"Come on, Spence. I'm not taking no for an answer." JJ insisted. Her voice came bright and insistent over the phone line, with a tone that Spencer had learned over the years never to argue with. The cheerful blond had a way of getting what she wanted. Being one of Spencer's best and closest friends only made it all the easier for her to get what she wanted from him. She knew he had a hard time telling her 'no'. He had a hard time telling anyone he cared about 'no'.

Still, sometimes he had to try. If there was ever a day that he wanted to just go home and avoid the world, today would be it. Spencer rested his elbow on his desk and brought his free hand up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. He rubbed there in the hopes of trying to rub away some of the headache that had been plaguing him for the past three days. If only it would go away; maybe then he'd feel like socializing with his friends again. Hell, right now he'd just settle for feeling human. Drawing in a careful breath, he tried to ignore the way the headache was starting to slide back from his eyes and up into his skull. "I'd love to, Jennifer, really. It's just, it's been a long day and I probably wouldn't be the best of company."

"I know, I heard from Garcia that you guys just got back from a rough case yesterday. I know it usually takes you a day or two to get back to feeling normal again. And I wouldn't ask this of you, really I wouldn't, but it's important to us. We're kind of celebrating tonight. Will got a promotion at work, I've started my new job, and Henry's finally feeling better. We just want to have a celebratory dinner and we were really hoping you'd be able to be here for it."

Damn her. Spencer knew JJ well enough to know when he was being manipulated. "You don't play fair."

At least she was kind enough not to laugh. He could hear the grin her voice, though, that said clearly she knew she'd won. "Did you really expect me to?"

"Absolutely not."

"Smart boy." She said, and a laugh finally did break through. "Dinner's for six, as usual. Oh, and, there's going to be another guest with us, an old friend of Will's. We'll see you tonight, Spence!" Before he could get a chance to say anything to that little reveal, she hung up.

Spencer pulled his phone away from his head and stared down at it. That devious woman. She'd set him up! He'd been subjected to her matchmaking efforts often enough to recognize them when they happened, now. Early on in their friendship she'd taken advantage of the fact that he wasn't well versed in those kinds of things and had tricked him into plenty of situations where he'd met someone that was 'just great' or 'perfect for you!' He knew better now, though, and wasn't as easy to fool. Apparently that meant she was giving up on all attempts at being subtle and was just going to straight up ambush him with it. He was lucky she'd bothered to tell him at all instead of just letting him find out once he arrived. JJ had no shame about her efforts to find someone for Spencer to help him 'settle down'. According to her, he needed someone in his life to settle him and to "Help take care of you, because God knows you don't even remember the simple things like eating or sleeping sometimes, Spence!"

Pinching tighter at his nose, he closed his eyes and dropped his phone down to his desktop. He rubbed briefly before finally acknowledging that his headache wasn't going anywhere. When he dropped his hand down, it was in just enough time to see Emily settling back in at her desk with a cup of coffee. The look she shot him was full of concern. "You all right there, Reid?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Spencer answered immediately. He never stopped to think about why he worked so hard to hide his headaches from his friends. He knew they'd noticed them; it was kind of hard not to. But he worked to make sure that they didn't realize just how bad they got, how often they came, or even how long they lasted. Drumming up a smile, he used a familiar tool—misdirection. "I just got off the phone with JJ. She invited me to dinner at her house tonight with them and, apparently, an 'old friend of Will's'."

Immediately the worried look on Emily's face changed to one of amused understanding. She'd heard Spencer's rants before about being set up and found it all highly amusing. "Ah. No wonder you look so happy." She chuckled and settled back in her chair, her mug cupped between her hands. "You never know, Reid, maybe this one could be a good one. Maybe the one."

"I'm not looking for the one." Spencer said firmly. It was true, though. He wasn't looking for anything special like that. Nothing long-term. Relationships just weren't a part of the plan that he held for himself. Especially not while he was still working at the BAU. One thing he'd definitely seen in his years here was the effect this job could have on relationships. Why on earth would he want to subject someone to that? To the hurt of having a partner that had to leave, constantly, and who would probably be wrapped up in work even while home. To put them at risk of being hurt. The Reaper had taught them that lesson very clearly.

Emily didn't say anything else. She smiled sadly at him, understanding in her eyes, and then turned her attention back to her work. That was something that he absolutely loved about his friend. She knew him well enough to know when to push and when to just back off. Emily might push and pry sometimes but she respected a person's decisions and their privacy. Where others might push more, nagging or picking at him, she'd always been able to read him well enough to know when to just let a topic go. Spencer had a feeling it was because Emily had secrets of her own that she wanted left alone. There were parts of her life she very neatly kept to herself, no matter who tried prying. She and Spencer recognized that in each other and they had a mutual understanding to leave those places alone. Spencer knew he could talk with her about his problems if he wanted, and she knew she could talk to him, and the other wouldn't push it any further than they wanted to go. Spencer hadn't had a lot of friends over the years but he knew enough to know that their friendship was rare and it was definitely something he treasured.

For the rest of the afternoon Spencer's headache stayed at only a dull throb. The pills he finally gave in and took actually managed to push it back enough that he didn't feel like every flash of light was trying to stab out his eyeballs. By the time the day ended and he was finally making his way out of the building and to his car, he'd gotten it down enough that driving wasn't a risk anymore. For a bit he'd been worried that he'd have to leave his car here and catch the bus home. When his headaches were really bad, driving was impossible, even with sunglasses on.

These headaches were starting to get ridiculous. Spencer buckled himself into the driver's seat of his car and took a moment to just lean forward and bow his forehead against his steering wheel. Three different doctors now had told him that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his head. He'd been tested and poked and questioned until he was ready to rip his hair out and scream. No one could find out why he was being plagued with these migraines and Spencer was getting close to finally giving in to that last doctor's suggestion and maybe speaking with a psychologist. Privately, of course, very far away from any connection to the Bureau. Maybe the doctor had been right in suggesting there might be a psychosomatic cause to all this…

No. Spencer gripped the steering wheel and straightened himself up. No, he was not going to think about this right now. He wasn't going to do anything to risk bringing his headache back or putting a damper on the evening. The pain was at a manageable level right now and he wanted to keep it that way. It'd been a while since he'd had the chance to go to JJ's house and, all matchmaking efforts aside, he was honestly looking forward to seeing his friends and his Godson.

A second dose of pain medication and some meditation style tricks that he'd learned recently helped him to eventually get his headache under control so that it was almost unnoticeable by the time he had to go to JJ's.

As was usual for him, he showed up with a bottle of wine in hand. His mother had taught him never to visit someone without some kind of gift in hand. JJ and Will had long since learned to stop protesting it. It did no good. No matter what they said, he still showed up with something in hand every single time.

It was JJ who answered the door today. The sight of her in the flowered apron never failed to make him smile. She knew exactly what he was smiling about and she mock glared at him. "Don't you start with me, Spence."

"I haven't even had the chance to say anything." Spencer protested. Still, his smile grew.

JJ laughed as she opened the door wide to let him in. Ever mannerly, Spencer stopped when he reached her and gave her a small half hug, kissing her cheek when he pulled back. "You look lovely." He assured her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Most of her hair was pulled up in a loose bun that he knew she preferred while cooking.

"Flatterer." She teased. Taking the bottle from him, she let him in the rest of the way and shut the door behind him.

He didn't even make it fully into the living room before he heard a familiar yell. "Uncle Penner!" Henry shouted gleefully. The remnants of Spencer's headache gave him a warning throb that he firmly ignored. Pushing back that flash of pain, Spencer knelt down on his good knee and opened up his arms in just enough time to catch the speeding bullet that was one Henry LaMontagne. The boy rocketed into his arms with enough force to almost send Spencer backwards. He'd braced for it, though. Henry was always excited to see him; more so when it had been a little while since they'd last seen one another, like now. It'd been too long since he'd come to visit the little boy or taken him out somewhere.

"Hey, little guy." Spencer greeted him cheerfully. He drew back, smoothing one hand over Henry's long hair, brushing it back from his face. "I'm sorry I haven't come to see you lately. How've you been?"

Some people teased Spencer for speaking in such a grown up manner to a young child. But he'd been raised with a mother who spoke to him, not down to him, and that was the only way he knew to talk to anyone. Henry never seemed to mind and JJ and Will both told him it was fine.

To Henry, it was all a part of his Uncle Penner. He'd always known him this way and it didn't seem the least bit strange to him. In fact, he was glowing as he stood there in front of him, his whole face alight with that childlike joy that Spencer loved seeing there. "Daddy and me went to 'quarian and I seen the starfish."

"You went to the aquarium?" He put gentle emphasis on the word aquarium.

Henry nodded happily. "Uh huh!"

"Well now, I think I might be slightly jealous." Spencer teased him. "I do enjoy starfish. They're interesting creatures. Did you know that a starfish, which is also called a sea star, can regenerate a lost arm? That means that they can grow their arms back."

The little boy's eyes went wide with awe. "Really?"

Smiling, Spencer nodded. "Mm hm. It's what's called a 'defense mechanism'. When it's threatened by a predator, it can drop one of its arms and get away and later on, grown a new arm. Do you remember what a predator is?"

"It's an aminal that eats other aminals, like a T-Rex." Henry said excitedly. He held up his arms and made them into T-Rex 'claws' before letting out a mighty "Rawr!" and launching himself at Spencer. The profiler caught him easy, letting Henry tackle him back to the ground to attack him. They ended up with Spencer on his back, Henry straddling his chest and growling ferociously down at him.

Laughter interrupted their play time. Over Henry's roar, they hadn't heard the sound of footsteps, but Spencer heard now as Will chuckled somewhere nearby. "Well now, what have we here." The man said in that slow, smooth drawl of his.

"I'm a T-Rex, Daddy!" Henry told him.

"An a right scary one you are." Will assured him. "But are we supposed to eat our guests? Or our family?"

That gave Henry pause. Taking advantage of it, Spencer caught an arm around the boy's waist and smoothly sat up, tugging Henry down into his lap. "That's all right. I know how to handle a ferocious little T-Rex. Want to know something about baby T-Rex?" He asked. When Henry nodded, Spencer bent low, like his words were a secret, and stage whispered "Not everyone knows, but a baby T-Rex is extremely…ticklish!" With that, he quickly brought his hand to the boy's belly, skating his fingers over all those places that he knew would get him the big laughs. In no time he had Henry squirming and letting out those big belly laughs he loved to hear. He smiled broadly when the boy finally tumbled away from him to lay sprawled out on the floor, panting and laughing.

Spencer looked up for the first time since Will had come in and found, as he'd suspected, the man standing there grinning down at him. What he hadn't expected was to find another man standing at Will's side. A very attractive man. Words dried up in Spencer's throat and he had to swallow them down as his eyes ran over the newcomer. From his work boots, up the dark wash jeans that showcased a pair of long, gorgeous legs and—he flushed just the slightest bit—they showcased another part of him pretty damn well, too. It got even better. A button up black silk shirt, clinging in all the right places on a body that Spencer could just tell was well put together without crossing that line into too muscled. Loose auburn hair hung down to just brush the collar of the shirt and perfectly framed a face that had probably broken a hell of a lot of hearts. Strong jaw dusted with a five o'clock shadow, a pair of lips that were curved into a smirk that just begged to be nibbled, high cheekbones, and the most amazingly unique pair of red and black eyes topped with long lashes that would make any woman envious. Dear God, Spencer thought. He's absolutely gorgeous. And I'm sitting on the floor staring.

The minute that last thought hit, he tried to push himself upright. As usual, the leg where he'd been shot a little over a year ago gave him a bit of protest. A hand appeared in front of him and Spencer took it before he realized that it hadn't been Will to step forward. He looked up into the gorgeous eyes of this other guest and was almost frozen again as the man gave him a devastating smile. "Let me give y' a hand, cher." The man said, and oh, God, his accent was so much heavier than Will's, so much thicker, with more of a Cajun flavor than the smoother sound that Will carried.

"Spencer, this is an old friend of mine from back home, Remy LeBeau. Remy, this is Spencer, a good friend and Henry's Godfather." Will introduced

One smooth pull from Remy had Spencer up on his feet. I was right, he thought. There's definite muscle there. Remy had barely put in any effort to pull him up. However, his pull brought them just inches apart from one another and Spencer quickly discovered that Remy had a few good inches on him. Enough that he had to tip his head back some to look up at him. Spencer hoped that no one else could hear the pounding of his heart. This just wasn't fair. The man was hitting pretty much all of Spencer's buttons in one go. Slender, yet muscled, with that gorgeous face and those eyes, and he was tall. Taller than Spencer! Unconsciously, Spencer licked his lips, knowing that he was blushing and unable to stop it. "T-Thank you." He stammered out, mentally cursing himself for sounding like an idiot.

Remy's lips curved up even more and something in those eyes seemed to spark a bit. "De pleasure's all mine, I assure y'."

Neither man moved for one long beat. Spencer was acutely aware of the warmth of Remy's hand in his, those long fingers still curved around his hand, and his active imagination couldn't help but picture what those fingers might feel like skating over his skin. Would they be rough? Gentle? Firm? Teasing?

Remy was the one to finally take a step back. When he did, it was only to draw Spencer's hand up, to turn it and press a kiss against his knuckles that should've looked ridiculous and yet it sent a shiver down Spencer's spine and a flash of heat through his gut. He looked up through loose bangs as he did and that heat grew. "It's a pleasure to meet y'." Remy murmured against his skin. He drew back, giving Spencer's hand one last squeeze before letting go. "I've heard so much about y'. Henry talks nonstop 'bout his Uncle Penner an Jenny sings y'r praises."

Smooth definitely wasn't a word that could ever be used to describe Spencer. He was blushing wildly still from that little press of lips—had he really felt a tiny flick of tongue against his skin, or was that just his imagination?—and it all left him stammering just the slightest bit. "It's, ah, it's nice to meet you too." Then part of Remy's statement caught up with him and his eyes went wide with surprise. "Jenny?" He repeated incredulously.

Another laugh joined them, this one from 'Jenny' herself. "Don't encourage him." She told them, leaning against the wall that separated the living room from the dining room. With no real heat to it, she glared at Remy, who was grinning unrepentantly back. "I've tried to get him to stop. It just seems to make him do it more. He's got a thing for those nicknames. Especially ones that end in 'y'."

"Better yours than mine, cher." Will said, rolling his eyes.

It took a second for Spencer to make the connection . He had to smother a laugh when he realized just what it was that Remy most likely called him. His mirth didn't go unnoticed; Remy caught his eye and winked at him. "What's wrong wit' Willy? Been calling y' dat since we was boys!"

Will held both hands up in surrender. "Hey, I've given up on trying to get you to stop. I know better, Rem."

"Well if we're done providing Spence here with plenty of amusement," JJ said dryly. Reaching out, she caught Henry, who was just climbing to his feet. "Time to wash up for dinner, little man. Get a move on.

Spencer wasn't sure if it was her years as their media liaison or her years as a mother, or a bit of both, but JJ could wrangle the troops like no one else. In short order she had all of them in the dining room, hands washed, and food and wine were being served. As was usual, JJ and Will sat across from one another. Usually, Henry sat at the end of the table, between them, but whenever Spencer was there for dinner he always switched to the other end so that he could be by his Uncle. That put Henry on Spencer's left, JJ on his right, and Remy right across from him. This was going to be a great dinner. Spencer was absurdly grateful for Henry's presence at his side. It kept things easy and light. Dinner conversation was simple, family stories being exchanged back and forth, with Henry throwing in his own stories on top of it. Little by little Spencer found himself relaxing and smiling. Still, that heat would kick back in each time he looked up and found Remy's eyes on him.

It wasn't until dinner was done that conversation started to change. The group retired to the living room with the wine that Spencer had brought and they all settled down around the room. Remy took the chair, JJ and Will the loveseat, and Spencer was on the couch with Henry sprawled out over the other cushions beside him. He never let Spencer get far away when he visited. He was at that stage where people and things were very much his and he didn't really like to share them.

"So how long have y'all known one another?" Remy asked as they settled in. He was kicked back in the chair with his legs out, crossed at the ankle, and the rest of him in a sort of boneless sprawl.

Curved against Will's side, JJ let out a low laugh and looked over to Spencer. "How long has it been, Spence?"

It took him just a second to do the mental calculations. "Seven years, nine months, three weeks and…five days. That was from the first time we were properly introduced, not the first time I'd been told of you, though. Gideon explained the team members to me early on, before I met any of you." He trailed off, abruptly realizing how he'd probably sounded right there, and if there hadn't been other eyes on him, he would've glared at JJ for asking him something that she knew would make him ramble like a fool in front of their guest. She smiled oh-so-innocently at him and he gave a mental shake of his head.

However, he found himself surprised when Remy didn't laugh or give him a strange look for his answer. He didn't seem the least bit bothered by it. One corner of his mouth was curved up and those devil eyes looked like they were glowing a little with good humor. "Y' two met through work, den?"

"Uh-uh." JJ cut in, holding a hand up to stop them. "No work talk. I am not in the mood to talk work at all. Tonight's a good night. A celebratory night.""

Smiling against JJ's hair, Will pointed out "Can't exactly talk about my promotion without talking about work, sweetheart."

Movement on the couch had Spencer turning his head to look down at the little boy that was clambering towards him. Henry had been coloring in a color book quietly so far. But he was bringing a torn out page over to Spencer now and thrusting it out towards him. "Here, Uncle Penner. I made this for you!"

Spencer turned his full attention to the boy while the others teased one another. He always made a point to give Henry his full attention. Turning a little, he lifted one arm and let Henry slip underneath it, easily adjusting to the small boy at his side. It amused him to look at how easily they did together now compared to how nervous he'd been at first with him. He hadn't had any idea what to do with a small child. Henry had fixed that. Where Spencer had been awkward, Henry hadn't let it stop him, simply latching on and adjusting himself in Spencer's hold, or climbing onto him and getting comfortable without any assistance from Spencer whatsoever. It worked out perfectly for them.

Taking the picture the boy held out, Spencer felt a smile bloom. The boy had drawn a giant T-Rex with a baby one walking in front of it. The fact that the one on top had on glasses and a bright, multicolored scarf—the scarf that Henry frequently tried to steal from Spencer—left no doubt as to who it was supposed to be. "It's a beautiful picture, Henry. May I keep it? I'd like to hang it on my wall at home."

"Yeah!" Henry's eyes lit up.

Smiling, Spencer set the picture down on the coffee table where he wouldn't forget it later. "Perfect. I know just the place, right by the desk in my bedroom. What do you think? Next to the window? There's lots of open space there."

"I can make you more!"

"Not right now, little man." JJ interrupted them. She looked up at the clock on the wall and sat up reluctantly. "I hadn't realized how late we'd gotten while eating. We need to get you in the tub before bed. Tell your Uncle Penner bye and say goodnight to Remy."

There was nothing better than a hug from a little kid. Small arms wrapped around Spencer's neck and squeezed before Henry pulled back and gave him a quick kiss. "Night, Uncle Penner!"

"Sweet dreams, Henry." Spencer said. He shifted a hand down, guarding his lap against wayward knees

Once free from the couch, Henry flung himself at Remy, making the room laugh. He was one little boy that would rather run than walk. Remy didn't miss a beat. He'd already set his glass down in preparation so he easily caught the child up and pulled him in close for a big hug and a rousing round of kisses that had Henry laughing.

Spencer didn't realize what was happening here until JJ scooped Henry up, calling out a "We'll be right back!" before disappearing down the hall, and Will followed after her. The little rats! Spencer had been on the end of JJ's matchmaking before. He knew exactly what this was. The witch. He was going to get her back for this later. For now, he was stuck alone in here with this gorgeous specimen of man, which really wasn't a hardship, but it'd be nice if he could get beyond feeling like a teenager and actually manage to have a conversation with the man. "So, um…" Cradling his wine glass between his hands, he took a quick, steadying drink, reminding himself he was being an idiot. There was no reason to be so damn nervous here in the living room of a home he was very comfortable in. "So what brings you to town, Remy? Business or pleasure?"

He should've phrased that better. He realized that almost the instant it came out of his mouth. However, it was worth the embarrassment and the way his cheeks heated just to be able to see that sultry smile grow on Remy's lips and to watch the heat grow in his eyes. "Both, cher. Oh, most definitely both."

Spencer's blush deepened and Remy let out a low laugh that sent chills down Spencer's spine. He looked across the room at the Cajun who was sprawled so comfortably—and probably deliberately, too—in JJ's recliner and he felt a spurt of courage that wasn't usually like him. Lifting his chin, he tried to ignore the heat in his cheeks and he fixed a cool stare on the other man. "You're quite enjoying yourself, aren't you?"

"Oh, immensely." Remy agreed easily. He took a drink, watching Spencer over top his glass. "Not quite what y' expected of y'r evening, cher?"

Where was this bravery coming from? Spencer found himself tipping his head and lifting his eyebrows. "Honestly?"

"If y' must." Remy quipped.

Humor tickled at the back of Spencer's throat. "Once JJ told me there was going to be another guest, I'd expected to come, play with Henry, have a few hours of inane conversation with a stranger that JJ assumed was 'just perfect' for me before pleading a headache and going back home."

That made Remy laugh once more and Spencer instantly thought that he'd loved to do anything to hear that sound again and again. "A bit of small talk, yeah?" He said, smirking. "How's de weather, what's new at work, a bit of politics. Maybe discuss books or art. I bet y' use dat intelligence of y'rs sometimes, spout off some facts and scare de other person away, oui?"

This time Spencer's blush was for an entirely different reason. He shifted on the couch, taking a drink though he knew that move was a telling one.

Sure enough, it made Remy let out another of those husky laughs. Then, to Spencer's surprise, Remy was moving, flowing up out of that chair in a move that made him look more liquid than solid. Oh, that man could move. It wasn't that hard to let his imagination wander with that. But then Remy was moving towards him and Spencer wasn't fantasizing about anything. How could he when the man was strolling towards him in this hip rolling walk that made Spencer's mouth go dry. "We could do all dat, if y' want. We could talk about politics, an good books, or art. Remy likes art. I'm in town to buy a piece or two, actually."

Spencer's heart pounded up into his throat as Remy came right up to him. Sweet God. The Cajun wasn't stopping, was leaning in, his hands pressing onto the couch on either side of Spencer's head, and he was bending down until their faces were just a breath apart, their eyes locked together in a gaze that Spencer couldn't break. He could feel Remy's breath blowing lightly over his lips and a shiver ran down him.

"Or," Remy drawled the word out, turned it into a sensual purr, and he dipped his head just enough to brush the tips of their noses together. "We could bail outta here while dey're back dere wit' Henry, an we could go back to m' hotel." He leaned in a little more, his nose tracing along Spencer's cheek, up to nuzzle against his hair, back to his ear. "Y' wanna come see m' etchings, cher?"

All of the blood in Spencer's head pooled south. His hand was so tight around the stem of his wineglass it was a wonder it hadn't broken yet. When teeth nipped at his ear in a teasing bite, he was gone. It'd been a long, long time since he'd found any of this kind of companionship and his body was letting him know as clear as bell just what it wanted.

Turning his head in, Spencer brushed their cheeks together, the rasp of stubble against stubble making him shiver. "Absolutely."