A/N: Hi! This is my first Criminal Minds fanfic, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy it! Please note that this is not a romantic relationship between Spencer and Lorna and will not culminate in a romantic relationship, but as a relationship between friends and siblings.

It was an overcast day in the middle of December as Lorna Mitchell set up her books on the large wooden table. As per usual, she had deliberately picked a corner of the library that was almost empty, preferring to work with as few distractions as possible. She rooted about in her satchel, hoisting up her laptop and numerous textbooks onto the table and spreading them around her.

It was a Saturday, the clock nearing four in the afternoon. Being well into winter, dusk was quickly turning to a clear, cloudless night outside, the windows around the library steamed up with condensation. The weather outside had been bitterly cold. Lorna wrapped her frozen fingers around a takeaway cup of coffee, shivering as she unwound a woollen scarf from her neck and pulled off her gloves and hat.

She was awaiting the arrival of one Dr Spencer Reid – known to Lorna as her sociology and criminology tutor. Already a freshman in college at the age of 17, she had been fascinated when the FBI profiler had given a talk in her university about the way that sociology and biology combined to make the notorious criminals that she studied. After the talk was over, she had rushed after the doctor, asking so many questions that, when enquired about her age, he gave the girl an offer that she simply could not refuse; thus, she became his protégé.

Unbeknownst to the her, the FBI profiler saw a lot – almost too much – of his younger self in Lorna. The way that her eyes lit up when in lectures and seminars, the enthusiasm and pure love that was poured into her work, the quiet, empty sadness behind her eyes; it was uncanny. Take away the eidetic memory and the two were practically twins.

Also unknown to her, the doctor had recruited one Penelope Garcia to take a peep into her background, wondering how the hell this mini genius had been created. The disabled mother, social isolation, high intelligence – he had seen it all before, almost every sad, depressing detail. Something about her preserved innocence, youthful optimism and sheer naivety made him oddly protective over the girl, and he showed that protectiveness and, well, love, the only way he really knew how – through knowledge.

The arrangement had been going on for approximately two and a half months by now, and he was increasingly amazed in the way that Lorna absorbed and utilised everything that he gave.

As time went on, she had begun to open up to the profiler about the more personal aspects of her life, unrelated to college work. He knew about the loneliness, bullying and isolation that she had endured as a child and as a teen. He sympathised as she talked about how she struggled with friendships and relationships, and empathised as she opened up about the uphill battle against depression and suicidal ideation. He understood as she revealed her insecurities regarding relationships and romance, and comforted her as she worried about the future.

The two debated about the best classical composers ("You're simply wrong, it's Beethoven-" "I refuse; both Mozart and Dvorak are so much better-" "Dvorak wrote in the romantic period, not the classical, you heathen-"), argued about the best coffee shop in town, and generally found a peace and bond that was unique and individual to the two.

The team back at the BAU marvelled at the way in which Spencer had taken her under his wing. By now, she had met Garcia ("Oh, he goes on about you all the time!"), and Hotch ("We've heard a lot of about you, it's an absolute pleasure to meet you, Lorna."), and they could both see the special bond that the two shared. Sessions often included long-winded conversations about the cases that the FBI profiler had assisted on, each and every grisly detail met with rapt attention from the teen.

Back in the present day, Lorna had just wrapped her fingers around a steaming mocha latte after typing in the password to her battered old laptop when Spencer arrived, unceremoniously dumping his satchel on the table opposite her. The bag made a loud thump, undoubtedly filled with books until the seams were about to fall apart. Head still bent over the laptop, she frowned at him as she was momentarily disturbed from her coffee. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes, really; good afternoon to you, too," he shot back. He unbuckled his bag and began to place books onto the table. "Are you okay with Morgan joining us for today?"

Looking up, Lorna saw the other agent leaning against a bookshelf, holding up a hand in greeting. She smiled at him politely, having heard many, many things about the agent. "Of course. It's lovely to meet you, Agent Morgan."

He smiled back at her. "Call me Morgan, please. And the pleasure is all mine; I've heard a lot about you," he said, shooting a grin over to Spencer, still hurriedly unloading textbooks onto the table, who looked up and shot a scowl to the other agent. Morgan simply chuckled in response, drawing up a chair beside Spencer and twisting it around before falling into it, rather inelegantly.

Lorna raised an eyebrow at Spencer, who simply shrugged. "He said he was bored, so I let him come."

Directing her gaze back onto the screen of your laptop, Lorna opened up the essay that had been causing her one too many sleepless nights over the last week. Spencer drew up the chair beside her as she slid over the laptop for him to read. Reaching over to open one of the textbooks, the two settled into the familiar rhythm of quiet study and learning.

After around three-quarters of an hour, Lorna was in need of a break. Pushing her laptop back, she stretched her arms above her head, scraping back her chair as her joints cracked and popped audibly. Spencer rolled his eyes at the gestures, having seen them all before. "Keep up like that and you'll have arthritis before you're thirty."

Derek chuckled as Lorna stuck out her tongue at him in response, rolling her head around to ease some of the tension in her neck. "You of all people should know that that myth has been disproven, Mr Eidetic-memory-IQ-of-one-hundred-and-eighty-seven."

Spencer looked up at her above the rims of his glasses. "Ah, I think you'll find that's Doctor Eidetic-memory-IQ-of-one-hundred-and-eighty-seven, to you."

Scowling at his smug grin, Lorna turned to face Morgan, who had been watching the conversation flow between the two academics with a grin on his face. "He's just jealous that I'm smarter than him."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"You little shi-"

"Woah, hey now, guys. Don't forget that we're still in a public library." Derek, clearly struggling to hide a smirk, was highly amused at the sight of his normally so uptight colleague arguing – and losing said argument - with a teenager.

Spencer shot a withering look over to the grinning agent. "I never thought I would see the day where Derek Morgan, of all people, lectures me on library etiquette."

Lorna laughed as she wandered away from the table in search of yet another textbook on criminal psychology, the bickering of the two agents able to be clearly heard for numerous corridors of bookshelves.

After a few minutes, she found her way back to the table, barely able to see where she was putting her feet and almost tripping over the leg of a chair due to the enormous stack of books in her arms. "Hey, a little help here?"

Lorna heard, rather than saw, the raised eyebrow of Derek Morgan. "Damn, kid. You really need all those books with Mr Encyclopaedia right next to you?"

"Again, that's Doctor Encyclopaedia to you, Morgan."

Rolling her eyes, Lorna sighed in relief when Derek took the teetering pile of books from her arms, depositing them on the table in front of her. "Thank you for helping me, unlike Doctor lazy over there-"

"Ah, who exactly is proofreading your presentation right now? Oh that's right, me-"

"Alright, alright, you two. You bicker more than anyone I know in the BAU."

Spencer scoffed at that statement. "Apart from you and me, you mean."

Lorna raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? I did hear about your, quote, legendary, prank war a few years ago."

Both profilers chuckled at that.

As the men reminisced, Lorna plonked yourself onto her seat, resting her chin on the table as she closed her eyes, suddenly tired and no longer particularly wanting to study. Allowing her eyes to shut, she decided that a few more minutes of rest would be okay. Lorna let out a long, tired sigh, picking up her head before she fell asleep completely and reaching for the textbook on the top of the pile next to her.

"How about you, Lorna?"

The girl in question looked at the men blearily, having heard none of the previous conversation. Spencer smiled softly at her confusion. "What are your plans for Christmas?"

"Oh, um, not a lot. I'll probably just be in my dorm."

Derek frowned. "Aren't you spending it with your family?"

An awkward silence ensued – Spencer had clearly chosen to leave out these details of Lorna's home life to his co-workers. "It's my dorm or the foster family."

"And why not choose your foster family?"

The agent's voice was soft. Lorna sighed, not expecting to have needed to explain this today. "I was only with them for a few months before I graduated high school and got accepted to college. We… I guess we never really connected that much? Plus there are other kids there, kids that need more help than I do. Not to mention, as soon as I'm 18, I'm essentially on my own anyway. My scholarship states that I don't have to move out until after the third semester ends, so…"

She had trailed off, eyes looking down at her fidgeting hands as her cheeks flushed scarlet.

"Reid?"

Lorna heard Spencer sigh softly, looking down at the fidgeting girl before turning to the confused agent, explaining in a quiet, sad tone, "Lorna's mother died in a car accident about a year ago, and her older brother committed suicide about a month afterwards."

"No father?"

"He ran off before she was born."

Derek sighed, reaching out a hand and resting it on Lorna's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, kid."

She shrugged, still refusing to meet his eye. "It's fine."

"It's not-"

"Morgan," she heard Spencer warn quietly. "Don't. Believe me, I've tried."

In an effort to move the conversation along, Lorna opened up the nearest textbook that she could find, flicking onto a random page. Unfortunately, something told her that these agents could be as stubborn as she was known to be.

"What about friends, Lorna? Is there no one who you can spend the day with?"

The heat from Lorna's cheeks could surely power the whole city for a week. "I, um, I haven't got any friends. After the – after the accident, I cut most ties with people from my high school, not that I had many to begin with. I thought that college would be a fresh start, but…"

"But what, kid?"

Derek's voice was quiet, and kind, and Lorna knew that he wasn't trying to judge her, but she still took the question to heart. Sighing, she answered, "I haven't really talked to many people in college yet. My roommate spends most of her time at parties, so I have the dorm to myself most nights."

This had turned into a full intervention, and by now Lorna was thoroughly uncomfortable. Needing to escape, she slid out from the table, muttering about finding another book.

As she left, she was aware of a hushed conversation taking place between the two agents –

"Reid, why didn't you tell any of us about this?"

Spencer sighed. "I've talked to the school, but it's like she tells me whenever I bring it up to her – this isn't grade school anymore, you can't force twenty-somethings to make friends with a teenager."

"So you're just gonna let her spend the Christmas holidays alone?"

"I was trying to come up with a plan, but-"

"Reid, she's seventeen years old."

"It's not like I've never spent a Christmas alone. With or without my mother."

"You have a chance here to make sure that a girl doesn't have to spend Christmas alone, and you should damn well take it."

When the doctor didn't respond, Derek sighed heavily, running his hands over his head. "Reid. We all know how similar she is to you. I can see it after spending an hour with the two of you."

"I don't know what's best for her. I have an eidetic memory, I'm not psychic."

"It's not up to you to know that. But I think you should tell the team. You damn well that JJ and Emily will help her, even Hotch and Rossi will. She means this much to you, then she's one of us. Let us help, Reid."

"Fine. It's only because I'm desperate that I'm agreeing."

"You've done so much for her, Reid. It's okay to accept a little help."

Five minutes later, Lorna made her way back to the table, not making eye contact with either agent. She knew that it was clear that she had been crying – even without their profiling abilities, her pale face contrasting with red, raw eyes were enough to tip anyone off.

"You okay, kid?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Looking up at the older agent, Lorna could tell that he saw right through her half-assed smile and attempted nonchalant demeanour.

"You're not, sweetheart."

Lorna shrugged, looking down at the scattered pile of textbooks. "And?"

"We can help you."

"That's very kind of you, but I don't need your help-"

"Kid. Look at me."

Reluctantly, Lorna raised her watery eyes to meet the concern and worry within the agent's. "You're not gonna spend Christmas alone. I promise you."

Sensing defeat, Lorna looked round at Spencer, seeing his face lined with worry and that he was close to tears himself.

"Okay."