Undivided
Chapter Five
Reid took a breath before ringing the doorbell to JJ's house, he had never been nervous around her boys before but it was his first time seeing them since Will had moved out, and he was well aware of just how perceptive kids could be. After taking a minute he rang the bell and felt instant relief when he heard the boys yell his name from inside the house.
"Uncle Spence! Uncle Spence!" They shouted in unison he knelt down opening his arms to accept the hugs they eagerly offered him.
"Did you bring magic tricks?" Michael asked
"Did you bring a book" Henry asked as Spencer had developed a habit of bringing him a new book each time he came over.
"Boys, let Spence get in the door." JJ admonished with a laugh.
"No, no, it's all right, I actually brought both, sort of." He told them reaching into his bag.
He pulled out a picture book about a magician and gave it to Michael who took it eagerly and ran off to the couch. He pulled out a second thicker book and gave it to Henry.
"Harry Potter! Can we read the first chapter tonight?" Henry asked excitedly.
Spencer glanced over at JJ who nodded with a smile. "How about after dinner while I'm putting Michael to bed." She suggested.
They moved through the house into the kitchen where JJ was still cooking dinner and Spencer spotted open school books on the table and crayons and paper where Michael had obviously been trying to act like his big brother.
"Does anyone need help with homework?" Spencer asked.
"I don't have homework, I'm only in Pre-k" Michael laughed.
"Do you know how to do multiplication the way we do it now, because mom always tries to tell me the old fashion way and my teacher says its wrong." Henry explained.
"Are you talking about associative, distributive, and cumulative properties?" Spencer asked him and JJ looked at him in amazement because that was exactly what he meant but she had no clue what any of it meant.
"Yes! Can you help me?" Henry asked.
"Of course, let's see what you have." He said as they sat down at the table.
Henry are Spencer worked on his homework while Michael moved on to building with his Legos in between problems. Spencer watched the boy building for a minute.
"What are you building Michael?" HE asked the younger boy.
"A house" he answered shortly.
"Oh, is it your house?" Spence prompted further.
"No, it's Daddy's new house. Did you know that he has a new house?" The boy asked Spencer.
"Yes, Mommy told me that. How do you feel about Daddy having a new house?"
"Sometimes sad, this is my room at Daddy's house." He said with three year old honesty as he pointed to a small section of his building.
"It's ok to be sad sometimes." Spence assured him.
"Uncle Spence, can you explain the distributive property again?" Henry asked.
"Of course what you need to do is…" Spencer began to explain somewhat relived for the change in subject.
They finished homework and dinner and the boys asked if Spencer would take them outside to play.
"Why don't we help your mom clean up first." He suggested and JJ smiled at him appreciating the offer.
"Just scrape the plates and then I can put them in the dishwasher later." She offered.
The boys quickly scraped the plates dropping them in the sink running for the backdoor calling for Spence to follow them. He smiled at JJ who quickly ran her hand down his arm squeezing his hand gently since the boys were out of sight, "You're doing great." She assured him. They played outside for a while until JJ reminded them that it was a school night and they needed to get ready for bed.
"And Uncle Spence and I need to start Harry Potter." Henry added enthusiastically running back to the living room where he had left his book. Spence joined him on the couch and opened the book and began to read. They were just finishing the chapter when JJ reappeared joining them in the living room.
"All right Henry bedtime." She told her older son.
"But Uncle Spence is here and he never comes over anymore." He protested.
"Henry you have school tomorrow and besides if we don't have a case Spence can come back over next week." She told him.
"You promise?" Henry asked Spencer.
"Promise." Spence told him.
"All right, good night Uncle Spence." He told him.
"Good night, Henry." He replied.
"I'll be back." JJ told him as she followed Henry to his room.
Spencer waited until they were upstairs and went to the kitchen to finish the dishes that they had left earlier. He was just putting the last of them away when he felt JJ slip her arms around him. He turned towards her placing his hands on her hips as she slid hers up to his shoulders.
"You do math homework, read Harry Potter, and are doing the dishes, I should have you over every night." She teased, "Seriously, thank you for tonight, it was wonderful."
"Are you kidding? Thank you for letting me be a part of this." He told her then cast a glance upstairs. "Is everyone asleep?'
JJ smiled at him, "Yep." She said before wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling into the kiss that was waiting for her. She slowly pulled back from the kiss and then led him outside to lounge chair in the backyard and motioned for him to sit down and she leaned back into him.
Spence ran his fingers through her hair breathing in the warm spring air that told them summer was almost here. "They seem to be doing well, you and Will are doing a great job getting them through this. The fact that Michael could so easily share his feelings says a lot." He commented but there was an uncomfortable pause at the end of his words.
"What aren't you saying Spence?" She pressed and he didn't miss that she called him Spencer.
"It's nothing." He attempted.
"Spencer." She said again shifting slightly turning to look at him. "You are feeling guilty aren't you?"
"I can't help it JJ if it wasn't for me, for this, the boys would still have their dad at home with them." He admitted.
"Spencer, I spent almost ten years denying how I felt about you once I found out that Will and I were having a child together, I spent the last seven years being faithful to my marriage vows and would have continued to do so but ultimately it was Will who decided that we were over. He wasn't wrong he deserves someone who can love him completely and we deserve a chance to see what can be with us. Do you hear me Spencer?"
He smiled at her and brushed her hair out of her face, "Well you just called me Spencer four times in one conversation so I know you must be serious. Yes, I hear you, I believe you, and I want the chance to see what can be between us too." He told her before pulling her close for a longer deeper kiss.
"I should probably go." He said reluctantly as he released her.
"You'll come for dinner next Tuesday?" She asked.
He smiled at her, "And the Tuesday after that, and any other time you will have me."
Somehow despite their normal caseload they were able to make it a month of Tuesday night dinners everyone was growing even more comfortable with each other. Spencer and Henry were continuing Harry Potter and he and Michael had a Lego project they were working on together. School was out so there was no homework to do and longer time to play in the backyard. Spencer was surprised by the fact that he looked forward to Tuesday evenings as much as he did his time alone with JJ.
"Mom, can we go get ice cream?' Henry asked one night after dinner.
"Yes, ice cream!" Michael agreed.
"I don't know maybe another night." She hesitated.
"Please Mom, we can go to the park afterwards and show Spence the big slides." Henry pressed.
Spencer looked over at his girlfriend and could easily see what she was worried about, "Hey Guys, why don't you two go play outside while your mom and I clean up the dishes."
"You're on their side aren't you." She said after the boys were out of earshot, already knowing where this was going.
Spencer smiled at her, "Two things, first I really like ice cream, second if we are going to see where this goes at some point it has to go somewhere other than your backyard."
JJ sighed, "I know, it's just this neighborhood is so small, I'm not actually divorced yet, and Will lives the next street over."
Spencer glanced outside where the boys were playing and took the opportunity to pull her close, "JJ trust me I don't like the idea of nosey neighbors or running into Will any more than you do but we can't hide in your backyard forever. Besides I'm not suggesting that we announce our love to the world just merely it's ok that we go outside of your house with the boys together. I mean as far as the boys know nothing has changed between us anyways."
JJ slipped from her arms and walked over to the sink looking out the window where the boys were playing, "I know Spence it's just…" She was interrupted by the buzzing of both of their phones.
"We've got a case." JJ sighed reading the message, "I need to call the nanny."
"It's just what JJ?" Spence asked ignoring the interruption.
"Spence, later, I promise, I need to get the boys settled."
"I should go ahead and get there." Spence said, "I'll tell the boys good bye."
"Spence wait." She said reaching for his hand, "I'm sorry, I promise we'll figure this out when we get back all right? I love you."
"I love you too JJ, now call the Nanny, I'll see you there." He told her as he hugged her and placed a kiss on the top of her head. He went and quickly told the boys goodbye and drove to the BAU trying to switch his mind from JJ and the boys to whatever might be waiting for them.
An hour later the team was sitting around the conference table listening to Garcia brief them on the case when JJ arrived.
"Sorry, it took the nanny a little while to get there" She explained as she sat down at the table next to Tara, she could feel Spence's eyes on her and wondered if anyone else noticed.
"No problem, you can catch up on the jet, we're flying to Austin." Emily explained, "We have two dead families." JJ felt her stomach tighten and as she glanced down at the information on her iPad she knew Why Spence had been watching her, two of the boys were the same ages as Henry and Michael.
Neither of the families had any obvious connections and Garcia had run extensive background checks on both of them by the time they landed. There was nothing that stood out from the ordinary in either one.
"JJ and Reid you guys go to the most recent house, Luke and Tara the first one, Matt, and Dave you guys go to the morgue, and I will head to the police station and talk to the detectives there." Emily instructed them before they landed.
When they walked out of the airport JJ and Spence quickly got into one of the SUVs that was waiting for them and punched the address Garcia had given them into the GPS.
'"Are you all right?" Spence asked her cautiously knowing the line in their relationship was now very hard to place at times.
"As ok as I am ever am when it involves kids." She answered honestly. "Are we OK?" She asked him casting quick glance in his direction.
"We're good JJ, we'll figure it all out eventually, don't worry about us." He assured her, "Let's just catch this guy so we can go back to arguing about getting ice cream." He added with a smile.
She smiled back at him and nodded indicating that her mind was now tuned completely to the case awaiting them. They arrived at the house where local officers were waiting for them and allowed them to look around answering their questions the best they could. The both stopped cold when they entered the living room when they spotted a Lego table exactly like Michael's set up in the corner. They fought back their emotions as the officer explained that the boys had been killed first and then the parents.
"He wanted the parents to suffer as much as possible." JJ muttered.
"But why this family?" Spence said looking around the house again for anything that would give him a clue.
"Usually its either something he perceives as the family doing wrong or something that he can't have." JJ answered.
"So which was it in this case?" Reid wondered, "How far away is the other house?" he asked.
JJ looked at the information Garcia had sent them, "About half an hour, do you want to go see it?" she asked.
Reid shook his head, "Not right now, I need a few more minutes here and then I want to go over the evidence for this scene back at the station." He turned and began to walk through each room silently.
"What is he doing?" A young officer asked.
"Memorizing the house." JJ explained
"How long will that take?" the officer asked.
"I'm ready to go." Spencer announced coming back into the room moments later to the stunned look of the officer.
Back at the station they poured over the evidence Spencer carefully studying the pictures of both scenes his mind drifting back to his last several visits to JJ's house. JJ's house was always clean but there was always a trail of evidence of two boys and a mother with a demanding job. There were toys and book in just about every room, laundry that she meant to get to piled up beside the washing machine and piles of shoes by the back door with scattered dirt from the backyard. These houses had none of that, he looked at the picture of Lego table all of the Legos were stacked neatly in one section of the table not one Lego out of place.
"What are you seeing Spencer?" Rossi asked him after watching him flip back and forth between pictures of both scenes.
"It's what I'm not seeing," He answered.
"What do you mean?' Emily asked.
He placed the picture of the Lego table down, "JJ, does the boys' Lego table ever look like this?"
She laughed, "Never, I'm doing good to get them off the floor and back onto the table."
"Exactly, now look at the rest of the of the pictures and think about two kids living in these houses." He explained.
"There's nothing out of place anywhere." JJ commented, "There wasn't even any laundry that needed to be done or put away."
"So what are you thinking that this guy sticks around and cleans the house when he is done?" Rossi asked.
"Or maybe before." Spence said.
Emily punched Garcia's number on her phone, "Penelope check both families for any kind of house cleaning service."
"Neither of them have anything listed on a regular basis." She answered.
"There are plenty of housekeeping services that work on a cash only basis, especially in places like Texas." JJ offered.
"We'll need to get out in the community tomorrow and ask around. It's getting late we should all get to the hotel and get some sleep." She told her team who didn't argue since it was close to three in the morning for their bodies.
Back at the hotel everyone quickly went their separate ways and settled in for some much needed sleep. Spencer had just gotten into bed when he heard his phone buzz.
I love you
Spencer smiled he wished he could go to her and hold her, knowing how the pictures of those kids would haunt her dreams tonight.
I love you, are you going to be all right?
Yes, I'm putting on my music and going to sleep.
Spencer nodded to himself and laid back and closed his eyes, the next thing he knew he heard a knock at his door and heard JJ's voice. He rubbed his eyes and went to open it thinking he should probably feel some awkwardness standing there in his boxer shorts and t-shirt. She handed him a cup of coffee as she walked into his room and he quickly noticed she was in her running clothes and obviously had been running already.
"We've got another family." She explained, "One child this time, Emily wants us at the scene. Can you be ready in fifteen" She asked him.
Spencer nodded, "I'll meet you at the car." He said and then grabbed her hand and pulled her back and into a hug, "We're going to catch this bastard Jennifer, before he hurts anymore families." He promised her and he could feel a couple of tears against his shirt.
"Then we'll take the boys for ice cream." She told him.
"Only if you are ready Love, I'm not going to press you." He promised. "If it's playing in the backyard for another six months I can wait."
Less than an hour later they were walking into the latest crime scene, this time the bodies were still present and they had to take in the sight of the seven year old girl and her parents. The scene was much like the others though, everything was clean toys and books put where they belonged, laundry finished and put away, all the trash cans emptied.
"Spence, I have something." JJ called from the kitchen where she was going through the mother's purse it was a flyer for a house cleaning service. She quickly called Emily and the team met and set up a plan.
Later that afternoon JJ was welcoming a Hispanic woman no larger than herself and similar in age into the house she was pretending to own. With the help of Garcia the house had been quickly decorated with picture of her "family".
"So I photoshopped Reid into some pictures of you and the boys because I thought he would be the most believable." Garcia explained, "I mean nobody's believing those blonde haired boys belong to Newbie or Matt."
"Uh thanks Penelope." She responded somewhat awkwardly.
JJ turned he attention back to the present where the woman was waiting to be shown around the house and said she had time to clean now if JJ wanted, JJ accepted and pretend to work on a laptop while the woman cleaned. Two hours later the woman announced she was finished and JJ paid her.
"Where is your family?" The woman asked her.
"Oh my boys are at day camp and my husband is at work." She explained. "They will be home shortly."
"Have a good day, call again." She told JJ before getting into a van that was waiting for her.
Once the van was out of sight Spencer and Rossi came in the backdoor.
"There's no way that woman by herself killed these families." JJ offered.
"No my money is on whoever is driving her around. This woman might not be a willing accomplice." Rossi said.
"So now what?" JJ asked.
"Now we wait to see if they come back tonight." Spencer answered nervously not thrilled with putting JJ out as bait or with using pictures of Henry and Michael as props in the act of catching a serial killer.
A little while later he pretended to come home with two boys that were sons of one of the officers working the case, from a distance they looked enough like JJ's boys as Spence quickly ushered them in the house and the moment the sun set Emily and Matt met them at the back door and got them out and turned the lights out and pretend to go to bed. Rossi, Luke, and Tara entered the house in darkness and waited with them. Shortly after ten they heard the glass break on the window in the backyard and the unmistakable thud of feet hitting the floor.
"FBI stop right there." Rossi called as Tara turned on the lights. The unsub stopped dropping his gun at the sight of him.
"Where is the woman that was here earlier?" JJ demanded of him.
"We've got her safe JJ" She heard Emily's voice coming through the door, "She was tied up in the van along with her children. She's told is everything, she is undocumented and he was threatening her and her children."
They watched as they led the man out of the house JJ and spencer were the last two and he carefully wrapped an arm around her, "Let's get out of here." He told her escorting her from the house.
It was early Thursday morning when they arrived back at the BAU and Emily ordered everyone home, "I'm taking us off call for the weekend too. Take some time for yourselves and your people. I'll see you all on Monday." She instructed.
JJ and Spence wasted no time exiting the office giving little regard to their usual precautions. Not caring about cameras Spence pulled her into a hug once the elevator doors closed, "I don't ever want to see the boys' pictures at a potential crime scene again." He told her his voice shaking. "I don't like that he even saw pictures of them."
"Me either." She agreed her body shaking slightly. They reluctantly stepped apart as they knew the doors would be opening. "We've got a whole day off, how do you feel about the zoo, pizza and ice cream?"
Spencer smiled at her, "It sounds like the perfect way to spend the day."