Winnie

Know-It-All

Hotch held a little meeting about Winnie while she wrote her testimony. Garcia dug up as much information about her as possible.

"Winnipeg Thompson. 23. Graduated high school at age 11 and got her first degree at age 14. She mostly studied after that, earning several PhDs and BAs. She's more impressive than Reid." Penelope glanced at the boy, "Sorry, Boy Wonder, but Girl Wonder's got you beat." Spencer just smiled.

"Why was she never reported missing?" Emily asked.

"Her mother died when she was five and her father died when she was 14." Garcia said then looked up from her tablet.

"But still, a friend would notice if you went missing." Emily looked around.

"Not if you don't have any." Reid spoke up for the first time since he had talked to Hotch, before the interrogation. "I know i didn't"

"Okay, what about a co-worker?" Morgan asked.

"No, she's unemployed." JJ said.

"You're telling me that a 20 year old girl just drops of the face of the earth for two and a half years and no one even blinks?" Morgan asked.

"I blinked." Spencer said. He had 'blinked'. Spencer Reid was the only person to notice Winnie in her time of absence. The only person who actually tried to find her. Spencer lost himself in his head but was suddenly pulled back when a knock sounded on the door.

"I finished." Winnie said shyly. She knew they were talking about her. She hated when people talked about her. All her life when she walked in people whispered and stared. Most tried to hide it but she knew.

"Thank you." Hotch said taking the pad of paper from her. It was full of details about Winnie's abduction and location and torture.

The first sentence at the top of the page read, "For Agent Aaron Hotchner only."

Winnie didn't mind sharing her story but it was very personal. She didn't want everyone to read the details about her stay with Tobias. She had gone into specific detail about what she was thinking at the time it happened and how quickly she discovered Tobias' identity disorder. She left out some details like what exactly he burned on to her back and of course the dilaudid. Everything else, however, was in the notepad.

She almost wished she didn't have to give it up. She wanted to keep it. To make sure it was real. Sure she still had the scars but this notepad had everything.

The notepad soon left Winnie's hands, she felt so vulnerable and weak. But she refused to show it. Instead she just sat down next to Spencer, unsure of what to do next.

Everyone stared at her and Spencer. Spencer was extraordinary and to have him here is one in a million but Winnie as well? What were the chances of having two Spencers? Or having two Spencers and them both be kidnapped by the same man? These odds were near impossible.

Spencer spoke almost as if he had read their minds, "The odds that the two of us are in the same room right now are similar to that of winning the lottery three times in a row."

Winnie, knowing her numbers, replied, "1 in 41,951,448." Winnie saw amazement in some eyes and confusion in others', so she explained, "In a lottery in which you pick 6 numbers from a possible pool of 49, your chances of winning the jackpot are 1 in 13,983,816. So our odds are similar to that of 1 in 41,951,448. I mean... if you wanted to be exact." Winnie mumbled near the end. She shouldn't have said anything. People usually don't like when she talks. But instead of brushing her off or telling her to shut up, everyone smiled.

Spencer was beginning to like Winnie. He finally had someone he could talk and relate to.

"What's your IQ, if you don't mind me asking." Spencer asked.

Winnie was always shy about herself and her brain. No one ever really cared that much to ask. People would just call her a weird nerd then keep away.

"192." She said quietly. Spencer looked at her with a kind of awe. The rest of the team were awestruck also. They had never met anyone even remotely as smart as Reid and then Winnie pops up from a psycho's basement and blows them all away.

Winnie felt a little uncomfortable with all the attention on her. She spent most of her life either invisible or trying to be invisible. Never once had she ever been the topic of discussion for this long and she wanted desperately to change the conversation to something else, anything else.

"Why, what's your IQ?" Winnie asked Spencer. She already gathered that he was intelligent from all the books in his apartment. She also knew he had to be smart since he was able to find her. The way he carried himself, spoke and dressed also added to her deduction. She guessed, from her observations, that his IQ was in the 170s.

"187." Above her estimate.

The team eagerly awaited her response, but before she could reply David Rossi walked in. He had not been present at all during Winnie's interrogation at the office. He was called to look into a case across the state.

"David Rossi!" Winnie exclaimed. "I've read all your books!" Winnie jumped up to greet him.

"Hi. Always nice to meet a fan, and you are?" You could tell he was tired from his drive but he smiled nonetheless.

"Winnipeg Thompson. Pleasure to meet you." Despite hating shaking hands and sharing germs, Winnie shook his hand. However, afterward, she immediately reached for the hand sanitizer that rested in the middle of the table.

"Okay, well, if you'll excuse me, i have some business to discuss with my team." Rossi said then glanced at Hotch. He then handed the note pad to Spencer who lead Winnie out of the room. Winnie was used to being brushed off but by David Rossi? She could tell by his writings that he is kind, yet still is highly disciplined and focused.

Winnie followed Spencer out anyway.

"What kind of case are they working?" Winnie asked. She knew she shouldn't ask but she was honestly curious.

"Rossi was investigating several sniper serial killings that were taking place right here in Virginia." He shouldn't have said anything. She was just a civilian. But Spencer liked Winnie and wanted to connect with her. He never really connected well with people but somehow he knew Winnie would be different.

Winnie glanced at the shut door of the briefing room, her sight still blurry.