SPENCER POV

As we approached JJ and Will's apartment, I noticed Bexley's walk began to slow. I stopped and looked at her and saw that she was much further behind me than I had thought.

I noticed she was mouthing something and looking at her feet and if I hadn't have held out my arm, I was almost sure she wouldn't have noticed that I'd stopped walking. She looked up at me and had a confused look on her face.

"What?" she asked and looked back down at her feet. I moved the box that held Henry's gift underneath one of my arms and with my free hand lifted her face so I could see her eyes. She tensed up slightly but after taking a breath, relaxed.

"I wish you wouldn't worry. They all really like you. So will Henry." I tried to reassure her but I could see that I was just as bad at this as ever.

"I'm just not one for crowds." She replied and immediately let every expression in her eyes disappear.

I smiled and said "Me either."

She rolled her eyes but took a deep breath and started walking with me again. She crossed her arms as we walked and this caused her shirt to reveal a scar along her collar bone. I looked and saw that it wasn't just one scar, but several faded scars all around the same area.

She must have felt my eyes on her because she pulled the shirt up a little further, covering the scars. Everyone had them but most weren't so determined to hide them. I wondered again what her past held and how she'd come to get the scars that she hid so well.

Tonight wasn't the night to worry about such things but I knew that these questions would be in the back of my mind until answered. However, they'd only be answered if she was ready, which meant there was a possibility I'd never know.

"Reid!" I heard someone call and looked up to see Penelope. She was hard to miss, dressed in a dress of the brightest pink and blue colors I'd ever seen on her. She rushed down quickly and stopped when she saw Bexley.

"It's good to see you again." Penelope said and threw her arms around Bexley in a hug. I saw Bexley tense up and almost mechanically return the hug.

"Likewise." She said and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

"Come on, everyone is waiting." Garcia said and quickly rushed us up the stairs to the apartment. When we walked in all eyes were on us and I almost wished I wouldn't have asked Bexley to come. Not because I regretted it, but I knew she was more than a little uncomfortable and as I turned to her I saw her throw on a kind smile but it wasn't in her eyes. I'd seen her do this a number of times and wondered again how often she'd done this in her life and why she'd had to do so.

"Uncle Spencer!" The sound of running distracted me from my thoughts and I saw Henry running towards me. His long blonde hair was tucked behind his ears and his jeans and red t-shirt were certainly brand new. JJ and Will stood in the corner talking to Hotch and Rossi, and Morgan, I assumed, was teasing Garcia about something from the way she smacked him playfully on the arm.

"Happy birthday, Henry." I got down on a knee and wrapped my free arm around him as he wrapped both of his arms around my neck.

Will came into view a moment later and grabbed the gift from my hand and sat it on a table with the others. Henry looked up then and looked confused as he glanced over my shoulder. I turned my head and saw Bexley. Judging from her posture I could tell that more than anything she wanted to disappear.

I stood up as Henry let go of my neck, placing myself beside her again. I turned to her and then to Henry. "Henry, this is my friend, Bexley. Bexley, my godson, Henry." Her eyes were unsure and she seemed to not know what to say. Her hands were now by her side and I reached back to give her hand a quick reassuring squeeze.

"Nice to meet you and happy birthday." She smiled then. A real smile this time and, after a quick thank you, Henry ran towards where Jack was sitting on the couch. Jack and Bexley exchanged a smile and a nod of recognition but didn't say anything. He gave me a wave of greeting before turning his attention to Henry.

Henry jumped on the couch and the two began conversing, excited about something. I felt Bexley relax a little beside me and only then did I notice I still held her hand. It was also then that I noticed how smooth her hands were and feel the slight fluttering of her pulse.

"About time you made it, pretty boy." Morgan said as he approached us and I immediately dropped Bexley's hand. "Glad to see you took my advice. It's good to see you again." He held a hand out towards Bexley and she shook it once.

Will walked over then and held out a hand to her. "Will LaMontagne. It's a pleasure to meet you and thank you for coming."

She took his hand and nodded. "Bexley and thank you."

JJ gave her a smile in greeting and then walked to the kitchen. She put out some plates, napkins, glasses of ice, and a few two liters beside the plates of food that Will was setting out.

We all quickly fixed a plate and took a place in the living room. The two boys sat close by each other and ate their hamburgers happily while the rest of us sat there talking.

"So Bexley, where are you from?" Will asked and I turned to Bexley. She bit her lip nervously and then her expression was the perfect picture of calmness.

"Nowhere I'd recommend." She offered and he laughed.

"I'd think not. I hope you're happier here in Virginia. You can meet some amazing people around every corner." He turned to JJ and kissed her cheek.

She laughed and turned to Bexley. "He'd like to think he's quite the charmer." The rest of us laughed then and I was grateful to see another real smile spread across her face.

"Do you have any family here?" Hotch asked and I saw Bexley go tense everywhere. The smile fell from her face and she closed her eyes.

She opened them and gave him a very simple reply. "I don't really have a family. I have Eleanor."

"That's the equivalent of a mother, grandmother, and a good friend." Rossi offered and Bexley smiled, one of relief this time.

BEXLEY POV

I nodded and looked down at my hands. "She's an amazing person." I told him and hoped nothing else would be asked.

JJ stood a few moments later and after smoothing down her skirt and smiling at Henry, she turned to everyone else.

"Everyone finished?" she asked and started grabbing the plastic plates from everyone as Will started getting the presents for Henry.

He opened them one by and got more amazed at each gift he unwrapped. I noticed how he said thank you to everyone as he carefully placed them on the ground. David had gotten him a skateboard, a baseball kit from Derek, a couple of video games from Aaron and Jack, a poster from Penelope, and a board game of Monopoly from JJ and Will.

He opened the gift from Spencer and smiled when he saw a new watch. "Thank you Uncle Spencer and Miss Bexley." He immediately put the watch on with Will's help and I turned to Spencer, who simply gave me a smile.

After cake and ice cream, Henry had fallen asleep and the rest of us had said our goodbyes to JJ and Will. Derek met us outside of the apartment shortly after.

"Would you guys like a ride?" he asked and I felt exhausted but tried not to show it. Two profilers however noticed this. "I'll take that as a yes."

I climbed in the back of his car and laid my head against the window while the men talked the whole way toward the apartment complex where we lived.

We pulled up a little while later and I got out of the car. Spencer and I walked over to the window and I smiled at Derek.

"Thank you for the ride." He nodded once and turned to Spencer.

He smiled and said "Any time. You'll have to meet Savanna some time."

I nodded and with that we walked up to our apartments. Once outside our doors, I turned to Spencer.

"Thank you." I told him.

He smiled and shrugged before saying "Thank you for going."

I returned the smile and it felt good. I'd never smiled so much in my life and I was finding it to be a pleasant change.

He put the key in his door and I went to put the key in mine before stopping. He gave me a questioning look. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head and walked over to him and noticed how he was taller than me by about half of a foot but looked up into his warm brown eyes.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and could tell I'd taken him by surprise but his arms immediately wrapped around my waist. I rested my head between his collarbone and his shoulder, feeling the warmth from his body and found that it wasn't as strange as I thought it would be. It almost felt… natural.

"Thank you." I said again and he pulled back just enough to look into my eyes. I let my walls fall for just a moment so he could see what I was feeling. To show him that I was nervous and that I was unsure of what the hell I was doing. Then they went back up.

"For what?" he asked.

"For caring." I said and caught the smallest hint of cologne on him. I backed away from him and opened my door before looking back to him. "Good night."

He gave a quiet chuckle and gave me a crooked smile. His eyes were full of compassion and understanding. You can trust me with your life was what they seemed to say. Maybe this was true… but I knew better.

"Good night." he said and I walked into my apartment, closing the door behind me.

I leaned against my door and put a hand over my heart, I could hear it hammering in my ears and sure enough my pulse was going wild. I realized in that moment that more than anything I wanted to trust him.

That would be a choice that ended in pure heartache.

***So sorry about the space between chapters and thank you all so much for the reviews. I hope everyone is still enjoying the story and I will be updating as soon as possible. R&R and thanks again.