Author: Ren Kayashima

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

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Chapter Ten:

Reid sat at his desk in the bullpen. He had just finished his last report of the day and was ready to head out. He looked up when Hotch walked over holding Jack in his arms. "Hey, Reid," he greeted. Jack was hanging onto the team leader's neck as he wrapped his legs around Hotch's waist.

"Hey," Reid said as he stood up. "Hi Jack."

"Have you gotten your clothes from Gwen yet?" Hotch asked knowing full well that Reid had been putting the time off for a week. Hotch watched as Reid ducked his head down. The genius glanced around to see if anyone was listening. It wasn't a problem because most of the BAU members had left for the day not too long ago. Morgan was talking to Garcia trying to convince her to grab some dinner with him.

"I haven't had the time," Reid shrugged.

Hotch mentally sighed. It was difficult when he had to convince Jack to eat all of his vegetables, but that was easily fixed with bribes of cookies and ice cream. It seemed that getting Reid to do something probably wouldn't be as easy. Hotch was starting to think that anything less than dragging the genius to the coffee shop would get Reid to reclaim his clothes.

"Reid, you can't put it off much longer," Hotch said. "Think about who this is. From what I've heard about New Orleans, I wouldn't be surprised if she showed up at the BAU with your clothes and a cup of coffee."

Reid's head snapped up. That would be bad. Very bad. If Gwen showed up at the BAU, with his clothes, Morgan and Garcia would never let him live it down. He could try and explain to everyone what happened, but that would probably make things worse. No, Reid would have to avoid this hitting the BAU pipeline.

"I'll pick them up on my way home," Reid said as he looked down at his completed file. He would sit at his desk for a bit. Once he was confident Hotch was gone for the night, Reid would leave and head to the metro station. He would pick his clothes up in the morning and slip them into his go-bag. He had to take his bag home tonight anyway to change out the clothing with fresh shirts, pants, and mismatched socks.

"I'll give you a ride to the shop. I was going to stop any way to pick up some coffee before Jack and I head home to make Jessica a birthday cake." Hotch said with a small smile.

"Her birthday is coming up?" Reid asked realizing that it was a pretty stupid question.

"Tomorrow," Hotch nodded. "Jack and his mom made a cake for her every year, and now I'll be helping him. Jack knows exactly how it should be done. Don't you buddy?" Jack nodded quickly to answer his dad's question.

Reid was about to decline but Jack stared at him. The small boy gave him a toothy grin as he rested his head on Hotch's shoulder. He couldn't say no when Jack was there. Nobody could say no to the Hotchner smile, especially if it was on Jack's face.

Hotch knew that the young profiler was trying to say no but couldn't. This had been the team leaders plan. Jack was irresistible, and he knew it.

Reid let out a sigh of defeat. He didn't have an excuse to stay at the BAU any longer. His work was done, so he couldn't say he needed to finish. Hotch wouldn't accept anything else.

Reid reached under his desk and pulled the duffel bag he used when they traveled. He would pick up his clean clothes from Gwen, and take it all back to his condo in DC. Hotch eyed him, and he felt a little childish for putting off the deed for a week.

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Jack ran ahead of Spencer and Hotch when they entered Espresso Shot! Hotch kept his eye on Jack as the young boy opened a fridge and pulled out a carton of his favorite chocolate milk. Reid guessed that this probably wasn't the first time Hotch and Jack had visited the coffee shop. Hotch and Reid waited in line patiently and Jack bobbed his head to a simple tune he was humming. Hotch watched as Gwen came through the front door of the shop. A pair of handcuffs hung from her wrist. Jenny shook her head as a customer walked away.

"Scott's not going to be happy when he finds out you got away with another pair of his cuffs," she said as Hotch and Reid moved to the counter. She smiled at the agents ignoring her friend's faces as Gwen moved behind the agents. "What can I get you fellas?"

Gwen looked at Reid. "I'll grab your clothes if you don't mind waiting. Jen, don't let them pay, I owe these men some coffee," she told her childhood friend. She glanced down at Jack as he pushed his chocolate milk onto the counter. "And a chocolate milk for this adorable young man."

Gwen disappeared into the back of the shop. Hotch pulled his wallet out only to have Jenny wave him off. "If Gwen says she's paying, then I am not allowed to accept payment from anyone by her. It was a rule we created when this place first opened up."

Hotch put his wallet back in his back pocket. He wasn't going to argue with a long established rule. "I'll have a large coffee, room for cream please."

Reid ordered the same thing as Hotch when Gwen came prancing out of the back. She smiled and held the cuffs out for Jenny to see. "These aren't Scott's. They belong to my dad. He tried handcuffing me to the old playground set in our backyard because he didn't want me going to check out Scott's new crime scene."

Jenny rolled her eyes as she handed over two cups of steaming hot coffee to Hotch. "When people handcuff you to something, it's a clear indicator that they want you to stay put," she said. "The fact that you keep stalking your brother's crime scenes is kind of disturbing to say the least. What are you hoping to find?"

"A story," Gwen shrugged with a grin. "And when has handcuffing me to anything actually worked?" She held up a large brown paper bag as she turned her attention to Reid. "Spencer, as promised, your clothes are good as new. I was about to drop them off at the BAU. It seemed like you were too busy to come pick them up. I've watched you dart by the shop every morning expecting you to stop by, but no dice. What's the deal?"

Hotch gave Reid a knowing look and the young profiler swallowed. Hotch smiled down at Jack. "Hey, Buddy," he said grabbing the boys attention. "Go find us a table, okay?"

Jack nodded rapidly and looked around, his eyes full of excitement. He spotted an empty table in a corner by the front window and quickly crossed the shop to steal a seat. As soon as the child had sat down he began working on opening the small carton of milk. This proved to be a somewhat difficult task for the child.

Gwen smiled and looked at Hotch. "You have a very cute son Agent Hotchner," she said.

"Thank you," Hotch smiled as he looked at Jack. "And for giving Reid's clothes back."

"Not a problem," Gwen laughed. "I don't have any use for them. Besides they don't belong to me, so I shouldn't really keep them."

Reid looked at the ground trying to hide his embarrassment. He didn't understand how Gwen and Hotch could talk so freely about his clothes no less. He looked up when Gwen said his name.

"What?" he asked.

Gwen smiled innocently knowing that the doctor hadn't been listening. "I was just wishing you and Agent Hotchner a pleasant evening," she repeated to the genius. She looked at the table where Jack was seated. The boy was acting out a battle sequence with only his hands. She suppressed a giggle when Jack threw his hands out wildly and made his own sound effects. "Enjoy your coffee," Gwen added.

Hotch nodded and Reid followed him to Jack's table. Reid snuck a peek over his shoulder to find Gwen and Jenny talking quietly. No one was waiting in line, so Jenny was seated on a tall stool and Gwen was leaning against the wall.

"See," Hotch said. "That wasn't too hard now was it?"

Jack looked at his dad curiously. "Why did she have Spencer's clothes?" he asked as he blinked.

"She was cleaning them. Spencer got his clothes all wet last week and Miss Thompson offered to clean them," Hotch explained to the small child.

"Like how Aunt Jessica does your clothes sometimes?" Jack asked innocently.

"Something like that," Hotch nodded with a smile. His son wasn't quite old enough to understand the entire situation between Reid and Gwen, but talking about the two of them so simply was a bit enjoyable.

Gwen looked at Jenny in shock. Her friend had just stunned her. "I can't do that!" she whispered harshly. "You're reading into something that isn't there."

"Am I?" Jenny asked glancing over at the agents seated at the corner table. "You and this doctor, FBI agent, pretty boy, genius, whatever he is, he likes you. I can see it every time he blushes, every time he looks away."

Gwen rolled her eyes. She hadn't dated for a couple years at this point. Her sister was sick, and Gwen was always chasing a lead for a new story. The past year alone had been dedicated to helping her niece and nephew through the first year after their mother's death. Relationships were not a top priority for Gwen Thompson.

"I don't see it," Gwen shook her head again.

"You've been out of the dating pool for far too long," Jenny sighed.

"So have you," Gwen defended. "I mean you went and got married. You haven't been on a date in forever. And that's before kids!" she laughed. "I'd hate to see you when you do have kids. Then there really won't be a date night for you and Mark."

"Well, the kids part is going to change pretty soon," Jenny grinned.

Gwen's eyes widened after a minute of silence. She stood up quickly. "You're pregnant!" she exclaimed excitedly. She smiled brightly. "Oh my God! I'm so happy for you! I can't believe that you're going to have a baby."

Jenny laughed and nodded. "Mark and I found out yesterday," she said. "You're the first person I've told."

Gwen pulled her childhood friend off of her stool and hugged her tightly. "I'm so happy for you," she said as she squeezed Jenny again. Gwen pulled away and grinned. "I guess I need to start arranging the baby shower."

"Not quite yet, but yes, I'm counting on you to make the next few months painless," Jenny said.

Hotch and Reid watched the two women. Hotch glanced at Reid. "It's interesting," he said. "Jessica reacted the same way when she found out that Haley was pregnant. The house wasn't quiet for a couple hours."

Reid looked out the front of the shop. He would have to get on the train as soon as he finished his coffee.

A half hour later, Reid gave a slight wave to Hotch as the team leader pulled out of a street side parking space. Reid turned when he saw Gwen come out of her office area. She turned and smiled at him. She pulled her hair behind her ears.

"Hey Spencer," she greeted happily. "Headed home for a nice weekend?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side.

Reid nodded and he looked towards the entrance of the metro station. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and bit his lip. It was getting closer to high traffic on the metro line, and he would beat it if he could just get on in the next ten minutes.

Gwen looked at the keys in her hands. "Hey Spencer," she spoke as she looked up at him. "Do you maybe want to get dinner sometime? Just a night out." She leaned against the wall of the coffee shop and her hands fell against her sides.

Reid just looked at Gwen. He tried to come up with an answer. Did she ask him out on a date, or was it just dinner? The answer to his question would probably determine his response. Wouldn't it? Did he like Gwen enough to go on a date? The more he thought about it, the more he thought that the human brain is confusing.

Reid's shoulders sagged slightly relieving the built up tension in his body. "Yeah," he answered. "That would be great."

"How does tomorrow sound?" Gwen asked. "We can meet here, and find someplace casual. I like Indian food, but I'm not sure what you like."

Reid grinned at the thought of Indian food. "Actually, there's this Indian place I know. Its open twenty-four hours."

Gwen nodded and smiled back. "Sounds interesting." She was going to see if what Jenny said was true. Only this "date" could answer her questions about Spencer's feelings.

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Author's Note: Sorry about taking so long to update. Good news is my English essay is done for tomorrow, but the bad news is… I still don't understand my Anthropology teacher. Work is busy, but it doesn't stop the ideas from floating into my brain. I'm trying to get some work done on other stories as well, but I'll try to get things out normally.

Quick Note: The nomination process for the annual Profiler's Choice Awards are going on until the fifteenth of October. This is an awards show to honor your favorite Criminal Minds fanfics and the authors who write them. You can find the nomination ballot on the Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum here on . Show your favorite stories some love by nominating them for one of the 47 awards available.

Anyway, I'll let you guys get to submitting a review because you know how much I enjoy hearing about them.

Ren