SPENCER POV

We all walked into the small diner and sat at one of the tables in the very back. The team chatted quietly after we ordered and waited on our food to come. I thought back to Bexley and what she'd said about if she died, that would have defeated the purpose of coming here.

I wondered for a while what had happened to her and why she was here alone. She seemed like a fairly easy going person and from what I'd seen over the years; people who are abused either deny it or seek help. Bexley didn't seem the type to do either. I shook the thoughts away. I didn't know anything about her and I definitely didn't need to intervene unless a case came up.

"Reid?" Hotch's voice interrupted my train of though. I blinked trying to think of what he said and came up with nothing.

Garcia looked up from her conversation with JJ and turned to me. "You ok?" she asked and I cleared my mind and turned back to Morgan.

"Just wasn't paying attention. What was the question?" I asked. JJ laughed lightly and Garcia stared at me, her eyes wide with interest and I turned to see Rossi and Morgan had turned their attention to me as well. Morgan simply had an eyebrow arched while Rossi's eyes held a bit of amusement.

"Don't tell me you're off your game today, pretty boy." Morgan broke the silence and I couldn't help but be thankful.

Plates were set in front of us shortly after this and I stayed quiet the rest of the meal. I kept my concentration on the case and the other conversations that the team offered. Talk of my godson, Henry, and his interest in school, Morgan's newest relationship, and Garcia's newest fashion ideas.

After our checks were paid, we all said goodbye and headed our separate ways. I heard footsteps running after me and turned to see Garcia… with my bag.

I felt a light blush building as I held out my hand for the bag. I was surprised when Garcia, pulled the strap over her head and crossed her arms, a smile playing on her bright red lips.

"Not until you tell me what's going on." she said and I was about to say nothing when she quickly said "I ran in heels. You owe me. Plus, I'm worried. Since when do you not pay attention?"

I shrugged. "Nothing's wrong. I just had something else on my mind. A case, actually." I'd thought about the infinity branded victims, the connections between them, the enemies they had in common. I couldn't help but wonder if there was more than one unsub out there.

"Really?" she asked with a bored expression. "So nothing interesting or new?"

I shook my head and continued to walk with her until we reached the front of the apartment building and I held out my bag. She handed it over and gave me a smile. "See you tomorrow, kiddo."

I nodded and walked through the doors of the building. As I got to the top of the stairs, I could see Bexley's door was wide open. I looked in and didn't see her but walked past her door and to my own. I put the key in and walked into my apartment, closing the door behind me.

I sat the down on my couch and pulled my shoes off, revealing my mismatched socks, and propped my feet up on one arm of the couch and rested my head on the other as I grabbed the case file off of the small table. I turned to the clock that read 11:30 pm and knowing I had to meet Morgan and JJ early in the morning. I read until I felt myself falling asleep and then lay back on my couch and closed my eyes.

BEXLEY POV

I got up the next morning and showered, thankful that I'd gone and gotten towels, five sets of clothes, a pair of pajamas, plenty of underwear, and my three bras the day before. I'd also gotten the job that I went in for.

Sam, The Blast's owner had been very welcoming along with my three coworkers, Roxy, Nathan, and Drew. Since the music sales area wasn't very large, it took very few workers and only two of us would be working a day unless it was a holiday.

Sam had assured me however to let him know if I just needed something to do and he could schedule me as many hours as I'd like. I looked into my half empty food cabinet and smiled. I might need to take him up on that offer soon. I thought as I closed my cabinet after grabbing a can of corn. I put it in one of the plastic bowls I'd bought the other day and heated it up in the microwave for a minute.

I grabbed the McDonald's cup I'd gotten from my trip with Eleanor my first day here and filled it up with a few cubes of ice and water. I'd been too nervous about breaking the dishes last night to put them up and after just waking up I didn't want to try to put them away now.

I grabbed my plastic spork from the drawer and the bowl of corn from the microwave and sat down on my gray carpeted floor and ate, listening to the sound of people in the hallway. I looked at the clock that Eleanor had given me and saw that it was almost ten am.

I threw my bowl and Spork away after I finished and ran a brush through my long red hair once more before pulling it back and putting on deodorant and the vanilla mist perfume my grandmother had always adored before walking out the door.

I walked down to meet Eleanor, who was standing just outside the apartment building. She smiled and held out a cup of coffee to me, which I took immediately.

"Thank you." I said after drinking half of the cup, the stinging at the end of my tongue was worth the caffeine boost.

"Did you not sleep well?" she asked and I immediately lifted my hand to brush the dark circles under my eyes.

I shook my head and just gave her a smile. She didn't ask any further questions as we made our way to her car. I saw a tall man with dark skin standing by a black SUV and his face was kind and he wore a flirtatious smile. He looked older, maybe mid-forties, but it was obvious he was in shape.

Someone stood next to him, a pretty blonde woman who looked only slightly younger than him. She was average height and toned but wore a look almost teasing unlike the older male.

I stared for a moment before her eyes focused on something at the apartment building. I turned around to see none other than my neighbor coming out of the building.

He walked over to the group, the same yellow file in his hand as last night and a bag over his shoulder. They exchanged greeting and I saw the F.B.I. badge in the woman's back pocket and felt my heart drop.

That explained the serious note as well as the file that Spencer seemed to not let out of his sight. I shook my head and looked down quickly, closing my eyes at memories that threatened to make themselves appear.

"Bexley!" he yelled down the hallway as I heard a bottle being thrown against the wall, the shattered glass hitting my bare feet. I could feel my heart beating in my ears, the fear threatened to consume me but as I saw the door to my room, I felt a small hope. Hope that I knew I shouldn't have felt.

As I went to close and lock the door I was knocked back onto my floor. My father stood over me, swaying, and his eyes blood shot from the whiskey that he'd finished from the bottle he'd thrown at me. I curled up into a ball as he kicked me in the back and hoped that he was too drunk to aim. After lying on the ground like that for eight minutes and forty-five seconds, he stopped.

When I looked up to see his face I felt his fist connect with my cheek and cupped my face and finally a sob broke free from my throat. I couldn't stop the tears that fell down my eyes and looked up at him.

The smell of his whiskey enveloped my nose and as I stared up at him, he smiled a look of content and victory in his eyes. He left me there, bleeding and crying on my bedroom floor. I thought of my life after I was free from him and what it would be like. That was the only thing that kept me going.

Everyone knew what kind of person he was, the neighbors heard my screams the first few times he'd beat me, I'd reached out for help but no one believed me. My own mother had abandoned me months ago. She'd walked out on a six year old and left me with a monster. No one cared. I was going to have to be strong; there was no other way around this mess. Strong and very, very alone.

"What's the matter dear?" Eleanor's voice pulled me to the present and I shook my head again. I pushed my memories of the past sixteen years away.

"Nothing. Let's go see what we can find at the book store." I gave her a smile and continued the walk with her to her car, ignoring the three people standing around the SUV.

***I hope you are all enjoying the story. R&R and thank you for reading.