"JJ!"

Spencer Reid was desperately knocking on the door of Jennifer Jareau's apartment. His hair was disheveled and his eyes were framed by dark circles.

Emily's alive. She's alive.

JJ and Hotch had lingered in Hotch's office at the end of the workday. The young doctor had been passing by the slightly cracked-open door with his messenger bag until three words stopped him. "How is Emily?" He hadn't believed it at first. He had to be hearing things. But he wasn't – Jennifer Jareau and Aaron Hotchner were sitting in an office, discussing the woman who was supposed to have died weeks before.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as the door opened to reveal a tired JJ, Henry sleeping on her hip.

"Spence?"

"Yeah."

She looked confused, and he couldn't blame her. It was nearly eleven on a Thursday night, and here he was at her door.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Now? Can it wait till to—"

"I know Emily's alive."

Her eyes widened and she took a step back. Her mouth opened as if she were about to say something, but her lips met again and she stood, looking at the young man in her doorway. Henry stirred in her arms and she looked down at her son, then back to her colleague.

"Come in," she said, allowing him to cross in front of her before closing the door behind them. "Sit down. I'm going to put Henry to bed. I'll be right back."

"Okay."

He walked towards the living room as she carried her son to his room down the hall. Framed photographs of Henry and William sat on the end table beside the beige couch. He took a seat on an upholstered chair, leaning back and taking a breath.

You eavesdropped. She knows that now. You'll be in trouble. Huge trouble.

Footsteps padded down the hallway. He turned to see JJ round the corner and walk towards him, stopping a foot away. "Do you need anything? Coffee, water…?"

"No, thank you." He smiled politely, a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

She sat down on the couch and clasped her hands in her lap. Fiddling with them for a moment, she hesitated before looking up to meet his eyes.

"How did you find out?"

He pursed his lips. "I, uh…I heard you and Hotch talking…"

"Did you eavesdrop?"

"Not…not really. I was walking past and I heard Hotch ask about her. I didn't mean to, but…I just stopped and listened. I'm so sorry, I just—" He shook his head, sighing. "It was wrong."

"What all did you hear?" she asked, leaning forward.

"Something about Paris… I looked through the blinds and I could swear I saw Hotch looking straight at me. I panicked and ran."

"He didn't say anything about seeing you there. I think you're safe."

"Yeah…"

Silence filled the room. Reid coughed.

"You're not…you're not mad, are you?" His voice was small. He was aware he probably sounded like a little boy.

She took a breath, looking around the room, and then met Reid's eyes.

"Spence, I know you love her."

"Yeah, I—What?"

"The way you look at her, Spence. There's no hiding it. Morgan knows it, too. I'm constantly telling him not to tease you about it. Or, I was before she left."

He nodded, a pained look on his face at the memory of the night in the hospital.

"A lot of us thought it was a crush at first, but…the last few weeks she was here, it became so obvious."

He smirked. "Yeah. I'm not good at lying, am I?"

She chuckled and shook her head. "No, Spencer. You're not." She reached out her hand and he hesitated before placing his on top. "That's not a bad thing."

He nodded again. "I guess not."

The silence invaded once again, and Reid's mind was filled with images. For a moment, it seemed as if JJ transformed into Emily, the day so long ago on the jet from a case in Colorado, when she'd taken his hand in hers and reassured him that the beating she had taken wasn't his fault. He pulled his hand away and fiddled with his fingers in his lap.

"So, she's… She's in Paris?" He looked up to meet JJ's eyes.

"Yes."

"You know, I was thinking about…about taking a break. For awhile. To get my mind off things."

She nodded.

"Then I heard you and Hotch talking and…"

"You want to visit Emily."

"Yes."

She sighed. "She goes by Lauren Reynolds."

He nodded.

"She…" JJ trailed off. "Can I call you tomorrow morning?"

"Sure."

"I need to think this over."

"JJ, I'm not going to tell everyone where she is. I love her; I wouldn't put her in danger like that!"

"I didn't say you would, Spencer."

Both were silent for a few long minutes.

"I'll tell Hotch you're taking the day off tomorrow," she finally spoke up. "I'll call you and give you the information you need."

"You…you'd do that?"

"Of course."

He smiled. "Thank you." Standing up and straightening his shirt, he extended a hand to JJ and helped her stand up before allowing her to pull him into a hug.

"I'll let you get some sleep," he said as he pulled away from the embrace. She nodded and walked with him to the door, opening it for him. "Are you sure you want to let me do this?"

"I see no reason not to trust you."

"Can this…can this be our little secret?"

"Yes."

"But you'll tell her I'm coming?"

"Of course."

"Good night, JJ."

"Night, Spence."

He walked out, and as he began to make his way down the hallway, she called out.

"Oh, and…Spencer?"

He turned. "Yeah?"

"She misses you. She…she loves you."

The door closed.