Spencer was frozen in his spot and didn't move for almost a minute. A second knock finally brought him out of his shell and he remembered to open the door. There stood Jennifer Jareau, in all her beautiful glory holding a bottle of wine and a box from the local bakery.

"Hi Spence." Was all she said and Reid melted inside.

"Hi…um..JJ...Hi"

Smiling, she looked up at him as he swallowed nervously, "Can I come in?" she asked when he didn't offer.

"Oh, sorry, please come in." Spencer stepped to the side to let JJ in. She looked around and took in the candles and the beautiful table setting. Putting the wine down on the table, she whispered, "Oh Spencer, it looks so lovely. Thank you."

"I..um..wanted to do something nice for you." Swallowing nervously, he led JJ over to the table and helped her into the chair, taking the bakery box from her hands. Placing the box in the fridge, he turned back to her and decided to take the first step. "JJ, you have always been there for me, especially during this past year when we lost Emily and I wanted to thank you for being my friend." Before he could say anymore, the timer on the stove rang to indicate that the lasagna was done.

"Yummy" Jennifer said as she leaned closer to breath in the aroma of the dish." It smells wonderful. Here I'll serve."

Holding up his hand, Reid told her no. "You are my guest. Please allow me."

JJ smiled politely and watched as Reid took a spatula and put a piece of lasagna on a white plate, splashing some of the sauce on the side. "Damn it." He muttered reaching for a tea towel. JJ grabbed it out of his hand and proceeded to wipe off the mess. "Sorry, I'm such a klutz."

"That's okay Spence; I'm no kitchen wiz myself." Wiping the second plate, JJ put them on the table while Reid grabbed the salad from the fridge and the crusty Italian bread that Penelope had already cut into pieces.

Pouring the wine JJ brought, he toasted to good friends before they started to eat. Although the conversation was a little strained at the beginning, as they drank and ate, the both started to feel more comfortable and relaxed.

After a few moments where no one spoke, he took a sip of the wine. "Good wine," he said

"Good food," she responded, "although, I must admit somewhat familiar."

Reid smiled and crossed a hand over his heart, "I'll never tell."

Laughing they both relaxed and let the conversation go where it naturally went all the time. They spoke about the team, the latest case, and finally about Will and Henry.

Pushing around the last bit of his food, he looked over at JJ and realized that he needed to know if she was over Will. " JJ can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can. You know that."

"You don't have to tell me but I hope you feel that you can. It's about Will"

Pushing her plate to the side, she placed both her hands on the table, interlocking her fingers as she struggled to find the words. "Spence, I trust you with my life but it is so hard for me to say this because it makes me feel like such a loser."

Reaching over, Spencer placed his hand over hers, "JJ, you are NOT a loser. Whatever happened is not your fault."

"But it is Spence. I'm the one who pushed him away. To tell you the truth, we never should have gotten married. But I got pregnant with Henry and I felt that I owed Henry a chance at a real family life. But things went downhill fast. I didn't love him enough to keep trying and when I found him with that woman in my bed, it bothered me more that it was in my bed then the fact that he cheated."

"JJ, I'm sorry."

"I'm not. I knew that it was over years ago, but I held on for Henry's sake. Even when…even when I had feelings for someone else." She looked into Spencer's eyes hoping he'd catch her meaning.

Blushing, Spencer took his hands away from hers and took the plates to the sink. Clearing his throat, he asked her, "When did he leave?"

"Last March." She admitted.

"JJ, why didn't you tell us? We knew something was wrong, but we never imagined that you were separated that long. I mean, would you have told us if we hadn't run into Will's ex-partner that night."

"Yes…No…I don't know… maybe."

"JJ.."

"No, you don't understand what it was like. First of all, we were still dealing with Emily's 'death' and her amazing return to the team. Secondly, everyone thought we made the perfect couple. How could I tell them that I hated coming home to him? That I preferred when we were on a case so I didn't have to fake being in love or towards the end when we didn't do anything but get into fights. In fact it was a pleasure being at work with you guys because I could pretend that everything was fine."

"I'm sorry that you had to go through this by yourself, but ever since you finally admitted that you and Will have broken up, you seem, I dunno, happier."

Walking over to the sink, JJ took Spencer's hand, "That's because I am. It was the best thing that happened to me." Hopefully, JJ looked into Spencer's eyes willing him to respond. But his nerves seemed to get the best of him.

"Dessert?" Spencer asked to change the subject.

" ." JJ answered wondering if perhaps she had misread his feelings. She took the Red Velvet cheesecake out of the fridge and began to cut a piece for each of them.

Placing a piece in front of him, Spencer smiled, "You remembered."

JJ pushed a portion of her hair behind her ear as she sat down to have her dessert, "Of course, Spencer, I always listen when you talk."

"I um…thanks" he stammered, shoving a fork full of cheesecake in his mouth so he didn't have to respond to her statement any further.

JJ, look dejected as she ate her piece quietly. In fact they finished eating the cheesecake in silence, the air thick with uncertainty as they both wondered what to say to each other.

Finally JJ broke the silence by standing up, "I think it's time that I got going."

Spencer looked so sad at her words and then began to panic. "Do you have to?"

A slow smile crept on her face, "Not really. I can stay longer if you want."

He didn't realize that he was holding his breath waiting for her to answer. If he didn't tell her how he felt tonight, he'd lose his nerve and he'd never tell her. And that he wasn't willing to do.