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

"To quickies!" Tara cheered, raising her glass as she twirled on Rossi's lawn.

"To quickies!" the gang all shouted back, except JJ.

It was weird being here without Will. Even weirder, considering they'd gotten married here, in this very yard, at what she'd believed then was only another post-work celebration.

JJ watched as Alvez and Garcia twerked on the dance floor. They were so unabashedly into each other, it made JJ long for the days when she used to feel that way about Will. Not that she didn't still feel things for him—she did. She loved him deeply, and always would. But there was something missing. That spark, that tingling down her spine. That itch.

JJ drained her third glass of red wine, and frowned. Reid was standing off by himself, watching as a familiar love song came on over the speakers and couples reached for each other. Rossi and Krystall, Emily and Mendoza, Matt and Kristy ... Even Tara had found a partner in Brian, if only for the duration of a Johnny Mathis classic.

Reid must have felt her looking at him, because his head twitched to the side and he returned her gaze. What he saw there, JJ didn't know, but whatever it was, it propelled him toward her.

JJ stiffened, goosebumps forming on her bare legs. She hoped he wouldn't ask her to dance. Not because she didn't want to ... but because she did. She wanted to, and she knew she shouldn't, which only made her want it even more.

"Having fun?" Spence asked, his eyelids creasing as he smiled at her.

JJ chuckled. "No. You?"

"No," he said, his mouth twisting into a grin. "The two youngest members of the team sure know how to party, huh?"

She grinned at him, and he pointed to her empty glass. "Want a refill?"

JJ exhaled, slowly and dramatically. "Sure. Why not."

Reid scanned the beverage table, which held over twelve wine bottles, half of which were now empty. He passed over the few nearest to him, then reached to pluck a Pinot Noir from the back row.

Her favorite wine.

JJ accepted the newly-filled glass with a shy smile. Spence raised his arm, and they touched glasses.

"Did you know," Spence began after sipping his wine, "that the term 'toasting' comes from Ancient Rome? The Romans would drop a piece of toasted bread into their wine glass to soften unsavory tastes."

JJ nodded along, although at four glasses in, her brain was having a hard time keeping up with Spence's train of thought. "You don't say."

"Yup. It's interesting. The Romans actually adapted the tradition from the Greeks, who would require the host of a dinner party to take the first sip to assure his guests that the wine hadn't been poisoned."

Her jaw stiffened on that last word. "Are you trying to poison me, Spence?"

"What? No," he laughed, his cheeks burning. "I was just explaining the history behind—"

"Wanna get out of here?"

Spence's eyebrows flew up in shock. JJ covered her mouth, embarrassed. She hadn't meant for it to come out that way.

"And go for a walk," she specified, pointing to Rossi's lavish gardens. "Over there?"

Reid sputtered, "Oh, yeah. Sure."

JJ turned on her heels and took off for the garden, mortified. Spence toddled after her, a terrier bouncing at her heels. When they reached the bench, JJ moved to sit down and nearly missed, but Spence extended an arm and caught her by the waist, saving her dress.

"There you go," he said, easing her into the seat beside him. "I probably should have asked how many glasses you've had before giving you another."

JJ scoffed. "I'm fine!"

"You're tipsy," Reid corrected her, taking the glass from her hand. "Possibly even drunk."

"I am not drunk."

Reid held a finger in front of her face, and JJ's eyes crossed. The movement made her nauseous, and she closed her eyes to stop the spinning.

"Correction: You are definitely drunk," Reid pronounced, spilling the contents of her glass onto the grass beneath their feet.

"Fine, I'll just drink yours," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

Reid replied by hurling the contents of his glass into the fountain.

"That's wasteful," JJ frowned, smacking him lightly on the arm. "And poisonous to the fish."

"There aren't any fish, Jennifer," Reid said, motioning to her purse. "Give me your keys."

"What?"

"I'm not letting you drive home like this."

JJ rolled her eyes. "I'm not an idiot, Spence. I'll sober up before I get behind the wheel."

But Reid wouldn't take no for an answer. He held his hand out in front of her nose, wiggling his fingers until she finally placed her keys in his palm.

"Thank you," he said politely, slipping the keys into his jacket pocket. "Now, tell me why you've had four glasses of wine this evening. You usually stop after two."

"Three and a half," she corrected him. "You spilled the rest. And how do you know how many glasses I've had?"

"Jennifer," he said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Is everything okay?"

JJ stared at him for a moment, unsure what to say. She wished she could just sink against his chest and cry out the tears that had been building up inside her for hours, but Spence had enough going on. He didn't need to carry her burdens, too.

"Yes," she whispered, accentuating the "s" as if she were a snake. "Everything's fine."

Reid's worried eyes passed over her. "But I know everything isn't fine, JJ, just like I know what you're like after two drinks, and three, and four. You're my best friend. You can tell me."

The pleading tone of his voice broke her. She swiped at her nose, then guiltily accepted the handkerchief he handed her.

"This is so selfish," she sniffled, her voice catching. "Your mom's dying, and I'm crying over a stupid fight with Will."

Reid's back arched as he took in her words. "What was the fight about?"

"He didn't want me to come out tonight. It was supposed to be Date Night. He doesn't understand that the BAU has traditions, and those traditions are sacred."

"But you've canceled on him before," Reid said, his face making its customary pucker that meant he was trying to work through something. "And he never started a fight over it then."

JJ looked up at the stars, so she wouldn't have to look at Reid as she said what was on her lips next. "He's jealous that I've been devoting so much time to the team ... To you."

Reid's gaze softened, and he folded his hands in his lap. "Oh."

"I explained about your mom and all the shit you're going through, but he's just ... I don't know. Look, Spence, this isn't your fault."

Reid shook his head, his hair flopping wildly. "It kind of is."

"No," JJ said, placing a hand on his arm. "It's not. This was my choice. I chose to cancel our plans. I chose to come out tonight. And if I had to do it over again, I'd make the same choice."

Spence's brow furrowed, his lips parting. A question formed on his lips, one he didn't dare say aloud.

JJ took his hand in hers, smiling through her tears. "You mean the world to me, Spence."

Reid looked down at their entwined hands, a glimmer of emotion in his eyes. He didn't need to say it back. They both already knew.

"Is there anything I can do?" he said finally, releasing her hand.

JJ cleared her throat. "I don't think so. This has been going on for a while now. I guess Will's just tired of being constantly disappointed."

Reid's eyes flared. "You are not a disappointment."

"I know. But this job ... it takes so much. You know?"

Reid nodded, his eyes on his shoes. "That's part of the reason why Max and I didn't work out. She couldn't handle my missing birthdays, holidays, fancy dinners ..."

The words stumbled out of JJ's mouth before she could catch them. "Well that's a relief. I thought I might have been the reason."

Reid's eyes lifted up to meet hers slowly. JJ swore silently to herself. What an arrogant, inappropriate, inconsiderate thing to say! She would never have more than three drinks at a work function ever again.

"Yeah. That was the other part," Spence said to her, barely above a whisper.

JJ hesitated, unsure what to say next. Thank you? Sorry? How about them Redskins?

Fortunately, she didn't have to figure it out. As the two of them sat side-by-side, exchanging lingering glances, Emily called out.

"JJ! Reid! Come over here! We have an announcement to make!"

JJ studied Reid's face, but he'd already recovered. Resuming his professional exterior, he held out an arm to steady her as they made their way over to the group.

Once among the team, Reid's hand remained hovering on JJ's lower back—keeping her from falling, she told herself. She fought off the blush threatening to creep onto her face and focused on taking slow, measured breaths.

"Guys," Emily began, her hand clutching Mendoza's, "Andrew and I have some news to share with you all." The pair exchanged a nervous glance. "We're getting married!"

***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!