A/N: I'm baaack! Big thanks to all the follows/favs/reviews/pms I got during my little (long) hiatus. I appreciate and adore every single one of you!

Here it is! The much anticipated sequel (for those that don't know, the prequel is 'When I'm With You'). I really hope I don't let you down. I've got big plans for a not so fluffy casefic...buuut I will be sure to throw in as much fluff as I can, because I know how much y'all love it :)

Chapter One

Spencer Reid heaved a sigh, pushing away from his desk and getting to his feet. Stifling a yawn, he stretched his arms high above his head for a moment before making his way to the break room, suddenly desperate for a cup of coffee. He'd been writing reports all day, and while it wasn't nearly as physically taxing as chasing down killers in the field, he was inarguably exhausted. Still, it beat going home to an empty apartment.

"Boy Wonder," Garcia greeted from the small table where she sat nursing her own cup of coffee, "You look pooped. Go home!"

Spencer shrugged, reaching for the pot of coffee. "I'm fine," he said. "Just a little tired."

Both were quiet as Spencer stirred the usual excessive amount of sugar into his coffee before taking a seat across the table from his friend. Spencer sipped his coffee in silence, eyeing Garcia over the rim of his plain black mug. She gazed at him thoughtfully, her dark eyes narrowed behind her bejewelled purple glasses. For several moments they stared at each other, neither saying anything, Spencer growing steadily more uncomfortable with each passing second.

Finally, he sighed and set his coffee down. "What is it, Garcia?"

Garcia shook her head, giving him a soft smile. "I'm just worried about you, love bug!"

"You don't have to be worried about me," Spencer assured her. "I'm fine."

"You miss Mia."

Spencer nodded. "I do."

"You miss her a lot."

Again, Spencer nodded. "I do," he agreed. "There's no need to worry, though."

"Sweets," Garcia said, "Why don't you just call her?"

"I don't want to bother her."

Garcia rolled her eyes and got to her feet. "You won't be bothering her," she said firmly. "Call her."

Spencer waited a few moments before following the plucky, sometimes overly bossy blonde out into the bullpen. She'd already disappeared into her lair, for which he was secretly grateful. If he was going to call Mia, which he was starting to realize was probably a good idea, he'd prefer doing so without an audience. They hadn't seen each other in weeks and had barely spoken since she'd left, and he wasn't entirely sure which direction their conversation would take. It would probably be best to call her without his team of nosy friends hanging about.

Taking a seat at his desk, Spencer pulled out his phone and dialled Mia's number.

"Spencer?"

The sound of her voice made him feel better immediately, and he smiled. "Hey," he said quietly, "How's Paris? It's not too late to call, right?"

"Of course not," Mia laughed, "It's the City of Light! I haven't been to bed at a decent hour since getting here."

Spencer's smile grew. "So you're enjoying yourself?"

"Oh, Spence, you have no idea," she gushed. "It's just amazing. Definitely my favourite stop of the trip."

"Really? Better than the castles in Romania? Or the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff?"

Mia laughed, and he realized with a pang of sadness just how much he missed the sound. "While the castles in Romania were amazing," she conceded, "Paris is just the dream. We've been to the Louvre three times already and I don't think I've seen it all yet. By the end of the week Alice is going to hate art."

"End of the week?" Spencer asked. "I thought you were staying in Paris until Tuesday."

"No, we're heading back to London a few days early," Mia replied. "I figured I'd want to do a lot of souvenir shopping in Cardiff and didn't fancy carrying everything around with me all month, so we're doing the Doctor Who Experience last."

Spencer chuckled. "You know, I'm very jealous that you're going without me."

"I know you are," Mia said, a smile evident in her voice. "I promise to bring you some very cool presents to make up for it."

Before Spencer could reply the doors to the bullpen burst open and Morgan walked in, closely followed by JJ, Prentiss, and Rossi, all back from the late lunch they'd taken. Spencer had elected to stay behind, remaining buried in his work, and while he'd initially regretted his decision he now found himself wishing their lunch had lasted just a little while longer. Spotting him at his desk, his phone in hand, all four of them smiled excitedly and hurried forwards.

"Is that Mia?"

"How is she?"

"Where is she?"

For the next few minutes, Spencer's phone was passed from agent to agent, allowing each person to hear from Mia and let her know they all missed her. Garcia joined the group while Rossi was speaking to Mia, and gave Spencer an approving nod before insisting she speak to Mia next. Spencer smiled softly, enjoying the enthusiasm his family had for the woman he loved. Mia had been in Europe for nearly a month now, having gone on a whirlwind backpacking trip with Alice, and while Spencer missed her dearly and wanted to keep her to himself, he seriously loved how well she got on with the rest of the team. The team consisted of six of the most important people in the world to him, and since Mia had jumped to the top of that list he wasn't sure what he'd have done if they hadn't all gotten along.

Fifteen minutes passed before JJ took pity on her friend.

"Okay guys," she laughed, "Let's give the phone back to Spence. This is his girlfriend, after all."

Garcia held the phone out and the team called out a chorus of 'goodbye, we miss you, bring us back something nice!' Spencer chuckled and shook his head, watching his friends disperse throughout the bullpen, busying themselves with their own paperwork or quiet conversations, leaving him in peace.

"Sorry about that," he said, putting the phone back to his ear, "But apparently I'm not the only one missing you around here."

Mia laughed softly. "I miss them all too," she said, "But I miss you more than anything. I can't wait to get home."

"I can't wait for you to get home, either," Spencer sighed. "I'm going crazy without you here."

"Only one more week and I'll be home."

"One week too long."

Mia was quiet a moment, and Spencer was sure he heard a small sniffle. "I should probably go. This is costing a fortune."

Guilt stabbed Spencer's heart at the sound of her trembling voice. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry."

"You didn't upset me, Spence," she assured him quickly. "Being this far away from you for so long is killing me, too. I don't know what I was thinking, leaving you for a whole month when I can hardly bear being away from you for a few days."

"You love to travel," Spencer said simply. "It's what you did before we met, and I don't want you to change who you are. I want you to be able to enjoy that still. I'll always be here when you get home."

Mia let out a shaky breath. "I love you, Spencer."

Spencer smiled despite himself. "I love you, too."

After waiting for Mia to hang up, Spencer set his phone down slowly and shut his eyes, leaning back in his chair with a heavy sigh. Less than a year ago he would have found it strange to miss another human being as much as he currently missed Mia. He'd never been one for emotional attachment, and he'd never imagined having someone to care so deeply for. Now, with her gone, he found he couldn't sleep, or eat, or focus on anything without his mind bringing him back to her. A small voice in his head kept telling him that he was crazy, that it couldn't possibly be healthy to love someone as much as he loved Mia, or to miss someone as much as he did. No one had mentioned it, probably to spare him the embarrassment, but he knew his work had suffered since she'd been away. He'd missed a completely obvious clue on a case in Ohio, had misquoted Carl Jung during an argument with Prentiss, and, to top it off, had only managed to read a total of sixteen books in three weeks. As desperate and pathetic as he felt, he needed her back. He wasn't sure he'd survive the next week.

"You alright there sweetheart?"

Mia Hale opened her eyes, sucked in a deep breath and shot the man next to her a tense smile before shutting her eyes once more. Despite all the travelling she'd done in her life, and she'd done a lot of it, she had yet to overcome her immense fear of flying. She was able to deal with it once the plane was in the air, but during takeoff and landing she bordered on hysteria.

This landing was particularly awful due to the torrential downpour currently plaguing DC, and the man sitting next to her was not helping the situation. The moment she boarded the plan in London and found her seat, her neighbour had sneakily slipped his wedding ring into his pocket before promptly starting to hit on her. No amount of mentioning her loving boyfriend had deterred him, and she'd spent nearly seven hours trying to tune him out. Even now, while she was pressed back in her seat, gripping the armrests and holding her breath as the plane hurtled towards the tarmac, the man laid a hand over hers comfortingly.

"First time flying?"

With a terrifying thump the plane touched down and began to slow. Mia tugged her hand free and opened her eyes, taking a deep, calming breath. "No," she replied shortly, "Just not a big fan."

For the next few minutes, Mia gazed out the tiny airplane window at the pouring rain and the nearing airport terminal. As the plane rolled to a stop and her panic slowly subsided, Mia felt herself smile. She was home, safe, and finally back in the same country as the man she loved. Granted, he was currently off in Klamath Falls, Oregon, chasing the team's latest serial killer, but still. She was much closer to him now than she had been while traipsing around Europe.

"What do you say to grabbing a drink at the airport bar before heading out?"

"Again," Mia sighed, mustering up one last polite smile, "I don't think my boyfriend would like that very much."

The man shrugged with an irritating smirk. "I'm sure I could take him."

Shaking her head, Mia chose not to continue the conversation. While the flight attendant thanked everyone for flying with British Airways, she undid her seatbelt and reached for her bag, readying herself for the moment the door opened and she could escape both the death trap she'd travelled on and the creep she'd travelled with.

The moment people started moving towards the exit, the man next to her stood and gallantly motioned for her to precede him. Thanking him with a small smile, Mia joined the throng of people filing out of the aircraft, digging through her bag for her phone as she went. The moment her feet hit the floor of the terminal she felt the last bit of anxiety dissipate. Feeling much more relaxed than she'd felt in several hours, she typed out a quick message to Spencer, letting him know she was home safely and she couldn't wait to see him. Slipping her phone back into her bag, she smiled and followed the signs to baggage claim.

Mia hadn't taken more than ten steps when the Doctor Who theme sounded from within her bag, and her smile grew.

"Shouldn't you be working?"

Spencer's soft chuckle made her heart flutter excitedly. "I always have time for you. How was the flight?"

"It was okay," she told him, leaving out the part about her teeny tiny freakout during the landing and the man so intent on cheating on his wife. "Long, but uneventful. How's the case going?"

"I think we're close," Spencer replied. "We should be home soon. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to meet you. Especially seeing as Alice had to catch a later flight."

Balancing her phone between her ear and her shoulder, Mia lifted her luggage from the carousel, loaded it onto a cart, and headed for the customs lineup. To her dismay, her admirer from the plane was right behind her the whole way.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop apologising, Spencer? You're working. Saving lives is much more important than picking me up from the airport," she told him with a smile. "I can catch a cab. It's fine."

"Oh you won't need to get a cab," Spencer assured her. "Garcia's sending Anderson. He's probably already there waiting, and, knowing Garcia, has a bunch of flowers to welcome you home with."

Mia smiled fondly at the thought of the humorously uptight agent. Despite knowing her extreme aversion to referring to people by surname, as everyone at the bureau tended to do, no one would give her Anderson's first name. Even Spencer and Aaron continued determinedly to only ever use his last name, and Anderson himself was seemingly under strict orders to keep his first name a secret. Mia was certain it was her newly expanded family's strange attempt at getting a rise out of her. Not one to cave to social pressure, however, Mia had come up with her own way of dealing with the situation.

"Ooh yay," she said enthusiastically as the line inched closer to the customs kiosks, "I haven't spoken to Andy in ages!"

"I'm sure he'll be happy to see you, too."

Mia could hear a sudden rumble of voices on the other end and frowned. "What's going on there? Is everything okay?"

"Oh, uh, it looks like we just got a break in the case," Spencer replied hurriedly. "I should probably go. Morgan's trying to wave me over. I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"Okay. Be safe!"

"Always am. I love you, Mia."

"Love you too, Spence."

Tucking her phone back into her bag, Mia sighed dreamily. Oh, how he loved that man. She'd been away from him for a month, almost to the day, and it had been a month too long in her opinion. When Alice had broached the subject of a backpacking trip, though, she'd had a hard time turning it down. She'd been bitten by the travel bug long before meeting Spencer, and hadn't been able to resist the chance to see Europe once more. Only when she'd had to say goodbye to Spencer had she realized her mistake. Choosing to be away from the man she loved? It was hard enough when he left town for a few days for work, and she'd chosen to be away from him for a month. She'd had an amazing trip, and her friendship with Alice had definitely strengthened in their time overseas, but she knew without a doubt that she wouldn't be going anywhere without Spencer for quite some time.

"Boyfriend's not coming, huh?"

Mia's brief chat with Spencer had driven the creep from her mind. Sighing, she glanced over her shoulder at him. "No, unfortunately he's working."

"Great," he grinned. "We can grab that drink after all."

"Um, no," Mia shook her head. "Someone else is waiting for me."

"Send them home," he shrugged. "I'll give you a ride."

"I don't think that's such a good idea. See, he's an FBI agent, and he's under very strict orders from my FBI agent boyfriend and my FBI agent brother to see me home safely."

Eyes darkening ever so slightly, the man took a small step back, his hands raised in defense. "Fine, fine. I can take a hint."

Mia had an urge to laugh at the ludicrousness of the statement, but settled for turning her back on the man, feeling quite pleased with herself. As luck would have it, she was next in line, and would soon be rid of the man for good. She was quite grateful that Penelope had decided to send Andy along. Had she been forced to catch a cab, as she'd initially planned, she would have been stuck finding a way to escape him on her own, and the thought of the hypothetical situation made her feel very uneasy. The sooner she was away from him, the better.

"Next!"

A small sigh of relief escaping her lips, Mia grabbed hold of her luggage cart and hurried forwards, flashing a big smile at the handsome customs agent who had rescued her. "Hi!"

The tall, dark haired man at the desk gave her an appraising look before his face broke into a smile, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners. "Welcome to the United States, ma'am," he said politely, "Passport and customs form, please."

Mia obligingly handed him the required documents.

"Coming from London, Miss Hale? Business or pleasure?"

"It's Mia," she smiled, "And pleasure. I was on a backpacking trip with a friend."

"How exciting. How long were you gone?"

"Twenty nine days."

"Quite the trip," he commented lightly. "Do you live and work here in DC?"

"I do," Mia nodded. "I own a bookstore, actually."

Interest sparked in his blue eyes. "Really? Maybe you could help me with something then," he said as he scanned her passport. "I've been searching for a first edition copy of a specific Browning anthology. Any idea where I would look?"

Mia beamed at him. "My store specializes in rare prints," she said excitedly. "I'll give you the address. I'd be happy to help you find what you're looking for!"

"That would be great!"

Mia accepted a small scrap of paper and a pen, quickly jotting down the name and address of her bookstore. The agent, whose name she learned was Paul, thanked her before returning to the task at hand. They discussed what she was bringing back from overseas—a few souvenirs from random stops throughout Europe and a handful of Doctor Who themed gifts from the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff—and, after a few more minutes, Paul determined that everything was in order.

"Welcome home, Mia."

"Thank you very much," she said happily, "I hope you have a lovely day."

Paul grinned. "I think I will now."

With a small wave, Mia continued on towards the exit, tucking her documents back into her bag as she went. A few feet away the creep from the airplane was finishing up with his own customs officer. Mia quickened her pace. As she rode the escalator down towards the arrivals area, she scanned the crowd for Andy in his stuffy suit and tie. She was so focused on finding him that she didn't notice the man approaching her, a bunch of foil balloons in hand, until he was only a few feet away. Her gaze passed over him twice before she stopped dead, her wide eyes meeting his. He wore a pair of dark jeans, a cream coloured, button down top, and the blue cardigan she'd given him for Christmas. Her beloved Spencer Reid was there, at Dulles International Airport, smiling at her behind his thick rimmed glasses, instead of chasing a madman through Oregon.

Coming to her senses after a few moments, she released her cart and hurried towards him, throwing herself into his open arms. He caught her easily, spinning her in the air the way they do in movies. Mia laughed happily, pressing kisses all over his face the moment he set her down. He chuckled, pulling her close and catching her lips with his. They stood there for several moments, their arms around each other, kissing as if their lives depended on it, completely oblivious to the world around them.

When they finally broke apart both were breathing heavily, and Spencer's cheeks were adorably flushed. He smiled, pressed another quick kiss to her lips, and then hurried to collect her discarded luggage cart. Mia waited until he'd rejoined her, and then hit him playfully on the arm.

"You said you had a case! Aaron said you had a case! I even talked to Penelope last night and she said you had a case!"

"We do have a case," Spencer laughed. "The rest of the team really is in Klamath Falls."

"So you stayed behind?"

Spencer nodded. "We figured you should have someone to welcome you home."

"We?"

"The team," he explained with a smile. "Your brother said the last time you came home from a trip overseas there was no one here to meet you, and he didn't want it happening again. He also mentioned something about a slight fear of flying and said you'd need a hug?"

Mia laughed and accepted his hug. "My fear of flying is the last thing on my mind right now," she told him. "I hope the team's okay without you, though. I'd hate to take you away from your work."

Spencer shook his head and gave her another quick kiss. "Don't be silly," he said, "The team is fine. I helped Garcia out with the geographical profiling and connecting the dots between the victims. We think we've got the unsub, now it's just a matter of finding him. They can do that without me. They all insisted I be here to meet you."

Mia smiled, very touched that everyone cared so much. "Can I ask one more question?"

Spencer nodded.

"What's with the balloons?"

"Oh!" He glanced up at them in surprise, as if he'd forgotten he was holding them. "They're for you!"

Taking them from him slowly, Mia gazed up at the shiny red and pink hearts, curly ribbon trailing from them, and smiled. "They're very cute," she said, "But why balloons?"

Spencer blushed. "Whenever I go out of town I get you flowers," he explained. "I figured we'd do balloons when you go out of town."

When Mia leaned in to kiss him, his blush deepened ever so slightly. "You're adorable, and I love you."

"I love you too," he said, his voice husky. "Ready to go home?"

Mia nodded, looped her arm through his, and they started towards the door. As they moved through the crowded airport slowly, a thought struck her and she stopped, forcing him to stop with her. "Wait!"

Spencer gave her a curious look.

""You're sure the team is actually in Oregon?"

"What do you mean?"

"They're not like…waiting at home to welcome me back or anything, right?"

Spencer chuckled and tugged her towards the door. "No, they're really in Oregon. We figured we'd go for dinner when they got back to town."

Mia was instantly relieved. "Good," she smiled, barely noticing the rain that drenched her the moment they stepped outside, "Because I'd really like it if it were just the two of us for the next several hours."

Spencer gave her a small smile, his eyes revealing his excitement. "I'm pretty sure I'll like that, too."

As they hurried through the rain to his car, Mia assured him that he would be doing much more than simply liking their alone time. The entire time she was in Europe, she'd known she missed the man with all her heart. Now that she was back, though, she realized it was so much more than that. She'd missed him with every fibre of her being. She belonged here, with the adorable Spencer Reid, completely in love and deliriously happy.

A/N: Review review review! Next chapter should be up tomorrow. Or maybe later today, if I'm feeling generous ;)

Thanks for reading! 3