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A/n this takes place after "Proof."

"Uncle Spence, are you sad?"

He looked down at Henry, who studied him as though he were a new puzzle for him to solve. "No," he lied conveniently. "I'm just a little tired."

They sat on the sofa in JJ's living room. It was the first time he'd been there since Emily had returned from the dead. If not for Henry, he wouldn't be sitting in her home. He'd be at his apartment, not talking to JJ.

"Mommy says I have to take a nap when I sleepy." Henry was saying.

"You're mommy is right. Maybe I'll take a nap later."

Henry crawled into his lap. "I love Uncle Spence." He hugged Reid hard around the middle.

"I love you, too, Henry. You're my best friend."

"What's best friend?"

"A best friend is someone with whom you can talk. You can tell them all your secrets, and they'll never laugh at you, or judge you."

"What's judge mean?"

"It means that you think you know better than your friend, and you make them feel bad."

"Don't want you to feel bad, Uncle Spence."

"Me either," he hugged his godson one more time. "Luckily, I have many friends that care about me. They don't go away like Emily…"

He realized that he'd said it out loud and flicked his gaze to the entryway. Then he shook his head. Who cares if JJ overheard him? She and Hotch obviously didn't care about the team, or they wouldn't have lied for months.

"Uncle Spence, how come Aunt Emily go away?" He jolted at the question, and his heart jumped into his throat. He forced back the rage that lived in his gut and thought hard.

What to say to a three-year-old about a ruthless terrorist?

"You love your daddy very much. He loves you and your mommy. He'd never do anything to hurt you."

Henry nodded his little blond head. "I love daddy and mommy."

"I know you do. Sometimes little boys and girls don't have mommies and daddies like you. Sometimes daddies go away, or they're bad men that want their kids to be like them."

"I don't wanna be bad."

"I know, Henry. You're a good, sweet, loving little man, and that's because you have a good father and mother. You see, Emily once knew a very bad man with a little boy like you. She took the boy away from his father so he could grow up without learning to be bad."

"If his daddy said he was sorry, can the little boy go home?"

"No, the bad man went away and can't come back again."

"Why."

"Henry, you know your mom and dad catch bad people, right."

"You do too."

"Yes, I do. Sometimes the bad people don't want to be caught, and they try to get away."

"Did the bad man get away?"

Reid thought hard for a long time. How to explain death to the little guy without scaring him?

"Do you remember when your friend Johnny was sad because car hit his kitten?"

Henry nodded.

"People die like Johnny's kitten. It means that they can't be with us anymore."

"Why?"

"Because everything that lives has to die so that other things can take their place and have a chance to live. Everyone deserves to have mommies and daddies, and friends and the chance to be happy."

Henry nodded again, but he also yawned. Reid wondered how much he understood and decided that it didn't matter.

"I think you need a nap."

"Uncle Spence tell story?"

"Yep, let's go."

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

JJ found Reid leaning against the headboard with Henry asleep in his lap. Reid appeared to be asleep as well, so she stood there and watched them for a few minutes. It was the first time in many weeks that she'd seen him this relaxed. Her conscience smote her hard and tears filled her eyes. She hastily wiped them away when Spencer's eyes began to flutter open.

"Hey," she said softly as he carefully slid out from under Henry's little body.

"Hi," he responded. "He's out like a light. I'm afraid I fell asleep too." He stretched his arms over his head and yawned.

"It's okay. You looked cute together. He loves you so much."

They went back to the living room. "I have a confession to make."

She only stared at him. "Why?"

"I told Henry about what happened with Emily and Ian Doyle. I explained death to him as best I could, but I don't think he understood. I'm telling you because I hope he doesn't have nightmares or anything. That's not what I intended at all."

"I know that, Spence. He's three; I don't think he understands the concept of death."

"Not like we do," Spencer interposed.

"Yeah, not like we do."

"Look, I have to go."

She put a hand on his arm. "I want to talk to you."

"About what?"

She sighed. "You're going to make me beg, aren't you?"

"JJ. I understand why you did what you did with regards to Emily. I know you were trying to protect us. What I don't understand is why you didn't trust us."

"Spence –"

"I don't want to fight about this fifty feet away from Henry."

She dropped her hands to her sides and hung her head for a moment. "You're right."

"Henry saved me," Reid said. "I told you I was thinking about shooting up again because Emily was gone.

JJ nodded, and her cobalt eyes were full of fear and shame as she studied him. "Spence, I'm sorry –"

He held up a hand. "One night, I was so despondent. I felt like everything was piling on me at once, losing Gideon and Elle, then you and Emily. I couldn't take the pain anymore, so I ransacked my place looking for a needle and a vial. Of course, I'd tossed out all I had a couple of years ago, but I still knew where to get what I needed. I got as far as the train station into DC when I thought about Henry. I was so ashamed, JJ, more ashamed than I've ever been in my life. I couldn't face life knowing that Henry was counting on me to be strong, to be his example of what a good man should be. I knew I couldn't go looking for poison. He saved me, JJ."

Tears coursed down her cheeks. "Spence…"

"I have to go JJ. Please let me work this out my way."

She reached out to him, but he turned and left her there. He needed to get out and find a way to forgive her. For now, he'd go along and get along for the sake of the most beloved person in his life.