A/N: You all probably saw this coming. It will be a long time before I can address "Entropy" in "Partners," so a canon version came to mind. I'm going to call this a one-shot for now as I have to at least wrap up "Shared Genius" before I try to add another story to balance. It also shouldn't be surprising that JJ and the kids would be who I'd use to comfort Reid. Hopefully, TPTB will see it in their hearts to start to give our genius some good news, but until then, all we can do is hope.
Reid sighed as he took a sip of his coffee while sitting on his couch. He was still drained from his 'date' with Cat last night, but couldn't get his mind to shut off long enough to get some extra sleep. Hotch had ordered everyone to not come in until 10 give how late they were out the night before yet Reid still found himself up before 7. He had busied himself with his normal routine, which ate up 42 minutes. And now he simply sat. He hated the idea of idle time on his hands, knowing he was just going to get locked into his own thoughts.
Why? Why dementia? His mom had a hard enough time remembering so many things on her good days, why do those memories now need to be taken away by something else? Not to mention-
A knock on his door startled him. Glancing at his watch, he realized it wasn't even 8 am. Who could that possibly be?
"Just a second," he called out as he set down his coffee. He was soon at his door, glancing through the peephole. What he saw was quite unexpected, but he was quick to open the door.
"Uncle Spence! I've missed you!"
A blond seven year old attached himself to his legs. Reid shot JJ a confused look as he shifted so he could hug his godson. Well, one of them. The other was bundled up and on his mom's hip. "Hey Henry! I've missed you too, bud. What are you doing here so early...and on a school day?" He held the boy tight for a moment, having dearly missed the energy and love his godson always sent him during his time away from the team.
"It's Show and Tell today and Ms. Sullivan said family could come see too! I'm gonna do magic! Will you come watch me?"
Reid blinked as he processed this. He looked at the boy's mom again. She smiled. "I was going to ask you right when you got back but..." She paused and he knew what she meant. That case took over everything as soon as he walked back into the doors of the BAU. "You up for it? We need to head there now so he's not late."
Reid smiled and looked down to meet Henry's eyes. "I'd love to Henry, let me just grab my coat and bag." He was quick to throw on his jacket and beloved purple scarf and slip his messenger bag over his shoulder, his cup of coffee now abandoned on its namesake table.
"Yay!" Henry grabbed his hand after Reid locked his door, pulling him down the stairs and to JJ's car. He heard her chuckle as she remotely unlocked the doors so he could help secure Henry while she got Michael into his car seat. "Let's go!"
JJ pulled out and headed to the school. "Patience, Henry," she gently chided her son.
"What trick are you going to do for Show and Tell, Henry?" Reid asked as they drove to his school.
"It's a surprise, Uncle Spence!" Henry replied. "A magician never reveals his secrets."
Reid couldn't have stopped the smile that crossed his face if he had tried. He noticed the look of amusement on his friend's face as well. "You've taught him well, Spence," she teased. "He's been practicing in his room for weeks and won't let Will or I in the room while he is."
Reid chuckled softly at that, amused and touched that he had such an impact on the young boy's life that he'd want to share magic with his class. Soon they were parked at his school and Reid had to scramble to keep up with the energetic second grader. Again, he was pretty sure he heard JJ's laugh from behind him. She knew just what her son could do to him, could put a smile on his face when others might not be able to. Although, drunk Garcia was an amusing sight last night.
"Over here, Spence," JJ gestured to a corner of the classroom where a few other parents were standing. It shook him out of his thoughts about the case last night again. JJ smiled and waved at a few. When she pulled off Michael's knit cap so the infant could see a little better he seemed to finally register the other person with his mom. He cooed and kicked, a big smile on his face. "Well, I see Henry wasn't the only one to miss you," JJ whispered since Ms. Sullivan was starting class. Before Reid could even respond, she handed the baby over.
Reid secured him and smiled at the boy. "Hi Michael," he whispered, earning him another smile. He tucked him to his side and took the pacifier from JJ so he'd hopefully stay quiet for the class. The group watched a few kids present their items. One had brought in her new hamster, another a Redskins jersey he wore to a recent game – that one got a big smile from JJ and made Reid chuckle, and another had a scarf her grandma had knitted. Then it was Henry's turn.
Reid watched with curiosity as Henry pulled a few things out of his backpack, a smile crossing his lips as soon as he registered the trick he was going to try. Reid had shown it to him during his visit right before he took off to Vegas. He hadn't known how long he was going to be gone at the time and wanted to be sure to see his godsons once more before the year had ended.
The boy masterfully showed his class a bottle of water and a packet of ketchup before putting the ketchup packet in the bottle. "Watch as I move the ketchup with my mind!" he exclaimed. Reid smiled with pride as the class oohed and awed as the packet moved up and down in the bottle. The boy sent a wide smile to him and Reid shifted Michael so he could give him a thumbs up.
"Wow, Henry! Where did you learn your magical abilities from?" Ms. Sullivan asked. Reid briefly noted how pretty she was and how much the students seemed to like and respect her.
"From my Uncle Spence!" He pointed to Reid in the back of the classroom. Reid shyly waved when all the heads turned to face him. "He's the best magician in the world!"
Ms. Sullivan smiled at her student's excitement. She was touched that the man had come to the class as well. It showed her just how much he cared for the boy. It wasn't often she saw adults besides the kids' parents come to these things. "Really? Well maybe he could do a few tricks for the class?" The kids all cheered.
JJ smirked. "Somehow I saw that coming." She shoulder bumped Reid before taking her son back. Reid bit his lip, nervous. "You'll be fine, go."
Reid took a deep breath and headed to the front of the class. "Hello everyone." He quickly thought over what tricks he could pull. The kids all said hi back to him. "Henry, do you still have your coin from the museum?"
"Yeah!" Henry ran back to his desk and dug the coin he got at the Nature History Museum with Reid over the summer out of his bag. He always carried it in his bag for good luck. "Here you go!" He handed it to Reid when he ran back.
"Thanks bud." He looked at the eager faces in the desks and smiled. "Who thinks I can make this coin disappear and then reappear?" He got various opinions from the kids. He moved the coin from one hand to another a few times he then made a show of it being enclosed in one hand. He blew on it and gestured for Henry to do the same. The kids gasped when he showed them an empty hand. "Huh, I wonder where it went. Do you know, Henry?"
The boy smiled and shook his head. "No!"
Reid shrugged and then studied his godson. "Are you sure?" Henry nodded. "Because I think…" He reached behind his ear, revealing the coin when he pulled back.
"Wow!" "Cool!" and other cheers were heard from the class. Henry smiled and high fived Reid. The extra noise upset Michael some and JJ had to start to rock him.
"Very impressive, Mister…" Ms. Sullivan started.
Reid smiled nervously at the young teacher. "Dr. Reid, or, um, Spencer."
She smiled, tucking some of her red hair behind her ear. "Dr. Reid. Thank you for showing us some fun magic. Right class?"
"Thank you Dr. Reid!" the kids all cheered.
"I'll let you escape now since Henry's brother looks ready to leave," she nodded in JJ's direction.
Reid smiled and nodded. "Thanks." He bent down and handed Henry his coin back. "Good job today, bud."
Henry smiled, proud he impressed his godfather. "Bye Uncle Spence!" he ran back to his seat with his coin and water bottle. Reid waved to the class as he met JJ by the door. Soon they were making their way out of the elementary school, JJ putting Michael's hat back on. Reid sent a glance her way and she smirked.
"What?"
"I think Ms. Sullivan might like you, Spence." Reid blushed and looked down at the floor as they walked. "I'm pretty sure she's single and only a year or two younger than you. Henry adores her. Should I arrange for you to pick him up some time so you can talk with her?"
Reid coughed nervously as they exited the building and walked to her car. She noticed that he seemed quieter than normal when she'd tease him about dating. She thought he had been making progress, healing, after Maeve. Why was he suddenly shutting down the idea? She bit her lip as she remembered what he revealed last night to the team. She hadn't been able to talk to him before he left the restaurant, having been busy with Rossi and the bomb squad under it. Sighing, she quietly secured Michael in his car seat.
"So, do we have to take him to daycare now?"
JJ glanced at the clock. It was about quarter to nine. "We have time to grab some breakfast too. Do you want to spend a little more time with Michael first? He can come with us or it can just be the two of us. Your choice." She knew what he'd pick, of course, but that wasn't the point.
Reid smiled softly. "He can come."
JJ nodded as she pulled out and reached a nearby favorite diner. She had let the conversation linger until they were seated and had placed their orders. She took Michael's hat and coat off so he'd be comfortable while they ate and then handed him to Reid. The boy reached out for Reid's hair and smiled at him, causing his godfather to smile back. JJ snuck out her phone and took a photo before clearing her throat some. Reid shifted his gaze to her for a second.
"So, heck of a first case after coming back from leave," she started.
Reid sighed and nodded. "Yeah. But at least it's all over now. You should have seen Garcia stumbling out of Morgan and Savannah's place last night. It felt good to see her so happy again."
JJ chuckled. "Yeah, I got some interesting drunk texts from her so I'm not surprised. Did you stay over there long?"
He shook his head, keeping his eyes on Michael. "No, I was really tired so I just headed home."
She nodded. Their food arrived and they started to dig in, JJ getting Reid to set Michael back into his car seat after a few minutes. She handed the boy a toy to keep him occupied so they could eat a hot meal. Catching her friend's eyes, she reached over and squeezed one of his hands. "Spence, I'm so sorry about your mom."
He nodded, shifting his eyes back to his plate. "Thanks."
She squinted at him, trying to decide what to ask next. "So, did you not find Ms. Sullivan attractive?"
Reid looked up, not expecting that question. "No…I mean, yes, she's pretty, but…"
JJ raised an eyebrow. "But, what, Spence? I thought you said you were ready to try to get back out there. I'm not saying you have to marry her, but you won't meet someone if you don't try."
Reid sighed, taking another bite of his omelet. "I don't want to be a burden to someone else."
JJ shook her head as she took a drink. She glanced over to her son and handed him back the toy that he'd since dropped. She should have known that was what was holding him back. "Spence, I know you're scared that you might end up like your mom and now you have another potentially genetic condition to worry about, but that shouldn't be a reason to hold back."
He bit his lip and met her eyes, giving her the courage to continue. "Will's grandma and mom both died of cancer. My dad died of a heart attack and you know Roz's story. Should we have not had Henry or Michael because of the possibility of our family medical history's being passed on to them?"
He shook his head. "No, but those are different. You can reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease with lifestyle modifications." He held off on mentioning depression in that same sentence.
"I've read articles with potential benefits of diet and exercise in reducing dementia and Alzheimer's risk too, Spence. Just because there's a genetic component to inheriting the genes, it doesn't guarantee that it will mutate and develop. Just like eating healthy and working out reduces the risk of several types of cancers but it's not a full proof way to prevent it. Sometimes our genes just do what they want. But, if we all lived like we were afraid of what we might pass on to our offspring, we'd be extinct by now."
Reid blinked. He hadn't been prepared for that comeback from her. She smirked and continued. "What? Didn't think I would have done my homework? There was a reason I wasn't at Morgan's last night with Pen and it wasn't just securing the bomb." She had processed his revelation after they were all clear and knew she was going to need to discuss it with him so she hit the internet as soon as she was home, despite the fact that she as worn out.
Before he could reply, she continued. "Besides, if you're that concerned about passing it on, you could always adopt. You know just as well as I do how many innocent kids end up in the foster system that need good homes." He swallowed, but held her eyes, and she knew she was getting through to him. "You will be an amazing father someday, Spence, and husband. If you let it happen. Stop shielding yourself from what might happen and just be. Shut off the brain trying to analyze every contingency plan, every possible outcome. Most dates don't play out like last night." He smiled a little at that. "Just open your heart to the possibility to love and see what happens."
He fiddled with his napkin and she let him think that over. The waitress came by and took their plates, JJ sticking her card into the check holder. "What about Maeve?"
JJ sighed. "What about Maeve? You think she'd want you to be alone for the rest of your life? I may have not ever spoke with her, but I remember the look in her eyes when she looked at you. Trust me, Spence, she'd want you to be happy. She'd want you to try to find love again."
The waitress came back with her receipt and JJ signed. She went about bundling up her son and the group quietly left the restaurant. She eyed him as she drove to her daycare. He remained quiet until they were dropping Michael off, kissing the boy on the top of his head and whispering something in his ear. She smiled softly at the scene before doing the same and gently tugging her friend back to her car. They were likely going to be a little late at this rate, but she had a feeling Hotch wasn't going to care. She had texted him this morning about taking Reid to Henry's school and he was quick to respond with his approval. When she was parked in the garage at headquarters, she turned off the car but didn't get out. Neither did he.
"I'm scared, JJ."
JJ sighed and pulled him in for a hug, awkward as it may be given it was in the car. She held him as tight as she could. "I know, Spence, I know. But, we'll be here for you every step of the way in any way that we can be." She pulled back and put her gloved hand on his cheek. "And fear shouldn't stop you from trying to live a full life. This job can take a lot from us, don't let your fear of the unknown take the rest. You deserve to be happy, Spence. If any of us have earned that right, it's you."
Reid blinked back a few tears, feeling JJ wipe them away before she hugged him close again. When he felt pulled back together he released her and went to open the car door. She was quick to follow his movements and met him on the other side. He took a deep breath and thought over everything she said. He thought about how he felt holding Michael and talking with Henry. How much he wanted that for himself one day.
A wave of calm, of courage, hit him. It was a familiar feeling, although it had been a few years. It was how he had felt when he spoke to Maeve on the phone all those months. A hope that something good could be in his life. He briefly wondered if feeling it again was her spirit trying to tell him to listen to his friend. He remembered her words in his dream a few years ago.
You know there is such a thing as too much logic.
Then he heard JJ's voice echo in his head.
Just open your heart to the possibility to love and see what happens.
He barely registered the fact that they were now exiting the elevator to the sixth floor. Just before JJ opened the glass door, he spoke.
"JJ, if we don't have a case, do you think I could pick up Henry from school one day next week?"