A/N: Hello all! Thank you so much for the great reviews on my first fanfic. And this one was already planned for coming after Blood is Thicker, so I'm not riding my own coattails here. As usual, I don't own Criminal Minds (or a freaking CAR, for that matter) and I don't own any REAL place that could be mentioned throughout the story. I make no profit from this other than the cheap thrills of writing with someone else's characters.

One

It had been two months, three days, and four visits from a social services lady since Haley had moved in with Spencer in his apartment in Quantico. The transition from South to North was a bit difficult for her, as she was used to the hotter temperatures at her old home, she was freezing all the time in Virginia. The second she stepped woozily off of the BAU's jet, she was nearly trampled by Emily, JJ, and for the first time, Penelope Garcia. Emily seemed to have warmed to her as all three of the girls talked nonstop and simultaneously about what they should do, where they should go later, and if you need anything just let me know.

Haley wasn't genuinely surprised until she saw Hotch, Morgan, and Agent Rossi all standing around a red Jeep Liberty. "Who's is this?" she asked.

"That's yours, sweetheart!" Morgan laughed. "Did we get it right?"

Her mouth was agape. She whirled around to Spencer. "Did you let them do this?"

"He helped," Emily grinned. "We deduced what kind of car you would want when you got here. Now, can you answer Morgan's question?"

Haley could only nod. "It's perfect. I love it. How did you buy this for me? I'm not going to let you all just go off and… well… buy me a car!"

"We're family, Haley," Hotch said, leaning against the bumper. "Besides," he added with a smile, "it's used."

"And we are taking you shopping once you get unpacked!" Garcia said. "I'm so sorry you didn't get to meet me in person before. They rarely let me out into the world."

"No, Penelope, it's fine," Haley smiled. "Spencer tole me all about you. And please, you don't have to shop for me!"

She spent the rest of the summer resisting the BAU girls' requests to take her shopping at every opportunity, but she rarely succeeded. They spoiled her like aunts. Morgan took her on her first motorcycle ride, much to Spencer's horror. Hotch introduced her to Jack and took them fishing, where she identified every fish they caught and taught Jack the scientific name of each one, which delighted him. He said that it made him feel smart like "one of Dad's friends. Do you know him?"

At night, she would always be with Spencer, keeping him company in the apartment. She was horrified to discover he had no cookbooks and usually just ate TV dinners. Insisting that this pattern needed to stop, she stocked up on groceries and about twelve cookbooks one one of her shopping excursions with JJ, who had been dropping by a lot more often.

When the lights went off, she would always go around her room and close the shades. Then, without turning off her lamp, would fall into a disturbed sleep filled with Rita, Robert, and Edgar Cross. Again and again Gina, Kayla, and Sam would warn her not to talk to the boy on the bench. "You don't know what could happen!" came their voices every night.

She would always wake up screaming, and Spencer would always be in the room in seconds. "It's just another dream, Hales. I'm here, you know I'm always here. "There's nothing to be afraid of; it's just you an me here."

These mutterings would assuage her tears slightly, and they would read for about an hour while she calmed down. She would pretend that she was okay, she would close the book and announce it while telling Spencer that he needed his sleep more than she did. That crime never takes a summer break.

Haley thought of these things as she slammed her alarm clock off on the morning of her first day at Quantico High, Home of the Warriors. Yippee. "At least I'm a senior," she grumbled to herself as she forced her body out of bed. She looked fondly at her bedroom that Penelope helped her design. She had decided that liked the tech goddess within the first five seconds of meeting her.

Haley sighed as she lumbered across the hallway to the bathroom and took a quick shower, shaved her legs and pits, and walked out with a towel to wash face, brush teeth, put a little make-up on her eyes and her cheeks, which were always so sallow and pale. It must've been hereditery.

Still in her towel, she bolted across the hallway to avoid being seen by Spencer, who always acted weird when he saw her underwear in the wash. She couldn't imagine the look on his face if he caught her in a towel wrap. She dried her hair in her room and slipped on a purple t-shirt, putting on a gray sleeveless wool button up over it and a pair of her new blue jeans with some gray flats. It was a typical Haley outfit, nothing special about it whatsoever. She slipped her light book bag onto her shoulders and walked into the kitchen, where Reid was having coffee and bustling to put papers in his satchel.

He stopped when he saw her and gulped. She had somehow changed. She looked too pretty, too noticable. She was practially begging for another Edgar Cross to come by and catch her eye and think 'My how pretty, I might want a trophy of that…' Again, he had gotten ahead of himself as she let him know it, arching an eyebrow and pouring a bowl of cereal. "Late for work?" she asked.

"No, right on time, actually. You remember the way… never mind, that's a stupid question, of course you do. But… I… You'll be okay today?" he asked softly.

Haley smiled up at him from her position at the table. She finished chewing her Cheerios and swallowed. "I'll try not to get into too much trouble today, Spence," she said, her eyes smiling as her mouth quirked up at one end. She looked at the clock. "You've got fifteen minutes," she said, raising her eyebrows.

"I know," Spencer said, buckling up his holster. "I'm gone. I'll see you later tonight if I can, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Haley laughed as he kissed the top of her head and was out the door in a flash. She was tired looking at him. She finished off her bowl and looked at her clock. She herself had only ten minutes to get there, find her locker and her first class. She slung the book bag onto her shoulder and locked the apartment, going to the parking garage where her Liberty stood. She smiled every time she saw that car.

She hopped in and backed out and reached the school in under eight minutes. Two minutes left. She parked and watched high schoolers flow into the building. Nothing new for them, just the start of another year. Haley took a deep breath. The start of a new life for her. She slung her bag on her shoulder one more time and locked the car, with intentions of walking into that school like she owned the place.