1 | TREPIDATION. [SPENCER REID]

TWENTY FIVE.

TWENTY FIVE ; THE CALL.

The flight back to Virginia was silent.

Rossi sat in the right corner of the jet, half-heartedly tapping at the keys on his computer. The entire team was aware of his upcoming book that was in the process of being written, and it wasn't uncommon to see him carrying around his laptop, hoping for inspiration to hit him.

Hotch was seated upright in the chair across from Rossi, flipping through case files, in search of a town that would need the assistance of the BAU team. It never seemed to stop. The murders and killers were endless.

JJ and Morgan had all fallen asleep in their chairs, Kate taking the couch, unable to keep their eyes open any longer. They slept soundly, heads resting on their jackets that they had balled up and used as pillows, Morgan with his headphones placed atop his head.

Quinn however, was wide awake, her mind too active to even consider the idea of falling asleep. She sat rigid in the seats across from Morgan and JJ, knees pulled to her chest and a mugs wrapped within her fingers. Her eyes were focused on the cup in her hands, brain elsewhere. The thoughts in her head spun, the recent and upcoming events too much for her to handle.

It was overwhelming, really. The emails, physically seeing and being in the arms of Lucas Nelson, then seeing him bleed out almost five minutes later. Lawrence's words had been confirmed. Kyle Masters' trial would occur in less than a week. It seemed as though the storm would never stop pouring down on her. The hurricane only sped up, and there was no sign of an eye anytime soon.

Spencer sat in the seat beside her, a book placed in his lap, eyes weakly scanning over hooded lids, head placed upon his hand. Quinn knew that the doctor was trying his hardest to stay awake for her, but she often caught him dozing off periodically, flinching as he woke himself back up. She could feel his gaze on and off of her, constantly checking to see if she was okay.

"You don't need to stay up for me," she whispered, finally looking him in the eye. Spencer's head perked up at her voice, eyes softening as he heard the words she spoke.

"You're not okay, Quinn," he replied. His voice was equally as soft as hers. "I can't go to sleep knowing that."

Her lips pulled upward slightly, feeling the tops of her cheeks heat up. She placed her cup on the table the jet had to offer and let out a shaky breath. "I'm okay," she told him, "there's just a lot going through my head."

"I'm not going to pretend like I believe that," he said, closing his book and placing it to the side of him. Quinn sighed as he moved closer to her. "Talk to me, Quinn. For once, let someone worry about you."

Quinn didn't meet his eyes. "I'm just nervous, okay?" she muttered. "He's vowed to come back to kill me, Spencer. Nelson knew about it. It's unnerving."

The genius sighed. "He's in the most secure prison that the country has to offer. There is so way that Lawrence going to be able to reach you." She still did not meet his eyes. "Look at me, Quinn. Please." Her gaze met his timidly. "You're safe, okay? He can't get you."