CHAPTER TWELVE: Quality
"The Quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important. – Martin Luther King, Jr."
April 13, 2005: 11:30 AM
JJ sighed as the jet landed. Her back cracked with a sudden, jarring movement. Still, as she looked out of the window, she sighed at the familiar sight before her.
She touched her boyfriend on the arm, waking him from a contented sleep. None of the team had slept the night before, after receiving Daryl Lloyd's package, they'd stayed up till the early vestiges of morning. They were just glad the manic vigilante hadn't resisted arrest. Tempers were flared enough.
"Good morning JJ," Spence said, wiping Morpheus' gift from his eyes. She smiled, ignoring Derek's mimicry, as she said, "Good morning Spence."
"Alright everyone," Hotch said standing up as the jet finished taxiing, coming to a stop in the middle of the tarmac. "I've cleared us for a long weekend. So today and tomorrow, finish up your reports, clear out your desk, and then I don't want to see you until Monday."
Their unit chief smiled, a bit happily, and turned before running down the airstair.
"He seems anxious," Spence said matter-of-factly. She rolled her eyes and said, "His wife is pregnant, Spence. He wants to get home and see her."
Spence nodded, and she smiled, watching his beautiful mind at work. She smiled, watching as Derek and Penelope stepped off the jet, before leaning down and capturing his lips with hers.
He gasped, but responded without hesitation. He curled handfuls of her hair, and pulled her closer to him, her legs coming to straddle him. For the briefest of moments, the fact they were on the BAU jet, returning from a trying case, meant nothing.
"That was amazing," JJ gasped as she pulled away, her breath heavy, lips swollen.
"And entirely foolish," Spence said, having respiratory problems of his own, "But worth it."
She grinned, a cheeky smile on her face as she stood, smoothing her skirt in one swift motion, as she pulled her boyfriend up off the seat. She smiled at his visible reaction to her, and the flush of his cheeks, as she swayed in front of him.
She could feel his burning gaze.
They debarked one after the other, and arrived to their cars a few minutes later. Luckily, she thought, the rest of their team had already left, so there weren't any uncomfortable silences, or recriminating looks.
Only her boyfriend's burning gaze.
They arrived back at the office separately. She ignored Morgan; who whooped when she passed him, and Garcia; who shook her head at his immaturity, his teasing comment falling on deaf ears. She briefly felt sorry for her boyfriend, who wouldn't be able to escape Derek's teasing.
"Where's Hotch," she asked, ignoring Derek's knowing look. He smirked at her blatant subject change, but answered anyway. "He went on home, Haley called a few minutes after the goddess and I arrived. She needs Saltine's and Ginger Ale. He took his files with him, and said that he'd see us later. I don't think we'll be seeing him until Monday."
She nodded and walked to her office, laughing as Garcia snarked, "It looks like our favorite angelface and her junior G-man got some nook, my chocolate god."
Her office, to her slight relief, was only slightly more cluttered than normal when she entered. There were about ten new cases, on top of the thirty from before, which she would need to review and separate to the appropriate specialist. Derek, she knew, specialized in obsessive behaviors, like getting into the mindset of a bomber, or stalker, so those cases would go to him.
Hotch specialized in pretty much every aspect of the BAU, but mostly knowing the mindset of murderers, and rapists. He had confronted so many of these people that he could look at them and know what they ate for breakfast that morning.
Spence, dear God what didn't her boyfriend specialize in? With all his different degrees, she knew she could give him pretty much every file in front of her, and he could give an accurate profile.
Thinking about it, she realized that he pretty much loved to focus on the cases that made him think. Whether it was a case where he had to track down the missing pieces of an Ottendorf cipher, or using his knowledge to create a geographic profile, was when her genius shone.
She perused each of the cases carefully, going over each one and thinking about the traits of each of her co-workers. An hour later, she was well into her pile, about sixteen files in, when a knock came at her door. She looked up, and smiled before waving her visitor in.
"Hey honey," she whispered as he entered her office, and smiled as he sat down, a soft grin on his face.
"Hey," he said, "I'm heading out to get some food for the team, and need to know what you want."
She smiled, pushing a strand of her hair back behind her ear, as she said, "surprise me."
He nodded, confusion clouding his face. She could tell that he was profiling her already, his fallback when he was unsure of the route to take in a situation, and stood.
"Spence," she said softly, "You don't need to profile me. You already know what I like to eat, and what I don't."
He nodded slowly, and stood up, his hand going to the knob and turning it on reflex.
"I'll be back later," he said aloud before whispering those three little words she loved to hear. Her body flushed at hearing those three little words.
"I love you too," she said equally quiet to her boyfriend, and noticed as he stiffened upon hearing her. She could see the back of his neck, flush with the euphoria of their relationship.
Once he had left the office, she returned to her work, attempting to get a few more files in before she packed up for the day. So, it wasn't a surprise when he returned, forty-five minutes or so later, with a white cardboard box in his hand. She took the box, wondering what he had decided on for her, and smiled when she noticed it.
"Really," she asked looking at the steaming chicken Alfredo before her, a soft smile on her face. He nodded. "I got myself the same thing. I was thinking that we could eat lunch together."
She nodded, and had him pull a chair up to her desk, and smiled. She had never actually told him that it was one of her favorite meals. She just told him that her mother had made it often when she was a child. But, just knowing that he recognized that made her feel all the more special.
They ate in comfortable silence, occasionally sneaking looks to one another as time went on, and averting their gazes when the other would try to catch them. It was a game as old as time, but she enjoyed it more than she could ever express.
"Thanks Spence," she said softly, "I hadn't realized how hungry I was until now."
"I figured," her boyfriend smiled, "You lose yourself in work."
Rolling her eyes, JJ said, "Really?"
He nodded, a soft smile on his face, before he frowned and turned back to the door. "Well, I need to get back to work. I'm sure Derek has taken the opportunity to 'sneak' me some more of his files."
"You need to call him on that," JJ murmured. Her young genius merely laughed and walked out of the room, a soft stride to his steps as he said, "We'll see."
She watched his retreating steps, and watched him sit as Derek kept watching the pile that she knew Spence had already scanned through, and paused as he came to one. She watched Derek's eyes widen, and saw Spence turn to her, before winking.
Then he turned back to Derek, and said something that caused the profiler to laugh. She wished she'd heard what was said, even with Spence repeating it verbatim it wouldn't have the same humor; it was one of the perils of having an office away from the rest of the team.
Finally, five o'clock came, and without hesitation, she stacked her unfinished case files off to a separate file in front of her inbox, so she could give them first priority in the morning. She entered the bullpen and watched Spence scanning his last file, briefly feeling jealous of his ability, and watched him write up a preliminary profile the likes that would have even impressed Jason.
Then, he sat his file down, and stood as she approached and said, "Are you ready?"
She nodded.
"See you tomorrow, Derek," she said smiling as Spence fell in step with her. She wished, for the briefest of seconds, that he would kiss her damn their rules, but knew that he wouldn't.
"Are we staying at your place or mine, tonight," she asked when they exited? Spence smiled and honestly said, "As long as I'm with you, I don't care. That said, I really do want a change of clothes."
She smiled, laughing slightly as they approached their cars, and said, "I'll meet you at your place, alright Spence?"
He nodded and said, "JJ?"
She turned.
"Would you mind terribly if I made reservations for dinner tonight?"
Her eyes widened and she shook her head, slowly. He smiled and said, "Then might I suggest something… provocative yet formal and I'll pick you up about 8:00?"
She nodded again, her mind a whirl. "I'll see you in a few hours, Spence."
He nodded again. She didn't remember getting to her apartment, didn't remember even getting in the shower. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out what Spence was planning, or why?
He wasn't one for spontaneity, usually, so for him to bring this up now of all times was confusing. She went to her closet, and smiled as she grabbed her dress. He wanted provocative? Great!
She hung her dress on a rung on her closet door, smoothing it through the plastic cover. She wanted to wait to as close as possible before getting fully dressed, going instead with her red lingerie, and stockings. After all, it was her house.
Seven thirty came faster than she thought, and her heart started racing as she looked at the dress she planned on wearing. What if he didn't like it, thought it too revealing? She was more than a bit frightened, her feelings for her boyfriend of three and a half weeks suddenly more real and terrifying than anything she'd ever felt.
Still, no sense in hesitating… she never had before. She sprayed her perfume lightly into the air, stepping through as had become almost second thought, then walked over to her dress, and smiled. Then lightly, she pooled the fabric at her feet, glad that she had her carpet shampooed weekly, and stepped into the dress, pulled it up, instinctively straightening any creases in the fabric as she did so. Her hands almost ghosted against the silk caressing her.
It was a few minutes later that a knock came at her door. She walked to the door, her heart racing, and before she opened the door, she took a look in the mirror. She smiled, and a second later gasped again, her breath escaping her.
Her boyfriend wore a black, three piece suit with a white shirt. His suit jacket was open, except for the top button, which was clasped as an afterthought. He smelled of his unique cologne.
She could feel his electric gaze, and smirked inwardly.
Her dress was a shimmering red, and reached to just below the knees; showing just enough leg to invite them to look, but keeping the real surprises for later.
"You look effulgent, Jennifer," he said, his eyes gazing upon her. She smiled, wondering for the briefest of moments what it meant.
"You shine brighter than the sun, radiant. There are so many ways to describe how captivating you are at this moment," he whispered, stepping closely to her, and guiding their lips together.
She lost her breath at his touch, and deepened their kiss, which ended all to briefly.
"Are you ready," he asked? She grabbed her purse, leaving her cell phone behind. She wanted nothing to interrupt their evening, and knew that, if their luck held out, she'd be returning to a voice box full of messages.
Then, she took his hand, and walked out of her front door.
"You look stunning too, Spence," her voice finally returned. He looked too her from his side, and smiled.
"I made reservations at the first restaurant I came to in the area. It's an important part of what brought me into the BAU, and so a part of what brought you into my life. I'd like to share that with you, Jennifer."
She asked him softly, "Where are we going?"
"The Globe & Laurel Restaurant," he said softly again. She nodded, and took his hand. The drive over, fifteen minutes from her apartment was filled with small chatter. They had been out on dates before, but the atmosphere between them was excruciating. She felt nervous, excited, clumsy, and electric all at once.
When they arrived, she let him take the lead, not at all uncomfortable. It was a rare occasion when her boyfriend wanted to impress her to this extent and so far he was doing a wonderful job.
"Reservation for Spencer Reid," he said too the receptionist, who said, "You asked for a seat in the Hoover Room, Mister Reid."
She looked at him for a second, waiting for him to correct the man who was staring snootily down at him, but Spence just nodded. They walked, silently, through the almost quiet restaurant. She looked around, and was amazed by the history she could see on the walls, and ceiling; badges from each area of Law Enforcement adorned all around them. FBI, CIA, NCIS, U.S. Marshalls, Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines. Each and every walk of military and civilian service was represented around them.
It was highly memorable.
They were finally there, the Hoover Room. Her surprise was easily evident. A plaque on the wall dedicated the room to the first head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover.
"No wonder you wanted us to come here," she said softly.
Dinner was a splendid affair. Spence regaled her with stories of his life before Quantico, of his teachers at Caltech, and MIT. He told her, whether in a joking or serious mood, that Yale was his safety school.
She shared more of her old life in North Versailles. She talked about Jeffrey, and how Melissa's pregnancy was running roughshod over her hormones. She told him about her sister, who's name was Julia, committing suicide after giving her a necklace, and how that affected her when it came to suicide cases. Spence sighed, placed his hand against her left cheek and whispered "I'm sorry," to her.
Then, to lighten the mood, he told her that during pregnancy, a woman's libido mimicked a teenage male going through puberty. She slightly smiled, and said, "Jeffrey must be heaven right now, then."
Once their meal had finished, and they had paid, Spence smiled and asked her if she'd like to go out dancing. Her eyes lit, and she nodded, before she grasped his hand, and they walked back to his car, her head leaning on his shoulder.
They went back to his apartment, where they both grabbed a change of clothes. She smiled, and hung her dress up, before quickly dressing in an extra pair of blue jeans and a white, almost see-through shirt. Then, turning to her boyfriend, she almost lost her air as he was dressed in a pair of black jeans and a green shirt.
Her breath hitched at the site of him. Instinctively, she moistened her lips, and stepped closer. Deciding that dancing could wait, she threw caution to the wind, swiftly grabbing and kissing him. She started shivering as his hands automatically ran up her side, and softly, firmly cupped her breast through the fabric of her shirt. She pulled him closely into the crook of her arms, and fell back on his bed, groaning as he covered her welcoming body.
She could feel every inch of him against her, and it felt wonderful.
She roamed his chest, tugging his shirt out from his jeans and pulling it over her boyfriend's head, parting their kiss for seconds at the most. Almost immediately, his lips recovered hers, as one hand pulled her shirt loose from her jeans. She reached down, her eyes searching his, and pulled her top from her body. She gulped, the awe etched onto his face entrancing.
Daringly, she pushed him away and placed her elbows underneath her, sitting up. Then, her eyes locked with his, she unclipped her bra, and let it fall to the floor beside her as her body fell back to the mattress.
"Spence?" she asked, her teeth biting her lower lip in contemplation…
April 15, 2005: 6:35AM
When they woke the next morning, it was too Spence's alarm going off, instead of a phone call like usual. His arousal was evident again, intruding slightly into her uncovered core. She shivered, remembering the night before in vivid detail. She was startled by Spencer waking up, a groan the only acknowledgement that he was even close.
"Was last night a dream," he asked cautiously, his voice holding a timbre she'd never heard before? She pressed her naked body to him, adjusting her position and whispered, "Not unless we're dreaming now, Spence."
Her eyes closed as he pulled her body closer to his, and kissed her solidly.
"If you keep doing that we won't make it to work," she said, pressing her body into his. A contented sigh issued from her parted lips.
Neither noticed as they slipped back to sleep.
It was 7:30 when his alarm went off again. Spence slipped out of bed, and immediately she felt the lack of warmth as she sat up, and watched him walk to the bathroom. She grinned, and stood, walking over to him, before greeting him with an exuberant kiss before he began showering.
He goofily grinned at her, and cupped her right cheek, as he said, "Good morning, Jennifer."
She shuddered at the possession in his voice as she said, "Good morning, Spence."
"Thank you for an amazing gift, JJ," he whispered to her, his forehead resting against hers. She took in his scent, which was a mix of her own, and said, "Thank you for not letting your fear rule you last night."
He nodded. "I was more afraid of what was going to happen this morning."
"You thought it would all have been a dream?"
"Or that you'd regret what happened, and I'd never see you again," he admitted, his arms pulling her too him, as if taking comfort in their nakedness. She wrapped her arms around him, and reminded herself to see just what all her boyfriend had been through in his life to expect the other shoe to drop.
"I want many more nights like that," she whispered to him, her breath hitching as she realized that it wasn't just words to placate him. She really did, she had a taste of perfection, and now… now she'd do anything to have it again.
She felt his mouth curve under hers, and his lips press to hers, as he said, "So do I."
She smiled. Neither moved, both content in their closeness enough to not worry about dressing as yet. It was the alarm going off for a third time that drew them back too the world around them.
"Let me use the bathroom," he said, "then you can take the first shower."
She smiled, shaking her head when she thought about pulling him into the shower with her this morning. She knew that last night had come close to breaking him, and knew that the coming weeks would be full of reassurance and, if she had her way, encore performances, but he'd pulled through as far as JJ could tell.
He exited a minute later, and smiled as he eyed her body, before he moved to the side. Deciding to be a bit playful, JJ looked back at him and winked before she entered the bathroom.
Thirty minutes later, she exited the bathroom to find Spence sitting naked on the bed, all of the clothes scattered about the room last night on the bed. A towel was lodged over his shoulder, and as she exited the bathroom, he stood and walked toward her, and drew her in for a heated kiss, before he entered the bathroom.
She laughed as she heard the water turn on, and listened to him starting to hum Scheherazade.
She dressed in the same clothes she wanted to wear dancing last night; they were clean and already out after all. When Spence came out of the bathroom, he gulped at her, and said, "You might want to put on another shirt, Jennifer."
She looked at him, and her eyes widened as she realized that she put a white shirt on her wet body. She laughed, and walked to the closet, grabbing a black shirt that she was sure belonged to Spence, and slipped it on. Since they weren't going out of town today, she was going to convince her boyfriend to dress casually.
To her surprise, he did the same as her. The black jeans and emerald green shirt from last night lined his frame perfectly. She moistened her lips and walked toward him.
He shook his head, and said, "We have work."
She pouted, knowing he was right.
He smiled, unable to hide the grin that wanted to shoot onto his face whenever he looked at her. She smiled, and walked over to his safe; entered his combination, 10-09-16-03, grabbed his gun and ammo from inside, and clipped it before grabbing his badge. She walked over to place them in the appropriate areas before saying "Fine, but we'll need to go by my place so I can pick up my badge and some fresh clothes for my ready bag. If you want," she said noticing that he had both bags in his hand, "I'll set our clothes to wash while we're gone, and we can dry them when we get back tonight."
He nodded and wrapped her in his arms again, placing a slight kiss to her forehead, as he said, "Of course. JJ," he said softly as she turned to exit their apartment.
She turned back.
"I love you."
A large smile erupted onto her face, as she heard those words, barely spoken. He wasn't afraid anymore, but was still so uncertain of what to do now.
"I love you too, Spence," she said.
The ride too her apartment was full of conversation; from reminiscing last nights details, to him telling her all about the history of the Grafenberg Spot, and why she had such intense orgasms the night before. She was blushing heavily, remembering those same moments, as she smacked his leg with a goofy laugh escaping her.
"I'm afraid I've turned you into a sexual deviant, Doctor Reid," she said teasingly. He shook his head and said, "No, but you have released years of pent up sexual urges, Jennifer."
She shuddered again, wondering what it was about him calling her by her given name so authoritatively that drew her to him. It was becoming a lifeline to her.
When they arrived too her apartment, she quickly grabbed their ready bags, and kissed him, before telling her young genius that she'd see him at work. He smiled, and honked his horn at her as his car backed out of the parking lot and turned away. Once he was fully away, she gingerly walked up the stairs to her apartment, a song in her heart, as she approached her door.
Once inside, she went to her safe, and twisted the handle firmly after inputting her own combination, 01-05-01-37, and pulled her gun and ammo, loaded her gun, and placed the badge on her hip.
Then, she went to the closet and grabbed one of her other white shirts, thankfully she was dry this time, and put it on. She pulled the soiled garments from both ready bags, before going to the closet and pulling down a set of her own clothes and softly smiled as she realized that she had some of his here already.
Bags packed, she picked the soiled garments up and walked over to her washing machine, and started a cycle. Her job finished, she grabbed both bags again, and walked out, her eyes scanning her clean apartment making sure she wasn't forgetting anything.
Mind assured, she walked gingerly down the steps, a dull ache reminding her of the night's activities.
She smiled as she saw her car, and placed both their ready bags in her trunk.
She arrived to the BAU a couple of minutes late, and noticed that he was sitting in his car waiting for her. A smile erupted on her face at his thoughtfulness, as she noticed that he had stopped for breakfast on the way in.
Derek grinned as he saw them, a large, knowing smile erupting on his face as he stood up and said, "My man Doctor Reid got a little lovin' last night!"
Spence blushed, his eyes averting as he realized that Derek knew, "That's top secret!"
JJ laughed before she separated from her boyfriend and said, "And it will stay that way, Derek Morgan. You do not want to mess with me!"
Derek laughed, not threatened in the least by JJ's not so concealed threat, as he walked over too Spence, knocked his arm around her boyfriend's shoulder and pulled him away for a little kiss and tell. She'd feel upset, if this was any normal workplace, but the BAU was as close as family and secrets in this family were non-existent.
Plus, watching Derek get frustrated when Spence dodged his questions was absolutely hilarious.
"He seems happy," a gruff, yet welcome voice behind her drew her attention. She turned, a gasp escaping from her lips as she laid eyes on him. "Jason! Spence is going to be so happy to see you!"
Jason smiled at her, his all-knowing eyes looking through her as he said, "I hope so. I have missed being with you all."
She nodded, when she heard her boyfriend approaching. She smiled, and stepped to the side, as she knew he wouldn't be able to dodge her in his excitement. She felt him pass and seconds later, embracing his mentor with a large hug and pat on his back.
"Hello Spencer," Jason said after the short embrace ended, "How are you doing?"
"I'm good Gideon," Spence said, a soft hitch in her boyfriend's voice. She knew that her young genius saw the older man as a father, and their separation had been hard on him. It made since, especially with the condition his mother was in. "I thought you were at the Academy?"
"I am," the older man said, "And today is my first day back after what happened," the man said his eyes reflecting what they all still felt. "But I had to come by and see everyone, to apologize for not coming back, and to tell you all how proud of you I am for pulling together."
"Thanks Gideon," Derek said walking up to them at a more sedate pace, "I think I speak for everyone here when I say it's good to see you, regardless of what you're choosing to do at the moment. We've all missed you around here. It's been a darker place without you around. You'd be proud of Pretty Boy, though, he really stepped up his game."
She saw Spence blush and said, "I just wanted to make you proud, Gideon."
Jason smiled and took in the younger agents. A soft grin came to his face as he noticed the lack of distance between the two younger agents in the group.
"I am proud of you, Spencer. I heard about the most recent case the team took, and was impressed when I found out that your insights helped catch the Redeemer. That goes for all of you," the man said firmly, "It seems to me you're all doing exceptionally on your own. I am proud of each of you for not letting the tragedy breaks you apart."
They all smiled, glad to have the approval of their mentor.
"Thank you," JJ said, "How do you think you'll like teaching at the academy?"
"It's going to be different," the older man admitted, "these are hardened law enforcement professionals, and they're going to have problems adjusting to a new way of thinking. They're like you were," he said to Derek, "When you first joined the BAU. But I know that they'll come around eventually. Well, since you're all here, I'd like to invite you all too come by my cabin for a barbeque this weekend. I've already invited Aaron and Haley, and they've agreed to come, and I've spoken to the computer girl… Penny?... and she's agreed also."
"You just do that to irritate her," Spence told the man a grin on his face. Jason nodded. "So?"
"I'm in," Derek said happily. She watched Spence go to agree, before he paused and turned to her. She laughed, and caught Jason, whose knowing smile said it all, "We'll be there."
The man laughed, and said, "Good, I'll see you all tomorrow. We'll make a day of it," the man said before he turned to back to his office, where a box of his things was sitting on the desk. Then, with a smile, Jason turned and said, "Oh, and congratulations you two."
JJ sighed, knowing what the man was talking about as she sighed and said, "Thanks Jason."
When their mentor left a few minutes later, she walked into her office, already missing Spence's presence beside her. She snarled at the slightly grown mound of files on her desk, and got to work, wishing for the briefest of moments that she had an eidetic memory like her young genius.
Work passed slowly enough for her, though she made two separate trips to the bullpen to hand out the files that accumulated on her desk overnight. She could actually see it!
Her last trip was to place a few files on Hotch's Inbox, with a note to say that he was out on personal leave, and to leave them alone that he'd take care of them when he got back. The note was too the night janitor, who would take any loose files to her office if they weren't properly labeled.
"Hello Agent Jareau," Agent Palmer said as she approached the break room. She turned too him, and smiled slightly before saying, "Agent Palmer."
"Call me Donald," the man said magnanimously.
"JJ," she said. "How was your case?" she asked him, as she made a coffee. Spence was walking over too the room, so she made a second for him, adding way too much sugar. Donald's voice cracked and said, "Who drinks that much sugar in their coffee?"
"Doctor Reid," she said as her young genius entered the break room. She held the cup out for him, and felt a jolt of electricity run up her arm where his fingers brushed hers. Her boyfriend smiled, and said, "Coffee," Before he grinned happily at her. "Thanks JJ. Derek is on his break too, he just went to grab Garcia. We were wondering if you were free to get lunch."
She smiled and nodded, before turning and saying, "Donald, you know Spencer Reid?"
"I haven't had the pleasure," the Agent said. "I've heard a lot about you, though Doctor Reid; very impressive work on the Redeemer case. It's already travelling around Quantico that you translated in a couple of minutes what took professionals hours, and that it helped narrow down the profile."
"It was a team effort," Spence told the man as he sat beside JJ, who had sat down only seconds before. She looked up as Derek approached with Garcia behind. The woman squealed happily as she entered, and said, "Angelface is what my chocolate god told me this morning true?"
JJ, having a good idea what the woman was talking about, nodded. She noticed Donald eying them speculatively, and saw him resign to something, before he stood.
"Well," the other media liaison said, "I need to get back to the team. It's been good to see you Agent's Jareau, Morgan, Garcia and Doctor Reid. I'll see you all when we get back from Bogota. The Columbian authorities have asked for our help in identifying an UNSUB. I need to gather the case files and present the case."
"That's gross," JJ muttered, "Couldn't you have waited until after I ate my food?"
Donald shook his head with a smirk on his face, and walked out of the break room.
"Are you two ready to go for lunch?" Derek asked when he left, not wanting to appear rude. "Maybe baby girl can get you to spill the details of your wild and crazy night?"
JJ looked to her boyfriend, and they stood together as Spence rolled his eyes and said, "Don't hold your breath."
She giggled, seeing the challenge in Garcia's eyes at hearing her young genius' words.
They left the building together, deciding to get lunch from a local diner instead of the on-base cafeteria.
"So," JJ asked as they were driving, using instead a standard issue SUV in case they were called away for a case. "Have you all finished your case reviews?"
"I have," Spence told her, "I'm in the middle of writing out a profile for the ones that need them, and calling the local police force with the information they were missing for the ones that don't. I have about fifteen left to write out."
"I have about seventeen left," Derek said, "But unlike Pretty Boy here, I have to do the reviews and write out the profiles all at once. I doubt I'll get through them today," he admitted.
"I can take a few off you," Spencer told the man a soft smile on his face. Derek smiled, a grin on his face as he said, "Are you sure, Pretty Boy? I'm sure your lovely lady might be a bit upset in that case."
Spence blushed and turned to her. She tried, for about half a minute, to go for stern, before she blushed and kissed him. "You wouldn't be the man I love if you didn't offer, Spence."
He smiled, and shot a happy smile to the group. Derek whooped as Garcia squealed in excitement.
"Give me details," the woman said!
"They're top secret," Spence said firmly. JJ groaned, "You realize that you just told them there were details, Spence?"
He paled and said, "S-sorry JJ!"
She shook her head and clasped his hand, about to respond, when a waitress came up to the table. She eyed Derek appreciatively, before saying, "Hello, I'm Denise and I'll be your server today."
The table quieted as she said, "Would you like to hear about our special?"
"Please," Derek said. She noticed him eying the waitress in return. Curiously, she turned to see Spence's reaction to the beautiful woman, but noticed that he was barely cognizant of the woman in front of them.
"Our special today is a thick T-bone steak marinated in a light lemon and thyme sauce, a large stacked potato and garden-fresh salad with choice of dressing. For beverages, we have tea, Pepsi, Coca Cola, Beer or choice of wine."
"Derek looked at the table, and said, "We'll take four specials. For drinks, I'll have an iced tea."
"Same," Garcia said immediately.
"Make that three," Spence said happily. JJ shrugged and held up four fingers. The waitress nodded, and said, "Your orders will be here in a few minutes."
"So," Garcia said, "Angelface, how was it?"
JJ blushed heavily and said, "I'm not sure I feel comfortable talking about this, Pen."
Penelope sighed said, "Listen Angelface, I live vicariously through you and the junior G-man here. So, I need details!"
JJ eyed her boyfriend, who was attempting to ignore the conversation, and Derek, who was all ears.
"It was amazing," JJ said a minute later. Spence's eyes shot to her, a full blush erupting on his face as he hissed, "JJ!"
She leaned down, and kissed him softly. "Don't worry, Spence, that's all they're getting out of me."
He smiled and said, "Then I second that. Amazing with a side of awe-inspiring," and chuckled at her dark blush.
Derek whooped again, drawing the entire restaurant's attention. "Sorry," the man said after a few seconds of awkwardness.
After lunch ended, and they arrived back to the office, JJ separated from her family after Derek handed Spence a few of the cases at the bottom with a firm, "Thanks Pretty Boy".
She worked diligently for the next four hours, happy with the large dent she made in her case files, and stood to escape the horrors of her job for the rest of the day. She exited her office, closed, and locked the door behind her. Then, quietly she walked over to see if Spence were ready, to find him almost through his large pile, even with the six or so files Derek gave him, while the older agent was only about two-thirds of the way through.
It was evidence of Spence's genius at work.
"Hey JJ," Spence said looking up to see her, "Are you ready to head out?"
She nodded. He looked down at his pile and said, "I just need about fifteen minutes, alright?"
She smiled gratefully, and nodded again, her eyes sunken as details of horrendous cases run through her head.
"Take a seat," her boyfriend suggested as he smiled at her. She smiled and pulled up Jill's old chair, thankful that the bureaucrats hadn't realized yet that they had six sets of extra office supplies yet, and sat beside her boyfriend as he quickly wrote up the last three of his profiles, or made a call to give the detectives a crucial detail that would break the case.
When he was finished, Spence stood, stretching his back. She smiled, grabbed her coat and said, "We'll see you tomorrow Derek."
Their friend smiled and wiggled his eyes suggestively, before he said, "Have a good night; you two… don't do anything I wouldn't!"
"That doesn't leave much to the imagination, does it?" she murmured as Spence smiled brightly.
They checked out of the building about fifteen minutes later, and gave him his ready bag, a soft smile coming to his face as he said, "Thanks JJ. I'll meet you at your place?"
She nodded, and said, "Sure, where are you going?"
He smiled, "That's top secret!"
She groaned, but nodded as Spence kissed her and said, "I'll see you in about an hour, JJ."
Nodding, JJ said, "I love you, Spence."
"I love you too," he said softly as he climbed in his car. She climbed into hers, and pulled out. She watched as he pulled out, and turned the direction opposite hers, before he honked back at her.
When she arrived back at her apartment, she quickly opened her safe and placed her gun, ammo and badge inside, before she sighed and walked over to her television. Turning on her DVR, she selected the first thing on her list, American Idol, and pressed play.
She barely remembered falling asleep minutes later.
"Jennifer," a voice called out to her. Her eyes fluttered open with hardly a bit of hesitation, as she looked up to see her boyfriend's curious gaze. She looked around, surprised that she was in her living room, and said, "I must have been tired, honey."
He nodded, and said, "I brought dinner."
Her eyes lit as she stood up, and walked to her kitchen, where Chinese boxes were set out on the table. She noticed that, while she had a pair of chopsticks, Spence had only a fork, even though there was another set in the bag.
"You're not going to use chopsticks, Spence?"
He shook his head and said, "I can't. It's frustrating, because I can do sleight of hand so easily!"
She blushed, as a memory of the night before came to her mind.
"Here," she said taking his set and breaking them apart. Then, she took a rubber band from her hair, and wrapped it tightly around the top of the sticks. Then, she took a piece of the paper wrapper, and stuck it between the sticks, near the very top.
"This will teach you how to pick things up with the chopsticks. That's more important when learning to use them than finger placement. Once you can pick up the food, I'll teach you how to use them properly, alright?"
He sighed in slight relief. JJ grinned, "Who knows, next time the team goes for Chinese, you can impress Derek with your knowledge. We all know you get enough teasing from him for things."
Spence merely nodded a large smile on his face as he said, "Thanks, JJ."
Once dinner was finished, and the leftovers placed in her refrigerator, JJ quickly cursory cleaning around her apartment. Spence grabbed their clothes from her dryer, and ironed them, before hanging them into her closet. She smiled, wondering how they'd become that type of couple even before they were intimate.
As they went to bed that night, each was more nervous than ever. Wondering, briefly, if the night before was a fluke. Thankfully, it wasn't.
"What does immortality mean to me? That we all want more time; and we want it to be quality time. – Joan D. Vinge"