As an FYI...This one was written long before this season's story line came to fruition, so it doesn't exactly play nicely. Also worth mentioning..there are several time jumps, noted by the page breaks.

Spencer

"Hey, boss," JJ said with a cheeky grin as she leaned against the doorframe of Emily's office.

"Would you stop with the boss thing already? It's already weird enough being in Hotch's old office."

JJ just laughed. "He did seem like he was going to be here forever, didn't he?"

Emily nodded as she put down her pen and leaned back in her chair. "Yeah. You need something?"

"Just checking in about Spence. Did he call?" JJ asked, her tone betraying the worry she was trying to contain. It had been a few weeks already and he had stopped returning texts and phone calls. His only contact with the team was through his calls to Emily, and JJ would be lying if she wasn't a little put off that he didn't return her calls.

Emily held in the frustrated sigh that she was desperate to let out. JJ asked every day. She knew it wasn't fair of her to judge the blonde for her worry about her friend, but it was starting to drive Emily crazy. She was handling the situation, and if things reached a point where action needed to be taken, Emily would make that call. She didn't need to be hounded every day about it. It's not like she was going to forget about him.

"Yes. His mom's having a good day."

"Really? How did Spence sound?" JJ asked eagerly.

"He sounded like Spencer," Emily said with a shrug. She knew JJ wouldn't like the answer, but the stack of files and budget reports was beginning to cast a shadow over the rest of her desk and she had been making good headway on it before she'd been interrupted…

"C'mon, Em. He won't return my calls, give me something here."

This time Emily did let out a sigh. "Jayje, he's working through it. He'll call when he's ready."

"I'm not worried about that," she protested immediately.

Emily arched an eyebrow. "Yes, you are. But you need to give him some space. He hasn't forgotten about you, Jayje."

"I'm just worried about him," she said with a sad sigh.

"I am too, but we're giving him what he needs. If he doesn't check in, or he starts sounding less like the Spence we know and love, I'll make sure we mobilize."

JJ didn't say anything in reply, but offered a half-smile.

Emily took her lack of response as the end of the conversation. Back to work mode. "Can you get that Roberts report to me by the end of today? I'm starting to take some heat on it being outstanding."

"You got it, boss."

Emily let out the frustrated sigh without hesitation this time, but couldn't help the laugh from escaping at the same time.

It had been 4 weeks, and Emily had finally reached the point where she wasn't able to keep classifying Reid's time off as simply time off. Higher ups were starting to ask questions, and it was being suggested that if he wasn't going to return that she should fill the spot or make the cut for budgetary reasons.

Her phone buzzed and she glanced at the screen, surprised to find that it was already 12:30am. Spencer had missed checking in. He'd been diligent about calling every day to check in, as promised, so it was strange that she hadn't heard from him. Not wanting to jump to conclusions just yet she typed out a text to him asking him if everything was okay. Not that he'd text back, but he would read it at the very least.

She navigated to the notification that had made her phone vibrate in the first place and found a text from JJ.

Hear from our loveable genius today?

Emily definitely wasn't going to answer that, but she knew if she didn't say something JJ would persist.

Go to bed, Jayje.

Hopefully JJ would read Emily's avoidance as frustration and assume the answer was yes. Hopefully.

Spencer rubbed his eyes, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on. It had been a long day filled with visits with his mom and a ton of time in the library doing research. It was how most of his days went now. Aside from the calls with Emily- Wait. Shit.

He grabbed his phone quickly and checked the time, pausing to consider whether it might be too late to call. She would probably be worried if he didn't call at all…and he could just leave a message if she didn't answer. And judging by the time, Spencer was pretty sure she wouldn't answer.

"Spence, hi."

"Emily," he said in surprise. "What are you still doing up? It's late there."

"Just lost track of time at the office."

"You shouldn't be working so late," he said, slightly worried that she was still at the office after midnight.

"Don't worry, handsome. I actually just parked my car at my building."

"Good," he said with a nod that she couldn't see.

"So…how are you?" she asked gently.

"I'm fine," he replied honestly. Relatively speaking, he was fine.

"And how's your mom?"

Spencer found himself holding back the easy answer. She wasn't fine – but Emily, and everyone really, already knew that. Comparatively speaking she was doing well, but there was still that nagging feeling in his gut…

"She's okay," he said finally, realizing he'd been quiet for too long.

"But…"

Of course she'd know he wasn't being entirely forthcoming. Maybe it had been obvious in his tone, or his silence, or maybe she just knew him that well.

"It's nothing," he replied with a shake of his head as he got up to walk around the room. "She's fine."

He heard a soft sigh. "Spence…"

It took him less time than he thought to let go of his resolve to keep his worries to himself. "I have a bad feeling," he said, feeling slightly ridiculous and very childlike.

"About your mom?"

"Yeah. She's been doing okay lately, but I just can't shake the feeling that things are going to take a turn for the worse. I can't explain it – and I know it doesn't make much sense-"

"It makes perfect sense, Spencer. Sometimes you just have a feeling."

"I just-" he began, but stopped abruptly, not sure what he wanted to say. He let out a heavy sigh. "I came here because…because I'd stayed away and avoided taking care of her for so long, and that's not what she deserved. She deserved a better son," he said sadly, feeling the guilt of so many years apart weigh down on him again.

"She's proud to be your mother, Spencer. And you didn't abandon her. You write, you call, you visit."

"Not enough."

"You do the best that you can, Spencer. You have a demanding job, but she understands that your work is an important part of your life – and she's proud of what you do. She knows that it's a part of who you are."

"Still, I'm her son. I should've-" he began to protest, but was cut off by Emily almost immediately.

"Spence, you're talking like she's not still here. You've spent the last 4 weeks with her. I'd say that's a pretty strong statement in and of itself."

4 weeks seemed so painfully short in comparison with a lifetime. He let out another sigh. "I don't think-"

"Spencer, listen to me. You don't deserve this pile of guilt that you're putting onto your shoulders. All your life you've done the best that you can for her. Sometimes that means a phone call, sometimes that means a letter, sometimes that means spending time with her in person, and sometimes that means making the hard decisions for her. You've never made a decision about her or for her based on a selfish thought. You've always put her first. Always."

Spencer felt his composure break and felt the tears escape. He had wanted to avoid this, but somehow Emily – the master of composure and holding in feelings – had broken down those walls he'd tried to put up. He sniffed as he tried to regain control of his emotions, and his thoughts – which had begun running frantically in different directions.

"You need anything from me?"

Spencer considered her question. What he needed was selfish, but for some reason he had no issue with asking for it. "More time. I know I've reached my-"

"Don't worry about that. I'll make it work."

"I'm sorry, Emily," he apologized. He may not have had an issue asking for it, but he still felt bad that he was leaving the team short-handed. "I know it's not-"

"Don't even try it, handsome. Whatever you need, okay? Just call."

"Okay," he sniffed. "I should go though – you need to sleep," he said, remembering that his time zone was behind hers.

"Yeah," she replied with a timely yawn. "I'll talk to you later. Make sure you check in, okay? I was worried about you."

"I'm sorry – I just lost track of time."

"I know. It's okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Emily."

"Oh, Spencer?" she said just before he ended the call.

"Yeah?"

"Could you answer one of JJ's calls or emails? She's driving me up the wall asking after you."

"I will," he said guiltily. He had been avoiding both JJ and Garcia's attempts to reach out. "Talk to you soon."

"Emily, do you have a minute?" Spencer asked as he poked his head into her office. He'd been back a few weeks and had struggled to settle back into the swing of things – he found his mind wandering back to his mom often. He knew that Emily had noticed, but she hadn't said anything, and for that he was grateful. Although it made what he was about to do all the more difficult.

Emily looked up from the file she was making notes on. "Sure," she said with a nod, putting down her pen. "What's up?"

"I need to take some more time off," he said, his gaze falling to find a nick in the wood of the edge of her desk.

"Is your mom okay?" she asked, eyeing him carefully.

"Yes, but the next phase is starting, and there's a lot of questions I have for her doctor."

"I don't suppose you could just call him?" she asked hopefully, but knowing the answer would be no.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I have a lot more research to do, and-"

She sighed and pulled a form out of her drawer. "I figured. Fill this out and I'll submit it."

"Thank you."

She offered a small smile in reply.

"Spencer?" she called out just as he reached the doorway.

"Yes?"

"There's only so many more times I can make this work for you. I understand you need to be with your mom, but the brass is going to start getting antsy," she said softly.

"I understand," he said with a nod. He knew she was going to bat for him, and he was incredibly grateful for it.

"And our agreement still stands – you check in with me every day – no exceptions."

"Understood," he replied with a nod and then headed back to his desk.

Spencer's fingers drummed rhythmically on his desk as he waited for Emily to settle into her office for the day before going in. He didn't want to spring this on her right from the get-go, but he wanted to make sure he got in before they heard any cases. She deserved as much time as possible.

"You okay, Reid?"

"What?" Spencer said distractedly, swinging his gaze over to Luke.

"I asked if you were okay – you look a little….I don't know."

"I'm fine," he replied quickly. "And besides, we don't profile each other."

"Sorry," Luke apologized, holding up his hands. "I didn't mean to offend you. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"No, of course. I'm sorry. I'm just a little on edge."

"Stuff with your mom?" he asked knowingly.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

They fell into silence, and Luke eventually started reading through the top file from the stack on his desk. Spencer returned to staring at his friend and supervisor's office, wishing very much that he didn't have to have this conversation.

The phone call with his mom earlier had solidified his choice. He couldn't keep going back and forth. It wasn't fair to his mom, and it definitely wasn't fair to the team. Emily had gone out on a limb for him, and he knew she was taking heat for allowing his continued absences and not filling his spot on the team.

The minutes ticked by painfully slowly, but eventually sufficient time had passed that Spencer felt comfortable going up to her office. He grabbed the file from his desk and began to head up the stairs before he could change his mind.

He knocked on the slightly ajar door – she didn't often leave it closed, preferring to have it open…something Spencer suspected had to do with her desire to make sure they knew she was still available if they needed her.

"Come in," she said tiredly.

Spencer blinked as he pushed open the door. His gaze found hers and he offered a small smile. "Hey, you have a minute?"

Emily nodded and put down her pen as she leaned back in her chair and began to massage the bridge of her nose. "I'm not going to like what you're going to tell me, am I?"

Spencer swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump in his throat that had suddenly appeared. "Probably not."

She let out a sigh and leaned forward, clasping her hands together and resting them on the desk. "Let's rip the band-aid off then. How long this time?"

Her words were not malicious, and her tone was tired, yes, but still supportive. Even after so many requests for time off, she was still willing to make it work, and make sure he had a job to come back to – and for that he felt incredibly grateful.

"I'm…I'm not coming back," he said, trying to muster some courage. His mouth had gone dry, and suddenly he was acutely aware of every ounce of worry and anxiety that had settled in him this morning.

Emily's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she closed them and let out a heavy breath. "When do you leave?" she asked.

"I can stay a couple of weeks," he said quickly, "to hopefully give you time to find someone else so that the team isn't left short-handed."

"And you're sure?" she asked.

He was a little surprised she hadn't asked why he was leaving yet, and not just taking another week off. But then – Emily Prentiss was no slouch profiler. She probably knew he was leaving when he walked into the office.

"Yes," he answered with a nod. "I can't go back and forth anymore, Emily. It's not fair to you guys, and it's not fair to my mom. I can't give her more time, or fix her mind, but I can give her more time with me."

"And you don't want a sabbatical or extended leave? You want to resign?"

He nodded. "I've loved being on this team. You guys have taught me so much, and I've done good here. But it's time for my life to be about something more than just my work."

"I understand," Emily said with a nod, a sad expression settling on her face. "I don't like it, but I understand."

To her credit, she didn't ask him if he wanted to reconsider, or try to dissuade him. She knew he'd put in the time to think about this, and hadn't made the decision lightly. And she perhaps more than any of them knew how hard it was to decide to leave.

He slid the folder forward, and then stood up. She stood up and then made her way around her desk. "Our deal still stands, Spencer. I want you to check-in with me. I might not be your supervisor, but I'm your friend and I care about you."

He smiled, feeling expected tears prick at his eyes. "Thank you."

She nodded and then wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I know you're not a hugger, but this one's for me," she whispered.

"Thank you, Emily. For…for everything," he said sadly as they broke apart.

"You're welcome," she said with sad smile. "When do you want to tell the team?" she asked after a moment.

"Today, I think. We don't have a case, do we?"

Emily shook her head. "Not yet, no."

"Then today," he said with a nod.

"Spencer, did you find that book yet?"

Spencer smiled as his fingers drifted over the large bookcase, searching for the well-worn book that she liked to read to him. "Just grabbing it now, Mom."

"Well hurry up, we don't have all day!"

He couldn't help the smile from spreading further. Her good days had been more consistent, and she had more energy now. There were still rough patches, and some days she couldn't recognize him, but overall things were more stable.

"Coming, Mom," he called as his fingers found the familiar creases of the book and plucked it from the shelf.

Her upturn had solidified his choice in his mind. He needed to step away from the BAU and spend more time with his mom. He needed to let his mother spend more of the precious moments she had left with her son – whom she often described as the light of her world.

"You ready?" she asked, taking the book from his hands and looking up at him expectantly.

He nodded as he sat down on the couch next to her and leaned back into the cushions, watching as she settled in herself.

"Good. Who knows how much longer this mind of mine is going to behave," she said with a cheeky grin.

Whether she was talking about the Alzheimer's or the schizophrenia he wasn't sure, but the fact that she was happy and content to be reading with him again told him what he really needed to know – he'd made the right choice leaving the BAU.