1 | TREPIDATION. [SPENCER REID]

TWENTY EIGHT.

TWENTY EIGHT ; ZUGZWANG.

Not a single word was uttered from the lips of either of the two. The tension was thick, words hanging in the air that were best left unspoken. The familiar feeling of dread arose, rearing it's head in the place it was most unnecessary. Lawrence grinned at Quinn every time she shut her eyes, the ever-present manical look in his eye sent a shiver down her spine, eyes snapping open.

She sat with her knees pulled to her chest, gaze distant as she stared blankly at the televison flashing news reports. Lawrence's mugshot appeared next to the live footage of reporters outside of the prison. Quinn bit the inside of her cheek. She couldn't escape him.

She heard soft sigh from behind her, eyes falling upon Spencer who shook his head, reaching for the remote that sat before her, sitting beside her on the sofa. He changed the channel, throwing the remote away from him. They did not speak to each other. Simply sat, watching the figures of Robin Williams and Matt Damon speak to each other on the screen.

The silence between them was deafening. There was so much to be said, but they each possessed so little courage. The timid characteristics they both had were troublesome at times.

"I don't want to die." Her voice was quiet, trembling. She felt his stare upon her, boring into the side of her head. She knew he would scold her, telling her to stop thinking that way. Quinn shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. She turned to him, keeping the emerging sobs in. "I can't. Not when I now have so much to live for."

"I'm not going to let that happen," he replied. Spencer cleared his throat and furrowed his brow. "We're not going to let that happen."

Attempting to muster up a smile, she held his gaze. "That's your tell," she whispered, tone somber.

Spencer's head cocked to the side slightly. "What?"

"You have a couple of tells," she explained. Spencer watched as she seemed to distance herself from the situation at hand, focusing on another matter for the time being. "You scrunch your nose, you fold your hands together. But your most blatant tell is when you knit your eyebrows together and clear your throat." She shrugged. "We all have them. Some are more obvious than others. Some people you have to really look at to grasp them. It's those people who you have to pay attention to most. They're most dangerous."

Spencer swallowed, lips pursing slightly. The corner of his lips twitched upward. "What's your tell?"

Quinn chuckled softly, shaking her head. "My voice waivers a bit," she admitted. "But you really have to break me to see the tell. Oh, and the tapping. That's my most blatant."

The genius grinned at her, nodding his head in respect. They were quiet once more, eyes locked on the film playing. Quinn exhaled shakily, placing her head on his shoulder. She noticed that he didn't go rigid, as he had done many times before. The doctor simply glanced down at her and smiled softly, squeezing her hand in his once. Even the smallest action of reassurance was enough.