Thank you, Hannah (grahamlecter) for Beta-reading all these chapters and finding my mistakes so that I can fix them. I checked my DocX folder. I have all but the last two chapters back from you. Thank you for the excellent job you've done and your dedication. I am forever grateful (and will continue to thank you on each remaining chapter).

Please enjoy, dear readers. As always, I'd love to hear from you! Comments, constructive critiques, and reviews are most welcome!

G-Girl

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Chapter 52 - Happy Wife, Happy Life

On the flight back to Quantico from Tucson, Emily walked back from the bathroom and sat down next to Aaron. She happened to glance over to see Spencer pull his grey cable-knit cardigan out of his book bag and slip it under his head as he laid down on the couch. She wouldn't have thought any more about it but he closed his eyes, inhaled deeply through his nose, and smiled. As he exhaled slowly, he opened his eyes and saw her staring with her eyebrows raised.

"It's nothing weird, Emily, I promise. The night before we left on this case, I got home to find Susan asleep, laying on the couch, wearing this. The scent of her lotion is still on it." He shrugged, grinning sheepishly. "I can't help it. I miss my wife."

Emily teased, "Isn't that sweater way too big for her? Let me guess, she was using it as a blanket over her yoga pants… and tank-top?"

Spencer smiled dreamily. "She was wearing just the sweater. Looking quite alluring in it, I might add." He sighed. "I never would have considered this sweater sexy… until Susan wore it."

Matt burst out laughing, waking up Luke sitting next to him.

His eyes snapped open as his arms unfolded and his palms landed flat on the small table in front of him. "Who's what? What happened?"

Matt ignored him. "I get it, Reid, I miss Kristy, too. She'll be happy to have me home. When I'm away, she has her hands full."

"I can't even begin to imagine. Five kids? And Susan calls me insatiable." As soon as he said it, he winced, wishing he could rewind the last 10 seconds and take it back. He pursed his lips together, waiting for the jokes. There was only stunned silence for a long moment, but no jokes.

Finally, Matt chuckled and changed the subject, asking, "How far along is she now?"

"Twelve weeks… and three days." Spencer let out his breath, relieved that the interest in his love life seemed to have decreased dramatically in the seven weeks since the wedding.

"Two bits of advice. One, try to sleep when she sleeps. Two, never tell her no… unless she asks if she's getting fat." He grinned, holding up his left hand, wiggling his ring finger. "Remember this, my friend, happy wife, happy life."

"Thanks, Matt. I'll keep that in mind."

JJ sat on the other end of the jet, under a blanket, with her legs bent in front of her. She watched Spencer laughing and talking with the others, thinking to herself. Insatiable? Spence? It's still difficult to imagine him as a husband but as a lover? He smiles every time Susan shakes and when he kisses her, it's like they're the only ones in the room. As soon as I get home, if Will's up, I'll make him feel like that. If he's not… I'll wake him up.

She smiled; her mouth hidden under the blanket. He'd like that. JJ decided if her marriage was going to succeed, she had to stop treating it like work. Maybe that's the key to a happy marriage. Perhaps Spence and Susan got it right. She closed her eyes with her head on the edge of the window, hoping to get some sleep before they landed.

After the pilot announced they were making their final descent and they buckled in, Emily asked for everyone's attention.

"Since we spent the last five days straight working this case, we get a three-day weekend off. Also, Spencer has something to say about Saturday."

He sat up, sliding the sweater back in his bag. "Parking at the house will be easier than at the center. Susan said this event is very popular, so the side streets will be filled. Anyone who wants to park in either driveway, call me, or Garcia, when you get there, and one of us will have Betty open the gate for you. If you're going to watch the show inside the center, it starts at 2 pm. I can reserve seats since I'm going early with Susan. Garcia will help coordinate and send updates to everyone. And we're meeting back at the house, about 4-ish, for a barbeque dinner."

Emily chuckled. "4-ish? Please tell me Susan hasn't run herself ragged planning this event?"

"Thankfully, no. In the past, she's been more involved, but since she promoted her Assistant to Director and two staff members to Assistant Directors, all she's doing is the dances for her classes so she won't wear herself out."

"Which dances?" JJ asked, looking up from her cellphone. The text she had just read was from Will; he was awake and waiting for her.

"Ballet, Belly Dancing, and Brazilian Samba. I'll be taking her over with her costumes, parking at the center, helping with whatever she needs so that she can take it easy. Saturday is a big day for the center, and Susan and I appreciate everyone attending. She assures me it'll be fun for everyone. There will be… pony rides, craft tables, and games, for the kids, as well as food, various vendor booths, and entertainment outside. She's proud of all the work done to make the event a success and I'm happy to show my support."

Aaron cleared his throat and added, "Emily and I will bring Morgan and his family after we drop off their luggage at the hotel. We'll park at the house and walk over to the center."

"Reid… how long is the show? I'm taking Roxy to the dog park beforehand. I'll leave her with Jaynie, and then she'll bring Roxy to the center, after the show. And you're sure Susan's okay with me bringing her to the house?"

"Yeah, Luke, she's fine with it. She told me the show runs roughly… ninety minutes. You can get Roxy to do… uh… go... in certain areas, right? There's real grass in the front yard."

"Yeah… and I promise to pick up after her."

The pilot announced they would be landing in 10 minutes, asking everyone to sit down and buckle up.

Emily stifled a yawn. "It's late, everyone. Go home, don't bother going back to the office, just leave the files with me. The preliminary reports are done, so the finals can wait until Monday. That's a direct order. After the last five days, I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow and having fun on Saturday."

On his drive home, Spencer thought about the new policy at work, to be implemented in the coming months, by order of the Director. Instead of separating the team, as Linda Barnes tried to do, the new plan was to use the BAU to train agents from the larger regional field offices across the country. They would send their more seasoned agents to Quantico for profiler training, then those agents would spend time in the field with the team. The BAU was still in demand, as much as they had always been, but Spencer hoped this meant he would be home more evenings than away. He put his name in to teach classes at the Academy, as well, which would also ensure he would be close to home more, especially as Susan's due date approached. His thirty days off near the end of the year would cover two weeks before and two after, then after that, he planned on taking three months of unpaid paternity leave, since neither any financial issues to deal with.

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Coming up in Side Stories, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. When an old foe tries to contact Dr. Spencer Reid.

Read that one before Chapter 53 - Hunting for Unicorns.