Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the wait, I've had a REALLY hectic few days!!! But with Christmas coming up, I'll try and get a few chapters up these next few days!

Thanks to TracyLynn, Andrea Keyes, Linda66, lagentillefan, mabelred and CrImInAlMiNdScSiNyFaN87!!!! All your reviews were greatly appreciated! I'm glad you are enjoying the story, and it always makes me want to write more when I read them!!!

And now, chapter 3!!!

Once again, Reid could feel that irrational urge to glance up at JJ's office, and once again he resisted. He had been trying to distract himself all day, and knew that looking for a glimpse of her every two seconds was idiotic to the point of stupidity. With a bored sigh he glanced at his watch again, seeing with not any small amount of frustration that time had spend up in the seconds since he last looked at it. Not for the first time that day, he mentally cursed the speed of his brain. Logically, he knew his boredom was partially self-inflicted, but that didn't stop his internal rant. When he had reached the bull pen, he had immediately buried himself in paperwork, in the hope that it would take his mind off what had just happened. Or rather, not happened. He should have realized that all he would succeed in doing was to have all him paperwork completed in less than two hours, leaving him to sit and struggle with his thoughts with no distraction. He had tidied his desk (twice), cleaned the kitchenette, and even made Morgan and Prentiss a cup of coffee. He had nearly made one for JJ as well, but had decided that she would probably rather he simply left her alone. However, that had simply brought his thoughts back to her, which was how he suddenly found himself speaking to Morgan and Prentiss as he brought their coffee to their paperwork laden desks.

"Hey guys, I've finished my paperwork, I'll help with yours if you like. Otherwise, you'll be here all night." Morgan stared up at him in pretence shock, but Reid could see the smile crinkling at the corners of his eyes. With a false gasp, Morgan kidded

"You mean to say you're gonna actually help us out today! Normally you throw our files back at us in disgust when we ask you to do them!" Reid snorted.

"Difference is you don't usually ASK, sure you don't! You slip them in my pile hoping I won't notice! But today, for one day only, I'm offering. But if you don't want help, no problem. Em, I can take double of yours now!" Smiling slyly, Reid smirked at Morgan, feeling that this friendly banter work wonders for his head. Pushing his worries about JJ to the back of his over-active mind, he took a slight pride in the slightly shocked look on Morgan's face, and the impressed one on Emily's.

"Cat got your tongue?" he quipped to Morgan. Recovering quickly, Morgan didn't take long to reply.

"Nope, my tongue's simply waiting on a good reason to get active." He laughed.

"Such as that reason sashaying over there?" Emily asked quietly, a glitter in her eyes, as she indicated an oblivious Garcia as she headed back to her office with a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. With a mock glare in her direction, Morgan acquiesced under the attack and, with a grin at Reid he gathered up a few files and thrust them in his direction.

"All right, I give in! Thanks for your help Reid." He turned back to his work, and Reid lifted a handful of Emily's and returned to his desk. As he sat down, he felt as though something was drawing his gaze to JJ's office, and caught a sight of her beautiful blond hair as she moved away from the window.

JJ groaned. Her head felt ready to explode, and her pile of paperwork had barely been dented. She simply couldn't concentrate. She had seen Reid make the others coffee, and, glaring at her empty cup he had brought her earlier, she knew it was her fault he didn't make her one. She shivered slightly. He was so easily hurt, and she had just piled one hurt on top of another. He must be so angry with her. He hadn't glanced at her office once all morning, that much she knew. She could always feel when he was looking at her. Hearing laughter float up from the bull pen, she stood up to watch the antics. She was glad to see he looked happier, but she could see his worry even behind the mask he had applied. As she watched, she felt a pang of jealousy that she couldn't do that with him. She was always up in her office, unable to simply joke with him to break the monotony. With a barely audible sigh, it suddenly occurred to her that she could have spoilt her chance of having that at any time with him now. As he turned away from the others, she suddenly knew he would look up, and dived away from the window. Glancing back when she thought it was safe, it tore her heart to see the pained expression that lined his face, and she had to physically hold the edge of her desk to stop herself from running down there and kissing it away.

Reid had taken much more time on the paperwork this time, a fact that was not lost on either Hotch or Emily. She and Morgan had both offered to take some back, having finally finished their own, but, even though it was time to go home, he had refused, under the guise that he was nearly done anyway. Morgan had left, after several minutes of assurances from Reid that it was fine. Emily had fiddled at her desk for a while, wondering if she should go and speak to JJ. It had not escaped her notice that she had not left all day, ever since Reid had come back from the toilet. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened between the two, but she realized that if she went to JJ, he certainly wouldn't. Catching Hotch's eye from across the bullpen, she walked over towards him.

"You know, I think I might head on here. I know Reid and JJ are still here, but I'm hoping they can resolve whatever happened earlier if we leave them to it." Hotch looked at her thoughtfully.

"This needs to be resolved sooner rather than later. But you might be…." Hotch died off as he saw Reid stand up, glance at JJ's door, then promptly sit down again. Barely containing a laugh at the half haunted look on Reid's face, he turned to Emily again.

"If you want him to actually go up, and not just consider it, you might need to say something." With that he walked off to collect his things.

Emily turned and walked back to her desk slowly. When she got there, she began to pack up her things, and casually said

"You know, JJ has been in that office all day. Is she ok do you think?" Reid fidgeted nervously, silently berating himself for not realizing that the others would notice. He hoped that if they talked to JJ, they wouldn't blame him for overreacting.

"Yea, I think she was just busy though, we all had a lot of paperwork to do." He hoped that she would buy his lie, but, when she made to go up to her office, he quickly jumped out of his seat exclaiming

"You know, maybe I should go and check her. Make sure she realizes that it's home time and all. I'll go and say now once I finish this last page, why don't you go on home?" Emily smiled, but Reid, with his head bent over his desk to avoid looking at her, missed it. Barely containing a chuckle, Emily bade him goodnight, and walked out of the door with an equally amused Hotch, who had been watching from the door.

Letting his head drop into his hands, Reid folded himself down into his chair. He knew this conversation could go very badly, especially if she thought he was trying to pry again. Glancing at her door, he decided that another coffee might help calm her if necessary. As he trudged towards the percolator, he mused over the fact that coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia in the 9th century. Working quickly, he immersed himself in other random facts to stop his brain from over thinking the conversation he was about to have, and hurried up the stairs as quickly as possible. However, when he reached the door and he lifted his hand to knock, a strange sound stopped his hand. Listening quietly for a few moments, he realized with a sickening jerk that JJ was crying. He felt his heart nearly explode with emotion. He had never seen JJ allow her emotions to get the better of herself, she liked control too much for that. Thinking she would rather not be seen like that, he began to walk away. But the heartbreaking notion that he was the one to blame for her tears made him dash through the door.

She hadn't even felt the tears coming. She had been struggling on with her work, even though it was seeming to become more and more futile as her concentration wondered. He mind had been replaying that look on Spencer's face all afternoon, and each time it did her gut seemed to twist into more knots. But she had been completely unprepared for the sudden onslaught of tears that suddenly enveloped her as she saw Emily leave beside Hotch. Putting her head down, she knew no-one would hear her up here. After all, only Spencer was left, and there was no way he would come near her. And so she let go, for the first time in a long long time.

Well folks, there it is. Next chapter will be up soon! Now, if you look to the bottom of your screen, you will see a VERY important button just begging to be pressed. So go on, give into temptation!!! I await any and all reviews eagerly!