A/N: This is just my musing on relationships... hope you like it!

Seds

Spencer Reid sneered at his computer. The progress bar at the bottom of the screen was almost at a stand-still, and it occurred to him that it would have been faster to do the calculations himself. However, it didn't make much difference to him. He was in no hurry to go home-Morgan had volunteered to teach an evening self-defense class and Reid didn't relish going home to an empty house.

JJ spotted him and glanced at her watch. Will had Henry; they had taken his visiting parents sightseeing in D.C., and wouldn't be home for hours. She wondered if Reid was as reluctant to go home as she was.

"Reid? Aren't you ready to get out of here yet?" JJ was preparing to put on her overcoat, but she paused and sat at the desk next to her co-worker's.

"Um, not particularly." Reid gave her a sheepish grin. "Morgan won't be home until late, and..." He shrugged.

"I know what you mean. I'm in the same boat. You know, some days I would pay big money for a few hours to myself, but when it really happens-I don't know, I don't like it. The house is too quiet."

"Yeah! I mean, I lived alone for years and never thought anything of it. Now, I've been living with Derek for only six months, but I can hardly stand the idea of rattling around in that big house all evening by myself. I don't know what's happened to me."

JJ laughed. "You got used to having another person share your life. I know exactly what you mean-I used to worry that I'd hate having someone else around all the time, messing up the house, wanting me to pay attention to them when I was busy with something else, but I love it. I hate being alone, now."

The two nodded and were quiet in their commiseration. Garcia appeared, purse and jacket in hand, singing to herself. She stopped dead at the sight of the two agents sitting glumly in the bull pen, then ambled over to join them.

"What's this, a pity party? Who died?"

"Oh, no one. We're just not ready to face our empty houses, yet," JJ explained.

"Oh, you lightweights. I finally have Kevin out of the house for an evening-he started playing poker on Thursday nights-and I can't wait to have the place to myself for a change."

"Really?" Reid asked with a smile. "Got big plans, do you?"

"You bet, kiddo. I'm going to clean the bathroom, re-pot a plant, sort out my underwear drawer, fix the handle on the... laundry... closet..." JJ and Reid exchanged a pitying glance and Garcia slowly sank into a desk chair. "JJ?"

"Yes, Pen?"

"When did I get old?"

Just then Prentiss came out of Hotch's office. Her coat was over her arm, her bag was slung over her shoulder, and she was striding briskly toward the exit, but, seeing the group in the bull pen, she veered off and came to stand beside Garcia. "What's up, gang? Did I fall into a time warp? I thought it was after five."

"Oh, it is. We're just lamenting our unwelcome Thursday night single-status," Reid said.

"Ha! Well, welcome to my world. So-" Prentiss pulled up a chair. "...what's the plan?"

"Plan?" JJ asked.

"Aw, come on-you're not going to just sit here by the warm glow of the computer screen all evening, are you? We should go out!"

"Out? I remember 'out,'" Garcia said wistfully. "We could... drink."

"Yeah-in bars. With adults. And, have dinner with no poopy diapers to change before the food gets there." JJ nodded approvingly.

Reid frowned. "Uh-I don't know, guys. I should probably get home. Morgan'll be mad if I don't let Clooney out and he makes a mess in the house."

"We can stop at your place, then hit 18th Street," Prentiss assured him.

"Yeah!" Garcia was beginning to warm up to the idea. "We could eat at that little Italian place, then see what's shaking at Randall's."

JJ scrunched up her nose. "Randall's? That's a dance club, isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah," Garcia said, nodding. "It's fun. And, Thursday's karaoke night!"

"Oh, no..." Reid protested. "No way. That sounds awful!"

"Karaoke can be a lot of fun if you're drunk enough," Prentiss pointed out as she stood up. "Come on, ladies-oh, and, uh, Reid-we have a plan, and a duty. We have to take advantage of this rare opportunity. Let's go!"

JJ and Garcia each took one of Reid's arms and pulled him to his feet, and Garcia proceeded to drag him toward the exit. "Come on, young prince of brainiacs-you're going to have a good time if it kills you!"

"But-"

"No 'buts,' you're on a girl's night out, now-there's no turning back! Help me, Prentiss-"

"My bag! And, my jacket!"

Prentiss grabbed the necessary items then went to assist the two smaller women in propelling Reid toward the door.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Two hours later, the four agents were at Randall's, working on their third round of drinks. Garcia had just put their names on the karaoke list-she and Prentiss were going to do "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," and she'd assigned Reid and JJ to "I Got You, Babe."

"What?" Reid asked, bewildered. "I've never... heard of it." His words were just a tiny bit slurred.

"It was Sonny and Cher's biggest hit," JJ explained.

"Sonny and... who?" Reid's voice cracked a little.

"They were a sixties pop act."

"I don't know the words!"

"Don't worry-they'll have the words on a monitor."

"But... I can't sing," Reid said worriedly.

"That... is the least of your worries." Prentiss's speech was a tad slurred as well.

"Huh?"

"Hecklers, Reid. Don't mind them, they're just a bunch of drunks." As designated driver, Garcia was stone cold sober as she tossed back the last of a virgin strawberry daiquiri. She didn't mind; watching her normally straight-laced co-workers loosen up a bit was plenty of fun for her.

JJ grinned. "And, we aren't?"

Prentiss gave Reid an appraising look. "Reid's not drunk enough, he's still frotting, I mean, fretting."

Reid burst into laughter. "No, no, no, no... If I were frotting, I'd be, uh, rubbing my crotch up against somebody..." He giggled. "...for, ah, sexual gratifi-... gratifi-... um, gratification."

The ladies glanced at each other and joined Reid in a fit of giggles.

"Now Reid is drunk enough," Garcia pronounced. Just then, the karaoke announcer called her name. "Come on, boy wonder, there's been a change in the line-up. We're going up there."

"Nooo..."

"Oh, yes..." Garcia clamped a hand on his wrist and pulled. JJ gave him a push and Prentiss threatened to pour her drink on him until he finally stood up and gamely followed Garcia to the stage.

She led him up the steps and to the center of the stage where the mikes were set up. She thrust one into his hands and took the other for herself and nodded to the emcee. He began the song, and Garcia belted out, "Don't go breakin' my heart..." and looked expectantly at Reid. He squinted at the monitor and read "...couldn't if I tried..." in a monotone. Garcia sang, "Oh, honey, if I get restless..." and again waited for her partner to respond.

Reid was trying to focus on the words crawling across the screen and he took a step forward. "Baby... you're not that kind-" he quoted, then turned back to Garcia. "What kind of love song is this?" He glowered at her, clearly expecting an explanation, and she made him look back at the screen.

"Sing, damn it!" she chided. There were a number of guys in the audience yelling un-encouraging suggestions to the two of them.

"But, it doesn't even make sense!" he protested. He'd utterly lost his place in the word sequence, and the alcohol was making everything wavy. He took a step closer to the monitor, and heard Garcia warn, "Reid! Watch the edge! You're too close-" and suddenly he heard the loud crash of the mike as he dropped it and the room turned upside down and he felt himself falling. He made a thud when he landed and a sharp pain hit him in the knee.

"Ow!" he cried without even realizing it, and he pulled his knee up to his chest, which made it hurt even more. He could hear Garcia yelling, "Get out of the way! Give him room, he's hurt!" Then, he felt hands on him, helping him sit up, and he saw Prentiss's worried face, and then JJ's. Someone asked if he was all right, and he shook his head "no".

"My knee hurts," he gasped.

Garcia was beside him by then, and she gently felt the affected area. "It's swelling really fast."

"We need to get him to the emergency room," JJ said firmly.

"No, no, I'll be ok. It just... hurts." Reid struggled to stand, but cried out, "Oh, damn it, damn it, damn it..."

The women looked at each other. He was clearly in real pain.

"Do we need an ambulance?" The man running the karaoke session was standing by with a concerned look on his face, keeping the crowd back.

"No, if we can get him to the car, we'll drive him," Prentiss said. "Garcia's sober." The man stepped forward and helped her get Reid into a standing position and with his arms over their shoulders, the two of them helped him hobble to Garcia's car.

JJ sat in back and helped Reid stretch out on the seat with his head on her lap. "Oh, freakin' hell..." he moaned as he supported his knee with both hands.

JJ tried to speak soothingly. "It's ok, Spence-we're going to get you to the doctor. We're not far. You'll be ok." They soon reached the emergency room and pulled up in front of the entrance. Prentiss ran inside to demand a wheelchair, and Garcia came around to the back to help Reid get out of the car.

An orderly came out with the chair and got Reid situated, then wheeled him inside. Paperwork was placed in front of the injured man and something suddenly occurred to Garcia. "Oh, God, did anyone call Derek?"

"Do not call Derek," Reid ordered. "He's in the middle of teaching class. I'll be fine, don't bother him." He winced as he shifted in the chair, trying to find a more comfortable position.

JJ looked worriedly at Prentiss. "I'm going to call him," she whispered. "If Will found out I'd been rushed to the emergency room and didn't call him, he'd be furious."

Prentiss nodded. "I agree-Morgan needs to know."

JJ stepped outside and called Derek's number.

Derek was barking instructions to his students, whom he'd put into teams and ordered to attack each other. His phone rang, and he knew by the ring tone that it was JJ. She was the only person he'd take a call from during class, well, other than Reid. And, he knew Reid would never call him while he was teaching unless it was a dire emergency.

"Morgan here."

"Hey... Listen, don't freak out, but there's been a little, uh, accident."

"Accident?" Morgan frowned. "What happened?"

"Well, Reid-"

"Reid? What happened to Reid? Is he ok? Where is he?" JJ could hear rising panic in the man's strongly controlled voice.

"He's really ok, but he fell off a stage and hurt his knee. We have him at the emergency room. I just wanted to let you know."

Morgan stood there, thinking. "He... fell off a stage? What the hell was he doing on a stage? And, who's 'we?'"

"Uh-the girls, Garcia, Prentiss and I. We took him for karaoke. Because, we were all at loose ends tonight, and-"

"Karaoke? Are all of you dames drunk? You took my boy to a bar and let him fall off a stage and now he's hurt? What's the matter with you?"

"God, Morgan, he's a grown man! We didn't think karaoke would be dangerous! Anyway, we're just waiting for a doctor to look at him, and it may be a while, seeing that he's not bleeding or anything."

"I'm on my way."

"No, Derek, he said he didn't want to interrupt your class-"

"There's no way I'm going to let him sit in an emergency room all night without me. Will you stay with him until I get there?"

"Of course, we weren't going to leave him alone."

"All right. I'll see you soon. Damn it..."

JJ heard the phone disconnect and she sighed. Somehow, she'd never expected to get a reprimand from Derek Morgan because she'd taken Spencer Reid out for a drink.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

An hour passed. They were still in the waiting room, and Morgan still wasn't there. He'd called JJ twice, telling her that there was a snarl-up on the west-side freeway, and that he was going to have to wait it out. She and Garcia were beginning to exchange nervous glances. JJ knew Will and Henry would be getting home soon, and Garcia knew Kevin was probably already back from his poker game.

Spencer sensed the tension. "Will you girls please go home? I'm fine. They should get to me soon, and you said Morgan was on his way. So, go, please." Reid had his bad leg propped up on a chair with an ice bag on it, and it was throbbing.

Garcia shook her head. "No, honey, we-well, I-got you into this mess and I'm staying until the bronze god arrives, at least. Emergency rooms are grim places to be all by yourself."

JJ bit her lip. "Yeah... but, you know, I think I might grab a cab. I'm sorry, Spence, it's just that when I talked to Will, it sounded like Henry had had enough excitement, and he-"

Spencer put a hand on her arm. "Go. Please. I'm fine. Garcia, Kevin's probably waiting for you by now. And, Prentiss, you look exhausted. Everyone please go, you're making me feel like a sissy."

Prentiss glanced at JJ. "We could share a cab..."

JJ nodded. "Ok, Spence. If you're sure you'll be ok?"

"Yes, I keep telling you, I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

JJ and Prentiss took turns kissing him on the cheek and saying goodbye. Garcia steadfastly refused to leave, but when the nurse finally came to take Spencer back to the examination room, she told her she had to stay in the waiting room.

"Family only, I'm afraid."

"But-"

"Sorry."

"Go home, Garcia!"

"But-"

"I'll see you tomorrow, good night! Thanks for a lovely time!" Spencer's sarcasm faded as the nurse wheeled him past the locking double doors. Garcia stood uncertainly. She called Derek again.

"I'm close, baby girl. They re-routed traffic and I missed the exit, so I had to double back."

"They're saying only family can be in the exam room with him."

"Yeah, well, I'll explain the meaning of family to them when I get there. You go on home."

"Well... ok. But, I can stay until you get here-"

"No need, I'm like two minutes."

"All right. I'm sorry about this, Derek."

"Well, he should know better than to go drinking with you crazy women."

"Yeah," Garcia agreed, brightening. "This is all his fault!"

xxxxxxxxxx

Spencer was taken to an examination room. He was given a hospital gown and told to take off his shirt and pants. The nurse had to assist him with getting the pants past his knee, and then with getting up on the hospital bed. She helped him adjust the bed so that he was half-sitting, and took his vitals. Then, she assured him that the doctor would be with him in a minute, and left.

Spencer's knee hurt like hell and was turning blue. The room was cold and the nurse had only pulled the sheet up over him. Bending down to get the blanket was fairly excruciating, so he gave up. He sighed and wondered where Derek was.

Derek. He smiled slightly. He loved him so much. He'd become such a part of his life that it almost felt unnatural to do things alone anymore. They easily spent 50 to 60 hours a week working together; and, most nights in the same bed, plus nearly every morning and evening in each other's company-the fact that they continued to not only enjoy each other, but delight in one another was, he thought, remarkable.

Now, he felt a little lost-he was reminded of the days in his childhood when he was left utterly alone, either because of his mother's actual absence, or because of her mental condition. There had been many days when he felt hurt or bewildered by things that were happening to him, and he had no one to comfort him or to explain what was going on. He'd thought he was way past that pathetic period in his life, but here he was-alone, cold, hurt and vulnerable, stuck in a hospital bed, feeling as if he were ten years old again.

Suddenly, he heard a disruption outside his door. He heard his nurse vehemently stating, "You can't go in there, sir! It's hospital policy! There are privacy issues-"

"You just watch me. What're you going to do, call the cops?" Derek's voice was firm and strident, and getting closer. Spencer grinned. After a moment, the door swung open and Derek strode in, followed closely by the flustered nurse.

"Sir-"

"Pretty boy, what have you done to yourself, now?" Derek came to Spencer's bedside and pulled up a chair. He leaned forward and smushed a kiss onto Spencer's mouth, then looked worriedly into his eyes.

"I don't know how it happened, but I fell off a stage-"

"Baby, you know you're not supposed to let Garcia talk you into anything involving elevated places."

"Yeah..."

"Are you ok?"

"My knee really hurts."

"Let's see..." Derek pulled the sheet away and examined the swollen, now-purple knee. "Aw, man, that must hurt like a mother. What'd the doctor say?"

"He hasn't come in, yet."

"Hasn't come in yet! Damn, how long have you been here? This is ridiculous, listen-" He turned to the nurse who was now staring uncertainly at the two of them. "Listen, ma'am-this boy's in pain, and he might have a broken knee. Can you please see if the doctor's available, now?" The look in Derek's eye was enough to get her to nod and say, "I'll check." She scooted out of the room, and went to find the doctor on duty.

Spencer nuzzled into Derek's neck. "I'm glad you're here..."

"Oh, yeah? Thought you were enjoying a little feminine companionship for a change."

"Oh, it was fun, until I hit the floor."

"Poor little guy." Derek brushed a lank strand of hair away from his face.

"Yeah, I-I guess I'm not as tough as I think I am."

"You're plenty tough, babe. But, you don't have to go through stuff like this alone anymore. Why didn't you call me? That's what I'm for."

"I didn't want to bother you."

Derek took his chin in his hand and turned his face toward his own. His voice was serious. "Spencer-I love you. We're a couple, now. You wouldn't have been bothering me. In fact, if JJ hadn't called me to let me know what happened, you would be in serious trouble with me by now. Don't ever think you're bothering me-I want to be with you, no matter what. Understand?"

Spencer nodded. "I guess I'm still not used to-not being completely on my own anymore. It's hard to know what to do, sometimes."

"I disagree. It's really very simple-call me. Always. I'll tell you if there's a problem. Otherwise, just know-I'll be there for you."

Just then, the doctor came in and introduced himself. He examined Spencer's knee and ordered an x-ray and after another hour, he came to announce that Spencer merely had a sprain. He wrapped it and put a brace on it, and told Spencer to use crutches and an ice pack for a few days, then to come back for an appointment. He started to write a pain prescription, but Spencer declined it. Derek smiled, proud of his boy.

After another round of paperwork, Spencer was allowed to dress and then he was released. Derek wheeled him out to his car and helped him into the passenger seat, then got in himself and drove them towards home.

On the way, Derek started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"I wish I could have seen you up on that stage, singing."

"I wasn't so much singing as reciting..."

"Still, I bet that was a sight. I can't believe they talked you into getting up there all by yourself."

"Oh, I wasn't alone. Garcia was with me. She has a rather pleasant singing voice."

"Wait-did you two do a duet?"

"Yes."

Derek grinned. "What was the song?"

"Uh-'Don't Go Breaking My Heart,' apparently."

Now, Derek snickered outright. "So, you kicked it off with Elton John's part, huh?"

"What? No, Garcia started it."

"Aw, man-she wouldn't even let you be Elton, you had to be Kiki Dee? That's cold, man."

"I have no clue as to what you're talking about."

"It's better that way, babe. Trust me."

Derek resolved to avoid teaching any more night classes. If the ladies ever decided to take Spencer out on the town again, he was going to make sure he went with him.

There were some things in life too good to miss.

A/N#2: "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" written by Ann Orson and Carte Blanche (Bernie Taupin and Elton John)