Sorry about the horrendously long wait for the next chapters... until the day I win the lottery and can afford to do nothing by write all day - delays are going to happen from time to time... I apologize profusely both for this delay and any future delays.
I solemnly swear I am up to no good... oh wait... wrong fandom ... I don't own Criminal Minds... unless we're counting DVDs. Are we counting DVDs? No? Damn it.
Thanks to all of you who continue to read, review, favorite, set up alerts... I'm glad you're all enjoying the story. More to come ASAP, I promise... and to anyone who was concerned that a certain event that happened during a certain season finale might have thrown me off my game... I say wedding? What wedding? The stories all continue on as planned... Can't sink my ship. Raise the main sail, steady on the helm, and forward ho!
Happy reading and enjoy :D
"Unca 'Pence wut you do?" Henry asked his Uncle Spence as they followed Mommy out of the house to the car.
"What am I going to do while you are at daycare playing with the other kids and Mommy is at work?" Spence asked as he looked down at Henry, whose hand he was holding.
"Uh huh" Henry nodded as they stopped beside the car and Mommy opened the back door.
"Well I have to go to work too." Uncle Spence explained.
"Oh, otay." Henry replied with a nod.
Uncle Spence bent down and scooped up Henry. "Ugh you're heavy. You must have eaten a lot for breakfast." He said and then tickled Henry's belly as he set him in his car seat.
Henry giggled and wiggled his legs as he squirmed in his seat. "I eated awot. You maked 'ancakes!" Henry squealed.
"That's right." Spence chuckled. "We did have pancakes, didn't we?"
"Uh huh" Henry nodded.
JJ smiled as she watched her boyfriend tell her son goodbye, for what would hopefully be just the day.
Spence nodded. "Okay, well you have fun at daycare with the other boys and girls and I'll see you later okay?"
"Otay!" Henry said cheerfully as Uncle Spence kissed the top of his head and then backed out of the car.
"What about me?" JJ asked as Spence stood back up. "Do I get a goodbye hug and kiss?" she teased.
Spence smiled and stepped closer to his girlfriend. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "Absolutely" He said as he leaned down to kiss her.
"Mm" JJ moaned into the kiss just before their lips separated. "Have I ever told you how sexy you look when you wear your navy pea coat with your purple scarf? I love when you wear your purple scarf." JJ said as she ran her hands up his chest and held onto the lapels of his coat.
Spence grinned. "This scarf is my favorite. It's very special to me since you got it for me for my 24 birthday. Did you know that was the first time I'd celebrated my birthday since before my dad left?" he asked as he leaned back to look at JJ.
A sad expression crossed JJ's face at the thought of Spence not celebrating his birthday for 14 years. "Baby…" JJ said as she let go of the lapels of his coat and her hands slid back down his chest and inside his open coat to wrap around his waist.
"It's okay JJ… you and everybody else have more than made up for the years I missed out on celebrating my birthday." Spence replied.
JJ sighed and leaned up to kiss Spence. She made a mental note to make his birthday this year extra special for him, but that was several months away. "I love you." JJ said as she pulled back out of the kiss and swiped her thumb over Spence's lips wiping away the traces of her lipstick.
"I love you too. Have a good day at work." Spence replied and leaned down to kiss JJ once more before un-wrapping his arms from around her waist.
"Mm hm" JJ murmured. "Talk to you later." She said with a smile as Spence opened the driver's side door of her car and held it for her as she climbed in.
Spence watched as JJ began to back up. Then he waved back when Henry began waving. Once JJ was backed out of the driveway, he walked over to his own car that was parked next to where JJ's had been sitting. He climbed into his Volvo Amazon and backed down the driveway, pulled out onto the street, and headed for Quantico.
"Mmmm feese ah soooo gwoood." Kevin moaned with his mouth full of cupcake as he licked frosting off his thumb.
Garcia hummed as she headed back from getting her purse and laptop out of Esther to the elevator where Kevin stood waiting for her and gasped at the sight of Kevin eating the very cupcakes she'd spent the night before slaving over to get them baked and decorated. "Kevin! What did you do?" Penelope asked as she walked up next to him.
"I ate a cupcake… well two actually… they are sooooo good sugar plum." Kevin said as he reached out for another cupcake.
Penelope quickly swatted Kevin's hand away. "Stop! These are for Ashley's graduation… OH MY GOD!… You ate the 'T' and the 'E'?"
"Ummm I didn't know they were for a special occasion…" Kevin winced slightly as he pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.
"How could you not know that the cupcakes that specifically spelled out C-O-N-G-R-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S G-R-A-D-U-A-T-E weren't for a special occasion?" Garcia asked as she looked in horror at the now incompletely spelled words made out of decorated cupcakes. Why couldn't Kevin have just eaten the flag cupcake… she could have lived with him eating the flag cupcake, but no… he just had to eat the 'T' and the 'E'.
"I, uh, thought they were to teach Henry letters of the alphabet…" Kevin replied.
"Yes, because today's episode of Sesame Street is brought you by less than half the letters of the alphabet!" Garcia said as she turned to look at her now sheepish boyfriend and smacked him on the shoulder. "Sesame Street would have also been brought to you today by the letter 'E', but someone ate it."
"I'm really sorry Penelope..." Kevin said flashing his 'apologetic' smile.
Penelope sighed. "Come on, we need to get to work." she said as she firmly closed the lid on the cupcakes and took the container from him. Then she headed for elevator.
Penelope breathed deeply as she stood in the elevator, bracing herself for another day of the team not being complete and together the way they were meant to be. First losing JJ to the Pentagon… and now Emily being exiled for her own safety until they could find Doyle… it was like the heart and soul of the team being ripped out while the vultures circled waiting for the rest to the team to fall apart one piece at time.
"I really am sorry Penelope." Kevin said as the elevator paused at the fourth floor for him to get off.
"I know you are… and I'm not mad." Penelope replied half-heartedly, still lost in her thoughts of what had become of the team over the last nine months.
"Coolio" Kevin replied and then paused as he prepared to step out of the elevator, "how about I make it up to you tonight with dinner out?"
Penelope shook her head. "The team has a case in Portland, so I don't think that's going to work."
"Okay… well maybe when the case is over then." Kevin replied with a smile at his girlfriend as the elevator doors slid shut. Then the elevator carried Penelope the rest of the way to the sixth floor.
Penelope paused as she got off the elevator, unable to resist the urge to pause and look at Emily's photo. She stared long and hard. She missed her friend and she couldn't begin to imagine everything that Emily was going through, all alone and healing in a sterile hospital room where no one was allowed to know her name, let alone send her flowers and balloons.
"Penelope, you gotta stop staring at her." Morgan said as he stepped up beside her and glanced at Emily's photo mounted on the Hall of Honor. "Prentiss wouldn't want us to sulk; you know that."
Penelope turned and looked at Morgan. "I'm not sulking." She said as she allowed her anguish at missing her friend to show for just a moment. She swallowed and then looked away from Moran. "I'm surrounded by testosterone now."
Morgan sighed as he looked Prentiss' photo on the wall. It was taking some work, but he was coming to terms with how everything had played out, and hell yes he wanted to catch Doyle so Prentiss could come home, but it was going to take time. "She would also want us to embrace Seaver." Morgan said quietly.
Penelope spun on her heals and pulled back the lid on the container, revealing the cupcakes. "I baked."
"Congratulations Gradua?" Morgan said as he looked at the cupcakes and then up at Penelope.
"Kevin ate the 'T'… and the 'E'" Penelope said as she looked down at the cupcakes.
Morgan huffed in amusement and then patted Penelope on the shoulder. "Come on you." he said and then they walked together to the double glass doors of the bullpen. "Hey listen, I got an idea. You and I could eat the 'U' and the 'A' and that way it would say 'Congratulations Grad'" Morgan said as he gestured to the cupcakes.
"Hm" Penelope murmured, her heavy thoughts from before lifting, "and here I always imagined you feeding me strawberries." Penelope joked with a quirk of her eyebrow.
The two friends laughed together as they moved into the bullpen and then to the round table room for their morning briefing.
"Yes, yes you do." Hotch said as he stood outside the round table room speaking with Strauss via phone. "Thank you." he nodded at Dave as he joined him on the catwalk.
"How you doin'?" Dave asked as Hotch hung up his phone.
"I'm worried about the team," Hotch said as he turned to look through the door of the round table room, "and Strauss thinks that adding a probationary agent is going to solve our problems.
"Seaver knows that she's not replacing Prentiss." Dave said as he followed Aaron towards the door.
"I know," Aaron said as he turned to look at Dave, "and she's got potential, but we need an experienced profiler and we need one now." He said as he glanced about and then leaned in close to Dave, speaking in a whisper. "Who knows how long it will take us to catch Doyle so that Emily can come back."
Dave nodded in understanding. "Have you started looking yet?"
"Yeah, let me know if you have any ideas." Hotch said and then turned to walk into the conference room.
"Congratulations Agent Seaver" Hotch said as he walked into the room.
Ashley brushed off her hands quickly as she turned to shake Hotch's hand. "Thank you."
"Who made the cupcakes?" Rossi asked as he fist bumped Ashley.
"I did." Penelope pipe up.
"Thank you all for coming to my graduation. It meant a lot." Ashley said with a nod as she sat down at the table.
"Let's get started." Hotch said with a quick glance about at the team.
"Okay, we're going to Portland Oregon…" Penelope said as she began the briefing.
"We believe our unsub is a white male paranoid schizophrenic who suffers from hallucinations." Hotch said as he stood in front of the Portland PD leading the team in delivering the profile. "Since schizophrenic breaks usually occur in your early twenties, we believe he's around this age and that he lives nearby."
Reid sat anxiously on the edge of the table behind the rest of the team. He shifted uncomfortably as he tried to cover his discomfort at listening to the sense of futility that the unsub was feeling. It hit a little too close to home at the moment.
Morgan noticed how distracted Reid was and noted how much it was probably bothering Reid that their unsub was a schizophrenic, seeing as his Mom was one.
"We think this unsub is hyper-vigilant and in this condition is unable to travel very far from his home." Hotch continued explaining the profile.
Reid swallowed and kept his gave down. His eyes diverted back and forth from his hands in his lap to the map on the desk top. He never looked up at the officers in front of the team, not once.
"He kills at night and is extremely violent." Rossi explained as he stood with his thumbs hooked in his back pockets. "During the day, he's most likely a loner. Someone in this state probably can't keep a job. We believe something happened to our unsub in his childhood."
Morgan glanced over to check on Reid again and grew a little more concerned with how much the profile seemed to be bothering Reid.
"Childhood voices are telling him to kill," Rossi continued, "or he's misinterpreting them as doing so."
"Our unsub has probably been coping until now, but a recent stressor brought him back to that childhood incident and is causing him to act out." Ashley said as she added to what the team was thinking.
"Our unsub spends his days wandering trying to fight the desire to kill. Yet he feels trapped by his hallucinations." Morgan said, picking up where Ashley had left off. "No matter what he does, or tries to do, the hallucinations power is greater than his own."
Reid had never liked being in the uncomfortable position of being able to relate to the unsub, especially in an instance like this. Was he fighting off voices and hallucinations telling him to kill? Certainly not, but he could understand the powerlessness that the unsub must feel. No matter what how many doctors he'd seen in the last few months, they all told him the same thing. There was nothing physically wrong with him… it was psychosomatic… it was all in his head. His greatest fear had always been that just when he was reaching the prime of his life, it would all be stolen from him by the same disease that had stolen his mother from him.
"Because of his limited social circle as a child, it is our belief that the incident involved close friends or family. Now, once we figure out what happened when he was a kid and the stressor that recently triggered a relapse, we'll be that much closer to narrowing down the killer's identity." Morgan explained.
Reid continued to be lost in his own thoughts after Morgan finished speaking.
"Reid?" Hotch said, turning to look over his shoulder at Reid, prompting him to explain the geographic profile.
Reid licked his lips and picked up the map of the jeopardy surface that he'd created and tried to ignore the persistent throbbing in his head. "We need you all to start searching in this area." He said as he handed the map to the detective. "Based on previous kills we know that he strikes at night and he will not retreat until we find him."
As soon as the meeting broke up Reid headed for the men's room. Morgan watched with concern in his eyes, and followed at a casual pace, not wanting to alert the rest of the team that something was wrong.
Reid bent over the sink and cupped his hands, filling them with cool water. He splashed handful after handful of cool water on his face, hoping that the cool water would ease his headache. When he lifted his head and wiped the water from his eyes, Morgan's reflection was in the mirror.
"You know that profile kind of makes it sound like schizophrenia leads to serial killing." Reid said as he pulled ripped off a section of paper towel to dry his face.
"That's not what we said at all Reid." Morgan replied calmly as he looked at his friend.
"You know my Mom has schizophrenia. There are many different types."
"I know that." Morgan replied in response to both comments.
"Catatonic, disorganized." Reid said as he pulled off more paper towels. "Just because someone suffers from an inability to organize their thoughts, or they can't bathe or dress themselves, doesn't mean they stab someone," Reid continued as he turned around and sat on the edge of the bathroom counter facing Morgan, "thirty times in the chest post mortem."
"Reid, what's really going on?" Morgan asked in a concerned tone.
Reid took a breath and gathered his thoughts and then looked at Morgan. "Our unsub's hallucinations aren't fractured like a typical schizophrenic. They're vivid and clear, leading me to believe that we're missing an important variable. Rather than making crazy conjectures," Reid shrugged into himself, "I think we should be trying to figure out what it is."
"Hey, listen to me," Morgan said getting Reid's attention, "I know this is a scary age for you. It's when schizophrenic breaks happen. Have you talked to anybody about this?"
"JJ… and Emily" Reid murmured as he kept his head down.
"Have you seen a doctor?" Morgan asked, wanting to make sure his friend got help if he needed it.
"They all say I'm fine." Reid replied.
"Then why don't you believe them?"
"Because predicting one's chances of developing a genetic condition are like finding a penny in an ocean." Reid said and then paused to take a breath as he contemplated his options and then made the decision to share his secret with one more person. "I have terrible headaches. I can't sleep at night. I can't focus on our cases. I… I only read ten books last week and five of those were Dr. Seuss books I read to Henry." Reid said as he looked up at Morgan.
Morgan cracked a smile at the thought of Reid reading Dr. Seuss to Henry; then his face became serious again. "Come on kid, you got to cut yourself some slack." He paused as he looked around making sure they were the only ones in the rest room. "You're also depressed about how things went down with Prentiss… and I get that, we all are. I miss her everyday… and once we figure out how to get Doyle so that she can come home, we'll all feel better. You know, if your mind really was splitting, do you think you'd be able to figure out that this team was missing a variable?"
Reid swallowed. "I'm just speculating that we are. We need to prove it." He said as he looked up at Morgan.
"Okay then, you do that." Morgan replied. "The moment you are wandering around the streets aimlessly, that's when I'll be concerned about you."
Reid smiled ever so slightly at his friend's loyalty and belief in him.
"I don't think I have to worry about getting a call from JJ saying that she can't find you anytime soon." Morgan said with a shake of his head more glad now than ever that JJ and Reid had gotten together. He knew even within this conversation that Reid was holding things back, minimizing the effect and toll that this was all taking on him. He hoped that JJ had been able to get Reid to open up to her. "Come on pretty boy, let's get to work."
Morgan reflected on the case as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing on the jet. The case was over. They'd apprehended Ben Foster after chasing him through his neighborhood and finally caught up with him in the homes of one of his neighbors where he'd taken two children hostage.
However, what bothered him most about the case was how on edge it had put Reid. He was genuinely concerned for his friend. He'd watched painfully as Reid struggled while the team gave the profile. He was concerned for his friend's health.
He sighed as the coffee pot finished brewing and filled his cup. Then he turned and headed back out of the galley and into the main passenger cabin. He passed by first Rossi, and then Hotch, both of whom were asleep in order to take a seat on the arm rest of the chair across the aisle from Seaver.
"Why are you still up?" he asked as he looked at Seaver who was curled up in the chair with the case file in hand.
"I've been looking over Ben's file; turns out he's been seeing evil imaginary friends ever since he was a child." Ashley replied.
"Ben was always a killer. You think he had schizophrenia?" Morgan asked. He knew what he thought, but he wanted to know what Ashley thought.
"He may have suffered from some mental disease, but schizophrenia usually presents itself in your late teens or early twenties." Ashley replied.
"Ben did kill those people in that fire, which is part of the homicidal triad." Morgan said thoughtfully.
"And his mother thought an exorcism would get rid of the demons."
"The only way to stop a killer is to catch him Seaver."
Ashley half chuckled in a sad manner, "You know I always viewed serial killers as monsters" she said, but what she left unsaid was that meant she viewed her own father as a monster. Part of what had led her to pursue a career in the FBI, jump at the chance to consult on that original case, and to then request an assignment to the BAU was the potential to not only make amends for the lives her father had taken, but to also attempt to understand her father. What she was coming to find however, was that just like so much of life, there were no easy answers. "but Ben's remorse seemed real. And that's why I can't sleep. I… I can't get him out of my mind." She paused, wondering if there would ever be answers to her questions. "Does it ever go away?"
Morgan turned to glance over at the genius stretched out asleep on the couch of the jet, resting peacefully for the first time in who knows how long. Then he turned back to Ashley and nodded his head. "Luckily it does."
Erin Strauss sat behind her desk looking morosely at two framed pictures on the desk in front of her. One was a photo of her shattered family; the other was a photo of her shattered alpha BAU team.
She picked up the glass of scotch and took a large swallow from the heavy lead crystal low ball glass that she'd taken to keeping in her desk drawer. Make no mistake; this wasn't a casual after-hours drink. Those had ended months ago. This was an after-hours drink to cope with the upheaval in her personal and professional lives.
After her divorce a few years ago, her ex-husband Robert had filed for and won sole custody of her children. Of course it wasn't hard considering that her children had all told the judge they would prefer to live with their father. The depressing state of things was that she would go home to an empty house and she'd get up again tomorrow and it would be an almost identical repeat of today.
She had realized only too late that she had reaped what she had sown and now she had to make her peace with that. And perhaps that was the most bitter pill to swallow. Just as she had turned the corner in realizing that she needed to make amends, one of the people at the top of the list of people due an apology for all the wrongs she'd done in both her professional and personal life had died.
Oh she knew exactly what Emily Prentiss thought of her. You didn't manage the Behavioral Analysis Unit as well as the rest of her section of the FBI without learning how to do a little profiling of your own. The woman had reviled her, and in retrospect it was a well-earned opinion. However, now she'd never be able to tell one of the finest agents she'd ever met how much she admired and respected her. Although she'd never tell a soul, Emily Prentiss, had earned her admiration by standing up to her when so many would have just given in and done what she asked no matter their morals or principles. It hadn't made her happy at the time, but the fact that Emily Prentiss had unwaveringly stood up to her in the face of losing her career, she could definitely admire and respect a woman who wouldn't be controlled, not even by Section Cheif Erin Strauss.
The amber alcohol burned as it slid down her throat, but she couldn't help but enjoy the numb feeling that overcame her as everything went away, if only for a little while. Oh she knew she shouldn't be drinking. She was supposed to have quit months ago, at least the was the first time she'd tried. But somehow every time she quit, she'd make it only so long and then it was back to comforting drinks at home after work. Then the slow slide back into the depths of the problem that she still couldn't quite bring herself to admit outloud that she had would begin again. Scotch at home after work would turn into Scotch at the office after work. Scotch at work after-hours would turn into drinks at lunch. Drinks at lunch always managed to give way to a vodka bottle stashed in a filing cabinet in her office. Vodka was obviously not her drink of choice; however, it had an advantage over other liquor in that it left behind no scent on her breath.
After a few days of vodka at work, she'd become disgusted with herself and resign herself to once again quitting. She tried twice. She was now in the midst of her third cycle. Agent Prentiss' death is what drove her to Scotch after-hours at the office. Perhaps this time she needed more help than just an AA meeting… but that was for another day, Erin thought to herself as she lifted the glass of amber alcohol to her lips again in an attempt to give her mind a bit of peace from the guilt, remorse, and regret that weighed upon her. She made a mental note to stop and pick up a bottle of vodka on the way home.
JJ smiled as she heard the now familiar sound of Spence's car in the driveway. She turned off the movie that she and Henry had been watching while they cuddled up on the couch together after bath time. Then she heard his key in the lock of the door.
Henry glanced up at Mommy with an excited look on his face and scrambled down from Mommy's lap, impatient to see who was at the door.
Spence stepped through the door. He felt a bit refreshed from the nap he'd gotten on the plane, hopefully he'd still be able to sleep tonight he mused as he closed and locked the door behind him and set his go bag off to the side. He turned around just in time to see a short blonde pajama clad boy dash across the entry way and wrap his arms around his thigh.
"Unca 'Pence you home!" Henry said excitedly, his eyes dancing as he looked up at one of his godfather and one of his favorite people.
JJ's heart soared at Henry calling this 'home' for Spence. She smiled as she watched Spence bend down and pick Henry up.
"Hey big guy," Spence said as he settled Henry on his hip, "what did you and Mommy do the last few days?"
Spence smiled, the worries and concerns that had been raised by the case being pushed to the back of his mind as he listened to Henry happily jabber on about his busy three days with Mommy while Uncle Spence was gone. He nodded as he walked over to JJ. "Wow it sounds like you had a busy week Henry." He said when the toddler paused to take a breath.
JJ seized her opportunity. "Hi" she said leaning up to give Spence a quick peck. "How are you?"
Spence took a deep breath. "Can we talk about it later?"
She nodded in understanding. Then she turned to look at Henry and rubbed his back as he yawned. "I think its bedtime baby boy."
Henry turned to look from Mommy to Uncle Spence. "You wead me a 'tory Unca 'Pence?"
Spence glanced at JJ who nodded.
"Sure Henry, we can read a story." Spence replied as he looked back at his godson.
"Yay!" Henry cheered.
JJ smiled. "Why don't you boys go up and read. I'm just going to put a few things away and then I'll come up and we'll read our story okay?" she asked as she glanced back and forth between her boys.
Henry nodded in agreement. "Otay Mama."
"Give Mommy a kiss Henry." Spence said, knowing full well the toddler might fall asleep in the middle of the first story. It had happened on more than one occasion.
Henry leaned over in Uncle Spence's arms and wrapped his arms around Mommy's neck in a hug. Then he leaned back and kissed Mommy.
"Mm Good hug and kiss Henry." JJ said as she looked at Henry's grinning face. "Have fun reading with Uncle Spence. I'll see you in a few minutes okay?" she asked and then leaned forward and kissed Henry once more, lest he fall asleep. She wanted to give Henry a few minutes with Spence. He'd been asking where Spence was and when he would be home off and on all week.
JJ turned and headed for the kitchen to clean up quick while Spence and Henry headed upstairs to read.
After quickly loading the dishwasher, wiping down the counters, and checking to make sure that the house was locked up properly, she headed upstairs to read 'Bedtime for Baby Star' with Henry.
JJ paused at the utterly adorable sight before her. Instead of Henry falling asleep in the middle of story time, Spence had. He was stretched out next to Henry on the bed, his head tipped towards Henry's on the bed. Henry was whispering softly as he flipped the pages of the book as he lay cuddled up next to his sleeping Uncle Spence.
"Hey baby boy, did you wear Uncle Spence out?" JJ asked as she walked into the room and sat down on the other side of Henry's bed and next to the toddler.
"Mama shhhh" Henry whispered as he turned to look at Mommy. "Unca 'Pence sweepin'"
"I see that baby." JJ whispered. "Did you read the rest of the story to Uncle Spence?" she asked as she looked at the book in that lay in Henry's lap where he had been 'reading' it.
"Uh huh" Henry nodded.
"I'm sure Uncle Spence appreciated you reading to him Henry." JJ said softly as she picked the book up out of her son's lap and sat it on the night stand, exchanging it for 'Bedtime for Baby Star'.
"Are you ready for our story?" she asked as she snuggled in close to Henry.
Henry nodded as he yawned and then cuddle up to Mommy for their bedtime story. "Wut 'bout Unca 'Pence?" he asked and turned to look at Uncle Spence.
JJ smiled at the thoughtfulness of her baby boy. "We'll just let him sleep, okay?"
Henry nodded as he turned to look up at Mommy. "Him tiwed."
JJ leaned down to kiss Henry on the head. "Yeah he is baby," and then she began to read Henry their bedtime story.
Spence blinked as he heard the now familiar words of 'Bedtime for Baby Star' as he woke up, but lay quietly listening to JJ read. He loved the sound of her voice. JJ's voice combined with the soft scent of baby shampoo in Henry's hair, where it lay on the pillow next to him gave him a sense of comfort that he hadn't known since he was a very small boy. It gave him a sense of family.
JJ quietly closed the book and set it off to the side. She leaned down and kissed Henry on the forehead. "Goodnight baby boy." Then she stood up and turned on Henry's nightlight and turned off the lamp.
She debated with herself for a split second whether to wake Spence up or let him sleep. Then she made her decision as she reached out for a spare quilt from the back of the rocking chair still present in Henry's bedroom. She couldn't bring herself to remove it quite yet. There was still the occasional night where she rocked him to sleep.
Spence lay debating the best way to ease off of the bed without waking Henry as he felt the weight of a blanket being draped over him.
JJ leaned down and gently kissed Spence goodnight on the lips after covering him up. He looked too peaceful to wake up and she knew just how hard of a time he'd had with getting sleep lately.
"If you don't mind, I think I'd rather sleep with you. Henry kicks in his sleep sometimes." Spence murmured softly and opened his eyes as he felt JJ's lips leave his.
"Hey you" JJ replied softly as a grin crossed her face. "When did you wake up?" she whispered.
"About halfway through you reading 'Bedtime for Baby Star'. I didn't want to interrupt the story and I was pretty comfortable." Spence replied.
JJ nodded as she took Spence's hand in one hand, helping him to his feet and the quilt in the other hand. She set the quilt back in the rocking chair. She led Spence out of Henry's room and paused to pull the door most of the way shut. Then she led Spence across the hall to her bedroom.