Spencer stretched out on his couch, a book open face-down on his lap, his hands folded behind his head. The BAU's case load was light this past week, and they all had received a rare day off. He'd tried to get into the book, he knew he could get through it in a matter of minutes, but here again, he was troubled by a lack of focus.

This time though, it wasn't due to any trauma or PTSS. This time, his focus was just… elsewhere.

While intellectually, he knew he should take a step back and look at these new developments logically, reasonably… he also knew that he was poorly equipped to do so at this juncture. He was hopelessly gone on her, and he had been for half his adult life. He knew the true person she was, and that knowledge through the years had just strengthened his love. The fact that she now admitted to reciprocating his feelings, was a miracle he never thought to receive, and… god the way she looked at him, now. He tried to not obsess over it, but his perfect mind couldn't help conjuring the image of her eyes, her face when she told him what she had done, and her true feelings about it all.

What she had done. He was floored, though he tried not to show it, that she had taken such a step. He had never expected it, and now that it was done, he wondered at the permanence of it. Might it be undone? Could Will's insistence override what she had confessed was the truth? Would he, could he, use the children as an effective lure or threat to bring her back?

Reid didn't think so, but these were questions that were reasonable to ask, even if he was just asking them of himself. He wanted to call her, talk to her right then, but he knew she needed room to figure all this out. His understanding of her request for space didn't put a damper on his need to see her, though, and he fought with himself before deciding on a quick text. She could ignore it if she wanted, but he needed to reach out.

"Hey."

The response was immediate. And even though she wasn't one for emojis, the tiny 'x' that followed her returned "Hey" made his heart skip. She'd never done that before.

"Been thinking about what you said. Also thinking about the boys. Free for coffee later?" He replied.

She texted back, "With them now, and I'm always free for you. You want to see them, too?"

"Absolutely."

"They'll be thrilled, let's say 4 at the park?"

"I'll bring the coffee and smoothies."

"Perfect. Miss you."

"You just made my day."

"You're easy."

"Not sure anyone's ever called me that."

"Haha, see you at 4."

"See you."


The day had turned towards blustery but it was still nice enough to enjoy the park, and there were a few other families out, too. JJ and the kids were already there as Spencer turned up with the smoothies, blueberry for Henry and banana for Michael. He presented JJ her coffee with a flourish, and it was of course exactly how she liked it.

She laughed as the boys leaned in for their hugs, then Henry took off to the slide, his brother toddling behind him. The grownups made their way to a bench on the edge of the playground, JJ keeping a watchful eye. They sat, and she leaned in for a hug of her own, then settled against him as he stretched his arm out behind her on the bench. He almost kissed the top of her head, but figured Henry might have questions if he noticed, so he held back.

Everything was so comfortable between them. It felt so natural for her to be here, leaning into him, his godsons playing in front of them. Right this moment, he didn't have a care in the world.

"How are you?" he asked her.

"I'm okay. Henry's had some questions, but Michael hasn't really noticed any difference that I can tell. I'm being honest with Henry, just not going into too much detail. He's 9, you know? He's fine with that. He was upset at first, Spence. When I told him that I was going to stay with mom. That's been the hardest part.

"Can I help?"

"Yes… I mean sure," she squeezed his hand. "If he wants to talk or anything, just let him know that you aren't going anywhere and that you will be in his life more."

He nodded as he watched them play. "Like you said, Michael's too little to worry about it, especially since he's still going to be seeing you and Will pretty much daily. It's Henry that worries me. I don't want him to feel abandoned or angry. And I'm nervous about him… resenting me. Does that sound selfish?"

JJ glanced up at him, then looked back at the kids. "It's a valid concern, Spence. I don't know, these are uncharted waters for me, too. I'm just following his lead, so far. He seems to be adjusting, but it's only been a couple of weeks, so we'll see. Regardless, he loves you like crazy. If we can just build on that, we'll be okay, I have to believe that. How are you doing?

He tilted his head back and looked at the sky. "Jennifer. You're dealing with a husband that doesn't want a divorce, trying to maintain normalcy for your son who's old enough to understand and see what's going on, all the while maintaining your own sanity, staying on the job, and owning up to your feelings about me. I'm really not looking to unload on you right now."

She looked straight ahead and said, "And this is only one of the hundreds of reasons I love you. We'll figure this out, Spence. Soon. For now, for today… tell me the biggest thing you're feeling. I need to know that."

He looked straight ahead as well, catching Henry's eye and waving. "Okay. I'm lonely. I'm lonely for you. Before, it was workable, because I thought you were happy. Now? I can't stop thinking about you and about being with you and… it's a deeper, much deeper thing. That's it, that's the biggest."

Michael toddled to JJ and crashed into her legs, laughing. "'WING!" he shouted. JJ stood, sweeping him up and hugging him tightly. "YES! Let's go!" she said. She turned to Spencer, "I hear you, and I get that, more than you know. We need to figure that out, like now."

He watched as she carried Michael to the swings, dangling him upside down. He smiled and dried his sweaty palms on his pant legs. He still found it hard being honest with his feelings, but it was her. He was done holding back. He stood, putting his hands in his pockets, and walked over to Henry who had just completed the rings for the fourth time.

Henry dismounted, dusted himself off and looked up at his godfather.

"Hey wow Henry that was cool! I didn't know you could do that," Spencer said.

Henry shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets, too. They walked together to the leafy wooded edge of the playground lined with gravel, and crouched down.

"What do you think we'll find today?" Spencer asked, producing a small magnifying glass from his pocket and passing it to Henry, who bent to the task.

"Igneous for sure… maybe an obsidian piece if we're lucky. Uncle Spence?"

"Yes?"

Henry peered through the magnifier at the rocky gravel. "Are my mom and dad gonna get divorced?"

Spencer paused, then said, "That's for them to decide, Henry. Whatever happens, it's important that you know you and Michael always come first. You guys are the most important thing on their minds and both of them love you more than anything in this world. You know that, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good. You be sure and keep that thought first in your mind, okay?" Spencer tried but Henry avoided eye contact.

"Uncle Spence?"

"Yes?"

"Are you going away again?"

Reid felt a cold trickle knife through his chest in response, he wasn't expecting that and it tore at his heart that Henry was thinking that way – would all the adults he loved abandon him? But this was one fear he could allay.

"No Henry, as a matter of fact, you'll be seeing me much more, if you want. Would you like that?"

And now his godson did make eye contact. "I'd like it a lot."

"Me, too."

He opened his arms and Henry reached to hug him tight around his neck. Spencer patted the boy's back and squeezed him just as tight.

"Don't worry about anything, okay? Me and your mom and dad will figure out the adult stuff. You just concentrate on being you, and being the best big brother you can be for Michael. Does that sound fair?"

Henry leaned back and wiped away the few tears he had shed. He nodded and stood up, handing the magnifier back to his uncle. "I feel better," he said.

Spencer stood and ruffled Henry's blond head. "Hey you know what? That makes me feel better, too. Race you to the swings?"

He smiled as his godson sprinted off, leaving him in a cloud of gravely dust.