What's in a Name?, a criminal minds fanfic

Author's Note: Just a short story to promote the Profiler Choice Awards. Check out the info at the end!

What's in a Name?

"JJ, are you okay?" Reid asked.

"I'm fine," she replied, quickly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He shot her a confused looking. "Because you're knocking on my door at two o'clock in the morning?"

JJ glanced up at him, her blue eyes cloudy. "Is it two o'clock already? I've been standing outside since nearly eleven."

"Jayje, you're really starting to scare me. Where's Henry? Is he okay?" Reid questioned, pulling JJ inside. He kept one hand on her arm, even though it made him slightly uncomfortable.

"Henry's fine," she told him, quickly. "He's spending the night with Penelope."

Reid squeezed her arm. "Please talk to me."

JJ pulled free from him, confounding him even more. "You know that Will and I broke up." Reid nodded. He had spent many hours entertaining Henry so that JJ could talk to Garcia about it. "I never told you why."

"Why?" Reid questioned when she fell quiet again. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you break up?"

"I... didn't tell you because you're part of the reason that we broke up," she explained.

Reid took a step back. "Me? What did I do?"

Shaking her head vigorously, JJ moved towards him. "Nothing. You did nothing. It's what I did."

"JJ, you're really not making any sense. I don't understand."

"I'm sorry. I'm doing this all wrong," she apologized. JJ took a deep breath. "Will and I broke up because I kept calling him by the wrong name: yours."

Reid froze, stunned. "My name?"

She nodded. "It started out just occasionally, like when I asked him to pass the salt. But then, I said it while I was sleeping and Will curled up next to me and while we were... being intimate. The last straw was when I said your name instead of his when I told him that I loved him."

"JJ, what are you saying?" Reid felt his heart pounding in his chest.

"You and I have always been friends, good friends." JJ stared at him until he nodded his confirmation. "There's always been this attraction between the two of us."

Reid gulped. "Def- definitely on my head."

She grinned. "On my end, too. Lately, though, it seems like it's more than just an attraction, more than just a good friendship."

"I'm really going to need you to spell this out for me," he half-begged.

"I love you, Spence. I am in love with you. I think I have been for a long time, but didn't realize it," JJ told him. "Is that plain enough for you?"

Reid's eyes widened. "I- that- Yes, that's plain enough for me."

JJ groaned when he went silent. "Aren't you going to say anything? Have I completely misread you? Oh, God! I have, haven't I? I'm going to turn around and walk out of here and we can just pretend that this conversation never happened."

"JJ, wait!" he shouted when she moved towards the door. Drudging up his courage all the way from his toes, he pulled her into his arms. "I'm in love with you, too. I have been for years."

JJ ran her hands into his hair. "I am so glad to hear you say that. I really didn't want to have to transfer to avoid you."

Reid smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "You are never going to have to avoid me again."

END

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMC MCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

NOMINATIONS HAVE STARTED FOR PROFILER'S CHOICE CRIMINAL MINDS FANFIC AWARDS! Calling all CM readers and authors! Join us for the annual Profiler's Choice CM Awards on! Help us choose the best of the best of the CM stories on, and let your voice be heard. Please check out the nomination ballot and rules at the ProfilerChoiceAwards2013 Forum. All rules and information are on the forum. Nominations are due October 31st. All entries with ten or more categories filled out are eligible to win one of two Amazon gift cards!