And here we are - chapter 10. There is a bit of everything in here I think... definitely something for everyone. And as my good friend CaptainBri-Mazing says...you can't have too much lemonade. So grab a glass, put up your feet, and enjoy. We proudly serve lemonade here at Chapter 10 :D

Thank you all for all of your lovely reviews, favoriting, and alerts. I always look forward to hearing from you all and your thoughts.

I don't own Criminal Minds, also not getting paid for this.

The original version of this chapter has been edited and the original version of this story can now be found on The Writer's Coffee Shop. Here is the link to my profile on that site, just remove the spaces:

www. thewriterscoffeeshop library / viewuser. php?uid= 60220

Happy reading and enjoy :D

JJ's mind wandered over the events of the last case and Rossi joining the team. They'd all been excited and star struck at the one; the only; the best-selling author; the man; the myth; the legend in more ways than one; David Rossi returning to the FBI and the BAU.

She wondered now in hindsight what they'd all been so star struck for … after all, Gideon had been a legend too. He just hadn't left to write books and become a best-selling author, well at least that they knew of. Somehow though, having read the letter that Gideon had left for Spence, she doubted that Gideon was off somewhere committing his memories of the last 30 some years to paper to be read by the masses.

Then again, Rossi's dramatics on the last case, not the obsessive note taking or not sharing his thoughts with the team, but the impulsive decision to involve the press and to rush the unsub to make a mistake; she recognized those tactics all too well. She'd seen Gideon use those same tactics more than a few times. She'd never forget the first time. It had led to Elle being shot in her own home and eventually leaving the team, at least Rossi pulling that stunt it hadn't blown up in all of their faces. Although when she'd heard the details of them taking down Max Pool all she'd been able to think about was how close they'd come to losing Morgan due to the ego and inability of one David Rossi to play nice with others.

JJ glanced out the window of the round table room. Judging by the fact that Spence, Emily, and Morgan were all bashfully exiting Rossi's office, it would seem she was not the only one working her way through accepting Rossi onto the team.

"Gun" Spence said standing up from where he knelt at the gun safe in the nightstand next to his bed and holding his hand out for JJ's gun as he'd already secured his in the gun safe.

Just like Spence had before he'd placed his gun in the gun safe, JJ double checked to make sure that the safety was on and the chamber was empty then she handed her gun and holster to Spence to be put in the safe. Then she turned to the bed and worked on unpacking their go bags. As she unpacked, she realized she was missing something.

"Baby," JJ said getting Spence's attention from where she stood next to him as he worked on unpacking his own go bag. "I think I left my Blackberry in the car. I'm just going to run down and get it. I'll be right back."

"Okay" Spence replied and leaned down to kiss her quick. Then he turned back and finished unpacking his go bag. Once he was done with his bag, he finished unpacking JJ's for her and set their almost empty bags off to the side. He dumped the dirty clothes in the hamper. As he stretched he realized that a shower was in order to wash the grittiness off of him from their time in Montana combined with the three plus hours on the plane ride home, so he started to get ready for a shower.

When JJ walked back in their bedroom she was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by the sight of Spence standing next to the bed as he turned and dropped his wallet on the nightstand. He'd kicked his shoes off into the closet and stripped off his socks. His shirt was untucked, unbuttoned, and hanging open. His belt was undone; his pants were unbuttoned, unzipped, and hanging off his hips. How much more of an invitation did a girl need?

JJ licked her lips and she stepped forward. The adrenaline from her and Morgan's visit to Harris Townsend's bar, 'The Hitching Post', was still coursing through her system from earlier in the day, so she was feeling rather feisty. She hooked her leg behind Spence's and pulled him off balance, causing him to drop backwards onto the bed. JJ allowed his momentum to carry her forward as she landed on top of him on the bed.

Spence groaned as his hands gripped JJ's thighs encased in her sinfully tight jeans as she ground against his groin, the seam on the crotch of her jeans rubbing them both just right as they moaned in unison.

JJ leaned forward pressing herself against Spence as she planted a heated kiss on his lips, wantonly begging entrance beyond his soft lips.

Spence groaned and bucked his hips against JJ, giving them both a thrill, as her tongue moved across the sensitive roof of his mouth. He slid his hands down her thighs, past her knees, and along her calves until his hands encounter her shoes. His hands fumbled with her shoe laces as he blindly worked to untie them and remove her shoes and pull of her socks. Once her footwear was gone, Spence sat up, pulling JJ closer into his lap as he pulled his lips from hers and let his lips begin to explore the graceful column of her neck.

JJ's hands slid into the collar and shoulders of Spence's open shirt and slid it down his back and arms, pausing only momentarily when it reached his elbows as he released first one arm and then the other from her waist as he shook his arms free from the constraint of his shirt.

When his hands returned to her body, instead of resting at her hips or her waist, they moved to the placket of her shirt as his fingers worked the buttons free of their corresponding button holes starting at bottom hem of her shirt and working his way up. His lips worked along the top edge of her lavender blouse. Conveniently for him, the top two buttons that she'd left undone offered just enough working room for him to be able to kiss his way along the top of her cleavage while his nimble fingers worked to unfasten the buttons of her blouse as fast as possible without damaging her top. He'd really like to see her in it again.

JJ's head tipped back as needy moan escaped her lips. Spence's soft lips trailing kisses across her chest were driving her to a fever pitch. Of course her hips undulating against his groin wasn't exactly helping to quell the growing wetness in her panties either.

Spence growled low in the back of his throat as the final button gave way and JJ's blouse fell open revealing a matching sheer lavender bra. He looked up at JJ through his lashes as he drew one puckered nipple into his mouth through the material of her bra while simultaneously peeling her shirt the rest of the way off of her.

Once her arms were freed, they flew to the back of Spence's head, her fingers twinning in his soft locks as she held him against her. The combination of Spence's lips, teeth, and tongue along with the friction from the material, however sheer, of her bra caused an intense shudder to run down the length of her body from her nipples to her core. Her body spasmed and her toes curled. She knew her body and that was definitely an orgasm. GAWD they weren't even naked yet… talk about horny and needy.

"Hey, are you ready to go home?" Spence asked softly as he stopped by JJ where she stood looking through a stack of case files in the bullpen.

JJ nodded but didn't turn to look at her boyfriend. It had been a stressful week and all she wanted was to go home and curl up with Spence on the couch at whoever's apartment they ended up at for the night and watch some sappy romantic comedy so she could laugh and forget that twisted sick monsters like Floyd Feylinn Ferrell existed. Sure they'd only be able to forget for a little while, but that was all they really needed to be able to maintain their sanity after a case like this. After all, there'd be a new monster to deal with tomorrow.

"Why don't you head home and I'll meet you there. I just have a few more files to look at and then I'll pack up and be out the door, but there's no reason for you to have to wait for me." She replied softly without her eyes leaving the case file she was staring unseeingly at.

Not long after Spence left, JJ saw Hotch headed her way as she glanced up from the last file that she was going to look at for the night before she headed home to cuddle with Spence. "What, are you trying to make me look bad by staying here later than me?" she joked.

"JJ" Hotch replied in a no-nonsense tone.

And JJ could tell at that moment that whatever he was going to say was not going to be good news.

"No, I don't know Spence. Just meet us at the hospital." JJ said into her phone as Hotch drove them to the hospital. "Okay. I… we'll see you when you get there." JJ said as she hung up the phone from talking to Spence, and then dialed Emily's number.

It was all JJ could do to maintain her composure while she waited for the rest of the team to get there. She was on her feet the second that Spence passed through the doors into the waiting room. "She's in surgery. There's no word." She explained as she looked at Spence's shocked face.

"This is crazy" Spence replied.

JJ and Spence each looked away from each other, knowing that they needed to maintain their composure, even though what they both really wanted was to collapse together and hold each other while they tried to find a moment of comfort before the craziness of the situation consumed them.

Spence felt like someone had completely closed a vice around his heart when they realized that it was going to be up to JJ to stop Battle. Not because he didn't think she was competent or capable, but because he couldn't comprehend his life without her in it in any capacity. He took a deep breath and hoped for the best possible outcome and then seconds later, he, Emily, Morgan, and Garcia were rushing out the door of Garcia's apartment to the BAU.

JJ's eyes watered and filled with unshed tears in the few brief moments between the glass of the door shattering and the ensuing processing of the scene that began to take place the moment Hotch looked at her from next to Battle's body. Then the realization that she'd just killed someone, even if it was in the line of duty to save other people, sunk in. That brief moment, however was all she had time for before she forced a mask of professionalism back in place after doing the one thing that every law enforcement officer hoped that they would never have to do, take someone's life in the line of duty.

JJ sat staring off into space in reflection as she heard Garcia approaching her.

"Hey" Garcia called out softly.

"Hey" JJ replied forcing a smile to her face.

"I never wanted you to have to do something like that." Garcia said shaking her head.

JJ reached up and scratched at her temple. She managed to maintain her composure for Garcia. "I never even blinked." she said ending with a sigh as she sought to find words that would comfort Garcia over the situation. "You do whatever it takes to uh… protect your family." JJ said with a tilt of her head as her eyes developed a waterery sheen from her unshed tears caused by emotion of the moment. Somehow she managed to hold them back as she blinked.

Garcia looked at her longtime best friend in awe and then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around JJ in a fierce hug.

JJ and Spence were exhausted by the time they made it that night. JJ was numb and in a little bit of shock as the hazy blur of the evenings events lifted. Spence steered JJ towards the bathroom and turned on the shower as hot as he thought they'd be able to stand it. Then he set about helping JJ undress. When he was about halfway through unbuttoning her shirt, JJ stopped him and continued undressing herself. Spence smiled softly at her and then pulled his gray sweater vest off over his head and continued undressing himself. Then he pulled the shower curtain back and they both stepped into the steamy heat of the shower and attempted to wash away the last two weeks.

They cleaned up silently, each taking their turn under the spray of the shower head to rinse of the suds, hoping that filth of the last couple of cases was washing away down the drain as well. Then JJ turned in Spence's arms and buried her face in Spence's chest as the veneer of control cracked and the tears came as it all became too much to bear. She sobbed out her grief and disgust over the case in Florida and having taken a life.

Spence wrapped his arms around JJ holding her while the hot water of the shower pelted down on them. He rubbed comforting circles on JJ's back rested his forehead on the crown of her head. "Tell me what I can do to make this better" Spence murmured softly. "Whatever you need, I'll do it, just tell me how to help."

"Y… y… you…. you're al… al… already d… do… doing it." JJ gasped in broken sobs as she began to hiccup from crying so much.

Spence nodded in understanding, kissed her head again, and then reached down shutting off the water. He pulled back the shower curtain and grabbed two large fluffy towels from the nearby rack. He dried JJ and himself off as much as possible and then hung up the towels and scooped JJ up in his arms and headed for the bedroom.

He sat JJ back on her feet as he pulled the covers back on the bed. "Do you want pajamas?" he asked softly.

JJ shook her head.

"Okay, come on babe. Let's get some sleep." Spence said as he scooped JJ up and deposited her into the bed and tucked the covers around her. He went back and picked up their clothes in the bathroom and turned off the lights. Then he returned to the bedroom, dumped their clothes in the hamper, and turned off the lights and climbed into bed beside JJ.

He turned to his side to look at JJ and she once again settled herself in the comforting shelter of her boyfriend's arms. "JJ…" Spence murmured softly "We have some down time. You know Morgan's taking care of Garcia – so she's in good hands while she rests and recuperates. Let me take care of you. What if we got away for a few days… we could go visit Will? Do you want to?"

JJ nodded against his chest.

"Okay" Spence replied holding on tightly to JJ and pulling her over on top of him as he rolled to his back. "I'll call and book us flights in the morning okay? I know you're exhausted and you haven't had a decent night's sleep in a week. You'll feel better when you wake up. Your melatonin and serotonin levels are all out of balance and that's contributing to how you feel…."

JJ didn't know anything that Spence said beyond that as the stress, lack of sleep, and emotions of the last two weeks caught up with her and she passed out into a deep sleep cradled against Spence's body with their arms and legs tangled together.

JJ relished in the warmer weather in New Orleans in late November. They'd spent their long weekend reveling in the sun, eating good food, relaxing, and enjoying the company of their good friend.

Now on their last night in New Orleans before they caught their flight back to DC, they'd gone out to the blues club that Ethan worked at. Spence wanted to catch up with his old friend. Since coming to New Orleans had turned into a relatively frequent occurrence, he felt bad about not having made contact with Ethan since they'd had that case here back in February. It was hard to believe it'd been nine months, and so much had happened since then.

JJ, Spence, Will, and Charlie sat at in a group of four armchairs grouped around a low table while they listened to Ethan play. Well actually they were only using three of the chairs. JJ was comfortably seated in the same chair with Spence, tucked in the corner of the chair up against Spence's side with her legs draped across his lap. JJ's fingers played with Spence's, her thumb rubbing against the backside of his hand. Spence's other hand rested on JJ's knee, his thumb rubbing small concentric circles on the inside of her thigh just above her knee.

"This is a nice club" Will said as he glanced around. "I can't believe I've never been here before."

"That's because you were always a pool hall kind of guy Billy" Charlie replied with a grin as he looked over at Will.

Will shook his head and smiled at Charlie. Then he turned to look at Spence and JJ. "Your friend Ethan" Will said nodding towards the stage. "he's really good." he said as they watched Ethan play the piano. "How did you meet each other if he lives here in New Orleans?"

Spence smiled as he remembered one of the few bright spots he'd had while growing up, his friendship with Ethan. "We actually grew up together in Las Vegas. We competed with each other in almost everything the whole time. We were even both accepted into the FBI Academy at the same time." Spence said remembering fondly the celebrating they'd done when they'd gotten their acceptance letters.

"But now he's a jazz pianist at a blues club in New Orleans?" Charlie asked. "How did that happen?"

Spence shook his head. "That's not my story to tell, but he quit the Academy after his first day. He said something about his first love not being an option for him, but that maybe in pursuing his love of music, he could find a love more suited to him."

"Huh… Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake. "Will said.

"Henry David Thoreau" Spence replied.

Will nodded. "My Daddy drilled into me how important it was to follow your dreams." Will said wistfully as he lifted his glass of scotch and took a sip. "'Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake, Billy.' he'd say. 'Don't be a cop because you think I want you to be a cop. Be a cop because you're passionate about helping people; because you're passionate about helping make a difference in this world; because your passionate and dedicated to the finding the truth. Be a cop because it's your dream, your passion. Life's too short for you not have passion in your life son.'" Will finished reciting the lecture he'd received from his father on more than one occasion as a teenager, especially after his mother had died. His eyes watered as he thought about his father and he wondered what the man he'd idolized would think of his decisions in the last few months.

Charlie nodded. He remembered exactly what kind of a man William LaMontagne Sr. had been. He'd been one of the cops on the force that all of the younger officers looked up to. His loss had been a blow to the NOLAPD, but an even bigger blow to his only child, his son Billy.

It was at that moment that Ethan joined them and sat down in the open armchair. "Why do you all look so glum sitting over here? I didn't play that badly did I?" Ethan asked as he slouched down into the chair.

And instantly, the mood was brightened as the group of friends moved on to other more light hearted topics and enjoyed their evening out together. The conversation never lagged or lacked for interesting discussion topics with the eclectic backgrounds of the group assembled. They all smiled and laughed as they all joked and shared stories like good friends do.

"Don't make me spank you when I get back." Morgan said into his phone as he walked past where JJ and Spence sat in the small booth.

"Don't listen to him Garcia. He's all talk." Reid said loudly so that Garcia could hear him on the other end.

Morgan reached out and cuffed Reid on the back of the head and then continued walking down the aisle.

"Ah" Spence said as his head rocked forward. "JJ, he just hit me."

"Boys behave or I will ground you both." JJ said as she worked on going over the stack of case files in front of her. JJ looked up from her file and across the table at Spence who was looking through a comic book. "Is that one of Johnny McHale's books?"

"Yeah, it's uh called 'Blue'. It's about a girl who thinks she's a real human being right, but it turns out she's a robot that was built by her uncle." Spence said with a large grin at the end.

"So, it's 'Pinocchio'?" JJ asked as she continued to look at Spence.

"Yeah, it is like 'Pinocchio', only… um … set in a high school in outer space." Spence said.

"Oh, by the way, what happened to Vicki's phone?" JJ asked.

"Phone?" Spence asked absent mindedly as he continued to flip through the comic book.

"The one that Johnny kept calling," JJ replied "with her message on it."

"Oh" Spence replied as focused on keeping himself occupied by flipping the pages of the book in front of him. Sometimes he was actually flipping them backwards. But flipping the pages kept him distracted from where his logical mind assumed JJ was going with this conversation, and he couldn't do it, not here, not on the jet with the team completely surrounding them, not if they weren't ready to tell the team about them. "We gave them both back to him." he said in an indifferent tone of voice.

JJ sighed and shook her head as she looked back at the file in her lap. "You know I couldn't imagine having nothing left of someone but a voice message."

Spence glanced up at JJ momentarily as he listened to her words and then realized that he had to focus on the comic book.

"I think I'd never stop listening to it." JJ said as she kept her eyes on the file.

"Yeah, it's sad." Spence replied briefly acknowledging JJ's thoughts. "Hey did you know that Carlo Collodi the guy that wrote Pinocchio was said to be obsessed with the human nose" Spence said forcing himself to perk up as he began sharing an interesting factoid.

JJ's eyes grew big as she fought back her anger. "Wow"

"As a matter of fact Pinocchio wasn't even the first character…." Spence continued.

"Interesting" JJ bit out in her annoyance at Spence. Here she was trying to tell him she would have felt if she was in Johnny's shoes and all she had left of him was a voice mail message on his cell phone… and the best he could do was spout off facts about Pinocchio? Why the fuck would she care about Pinocchio… she wanted to know how he felt damn it. "Coffee?" JJ asked as she threw her file down on the table and stood up into the aisle.

"I'm alright. Thank you thought for asking." Spence said as he watched JJ walk down the aisle of the jet.

JJ braced her hands on the counter in front of her as she stood in galley waiting for the damn coffee to brew. She took a couple deep breaths to try and pull herself back together. She could have it out with Spence when they got home, but she couldn't do it here on the jet. But… how could he… she was trying to share her heart with him, granted not openly, but in a manner only he would recognize… and he wanted to talk about fucking Pinocchio? Her fingers tightened their grip on the counter and she took a few more deep breaths as the coffee finished brewing.

"So what do you want to do for dinner?" Spence asked as they climbed in the car and he set his hand on top of hers on the console.

JJ jerked her hand out from underneath Spence's and crossed her arms. "I'm not hungry." She said looking out the side window of the car. She'd stewed the whole rest of the way home on the plane. Oh she'd been cordial, she didn't want the rest of the team thinking something was wrong and feeling the need to interject themselves to fix it, but she had certainly been cool.

Spence's eyebrows rose on his forehead. "Okaaaay" he said as he put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking spot. He kept glancing over at JJ the whole ride home.

She slammed the door of the apartment in his face after she walked through it.

Spence might not always be the quickest to pick up social queues, but he damn well knew something was wrong when JJ of all people slammed a door in his face and ignored him to whole ride home in the car. He'd heard Morgan talk about the cold shoulder treatment, but he never thought he'd get it from JJ.

Spence headed toward the bedroom. Something was wrong and they needed to get it straightened out now. When he got to the bedroom the door was closed… since when was the bedroom door ever closed? He wrapped his hand around the door knob.

"Don't even fucking think about opening that door Spencer!" JJ seethed.

Spence's hand sprung back from the door knob as if he'd been burned. Since when did JJ swear… or call him Spencer… or close the bedroom door… what the hell was going on? "JJ, babe, what's going on? Talk to me." Spence said as he leaned against the door frame with his arm resting over his head on the door.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me" JJ muttered under her breath as she stormed over to the bedroom door and threw it open. If she wasn't so god damn pissed, the shocked looks on Spence's… damn it… Spencer's face would have had her laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. "Oh so now you want to fucking talk?" JJ said as she crossed her arms. "I was trying to talk to you on the plane and tell you how I'd feel if you fucking died and all I had left of you was a fucking voice mail message and you wanted to talk about fucking Pinocchio… I was trying to have a moment with you and you start talking about fucking Pinocchio Spencer… GOD DAMN FUCKING PINOCCHIO!" JJ said her anger seeping into her posture as she yelled at him.

Spence's eyes widened. That's what this was all about? Then he paused in thought for a moment that's what this was all about. "That's what you were upset by?" were unfortunately the only words he could think of to say as he stepped forward into the doorway to wrap his arms around JJ.

JJ sputtered as she fought her way out of Spencer's arms. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Spence stepped forward and wrapped his arms around JJ again. "JJ, I know you're mad right now, but please just listen to me." Spence whispered in a soft voice into her ear as he held her tight "I know you were trying to have a moment with me. Why do you think I focused so hard on the comic book?"

"You were ignoring me on purpose?" JJ asked in a defeated hurt tone.

Spence shook his head and brushed his lips across JJ temple. "I wasn't ignoring you JJ. I could never ignore you. Just listen. Let me finish and then we can talk. Okay?" he asked waiting for JJ to respond before he continued.

JJ nodded.

"Last time I checked, right now we don't get to have moments in front of the team. We don't allow ourselves to have moments in front of the team. I knew we were headed for a deep conversation. I started talking about Pinocchio on purpose… because, unless we're ready to tell the team... are we ready to tell the team?" he asked as he leaned back and looked down at JJ's face.

JJ shook her head and then buried her face in Spence's chest. "I'm sorry baby… I should have known… I guess I got upset because I was trying to tell you how much I loved you and how much I'd miss you if we were in Johnny and Vicki's position, but without the team catching on." JJ said, tears pooling in her eyes as she looked up at Spence.

Spence raised his hand and cupped her cheek. "I know… but there is no way that I could have expressed how much something like that…" Spence said choking on his words as he paused to clear his throat. "I know that with our jobs there is always a chance… but JJ if I ever lost you like Johnny lost Vicki, well, I don't think I'd be much better off than Johnny." he finished, resting his forehead against JJ's. "I love you JJ. Don't doubt that. Ever."

"I love you too." JJ said lifting her arms and wrapping them tightly around Spence's neck and shoulders. She sniffled as she buried her face in his chest again. Then she realized something. JJ tipped her head back to look at Spence and a 1000 watt smile lit her face. "Do you realize that we just had our first fight?" JJ said and then leaned up and kissed Spence.

"Well, yeah… I kind of figured." Spence said shrugging, not seeing what the big deal was.

"Ah but Dr. Reid, are you aware of the phenomenon known as make-up sex?" JJ asked as she pulled Spence toward the bed.