So this took a long time. First off- sorry. My bad, others stories and school took priority. Second- I had a major life issue that this chapter kicked my face with so I couldn't write it without breaking down. Fun times, right? Yeah. So I wrote as little as I could of it. Which sucks cause this is one of my top ten episodes for the whole show.

So I picked the safest scenes. The safest non-triggering scenes because my therapist recommended it. Lucky for me Spencer had a birthday party so I could use that!

==BAP==

It had been a slow few weeks, as far as I could tell. The cases had all come in steady paces.

Things here were much more exciting. It was Spencer's birthday. Given his status as the youngest, everyone was making a big deal out of it. A big cake covered with candles, the big cake hat, I had to talk Penelope out of a banner. She compensated with a lot of gifts- to be fair, so had I but I tried to keep subtle with it.

JJ lowered the birthday in front of Spencer. The candles were brightly lit for a birthday surprise.

"Make a wish!" I cheered, holding up my camera.

Spencer gave me an amused flat look. I smiled, taking a picture. Derek laughed behind him.

"Come on man!" Derek encouraged.

Spencer blew on them. Just as they were starting to go out, they flickered back to life.

I took another picture at the confused look on Spencer's face. He started blowing again. Derek was practically cackling.

"Blow, baby blow!" Derek encouraged.

"I swear you almost had it that time." I told him.

Frustrated, Spencer blew again.

"Come on, Reid." Derek prompted, still chuckling.

"They're trick candles, Spence, okay?" JJ spoiled the joke to him. "They're gonna come back on every time."

"Oh, mommy to rescue you!" Derek teased.

"Mommy?" Spencer replied, offended and confused at the nickname.

"Stop it." I chided Derek, but not hiding my smile. "It's just mean at this point."

"Hope you like chocolate." JJ told us. She began pulling out the trick candles. Tucking my camera away on my desk, I moved to help her.

Spencer got up from his chair, walking over to where Gideon stood. As he did, JJ got to cutting the cake. What they were talking about was too quiet to hear over Derek's laughs.

"Agent Hotchner?" Agent Anderson called. Hotch walked to him.

The candles were quickly handled. JJ finished cutting the first piece out. I held it out towards our boy genius.

"It's your birthday, Spence!" I cheered. "So eat your cake before I shove it in your face!"

The birthday boy didn't look too enthused about that. Or about the cake.

"Yeah, come on Spence!" JJ encouraged him.

Spencer frowned, looking back to Gideon. "They're the only ones who call me that."

Still Reid came over to take the offered slice of cake.

"Thank you. Birthday boy." JJ cheered.

It was a good time.

A great party.

Until I saw the look on Hotch's face.

"Sorry, guys, the party's over." Hotch informed.

==BAP==

After a heavy week, we were on the plane headed back to Quantico. Multiple deaths over the course of the week, all those poor women dying humiliated and in pain, unable to look away. It had been the quick thinking of Gideon and Megan that had helped catch the 'Tommy killer' in the act.

Megan was asleep on the couch, the headphones she wore leaking out music from Phantom of the Opera. She'd done a lot to help solve the case. Besides working alongside Gideon near the end, when they both had the 'ah-HA!' moment, her specialty was the sexual offense crimes. These things were, unfortunately, her strong point. She'd spoken with the two survivors of the attacks, debriefed them of what had happened.

It would be hard for anyone.

How she was sleeping now was a testament to the real exhaustion they were all feeling.

Spencer could scarcely believe it. He knew his attention in his chess match with Gideon was split. He wanted to pay attention, to think ahead like Gideon was always telling him but

"Oh, I almost forgot. I have something for you." Gideon recalled. He reached into his bag.

"Oh, yeah?" Spencer replied. He couldn't hide his smile at what Gideon could've possibly gotten him. Most of what the others had got him were science books. Garcia had actually given him one he'd been searching for, and Megan had given him a coffee bag with a bag of sugar.

"Forgot to give it to you at the party." Gideon explained. He held out a small blue box towards Spencer.

He accepted the box, staring down at it in surprise. "But you don't give birthday presents."

Gideon nodded for him to just open the box.

Spencer did so. It wasn't a book or anything like that, it was two tickets and a flier. Spencer looked at the tickets. " 'Einstein's Gift'?"

"It's a VIP box." Gideon supplied, with a knowing smile. The same smile he usually had when he knew he would give Spencer a checkmate.

"Thank you so much." Spencer nodded, unsure of how to properly reply to this gift.

"Every been to a play?" Gideon asked.

"No, I honestly didn't even know this was a play." Spencer replied.

"You're gonna love it. It's about Einstein's recollections of Dr. Fritz Haber as he created nerve gas." Gideon explained.

Spencer had to admit- a play about Einstein and Dr Haber sounded interesting. Maybe even something up his alley. Still, there was something off here. "We are. You're coming with me, right?" Spencer prompted, holding up one of the tickets."

"No. Someone on the plane is a fan of theatre." Gideon replied.

"Who?" Spencer asked.

"One of the two people in the world who call you Spence." Gideon supplied.

Spencer paused, thinking on which it could be. He hadn't seen anything related to the theatre around JJ, the few times he'd heard her talk about life outside of work. The only one he could think of was Megan, who was listening to a well known musical while sleeping. "Megan?" He reasoned.

Gideon nodded- confirming the guess. Spencer felt a shy smile come on his face. "She's a huge theatre fan."

Spencer glanced from the chesstable to the sleeping agent. "Wh-what should I say?" He asked.

Gideon said nothing.

Right. So Spencer would have to come up with that himself. Great. That's great.

For now though, all he could say was "Checkmate." He moved his bishop to take Gideon's king.

Gideon stared at the board in surprise. He hadn't been expecting that, it seemed.

Spencer didn't get the chance to talk to Megan. Not until they were almost set to land. He walked over to the couch, tapping Megan's shoulder.

She sat upright. "Hmm?" Her eyes slowly blinked open, she was clearly still half-asleep.

"Sorry- sorry- uh." Spencer glanced around, scrambling to find something to say. "We're landing soon."

Megan hummed. She sat herself upright, pulling out her headphones. "Whoa...kay thanks." She rubbed her eyes, letting out a small yawn. She looked Spencer over. "What's up?"

Spencer held up the two tickets. "Heard...heard you were a fan of theatre?"

Megan glanced to the tickets then back to Spencer. She smiled.

==BAP==

AN: Yes, Einstein's Gift is a real play I looked it up. It seemed like the kind of play one who likes Einstein would enjoy, as it's all told from Einstein's recollections.

Like I said, sorry. I love this episode, it has a lot of good moments for Reid where we can see his intelligence but how everyone else disregards it and the whole bird-on-wires scene gets me every time-

But I had three panic attacks writing it so I had to not do it. Sorry folks!

Thanks to Luziefers nightmare, Dorea D'Arke, Lavynya, Abbiek54, angelicmuseofnature, TheBetrayed0-0, duaa5141, laraferreira, Vampireknightbryt16, avert 1523, barjaktarovic42, I live in my own Secret Garden, mconsdiaz, diameow2003, annjames, wolfgirl232323, sheinapotter, and moviemanic12 for favoriting

Thanks to SultanaMari, Luziefers nightmare, jorg0382, Crosslyn, Abbiek54, moonchild-things, angelicmuseofnature, duaa5141, laraferreira, kmardon93, Vampireknightbryt16, Dia InkRoses, lartoli25, Demona Evernight, mconsdiaz, Chibidylan, diameow2003, annjames, poom132, wolfgirl232323, and moviemanic12 for following