Here's chapter 12 - more to come soon.

Criminal Minds belongs to Jeff Davis, The Mark Gordon Production Company, ABC Studios, and CBS. Sadly I am none of the afore mentioned parties.

Happy reading and enjoy :D

JJ glanced sideways at Spence in the passenger's seat. He'd been very quiet the whole flight home from Chula Vista and in the bullpen when they'd gotten back to the Academy. She parked the car in the parking lot of Spence's apartment building and turned to look at him as she pulled the keys out of the ignition. "Come on Spence, we're home." She said rubbing his shoulder and startling him out of his thoughts.

Spence nodded and opened the car door. After he unfolded himself to his full height, he opened the back door of JJ's car and grabbed their go bags. JJ met him in front of the car and held her hand out to him. Then they quietly walked hand in hand into the apartment building.

Spence shuffled exhaustedly through his apartment to the bedroom and set their go bags on the bed and then turned and sat on the bed himself. His head dropped into his hands as he massaged his temples while he tried to reconcile what exactly he'd seen in that high school bathroom when Jack shot Ryan Phillips in the head with a shot gun while he begged for his life.

"Baby," JJ said softly as she stood in front of Spence and loosened and removed his tie and then set it on top of his go bag. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I… I tried and he didn't listen… Jack still shot him." Spence said still in shock and disbelief over the events. "What kind of father kills someone in front of their daughter because she asks him to? I…" Spence shook his head, unsure what to say next.

JJ nodded. "I know you did everything you could Spence." She murmured as she climbed on the bed next to Spence and wrapped her arms around him, resting her forehead against Spence's temple and rubbing his back while he tried to find the words to explain his horror at seeing a young man's head explode right in front of him.

JJ sighed as she shrugged out of her suit jacket and hung it up in the closet. She was exhausted. The case in Philadelphia had been exhausting. Watching Jeremy Andrus point at picture after picture after picture after picture of the missing women that were his victims had rendered her numb. It was the only way she had been able to cope as she stood at the observation room window watching Morgan open up missing person's file after missing person's file to show the photos to Andrus.

"Hey" Spence said as he walked in the room from the bathroom. "You have perfect timing." He said as he wrapped his arms around JJ and held her tight.

"Sorry it took me so long to get home, I just…" JJ sighed as she leaned back against Spence's chest.

"Its okay, come with me." Spence said and then took JJ's hand as he released his arms from around her waist and led her into the bathroom.

"Baby…" JJ paused as she entered the bathroom at the sight of the bathtub filled up with bubbles.

"You looked like you needed some time to unwind a little so that you'll be able to make it through the next week." Spence said. "So you climb in and relax, and I'll take care of unpacking and everything."

JJ smiled and leaned up to kiss Spence. "You are the best boyfriend ever. But stay? Please?"

"Are you sure? I thought you'd maybe like some time for yourself?" Spence asked as his big brown eyes studied JJ's face.

JJ dropped her hands down to Spence's side and grabbed hold of his hands. "What I really want is to not feel empty and numb. You holding me while we soak in that amazing looking bubble bath… well, that will go a long way toward helping."

Spence nodded and pulled his striped sweater vest over his head. "Okay"

Minutes later JJ was leaning back against Spence's chest in the tub filled with bath beads and her favorite scented bubbles. Spence focused on JJ as he stroked his fingers up and down the smooth skin of her arms, hoping to help her forget, as much as he could, about work.

"Just think, in a week we have a week off" Spence whispered in her ear.

"Mm hm" JJ murmured in reply while her head lolled against Spence's shoulder.

The team certainly hadn't complained when Hotch had offered them the option of using a week's worth of vacation time so that the whole team could be off while he took some time to try and work things out with Haley. JJ and Spence were using their downtime to go visit Will and see how he was holding up in the aftermath of his break up with Charlie just before the holidays. Will of course had pointed out to them that they would be in town for the end of Carnival season and Mardi Gras. He promised to show them a good time.

They'd been in New Orleans since the Saturday and it had been go, go, go the whole time they'd been there. JJ was glad that it was Mardi Gras today, that meant she and Spence would be able to relax the rest of their week off.

Will had taken the week off from work, so he was able to spend time with them. They'd taken in the sights, the parades, and the variety of other activities. They'd gone to see Ethan at the blues club and had lunch with him yesterday.

Now the four friends sat at a high top table taking in the sights of revelry going on around them. Spence was enjoying actually being able to enjoy people watching this year. When they'd been here for the case last year during Carnival, between the case and the issues he was dealing with then, he hadn't been able to appreciate the experience.

JJ smiled and played with the beads around her neck as she watched Spence watching the people around them. She wondered if he was attempting to practice his profiling skills, because she could see the wheels in his head turning. "Come on Spence, let's go dance." JJ said hopping down off of her barstool and tugging on Spence's hand.

Spence offered no complaint as he followed JJ out onto the dance floor. He rested his hands on her hips, pulling her closer, as she wrapped her arms around his neck as they spun and twirled to the heady jazz music.

Will smiled as he watched his friends dance and have a good time. So that they wouldn't have to fight traffic back to his house tonight, he'd actually booked them rooms at a hotel in the French Quarter. They'd of course insisted that they'd pay for their own room. He of course, as their host, had refused. After all, he was merely using some of his winnings from their trip to Vegas to pay for their hotel rooms.

"They sure do make quite the pair don't they?" Will asked as he turned to look at Ethan.

"That they do." Ethan replied with a laugh as he lifted his drink to take a sip, glad that his friend Spencer seemed to have found his way clear of the problems that had been plaguing him a year ago.

Will and Ethan sat talking together for what seemed hours while JJ and Spencer danced, and were still discussing a variety of topics when JJ and Spence reappeared at the table. The friends laughed and enjoyed what remained of the evening before the street party was shut down at midnight with Mardi Gras officially ending and it now being Ash Wednesday.

Ethan walked with them towards their hotel as he headed for his apartment which was also in the French Quarter so as to be close to the club that he worked at and the musical culture of the area.

"How about breakfast tomorrow morning?" Ethan asked as they reached the hotel.

Spence glanced at JJ and Will who both nodded their agreement. "Sounds good. I'll give you a call when we're up?"

"Alright. See you in the morning then." Ethan said with a wave as he headed off down the street, blending in with the rest of the remaining revelers making their way back to their homes and hotels.

"Sorry we abandoned you for so long." JJ said as she leaned back in Spence's arms during the elevator ride to their floor.

"It's alright. I had Ethan to keep me company. That and we had a steady stream of drinks being sent to us. So we did jus' fine." Will replied with a lazy somewhat drunken grin.

JJ nodded, hoping that Will was telling the truth and not just painting a happy face over his pain for them. Then the elevator stopped at their floor. They parted ways at the door to their hotel rooms after agreeing on a time to get up for breakfast.

JJ stretched her neck as she lifted the copious amount of beads that she'd accumulated throughout the day from around her neck and dropped them on the top of the dresser.

Spence noticed how sore JJ's neck was from the way she was stretching her neck and stepped up behind her and raised his hands up to rub her neck and shoulders.

"God that feels good, baby." JJ moaned as she dropped her head forward at the feeling of Spence's talented fingers working the kinks and tension out of her neck and shoulders.

"Yeah" Spence whispered as he leaned down to kiss her neck.

"Mm hm" JJ murmured as she leaned back and raised an arm to wrap around the backside of Spence's head causing her shirt to ride up, exposing her belly.

Spence lowered his arms and wrapped them around JJ's waist, pulling her close, and his hands roaming over her exposed belly while his lips continued their exploration of her neck.

"Spence, baby… bed… now" JJ gasped as Spence hit a particularly sensitive spot on her neck and she turned in his arms, leading the way to the bed.

They giggled and laughed playfully as they tripped over each other's feet on the way to the bed, falling together onto the bed in each other's arms.

JJ studied Spence's face, looking deep into the swirling pools of his doe eyes. "I love you Spence."

"I love you too JJ" Spence replied tenderly, leaning forward and kissing her softly.

As they made love that night neither JJ nor Spence were aware of just how much that night had changed their lives forever. Although it would be a couple months before JJ would suspect what had happened, the truth of the matter was that before the night was over JJ wouldn't be the only one in her family with nieces or nephews just as her brother had predicted at Christmas.