***Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds (although it would be really cool if I did!)

(1 year after the events of the Season 15 finale)

Reid was late. Which didn't make any sense, because Reid was never late.

JJ found herself growing worried as she sat around the table listening to the team's latest debriefing. She tried to follow the flat tone and minimal hand gestures of their new IT specialist, Brian Young, but her mind couldn't help but wander.

She missed Garcia, and the way her old friend would cringe before delivering the news of the latest organ-cutting, Satan-worshipping serial killer to hit their radar. The BAU hadn't been the same since Penelope left.

And now JJ's best friend and twin flame, Spence, was nowhere to be found.

Just as JJ's heart rate began to amplify, Spence stumbled into the room, his hair even more disheveled than usual.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, his eyes focusing on Emily, their team leader.

"We can catch you up on the plane," Emily replied, stacking her paperwork and rising from her chair. "Wheels up in ten."

JJ lingered in her seat, fighting the urge to ambush Reid until everyone else was out of earshot. She reached out a hand, catching Reid by the crook of the elbow as he began to head for the doorway.

"Woah," she said, pulling him toward her. "I know that look. What's going on?"

Spence's eyelids drooped as he gazed at the floor. "It's my mom. She's not doing well."

JJ sucked in a breath. They had both been preparing for this day ever since Diana had experienced a rare breakthrough last year. The doctor had informed Reid that the improvement would be followed by a rapid and painful decline, but so far her mental state had remained fairly healthy.

JJ pulled her friend close and wrapped her arms around him. She breathed in the scent of cinnamon and banana that she associated with Spence's shampoo, and rubbed his back.

"It's fine," he choked out, gripping her tightly. "I knew it was coming. I just ..."

JJ nodded against his shoulder. As Reid drew back, she clutched his elbows and forced him to meet her eyes.

"Emily would understand if you wanted to sit this one out."

"No," Reid shook his head, a strand of hair falling into his eyes. "I need the distraction."

JJ took her usual seat next to Reid on the plane, allowing him the privacy of a window seat while she sat near the aisle. The interior of the jet still smelled brand new, its blue walls a far cry from the cheerful, light-colored atmosphere their old plane had cast upon them. Before it went up in flames, that is.

Emily recapped the case—a series of family murders in Oakland, California that seemed linked. But JJ couldn't focus on the details, her mind shifting to Diana all alone in that nursing home, confused and angry.

When they arrived in Oakland, Reid and JJ were paired off and sent to one of the houses where the crime had taken place. This was always JJ's least favorite part of the job. Seeing the limp bodies of parents and children nearly destroyed her. But it was also the thing that kept her coming back each day, desperate to catch the perps before they got a chance to hurt anyone else's loved ones.

As she ducked under the yellow caution tape and entered through the front door, Reid's phone rang in his pocket. She heard him pick up, then busied herself with surveying the crime scene and looking for clues that would explain the psyche of the monster who'd done this.

"Well, what did you tell her?" Spence's voice grew louder and more agitated, and JJ winced. Clearly the news wasn't good. "That's not going to do any good. She can't remember who she is!"

JJ kneeled beside the victim on the ground, a father in his early forties, just as Reid let out a frustrated sigh and snapped on a pair of plastic gloves.

"Sorry," he said, and the pain in his voice made JJ want to cry.

"Spence—"

"She's spiraling," Reid cut her off, sniffling. "Refusing to take her meds. Not that they were doing any good anymore, anyway."

JJ studied her friend, hunched over and blotting at his eyes with the back of his wrist. She didn't know how to help him, but she was desperate to try.

***Author Note: If you enjoy this fanfiction, please check out my self-published book series on Amazon (see link in my profile). For some Jeid videos I've created, check out my YouTube channel (also linked in my profile). Thanks so much for all the support!