The sun was losing in an ongoing battle with the clouds that had circled around it, every once in a while popping out, seeming victorious before being stunned back into remission. This made for an interesting light show across the walls inside FBI Headquarters in Quantico, Virginia. The week before had been dreadful; relentless rain every night drenching the entire city. At least now things looked like they could take a turn for the better.

Spencer Reid was sitting in his desk mulling a case over and eating a bagel. It was a bit burnt around the edges because he liked them that way, which wouldn't be surprising if you knew him at all. It was late August and this was usually their busiest time. With so many foreign families on vacation there were lots of accidents and before any officers checked it out, the FBI were getting makeshift cases dropped off at their doorstep. It was the end of summer and people got lazy, including the police. Reid couldn't blame them though. He always considered himself a bit lazy too. He never once owned a pet; they were too much work. And besides, with a job like his, when would he have time to care for one? He also spent most of his free time (which wasn't much) sitting at home watching specials on the History channel or popping in an old movie. Yes, he thought, as he threw the remains of his burnt bagel into the trash, I am quite lazy.

After brushing the crumbs off of his freshly pressed pants he stood up and headed into the break-room to get a much-needed cup of coffee. He drank so much of the stuff he figured it'd be easier just to inject it into his veins. He laughed at the thought as he pushed open the creaky door with his shoulder, cradling plates and utensils in his arms.

The room was empty save for a warm coffeepot and a humming refrigerator. Reid made his way over to the cupboard to fetch his prized possession: his coffee cup. No, it wasn't a cheap white stoneware cup he used every day and decided to tack on his name onto. It was a special one he brought in from home. Everything seemed to taste better out of that cup. It was worn; chipped and faded. But this didn't seem to matter to him… not today.

Smiling slightly he reached for the tarnished cupboard handle and pulled it open making it creak quietly. However, the cup wasn't there. Nor was it on any other shelf in any other cupboard in the entire break-room. This sent Reid on a hunt for his apparently ill-fated coffee cup around the office. He pushed his way through the swinging break-room doors and into the main office area. Everyone else, save for a pretty blonde, was on their break. He didn't want to annoy her with a stupid question. He didn't need to seem even more childish than he actually was around her. He weighed the pros and cons in his head though before he finally walked briskly over to her desk. This was, in fact, a matter of life and death to Spencer Reid.

Her desk and area was particularly tidy, every paper was stacked neatly and put in an order only known to its owner. He felt like he was a hurricane bustling into a tidy port. Some things were more important, he thought. Like the fate of his coffee cup.

"JJ, have you seen my…"

"Your coffee cup?"

She replied so fast it caught him off guard.

"…yeah. How did you know?"

She chuckled to herself as she put a stack of papers down and looked up at him.

"There's nothing in this entire office you care enough to ask about its whereabouts.'

That wasn't entirely true, he thought. He recalled asking Morgan last week where JJ was when she was only fifteen minutes late for work.

"Am I that bad?"

Reid asked sheepishly, avoiding her gaze.

"I think so, Spence. The first step is admitting you have a problem though. It's okay.'

She playfully patted him on the back.

"Funny, Jennifer. Really astounding. But in all seriousness, have you seen it around?"

The corners of her mouth curled upward and her eyes seemed to sparkle.

"No, why would I want your chipped mug?"

She spun around in her desk so she didn't have to face him. She was turning red. This was too easy, she thought. He was so gullible.

"That's exactly what I thought but figured I'd ask anyway."

He got up and walked away, not before thanking her and complimenting her on her organizational skills.

She smiled to herself as she saw him pour coffee into a plain white mug out of the break-room cupboard. Me: 1, Reid: 0 she thought.

The day progressed rather slowly after Reid's brief encounter with JJ. He couldn't stop worrying about the cup. No one would steal it. Everyone knew how much he loved it. Morgan maybe, as a joke. But it wasn't even a funny joke, he thought to himself. Little did he know the culprit was sitting across from him, crossing her legs and typing something up on her laptop.

By the time 4:30 rolled around he had given up searching. He decided he must have brought it home accidentally and would find it sitting alone in his dishwasher. While he was waiting for his computer to shut down he threw his bag over his shoulder and checked the time on his Blackberry. Reid was just about to leave for the day when JJ came strolling over to his desk. She sat on the edge, dangerously close to him. However, she didn't seem aware of that at the moment. She was trying to hide something behind her back.

'Hey Spence.'

Her voice was serious and casual at the same time.

'I know you were looking for that stupid cup all day and you made me feel bad, so…'

She looked down at the floor, avoiding his gaze.

'Wait… you mean, you took it?'

Reid was confused. Despite having an above normal IQ he didn't have much common sense.

JJ snorted and pushed her hair behind her ear.

'You're a damn good profiler Reid, but you suck at body language.'

She was biting her tongue and staring at the wall opposite them.

If he was any good at body language he would be able to tell that she was undoubtedly flirting with him. But since he wasn't, he continued on.

'What were you doing with MY coffee cup, JJ?'

At this she produced the prized coffee cup from behind her back. It wasn't just a cup anymore though; it was now home to a small flower. Or, several small flowers at that.

"What… what's this?"

Reid stammered.

"It's pretty!"

JJ placed the makeshift flower pot down on his desk.

"I know how you're always afraid to drink out of it so I figured you could keep it on your desk like this…"

He was a little disappointed. This was true, however. He stared at the flowers perched on his desk and smiled.

"Thanks. They're… nice."

She returned the smile and walked back over to her desk to clean things up before she left. That's when he noticed a few of the same flowers sitting on her desk.

Reid was indeed lazy. He never thought he'd be able to care for a plant in a million years… but he'd make an effort with this one, he thought as he pushed the coffee cup into a sliver of sunlight that was now shining full force through the blinds.