**A/N- Ok, I know that the case side of things is lacking. It's not exactly the murder mystery they have on tv.
I will try and make the next case much more interesting! This case is kind of an easy one for the team to get Lauren used to things :) Please review! **
Chapter Twenty
'The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise.
It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.'-Ashley Montagu
"The unsub has to be someone who the victim's feel is no threat." Rossi said. The team sat around the round table concentrating on the profile of the unsub. When Lauren and Emily had returned to the office they had been informed about a new victim. He looked, once again, very similar to the other victims and had been killed in his home.
"So he's either someone of weak, physical presence or someone the victims felt they could connect with." Morgan said looking at the table in thought. "But to take down someone of that size wouldn't be easy."
"Unless they weren't expecting it." Rossi said.
"And smothering someone is a very personal way of killing someone. The unsub must be taking out his rage on these people. Maybe a representative of someone in his past?" Emily put forward. Lauren glanced around the room thinking of something she could add but coming up blank. She was much better at putting pieces of evidence together than analysing the mind of a psycho.
"He's probably young." Spencer said leaning forward. "Generally murderers of this type are."
"Well, if they were given a private consultation then that would be the easiest way to gain access to a stranger's home." Hotch added. "The unsub would be viewed as a guest rather than a threat. Did you manage to find anything at the gym?"
"The victims all had private consultations where the records were 'accidently deleted'." Emily said, repeating the receptionist's words. "It means we can't track who actually did the consult."
"Actually, that's where Lauren had an idea." Penelope said smiling at Lauren as she entered the room. Lauren gave a smile back. Finally she was helping rather than just sitting in silence looking useless as she had been for the past few hours.
"Did you come up with something?" Hotch asked, looking between Lauren and Penelope.
"Well," Lauren began. "Whenever anyone does consults to sign people up for any kind of business they are given commission, right?" She waited for a response but got confused looks from the rest of the team.
"What Lauren is trying to say," Penelope smiled. "Is that she called me to let me know to look into the staff at Booster Drugs and who got commission for signing up the victims."
"Clever." Rossi complimented and Lauren felt a small swell of pride.
"So who was it?" Lauren asked with anticipation.
"Oh," She said and looked down at her pad. "Someone called Lucas Sharpe."
"Lucas Sharpe?" It was now JJ's voice that entered the conversation.
"Yeah, you know him?" Penelope asked.
"He worked at the administration office." JJ said. "I remember seeing his name tag on one of the cubicles."
"But why would he want to kill them?" Lauren asked.
"He's recently gone through a divorce." Penelope ventured. "His wife left him with two children." She sounded saddened at the situation.
"Could be the stresser." Emily commented.
"He's 25, but he hasn't got a history of violence. Nothing in fact. Not even a parking ticket." Penelope sat down with a sigh.
"We should talk to him." Hotch said. "But for now we should probably head home." Lauren glanced up at the clock and was surprised to see it was 8:30pm. She hadn't even noticed the time pass by.
The rest of the team got up ready to go and Lauren was about to do the same before Morgan leaned over towards her.
"So, you wanna go out?"
"What?" Lauren almost burst. She stared at him with wide, surprised eyes. He laughed.
"You took us out on the town in New York. I thought we could return the favour." He smiled widely and Lauren let out a small breath.
"That would be really nice." She was exhausted, but a night out sounded too tempting to pass up.
The bar on the main high street had not been what Lauren had expected. For some reason she got the impression that everywhere in Quantico was quiet and timid. Especially after living in New York. But the bar was huge, bright and very, very loud. Luckily the team managed to find a quieter table after squeezing past a thick crowd of people. It was surrounded by comfy chairs and Lauren settled into one of them with a tired body.
Derek was the first to get the drinks leaving the rest of the team to settle.
"So, are you enjoying it?" Emily shouted to Lauren.
"I am." She replied. "It's been very exciting so far. Though should I be excited about catching murderers?" The team laughed and after that the conversations didn't stop.
Spencer hadn't been able to take his eyes off of Lauren all night. She lit up as soon as they got into the bar and he couldn't believe she had so much enthusiasm. It put a smile on his face that he couldn't wipe off.
The night had gone a lot quicker than Spencer had hoped it would and before he knew it everyone was getting up to leave.
"Ugh," Lauren groaned. "Hotch is gonna kill me, look at the time!" She sighed heavily and pulled on her jacket.
"I'm gonna catch a cab with Emily, see you guys bright and early." Derek winked and gave a final flashy smile before leaving with Emily.
"Well, I better not drive either. Though at least I can stand on my own this time." Lauren laughed, referring to the last time they'd gone to a bar. "I'll wait for a cab outside."
"You can't wait by yourself." Spencer said more protectively than he'd meant to it even surprised him.
"I'll be fine." Lauren said with a smile. It was now just him and her in the bar after Emily and Derek left. Hotch hadn't come and Rossi and JJ had left some time ago.
"I'll wait with you."
"Don't be silly." She said to Spencer's suggestion. But then looked through the bar windows at the dark street outside. "Only if you're sure." Spencer beamed a smile so much he thought he was glowing.
"This is really nice of you, thank you." Lauren said gratefully as Spencer stood next to her in search of a cab.
"It's my pleasure." He said and Lauren was about to say how much it was her pleasure to, but managed to stop herself.
A few moments passed and Lauren yawned loudly. "Still not sleeping well?" Spencer asked sounding concerned.
"No." Lauren said quickly and glanced up to him. And then, out of the blue she began crying. She tried to quickly mop up the tears with the sleeve of her jacket but it wasn't enough to hide it. She looked at Spencer who looked confused, worried and scared all at the same time. She laughed at the odd expression. "Sorry. I'm just so exhausted."
"It's not just about moving to a new city?" Spencer guessed. Lauren looked to him and couldn't help herself. She told him everything. Her explanation about the nightmares and not sleeping were accompanied by another barrage of hot tears.
"So that's about everything." Lauren finished feeling relieved yet foolish. "I know I sound so stupid." Her breath was ragged but she tried to smile. "I just can't seem to function without any sleep. And the only time I got that was when you stayed with me." Lauren's eyes widened. She hadn't meant to say that part.
Spencer had stayed quiet the entire time and finally Lauren looked to him. She stood, looking up at him and wishing she could take back everything she had just let out. She must have sounded crazy, and now what would he think of her? He seemed to be evaluating everything she said but finally he moved. His hand came up to her face and his thumb wiped away the last stray tear that fell from her eyes. But his hand stayed on her cheek, his fingers cupping the side of her face.
Lauren's heart was going a mile a minute, she could barely concentrate on anything but the feeling of his skin against hers.
Spencer had no idea what he was doing but was for once just following what he wanted to do instead of what was more logical. He liked what his instincts were telling him to do. Lauren had been so vulnerable and it crushed him just as badly as when he'd seen her after the attack. He couldn't bear to see her that way and his hand had moved before he'd had a chance to stop it. And now he couldn't move it. He didn't want to.
Lauren made the next move, her hands raising up to rest on his chest. They were cold and he felt it through his shirt making him shiver. She was waiting, he could see it in her wide, anticipating gaze. He realised he wasn't breathing. He didn't think he could. He'd never been so overcome with emotion it was frightening.
"Don't think." Lauren said in barely a whisper. She tip toed her face centimetres from his own. His mind whirled with memories of the last time they were this close. Missed opportunities. He wasn't going to miss this one. Not now he knew she returned every unusual yet empowering feeling. He leant his head to hers, his fingers running through her hair. Their lips brushed in the lightest touch and sent shock waves through Spencer.
"You want a cab, lady, or what?" Lauren pulled back suddenly and Spencer almost lost his balance.
"What?" Lauren's irritated, angry tone pretty much summed up how Spencer felt. The driver gestured to his vehicle and Spencer heard Lauren sigh. It took all his willpower not to grab her and ask her not get in that car. He knew she was waiting once again. Waiting for him to stop her. But this time he couldn't.
"Good night." He said and felt such a loathing for himself.
"Yeah." She replied in a disappointed tone. "Good night, Spencer." She gave a half hearted smile before gracefully getting into the cab.
With one last look she was gone. Spencer watched the cab until it had fully disappeared out of sight, and even then he still stood there. He'd never felt worse.
Lauren sat at the back of the cab her fingers fiddling with her sleeves. Spencer's face played in her mind, the fraction of a second his lips touched hers. She put her fingers on her bottom lip trying to savour the feeling. But it was so quick that it had gone before her brain had chance to comprehend it.
If she thought she was emotional before, now she was a unexploded bomb of feelings: lust, regret, annoyance, desire, want, caring, love and finally frustration. Complete and utter frustration. Why hadn't he just stopped her getting into the car? She groaned loudly making the cab driver look to her in his rear view mirror.
As the cab stopped outside Hotch's apartment building she sighed heavily letting out the last of her annoyance. The simple truth was that he'd almost kissed her. Spencer liked her. He wouldn't have done it unless he did. And that realisation was enough to make Lauren's face light up in a smile she couldn't get rid of.
That night Lauren slept.