A/N: Sorry about the wait. I've been sort of busy lately, and writing had to take a lower spot on the priority list sadly. However, I promise a timely release of the epilouge, which is coming up next.

I don't own Criminal Minds. I really appreciate the wonderful reviews and support that you guys have given me. I hope you guys all enjoy reading this chapter, and I hope you leave a little feedback afterwards. I appreciate every little bit of it.

JJ paced nervously. Reid had called her a little bit ago. He said he wanted to talk, and they decided that he would go to JJ's. She couldn't figure out if that meant to do a victory dance or to pull out the Kleenexes and chocolate now.

She had thought she was going to spend her weekend moping, but then Hotch came to her apartment. To her utmost surprise, he apologized to her for his accusation that she would cover for Reid. Other matters were cleared between the two, and by the time he left, JJ truly felt she had left the BAU.

JJ sighed. The anxiety she was experiencing from her new job was also pressing down on her. Unfortunately, her ability to be calm in high stress situations had been pretty well drained this last week.

The thump of a hand against the door. His hand. JJ's heart skipped a beat. She knew that Reid in all of his geeky glory was on the other side of the door. It still surprised her to see him in the flesh.

"Hi." JJ began quietly.

"Hi."

Both parties were on edge. Last time they had seen each other, Reid had practically ran away after JJ dropped her bomb on him.

"Come in."

Reid stepped into her living room which he knew all too well. He turned to look at her and found that she was having just as much difficulty looking him in the eye.

"So, uh how have you been?" Reid tried apprehensively.

Had this been any other time, Reid's nervousness and shyness would have made JJ smile in ardor. Now, all she could do was desire for its end.

"Fine. You?"

Reid nodded in response.

"Do you, uh…" JJ attempted to ask.

"We can… um, could…." Reid endeavored to say.

Two pairs of cheeks were crimson, and words were at a loss.

"Do you want a cup of tea?" JJ finally did manage to ask.

Reid nodded eagerly.

"I have some green tea, your favorite." JJ said as she turned into her kitchen.

"Find that out by looking in my cupboards?" Reid asked bitterly before he could stop himself.

JJ snapped her head back to Reid, and surprisingly, she saw that his face was cringing.

"JJ, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

"Spence, it's okay. I deserve that." She replied quietly.

"No, no you don't."

"Reid, go on, be mad. It's okay."

"JJ, I've spent nearly a week seething about this. I don't want to be mad anymore." Reid answered softly.

"Then, talk to me. You said you wanted to." JJ pleaded.

Reid began to pace around the familiar living room.

"Might as well start with the cause. JJ, what was your reason? Why did you…?" Reid trailed off. "I mean, was it insecurity, did you not trust me, were you scared-"

"I couldn't lose you." She said quietly as she went into the kitchen.

"Lose me?" Reid followed her.

"Spence, every couple knows that eventually, they won't be together. Even those married couples celebrating 50 year anniversaries know that one day one of them will die." JJ began as she shuffled around the little kitchen making the tea. "I knew that someday, I would lose you or you would lose me. There are lots of ways that I could lose you and I would be okay with it. Well not okay but I would be able to accept what happened. But Reid, I wouldn't be okay with losing you to Dilaudid. Almost once was enough. I couldn't let it happen."

"So, you…"

"Yes Reid. I went through everything you own looking for a little vial."

Only the sound of the tea kettle filled the room for the next few minutes. Finally, Reid sighed.

"JJ, I don't understand. What made you so scared that you would lose me? What changed? Weren't rehab and NA enough to reassure you that I was clean?"

"Yes, they were." JJ almost whispered.

Her eyes wouldn't turn away from the kettle, annoying Reid.

"Then…"

"I told you, many times, that Dilaudid didn't change you."

"I know."

"I was right. The first day back at the BAU, you weren't even in the conference room for five minutes, and you had rattled off a statistic already. You were the same Reid." She handed Reid a steaming mug. "But, this did change me. It changed me into someone who you don't deserve. I never had the right to search through your stuff. You're worthy of someone better than me. I know it's not enough Spence, but I am sorry."

Reid played with the handle on his mug. JJ was really worried. By now, Reid should have said something, and he was adamantly silent.

"Reid, you know, this happened at a pretty good time."

She figured she might as well come out with what she assumed was on his mind.

"What do you mean?"

"I just got out of the BAU. There won't be any awkwardness between us now." JJ replied sadly.

"Awkwardness?"

"We won't have to feel the tension everyday from the break-up."

Reid's eyes widened.

"JJ, I don't want to-"

"Don't tell me it hasn't crossed your mind because I know it has."

Reid sighed.

"Yes it has. But I don't want to."

"Reid, it's okay. You deserve someone better."

"JJ, I want to be with you."

"How can you honestly say that?" JJ cried. "Spence, you need to be angry at me."

"I am!"

"Then how can you want to stay with me?" JJ asked timidly.

"I don't know." Reid answered softly. "I don't want to break up, but JJ, the truth is I don't know if I want to stay."

"I understand."

She had answered that too quickly. It saddened Reid that JJ had been expecting the breakup.

"I want to try to make our relationship better, JJ. The only way I think we can do that is if we don't let the cloud of Dilaudid hang over us.

"We? Reid, that was me. I screwed up."

"JJ, we're dating. If it hangs over one of us, it hangs over both of us. The same way with the team. If one of them is still concerned about it, then we all are."

"We all were unfortunately." JJ admitted.

Reid nodded sadly.

"You don't need to be scared anymore JJ. I gave it up long ago."

JJ considered this for a moment.

"I'm willing to try to make this better. What do you want me to do?"

Reid, who had been sitting at the bar, stood up and walked over to JJ. Soon, his hand was wrapped around hers.

"Put a little bit of faith in me JJ. That's all. Deal?"

"Deal."

It came out rather muffled as JJ had wrapped her arms around Reid.

Against their custom, there was nothing sexual about this hug. Their relationship had changed that afternoon. It was nearly broken but still alive, and neither of the two knew how what was going to happen.

Things did change at the BAU. In the days following his return, Reid made sure that each and every member knew of his intentions. They all recognized that it was indeed time to move on.

The team had never noticed that they too had changed from this experience. Little bad habits had been picked up that were never noticed until they were gone. Now, the team members no longer checked to see if Reid's physical appeareance showed any signs of Dilaudid. Now, they didn't try to read between the lines on everything he said. Now, they didn't jump whenever Reid said 'drug' or 'addict, as they had in the past. And the biggest change, they finally talked openly about the days before, during, and after rehab.

It wasn't an easy change. Months passed before everyone truly recognized just how much had changed. The calendar was telling the BAU members that it was the Saturday before Super Bowl XLIII as they stepped off the plane in the evening. Feeling the success of stopping a bomber and the approach of the weekend, the members were flying pretty high.

Morgan and Reid had entered the bullpen simultaneously to grab a few things they had left at Quantico. They headed off to their respective desks. Reid was on his cell phone talking to JJ which didn't surprise Morgan. The two always seemed to be calling each other at the end of the day or case, not that it bothered him. Not only did it give him some new material to tease Reid about, but it also told him that the two were still together.

The last time that Morgan, or anyone, had seen JJ was at the Christmas party early in December. She and Reid had been close to each other the whole time, but they didn't act like they were dating. The vibe sent off was more of a platonic relationship than a romantic one.

Shortly after the party, Morgan had convinced Reid to talk about it a little bit. Morgan learned that things hadn't been smooth for the young lovers. It had taken a lot for both of them to keep their relationship going, but they were still alive.

The last time they had seriously discussed it was two weeks ago. Morgan had been thankful to receive the reassurance that Reid and JJ were doing okay.

"What's wrong Reid?"

"Huh?"

"You've been staring off into space for the last five minutes." Morgan observed. "Whatever you're thinking about must be a lot more important than the paperwork we're supposed to be doing."

"It is." Reid remarked.

"Well, come on. Tell me." Morgan insisted.

"It's kind of… dumb."

"Can't be that bad."

"It's about JJ and me."

"How have you two been doing?" Morgan asked cautiously as he came over to Reid's desk and began to lean on it.

"We've been doing fine." Reid said somewhat unsure.

"Fine?"

"Better than a few months ago. We're actually doing great, really, really great. We've been getting a lot closer, and I think we might have finally recovered." Reid replied.

"But…"

Reid tried to divert his eyes away from Morgan.

"I, kind of, biffed this date."

"Okay."

"And JJ doesn't know."

"What happened?" Morgan asked intrigued.

"I almost proposed." Reid nearly whispered.

Morgan's eyes grew very wide.

"You serious?"

"Yep."

"But you didn't?"

"No. I had it all planned. We were at a nice restaurant. JJ was beautiful, she had really dressed up…"

Morgan smiled as Reid went into his lengthy description. It astounded him that Reid had changed so much when it came to women.

"…anyway, I went to ask her, and well, I didn't."

"How close did you get?"

"The only words I left out were 'will you marry me'."

"So what'd you say instead?"

"I told her that the average engagment lasts 16 months and that June is the most popular month to get married. Surprisingly, I don't think JJ's picked up the vibe yet. If she has, they she's hiding it really well."

"May I ask why you chose not to do it?"

"When Gideon first found out that I was going to propose, he told me not to plan it. He said that when the time was right, it would happen on its own."

"And the moment didn't feel right?"

"No." Reid replied almost mystified. "You think that was really stupid?"

"No. I think it was smart of you to trust your gut."

"It feels wrong though. All logic tells me that I should have asked her then."

"Reid, it feels wrong in your head. But that moment felt wrong according to your instincts. Gideon's probably right. It'll probably feel right when the time is right."

"But Morgan, how do you know the moment is right? What would that feel like? What if it already happened and I missed it?

"Reid, I'm sorry to tell you, but I wouldn't know. I've never proposed."

Reid started to look nervous.

"But my bet is that the moment just hasn't come yet. You'll know when it does. It's probably one of those things that slaps you in the face."

Reid was about to protest, but then a new voice emerged.

"Hey, what's going on?" Prentiss asked.

"Nothing." Reid shot out too fast.

Morgan gave him one last look of reassurance before heading back to his desk.

So far, Morgan had heard nothing more about the engagement. It had been difficult for all the men to keep it a secret, especially because they all wanted to know. Hie greatest fear is that Reid would get scared and try to run, even though JJ was about the best thing that ever happened to him.

Morgan had grabbed most of his needed possessions when Reid flipped his phone off.

"How's your lady?"

"Fine, Morgan."

"She's still coming tomorrow, right?"

The team had made plans to go out this weekend to celebrate the Super bowl. There was never any question that JJ had been invited as well, especially because the Redskins had beaten all the odds and made it in. To say she was enthused was a massive understatement.

"Yeah. She's pretty excited." Reid said with a slightly sarcastic smile.

Morgan laughed.

"It'll be good to see her again. I've missed her."

"Yeah, me too."

"Reid, you saw her two days ago."

Reid shrugged. Morgan let out a huge belly laugh.

"You have got it for her bad…"

"Hey, Morgan, you've had one special girl, right?" Reid inquired a moment later.

Morgan looked confused.

"I mean, you've had someone special you may have considered being this serious with, right?"

"There's one that has stood out." Morgan couldn't hold back his triumphant smile.

Reid's expression pressed Morgan for details.

"We've been dating for about six months, I'm pretty crazy about her, she's pretty crazy about me, and I hope that someday you can give me engagement tips so I can ask her."

Reid smiled in happiness for his friend. He looked down to his watch.

"I'm going to go." Reid said abruptly.

"Don't have too much fun." Morgan warned.

"See ya Sunday."

Reid headed into the elevator.

"Aw, how sweet."

Morgan spun his head around so fast his neck cracked. He smiled at her presence, even though he didn't know why she was still there.

"What?"

"That you're crazy about me."

"I'm just saying it because it's true."

She gave her giggle that made Morgan's heart do summersaults as she continued to approach Morgan's desk.

"Isn't it true that you're crazy about me?" He asked provocatively.

"Maybe."

He chuckled.

"Okay, okay. You are my king of hearts."

"Now that's what I like to hear from my queen." Morgan replied as he pulled her close.

She continued to chortle.

"Whose castle are we going to tonight?" Morgan inquired.

"I don't care. Just as long as we take my noble steed."

"Esther is not a noble steed." Morgan remarked indignantly as he picked up his coat.

"Better than your junker. Besides, you better be nice to me." Garcia warned as she traced one of her fingers around his face.

"Yes ma'am." Morgan answered with a smile.

They both got up and headed over to the elevator.

"What were you talking to Reid about?" Garcia inquired.

Morgan's gut knotted.

"Nothing too important."

"He's still coming on Sunday, right?" She asked nervously.

"Yeah. JJ too."

"Are you worried?"

"About it being two years since Georgia?" Morgan asked as they stepped into the parking garage.

Garcia nodded.

"No." Morgan stated defiantly.

"I think I'm losing it." JJ stated.

"Why?" Reid asked.

He had only been home for fifteen minutes. JJ had been there for ten, coming over immediately after he called.

"Something this big can cause quite a lot of anxiety." She insisted.

JJ was indeed pacing nervously around Reid's living room. It was amusing for Reid to see the usually calm, composed Jennifer Jareau going stir-crazy.

"JJ, it's just the Super Bowl."

"Spence, the Redskins made it in! This hasn't happened since 1991!"

"Did you know the first Super Bowl occured in 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Cheifs? In fact..."

Most days, JJ would have thoroughly enjoyed Reid's rambling, but then again, today was teh day before the Super Bowl. Reid's intution kicked in and he quit.

"JJ, just calm down. Tomorrow will come, and then we'll watch the game with the guys."

"That's a long time away."

"No not really. Just about 20 hours, 37 minutes, wait no, 36 minutes…"

"Reid, you must know some method that calms a person down. And I mean for longer than the ten seconds that you're supposed to be counting." JJ asked finally stopping long enough to look him in the eye.

"Well, some of the most pracitcal ways are listening to calming music, reading, writing in a journal, mild physcial activity,-"

"Let's go on a walk."

This was a command, not a choice.

Five minutes later they were out the door and down the streets of suburban Quantico. The young couple weaved their way in and out of the blocks. The winter night was beautiful even though the air bit a little at their exposed cheeks.

Reid was right in that walks did calm down people. As they continued, JJ became increasingly relaxed. She finally settled down enough for Reid to comfortably slip his arm around her shoulders and for her to settle into the crook of his arm.

Reid's other arm instinctively went down to his side. It brushed against his pants pocket, and he could feel it. The ring, the engagement ring. He had been carrying it with him a lot of places lately, anywhere that he thought the right moment might occur.

This had been causing Reid so much stress that he was surprised that JJ seemed unaware yet. Of course, if Garcia or Prentiss were to find out, that would change quite quickly despite the best of intentions. It was causing a war in Reid's head; on one hand, he wanted to get it over with so he wouldn't have to worry anymore about whether or not JJ would say yes. However, he also did want it to be special, something that JJ would always remember.

Their feet seemed to dictate where they headed. JJ and Reid were so immersed in their conversations that they weren't really aware of it. JJ had been flourishing at her new position, and while it seemed less exciting than the BAU, she had come out with a multitude of stories.

"Hey Spence, do you recognize this place?" JJ asked becoming aware of her surrondings.

"Yeah. This is the park we spent the day at on our first, well, second date." Reid answered as they sat down on a bench.

"I knew I remembered it. Wow, it's been a long time. I don't think we've been back here since that day."

"We've had a lot of things going on." Reid replied.

"A lot of changes." JJ responded.

Reid smirked.

"Remember how I barely had the nerve to hold your hand?" He inquired.

JJ let out a giggle. "Yes. Your hand was really sweaty too."

"You never told me that."

"Spence, your face looked like a tomato patch. I didn't think I needed to make it worse." She reasoned. "I remember how you asked me if you could kiss me."

Reid let out a little cringe causing JJ to laugh.

"It was the shortest, sweetest kiss I had ever had. And I loved it. We were both shy with each other at first. Now we don't have to ask."

"No, we don't." Reid went on to demonstrate his point.

Suddenly, Reid felt a slap on his face. The right moment. It had come. It was in this spot at this time.

"Spence, what's wrong?" JJ asked. She was obviously confused because it was odd for Reid to stop in the middle of a kiss.

Reid looked around. Snow was on the ground, maybe he shouldn't get down to one knee. But would JJ be offended if he didn't? Would she care? Why must this be so confusing?

"Spence, are you-"

"JJ, I love you." He managed to emit.

"I love you too." She replied without hesitation.

She's beautiful. That was the only thing passing through Reid's head. The one time that he needed to concentrate he could barely string a coherent thought together.

"JJ, I was wondering… I want to ask you… if you, uh" Reid stammered as he fumbled around in his pocket. Finally, his shaking fingers managed to grasp the ring case, and he pulled it out. JJ's eyes widened.

"JJ, um, Jennifer, I mean, Jennifer Jareau, uh," Reid couldn't believe that this was so difficult, "will you marry me?"

A/N: So, did you enjoy? Tell me please!