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

(One Week Later)

JJ tossed her hair into a ponytail and shrugged on her jacket. She'd just been called in for yet another gruesome case.

The boys were already at school, and Will had agreed to pick them up. She would miss Henry's science fair. The realization flooded her with guilt, but it wouldn't be the first time she'd missed out on an event in the boys' lives due to her job.

At times, she thought about giving it up. Becoming a stay-at-home mom who baked cookies every night and volunteered for car washes. But whenever the temptation seized her, it was quickly replaced with an overwhelming feeling of sadness. She wasn't cut out for that life. She needed to be in the field, chasing down bad guys and falling asleep on airplanes. And she needed to be there for her team, to have their backs. The BAU was her home away from home, her second family.

"Be safe," Will said in her ear as he hugged her goodbye.

~

Fortunately, this case was a quick one, and before JJ knew it she was on the plane headed home. Reid had spent the afternoon teaching, and curious to see how he was doing, she dialed his number.

"Hello?"

"Spence," JJ said, "how are you?"

She heard him sigh over the line. His voice was low and deep, lacking his usual perkiness, as he answered, "I'm well. How did the case go?"

JJ took a few minutes to fill him in on their latest Unsub, and then disconnected when the pilot announced they were ready to begin their descent.

When she got home, JJ scooped the boys into her arms, then leaned over to give Will a peck on the lips.

"How was the science fair?" JJ asked Henry, and the little blond boy jumped up and down in excitement.

"I won fourth place!" Henry said, waving his ribbon at her.

"Wow!" JJ said, squeezing her son again. "I am so proud of you!"

After hearing a full recap of Henry's day, JJ noticed her younger son dozing on the couch. She nodded at Will, and informed Henry that it was time for bed.

"So I'm thinking of heading over to Spence's for a few hours," she said after the boys were tucked in and the adults had returned to the living room. "He's having a hard time."

Will nodded, not meeting his wife's gaze. "What time will you be home?"

"Definitely before midnight."

Will grimaced, and JJ bristled. She watched as her husband chewed his bottom lip.

"Is something wrong?"

Will's eyes met hers at last, and he sighed. "I wish you wouldn't run over there all the time. He's going to become dependent on you."

"He's my best friend."

"I just don't want another situation where he's crying on your shoulder week after week."

JJ leaned back, irritated. "Will, his mom is dying. Have a little compassion."

"Compassion? The boy is obviously still in love with you."

JJ watched Will rise up from the couch, hands on his hips, while JJ sat in silence, speechless.

"You know this isn't easy for me," Will began, his face red and his eyes squinty. "You and him."

JJ looked away, a familiar pang of guilt rising in her chest. "I'm sorry. I won't go."

"Except you want to." Will ran a hand over his chin, reaching to rub the back of his neck.

JJ opened her mouth to speak, then thought better of it. She watched her husband trace circles across the carpet, and at last an idea formed.

"What if I invite Luke and Penelope?"

Will turned to her, his expression grave. "Great. A double date."

"You're not being fair."

"I've been more than fair," Will rebutted, walking away from her. "Be home by midnight."

~

JJ could hear Penelope's laughter through the wall as she waited for Reid to open the door. When he did, the first thing JJ observed was a pair of dark circles under his eyes.

"Hey," she said, her smile faltering. "I'm so sorry. I hope this isn't too much for you."

"No, not at all," Reid covered quickly, motioning for her to come inside. His hair looked damp, as if he'd just stepped out of the shower. "To be honest, I'm glad you invited them."

JJ tried to disguise the hurt she felt at the comment, but Spence saw right through her.

"Because I've been meaning to give Garcia her birthday present for weeks," he explained, pointing to the small pink bag on the coffee table.

JJ smiled. "Unicorn pens?"

"How did you know?"

"Because I was on the phone with you when you bought them," she reminded him, laughing. Reid's face broke into a grin, and for just a moment, the darkness beneath his eyes seemed to fade away.

"JJ!" Penelope squealed then, leaping up from the couch. She was wearing colorful striped leggings and a flower-printed dress that only Penelope Garcia could pull off. She'd paired it with cat earrings and bright pink heels.

The girls hugged, and JJ waved across the room at Luke, who waved back with three fingers. Several containers of Chinese food sat on the table in front of him.

"We brought dinner," he said, gesticulating at the array in front of him.

"Thanks!" JJ called out, realizing that she hadn't eaten since this morning.

The four of them dug in, JJ and Reid seated cross-legged on the floor while Luke and Penelope shared their food, and the couch. It was strange to see the two of them together romantically, even though they'd been dating for over a year now and had plans to move in together. As Reid struggled to grasp small bites of rice with his chopsticks, JJ pulled an elastic band off her wrist and looped it around the wooden sticks, tying them together. Reid accepted the gesture with a blushing smile.

Then Penelope popped open a bottle of champagne, which made JJ nervous. This was hardly a time for celebrating, what with Diana's health struggles and Spence's state of mind. But when she looked over at him, he seemed to be smiling wider than ever, as if a night among friends was exactly what he needed to get his mind off things.

"Okay, game time," Penelope announced, placing a large green-and-red box on the coffee table.

JJ and Alvez both cheered when they saw what it was.

"I love Apples to Apples!" JJ said, tucking her hair behind her ear. She pointed at Spence. "But this one's never played."

Garcia's eyes opened so wide, it was comical. "No!"

"Apples to Apples?" Reid said, examining the box cover. "Do we have to eat them?"

The group roared with laughter, and the lid was removed.

"It's a game of comparisons," Alvez explained while Garcia began shuffling the cards. "The goal is to pick the noun that best matches the adjective played on the table."

Reid nodded. "Seems simple."

"But wait," JJ cut in, "the most obvious choice is not always the best. You have to get inside the other player's head. Think of what they would choose."

"But how am I supposed to know that?" Reid asked innocently.

"Well, for example, Garcia would probably pair the adjective 'cute' with the noun 'puppy,' but Alvez, on the other hand, would be more likely to go for something sarcastic, like 'Al Capone.'"

"I do love sarcasm," Alvez agreed, pointing at JJ. "Have you been profiling me, Agent?"

JJ shrugged her shoulders, then peeked at the hand in front of her. She had several outlandish cards, including a few that were sure to make Alvez chuckle.

"So," she said at last, "who's first?"

~

"I don't understand this game!" Reid barked, throwing his cards down on the table. "Paris is the obvious choice!"

"Not to me," Garcia said, waving the winning card in the air. The word "underwear" was written in bold black lettering.

"You need to think of what Garcia's idea of romance is," JJ explained, claiming the green card. "And clearly, I know her better than even her own boyfriend!"

"I had a crummy hand," Luke sighed, wrapping an arm around Garcia's shoulders. "But these hands, they know all about romance."

Penelope giggled ridiculously as Luke kissed her neck. JJ and Reid exchanged a look, feeling like third and fourth wheels.

"It's not logical," Reid groaned, reading his cards over again.

"It's not supposed to be," JJ replied, inching closer to him. "It's supposed to be funny. Let me see your cards."

Reid yanked away from her. "That's cheating!"

"What these two don't know won't hurt them," she said between gritted teeth, nodding at the lovers. "Come on, you haven't even won one round yet."

Reid twisted his nose in thought, then finally relented and held out his cards to JJ. She pointed at one of them.

"On Garcia's next turn, play that one."

"But we don't know what the word is yet."

"Just trust me," JJ said, and Reid's brow furrowed. "Unless you want to keep losing ... ."

Reid grinned at her, giving his cards one final examination. Luke and Penelope stopped giggling just in time to notice JJ's upturned green card.

Intelligent.

"Too bad we don't have a card for Boy Genius over here," Alvez said, ruffling Reid's hair.

JJ watched Reid out of the corner of her eye. Here was his chance, his round to win. He wouldn't even need her help.

The cards piled up, and JJ read each one in turn. "Vacuum cleaners, hmm. If that were true, can they figure out a way to keep my house clean for more than five minutes? Tom Hanks, yes, he is very intelligent from what I've heard. And ..."

She threw the final card down, then smiled.

"Cowboys," she said, and looked up at Reid. His grin warmed her heart. "Definitely cowboys."

"What!?" Alvez and Garcia both complained.

"I won one!" Reid burst out in triumph, seizing the green card.

"It's a private joke," JJ said to Garcia, who looked ready to empty the contents of the remaining Chinese food containers onto JJ's head.

By the end of the game, Reid had won several more rounds, and was feeling rather good about himself. But JJ was the clear winner, with enough cards to build her own Eiffel Tower of apples.

"Rematch!" Penelope declared as she and Alvez headed for the doorway.

"You got it," JJ grinned, fanning herself with the cards Penelope had accidentally left on the table.

"Give me those!"

JJ handed over the cards to Penelope, who passed them to Alvez. He stuck them under the lid and waved to Reid.

"Thanks for having us," he said.

"Thanks for coming!" Reid replied.

Garcia blew them each a few kisses from the doorway, and then the couple was gone.

JJ exhaled, then took out her phone. It was already 11:40.

"Well, I should be getting home too," she said, downing a glass of water. "I promised Will I'd be home by midnight."

Reid fought off a grin, but the grin prevailed. "Okay, Cinderella."

She jabbed at him with her elbow. "Looked like you had fun tonight."

"I really did. Thank you."

JJ beamed. "You're welcome."

Reid opened his arms wide for a hug, and JJ sank into them gratefully. She always felt so safe and comfortable in the arms of her best friend.

Just then, a phone chimed. JJ jumped, pulling apart from Spence, and the image of her husband's face came to mind. But when she checked her phone, it was blank.

Reid wrestled his own phone out of his pocket. "Hello?"

JJ chewed on her thumbnail as she watched her friend's face turn from jovial to devastated. His hand shook as he held the phone to his ear.

"Okay, got it. I'll be right there."

When Spence ended the call, his face was ashen. He cleared his throat, staring at the empty screen.

"My mom ... she's in the hospital."

***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!