The plane landed around midnight and everyone (including Hotch) went home, saving the paper work for tomorrow. Not bothering to bid 'goodbye' to anyone, Adine quickly hailed a cab and hopped in, ready to go home and to bed for a change.

Walking through her apartment door, Adine dropped her first time go-bag with a loud 'thud' and wandered to her kitchen, thinking to grab a snack and snuggle into bed. She hated being tired, it was weird for someone purposely insomniac to actually desire sleep.

Rummaging through her fridge, Ada yanked out some Yoo-Hoo and a chocolate cake she made for her and her neighbor/best friend a few days ago.

With a piece on her plate and a bottle of cocoa-moo, Adine plopped onto her couch and started to lazily ingest the midnight snack.

"You know when I was at the BAU, our cases lasted longer."

"Guess I know how to pick 'em." Adine replied with a very tired smile, her eye lids barely staying up.

Elle smiled and made some kind of noise between a scoff and a laugh before her eyes widened, "Wait, you picked the case?"

"Yeah, Agent Jareau wanted me to. You know, get a feel for it. Why?"

"You picked a case where a guy was tossing girls over hotel balconies. You do realize you're acrophobic, right?" Elle asked with a laugh.

"Not necessarily." Adine argued.

Elle once again scoffed and took a seat on the coffee table in front of the couch.

There was a comfortable silence between the two as Adine nibbled on her snack and Elle contemplating something random. Elle tended to remind Adine of John Dorian, from Scrubs, always going off in her own world.

"If I ever met a phobophobic," Elle said suddenly, "I'd have to laugh."

Adine took a moment to try and figure out what phobophobia meant, before taking a guess and saying, "Fear of having a phobia?"

Elle laughed out a 'yup'.

"That's terrible!" Adine giggled.

"I know, I know." Elle said, "But seriously, just that cruel irony, it amuses me."

Adine practically doubled over in laughter, "You are a bad person Elle Greenaway!"

"Not as bad as your brother." Elle pointed out.

"Yeah, there is that." Adine agreed, just as her home phone started to ring. She set her snack beside Elle and jogged to her phone, picking it off of the receiver.

"Adine Grace." She answered.

Elle picked at the abandoned chocolate cake and watch in mild- interest as Adine talked into a phone. Her interest, however, perked up when a look of despair washed over her friend's face.

The blonde hung up the phone with a simple 'Goodnight' and wandered over to couch once again.

Elle waited. And waited. And waited.

"Ada?"

"I'm..." the woman started, "I'm going to go for a walk, okay?"

Before Elle had time to ask, Adine had her iPod and cellphone and was gone.

Spencer Reid carefully walked down the near empty streets of downtown Fredericksburg, hoping to find some kind of 24 hour food provider. He stayed behind everyone else with Garcia (who, as always, came to greet and welcome them home) and told her all about the new girl.

He wasn't quiet sure what to think of Adine Grace. She seemed nice enough and like a good person, but she was so closed off. She really didn't seem to want to interact with the team. She wasn't rude to them, but she didn't try to talk to them.

She was odd.

Mid-thought, he found his food provider. A straight-shot from his current location, about three blocks down, there stood a Steak 'n' Shake, beckoning to him.

Picking up his pace just slightly, Spencer was quickly closing in on his saving grace. He could nearly smell the burger and fries, taste the Side-by-Side Strawberry and Chocolate milkshake.

Nothing could deter him, nothing could stop him from getting his food. Except Adine Grace. Sitting on a bench a few feet in front of him. Crying.

Damnit.

He slowed his pace and came to a stop at the bench.

She seemed to sense his presence, as she looked up at him, confused.

"In accordance with you're Rules of Darkness, I am to ask if you are alright."

Well, his attempt at a joke worked. She laughed out right, subconsciously bringing her hand to levitate in front of her open and smiling mouth.

"In accordance with your fear, you shouldn't be wandering around in the dark." She responded in good humor, "So why are you here?"

He smiled, "I could sense that you were in trouble."

The look she gave just shouted 'Puh- lease'.

"I was going to Steak 'n' Shake." He laughed, nodding to the end of the block.

She looked at it longingly. "Do they still have those two-milkshakes-in-one thingy?"

"Yup." he smiled.

She stood and linked her arm through his, "Let's go to Steak 'n' Shake."

They sat in silence after their orders were taken. Adine wasn't talking and Spencer finally figured that he'd have to just dive in.

"So, do the tears have anything to do with the phone call?" He asked. When they had stepped into the lite building, he had easily noticed that she hadn't just been crying. Tear stains had dried on her red cheeks and her lips were puffed and the color of raspberries. She had been downright bawling.

"Sort of." She mumbled.

"Sort of?"

She sighed and rested her head in her hands, starring down at the table. "There was another phone call. When I got home, there was another phone call, directly related to the earlier one. That call is what caused...this." She finished, moving one hand to point to her still-stained face.

Spencer was getting annoyed. "Adine, what the hell are these phone calls about?"

"My brother." She told him, emotionless, "He was in jail earlier tonight. He was killed."

"Oh my God..." He muttered in shock, "How?"

She took a breath before continuing, "There were three other people in the holding cell. One of them went stark craving nuts and started attacking everyone. My brother was the only one who died. Others suffered some minor to severe injury, they have the nut in a mental hospital."

Spencer was silent. What was there to say?

"What else is there to know about your family?" Spencer asked through the fries and milkshake

"Uh, my parents are dead." She stated nonchalantly as she took a bite out of her burger.

"So life expectancy in your family, huh?" He joked.

"Yeah, not the greatest." She laughed in return, her green eyes twinkling in amusement. Some strange, euphoric feeling entered Spencer at the sight of those eyes coming back to life.

"How'd they die?" He questioned, "If you don't mind my asking."

"I don't," She affirmed, "It was a long time ago."

"Alright, then. Let's hear it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Come one! I wanna hear it!"

"Well, alright, you asked for it." She said. It sounded like it should have been a joke, but her face and tone were completely serious, "I told you my dad was a Marine. I wasn't entirely honest. He was a Marine, but a special kind. Like the Navy Seals of Marines, I don't even know what his department was called," She chuckled, "But I did meet his team. One of them, Bill, was like my father. A family man. Mrs. Pendergast- his wife- and my mom became best friends, as did I with his two kids, Caty and Danny.

"One day, while Daddy was out on one of his missions, Mrs. Pendergast came over, not uncommon. What was different, however, was her look. It was of completely despair. She told Mommy that the guys' mission was comprised and that Bill and Chris- the bachelor of the group- were in the hospital. Mommy asked about Daddy. Long story short, he came back in a casket."

"Oh my God," Spencer nearly whispered, "Adine, I'm so sor-"

"Oh, it gets worse." She interrupted, "Mommy lasted through all of the insurance paperwork and the funeral, but soon after that she broke down entirely. At first she wouldn't leave the house, then her room. It was like her mind just took a permanent vacation.

"It wasn't so bad in the beginning, but it got worse and worse. I ended up having to handle everything. If I needed an adult, I'd get my teenage neighbor's older friends to help. There were check books to balance, insurance claims to handle, then tax season came up. It was hell, and I handled it all. I guess I'm kind of a Daddy's girl like that," She smiled, "He had a knack for taking on everyone's problems for himself. Anyway, eventually my mother hung herself. I, of course, found the body. Thankfully, I was a teenager and the CPS let me choose my foster home. I had an old friend whose parents were certified, so I spent the last few years of childhood reliving fifth grade."

Spencer stared at her.

"You said you were sure." She chuckled, sipping her milkshake.

A sixteen year old Adine walked down the hallway of her house, past the door of her mom's bedroom, and into the door of her own. She hated her mother more than ever right now. She hated the fact that she hated her own mother even more, but she couldn't help but think that anyone in her position would feel the same way.

Adine closed her door and lay down on her un-made bed. She didn't have time to take care of her own comforts anymore; she hadn't had the time in ten years.

For what felt like forever, Adine just lay in the dark, starring up at the ceiling-or, at least what she knew was ceiling. She loved the darkness, she could hide in it.

A loud thud from down the hall drew Adine from her thoughts. Her mother's room. Something happened. She should go check on it. So why wasn't she getting up?

Easy. Because she didn't want to. She was completely and utterly sick and tired of dealing with her mother and brother and every thing else. Let her mother take care of herself for once. Right now, Adine was going to get some well deserved rest.

A moment later she awoke. At least, it felt like a moment, but by the daylight shining through her window, it was clear to Adine that it had really been a few hours. It was time to wake up mom.

Getting up and walking down the hall, Adine knocked on her mother's door. No answer.

"Mother?" She asked as she opened the door and peaked through. She was greeted with a sight that any normal person would scream at. However, being annoying far from normal, Adine simply walked past her mother's hanging body to the telephone across the room and dialed 911.

"911, what's your emergency?" The operator asked.

"My mother committed suicide by hanging last night." Adine said calmly.

"I'm so sorry miss. Could you please tell your name and address and I'll send people out."

"My name is Adine Grace and I'm at 146 Greenberry Road." Adine told the woman, hearing her own voice start to waver.

"I've sent a police car and ambulance miss Grace, they should be there in five minutes."

"Thank you." With that, Adine hung the phone up.

The next hour and half was spent answering questions. Was she on medication and if so for what? Was she a suicide risk? How do you know she committed suicide last night? If you knew she was a suicide risk and un-able to take care of herself why didn't you check on her when you heard a distinct thud from her room? After that question Adine 'escorted' them all out of her house.

Adine walked back into her house and to the kitchen. After realizing that she definitely was not hungry, Adine walked to her bedroom.

Opening her door, she saw her mother hanging, face falling off, stomach cut open.

"Adine, why didn't you help us?"

Adine shot up out of her bed in an instant. She hadn't had that dream in a while, but she knew just what caused it.

Before, it was just her dad standing, face falling off. Then it was her mother hanging, face falling off, asking why Adine didn't help her. The stomach cut and the 'us' aspect must have been from her bother's death.

Accepting the dream and moving on, Adine checked the clock and got dressed for work. JJ was officially gone. The team had gone out for an 'end of an era' celebration last night and asked Adine if she wanted to come, but she said she was just going home to relax. Now, she was going to her first day solo on the job, JJ finishing her paper work at home.

"Andrew, I swear to god," She said as she walked into the kitchen and poured some coffee, "If you ruin this for me," She threaten her dead brother, "I will make your afterlife miserable."