***Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Criminal Minds.

When JJ saw Reid at work on Monday, she felt a strange thrill run through her. His back was turned and he was in the middle of explaining some complex algorithm to Simmons, but JJ couldn't prevent her mind from flashing back to that night. Reid, in his boxers. Reid, in nothing at all.

"Good morning, JJ," Emily greeted her, walking past her in the direction of her office. JJ's boss took one look at her and halted in her tracks, backpedaling. "Something seems off about you, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

JJ's head swam with curses, and she wished for once she didn't work with a team of profilers who made a living out of reading facial expressions and body language. "Nope, everything's good. I did a really intense workout this morning, so I'm a bit flushed."

Emily nodded, seeming to believe this lie. "Well, drink plenty of water today. We're going to Texas, so it's gonna be a hot one."

As the Chief of the BAU finally left her alone in peace, JJ breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize that Alvez and Tara were now studying her with amused grins on each of their faces.

"I know that look," Tara whispered, leaning closer to JJ. "Who's the lucky guy?"

JJ laughed, her gaze glancing off toward the neon exit sign. Was it too late to take a sick day and make a break for it? "No one, unless you count the bicycle at spin class."

By this point, Reid had now spotted her, and was busy trying to absorb a very deep blush of his own. JJ prayed he wouldn't do something obvious to give their relationship away, like clear his throat or excuse himself to go to the bathroom.

"Alright," Tara smirked, poking her on the forearm, "you'll tell me when you're ready."

JJ rolled her eyes, sinking into her chair and hiding behind her computer as quickly as she could. She could feel Spencer's eyes on her from across the room, but couldn't bear to acknowledge him just yet—not in front of all these watchful psychoanalysts.

When Prentiss summoned them all to the briefing room a few moments later, JJ dallied, giving everyone else ample time to shuffle out. Reid, catching on, followed suit.

"Morning," he smiled at her after the rest of the team had exited the room.

"Morning," she beamed, her cheeks growing hot. "Sorry about before. I probably made things worse by not saying hello."

"Nah," Reid grinned, stacking the files on his desk in a neat pile. "So, uh, how are you doing?"

"Good," JJ replied, risking an anxious glance at the briefing room. "Look, Spence, I know this is awkward, but could we maybe keep things on the down-low, at least for a while? I just don't want anything to get weird at work."

"I completely agree," Reid responded, standing up straighter. "It'll be our little secret."

JJ narrowed her eyebrows. "You're not disappointed?"

"Why would I be?" Reid asked, his voice shifting into a low, husky timbre. "You just implied that what we have is going to stick around for a while."

JJ blushed even harder. She pinched her cheeks together, fighting back a childlike grin. "Well then, shall we get in there?"

Reid held out a hand. "After you."

~

As it turned out, remaining platonic at work was a lot harder than JJ had assumed it would be. Every time Reid held a door for her or gave up his window seat on the jet, she felt a rush of glee and had to tamper it down by picturing the latest Unsub's handiwork in order to keep her face from betraying her true feelings. Which was silly, because Reid had been doing these things for years, and his gentlemanly nature had never made her giddy before. So why now?

To help keep their secret, JJ and Reid both agreed to try not to always sit together on the jet. They took separate cars to work, even though they often woke up together at the same place. They even made a conscious decision to eat lunch with other people on the team, so as not to arouse suspicion.

Yet, despite their best efforts, JJ couldn't help but sense that their teammates were starting to catch on. Alvez was one thing; Garcia had probably filled him in on every juicy detail of JJ's dates with Reid. But Tara was infamous for not being able to keep her mouth shut, and if she caught wind of it, then all hope was surely lost.

Thankfully, Emily had a habit of assigning Reid and JJ to work cases together, just the two of them. Whenever this happened, JJ found herself unable to keep her hands off Doctor Reid. They held hands in the car as JJ drove, exchanged sly kisses behind trees, and even stole away to a janitor's closet during a particularly long afternoon of interrogations.

One morning, Reid and JJ arrived at work just a few minutes behind schedule, Reid's hair still wet and floppy from his morning shower. JJ had gone in first, taken her seat, and looked around, as if mystified that Spencer Reid wasn't already hard at work. When Reid strutted in a few minutes later, JJ could swear she saw Tara and Rossi smirk at each other over their coffee mugs.

Later that same morning, while breezing by Reid on her way to the bathroom, Tara paused, inhaled through her nose, and informed Reid that he smelled "especially fruity" that day. JJ tensed against the wall, praying that the keen profiler wouldn't recognize the floral scent of JJ's shampoo.

~

By the time Emily's wedding to Mendoza arrived, JJ and Reid were on the cusp of revealing the whole thing and ending this darn charade. They wanted more than anything to go together, to be able to dance and flirt and kiss like a normal couple. But neither was quite sure how the rest of the team would react. Alvez had waited until the precise moment that Garcia left the team before asking her out on their first date. Was inter-team fraternization frowned upon? There was nothing in the company's policy banning romantic relationships between BAU members, but that didn't necessarily mean it was celebrated, either.

When they arrived at the wedding five minutes apart, JJ driving her car and Reid taking a different route to avoid suspicion, Garcia greeted them both in the parking lot with a scathing glare.

"Would you two cut it out?" she hissed.

Reid looked at her quizzically. "I don't know what you're talking about, Garcia."

The spunky blond frowned at him. "Oh, please. The jig is up. Everyone knows about Jeid."

"Shhhh," JJ spat, looking all around. "Be careful!"

Garcia rolled her eyes. "You two are ridiculous," she sighed, grabbing them each by the hand. "We're all three going to walk in there together, just like we did at that awful football game that Reid should have told me was a date so I didn't show up like a goofy and oblivious third wheel."

"I didn't know you would be there!"

JJ pouted. "Yeah, have I apologized for that lately?"

The smile she got in return made her stomach warm. "There's no need. We got it right eventually."

"Yeah," Garcia huffed, "except that you still won't tell anyone about your squeal-worthy, fates-defying, decades-in-the-making romantic relationship!"

"Shhh!" JJ and Reid both shot back this time.

As they approached their pew, Garcia motioned for Reid to slide in next to Alvez, then filed in behind him, leaving JJ on the end.

"Happy?" Garcia growled in her ear. "Now neither of us is sitting next to our boyfriend at a wedding."

"Shhhh," JJ whispered yet again, earning a rare, deadly look from Garcia.

The ceremony began, and when Emily appeared from the back of the church in a long, billowing white dress, JJ and Garcia both lost it. Reid reached into his pocket, pulling out a handkerchief, which Garcia was quick to snatch up before it could make its way to JJ. When JJ turned to Alvez for assistance, the man shrugged his shoulders, clearly not prepared for this form of chivalry.

The reception took place in a small barn two blocks away, so all the guests had their choice of shuttling over in their cars or making the journey on foot. Due to the limited parking at the dance hall, JJ felt this was excuse enough to carpool with Reid, and save herself the trouble of stumbling over concrete and dirt in high heels.

When they arrived, they located their assigned seats, relieved to see that they were placed at the same table. JJ coyly switched nameplates with Tara, so that she could sit beside Reid for the rest of the night.

The newlyweds were introduced to a roar of applause, and then, one by one, couples took to the dance floor. Garcia and Alvez swayed to the beat, Emily and Mendoza clasped hands, and Simmons dipped his wife, who, for once, was not expecting and could consume an amount of alcohol appropriate for a wedding.

When Tara asked Reid if he'd like to dance, he first looked at JJ. She grinned and flashed him a thumbs up, a gesture she couldn't remember using in years.

A bittersweet sensation rolled over her as she sat and watched Reid rock side to side with Tara. She knew it was just a harmless dance, and Reid was not Tara's type. But she wanted to be the one dancing with him, free of inhibitions, careless as to who might be watching.

When a deep voice echoed behind her, JJ swiveled to stare into the chocolate brown eyes of Derek Morgan.

"Wanna dance?"

JJ replied in the form of a tight hug, then allowed her friend to guide her toward the dance floor.

"So, he finally wore you down," Morgan spoke in her ear as they swayed back and forth.

JJ hesitated, then let out a breath. "Let me guess. Penelope?"

Morgan chuckled. "She was never one to keep a secret. But more importantly, why aren't you over there dancing with the kid, instead of me?"

A sigh escaped JJ's lips. "We're trying to keep it between us. And failing, obviously."

"Well, what do you expect? You work with a bunch of nerdy profilers."

JJ cracked a smile. "I just don't want things to change around the office. That way, if things don't work out, no one will be the wiser."

Morgan hummed. "That's what it always comes back to with you, isn't it?"

JJ broke away from him, leaning back to look him in the eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You did the same thing with Will. Tread delicately so when things go south, you can press the reset button and act like nothing happened."

JJ remained silent, unsure what to say. But Morgan wasn't finished.

"It's okay to be scared, JJ. You two have a lot riding on this. Sixteen years of friendship. Your careers."

"Well, when you put it like that ..."

Morgan grinned. "But that's what makes it special. Your history. You've been through thick and thin together and still can't seem to fall out of love with each other. The only way I see the two of you going south is if you're too afraid to be all in. Because he is. Always has been."

At this, Morgan lifted his chin, nodding to Reid, who was shying away from Tara as she reached a deeper state of inebriation that involved belly rolls and some serious twerking.

Thankfully for Reid, the upbeat music ended and a slow song came on. Morgan met JJ's gaze.

"Well, I have a date I'd really like to dance to this song with. What about you?"

JJ smiled. "I miss you. Spence does too."

"I'm always here," Morgan said, disappearing into the crowd.

JJ dodged bodies as she weaved her way through the dancers toward Spencer Reid. Tara was seated at the table guzzling another glass of wine, creating the perfect opportunity for JJ to step in and fill her shoes.

"Hey," she said, sidling up to Reid. The moment he saw her, a wide grin burst onto his face. "Wanna dance?"

Reid's eyes locked onto hers. "Absolutely."

JJ circled her arms around his neck, and Reid rested his cheek against hers. They swayed to the rhythm, eyes closed, blocking out the rest of the world for this one moment in time.

When the song ended, a jazzy tune erupted over the speaker, jerking JJ awake. But before she could run away, Rossi was at their side, swaying with Crystal and raising his voice to be heard over the noise.

"It's about time you two dropped the act!" he shouted.

JJ blanched. "What act?"

Rossi shook his head. "Quit it! You're not fooling anyone!"

Reid and JJ turned to each other, hesitating. Then, JJ smiled.

"How long have you all known?"

"For months!" Rossi answered, while Crystal giggled beside him. "You're damn good profilers, but you could use some help in the acting department."

Reid's jaw dropped as Rossi backed away, towing his wife along with him. "Can you believe that?"

"Well ..." JJ began, smirking, "you do have a tell."

~

"Hello, everyone!" Garcia hollered, clinking a fork against her glass. "I wasn't planning on saying anything tonight, but Emily insisted. Apparently, she has no problem sharing the spotlight, which is just crazy, right? I mean, a wedding day is every girl's dream! And to let some hussy cut in and take the attention away from you—"

"I think you're getting off topic, dear," Alvez interrupted her, grinning. "We're engaged!"

Shrieks of joy echoed throughout the barn. JJ smiled at Spence, squeezing his hand. From across the room, she could just make out Morgan's broad shoulders as he clapped along with the crowd.

Simmons twisted in his chair to look at JJ and Reid. "You two will be next!"

JJ blushed, while Reid laughed beside her. Ignoring the comment, they stood up to approach the happy couple, fingers entwined.

"So much for not being able to keep a secret!" JJ squealed, embracing her friend.

"Who said I can't keep a secret?"

"Everyone!" JJ and Reid said together, and Garcia placed her hands on her hips, turning to glare at each team member in turn.

"I'll have you know, I've known about these two for months and I never said a word to anyone!"

"Except me," Alvez said, raising a hand.

"And me," Morgan replied, his glass raised for a toast.

"She might have hinted at it," Emily began, earning Garcia a furious glare from JJ.

"Penelope!"

"What? I told you, I'm terrible at keeping secrets!"

***Author Note: As I'm writing this, my fanfic ranks #2 in Jeid. You guys are amazing!! Thank you so much for all the comments, likes, and follows. Writing this fic has been so cathartic for me, because I was really bummed out for a while after CM ended. It's a great feeling to continue the Jeid love story, and I feel so blessed to be able to share it with all of you lovely Jeid fans! Before I get too sappy, we still have one more chapter to go, and I promise, it's going to be a very special one. :)

If you enjoy this fanfiction, please check out my self-published books 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 again (and again and again and again) for all the support!