Chapter 9: Closeness and Cases

The following morning, Reid put on his t-shirt and his khakis and he was making breakfast for the two of them in JJ's kitchen. He returned to JJ's bedroom and he kissed her cheek to wake her up. JJ woke up and she lovingly smiled at him.

"Hi," happily whispered JJ.

"Good morning," smiled Reid. "I made us some breakfast, Jennifer."

"That's sweet," smiled JJ. "But, it can wait!"

JJ and Reid happily hugged each other tightly.

"Mmmm. You were wonderful last night," said JJ.

"I was?" asked Reid. "I...I'm asking because you were my very first lover, JJ."

JJ smiled, "You were my very first love, Spence. Ever since we first met, you did something to me that I spent nine years not being able to explain."

JJ gently kissed Reid's lips. Reid kissed JJ back.

"You made me love you," continued JJ. "I've always loved being around you. I've always hated it when something bad had happened to you. And, I really hated being away from you when I was in Afghanistan."

"I hated it when you were gone, JJ," said Reid. "Those bad headaches I told you about while you were gone? The doctor told me I had them psychologically because of all the bad stuff we've seen while chasing the unsubs. But, I think I just couldn't sleep because I missed you so much."

JJ's heart was beating rapidly from hearing that. She put both of her hands on Reid's face and she kissed him.

"And, my headaches stopped once I was able to sleep again, JJ," finished Reid.

"In that case," said JJ. "Do you want to take a nap now, Spence? We did stay up most of last night. We both could sleep in each other's arms right now. Come join me in bed!"

"I don't know," smiled Reid. "I don't think you have sleep in mind right now."

"No," admitted JJ. "But, we both would need to sleep eventually! Let's make love again."

Reid and JJ spent the next few hours making love. Then they both fell asleep from total exhaustion. Reid started snoring lightly. JJ opened her eyes and looked at him. She smiled and kissed him gently.

"Sleep well, my love," whispered JJ.

She wrapped her arms around Reid. And, in his sleep, Reid put his arms around JJ. JJ laughed quietly and she went back to sleep. A couple of hours later, they got up and got dressed for eating breakfast. JJ tied her blonde hair into a pony tail. She put on a black tank top shirt and a pair of sweatpants. They went into the kitchen and enjoyed the breakfast together that Reid made.

"Do you like it, JJ?" asked Reid.

"It's wonderfully delicious," smiled JJ. "You're wonderfully delicious! I love you! I love you!"

Reid smiled back at JJ.

"What?" asked JJ.

"I...I just can't believe this," admitted Reid. "I'm finally waking up to see the most beautiful woman I've ever known right next to me. I keep pinching myself thinking this was just a dream."

"It's not a dream, Spence," said JJ. "I'm right here. And, if you like, I'll start pinching you! Tag!"

JJ pinched Reid making him scream in a high pitch. They both laughed. Then, JJ started feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry, honey," said JJ.

"For what?" asked Reid.

JJ put her hands on Reid's face and she gently kissed his cheek.

"I should have invited you over for a nightcap after the Redskins game that night," answered JJ. "We could have shared this beautiful moment ten years ago, Spence. And, I'm so sorry we didn't."

JJ lowered her head and Reid wiped a tear from JJ's face with his finger.

"But, we've shared this beautiful moment now, JJ," smiled Reid. "You've made me feel incredibly happy."

JJ's heart soared. She lovingly smiled at her Spence.

Reid continued, "Ever since we first met, I've always thought that you were way out of my league. That you would never have somebody like me romantically."

JJ gasped.

"And, when you started seeing Will," continued Reid. "I thought that you proved me right. I felt like Will was the luckiest man in the whole wide world because he had your love..."

JJ lowered her head. She was silently crying while shaking her head.

"What?..." asked Reid. "What's wrong, JJ?"

"I...I just can't believe it," cried JJ. "You...you thought that I would never have you? Spence, I thought that you would never have me!"

"Because you turned down my original comic-con invite, JJ?" asked Reid.

"No," answered JJ. "Because of the Tobias Hankel case. I...I thought that Hankel's torturing and killing you was my fault. I thought that you were blaming me for it, too and that was why you were avoiding me in those next few cases!"

Reid put JJ's hands into his hands and he gently stroked her hands.

"But, I said what happened to me wasn't your fault, JJ," said Reid.

"I know," cried JJ. "But, I thought you were just enjoying the moment because we had found you that night. I still thought you were mad at me for our splitting up which caused Hankel to kidnap you! I...I thought that you would never forgive me for it!"

"Morgan told me that you wouldn't even sleep until after you guys had found me," said Reid.

"Oh?" cried JJ. "Did he tell you that I wanted him to yell at me for losing you? Or Hotch? Or Gideon? Or Emily? Or Penelope? All of them just let it go, but I couldn't let it go! Even before you told me that Hankel also drugged you, I was so mad at myself for what had happened to you. I blamed myself! I couldn't forgive myself for it! I felt like I was no longer worthy of your love! And then we all met Will in the New Orleans case. And, I gave him my phone number and I started seeing him instead. And after I became a profiler, I also realized that I broke your heart when you found out that Will had proposed to me! I'm sorry, honey. I'm so, so sorry!"

JJ was crying harder from confessing those things to Reid. She lowered her head. Reid put his finger on her chin lifting up her head and he looked deeply into her tearful blue eyes.

"And then you both had Henry," said Reid. "The love of your life. Jennifer, don't ever apologize for that. In fact, I should apologize to you, instead. I had no idea that my avoiding you made you feel that way, and I'm so sorry. I...took Tobias's two dilaudid vials from his body before I left the cemetery that night."

"W..What?" said JJ.

Reid lowered his head.

"I was taking more dilaudid after that case," admitted Reid. "During those next three cases, I was suffering severe withdrawal symptoms from the drug. But I could only take the drug alone at home, so during each case, I started changing into a different person. I'm sure that Emily has told you that I snapped at her during the Texas construction murder case?"

JJ nodded her head.

"Before we went to New Orleans," continued Reid. "I realized that I wasn't the same Dr. Spencer Reid anymore. I knew that if I continued down the addiction road, either Hotch or Gideon would fire me. Or, Morgan and Garcia would stop being my friends. Emily was still new to the team. At the time, I could live with Emily never forgiving me for snapping at her. But, what I couldn't live with was the possibility of me one day snapping at you and you never forgiving me for it!"

JJ gasped. She gently stroked Reid's hands with her hands.

"JJ, I was avoiding you because I didn't want to lose our friendship," said Reid. "I value it more than anything! I thought that I was protecting you from the different person I was becoming. And, I'm so sorry that my avoiding you made you feel like I was blaming you for what Hankel did to me. After I talked to my friend, Ethan in New Orleans, Gideon came and talked to me about Tobias. My talking to Ethan and Gideon were the reasons I gave up dilaudid so I could save my job. And, my snapping at Emily was the reason I gave up dilaudid so I could also save my friendship with you, JJ. And, I don't blame you for what Tobias did to me. I never did. I was thankful for two things after Hankel's case. That he revived me with CPR, and that he's never drugged or tortured you! I love you, JJ. You were always worthy of my love. But because of my addiction back then, I wasn't worthy of your love! I never meant to make you feel so guilty and I'm so sorry that I did, JJ. Can you ever forgive me?"

JJ looked deeply into her Spence's sad hazel eyes throughout his confession. She just knew that he was telling her the truth. JJ breathed a huge sigh of relief. She tearfully smiled and put her hands on Reid's face and she lovingly kissed him.

"Oh, you sweet, wonderful man!" happily cried JJ. "Of course I forgive you! You've just helped me forgive myself! We were both wrong before! Both of us let our doubts keep us apart for ten years. I've always valued our friendship more than anything, too! And, I'm thankful that Hankel revived you, too! Because if he hadn't, I would have lost you and our friendship forever! And we never would have fallen in love and shared last night together. But we did! And now you're mine and I am yours! Having somebody like you coming into my life was one of the best things that's ever happened to me! I love you, Spence. You were always worthy of my love, too. And I'm never going to lose you ever again! Never!"

JJ and Reid hugged each other tightly while JJ was silently crying on his shoulder.

"Well, JJ," said Reid. "There's one way we could make up for those ten years that we've wasted."

"What's that, Spence?" asked JJ.

Reid kissed JJ's cheek gently.

"We can remain lovers for the rest of our lives," answered Reid.

"I love that idea," smiled JJ.

Reid let JJ lean her head on his shoulder as they gently rocked back and forth together while cuddling. They both kissed each other's lips.

"And, I felt like Maeve was the luckiest woman in the whole wide world because she had your love!" admitted JJ.

"Wait a minute..." said Reid. "JJ, did I break your heart when you found out I was falling in love with Maeve?"

JJ quietly laughed, "Spence, you should have seen me crying in bed over you after I found that out!"

Reid pinched JJ and JJ screamed loudly. JJ looked at Reid's face.

"Tag!" smiled Reid.

JJ gave Reid a mean smile and she kissed his cheek.

"That was good!" laughed JJ. "I'm going to enjoy playing this game of tag with you, Spencer Reid!"

After breakfast, Reid and JJ spent the next few hours trying out Gideon's chessboard with JJ's first chess game lesson. Then JJ phoned her mother to check up on Henry. Then Garcia texted both Reid and JJ to come in for a new case. One hour later, JJ parked her car in the Quantico parking garage.

"Okay, Spence," said JJ. "We have our go-bags?"

"Check," said Reid.

"Our guns?" asked JJ.

"Check," said Reid.

"And, here are our FBI badges," said JJ.

She handed Reid one badge folder while holding a second badge folder in her hand. JJ grabbed her car keys.

"Check," said Reid.

"Good," said JJ. "Then we're ready to go in."

JJ opened her car door to exit the car while Reid opened up the badge folder in his hand.

"Wait a minute," said Reid.

"Why? What's wrong?" asked JJ.

Reid smiled and he turned the badge folder in his hand over so JJ could see it.

"Your name is Dr. Spencer Reid?" asked Reid.

JJ's eyes widened. She opened up the badge folder in her hand. They were holding each other's badges. JJ laughed while they switched badge folders.

"Thank you, Agent Jareau," laughed JJ. "That would have been so difficult to explain!"

JJ and Reid went into Quantico to start the new case. It involved women in Diamond Bar, California who were abducted and murdered by an unsub who was trying to record their screams on a slightly burned tape recorder. He killed women who were not following his wishes. The BAU team found out through Garcia a case involving an abusive father who slit the mother's throat and then killed himself. Their surviving son was the unsub who they were looking for. JJ and Callahan went to the last known address of the unsub. He was hiding himself and the latest woman who he kidnapped from the police raid. But, JJ found him and she fist fought with him. After a few kicks and punches were exchanged, he knocked JJ down on the floor thinking he had won the fight and he picked up a bat to finish off JJ. But, Callahan shot him dead, saving both his latest victim and JJ's lives.

On the flight home from California, JJ's bruises from the fight started showing. JJ and Callahan talked about Megan going out on her first date that night and how they both wished that they could keep Megan and Henry little and innocent forever. After the BAU team landed and left Quantico for the night, Reid and JJ got into her car to drive home to JJ's house. Reid showed strong concerns for JJ's injuries.

"Spence," said JJ. "I'm okay."

"I don't know," said Reid. "I'm counting one black eye, three bruises, four cuts and maybe a fractured rib."

"It's not my first dance against an unsub," said JJ. "I'm all right."

"JJ," said Reid. "You don't have to act like you're indestructible around me. You don't need to be like Morgan and pretend it doesn't hurt. You know that you can lean on me, right?"

Reid gently put his left hand on JJ's right hand. JJ smiled from his gentle touch.

"When we get home," said Reid. "Would you like me to give you an ice pack, a hot bath, or would you like me to kiss your injuries away?"

JJ laughed and said, "I'm telling you, I'm fine...'Kiss my injuries away?'"

"Yes, JJ," answered Reid.

JJ smiled and said, "Well, now that you mention it, Spence, my hand is sore from hitting him."

"It is?" asked Reid.

Reid took JJ's right hand and kissed it. JJ quietly giggled. She was feeling goosebumps from the kiss. Reid attempted to let go of her right hand, but JJ grabbed his left hand with her right hand and she squeezed his hand.

"No," said JJ. "Don't let go. Couples like holding each other's hands whenever they can."

"Yeah?" asked Reid.

JJ interlocked her fingers together with Reid's fingers.

"Yeah," answered JJ. "And, he slammed my face into a wall, too. When we get home, I could use a kiss on the bruise on my forehead. And, a kiss on my black eye. And, he cut my lip, too. I could definitely use a kiss to make my lip feel better."

"Really?" asked Reid.

"Oh," smiled JJ. "You'd better listen carefully, genius! I have a huge list of kisses I want you to give me when we get home!"

That evening, Reid learned all the benefits of holding hands with the woman who he loved. And, JJ learned all the benefits of leaning on the man who she loved after getting hurt. A month later, Callahan surprised the BAU team with an announcement that she was pregnant. On flights home from cases, Reid and JJ were playing chess with other family members watching them play. And during the pregnancy, Reid and JJ talked Callahan into wearing headphones on her growing belly during the talks and flights at the beginning of cases so her unborn baby would hear music and not hear any of the bad stuff the unsubs have been doing. Reid had JJ doing that while she was pregnant with Henry.

Then, eight months into the pregnancy, Callahan had the worst two nights of her life. Her niece, Megan and her best friend, Markayla Davis had been kidnapped by an abduction team. The two girls thought that they were going out on a date to a concert with a handsome, slightly older boy who they had met online. But, they were really talking to a middle-aged predator named Alex Zorgen who seduced them with that handsome boy's single selfie photo. The girls boarded a minivan with a woman named Paige driving saying she was taking them to meet the boys at the concert. A young man named Kyle had popped up from the back seat. He injected the girls with knockout drugs. But, Megan was able to send her emergency text "Pepper" to Callahan.

Callahan told the BAU team that Megan was in trouble and Hotch called Agent Tia Canning and the CARD team to help find Megan and Markayla. The abduction team erased both of the girl's online activities on their phones and computers making it harder for Garcia to track them. The girls woke up tied up alone in a room with flexcuffs around their wrists and ankles.

But, Callahan had trained Megan on what to do if she was ever abducted. Megan whispered an escape plan to Markayla before Kyle came in. He removed the flexcuffs from the girl's ankles and he forced them both back in the minivan. Paige drove them to a transfer point and she and Kyle met the senior abductor, Alex. During the transfer from the minivan to a big van, Megan helped Markayla run away. The two men chased after Markayla while Paige grabbed Megan. Markayla tripped and fell behind some trees and bushes. It was dark and Kyle couldn't find Markayla. Alex shot Kyle dead for letting Markayla escape. After Alex dragged Kyle's dead body away, Markayla continued running. Markayla got to a house and got a woman to help her by calling the FBI. Agent Canning safely reunited Markayla with her mother at the hospital. Markayla gave JJ and Hotch very thorough descriptions of Alex, Paige and Kyle. The CARD team found Kyle's dead body.

Alex and Paige quickly cut and dyed Megan's hair and successfully sold her to an online customer. And, Alex took Megan to another transfer point to give her to the man who bought her online. Hotch, Morgan and Rossi were able to find and arrest Alex and Paige at his house. At Quantico, Alex proudly said to Hotch that Megan was long gone just to torture Callahan. And, Paige was afraid to say anything. On Callahan's advice, JJ showed Paige crime scene photos proving that Alex had betrayed her and killed their son, Kyle. And while crying an ocean of tears, Paige told JJ and Reid who bought Megan. And, she started telling them everything that she knew about Alex's online business.

Morgan, Rossi and JJ went to the house of Alex's best customer, Colin Dupley to find Megan. JJ shot Colin dead. Morgan and Rossi helped untie Megan. Back at Quantico, Paige was tearfully telling Reid the names of every sick customer who she knew Alex had sold girls to. Agent Canning's team looked like they were interrupting a typically normal family night in one house. But, after arresting the man of the house, he led them to the center of the house, where there was a dungeon with two more abducted girls inside. Morgan brought Megan home safely to Callahan and Chris. Callahan hugged Megan happily while tearfully thanking Morgan for bringing her back. Morgan called Garcia. Garcia was with the rest of the BAU team in the round table room. Garcia quickly answered Morgan's call.

"Is Megan home safely?" asked Garcia.

Morgan turned on his cell phone camera and he pointed it at Callahan and Megan.

"See for yourself, Baby Girl," smiled Morgan.

Hotch, Garcia, JJ, Reid and Rossi could see the happy reunion on Garcia's laptop screen. Hotch, JJ, Reid and Rossi smiled.

"Oh," happily cried Garcia. "I really needed to see that!"

"Me, too," smiled JJ. "A mother and daughter reunited."

JJ and Garcia happily hugged each other. Reid looked at JJ and he made a decision for the future.