A/N: I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get this written. My muse had abandoned me, but has hopefully has returned, at least for a while. Also, for those of you who don't watch NCIS religiously (like me) LEO stands for Law Enforcement Officer not the astrological sign. Just wanted to point that out to avoid confusion. Anyway, hope you like it and don't forget to review!

After dinner JJ and her mother took care of the dishes while Spencer and JJ's father went into the den to talk.

"So, Doctor Reid," JJ's dad said, breaking the silence and putting strong emphasis on the word doctor, "why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"W-what would you like to know," Spencer asked nervously.

"Oh, your family, where you grew up, where you went to school that kind of thing," he answered.

"W-well, I grew up in Las Vegas," Reid stuttered. "I graduated high school when I was 12."

As he went on explaining about his college years and time at the BAU, JJ's father started cleaning his gun. From where he was sitting the gun looked clean, so Spencer figured he was just doing it to intimidate him. It was working.

"What about your parents," JJ's father asked.

"My father left my mother and me when I was young."

"Sorry to hear that. So your mom raised you?"

"You could say that," Spencer answered, starting to get uncomfortable.

"Let me get straight to the point," JJ's father said, slowly putting his gun back together. "You seem like a smart guy, I mean, you're smart enough to realize how special my little girl is."

"Yes sir."

"So here's my question: What makes you think you're good enough for her?"

Spencer gave a sad laugh before saying, "I'm not."

"What?"

"I'm not good enough for JJ, and honestly, I have no idea what she sees in me. I wish I knew, because then I'd have an answer for you. But I'm thankful everyday she sees what she does and I'll spend my life proving to her she didn't make a mistake in choosing me."

JJ's father was quietly staring him over when JJ and her mother came in. Mrs. Jareau sat next to her husband while JJ stood in the doorway and asked Spencer to help her with something in the kitchen. Once he was sure they were both out of ear shot, her father turned to his wife and said, "He's a little scrawny and a little geeky, but I like him."

"I'm glad," she replied, "because JJ really loves him."

"I still want to know why they had to get married so quickly and in secret."

"JJ promised me she'd tell us both over desert. They're getting it now."

"She'd better not be pregnant," he muttered.

"She promised me she's not."

--

"So how are you getting alone with my dad," JJ asked, holding back as smile as Spencer leaned against the counter.

"I'm pretty sure he's planning on killing me."

"What did he say," JJ asked as she opened the fridge and pulled out the cake she had baked the day before.

"Not much, he just cleaned his gun and stared intently at me."

"He's just trying to scare you."

"It's working. He keeps asking me why we had to get married in such a hurry without telling them. I'm running out of ways to stall."

"Don't worry, I'll tell them both now. That should relieve some of the tension," JJ said as she started cutting the cake.

"Ok, good," he sighed. "Because I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Help me carry these out," JJ said handing him two plates.

Together they left the kitchen and headed back out to the room with JJ's parents. They passed out the cake and sat on the couch opposite her parents.

"So," JJ's father said, once again breaking the silence. "Are you gonna tell us what's going on? What's with all the secrecy?"

"Bureau rules don't allow us to date," JJ explained.

"But haven't you been seeing each other for two years now," her mom asked.

"Yes, but we've kept it quiet. We decided we wanted to get married but we couldn't let anyone know about it without causing problems."

"But why rush it?"

"It was kind of a spur of the moment thing," JJ answered.

"So you're not pregnant," her father demanded.

"No dad, for the tenth time, I'm not pregnant."

"But what happens when you do decide to get pregnant," her mom asked. "You both work insane hours, you're never home…"

"I can cut back on travelling," JJ answered.

"And if it comes to it I can get a job teaching at the academy," Spencer added. "They're always looking for new professors, especially with BAU experience."

"What if they wouldn't let you transfer," her father asked. "Would you quit the FBI?"

"If it came to that, yes." When he saw the looks he was getting, he said, "I have three doctorates. I can find a job easily enough."

JJ's father stared him down again while his wife started small talk with JJ. After about an hour passed, he stood up and stretched his back. "Well, I'm going to bed. It was a long drive and I'm tired. You coming Karen or are you going to stay up with the kids for a bit longer?"

"No, I'm coming right behind you," she said, standing. "Goodnight everyone, see you in the morning."

JJ's father had taken a few steps when he suddenly stopped and picked something up off the ground. "What's this," he asked, handing it to Spencer.

He had turned beet red when he realized JJ's father had found his NA 1 month chip. "That's mine," Spence answered after a tense minute. "I just got it today."

He stared at Spencer again before turning away and saying, "See you in the morning."

"I guess the interrogation's over," JJ said once her parents had left the room.

"I don't get your father's reaction," Spencer said as he sat down. "I would have thought he would have started shouting once he saw the NA chip. I know I would if you were my daughter. I mean think about it…"

JJ quickly interrupted him by kissing him deeply. "Spence," she said once she pulled away, "stop over analyzing it. Daddy has his reasons. Just relax and enjoy the moment of peace. We don't get it often."

"Alright," he sighed, wrapping his arms around his wife. They sat there for a while longer before heading off to bed themselves.

--

The next day Spencer was helping JJ's dad load up the car.

"So I wanted to talk to you about that chip I found last night," JJ's father said once they were done. Spencer swallowed hard as he waited for him to go on. "How'd you get caught up in drugs?"

"W-we were on a case. JJ and I split up and I got captured by an unsub we were chasing. He had multiple personalities and while one beat me, the other forcibly injected me with dilaudid trying to help me. Once I was rescued I tried to quit, but the need keep doing it was so strong… If friends hadn't intervened, I don't know where I'd be."

"Do you think about using again?"

"Every day," Spence answered, ashamed with himself. "But then I think about everything I could lose if I did, and it helps control the urge. When it's not enough, I go to a meeting and that helps."

"What about when you're out of town?"

"As long as we're not right in the middle of something, Hotch has let me slip out an hour to attend a meeting in whatever town we're in."

"And when you can't?"

"Then I do what I can to survive until I can get to one."

"This might help," JJ's father said, handing him a chip. Spence could believe what he was seeing. It was an NA one year chip. "Now I don't have a good excuse like you do. I hurt my back really bad one day and my doctor gave me a prescription for vicodin. I didn't think I was addicted when I kept finding excuses to refill the prescription or when I started swiping them from Karen's sister's medicine cabinet or when I started going to different doctors with made up pains because my own doctor had started refusing to refill my script. I definitely didn't think I was addicted when my wife and daughter came to me and begged me to get help. It wasn't until I almost overdosed that convinced me I needed help. And it wasn't almost dying that convinced me. What did it was as soon as I woke up in the hospital and after the doctor told me what had happened, all I could think about wasn't my family, but how I could get my hands on more vicodin. That's when I realized I had a problem. So I checked myself into rehab and started attending NA. I've been clean 6 years now and help run our local NA meetings. That urge to score never goes away, but it does become less and less the longer you don't use."

"I don't know what to say," Spencer said.

"Not much to say," JJ's father said with a sigh. After a slight pause, he said, "By the way, I'm not giving you that chip. I'm just loaning it to you until you get your own."

"Thank you," Spencer said, still stunned.

"Just take care of my little girl," he said as JJ and her mother came outside. "And get yours in 11 months."

"I will," he answered, putting his arm around JJ who had moved next to him. He extended his hand and said, "Thank you again, Mr. Jareau."

"Call me Ben," he said as he took Spencer's hand and shook it.

Once the car pulled out of the driveway, JJ hugged him tight and said, "I told you they'd love you.

The next day Derek wasted no time in getting after Spencer.

"So how did the meeting with the in-laws go," Morgan asked strolling up to Reid.

"Could you say that word louder, because I don't think Director Strauss heard you."

"Sorry man. But seriously, how did it go?"

"He grilled me about my life story while he cleaned his .22 in front of me."

"Aw man, harsh. So what's the final verdict? Did he like you or will we be finding you in a shallow grave somewhere in the middle of the woods near JJ's home town?"

"Actually, we ended up finding something in common and got along in the end."

"Good for you man. I'm happy for you, I really am."

"Thanks. You want to show your happiness by helping with all this paperwork from our last case?"

"Ha no," Derek said laughing at the stacks on Reid's desk. "I gotta be outta here on time tonight. Garcia and I are going out for our weekly movie and she'll kill me if I'm late."

--

"Done," Derek exclaimed hours later, signing his name and closing the file on his desk.

"Go ahead, rub it in," Spencer grumbled good naturedly. Although he'd made a dent in the files, there were still a lot to go.

"Don't worry, Reid. You keep that pace up you should be done by the end of the month," Derek said with a huge smile.

JJ, who was walking past after picking some files up from Hotch hit Morgan on the back of the head without stopping. "Be nice to those of us who actually work around here," she said, looking back as she kept going, "or you'll find your desk full when you come in tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, mommy, I'll play nice," he joked. "Anyway, I'm out. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night Derek," Reid said, turning back to his files.

"Later Derek," Emily said before turning to Spence. "Have you made any progress on those?"

"Doesn't seem like it," he sighed. "I really wanted to make it home before 8 tonight."

"Here, let me help," she offered.

"Are you serious?"

"Why not," she asked as she grabbed half of his remaining files. "It's not like I got anything waiting for me at home."

"Thanks."

"No problem," she said as she sat down at her desk. That's when she saw someone being led to JJ's office. "Looks like we're not the only ones who got a long night tonight."

"What do you mean," Spencer asked without looking up from his file.

"Looks like JJ's got another detective in to plead his case to the BAU."

"Better than getting a phone call at 2 in the morning I guess. Wonder where this one's from."

"I'll ask. Hey Steve," Emily signaled to the guy who had brought up the detective. "Who's the LEO?"

"A Detective McGee from Kansas City," he answered. "He insisted on speaking to SA Jareau, said it was an emergency."

"If it is, we'll be on our way there in the morning," Emily sighed. "All the more reason to get this paper work done before it multiplies…"

"Yeah," Spencer agreed. Although he tried to concentrated, he kept glancing up towards JJ's office for the next hour.