SPENCER POV

I woke up and felt more than a little sore. Sleeping on the plane ride home was never comfortable but falling asleep on the armrest really hadn't helped. I looked up to see that it was still dark, which meant I hadn't slept long.

I saw that everyone else was awake and had found a way to pass the time. JJ and Rossi were playing a game of cards, Hotch was looking something over on the computer, and Morgan was listening to music.

"Did you decide to join the living?" Rossi asked and I raised an eyebrow at him. "Have a nice nap?"

"I slept well but I'm going to make a request that the next time I fall asleep on the armrest, someone wake me up." I rubbed the stiff muscles in my neck and hoped the pressure would cause them to relax in a minute.

"No problem. I enjoy the sound of silence that comes with you being asleep." Morgan said with a laugh and I rolled my eyes.

JJ looked up from her hand of cards and cleared her throat. We all turned to look at her and she wore a smile on her face. "So Henry's birthday is today and we're having a small party later. Would you all like to come?"

"I don't see any reason for us to miss it." Hotch replied and gave her a quick smile before looking back at the computer.

"Five right?" Morgan asked and I nodded.

I thought for a moment and then asked "What exactly do you get for a five year old?"

Morgan laughed and I ignored him as Rossi shrugged. "Something to do with sports or cars." He thought for a moment and then added "Anything you wouldn't be interested in pretty much."

"He didn't do half bad at the baseball game, if you'll remember." Rossi countered and Morgan rolled his eyes.

"Guess you have a point." He said and gave me a teasing smile. "Does the invitation have a plus one on it?" Morgan asked and JJ raised an eyebrow.

"For your girl?" she asked and Hotch gave Morgan a stern look. Jack didn't take very well to strangers and he didn't need people coming in and out of his life at this point. His mother's death had made it hard for him to get close to anyone and temporary people just weren't something he needed right now.

"Not for me." we all stared for a moment and then Rossi let out a laugh.

Hotch's eyes went straight to Rossi and JJ grinned. I looked between them for answers and raised an eyebrow.

"What's funny?" I asked and sat my hands in my lap. JJ smiled and shrugged before going back to her cards.

"I was just wondering if you were going to invite your girl to meet your godson." Morgan said with a shrug and I knew that the confusion I felt was written plainly across my face.

"My girl?" I asked and Rossi laughed again.

Hotch closed the laptop he'd been using and sat back in his chair. He seemed just as curious as I was. Rossi groaned and turned to face the three of us again. "The pretty redhead next door." he said as if it was the most obvious thing.

I shook my head and leaned down to grab a book from my bag. Hotch cleared his throat and said "Avoiding questions now, Reid?"

I shrugged and opened the book. "It's not like that. At all. We're friends, barely."

"Is this a mutual feeling?" Morgan asked and I looked up from my book.

I kept my expression calm as I answered. "Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?" I knew there was a slim chance of them dropping the subject but against I decided to hope that the odds would be in my favor for once.

"Do you want the feelings to not be mutual? If you need advice you have a few pros to ask." Morgan said and Rossi gave him a dumbfounded look.

"A playboy and a man who's been divorced twice in one year?" he snorted and shook his head. "Yeah we're pros alright."

This caused the rest of us to start laughing and I was grateful for the distraction but I had a feeling that wouldn't be the end of the conversation.

"JJ do you have a specific theme for the party?" I asked and she smiled, knowing what I was trying to do.

"I do actually." She went along without a moment's hesitation and I made a mental note to thank her for that later.

At 5pm the plane landed and I quickly rushed off the plane to head to home to get ready and head to the store. I still hadn't figured out what I was going to get him but I hoped it would be easier when I got there.

I arrived at the apartment complex a little while later and quickly made my way up the stairs to my apartment. I put the key in the door and then… stopped. I looked to Bexley's door and I removed the key from my own door. Something felt wrong but as I was about to knock on her door, it came open.

She had a wild expression in her eyes that looked both fearful and defensive. Like she was expecting someone else. We stood there together for a moment, observing the other more closely than normal. I took note that her eyes had dark circles under them as if she hadn't slept in days and her hair was thrown up into a messy bun. Normally, her hair was in a bun but was up like she'd taken the time to do so; this however looked like she'd done so out of a necessity.

"Hey." She finally said and her posture relaxed. She removed some of the hair from her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at me. Her eyes were still watchful but not as intense as they had been moments ago.

"What's wrong?" I asked and any thoughts I'd had earlier were erased from my memory.

BEXLEY POV

"What are you talking about?" I asked and leaned against my door. He shook his head and then focused his eyes on mine and I knew he was looking for… something. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why are you answering my question with a question?" he asked and I put my hands on my hips, irritated now.

"I could ask you the same thing." He raised an eyebrow and then his eyes softened with understanding.

"I'm just…worried." He said and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Anger built in me but Eleanor's words crushed the feeling and instead I smiled. "I haven't slept well and thought I saw someone the other day." Dreaming of the bastard who used to beat the hell out of me had caused me to not be able to sleep for the past three days and my memories had been more visual and frequent due to the lack of sleep.

"Bexley…" he started and I cut him off quickly.

"I'm ok, Doc. Nothing a good night sleep won't fix." I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and saw a text form Sam.

2-8 ok for tomorrow?

I quickly replied yes and looked back up at Spencer. "Sam needed a way to reach me and had an old phone lying around. The minutes aren't near as expensive hear as they were in… back home." I caught myself quickly.

"Can I see that for a moment?" he asked and I handed it over, fighting the urge to say now. He quickly typed something and handed it back to me. I saw his name now in my phone and gave him a smirk. "Just in case."

I turned the screen off and put the phone in my pocket. "Might be nice having a friend and neighbor in the BAU after all."

He gave a small shrug and then looked down at his watch. I rolled my eyes and said "Do you have a date?"

He laughed then and shook his head. "No, it's my godson's birthday and I needed to get a gift before 7."

"You have a godson?" I asked and he nodded once.

"JJ's son, Henry." I nodded once in understanding. He and JJ had seemed extremely close when I'd seen them together at David's and it shouldn't have surprised me that he'd have been her kid's godfather.

"That reminds me." he started and I raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to come with me? To the party?"

I felt my stomach do a back flip and crossed my arms. "I'm not exactly the best at social gatherings and I'm not the best at meeting new people as you saw the other night."

"The only people you wouldn't know would be Henry, his father Will, and Hotch's son, Jack." He blushed lightly and added quickly "I understand if you'd rather not though."

I smiled at his slight awkwardness and rolled my eyes. "Do you have about fifteen minutes to spare?" I asked and he nodded once. "Would you like to wait in here?"

"Sure." He said and followed me in but left the door open. I quickly ran to my room and threw on my white t-shirt and black jeans on. I brushed my hair out and put my deodorant and perfume on before taking one last look in the small mirror above my dresser and heading back into the living room.

"Look a bit better?" I asked and he took a moment to look me over.

"You look beautiful." I blushed then and suddenly felt really self-conscious of myself but shook the thoughts.

I instead decided to make a joke. "I'd imagine so, compared to what I looked like when I answered the door."

I laughed and he just smiled. He stood up from the small couch I'd been able to get in the last few days. It wasn't pretty but it was definitely more comfortable than the floor.

I walked with him out of my apartment and we headed to go find the little boy a gift for the party.