It's not easy being Spencer Reid most days, not that it's easy being a BAU agent any day. Horror is the name of the game and their job is to submerge themselves in it, dissect it, understand it in the entirety of its evil. For Spencer, who sees most everything and understands more than most do, it can be far worse. When his nightmares stray past victims they couldn't save to Tobias, the occasional longing for the sweet solace of Dilaudid becomes yearning that eats away at him and it can make Spencer crazy. Crazy is another word that terrifies him when he remembers schizophrenia is passed genetically, though "remember" is a tad inaccurate since it never truly leaves his mind.

As he prepares for his date with Rowena, he's internally panicking. Spencer knows next to nothing about relationships, possibly the only subject that's true of. Between sporadic desire for Dilaudid, his mother, his job, he has no idea why any woman would ever want to be alone with him for any amount of time but apparently Rowena doesn't mind.

"Pretty bad case, huh?" He looks up from absentmindedly pushing around his teriyaki with chopsticks and blinks at Rowena.

"Sorry, what?" It's their first true date, a week since the impromptu coffee, and he obeyed JJ's suggestion and took her for Korean food. Rowena is wearing a teal knit dress with a braided trim around the scoop neckline and her hair tied back, no longer smiling but looking on him with sympathy.

"You've barely smiled, you shoulders are hunched like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and you've hardly said a word. I'm guessing it's the case, unless it's me?" Spencer sighs and puts down the chopsticks (more than happy to be rid of the eating utensils better suited to be writing ones) and tries to think of some way to salvage the date he's wanted so badly since the moment he met her. Rowena has tried admirably to keep conversation going and he's afraid that his silent enjoyment of her voice has been taken to be lack of interest.

"It's not you, believe me. Things have been rough. The case…" He swallows hard and squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, blood and screams passing briefly through his mind as the long week in Boise comes back to him. Rowena can watch him sinking down into the mire of his thoughts again and stretches her hand across the table to rest gently on his. Spencer opens his eyes at the soft touch and she smiles as encouragement, her dark brown eyes as warm on him as her hand on his.

"You don't have to talk about it, unless it helps. I understand if you just can't take your mind off it now, I'd expect nothing less." Rowena can't explain why she feels so acutely for this man but she does. They haven't spoken much, but there's a spark between them that's connected them already, the only problem being what to do with it.

"I am a terrible date." He murmurs, his hand twitching slightly beneath the light, smooth, warm weight of hers. This is a disaster.

"Spencer, I like you, I think that much is clear, and that means I care about your wellbeing." She tips her head slightly to the side and smiles, pushing her glasses up. "You have my phone number, you know where I work, you know one of my good friends quite well, and I'm guessing you can find where I live quite easily. I'm going to leave-" His eyes widen in panic, "but I want you to find me if and when you're ready to talk." Rowena begins to stand but Spencer grasps her hand to prevent its departure, unwilling to let her go.

"Please, Rowena, don't go. I'm sorry and I understand if you never want to try this again..." Spencer swallows hard again and his next words are hoarse. "I'm kind of a mess."

"So was Ivanhoe. Why do you think he needed Rowena?" She smiles and squeezes his hand gently. "Take the time you need. I'm not going anywhere." Spencer nods and watches her leave, trying to sort through the knot in his stomach. That case in Boise has thoroughly made a mess of him, hopefully temporarily, and has now trashed this date. He watches her hand clench into a fist, run down the side of her dress, and a sigh whistle from her, obvious signs that she's discouraged. No. No, he's not willing to let this job take one more thing from him, let alone Rowena. He tosses the appropriate amount for the check on the table and chases her.

"Rowena!" She turns around and is nearly knocked over backwards by Spencer as he skids up to her. Rowena doesn't recognize this new passionate stare as she looks up to him, his face is so close. He bites down on his lip, searching her dark eyes for indication that she still wants anything to do with him until they look away.

"You can call me Roe, Spencer." Rowena says haltingly, made nervous by his now intense presence this close.

"I like saying Rowena, if you don't mind." There's something nearly sensual in the way he says the words and she looks back at him, unconsciously inhaling as his hand comes up to her cheek, but Spencer smiles as it just brushes behind her ear to reveal a bright red rose. "My dear Lady Rowena, I beg your permission to call upon you again. I offer you this rose, however small and insignificant a token it may be." Magic and courtship, these are things he's comfortable with and she watches him unfold into the man she wants to know, light dancing behind what were lifeless eyes only minutes earlier. Rowena takes the rose, cradling it delicately and he feels a rather knightly surge of pride at the shy smile on her face and pink cheeks.

"Sir Knight, you are granted safe haven and company whenever you so desire." Her free hand is taken gently and kissed even more tenderly, his whiskey brown eyes thanking her like he cannot and Rowena can feel her blush darken to what must be scarlet now.

"Thank you." Spencer releases her hand (reluctantly) and it wraps around the roses stem immediately. Rowena's sure, more so than before; she definitely likes this man.

"You are very welcome." She hugs the rose a little closer to her chest and smiles. "No one's ever gotten me flowers before." Rowena says quietly but happily before leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek. "Call me when you're ready." He watches her walk away with considerably better spirits this time.

JJ doesn't know Rowena nearly as well as she does Spencer but they were close coming up through the Academy. Women still aren't taken as seriously as they should be by the male F.B.I. trainees and they bonded over it. Now Rowena's involvement in another sector of her life has brought the two closer.

"A rose, really?" JJ asks, handing her friend a glass of white wine and sitting beside her again with her own. They've made a point of getting together more often since Spencer met Rowena and mentioned it in the office. Will has taken their son to the park to play, not only to spend time with their son but also to give his hardworking wife a bit of time to herself.

"Pulled from behind my ear. Slick, right? It was smooth. I was a bit taken aback."

"You were taken aback? I'm not convinced you're not actually dating Spencer's suave identical twin." JJ says with a chuckle. Rowena toys with the glass, looking down.

"I'm not sure if one date merits the verb form of the word just yet."

"Please don't tell me you're doubting how he feels about you. The boy is completely smitten, believe me." She laughs to hide her blush, something she's doing a lot since she met the man in question.

"No, I'm not. I doubt whether or not he's ready for anything like a stable relationship. He's so young…"

"You're the same age!" Rowena shoots her friend a look.

"I know that. I've had a few serious relationships, you know that, but he obviously hasn't. I don't want to hurt Spencer, JJ, and he seems sort of fragile right now." She likes Spencer but it's true that he seems to be a bit unstable right now, despite how sweet he is. Not that Rowena wouldn't like to help him, she would, but dating may not be the best avenue.

"Roe, he is resilient like you would not believe. He's just been through a lot. So have you, in case you've forgotten, and you're one of the strongest people I know. Everyone's got issues, you can't wait until they vanish to try and find happiness with another person. Especially if they're BAU."

"You think it could work between us?" Rowena asks quietly, still fidgeting with the glass in her hands.

"I do. As independent as you are, you need someone, and so does he. I think you're wonderful for him already…"

"Really?" JJ quirks an eyebrow at her friend, who is looking at her hopefully.

"Yes, really. Every time he gets done talking to you, he can't stop smiling. I can tell when you text him because his face lights up. And despite that borderline fiasco of a date, you're here and you're doing a poor job of disguising how cheerful you are too." JJ wags a motherly finger at Rowena. "You like him more than you want to admit, and it's mutual. If you two don't work out, fine. But it better not be because you both are too scared." Rowena jokingly narrows her eyes, though she's still smiling.

"Motherhood has made you mean." The blonde woman laughs and takes a sip of her own wine.

"I prefer honest."

Author's Note; If you read this when it was just a one shot, thank you for sticking around this long.

Also, everyone, if you have suggestions as to what you'd want to see in this story, please tell me. More of Rowena's life, more of Spencer's? I welcome feedback. Review or message, I don't mind. Flames will be ignored, all else will be replied to posthaste. We here write for the readers, and I do not mind if you're too shy to review, I'm still grateful for your time.