Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews! I'm going to post a link for "Prelude to E Minor" on my profile if anybody would like to listen to it. I may not update for a few days, because it's ALMOST CHRISTMAS! I'm super excited. Anyway, I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Read and Review, folks!

Later that evening, Teagan was playing the piano in her apartment, letting off some steam. She was playing her favorite Frédéric Chopin piece, "Prelude in E Minor", when her cell phone began to ring. She didn't recognize the number, but decided to answer it anyway.
"Hello?" she asked tentatively.
"Hey, Teagan!" a female voice exclaimed.
"Who is this?" she asked, confused.
"The Goddess of all things technical, the one and only Penelope Garcia!"
"Hey, Penelope!" She chuckled. She had forgotten she had given the bubbly blonde her number. "Whatcha need?"
"Well, firstly, to confirm that we are indeed going shoe shopping on Saturday."
"Of course!"
"And secondly, I have a huge favor to ask."
"And what would that be?"
"Well, it's a certain genius' birthday on Wednesday and we—the team—are throwing him a surprise party. We need you to be the decoy."
"It's Spencer's birthday?"
"Yeah. He didn't tell you?"
"No!" She exclaimed.
"Well, now you know. Anyway, we need you to be the decoy."
"Won't I be sort of obvious?"
"No. Just do something so you get him to Tosca at 7 sharp."
"What's Tosca?"
"It's a very classy Italian restaurant in downtown D.C. We're trying to make up for last year. We were complete and total jerkwads and forgot his birthday."
"You forgot his birthday?"
"Yeah. It's a long story. But he's forgiven us for it, I think. But anyway, this year, we're going to pretend that we forgot it again. Just somehow get him to Tosca, and we'll surprise him."
"Penelope?"
"Yes, Sweetness?"
"What kind of things does Spencer like? I mean, I really don't know him that well."
"Hmm. Well, he loves Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Star Wars."
"I've never watched any of those things."
"Oh, honey, how have you lived without ever watching those?"
"I have always meant to watch Doctor Who, but I just never got around to it. All my friends in college watched it, though."
"We've got to hang out and watch it sometime. Anyway, I digress. I've gotten him a TARDIS mug for his birthday, so if you get him something Doctor Who related, don't get him a mug."
"I have no idea what to get him. I really don't."
"Be creative," Penelope stated. "But you could give him a pair of socks, and he'd probably be over the moon about it."
"Okay. Thanks, Penelope."
"Anytime, Sweetness!"

Teagan placed her phone on the lid of the piano and continued playing. She was still frustrated. Now his birthday was coming up and she had no idea what to get him. She hardly knew him! Wait! She knew exactly what she was going to get him. She raced into her bedroom and grabbed her laptop, anxious to begin on his gift.

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5:45 p.m.: Wednesday, October 9, 2013:

"Wow, Teagan. You, um, look really nice," Spencer stated, watching her exit her bedroom, fastening her earrings. She was wearing a black satin knee-length dress with a sweetheart neckline, a deep purple sash accenting her tiny waist. She tottered on her black stiletto heels. "Careful," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder to steady her. "Are you sure you're going to be warm enough in that?"
"I have a jacket," she giggled. "Wow," she said, giving him the once over. "I get the whole package with you. Tall, smart, and handsome." Spencer blushed, staring down at his black Converse. "Your tie is loose." She reached up and tightened his tie. "Much better."
"Thanks. Are you almost ready to go?"
"Yeah, let me go say goodbye to Lily and McDuffie." She walked over to Lily's bedroom door and knocked.
"Yeah?" Teagan poked her head in the room.
"We're about to go, so I'll see you later, okay?"
"Okay. Wow! You look gorgeous! Tell Dr. Genius to keep his hands to himself."
"Shut up, Lily!" Lily winked. McDuffie came up to Teagan and nudged her foot. She squatted down and petted him as he licked her face.
"Thank you for the kisses, Duffers! Oh my goodness! I-I love you too, buddy! Okay, get off!" She pushed him down and started to stand back up, but didn't catch her balance and fell backwards with a loud thump. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. She said a silent prayer of thanks that her dress hadn't fallen over her head. Lily laughed loudly.
"Ar-are you okay?" She giggled.
"Yeah," Teagan replied, standing up and brushing off her dress.
"Teagan, is everything okay?" Spencer asked from the couch, sending both girls into further fits of laughter.
"Yeah, Spencer. I just fell."
"Are you all right?"
"Of course. 'Bye Lily. 'Bye McDuffie!"
"'Bye, Doofus!" Teagan walked back into the living room and collected her coat from the back of the dining room chair before sliding it on.
"Okay, I'm ready!" They both exited the apartment and Spencer held the door to his Volvo Amazon open for her. "Thank you. Hey, by the way, your car is awesome. In case I haven't mentioned that," she said, sliding inside.
"Thank you, and you have." He slid inside next to her. On the way to Tosca, they drove in almost complete silence. He seemed to be really upset. Teagan assumed it was because everyone "forgot" his birthday. Just before they parked the car in a parking deck, he slammed his hand against the steering wheel.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"Nothing," he snapped angrily. "Let's just get your business dinner over with." She smiled to herself. She had convinced him to go to Tosca under the false pretense of a business dinner. He stepped of the car, slamming the door shut behind him. She walked around the car, stepping in front of him and grabbing both of his hands.
"Come on! Don't be stressed. My colleagues are going to be so jealous because I have the most handsome date there." He blushed and looked down at their intertwined hands. They walked in silence for a while before reaching Tosca. Penelope sent her a text earlier saying they were all in the first room to the right. They walked into the dimly lit restaurant and she took an immediate right.

"SURPRISE!" Six voices shouted in unison. Teagan watched as Spencer's face broke into a huge smile as six people went to greet him. He turned around to face her.
"Y-yo-you knew about this the whole time, didn't you?" He asked.
"Guilty!" She replied, grinning hugely. "Happy Birthday Spencer!"
"How did-who did—how?" he exclaimed.
"She was the decoy, Spence!" J.J. said. "We all felt rotten about last year, so we're making it up to you this year. Happy Birthday!" J.J. leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. After everyone had individually wished him a happy birthday, Spencer leaned towards Teagan.
"Thanks," he said softly in her ear. "Sorry about earlier."
"No problem," she whispered back. "Happy Birthday." He grabbed her hand and they headed towards the table where everyone was sitting.

Two hours later, Teagan and Spencer stepped out of the restaurant, both of their arms laden with presents.
"Spencer, your friends are amazing."
"I think so too. You know, for a moment there, I thought they had forgotten my birthday again."
"Well, they didn't this year. And it's obvious they care about you." He smiled. They walked back to his car, filling up the backseat with all of his presents. He was the most amused with Garcia's gift. Rossi had given him an original copy of George Orwell's 1984. Morgan had given him a new tie. J.J. and Will had given him a monogrammed pen. Hotch had given him a new wallet to hold his credentials in. Teagan still hadn't given him her gift. She slid into the passenger seat and grabbed her purse, pulling out a rather crudely wrapped package while he slid into the driver's seat.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to the package.
"Your birthday present, silly goose."
"You didn't have to get me anything."
"Hush, you!" She stated, elbowing him before handed him the package. He stared at her before he opened her gift. It was a burned CD.
"Thanks, Teagan," he said. "I really wish I had a CD player in here." He gestured to his dashboard.
"Well, you can just listen to it when you get home. No big deal."
"Did you make this?"

"Yes," she replied, instantly feeling stupid. "I, um, recorded myself playing all of your favorite Beethoven and Mozart pieces. I threw in a couple of Chopin pieces too." She turned her head away to look out the window, slightly embarrassed. Maybe she should have gotten him something else. But this seemed like a great idea at the time. Maybe he would like it. She bit her nails nervously. It wasn't nearly as extravagant as the other gifts had been.
"Wait, you recorded yourself playing?"
"Yes."
"Wow! Teagan, that's amazing. Thank you. I can't wait to hear it. Would you, um, uh, like to go to my place to, um listen to it?" He stammered and blushed. She just nodded in response. They drove past the road that led to her apartment before they turned into another complex, one closer to the Metro station than hers. She stepped out into the cool autumn air and followed behind Spencer into his apartment while carrying some of his presents. He bounced up and down on his heels impatiently while they waited for the elevator. When he opened the door to his apartment, she instantly smiled to herself. This was like a book-lover's paradise. Books lined every inch of one wall. Two were lying at an angle on his coffee table. On his desk was a copy of The Narrative of John Smith.
"Nice place," she said. "Don't take this the wrong way, but for a man, your house is amazingly clean."
"I like to keep things neat and orderly," he replied.
"Remind me never to move in with you. My life is unorganized chaos, but I manage to function just fine." He grinned before stepping over to his entertainment center that held a TV and CD player. She glanced around his apartment. His apartment was devoid of any pictures except for the one on his entertainment center, of a small boy with glasses that covered his face entirely, while a woman stood behind him, smiling. He caught her staring.
"That's my mother and me when I was five," He replied, looking slightly saddened.
"So that's your mom?" She asked, reaching for his hand.
"Yeah."
"Are you close with her?" He nodded.
"You know I write her a letter every day?"
"You do?"
"Yeah. I'm just hoping that makes up for me hardly ever visiting her," he said, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly in a wistful smile.
"Why don't you visit her?" Teagan asked, before she realized what a personal question she had just asked. "Wait, forget I asked that. I'm sorry. That's none of my business."
"I'm not ashamed of my mother. She's sick. It's just hard to visit her. I mean, I hate admitting that I had to have her committed, but there was nothing more I could do for her," he stated, his eyes misting a little.
"Spencer, you don't blame yourself, do you? I mean, you can't fix everyone."
"I know I can't, but she is my mother."
"And she loves you. And she may not realize it, but you did what you did because you love her. Sometimes what's best for someone may not be what they want," she said softly, placing her hand against his cheek. He smiled slightly before he placed the CD inside the CD player and hit play. He sat down on his couch and gestured for her to join him. The intro to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata filled the air. He grinned hugely.
"Wow, you play beautifully. Why aren't you doing this professionally?"
"I am," she responded giggling, before resting her head on his shoulder. He jerked slightly at the unexpected touch. They sat there for a moment, listening to her play the second movement of the Moonlight Sonata. "Do you like it, Spencer? I really didn't know what to get you."
"I do," he replied. "I think this is about the best birthday I've had."
"Really?" He smiled in response, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Teagan turned her head into his neck and began nuzzling it. Spencer let out a small giggle. Teagan grinned against his neck.
"Are you ticklish, Dr. Reid?" She asked before she kissed her way up his neck, hearing his breath catch. She kissed his chin, both cheeks, and his forehead, stopping just short of his mouth. His soft brown eyes met hers. She traced the circles under his eyes with her fingertips.
"Do you ever sleep well?"
"When I don't have nightmares," he replied, leaning forward, his lips barely brushing hers. She gently pressed her lips to his. Spencer began to kiss her back, shy at first, but then slowly gaining confidence. She knotted her fingers in his hair and tried to deepen the kiss, but he suddenly pulled back.
"Teagan, I'm sorry. I, um, I just can't." She mashed her lips together in a hard line. He saw the sting of rejection in her eyes.
"You don't like me?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Yes, I do. Very much, but I just can't do this right now."
"What did I do wrong?" she asked. He could see the sting of rejection in her eyes.
"Nothing," he replied trying to reassure her. "You did nothing wrong." How could he explain to her that it wasn't her fault? No, definitely not her fault. It was just that when she tried to kiss him like that, it caused him to have a flashback to Diane. He bit the inside of his cheek. Maybe I should just tell her. No. I don't want her to feel sorry for me.
He watched as her expression faltered and she scooted away from him on the couch, crossing her arms over her chest. He didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but what should he say? For once, he was speechless. Should he hold her? Should he try kissing her again? No. Even he knew that was a bad idea. What should he do? He stared at her for a few minutes in silence pondering what he should do.

"Please take me home, Spencer," she stated softly. "Please."
"Okay," he replied, still unsure what to say. He switched off the CD player. He went to reach for her hand, but she kept her arms crossed across her chest on the way out of his apartment. They didn't speak for the entirety of the drive back to her apartment. She kept her arms folded over her chest and stared out the window. Spencer was still fumbling for words. She stepped out of the car when he pulled into a parking space outside her complex.
"Happy Birthday, Spencer," she said. "Hope it was great. Have a good night," she said, smiling slightly. He watched as she walked into the apartment before driving away.