Reid sat up and stretched, trying to be as quiet as possible, so as not to disturb Morgan. There had only been four rooms available at their hotel, so he and Morgan roomed together, while Blake and JJ had doubled up. Hopefully, this would be their last day on the case, and then they could head home. He was more than eager to sleep in his own bed, in his own room, with no one to bother him.

Not that Morgan was really a bother, per se, he just found himself craving privacy the closer it got to the anniversary of Maeve's murder. It was hard to believe just how much had changed in a year. In a way, he had become accustomed to the adage that the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. He liked sameness, he liked continuity.

Quietly, he flopped back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Reid supposed that his need for routine stemmed from his mother and her illness, but still there was an almost unhealthy obsession with it. Blake would know what to tell him, she always seemed to know the perfect thing to say to him, something that had surprised him, even though she had been his mentor for years before he'd joined the BAU.

Slipping out of bed, he toed on his slippers and padded over to her hotel room, scratching at the door so as not to disturb them if they were still awake. Reid jumped a little when JJ pulled open the door, her hair in wild disarray. "Is there a break in the case?" she asked through a yawn, and he shook his head. "Then why are you here at six in the morning?"

"I need to talk to Blake," he mumbled, looking down at the floor.

"One second. Alex!" He gave another little jump at just how loud she sounded, and then Alex was sitting up in her bed, pushing her hair back from her face.

"Mmph, what?" she asked as she stretched. "Do we need to get out in the field?"

"No, Spence needs to speak with you. I'll go see if they've started breakfast." She brushed past him, seeming oblivious to her state of dress. Shaking his head, he entered their room and closed the door behind him.

"What do you need?" Blake asked as she tucked her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees.

"It's been almost a year."

"It has. I wish there was a way to change things, to make it so that we stopped her stalker before she killed her. I had hoped that…"

Her voice trailed off and he nodded, taking a seat at the edge of her bed, curling up his body in the same manner. Reid never took his eyes off her, even when his own began to well up with tears. He made no move to wipe them away, instead letting them come, knowing that they would do much to heal the wounds of his soul. "I had hope once, too. But not everyone is like Emily, not everyone gets a second chance."

A guilty look passed over Blake's face, and he wondered what she was thinking about. "There is that. Very few people are afforded a second chance at life. We should embrace those who return to us, you know."

"I know. Who are you talking about, though? You never met Emily."

She blushed deeply and looked away from him. "No, but I know of her. Let's just leave it at that, all right?"

Reid knew that she was hiding something, but he was willing to let it go for the moment, if only to focus on his current predicament. "All right. I don't want to dwell on losing her."

"You loved her. Even though you never got to kiss her, make a family with her, you loved her deeply and truly. You are going to dwell on how it feels to lose something so precious. Have you considered talking to someone?"

He shook his head wildly. "No. Not after what Mom went through. She's finally found a good doctor. I can deal with this on my own."

"Can you?" she asked probingly, and after a moment, he nodded. "Fine, I'll leave it at that for the moment. Just, make sure you go to someone when you need to talk. I would hate for you to succumb to your addiction once more."

It was his turn to blush as he nodded, giving her a pained smile. "Garcia finally convinced me to start playing Words With Friends. What's your screen name so that I can challenge you?"

She smiled at him, nodding slightly. "I need another challenge. My name there is LenitionLady," she replied, spelling it out for him. Nodding in return, he went to say something more when she spoke again. "And you should add bosslady1, as well. We've been in a fierce competition for days so far. And she pulled ahead of me last night. I'm sure she'd love new blood."

The smile that Blake gave him caused him to shiver a little as he nodded. "I will do that. Thanks for talking me down off the ledge. I guess I just needed a friendly ear for a few minutes. I think I'll go down and join Jayje for breakfast."

Blake shrugged and smiled a little wider. "I'm always here to listen to you, Spencer. Please, keep that in mind." They stood up, and she unexpectedly opened her arms to him. Reid stepped into the embrace, welcoming the feel of her hand rubbing up and down his back. In that moment, he could almost pretend that she was his mother, comforting him, and for that, he was grateful.

"Thank you," he whispered when they let go of each other, and she nodded, slipping into a robe before following him down to the small kitchenette.