A/N: Oh, my God! You guys have been amazing! I think the previous chapter has by far the most reviews, and I'm so grateful for that. It's greatly appreciated, and I'm having loads of fun interacting with you all! Thus, this next chapter is dedicated to all of you!

Enjoy!

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CeruleanBlues

Whisper in my Ear

Chapter 10

Wednesday, 1.50am

/Sam Evans

"Shit!" I cuss out, trying my luck with it, but the door doesn't budge. I'm so tempted to just kick it open in fact, but I can't because I'll only end up with a pile of damage that I can't possibly pay. "I can't open it, Quinn."

And then there's silence. The door stops rattling from the other side and I feel the bricks of panic building up in my body.

"Quinn?" I call out, knocking on the door. "Quinn, are you okay in there?"

She doesn't answer me, so I try twisting and turning the spherical knob again as I begin dreading the worst. What if she's passed out and she can't hear me or something? Pressing the side of my face against the wooden panel, I strain my ears for any signs or indications that she's actually alive.

"Fuck, what's going on here?" I mutter under my breath, once again rapping my knuckles on the door. "Quinn! Quinn, if you're alright, can you please answer me?" I call out desperately. If anything happens to her, I'll probably never forgive myself.

"I'm fine, Sam."

"Oh, my God," I sigh in relief. "Just hold tight, okay? I'm going to try and pick the lock and stuff."

"Yeah, sure," she replies, her voice slightly further this time, and I suppose she's probably exploring the room. I guess I shouldn't be impressed, but I also should know better. Quinn isn't like any other girl. She's just so stable and composed, I wonder if there's anything that she's really afraid of.

Patting down my clothes, I try to find for anything that I can use to help me, like a paper clip of some sort or a safety pin, but that would be asking for too much, because really, why would I have it with me? Damn, I'm a hopeless fool. Figuring that there's nothing at all that I can do, I decide to radio central command with my walkie-talkie.

"Sam to central command. Anybody there?"

It crackles, and Mike's voice resonates from the speaker. "Central command to Sam, this is Mike. What's up, dude?"

"Quinn's locked in a room," I explain. "Bring me a bobby pin or whatever, pronto."

"Copy that," Mike says. "Which room are you at?"

"Believe it or not, we haven't gotten past the damn stairwell," I scowl in frustration.

"Jesus," he remarks. "I'll be right over."

I put the device away in my back pocket again, and I'm stupidly glaring at the door, willing for it to just spring open, but it turns out, I'm actually not a Jedi master. No secret there. Mumbling another string of profanities, I grasp the doorknob in my hand and give it a sharp wrench.

It clicks open effortlessly.

"What the heck?"

I can see Quinn's petite silhouette as she crosses the room, her pointing her flashlight straight at me. "Sam?"

The brightness is kind of blinding and I hold one hand up to shield my face. "Hey, you okay?" I ask.

She nods her head and gives me a small smile. "Yeah. Did you manage to pick the lock?"

"Well, no," I shamefully admit, feeling like a total loser. "I just tried twisting the knob again and it just opens. There's just—I can't explain it and—"

I hear a sound coming from the lobby, and I turn to see Mike's figure by the main entrance, his flashlight shining up at us. "Hey, Sam? I have a bobby pin and a paper clip. Do you still need it?"

Shaking my head, I say, "No, it's okay. It's open now."

"Alright, then." Mike shrugs in return.

"Thanks, though," I tell him. "Sorry for the trouble."

"Don't worry about it," he waves it off, and then exits the house.

"Sam," Quinn murmurs, capturing my attention.

"Yeah?"

"I heard a voice when I was in there just now," she informs me. "Like a woman whispering in my ear."

My eyebrows spring up. "Can you make anything out?"

"I don't know. It's hard to tell," she says. "But I've got the audio recorder running, so hopefully we'll catch something."

"That's awesome," I grin. She's really catching up to this whole investigation. Unable to resist it, I take a step forward and drop a quick kiss to her temple. "Great job, Q."

"Oh, so we're using pet names now?" she smirks.

Well, there is a list of names that I want to call her with, but I'm thinking that now is not exactly the best time to share them with her—at least not without scarring her for life, that is. "Among other things."

She sticks her tongue out at me, and damn, that's just the most adorable thing on the planet. I sneak a glimpse down at my mini-DV and I know that I'll probably be replaying that footage over and over again. Artie is going to have a field day when he reviews the video later on. It's probably going to be like soft-core porn for him, too, and I can just imagine Mike's reaction.

"Sam, what did Rachel mention about this room?" she asks, averting her flashlight to illuminate the far corner, where there's a bookshelf and a couch.

I move over to the center of the space, doing a three-sixty sweep with my mini-DV. "She and Mike found an angel figurine on the floor."

"Did one of them accidentally knock it over?"

"I don't think so," I reply, shaking my head as I do a generic EMF reading with the KII meter. "But I suppose it could be a possibility, you know, if it was already almost at the edge of the table and someone walks past, I guess it can cause it to fall."

"Where is it?"

"I'm not sure," I trail off, until I catch something on the small screen of my camcorder. "Oh, hang on, I think I see it. It's on that side table over there."

She walks over and gently picks up the small ceramic statue. "It's got some weight to it," she evaluates, turning it around in her hand. "And the bottom seems pretty stable, so it's not likely for it to tip over."

"Nice work," I comment. "Why don't you—"

Quinn suddenly gasps. "Something just touched me."

I rush to her side. "What?"

"I just felt a cold brush right here," she says, gesturing towards her wrist. "Like someone ran a finger right across."

Shining my light up at the ceiling, I check to see if there are any hanging cobwebs, or anything that can cause for her to feel that way, until I come to a conclusion that she's just had her first personal experience. I give her a moment to realize it and watch as it registers on her face, and she's looking at me completely dumbstruck.

"That was insane," she murmurs. "I'm getting Goosebumps all over."

"Is there anybody here who wants to communicate with us?" I ask out loud. "Do you want to tell us something? You definitely caught our attention, but we need you to speak up, or do a bit more because we can't hear you. You can talk to us through one of our devices; they won't hurt you, I promise."

"Why did you touch me?" Quinn questions, determination in her voice. She's such a trooper, this one. "Does it have something to do with this figurine? This angel? Does it mean something to you?"

We pause for a moment to listen, waiting for any sort of response.

A few seconds pass by without a single sound; however, I can't help noticing the stark contrast between the stairwell and the room. It's lighter in here, not as malicious, but it appears melancholic somehow.

"We should move on, now," I say. "We have more ground to cover."

Quinn nods, but I can sense the slight reluctance.

"What's wrong?"

"I keep hearing things in my ear, like someone's breathing right beside me," she tells me. "It's tripping me out a bit. Did you hear anything?"

"No, I would tell you otherwise to confirm that it wasn't one of us," I reply her. "Look, maybe we should get out of this room. Sometimes being in a place for too long can cause a certain sense of disorientation, especially when your brain's trying to figure out a lot of things at once."

She slowly exhales. "Yeah, you're right."

Placing my hand on the small of her back, I gently guide her towards the other door that opens up to the other room. We're about to enter when I feel Quinn stiffen beneath my palm, her spine tense and rigid.

"Did you just say my name?" She glances over her shoulder to look at me.

I shake my head from side to side. "No."

"I just heard someone say 'Quinn'. It's really low, but I can hear the syllables." Pivoting her head around, she checks the room once more with a fast sweep of her flashlight. "Should I stay? Maybe it'll be more willing to talk to me without you in the room."

She's got a point, and I'm considering it, but I'm also contemplating whether or not she's ready to be left alone. The night had begun with so much activity, with Finn getting hit and Mike getting touched, and my very own personal experience accompanied by that growl we caught on audio; it's been one heck of an investigation so far, but my priority is always with the team and their safety. If there are any chances of jeopardizing that, I won't risk it.

"I don't think that's a good idea." At her crestfallen expression, I quickly add, "it's not because I think you're incapable, but at this point of time, I'm a little concerned for your safety. With Finn already injured, I don't need anything to happen to you too."

"Sam—"

"I'm sorry, Quinn, but you've got to let it go," I tell her authoritatively. "We don't have time."

She looks torn, as though she's trapped between two options, and I'm waiting expectantly for her to decide. "Well?"

"She was pregnant," Quinn blurts out. "He found out that it wasn't his and killed the both of them."

I blink, trying to process everything she just said. "Where'd you get that idea?"

"She told me."

"Who?"

"Jane."

"When?"

Quinn hesitates, gnawing on her bottom lip. "Ten minutes ago, when you were trying to open the door."

"You said you couldn't make any words out," I remind her, slightly skeptical of her claims.

"I had flashes. In my head."

I narrow my eyes at her. "What are you saying?"

"Sam, I'm an Empath."

A/N: Well, there you go! The true reason behind Quinn's secretive behavior, and possibly why I haven't written the story in her point of view. It would totally ruin it, right? LOL! I wonder how Sam's going to react to this…

Mandorac: Hi there! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, and thank you for the wonderful comments! So, was your feeling about Quinn correct? Hehe! Well, this is just the beginning to the actual story, which will come after this, and it's where all the M-rated stuff starts happening—not at once, I mean, but how this will affect Sam and Quinn's relationship. Frankly, I love Scooby Doo! I grew up watching the cartoon all the time, and I've watched the movies, so it'll be really cool to do a series. I guess I'll have to see where this story leads :D Hope you've enjoyed this chapter!

Quam314159: Hello! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it!

Gogolax: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Glad you liked the story so far!

VoteFabray4PromQueen: Awwww! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, and leaving those awesome comments! I'm glad you're liking the story so far! Cheers!

RJRRAA: Hello there! Once again, thank you so much for diligently reading and reviewing my chapters! Quinn's side of the story is only just beginning, trust me. Things are going to escalate from here, especially with Sam and Quinn's relationship :D

Alli2345: Hi there! LOL! Glad you liked the cliffhanger! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

IShipFabrevans: Awwww…you're far too kind with your awesome comments! I'm glad this story has got you thinking, I mean, after all, it's supposed to be a mystery/suspense thing. I really enjoyed reading your analysis, even though I can't say anything about it at the moment without giving anything away! Yes, I'm glad you spotted the small detail about the patient and stuff, and it'll be uncovered soon—or not—because truthfully, this story wasn't meant to revolve around the mystery of the house. It's more than that, and this case is actually a catalyst to spark the bigger story. Well, that should be a hint, I suppose, no? LOL! Also, you're very welcome! I love writing this story, especially since I've gotten great responses that in turn fuels my motivation, so if anything, I should be thanking you! Hope you've enjoyed this update!

ReadingFanfiction13: Hi there! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my story! It's greatly appreciated! It's always nice to know how people react to the story because it gives great pointers for improvement :D Cheers!

FabrevansIsEndgame: Hello! LOL! I'm sorry to leave you hanging in the previous chapter (and probably this one as well), but thank you so much for taking time to read and review this story! It means a lot whenever I get feedback and comments! I love watching those paranormal shows as well because I get to study their technique and equipment, and it's such an easy way to gain knowledge in the shortest time possible. I'm glad you liked the switch in POVs. That suggestion about Finn's POV, I think I'll take you up on that! I think this chapter sort of answers a bit of your questions regarding Quinn, and perhaps some of your assumptions are correct. Either way, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!