confused.

"If I don't hear what happened, it's going to drive me crazy," he said quickly, stepping into the apartment as Quinn unlocked the door. The girl narrowed her eyes, picking up on his lie.

She took off her jacket, grabbing his as well, and hung them both on the hooks on the back of her door. The two didn't speak until Quinn offered to make coffee. The genius gratefully accepted, sitting on the couch in the middle of Quinn's living area.

Quinn sighed as she got to the kitchen, preparing everything she was going to say to him in her head. What happened with Lawrence, the message Kyle had left her, why she had chosen to disappear. Her stomach churned as she thought of what he was to say to her, what was to happen after she had finished her explanation. When the pot was done, she poured the coffee into mugs she had picked blindly, overdosing one with sugar, adding cream into the other.

She wasn't surprised to find him surveying her bookshelf when she entered the room. A small smile tugged at her lips as she leaned against the door frame. "Find anything good?"

The doctor shook his head, having seen her from the corner of his eye. "I'm appalled," he admitted, feigning disappointment. "You don't even have a copy of Great Expectations in here." Quinn gaped at him. "And you call yourself a literature major."

A smile broke out on his face as Quinn looked at him incredulously. "You're such a snob," she retorted, laughing along with him. She handed him his mug, shifting awkwardly, back-and-forth on her heels.

"You remembered," he praised, taking the mug away from his lips. His eyes transferred down to the mug. "Though I'm not sure how I feel about the mug."

Quinn furrowed her brow as she looked at the cup in his hands, eyes scanning over the text that wrote London's Favorite Grandma across it. She widened her eyes, but began laughing. "I didn't even look at the mugs, I promise. Baldwin got it for me as a joke," she told him, unable to keep the humor out of her voice. "But it suits you."

Spencer chuckled, hanging his head once more. The two stood apart from each other, the words waiting to be said settling upon their tongues. "You said that you owed me an explanation," he said softly. Quinn nodded, moving to the couch Spencer had been sitting on. He sat across from her, fingers adjusting their grip around the handle of the mug. "So let's hear it."

-----

wendigos : 'what in trepidation' i just

so i updated !! wooo

i missed writing this story so much you don't even understand. i had no motivation at all these past couple of days, but i'm extremely sick today so i thought that writing would be a good distraction. it was.

anYWAY, thank you guys so much for the continuous support for this story. there's nothing i love more than getting your votes, comments and messages about this story. OH ALSO THANK YOU GUYS FOR 101K ON TREPIDATION LITERALLY WHAT THE FUCK J DONT DESERVE IT ??

love you all tons.
-mags