Hey guys and gals. Here's chapter 21 - I'm sorry that these chapters seem to be taking longer than it did with The Road Not Taken - but its a little bit harder lining up two universes at once to coincide, but be different - if you know what I mean. I'm working as quick as I can - I'm hoping to get us up to Christmas and the holidays of season 7 by the end of the year... then we'll taking a break from The Roads Series for a bit so I can work on some other things for a little while. The sequel for Sleight of Hand is so overdue to you all that it isn't even funny... plus I have a bunch of other story ideas that I want to get started on... plus - we can't get too close to where the actual series is - so we'll probably chip away slowly at updating The Roads Series once we get into the new year, at least until we get to the end of season 8... but don't worry - I promise to keep you all in material to read during the 'hiatus' for The Roads Series.
I want to say a deep and hearfelt thank you to all of you who nominated and voted for The Road Before Us as Best JJ/Reid story in the 2012 Profiler's Choice Awards over on Chit Chat On Author's Corner in the forums (if you've never checked it out - you totally should. There are always several things going on over there.) It was an honor to win. I also want to thank all of you who nominated and voted for The Road Not Taken in Best Het Romance category. Even though The Road Not Taken didn't win, it was still an honor to even be nominated in a wider category and I thank you.
But enough of my aimless ramblings... you clicked on that nifty link to find out what happens next... so on with the show... chapter - you knew what I meant. :D
Oh - before I forget - there's some additional scenes over at The Writer's Coffee Shop that couldn't be published here... the link is on my profile page. ;)
Happy reading and enjoy :D
"Mmm" JJ moaned, nuzzling against Spence as she woke up, her hand running down his chest and across his belly as she snuggled closer.
"Morning JJ" Spence croaked in a raspy morning voice as he tipped his head to bury his face in the golden halo at the crown of JJ's head.
"Mmm good morning birthday boy." JJ whispered, tipping her head back and pressing a good morning kiss to her boyfriend's lips as her hands roamed his torso.
"JJ" Spence moaned as his girlfriend's lips, tongue, and teeth worked their way along his jaw and down his neck after their lips parted.
"Hm?" JJ murmured in response as she pressed kisses across his neck, her teeth grazing his Adam's apple, her tongue playing in the groove of his suprasternal notch, and then kissing along the top of his chest. All the while, her fingers played with the waist band of Spence's boxers. Her fingers ran lightly over the elastic band several times. Then her fingers dropped along the edge, tracing the edge of the elastic band as her fingernails teased the sensitive skin of his abdomen, pausing to brush her thumb over the ever so faint trail of hair that lead from his belly button down past the waistband and into his boxers.
Spence panted as JJ's hand brushed over his morning erection. "JJ, please…"
JJ grinned as she looked up at Spence, her chin perched on his pectoral muscle as her nimble fingers continued to stroke him through his boxers. "Was there something special you wanted for your birthday baby?"
Exhausted, Spence collapsed into JJ's arms, his forehead resting in the curve of her neck as he gasped to catch his breath.
JJ lazily stroked up and Spence's back as they lay together, legs tangled, pressed against one another in the golden silence of their mutual afterglow. Then she lifted her head to kiss his shoulder. "Happy birthday baby."
Henry sat bouncing eagerly in Uncle Spence's lap as Mommy turned off the overhead light and went to the counter to get the birthday cake that he'd helped Mommy pick out for Uncle Spence.
JJ smiled as she watched her boys by the glow of birthday candle light as she carried Spence's birthday cake to the table and set it down in front of Spence and Henry, who was sitting in Spence's lap.
Henry gasped as the cake was set down on the table in front of them. "Unca 'Pence," Henry said excitedly, "dat's a three!" Henry said as he pointed at the '3' candle making up the '30' on the cake. "I gonna be three on my birfday," his little head whipped around to look at his cherished Uncle, "you three too?"
JJ smiled from where she stood off to the side with her camera, waiting to get a picture of Spence blowing out his birthday cake.
Spence chuckled. "No buddy, but how old I am starts with a three now. See that zero next to it. Those two numbers together make the number 30. It's ten times more than three. That's how old I am."
"Wow" Henry replied, mesmerized by a number much larger than he could comprehend at the tender age of almost three.
JJ grinned and snapped and adorable photo of Spence and Henry sitting before the lit up birthday cake. "Baby, blow out the candles and make a wish."
Spence leaned down to whisper in Henry's ear. "That's a lot of candles. I think I might need your help Henry. Can you help me blow out the candles and make a wish?"
Henry nodded his little head and blew as mightily as he could when Uncle Spence leaned forward to blow out the candles. "Yay!" he cheered, throwing his hands up over his head once the candles were all out.
JJ laughed as she walked over and turned on the overhead light and then walked back to join her boys at the table. "Did you make a wish baby?" JJ asked as she rested her hand on the back of Spence's neck.
Spence grinned and tipped his head back to look at JJ. "Yeah, but I did have to think about it for a second. I already have everything I want."
JJ grinned and leaned down to kiss Spence. "Sweet talker." She murmured against his lips just before kissing him as her fingers tangled in the hair at the back of his head.
After cake and washing a little face and hands, it was time for presents. Henry eagerly climbed up on the couch in between Mommy and Uncle Spence, excited to give Uncle Spence the birthday present he'd made for him. "Happy birfday Unca 'pence!" Henry said as he handed Uncle Spence the present that Mommy had helped him wrap.
"Thanks Henry." Spence said as he looked from Henry to the gift and back again. "What is it?"
"You has to open it Unca 'Pence." Henry giggled in reply as Mommy picked him up in her lap and scooted next to Uncle Spence.
"Oh! Silly me. You're right." Spence replied with a wink at JJ as he began tearing the wrapping paper off the gift. He sat studying the gift for a moment, a tear in his eye as he looked at Henry's gift.
"You wike it Unca 'Pence?" Henry asked.
"I sure do buddy. You did a great job!" Spence said as he looked down at the double frame that sat in his lap. In one side of the frame was a picture Henry had drawn of his family and in the opposite frame was a picture of them all together back on the Fourth of July.
"Dis is you an Mommy an Sunny an Daddy an Aun' Ewwe." Henry said as leaned over and pointed at their likenesses in his drawing.
"Thanks buddy. Can I put in on my desk at work?" Spence asked.
"Uh huh." Henry nodded.
JJ smiled and handed Spence her present. "Happy birthday baby. I hope you like it." JJ said as she leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
Spence removed the bow and stuck it on Henry's head, making the boy laugh. Then he ran his thumbnail under the tap and pulled the wrapping paper back from the box and opened it. He grinned as he looked back up at JJ.
JJ grinned back at him. "I thought maybe we could have a re-do on our first date." She said as she watched Spence pull the two Redskins tickets out of the box and bit her lip waiting for him to notice what else was in the box with the football tickets.
"These are great JJ." Spence said as he leaned over and kissed his girlfriend. "Thank you. I'll try not to spill beer this time."
JJ grinned knowingly as he moved to set the tickets back in the box, waiting for his reaction on what else was in the box.
"JJ…" Spence gasped in surprise as he looked down into the box, his hand with the Redskins tickets froze in midair as he reached into the box and pulled out the other part of his gift.
"So what do you think?" JJ asked as she bit her lip.
Spence looked at the second part of his gift in his hands and then looked at JJ and then looked back at the gift. "I love it… but you've always told me that you wouldn't…"
JJ smiled softly, her eyes twinkling as she reached out and ran her fingers through Spence's hair. "Baby, I know Gideon probably gave you those Redskins tickets for your birthday because he knew I was a fan. I gave you Redskins tickets so we could relive our first date. You've always made a point to take an interest in what I have going on… maybe it's time I took an interest in something that was your interest.
"Are you sure?" Spence asked as he gazed back and forth between the tickets to the Dr. Who convention in DC in May and his girlfriend. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to. I could go with Garcia… she loves Dr. Who."
"Mm hm, besides traveling through time and righting wrongs sounds pretty intriguing." JJ replied with a wink. "You might need to give me a crash course in all things Dr. Who… but I really want to go with you Spence."
Spence's eyes lit up with childlike glee as he tucked the Dr. Who tickets and Redskins tickets back in the box. "This is going to be great! You're going to love Dr. Who."
JJ grinned at how happy and excited Spence was and leaned in to kiss him, pulling away as Henry began squirming in her lap.
Spence smiled as he looked down at Henry, accurately sensing that the little boy was a little bored with the adult conversation. "How about we take Sunny for a walk to the park?"
Henry perked up immediately. "Can we pway on da swide and da swing?" he asked, eager to get out and run and play, as he looked back and forth between Mommy and Uncle Spence.
"That sounds like a great idea." JJ said smiling down at Henry.
"Why don't you and Mommy get your coats and shoes on and I'll go get Sunny?" Spence suggested as he stood up and lifted Henry high in the air, causing him to giggle before setting him back down on his feet.
After an afternoon at the park, dinner, and an evening curled up together on the couch watching the latest Disney Pixar movie, Henry crashed hard. JJ smiled, turning to look at Henry cuddled up against Spence's chest as she turned off the TV and the DVD player. "Want me to take him?" she asked as she stood up.
"No that's okay. I've got him." Spence replied as he stood up from the couch, cradling Henry against his chest as he moved towards the stairs to put the little boy in to bed.
"Okay, I'll just put Sunny out and then I'll be up." JJ replied, brushing Henry's blonde hair back and kissing him on the forehead. Then she leaned up on her tip toes and gave Spence a soft kiss on the lips.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" JJ asked as she entered their bedroom, glancing at Spence as she walked to the closet and kicked off her shoes into her side of the closet. She turned to face Spence as she peeled off her jeans, sweater, bra, and panties as she changed into her pajamas.
Spence grinned, a shock hair falling across his brow as he turned to look at JJ. "I was thinking how this is the best birthday I've ever had."
JJ smiled as she climbed into bed next to him and kissed him softly, her hand rising to trail through his hair and then down his neck and across his shoulder. "Better than your 24 birthday even?" she asked knowing how much he enjoyed the memory of the team celebrating his birthday.
Spence glanced at the small box on his nightstand that held his gifts from JJ and then turned back to JJ and smiled. "Definitely. Although it's sort of like we've come full circle now huh?"
JJ nodded. "Maybe we wouldn't have worked out if we'd gotten together then, maybe we would have, but it's definitely like coming full circle." She said as she massaged the back of Spence's neck. "Happy Birthday baby." she said as she leaned back into kiss him again. She gasped as Spence leaned forward, his arm wrapping around her waist as they sank into the bed, his face buried in her neck. She chuckled, "Mm, pretty frisky for an old man baby." she teased with a laugh.
"Hey!" Spence exclaimed, lifting his head to look at her. "You're older than me."
"Not that much older." JJ replied raising her eyebrow at Spence as she cupped his cheek with her hand, her thumb running over his lower lip. "Besides, I was only teasing. Trust me," she said as she leaned up to kiss him. "You…are…not…old." She said, her words interspersed with kisses as her hands slid up under Spence's t-shirt, all comments on age and who was older, forgotten for more important matters.
"Phew" Spence blew out a sigh in response to the destruction caused by the bomb as he and JJ walked into Principal Gibbons' bedroom.
JJ took in the sight of the destruction caused by the bomb as she followed Spence into the room and chose to focus on the case so that they could find whoever was behind this as quickly as possible. "Okay, so the unsub has to be tied to the school somehow right?" she asked as she walked through the room, her boots crunching small pieces of debris as she walked through the scene. "Current student, alumni, family member who lost someone" she listed off possible connections as she slowly turned to take in the room.
"Could be a Slade groupie celebrating his hero." Spence replied. "He taped nails to the exterior of the bomb specifically to rip open flesh. That's a sadistic detail of Slade's the unsub copied."
"Except he tricked Gibbons into blowing himself up," JJ said as she stood up from leaning over to look at some damage done to the wall, "a groupie probably wouldn't show that much self-control."
"Somebody with an axe to grind would. Maybe he was a surrogate for the tormentors in high school he can't punish. Who were yours?" Spence asked offhand, taking a single solitary moment in the midst of the horror of the case to find out a bit more about his girlfriend's past.
"I don't even remember." JJ answered a little too quickly.
"You don't even remember? Wait, were you one of the mean girls?" Spence asked as he stepped towards JJ.
JJ turned to look at Spence with a surprised look on her face. She started to ask what… but all that managed to come out was, "No."
"Valedictorian, soccer scholarship, corn fed, but still a size zero. I think that you might have been a mean girl." Spence teased.
"I was actually one of the nice girls," JJ said as she moved past Spence, "even to guys like you." she teased back.
"Guys like me? I'll have you know that my social standing increased once I started winning at basketball."
"Oh yeah?" JJ said turning back to look at Spence, surprised at his involvement in athletics. She would have thought she would have known about something like that by now, especially after living some of the same years twice. "You played basketball?" she asked intrigued. He was tall but by no means could she picture her man participating in organized athletics.
"No I didn't play." Spence said as he looked up from the papers he was looking at. "I coached basketball. I broke down the opposing teams shooting strategy."
Realization crossed JJ's face and she pointed at Spence. "Is that why Morgan kicked you out of the pool last week?"
"Yeah, it took him three rounds to realize I was hustling him." Spence replied and the looked back down at the papers in his hands.
"Huh" JJ said nodding her head as she watched Spence move across the room to look at something else. "Just remember how much Morgan hates to lose Spence. You know he'll try and get back at you and it won't be pretty."
Spence snorted. "Right like I haven't been putting up with Morgan and his revenge and practical jokes for the last seven years."
"People get weird when there's money involved baby." JJ replied as she joined Spence in looking at the area of the room where the blast had originated.
Reid quirked an eyebrow and turned to look at JJ. "So it was okay for me to be in the pool as long as Morgan thought I was an easy mark who didn't know anything about basketball and that he'd easily be able to take my money?"
JJ tipped her head in contemplation. "You know I didn't think of it that way, but you're right. I'm guessing Morgan won't see it that way though. So maybe you should watch your back?" JJ asked as she looked up at Spence, and then feeling a little flirty, she leaned back and looked at her boyfriend's very fine posterior. "Or I could watch it for you." she said and then laughed as she stood up straight and winked at Spence.
"Maybe Slade targeted them because they disgusted him?" JJ said in reference to the kids that had been in group two of the kill list as Spence's phone began to ring.
"They didn't threaten Slade's sense of superiority. He wouldn't have even cared about them." Hotch replied.
"Okay, well maybe the partner put them on the list. They'd be closer to his social status than Slade's." JJ said as Spence's phone rang more.
"But why would the… I'm so sorry," Spence said as he reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, hitting ignore, "Why would the unsub list kids that he fit in with?"
"Apparently that's how this clique worked. Kids in it were meaner to each other than kids on the outside. Garcia, separate out all of the kids who got into trouble regularly. Then eliminate the names that the partner put on the list. Now whose left that came to the memorial?" Hotch asked as he spoke into the speaker phone.
"Right, whoever made the list wouldn't put their name on it. Uh…" Garcia said as her fingers tapped away at the keys on her keyboard. "Sir, I think… I think I've got him." Garcia said as she looked at Lewis Stuart Ramsey's photo on her computer screen.
"…The only way the human body could withstand that level of pain was if he couldn't feel it at all." Reid said as he finished up explaining pain asymbolia and the signs that their unsub had it.
"Must take a major toll on someone's emotional development." Rossi said as Reid's cell phone began to ring.
"A significant contributor to our sense of empathy is the way we personally experience pain." Morgan said.
Reid pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and hit ignore, as he had been doing for the past couple of days now as Morgan spoke.
"And the unsub didn't develop his sense of empathy because it was cutoff." Hotch postulated as he stood with his arms crossed. "Does every person with asymbolia have this?" Hotch asked Reid.
"Actually, most feel empathy just fine," Reid replied as he talked, his hands gesturing, "which makes me think the rest of our profile is still accurate. Loner, invisible, outcast, boiling rage…" he listed off the details of the profile as his phone began to ring once again. "SON OF A BITCH" he yelled as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Hi, this is Dr. Spencer Reid, I actually can come to the phone right now with a very special message that your mother is a…"
"Reid" Hotch said sternly, getting Reid's attention.
"Sorry, I'm really sorry. I don't know what got into me." Reid said as he closed his phone. "Where were we?"
"I'm going to have Garcia check medical records." Hotch said as he looked down at his notes. "What causes asymbolia?"
Reid turned and noticed Morgan's reaction to the last few minutes. He rambled off the facts as he profiled Morgan. "Sssevere trauma produces lesions in the insular cortex usually after a stroke," Reid said as he continued to puzzle out what was going on with Morgan, "but this unsub is so young that it's most likely caused by an external factor."
"Like a bomb going off next to him?" Rossi asked.
"Yeah, like a bomb going off next to him." Reid said as he looked directly at Morgan.
As Hotch turned and walked away to speak with Garcia, Reid moved to pull all of his files together where they lay on the table. "I will crush you." he said under his breath.
"What?" Morgan asked.
"What?" Reid repeated.
"Hey you." JJ said turning to glance over her shoulder as Spence approached her from behind. Then she took in his clenching and unclenching hands, his tightly clenched jaw, and the tension in his body. "Hey, Spence, baby, are you okay?" she asked, her free hand reaching out rub his exposed forearm where the sleeve of his shirt was rolled up. "Here," she said handing him the cup of tea she'd just made, "you look like you could use this. Want to tell me what's going on?"
"Morgan" he said in a terse voice. "I'm not sure how or why, but the reason my phone has been ringing constantly, non-stop for the last couple days is because of Morgan."
JJ's eyes widened in realization of what had probably happened. She'd heard from Emily how Rossi and Morgan had talked to the media to create a diversion at the Slade residence so that she and Hotch could get to the door to talk to Brandon. "Well, what are you going to do?" JJ asked concerned about how far this would escalate.
"I don't know yet… but I've got a few ideas." Spence replied as he glanced over his shoulder at where Morgan stood talking to Rossi as he took a sip of his tea.
The team was on the jet on their way home. Hotch sat going over files and working on paperwork. JJ was in the galley making some tea for herself and Spence while she snacked on Cheetos. Morgan, Emily, Reid, and Rossi sat in a booth together. Reid was on the outside of the booth, waiting for JJ to finish up in the galley so they could curl up together on the couch for the plane ride home.
Morgan was, as per usual, listening to music on his headphones. After several minutes however, his music was interrupted by the sound of Reid's voice coming through his headphones. 'We interrupt your regularly scheduled musical selection for an important announcement. Never wage a practical joke war against an MIT graduate as we have a history of going nuclear. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the dulcet sounds of me screaming in your ear. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG GHHHHHHHHHHH' Morgan pulled off his headphones and gasped in frustration. "Okay kid, that was cute, but that's all you got?" Morgan asked as he looked across the table at Reid, who was slumped down in his seat pretending to be asleep with his book on his chest.
Reid faked snoring as the sounds of his screams continued to come out of Morgan's headphones. He couldn't help but smirk slightly as Morgan's cell phone rang.
Morgan picked up his ringing cell, seeing Garcia's name on his phone he answered with his usual greeting. "Hey baby girl," only to be greeted by more of the dulcet tones of Reid screaming in his ear.
Reid smiled, the beginnings of his plan, his warning shot as it were, kicked over. He had not been exaggerating when he said he'd crush Morgan. He was done with being an easy target for Morgan. Enough was enough and after seven years, he'd been pushed too far. It was time to stand up for himself and push back.
Rossi pulled out his white handkerchief and waved it, hoping that either Reid or Morgan would surrender.
"Uh uh," Morgan uttered holding up his phone. "Alright Reid. It's on, just known that paybacks are a bitch."
Emily stood up and moved to go talk to Hotch. Reid snored in response to Morgan's comment.
"Hey," Emily said as she slid into the chair across from Hotch. "How's Jack?" she asked.
Hotch looked up at Emily, his eyes searching her face, wondering how she could have known.
"I just had a feeling." Emily replied to Hotch's silent question.
"There's a kid that's being mean to him at school," Hotch said as he closed up the files he was working on, "and Jack's solution is to invite him over and make friends with him."
Emily gave a half sigh; half laugh, and then smiled. "That is the sweetest…" she shrugged, "and saddest thing I've heard. How did you find out?"
Hotch smiled as he listened to Emily's response. "His teacher told me." He said as he looked down at the table, his eyes hooded and hiding his emotions.
"Jack didn't tell you?" Emily asked.
Hotch shook his head and then looked back up at Emily.
"Oh that must be hard." Emily replied. "He wants to solve it himself and you want to let him, but there's probably a part of you that wants to step in."
Hotch nodded. "There's part of me that wants to protect him from everything that could hurt him, but I know I can't."
Emily's lips formed a thin line and she nodded as she took in Hotch's words. "No, but you can show him that he doesn't have to face it alone."
Hotch was silent as he took in Emily's words. He glanced down at the table. "How did you get by in Paris?"
"Um… I um," Emily murmured as she leaned back in her seat, brushing her bangs back from her face, "I played a lot of online Scrabble with some girl named Cheeto-Breath." She said as she looked past Hotch to where JJ stood in the gallery snacking on her Cheetos while she got tea and a snack ready for her and Spence.
Emily smiled, remembering how good it had felt to still have a bit of a connection to home as Hotch turned and looked over the back of his seat to see that JJ was snacking on Cheetos, the bag crinkling in her hands as she paced in the galley.
"So, that's it? That's all you're going to do?" JJ asked about Spence's plan to get back at Morgan as they were in the car on the ride home from the airstrip.
Spence grinned as he turned to look at JJ. "Not by a long shot. I'm a graduate of Caltech and MIT. My alumni would be terribly disappointed in me if I quit after just a warning shot."
JJ smiled and shook her head. If nothing else, things in the office would be interesting over the next few weeks she thought to herself as she linked her hand in Spence's and thought about how nice it would be to crawl into bed and sleep when they got home.