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#9

The art of love is largely the art of persistence.

~Albert Ellis

His music filled the air with drama and life. Reid could listen to his friend Ethan play for hours. Yet he couldn't help but keep glancing at a woman sitting in the corner laughing with friends. She had thick curly brown hair and a sparkling smile. Reid kept trying to ignore her. He was there for his friend, not romance.

When Ethan took a break and approached the bar where Reid was sitting. He took a glass of water the bartender gave him. "Approach her," he said after a sip.

"What?" Reid asked.

Ethan shook his head. "Friend, you can be so clueless at times. Every other time I glanced your way, you were looking at the young woman with curls."

"You know I am not good with women in bars," he whispered.

"Doesn't mean you shouldn't try if you see the right girl. Now approach her before she finds someone else."

"Okay, Okay," he said walking away from his friend.

The woman was sipping her drink when he came into her line of vision.

"Hi," he said clumsily "I'm Spencer."

"I'm Joyce," she said and glanced Ethan's way. "You know him?"

"He's been one of my closest friends for a long time," he said.

"He is really good. Be sure to tell him that for me at the end."

"I will," he said. "So what do you do for a living Joyce?"

"I'm a police sketch artist," she said. "You?"

"I'm a profiler for the Behavioral Analysis Unit at Quantico."

"That must be an interesting job," she said. "Do you travel much?"

"A lot actually. It feels good to do my job. I help people," he said. "Your job must be interesting too. Drawing different faces."

"It is," she said nodding her head. "It never gets old, that feeling of drawing the right composition to get the perpetrator."

"I draw a little too," he said. "I have an eidetic memory. I can sometimes sketch what I remember."

"That's great that you can do that," Joyce said and then looked up at the small stage where Ethan was prepping again. "Come and sit with us, and then you can introduce my group to Ethan if that is okay."

"Sure, that sounds great," Reid said and took a seat with them.

On the plane ride home four days later Reid was sketching for twentieth time. He wanted to get her nose right.

"Who's the pretty girl?" J.J. said sneaking up on him.

"Just someone I met," he said trying to hide his sketch. "I met her the night Ethan was performing in D.C. She's a police sketch artist and we agreed to exchange drawings of each other the next time we met."

"That is really a lovely drawing Spence," she said.

"I hope it is good enough."

"It is not like you do it for a living. Just relax and remember this is supposed to be fun."

"I know," he said and started again.

Joyce loved his hair. She could draw variations of it for hours. It wasn't FBI standard she imagined. She wondered if he ever cut it extremely short. His hair combined with his bone structure made him look dreamier than he probably realized.

"That is one handsome fella," her friend Layla said when she arrived for their lunch date.

"I know," she said "and I am going to break his heart."

"Don't say that," she said. "You haven't even been on a date with him yet!"

"I know but my sister—"

"Is your excuse not to get involved with anyone," she said.

"The first guy left before the end of dinner!"

"You don't know how things will turn out with this one."

Joyce sighed. She really liked Spencer and hoped Roxanne for once wouldn't scare him off.

She beamed when she saw his work.

"I love it," she declared. "You make me look twice more attractive than I really am."

Reid turned red and looked at the sketch she gave him.

"You make me look more confident than I really was that night."

She smiled. "You approached a group of four of us. That showed nerve."

"Thanks."

Then suddenly her smile fell and she turned serious. "I have something to tell you and I'll completely understand if you decide to run for the hills afterwards."

Reid leaned in. "Joyce I want to get to know you better and I'm prepared to face whatever comes."

Joyce took a deep breath. "My sister is a reality TV star on the show 'Capital Drama'"

"I've never heard of it."

"What about 'The Real Housewives' shows?"

"Only vaguely."

She laughed. "Consider yourself lucky to live in a state of oblivion."

"What is this show about?"

"It follows the 'glamourous' lives of the wives of DC's elite power brokers."

"Who your sister's husband?"

"Luke Brunsen."

"The CEO of DC Investments?"

"You know who he is?" Joyce said, surprised.

"DC Investments manages the stocks and bonds of several high profile companies such as Gorman Development, Messer Innovations, and Clemente Publishing."

She smiled. "How refreshing to meet someone who knows more about my brother-in-law than my sister."

"Thanks I guess."

"So you're not scared off?"

"No," Reid said firmly. "I want to get to know you Joyce. I am here for you not your sister."

Her smile was radiant. "Thank you! Now let's talk about something else. What games do you like?"

"Chess," he said.

"I'm just learning on my own! Maybe you could teach me?"

"I'd love to."

Morgan was hosting a dinner party for the team and Hank was being passed around. As Reid held Hank he got up the nerve ask what had been on his mind for several days.

"Does anyone watch 'Capital Drama'?"

Savannah laughed. "It is my favorite guilty pleasure show."

"I know," Garcia chipped in. "I love Nadine as her style is kooky but cool at the same time."

"I know shouldn't be saying this but I love Roxie," Savannah said conspiratorially. "The stuff she says is outrageous."

Morgan looked to Reid. "Why the curiosity kid?"

He sighed. "I'm dating Roxie's sister."

"Joyce?" Savannah said. "She always looks miserable when she's out with her but I always guessed it had to do with being in the spotlight. But you can tell that Roxie genuinely loves her."

"Really?"

"I may not be a profiler but I like to think I know a thing or two about love," she said and kissed Morgan on the cheek.

Three weeks later, Joyce was nervously playing with her bracelets. The house was filled with producers, lighting, and camera equipment as usual. Roxanne, Luke, and Joyce already had their microphones on.

"Don't fidget so much," Roxanne said gently. "It doesn't look good on camera."

"Please be nice to him," she said urgently.

"I promise I'll use kid gloves," she said assuredly.

There was the ringing of the doorbell. Roxanne walked over to answer it.

"Spencer!" She said exuberantly and folded him into a hug before Joyce could even catch a glimpse of him.

"Hi," he said nervously as he edged in. He was wearing a navy-blue suit and holding yellow roses. Joyce noted that a producer had already put a microphone on him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Brunsen," he said formally. He presented the flowers to Roxanne. "These are for you."

"Why thank you," she said loudly. "And no more of this 'Brunsen' business. Just call me Roxie and Luke, Luke like everyone else does."

Reid gave Joyce a quick hug and they walked to the dining room.

"So Spencer I understand you're a profiler for the FBI" Luke said. "It sounds like interesting work."

"It is," Reid said. "I get to travel across the country and meet different people and help save lives."

"How heroic of you!" gushed Roxie as the salads were served by waiters.

Reid looked slightly embarrassed by the attention. "You didn't have to go all out for a dinner for me."

"Nonsense," Roxie said. "I also love an excuse to show off Chef Moore's unique feasts."

Luke leaned into towards Reid. "Trust me her meals aren't anything to write home about."

"I heard that!" Roxie said.

"It's the truth dear."

Reid drank some of the wine offered. "So Mr.-Luke what are your thoughts on the status of the Trans-Pacific Partnership?"

Luke looked taken aback. "No one ever asks me fun questions at this dinners!"

Roxie played with her salad. "That's because no one cares about your job dear."

"My one hundred six investors do!"

Roxie ignored him. "So Spencer are you still a virgin?"

Reid dropped his fork. Joyce's heart sank. The relationship was over before salads were finished.

"I believe that is none of your business," he said firmly.

Joyce suddenly felt hope. Someone to finally stand up to her sister.

She pushed forward. "Did Joyce tell you about how she lost hers to a surfer during her college spring break junior year? She said the sand got literally everywhere."

"Roxie!" Joyce shouted.

Reid suddenly grabbed Joyce's hand. "There are things Joyce and I talk about that shouldn't be shared at the dinner table."

Roxie groaned. "Why should we talk about trade agreements when there is fun stuff to talk about? Like the night Joyce and I got super-drunk at my bachelorette party and ended up getting matching tattoos on our butts. Have you seen it yet?"

Joyce thought she was going to be sick to her stomach. Reid gripped her hand harder. She clung to it like a lifeline. She leaned in.

"You can run now if you like," she whispered.

"Only if you come with me," he said back and turned to Roxie.

"Roxanne, I am sure you have a good heart and love your sister dearly," he said steadily. "But this line of questioning is making me and Joyce very uncomfortable. If don't stop I am going to leave and take Joyce with me if she wants to."

Roxie looked mildly offended. "So now you think you know what my sister wants better than I do. I'm not sure if there is enough man to you. Did you know that the last man Joyce had a long-term relationship with was a college quarterback for Georgia State? I think his left arm weighs more than you."

Luke just looked mildly amused by the whole exchange.

Joyce stood up. "I know what's best for me. I think my boyfriend and I should leave."

"Fine, leave if you want to," Roxie said indifferently. "If you can't handle the truth about my sister, maybe you don't belong here. Joyce, I know you'll come back when you've come to your senses about him."

"I highly doubt that," Joyce said over her shoulder as they walked out of the house.

The producers helped them remove their microphones outside.

As Reid adjusted his collar he asked: "I am curious. What does that tattoo look like?"

She giggled. "You'll just have to wait and find out when the time is right."

"How did dinner go?" J.J. asked the next day at brunch.

Reid buttered his toast. "It should make for an interesting episode of 'Capital Drama.' Could some one pass the OJ over please?"

He didn't say another word about it the entire meal.

After a week of relentless voicemail messages, Joyce finally decided to meet with her sister for lunch. The restaurant was mostly vacant as usual to maintain the cozy feeling despite all the filming crew.

"I'm so sorry," she said before even greeting her.

"I know," Joyce said.

"What can I do to make up for it?"

"Talk to me and my boyfriend with respect," she said.

"Done," Roxie said. "Anything for him and my sweet little sister."

"The producers liked him that much?" Joyce said not caring if they would have to redo the whole scene.

"They want to film your wedding," she said. "Joyce I saw the footage. He is seriously in love with you."

"It is not happening this season,"

This season on 'Capital Drama:' Nadine tries Botox with mixed results. Taylor's teenage daughter is out of control! Lina's ex comes back to add some drama. Karen's antics make it on to the front page of Pop Watch for all the wrong reasons. And finally Outrageous Roxie learns to tame her tongue to save her relationship with her sister and her future brother-in-law.