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A/n thank you all again for your kind reviews. I will answer them all soon. Here is another chapter set after "Charm and Harm" The typical ending of a letter is rearranged a bit in this chapter. Please enjoy.

Birthday Card

Lately, it seemed to Reid that his life consisted of one problem after the other. He'd solve one, and another would stare him in the face. His entire life consisted of overcoming one challenge and then another, but – now it was different.

Reid considered himself to be stable, good at his job, and content with his off-work hours' activities. One of his after-hours pursuits was his relationship with JJ. Therein lay the source of his new problems, but also his fountain of happiness and newfound confidence.

Still, the questions that bombarded him daily about JJ and how to interact with her were myriad. Fortunately, Reid prided himself on never backing down from a test of intellect or emotional conflicts. Now he faced the most arduous task to overcome – choosing a gift and card for JJ's upcoming birthday.

He sighed as he stood staring at greeting cards in a Hallmark Shop located in the local mall. Soon, Reid supposed that someone might wonder why he'd been in the store for half an hour, aimlessly wandering the aisles like a – serial killer trolling for a victim.

That's nice. Bring your work into your romantic life. What is wrong with you?

He needed to put Mark Gregory out of his head as well. Their last case in Florida and Georgia had left them all sick and exhausted by the cruelty humans are capable of perpetrating.

Reid sighed again because the voice in his head was right. No one had posted a sign at Hallmark's entrance instructing customers they had a set period to make their choices and purchases. That would be counterintuitive to the notion of good customer service. Still, the concept of loitering was a real conclusion to jump to in this situation.

Stop trying to distract yourself from the big picture.

Right. Reid squared his shoulders and moved to the aisle with a pink color scheme. He found birthday cards for mom, sister, sister-in-law, niece, friend, aunt, grandmother, and romantic cards for the special someone.

His face burned when he realized that most of the cards seemed directed at women with whom a man had a more – intimate relationship. So far, he'd held hands with JJ and kissed her. He'd only been dating her for a few months. Were they supposed to be engaging in physical relations after a set timeframe? He'd never researched the rules.

Reid plucked out a likely card and decided to go with it. He couldn't spend any more time here, or he'd go nuts and run screaming from the store.

Yeah, that would inspire confidence from mall security!

When Reid finally finished all his errands, including something for lunch, he returned to his apartment and decided to study the card he bought. His anxiety level dropped a little when he saw that he'd grabbed a card with butterflies on the front. JJ loved butterflies, and this card had a white background with gold, pink, blue and yellow butterflies. The caption read Happy Birthday in pink letters, but the inside said "Happier Year."

Reid frown and thought – could the words be any less generic? Well, he had enough room on the inside of the card to write something nice.

Nice. Why not romantic?

He felt his cheeks get warm, but maybe he could write something passionate. They'd been exchanging letters for a few months and going out on dates, so perhaps it was time to expand his missives to something other than friendship topics. After all, JJ had written, she loved him.

Reid blew out a breath and began to write. Once again, it took several drafts on regular notebook paper before he was satisfied. He copied out the words to the card and signed it with a flourish.

My beautiful JJ,

Happy Birthday.

I hope you like this card even though it's rather impersonal. I thought you'd enjoy the butterflies. I decided to add my thoughts as well.

I do hope you have a joyous and healthy year. It means everything to me to see you happy and to enjoy the light of your kind smile. Most of all, I hope we continue on the path we've chosen together because I love you, JJ. Thank you for making me smile and laugh every day.

Thank you for defending me against Morgan, even though I figured out long ago that his teasing is his way of showing friendship. I know you like to play referee because it makes you giggle, and that makes me happy.

You're happiness is most important to me and I promise this year to do all I can to help you maintain joy in your life.

With all my love,

Spence

Reid perused the letter one last time and nodded his head in satisfaction. He'd sealed the envelope and was about to address it when his phone buzzed.

It was JJ. He smiled and answered with, "Hello JJ, what's up. I hope we don't have to go to work."

"We don't, but Garcia just called me, and she wants to take Elle and me out for drinks tomorrow. I was going to ask you to the park for a long walk and a picnic, but I thought instead we could go this weekend."

"Well, I have something planned for you. It's your birthday, remember?"

"Yes."

"I want us to celebrate it together."

He heard JJ sigh a little. "Are you sure? It's not a big deal, Spence."

"Yes, it is. Last year, I couldn't give you the kind of commemoration I wanted because – well, I was secretly infatuated with you, and you didn't know I was alive."

"That's not true," JJ protested and made him chuckle. "I've always thought you're cute and sweet. I was just too focused on the unimportant stuff like my career."

"Don't say your career isn't important, JJ."

"Come on, Spence. I think you know what I mean.

'I guess I do. Still, your job is essential, JJ. You keep us on track, and you make me smile every day. That's extremely crucial."

"Well, then I suppose I better spend more time at work."

"What?"

JJ laughed and said. "You're squeaking."

"Yes, because I need time with you, too."

"Hm, I'm glad you said so, Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Hey, why so formal."

"I like to tease you."

"That's not nice," Spencer said, but he was grinning.

"Perhaps you better fill me in on our weekend."

"Nope. My plans are a surprise."

"Alright," JJ said, and Reid tried not to laugh at the pout in her voice.

"Have fun with Garcia and Elle tomorrow night."

"I will. See you on Saturday."

JJ ended the call, and Reid went back to his desk. His hands were trembling with excitement. He wouldn't wait to see the look on JJ's face when she saw his surprise.