**A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter. All comments are very appreciated.**

Chapter Twenty One

'Sometimes I'm confused by what I think is really obvious.

But what I think is really obvious obviously isn't obvious…' - Michael Stipe

"They're delicious, Aunty Lauren." Jack said through a mouthful of pancake. Lauren smiled warmly at him. He had grown so big since the last time she saw him. He was going to be so much like Hotch, in appearance and personality. Though she was glad he wasn't so against showing his emotions like his father.

"Lauren, what are you doing?" Hotch asked in a tired, confused voice. He still looked half asleep even though it was eight in the morning.

"Good morning." Lauren chimed, the smile she had gone to sleep with still on her face.

"Aunty Lauren made pancakes." Jack prodded a finger into the small stack of pancakes.

"So I can see." Hotch said as he tentatively sat down at the kitchen table.

"Well," Lauren said as she sat next to him. "Dig in. I hear breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"Yeah, they're lush." Jack said with a laugh, looking at Lauren as if he'd just made some kind of inside joke.

"Lush?" Hotch asked as he forked a pancake onto the plate Lauren had set out.

"English word for really, really nice." Lauren smiled back at Jack. Hotch nodded in understanding.

The rest of breakfast was amazingly relaxed. The most laid back morning Lauren had had in quite some time. For some reason having breakfast with Hotch and Jack felt like she had family. It was a nice feeling. Hotch was surprisingly open with Jack. Smiling and joking with him, it was nice to see him so…natural. She suddenly selfishly wished he had that kind of relationship with her.

"You've done really well with him." Lauren commented about Jack as they pulled into the FBI building's car park after dropping Jack at school.

"I hope so." Hotch said seriously and Lauren realised laid back morning Hotch had dissipated into serious, hard working Hotch. "You seem more awake today."

"I will take that as a compliment." Lauren smiled but didn't get one back in response. "I managed to sleep last night."

"When you eventually got home." Hotch snapped. Lauren looked at him surprised.

"I'm sorry I got back so late, I tried to be quiet. I didn't think I woke Jack up."

"No, but I was up." Hotch said. "I was worried." He kept his gaze fixated on the elevator doors as they got in. She thought he might burn holes through the metal.

"Um, sorry?" Lauren said unsure. "I didn't think I needed permission to go out." She laughed jokingly but it obviously wasn't a joking matter as Hotch's brows knotted in annoyance. Lauren suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt. And she didn't even know why! He wasn't her keeper, she hadn't broken any laws. She was a fully grown woman who could handle herself. Though she kept all of this inside too scared to say anything else for fear of being scolded further.

As the elevator doors opened Lauren was thankful to be out of the confined space. The tension in the air in the elevator was about to suffocate her.

"I'm going to get a drink, would you like anything?" Lauren asked but Hotch just shook his head. She quickly dropped her stuff by her desk and practically ran to the vending machine. She felt silly for feeling like such a child. She really had done nothing wrong. But her concerns quickly vanished as the elevator pinged and Derek and Spencer stepped out.

"Feeling better today?" Morgan asked as Spencer managed to catch the elevator. Spencer was in fact feeling better than anytime in his life. But he wasn't going to say that, he felt like he shouldn't admit things like that to Morgan. He was much more a male figure and Spencer really wanted to emulate him in some ways.

"I'm feeling good." He gave a quick smile and the pair spent a moment in silence as the elevator lurched into motion.

Spencer thought he was going to burst. He looked at Morgan and then back at the elevator doors. Memories of Lauren's lips briefly against his, the cold of her hands making him shiver, how he'd felt. It was excruciating to have to hold it in and not just spill it all to the first person he'd seen. But he was still unsure of what to do next. He frowned at the thought.

What would happen if they started something? How would the others react? Would the FBI allow it? Not once did he think that Lauren didn't feel the way he did. Not anymore. Although Spencer had practically no experience in this department, he was pretty certain that she cared for him. It was pretty obvious even to someone like him. That thought replaced his frown with a grin.

The doors opened and the instant chatter and general sounds of the office brought Spencer back from his daydreaming. But he didn't need to use his memories anymore as his gaze darted over the space to find Lauren stood at the vending machine. He smiled as she did, the mere fact that he'd made her happy made it feel like he could tackle anything that day.

"Good morning." Lauren said in such a chiming voice that Spencer thought it was what diamonds would sound like.

"Morning." He replied, wrapping his fingers around the strap if his satchel to help with his sudden flutter of nerves. He watched as Lauren looked down and then back up to him, her long eyelashes framing her sparkling eyes. That's when he noticed how awake she looked. "Did you manage to sleep?"

She gave a light laugh making Spencer's heart skip a beat.

"I did." She smiled up at him. "I think I should thank you for that." Spencer tensed as her hand brushed his arm in a grateful gesture. Spencer ran his fingers through his hair. He had to in order to stop them from catching her hand as she pulled it away.

"Lauren." Hotch's voice seemed unusually stern and it brought Spencer straight out of his dream like state. He gave Spencer an inspecting look before turning to Lauren. "You're not going to be on the case today."

"What?" Lauren frowned.

"You have to have an assessment."

"Ugh." Lauren groaned and rolled her eyes. Spencer couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked even when annoyed. He knew he'd never win an argument against her just because of that fact alone. "Fine." She sighed, as though she had a choice in the matter.

"This is D-"

"Dan?" Lauren asked suddenly. "Dan!" She screeched in recognition, making even Hotch stand back a little from the high pitch.

"What a lovely greeting." Spencer whipped his head around to look at the where the rather deep voice had come from. 'Dan' was tall with olive skin and dark, short hair. He walked towards the group with a confident stride and a white toothed grin. He was also apparently good looking as most of the females in the office had stopped to watch him pass with a longing look.

Lauren could barely believe her eyes. In fact she blinked a few times just to make sure.

"What are you doing here?" Lauren asked as she stepped towards the bulk of muscle that was Dan and threw her arms around him. It wasn't the most professional greeting but she didn't care. She hadn't seen him in years and she missed him. Even as she felt him hug her back she realised just how much of a hole he'd left in her life.

"He's here to assess you." Hotch said, his irritation not even remotely hidden.

"Really?" She asked as she pulled out of the embrace.

"Yeah, really." Dan said his hands still clutching her arms.

"You know each other?" Spencer asked suddenly. Lauren pulled Dan's hand's from her arms and clasped them in her own.

"For years." She said with enthusiasm she couldn't contain. Dan had been her closest friend from England. He was American, but his family worked a lot over seas. They had met at school and for many years were inseparable, he'd even helped with her move to New York.

"We'll leave you to it." Hotch said striding away. Lauren bit her lip, he was obviously still annoyed, she guessed this hadn't helped. Spencer seemed hesitant to leave but eventually he followed Hotch. Lauren almost went after him. She'd been practicing what she'd planned to say to him all morning. But he was gone before she could say another word.

"Well then, young lady. How about a coffee first?" Dan asked.

"Sure," Lauren said, a little disappointed at her missed opportunity to talk to Spencer. But she lit up again at the thought of catching up with Dan. "But not from here." She gestured to the vending machine. "We'll get one in the kitchen."

Lauren laughed louder than she had in, well, since the last time she'd seen Dan. It was the kind of time that you couldn't help but properly laugh. It hurt your sides and stomach to do it but it hurt even more to try and contain it. But after Dan's many anecdotes about his new job she couldn't help herself.

As they both finally managed to compose themselves Lauren wiped away the tears the laughter had caused.

"I'm going to get fired for making so much noise." She joked, remnants of laughter spilling into her words.

"Not unless I give you a bad review." Dan said with a smug grin. Lauren rolled her eyes.

The only way Lauren could describe Dan was every woman's dream. He was tall, very well built with chiselled features that rivalled the old Greek statues. His eyes were a piercing light green that contrasted with his olive skin and dark brown hair. A man who could make you laugh summed up his personality pretty well, along with romantic, passionate and understanding. It was a shame he was gay. Lauren always thought it was a major disadvantage to woman kind.

"So I've heard everything about your professional life. What's up on the personal side?" Dan asked as he sipped at his drink and grimaced. "Ugh, cold coffee." He poured the dark liquid away.

"Huh?" Lauren said and glanced at the clock. "Crap, we've been talking for ages!" She said worriedly. Hotch would kill her if he knew how long they'd been avoiding any type of work.

"It's fine." Dan waved his hands dismissively at her concern. "But you didn't answer my question."

Lauren smiled widely. "Oh Dan." She said. "I've met the most incredible guy." Dan leant towards her as Lauren sat on the edge of the counter top. She explained everything about Spencer, from their meeting in New York to their close encounter the previous night.

"Well you do sound pretty infatuated." Dan laughed.

"I know, it's awful isn't it?" Lauren bit her lip nervously.

"Of course not." Dan smiled. "It's time you met someone. Especially someone you like this much."

"I know, it's just," Lauren paused. "I don't know what to say to him next."

"What do you mean?" Dan said pouring himself another cup of coffee, steam indicating it was actually hot this time.

"After last night, I am certain he feels the way I do. But what can I say to him?" Lauren fiddled with the edge of her shirt. Dan sighed.

"You're a complete dunce sometimes."

"Hey," Lauren defended herself. "I haven't had as much experience with chat up lines as you." Dan raised an eyebrow at her and they both laughed.

"Look." Dan said putting down his coffee and taking her hands. "Try it on me. Pretend I'm your Spencer." He grinned.

"I can't." Lauren groaned. "It's not the same."

"Sure it is. Just say whatever you feel, don't think about it." Dan said. "I'll tell you if you sound stupid."

Lauren thought about it. "Ok." She finally said. "But no laughing." Dan held up three fingers in a scout's honor, but Lauren wasn't so sure.

"At least we have a profile now." JJ said. "I'll contact the local police and let them know what we've come up with." She got up and left quickly, looking over her notes.

"I think we could all use a break." Rossi said, standing from his chair and stretching slightly. Spencer blinked his eyes a few times. They were strained from staring at the papers in front of him. He was thankful for a moment to think about something else other than murder. Normally his job was all consuming, but since he met Lauren he'd had other things to distract his mind.

Spencer stood up and pushed in his chair neatly before leaving the room. His throat was dry and he was a little more than due a kick of caffeine. He mazed his way through the cubicles and busy personnel and was about to round the corner to the kitchen when he heard Lauren's voice. He paused and smiled. But his smile slowly began to fade as he listened to her words.

"There's no way to get around just saying what I feel." Lauren began and Spencer furrowed his brow. "We just seem to connect. I know we seem so different, and you may have reservations about us. But I think we could work. I really do."

Spencer was holding his breath as he peered around the corner to see Dan clasping Lauren's hands in his own. She looked seriously up at Dan who was smiling back to her.

"The simple fact of the matter is that I love you." Spencer's heart felt like it dropped so deep it had fallen into his stomach and both were being twisted cruelly. He pulled back from the doorway and stared at it for a moment. He knew he didn't want to hear anymore, but still he couldn't move. It was as if he needed to hear it to confirm what was really happening.

"Love?" Dan's voice asked in surprise.

"Oh my god." Lauren said in just as much shock. "Yes. Love. Oh my god." She repeated in joy making Spencer try to swallow down the stinging pain in his chest. "I've never felt this way before. I thought it was just affection, but now I know it's really love." Lauren was still elated, her happy tone acting like a new layer on Spencer's new pain. "If you hadn't come, Dan, I never would have admitted this."

That was enough. Lauren loved Dan. It was over.

Spencer didn't realise he'd walked away so quickly, or even that he'd gotten into the elevator. He guessed his body was acting on instinct. He was glad it was, he needed to get away.

Lauren practically threw herself into Dan's hug. She couldn't believe what she'd just said. She'd done as Dan had asked, just talked without thinking. And she'd said the 'L' word. She'd never used it before. There had been a few men in her life, but none she'd ever connected with. Now she knew Spencer was different.

"I'm really happy for you." Dan said. "You just better hope he feels the same."

"I'm pretty sure he does." Lauren said as she pulled back from Dan. "He seemed pretty on my wave length last night." She smiled at the memory.

Dan sighed heavily. "Well now we've done the fun part, we really should do the work stuff."

"Oh." Lauren said in a heavy voice. "I forgot about actual work." Dan laughed, threw an arm around her shoulders and led her to the empty office they'd been assigned to use.