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A/n this episode is set during and just after "Amplification." I've used exact dialog from the episode and give the credit and ownership of this writing to CM and the show's writers.

JJ's phone rang a five am, startling her out of light sleep and dreams about a tea party with Spence, Emily and a spotted leopard that could talk. She shook her head to try and shake the weirdness of the dream from her brain and picked up her cell.

"Agent Jareau."

"JJ," said Hotch's voice. "We've got a situation. I need you here now!"

"Okay, but –"

She found herself talking to dead air and sighed. Hotch was only that abrupt when something big was going down, like child abduction. She flicked on her lamp and turned to look at Spencer, who slept peacefully. Should she wake him, or wait until she knew details? She decided to wait and hurried to their second bathroom down the hall for a shower. She rushed through her morning routine, made tea and left Spencer a note.

Hey Babe,

I'm going into the office. We have something and Hotch is playing tightlipped. Don't worry until I call you. Love you.

Jennifer.

She hurried out into the early morning with her tea in one hand and her bag in the other. Perhaps they could spend some time at a B and B that weekend. Spence looked so tired these days and she was feeling the strain after the move and after several tough cases. She smiled as she pulled out of the driveway and decided she'd trust Garcia to find them the perfect location within driving distance.

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Reid woke an hour later to find JJ gone. "Jen," he called out but knew in his heart that the small rental house was empty of her presence. He sighed and got up to take a shower and make coffee. When he entered the kitchen, he found her note and his travel mug filled with tea instead of coffee. He shook his head and decided to drink it. He looked in the fridge and found the remains of a coffee cake JJ had bought from his favorite café. He was about to enjoy it when his phone beeped. "Hey, Jen," he answered happily. "Missed you this morning."

"Me too. Um, Spence, we have a case. You should get here fast and don't worry about your go-bag."

"You sound – stressed. What's wrong?"

"Can't say on the phone. Just get here quick. Gotta call the others."

"All right, I'll see you in a while."

"Love you, bye."

"Love you too."

He stared at the phone because she never said, "I love you," when she could be overheard at work. The slight tremor in her voice put the hair up on the back of his neck.

"What's wrong," he asked the empty kitchen, then he hurried to grab his shoes and messenger bag.

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"It must be local. JJ said not to bring my go bag." Reid said and nearly halted when he saw military personnel crawling all over the BAU.

"What the hell's going on," Emily said, and she followed behind Morgan.

Reid wondered the same until they gathered in the conference room and were introduced to Dr. Linda Kimura.

Anthrax.

It was no wonder that JJ had sounded so off. He felt his heart rate jump at the thought of an incurable strain. The conversation turned to mass targets, and whether to alert the media, then again to working with the military at Fort Detrick and General Whitworth. The scientist in him cheered at his assignment to work with Dr. Kimura, but then it became all too real when they passed around doses of Cipro and water.

It won't protect us!

He decided not to voice this concern and took the dose. This strain didn't appear to spread with contact but was airborne, so he didn't have to worry. He tried to meet JJ's gaze. but she refused eye contact. He supposed that it was just as well. They'd managed to keep their relationship professional and the threat of Anthrax wouldn't change their resolve.

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"Do you have those files I needed," Reid inquired as he rushed into JJ's office.

"Did you see this memo? Office emails and calls are being monitored."

"Yeah, they're trying to protect the media blackout. Files?"

"Oh yeah right here."

He reached for the files she indicated and began to peruse them. "Thanks. I want to see what kind of medical treatment the victims received before I head to the hospital."

"Spence, slow down."

She came around her desk and shut the door. "Babe. Please promise me you'll be careful."

"I will." He said and leaned down for a quick kiss despite the open blinds to JJ's office.

"I don't want to lose you." She said as tears filled her eyes.

"You won't. I'll be careful. I have to go, Jen, Dr. Kimura's waiting."

"I know, but Spence, I – "

"I'll call you from the hospital."

"Spence."

"What?"

"I love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

He opened her office door and he was gone. She went back to her chair and stared at the photograph she kept of them together at Williamsburg. They'd found a small home that gave tours and cooking demonstrations of seventeenth-century delicacies. They'd had a chance to try the scrambled eggs and tomatoes. They'd watched the costumed cook prepare the dish after peeling tomatoes, blanching them in hot water, then dice them. The cook had begun with onions and butter, then the tomatoes and two eggs which she scrambled together. After adding salt, it was delicious, and Spence had said that he was going to make it at home.

All of this flew through her mind as she thought about his working with infected patients, then her phone rang, and it was time to get back to business. General Whitworth was on his way in and she had to make sure he got through security.

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He'd promised her he'd stay safe, was Reid's first thought as he entered Dr. Nichols house, and found his body on the floor, and then he'd noticed the broken vial of white powder. He froze, then realized that it was already too late as the air conditioning was blasting out air cold enough to make in a shiver. He swallowed hard and noticed dead animals in cages and his heart began to slam in his chest.

"No," he said to himself, he'd walked right into the waiting arms of death. How could he be so incredibly blind and stupid?

"Reid," He heard Morgan calling to him, and his friend was much too close. "Reid."

He hurried to the door and closed it before Morgan could enter. "Morgan, Get – get back."

"Reid."

"Get out of here!" Reid held the door shut and began to work the lock.

"What's wrong."

"Believe me, get back."

He finally made his shaking hands turn the lock and it shot home with a click that was like the clang of bells in a churchyard cemetery.

Morgan's face changed from irritation to disbelief as Reid said, "I'm sorry," and looked over his shoulder.

Morgan followed his gaze and Reid knew he saw the Anthrax on the floor. "I didn't pay attention," he said through the door.

"Doesn't matter. I'm calling Hotch."

Morgan backed away and flipped out his phone. He ignored Reid telling him that it was too late, that he was already infected as he put in the call to Hotch.

Reid was impressed by how quickly the General's team appeared. He watched them do their job and he talked to Hotch and Morgan. They all thought he should go to the hospital, but what good would it do him to put on a hazmat suit or go in for treatment? He knew that General Whitworth's suggestion that Dr. Brown created a cure and that Reid look for it, irritated Morgan and Hotch, but then Hotch told him to keep working. Reid decided at that moment that he never wanted to be the boss.

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JJ hid in Garcia's office, but couldn't ignore that her friend was looking at samples of the disease on her monitors. JJ wanted to throw something at them, to shatter the glass and with it the pain in her heart that clogged in her throat and stung her eyes with tears.

"JJ, this thing killed the first three victims within two hours."

"Garcia, stop. Please, I – I can't think about it that way. He took Cipro. He's got help. He's going to be fine.

Oh god, please let it be true. Please let him be fine because I can't live without him.

"I don't know how to do this. Every time you guys go away and you're in all kinds of ginormous danger and all I can do is sit here in my bubble and I hope, and I pray, and I will my babies to come back to me. I try to stay positive, but I don't know how to do this."

"Neither do I," JJ said, and she broke down. Garcia sprang to her feet and engulfed her in a hug. "I'm sorry, Peaches. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm selfish."

JJ gently pushed her away. "You're the most unselfish person I know. I'm so frightened. What if he dies?"

"He won't die. You're going to find the cure. He'll be fine and someday soon, you'll have a blond baby genius running around."

JJ laughed through her tears. "Don't let him hear you say that?"

"Why you don't think – no, now is not the time. Come on, let's find this sick bastard and then we'll talk about it."

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Reid looked around the room and decided that while he waited for Dr. Kimura to come into the house, he would call Garcia.

"Hey, Reid."

"Wow, no witty Garcia greeting for me."

"I can't be my sparkly self when you are where you are."

"Garcia, do you think you can do something for me."

"Anything."

"Listen, I can't call my mom without alerting everyone at Bennington."

"What do you need.

"I need you to record a message to her in case something happens to me."

"Nothing is going to happen to you. You're going to brilliantly find out who did this and we're going to treat this strain."

"I hope you're right, but if you're not, I really want to make sure that she hears my voice."

He waited for Garcia to tell him to go and then he said the only thing that he felt she needed to know for certain, something he thought she probably doubted because he committed her all those years ago. He told her he was proud to be her son.

"Reid?"

"Garcia, one more thing. Please be there for JJ. I love her. Tell her that. Tell her I've always loved her." He heard Dr. Kimura's voice. "I gotta go."

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JJ strode into Walter Reed the next morning intent on kicking Morgan out of Reid's room. She'd had to keep it together until they'd finished with the aftermath of the case. She'd had to deal with the media backlash and with the paperwork. Now, she couldn't keep her cool any longer and had to see Spence after Hotch had told her that they'd found the cure and the man she loved was awake and on the mend.

Morgan was talking to Spence when she arrived, and they were arguing about Morgan stealing his Jello. JJ smiled for the first time in two days as she walked into the room. "Hey, you still faking, Spence?"

"Hi JJ."

"I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," Morgan said and winked at JJ. "The doc's been in to see him and he's doing great."

"Good," she said. "Then you can get out of that bed and get to the stack of files on your desk."

"I don't feel that well," Reid complained.

JJ sat down and looked at her love. He sported a few days growth of beard, his long wavy hair was mussed and he wore a hospital gown, but he was a sight for her eyes to feast on, nonetheless.

"You look like hell," JJ teased as she took his hand and clenched it so tight, he hissed.

"Do I?"

"Yes."

"I feel like I nearly died from a weaponized strain of Anthrax," Reid said without missing a beat.

"That's funny. Damn it," she said, and she began to cry. "You scared the hell out of me. What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, Jen. I didn't think."

"That's obvious. I love you. I can't imagine living the rest of my life without you. Do you understand me."

"Yes, but I'm an agent just like you. I need to do my job."

"I get that," she hissed. "You need to understand that you're not alone anymore, Spence. I'm here and I love you more than anyone in my life. I need you."

"I am sorry, Jennifer. I love you, too."

She leaned in and kissed him. "I was so worried about you. I thought I'd never see you alive again."

"I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you if you require."

"You don't have to spend the rest of your life making it up to me, Spence. Please promise me that you'll take care. If anything ever happened to you, I couldn't live."

"I will be careful, Jennifer, I promise."

He noticed that JJ studied him with an expression he recognized and he blew out an anxious breath. "What are you planning," he asked, cautiously.

"I was thinking that when you're out of here, you could agree to a nice, long weekend at this cute little B and B Garcia found for us. It's an hour north of here and it looks very romantic."

"I thought you were furious with me and now you're asking me to go on a romantic weekend with you."

JJ lightly smacked his hand. "Don't make me regret asking."

Reid pursed his lips and decided it was time to speak his mind. He took her hand and squeezed it tight.

"What are you thinking?" JJ asked and her voice trembled a little.

"I was wondering if we might postpone the B an B for a little while."

"Why?"

"Because I had some time to think after I realized that I might not make it out of this, and I decided that I'm done living in fear and taking you for granted. "I love you, Jennifer. Will you marry me?"