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The Right Question, The Wrong Time

When JJ left the bathroom early the next morning, Spence still slept despite her rather loud, beeping alarm. She'd come to find out that he could sleep through just about anything. At least the nightmares he'd suffered from when they'd first begun living together were all but gone. In fact, waking him up to the reality of this morning seemed like cruelty on the same level as hitting a small puppy.

She looked over at the alarm clock on her night table to the right of their king sized bed and sighed. They would be late if she didn't wake him. She reached down and shook his shoulder. "Spence… You're going to be late."

He flipped toward her groaning in his sleep. "Five minutes." He mumbled.

"No… You said that twenty minutes ago."

He opened one beautiful eye and stared up at her irritably. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. "Get up Spence…"

"If I stay here then you can't go." He said illogically.

"Babe, please don't make this harder than it is." She sat down on the edge of the bed.

He turned to his back and stretched his arms over his head. "Alright, I'll get up and get this over with. You do know this is going to be the longest and shortest day of our lives."

JJ giggled. "You sound like that guy on the soap opera."

He glared at her. "Not funny."

She reached over and skimmed her fingers through his short hair. "I've got about half a day's work left on my desk and then I have to pack up my stuff. Why don't you help me and we'll try to get out of there a couple of hours early. We'll go have dinner."

"I think that's a great idea. Let's just hope that Hotch doesn't pull us away for a case. I can't bear to leave you right now."

"We won't worry about that now." She promised.

He sat up and kissed her. "You look beautiful as always."

The heat in his eyes had her standing up and moving for the door. "Don't even think about it Spence. We're going to be late."

"I can make it fast. You don't have to do anything." He said hopefully.

"Oh yeah… That's exactly the kind of come on a woman wants at seven in the morning."

He had the decency to blush like a schoolboy caught looking at pornography by his mother. "Sorry…"

"No you're not, but I'll forgive you because you're cute." She said. "Now get up and take a shower. I'm going to make coffee and toast some bagels."

He nodded and climbed out of bed. JJ left and he hurried into the bathroom. He rushed through his morning routine, showering and shaving and getting dressed. He looked carefully around the corner to the kitchen where JJ was getting their breakfast together. She looked busy and distracted so he hurried back to their room and rummaged in the back of their closet. He found what he was looking for under a stack of old sweater vests he didn't wear anymore but hadn't thrown out yet. JJ left them alone because she said it was his responsibility to keep his half of the closet tidy.

When he entered the kitchen, he hoped his face was appropriately solemn for the occasion. Still he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face at seeing her there with a cup of coffee in her hand. Even after three years together, he couldn't believe that someone as beautiful as she could love him so deeply. She'd given up a normal romance because of their jobs, so that they could be together. His heart swelled as it did every time he realized how much she loved him.

"There you are… You'll have to hurry if you want something to eat." She said smiling at him just as she did every morning they had together.

"Sorry… I couldn't find my razor for some reason. It wasn't in the shower. Then I found it in a drawer."

"I put it in the drawer next to the sink because I read online that blades stay sharper if they're not exposed to damp places like the shower."

"That makes sense because the oxidation that happens in wet environment like a shower would speed up the dulling of a blade."

"Spence…"

"Right, I'm eating." He picked up his bagel and began smearing cream cheese over it.

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Morgan was the first to accost them when they entered the bullpen. "So how was your night? You two looked pretty cozy when you left." He grinned.

"Morgan… It's my last day." JJ began. "Can you leave it alone just for once?"

Morgan put his hands up. "Sorry JJ, I can't help myself."

"Morgan's upset by your leaving." Reid informed her. "His humor is an attempt to cover up his feelings."

Morgan glowered at him and JJ smiled. "I think you're right." She agreed.

"Who's right?" Emily asked as she put her bag on her desk.

"Never mind," Morgan said.

Reid ignored him. "Morgan's upset with JJ's leaving. He -"

"What's going on here?"

They all turned to see Hotch, Rossi and Strauss enter the bullpen at the same time from different routes. Rossi smirked at her but she ignored him.

"We're just saying goodbye to JJ ma'am."

Strauss nodded curtly. "Get back to work." She ordered.

"Um ma'am," Reid began ignoring JJ's elbow to his ribs. "I'm glad you're here because I have something to say."

"Reid," Hotch began in a warning tone.

"Don't worry Hotch." Reid said looking at JJ. "I wanted to do this in a more appropriate and romantic setting like all the books says that I read, but I think this is better."

He pulled a small black box out of his pocket and dropped to one knee in front of JJ. "JJ, I love you more than my own life," He began.

"Agent Reid… What are you doing?" Strauss interrupted angrily. "Must I remind you that -"

"I'm sorry ma'am, but it's rude for you to interrupt now. JJ's no longer a member of this team, so frat rules don't apply to us."

"Yes but -"

"She gave you her exit interview day before last." Reid continued. "I'd appreciate if you'd let me finish. This isn't good for my knee."

Rossi and Emily snorted out laughter while JJ and Morgan just stared at him with incredulous eyes.

"JJ," Reid pulled her attention back to him and the ring he had in his hand. "As I was trying to say, I love you and I'd like it very much if you'd marry me."

"Get up off the floor." She ordered taking the box from him.

"Is that a yes?" Rossi said.

"Yes!" She shouted making every head that wasn't already staring at them in the bullpen turn to look at them.

She jumped into his arms and kissed him until Strauss's furious tone interrupted their celebration. "Agent Reid you're on very thin ice."

"Sorry ma'am… I got carried away." He explained as he put the half-carat diamond solitaire ring on JJ's finger. The princess cut stone glittered in the light. It looked just right on her hand, Reid thought.

"I want all of you back to work now." Strauss snapped.

She turned on her heel and stalked out of the bullpen. It was quiet for a shocked moment before everyone in the bullpen cheered except for Hotch and Rossi. Out of nowhere, Garcia was hugging Reid and kissing him on the cheek. He hadn't seen her enter the bullpen but his heart soared that his best friend was there to witness the happiest moment of his life.

Rossi grabbed his hand and shook it hard. "That has to be the funniest thing that's ever happened in this room. I'll never forget the look on her face."

Reid blushed. "I had to do something… She didn't fight for JJ so I decided to bring her down a peg."

"She won't forget this." Hotch spoke up. He didn't look happy but he didn't appear to have any interest in calling Reid out for his behavior. "Congratulations to both of you." He shook their hands in turn.

Garcia pulled JJ away from Reid and led her up to her office. "We have to get started on the wedding." She gushed as Reid swallowed hard and went white. Rossi and Morgan laughed.

"PG…" JJ pushed her friend gently away. "I have to get the last of my work done. I want to get out of here as soon as I can." She said to Hotch who nodded.

"We don't have anything urgent. You and Reid are free to go when you're finished."

"Thanks…" Reid said.

"So what are you are you going to do with your time off?" Morgan asked over a smile and twinkling eyes.

"We're going to play monopoly." JJ said.

"I'm going to miss your smart mouth." Morgan complained loudly.

"Oh poor baby…" JJ said sweetly. "You'll get over it."

Emily burst out laughing with Rossi and Garcia. "You better give it up Morgan," Emily said. "She got you."

Morgan dropped down in his chair and turned his eyes on Garcia. "Why aren't you defending your man baby-girl?"

"You're on your own handsome. I have a wedding to plan."

"JJ…" Reid pleaded.

She winked at him and left the bullpen with Garcia hot on her heels.

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"JJ, where are you?"

Reid padded into their bedroom to find his new fiancé taking off her dark blue heels. "Hey," she said, rolling her shoulders.

He carried two plates with slices of cheesecake from the local bakery that he adored. "I brought you some cheesecake." He offered.

"I'm tired Spence. I just want to go to sleep." She said unbuttoning her white blouse.

"Oh… Well I'll just take this back to kitchen."

She finished undressing trying not to think about the disappointment in his eyes. She crawled into bed after pulling on her oldest and most ragged pair of sleep pants and a very old and faded pink tee shirt she'd worn in college.

She'd turned off her lamp and pulled the covers up to her chin by the time Spencer came back from the kitchen. Her eyes were closed so she couldn't see him, but she felt him standing there for a long time staring at her. Just as she was about to say something, she heard him leave the room. He didn't come back for a long time and when he did, he was very quiet. He got into bed and turned away from her. The resulting silence was so loud it was nearly deafening.

The bed jostled slightly as he turned over and touched her shoulder. "I'm sorry JJ."

"I don't want to talk about it Spencer. I don't want to say something we'll both regret."

"Alright…" She felt him shift again and for the first time in many months, she tried to go to sleep without his arms around her.

His phone beeped sometime later and she sighed softly in regret and some relief.

"Yeah…" He said. "Oh my God… All right, I'll be there as fast as I can. Yeah… No, its okay she'll understand Hotch."

She heard his phone slap shut as if by an angry and irritated hand. "JJ," He whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I have to go. There's a missing five year old girl in Charleston."

"Okay…"

His light switched on throwing his shadow across the wall as he climbed out of bed. "I'll call you tomorrow morning." He said.

"Spence…" She flipped over to see he'd pulled off his sleep pants. "Wait, please…" She slipped out of bed. "I said I was sorry." She said raising her voice a little. "You're the one that had to propose in front of everyone including Strauss. Do you get how embarrassing that was?"

He yanked away from her and went to their dresser for a clean pair of boxers. "I told you I was sorry. I wasn't thinking. I'd planned to ask you after work, but then Strauss came in and I was so angry with her for not fighting for you. I lost my head." He shouted.

"Don't yell at me Spencer Reid. I'm not the one that humiliated you in front of everyone just to get back at the boss."

"I don't know how I'm supposed to respond. You were the one that acted do happy a few hours ago. If you're so embarrassed what was that about."

"I was playing along. I didn't want to ruin my last day with a fight." She snapped.

He pulled on a pair of cords and reached in the closet for a white shirt. "I don't have time for this JJ. I said I'm sorry and I meant it." He said in calmer tone, too calm.

"I know you do Spencer, but I -"

"Look, maybe it's a good thing for us to spend a couple of days apart." He said as he knotted his tie. "I need time to get used to you not part of the team and you need to make a clean break from the team."

She heard tears in his voice like the tears in his voice when she'd come out to the bullpen two nights ago and told them she had to leave.

"I never wanted this, but it's done. You need to deal with it." She said as sternly as she could, hoping that the tears threatening wouldn't begin falling.

"I screwed up JJ." He said as he left the room. "I also apologized. It's up to you if you're going to accept it or not." He said over his shoulder and then he was gone into the night, leaving her staring at the new ring on her finger and wondering what the hell just happened.