Disclaimer: see my profile
A/n we're jumping through time again to "Uncanny Valley," one of my all time favorite episodes. I love seeing Reid lose his temper. When season five originally aired there was a about six weeks between "Slave of Duty and Uncanny Valley," airing times, so I'm putting that same time jump in my story.
JJ stretched her arms over her head and groaned. She'd finished her ran and needed a shower, but first, she needed more water. She went to the fridge and opened it, only to find that they were down to two bottles. She sighed and decided it was a good excuse to go into town and restock the larder. She guzzled down some cold water, then headed for the shower.
"Hey," Reid said as they met in the hall. "Shower is all yours."
"Thank you, babe. What are you going to this afternoon?"
"I thought I'd read."
She smirked at her husband. "Hm, a new activity for you."
He tugged on the ends of her hair. "Not funny, Mrs. Reid."
"I need to go shopping after lunch; you want to join me."
When he made a face, she chuckled and shook her head. "All right, I'll take care of it, but the next time it's your turn, Dr. Reid."
"In that case, I think I might go to the park and read, or play chess."
She put a hand on his tie. "Are you sure you're ready to go back. I know how much Gideon meant to you as a chess partner."
"I'm fine, Jennifer," he leaned in for a kiss. "I want to go back."
"Then, go and have fun."
"You go take a shower," he said, and wrinkled his nose."
She narrowed her eyes at him and tugged on his hair. "Not nice, Spence."
"Sorry, but you are a little pungent."
"I did say I valued your honesty, didn't I."
"You did."
"Fine, I'll go shower, and you go have fun."
"Thank's I'll see you later."
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Reid put part of his concentration on his book and part of it on Eric, who sat next to him play chess alone. "I see checkmate in five, what do you see," Eric said.
"I see it in three," Reid responded after a glance at the board.
He went back to reading, but couldn't keep the smile from his lips when he saw that Eric understood and played the game to checkmate in three.
"We missed you out here, Spencer.
"Thank you, thanks. I had to take a little break."
"How come?"
"I used to play with a co-worker friend of mine. He was probably the best mind I ever went up against and one day he just decided that he didn't want to play anymore."
"So you gave up too," Eric said, derisively.
"Just the opposite, I attempted to play through every move on a chessboard.
"That's an infinite number of games," Eric said with disbelief.
"It's not infinite; it's just exponentially large."
"You couldn't have played through them all," Eric argued.
"There's an average of forty moved per chess game, and I'll tell you something, the more I played, the more I realized that every single match was a variation on the very same theme. Aggressive opening, patient mid-game and the inevitable checkmate and I realized why my friend quit – he was tired of repeating the exact same pattern and expecting a different outcome."
"So you have a lifetime of chess strategy in your head," Eric continued as Reid's phone rang. "And you're just sitting on it?"
"I still use it, I just apply it differently," Reid said as he read the text. "Sorry, I gotta go. It's good seeing you."
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"You okay," Reid asked when JJ came back to her seat on the plane home.
"Yeah, my stomach's been a little upset. I think it was the cheeseburger I had for dinner. Next time I'll think twice about greasy diner food before getting on the jet."
"The apple pie was good," he said and smirked at her as she rolled her eyes. "You can eat anything and it never bothers you."
"That's not true. Remember, dairy, and I don't get along, but I love it."
"Right," she said. "I almost forgot about that."
They sat in silence together, JJ with her head on his shoulder and Reid with a book that he wasn't reading in his hands.
"Now, it's my turn to ask if you're okay," she asked
"I'm fine, just thinking about Samantha Malcolm. How could a father do that to a child? I know he wanted to cover up his crimes, but to damage her for life. Why?"
She rubbed a hand up and down his arm. "Rossi told me what you did for her. You are the kindest, gentlest and most compassionate man I know. You amaze me. You're going to be a great father," she continued in a lower tone.
"Thank you," he closed the book and reached for her hand. "I know I'd never do that to a child."
"No, you wouldn't, and that is why you're the better man."
"Do you think Samantha's victims will be okay?"
"Yeah, I think they will. Rossi also talked about what you did in Dr. Malcolm' office. He said you lost your temper."
"I did."
"Good, I like it when you kick ass."
He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Hey, pretty boy, you can't keep your hands off your wife."
"Shut up, Morgan," JJ said and made their friend laugh.
"Stand down, Blondie. I'm just teasing."
"Right, go away and get some sleep."
"Yes, ma'am, Mrs. Dr. Reid."
Reid put an arm around her and hugged her close. "Go to sleep, Jennifer. Don't mind the rude guy in the peanut gallery."
"Oh, you're so brave now that you're married," Morgan observed.
'Yes, I am, and don't you forget it."
"I won't man."
Morgan watched JJ and Reid together and sighed under his breath. Maybe one day he'd find someone to make him as happy as his friends were together.
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JJ dropped her bag on the sofa and blew out a breath. She stood in the slashes of light seeping through the blinds over their living room window and stretched. She felt utterly exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep, but first, she had a task to perform. She pulled a box from her bag and hurried to their second bathroom. The directions on the package were concise and clear enough for a child to use.
Child.
A week had passed since she'd first felt nauseous on the jet. She'd thought that it was greasy food, but then the next morning, she'd suffered through more nausea and vomiting. She felt constantly tired and worst of all; she couldn't stand the scent of Spencer's shaving cream, which she thought extremely odd as it wasn't something edible and her mother had always told her that she'd hated the smell of eggs cooking when she was pregnant. Then three days ago she realized she was late and decided that when she had minute she'd get a test.
JJ sighed and opened the box. She followed the instructions on the box to the letter and stood next to the counter waiting for the results. The three minutes she had to wait stretched out for years. She studied her reflection in the mirror and wondered if this were real. Was she ready to be a mother? She and Reid had agreed to start trying, and now less than six weeks later, she was looking at a pregnancy test.
She looked at her watched and waited impatiently for the last minute to tick away. A sudden knock on the door made her jump and her heart pound so hard; she thought it might leap from her chest. "Jennifer, you okay?"
"Yeah, um, just a minute, Spence."
She looked at the test, and more adrenaline pumped into her body, making her feel faint and feverish. She wiped a hand over her forehead and saw that it shook uncontrollably. She drew in and blew out another huge breath, then tried to smile, but couldn't quite manage it. It was positive. She was pregnant! Happiness bloomed inside her like a newly lit candle. She blew out a breath to steady her hands and opened the door.
"What are you doing in here," Reid asked.
She thought he looked adorable in green and white pajama bottoms and a with tee-shirt, with his hair mussed and his eyes sleepy and sexy. "Sorry, I didn't want to wake you, but I see I did after all."
"I wasn't sleeping, at least not completely. I heard you come in, and when you didn't come back to bed – I was concerned."
"Spence. I have something to tell you." She stood back from the door and let him see the pregnancy test on the counter. "I'm pregnant."
He stood stalk still with wide-awake eyes that flicked from her face and back to the test. "You're sure."
"Yes, see for yourself."
He slipped past her into the small room and reached out to touch the test. He saw the pink cross that indicated pregnancy, and then his head dropped, and his shoulders stooped. He seemed to lean on the counter as if he might fall. JJ went to him and put her hands to his face. "Talk to me."
He smiled, and it lit his face like sunlight from within his soul. "I'm so happy, Jennifer. You have no idea."
"I think I do," she said and laid her head on his shoulder. "Come on, let's go to bed. I can see how sleepy you are."
"I'm okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, but I do want to get some sleep. Don't know if I'll be able to with this news."
She paced him as they left the bathroom and turned down the hallway to their bedroom. She went to her closet and changed into her favorite sleeping attire, a tank, and pajama bottoms. She found him already in bed and he smiled and held out a hand. She took it and curled up next to him. "Hm…" she sighed in contentment. "This is more like it."
He kissed the top of her head, the shifted position and slid down to kiss her belly. "Baby, I know you can't hear me yet, but I'm your daddy, and I can't wait for you to be born. I love mommy and you so much it hurts."
Tears filled her eyes and she smiled at him when he moved back to hold her close. "I love you, babe. You have no idea how much."
"I think I do. I can't wait for us to be a family."
He shifted again so he could see her face and her lovely blue eyes in the low light of the table lamp on her nightstand. She had a soft smile that meant love to him whenever he saw it. He touched her shoulder, and she shivered. He drew a hand through her hair, and she closed her eyes. "I love how you touch me," she sighed.
"Good, because I intend to touch you a least once a day for the rest of your life."
"You always know the right thing to say," she said, and tears filled her eyes.
"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you."
She shook her head and wiped her eyes. "You didn't, babe. I'm so happy. I love you."
"I love you, too."
She suddenly burst out into laughter. "What's so funny," he wanted to know.
"It's nothing, just that we only began talking about having a baby less than two months ago and here we are."
"Yeah, I'm a bit stunned."
"Me too, but we're going to be fine, babe. It's going to be so – amazing."
"Yes," he said and happiness filled his lovely eyes. "It's going to be completely remarkable.
"Let's not get too excited. I need to contact my OB and confirm it."
"Right," Reid said. "We'll be sensible and calm while we wait."
She suddenly pumped her fist into the air and whooped. She grabbed her husband and tried to kiss him, but he flipped them over so that she lay beneath him. "Want to recreate the conception, Mrs. Reid."
"If we must," she said and laughed as he began to nuzzle her neck. "You have a magic mouth, Dr. Reid."
He ignored her comment and continued to work his way down. "Mm…" she groaned and decided that talking was highly overrated.