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A/n thanks again to all who review and support this story. Please enjoy.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Spence," JJ remarked when her husband slowly approached on his crutches. "You know Hotch will call you on it when he finds out."

"How do you know he'll find out?" Spencer asked as she sipped tea from her red and black travel mug.

"I'm surprised you have to ask that question. You know he's better than all of us at reading people."

He sighed and studied his crutches. "I'm sick of staying home, Jennifer. I've been stuck in this house for thirty days. I want to get back to work."

"You're still a few weeks away from giving up your crutches. Do you honestly think that Hotch will buy that you're okay to fly?"

"You're always telling me that you can sell anything as long as you're confidant."

She shook her head and blew out a long breath. "Now you decide to listen to me. Hotch is going to wonder why I didn't try to talk you out of lying to him. He'll think I should have some influence over you."

"You do," he said and reached out to touch her cheek.

"I used to think so, but now, I'm not sure. You're not ready, babe."

"Jen," he began, and annoyance flickered in his eyes. "I can't sit here any longer. I promise I'll stay out of harm's way."

"You won't have a choice because the first sign of trouble and I will out you to Hotch."

"I promise."

She picked up her mug. "All right, let's get to the office. I have a feeling that we're not staying put for long."

"Why?"

Her phone beeped, she read the text, then sighed. "This is why," she said and picked up the remote for their flat screen. A news report popped onto the screen and they both watched in silence the details of the pharmacy attack in Louisville, Kentucky.

"We're on it."

"Yeah, let's go."

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Reid stretched out his leg on the jet's bench seat and tried to close his eyes against the pain that never went away. He wished he could stop thinking about it, but the only thing that helped was a meeting. He caught JJ's eye and she joined him, sitting between his legs, with her back to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed. "Hm…" he whispered. "You feel so good."

"Place of employment," she whispered back, then turned to her right and looked up at his face as he stared down at her. "Remember that for later."

"I will," he assured her.

She closed her eyes and let the gentle rhythm of his breathing lull her into a deep sleep. Two hours later, she felt him shift and she jerked out of sleep. "Where are we?"

"On the jet, about to touch down."

She carefully stretched her arms over her head. "Wow, I didn't think I'd sleep so soundly. Sorry that I trapped you here."

"It's okay, but I could do with standing up for a minute."

"Oh, right," she got to her feet. "You in pain."

"Not really, but we'll see when I get to my feet. You better buckle in, Jennifer."

She took one of the seats across from the bench and soon, the jet landed with a gentle thump and the scream of engines reversed to a stop. As the team began to gather their belongings, she looked over at her husband, who winced and groaned as he awkwardly climbed to his feet with the help of one of his crutches. "I knew it," she said. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It had time to stiffen up a bit. I'll be fine in a minute."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Hey, you two, it's time to go home. Stop dithering about," Rossi called out to them from his position near the door.

"Yeah, let's go." Emily agreed as she tried to keep a close eye on Hotch without showing her concern over his handling of Darrin Call.

"You can forget the paperwork for now," Hotch said. "We're off for the next two days. Go home and get some rest."

Morgan's mouth tightened, but he didn't speak. He was the first off, the plane, and Reid wondered if he'd call Garcia or go straight home.

"Come on," JJ said. "Let's go home."

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Reid groaned as he dropped down on the couch and took off the brace he wore. He massaged his healing knee and thought fondly of the day he could walk without help. He thought about taking one of the non-narcotic pain pills the doctor had provided him but decided he was too tired to get up.

"Hey," JJ entered the room with a glass of water and a white tablet in her hand.

"How did you know I needed one?"

"Because you're white as a sheet. Babe, you know that doctor said that you need your rest."

"I'll be okay. However, as we'll be home tomorrow night, I'm going to a meeting."

She watched him down the pain pill with two long swallows of water. She sat beside him and lay her head on his shoulder. "I wish I could take away the pain for you."

"You help make it bearable," he assured her. "You take my mind off it, and that's the best help you can provide."

"I'm glad," she said and hugged his arm.

He pulled out his one-year medallion and watched the light from the table lamp wink off the surface of the coin. He began to make it dance and then disappear. "Huh oh, hope I didn't lose it."

She sat up. "I hope you're playing around because I know how much that coin means to you, Spence."

He turned and began to scrutinize her face. "I think I know where it went."

"Where?"

He reached behind her ear and pulled out the coin. "You had it, gentle lady."

"I know it's all distraction and manipulation, but I still don't know how you do that."

"Good," he smirked at her irritated expression. "A good magician is a master of distraction."

"Why are you trying to distract me?"

"I'm not. I felt like doing magic."

She watched his face intently. "Are you sure? I'm here to listen."

"The same goes for you, Jennifer."

"Come on," she encouraged as she climbed to her feet. "It's late and you need to sleep."

"I won't argue with you."

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"I told you he'd find out," JJ told Reid ten minutes before departing to the jet. "When are you going to listen to me?"

"I always listen to you," he retorted. "It was a calculated risk."

"Don't worry about him," Garcia said as she brought in a second chair to her office, then held it as Reid sat heavily.

"Apparently, I'm her bitch," he informed his wife and gestured to Garcia.

JJ laughed and gave Garcia an enthusiastic high-five. "Yes. Make sure he doesn't work too hard," JJ requested of her friend.

"I will."

"I'm in the room," he complained.

"I have to go," JJ leaned down and kissed her husband. "Be good."

"I'm not a child," he said, irritably.

"Then stop acting like one. You annoyed Hotch and now you have to pay the price."

JJ left and Reid turned to Garcia. "Let's get to work."

"I'm ready and willing, Dr. Reid."

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JJ found Reid in her office when they returned from Long Island. He levered to his feet and nearly fell when she hurried to him and yanked him into an embrace. "Spence…"

"I was so afraid when Morgan told me about Judge Schuler's shooting. You were right there."

She let him go and he could see the shock in her eyes, and the determination not to let the murder get to her.

"I'm okay, Spence."

"If he'd made a mistake and missed –"

"He didn't, I'm okay."

He sighed and dropped back into a chair. "I understand that you can take care of yourself. You have the same training as Morgan, or Rossi, or any of us, but you're my wife, Jennifer. I can't bear the thought of losing you.

"Spencer."

"Hotch lost Haley, first to divorce and now he doesn't know where she is because of the Reaper. Rossi lost the love of his life because of the job, and she married a man who couldn't cope with her death and became a vigilante. I don't want to lose the love of my life, Jennifer."

"I don't know what you expect me to do," she shot back, and anger flashed into her eyes.

"I want you to be careful," he said, hoarsely.

"I am," she insisted. "I have too much to live for."

He nodded his head and decided to leave it there for now. "My knee is killing me. Can we go home?"

"Yeah, I can deal with the paperwork in the morning."

He hoisted up on his crutches and took one halting step forward. "Jennifer, do you ever wonder if you're doing the right thing with your life."

She slowly nodded her head. "When you were shot, I wondered if this is what I wanted us to do."

"Why didn't you say something."

"Because I didn't want to upset you."

He sighed. "We need to talk, but I don't want to do it here."

"I agree. Let's go home."

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JJ slipped into a pair of boxer shorts that belonged to Reid and one of her favorite tank tops. She trudged out to the living room and found him on the sofa with his tie on the floor, his shoes, and socks next to the coffee table and his crutches leaning against one arm of the couch. He'd stretched out and his eyes were closed. She saw pain and worry in the lines of his face and her heart broke a little.

"Hey," she said, softly.

His eyes blinked open and he pushed to a sitting position. "Hey," he greeted and watched her face as she sat. "Jennifer, I am sorry that I upset you. I don't know how to do this job now that we're married. I can't help it if I'm concerned about my wife. I don't want us to end up like Hotch and Hayley, or like Rossi with his three ex-wives and his loneliness. I'm proud that you and I have a stable relationship. It's rare in this job."

"I know," she sighed. "I thought when we started dating that it'd be easy because we're both in the same job. We spend all our time together and I love it, but now that we're together, I can't help wondering every time we go after an un-sub, is that person going to try and kill one of us. I can't live without you, Spence."

"I don't know what to say," he reached for her hand. "I wish I had an easy solution. We both love our jobs, so leaving isn't an answer."

"No, it isn't," JJ agreed. "What are we going to do, Spence?"

"Maybe we can start by remembering that we have someone to go home to and take extra care."

"I think that'll be easier said than done for you," she teased.

"Why?"

"You are the trouble magnet for the team."

"That's not true," he argued. "We've all had our share of life-threatening situations."

"Yes, but not as many as you have, husband of mine."

He frowned. "All right, let's say I acquiesce to your assessment of our brushes with danger, that doesn't mean I'm a trouble magnet."

"You should ask Morgan if you need a second opinion."

He narrowed his eyes at his wife. "I don't think so."

"Are we okay?" she asked.

"Yes," he pushed up to his feet and grabbed his crutches. "Let's go to bed."

She watched him expertly manipulate his crutches and she longed to take his hand. It seemed like forever since they'd been able to walk side by side with his arm around her shoulders. His doctor said he was healing as expected and would be done to a cane in a few weeks.

"Good idea, Spence. I'm going to read a little, though. I think you need to rest your gray matter more than I do."

"Why," he stopped and turned curious eyes to her.

"I heard about crater creator."

He rolled his eyes. "I let her give the answer. It was good for her ego."

"Right. You keep telling yourself that, Spence."

"I thought that as my wife, you'd be on my side."

She shook her head and chuckled. "You have a lot to learn about marriage, Dr. Reid."