Things in Spencer's life were slowly changing more and more ever since that trip to the zoo. All of it seemed to be happening so gradually that he barely noticed it at first. First was Andrei. After that trip to the zoo, the little boy was apparently quite taken with him. The next weekend when he'd been at his Papa's, he'd asked if they could pick Spencer up when they went out to the park. So the two had swung by and picked Spencer up and brought him to the park with them. Somehow Spencer had ended up being conned into spending the entire day with them, though he'd insisted that he didn't want to interrupt their time together. But who could hold out against two identical pouting and pleading pairs of eyes? He drew the line at staying over, though. That was a step neither was ready to take yet. So far Andrei seemed to get along great with Spencer; they didn't want to test how he'd feel about the young genius staying overnight just yet.

The other thing that was changing was him and Remy. It wasn't anything bad or even anything that might've been noticeable to anyone else. But Spencer noticed it. Ever since that night at his apartment where they'd bared their darkness to one another, ever since he'd admitted to himself that he was falling in love with his crazy Cajun, things changed. It was a good change, he thought. There seemed to be more warmth between them. He found himself wanting to be around Remy even more and it seemed that Remy wanted the same thing. Anymore, Spencer didn't spend his nights alone when he was home, unless Remy had Andrei. They spent all their free time together. The team had even noticed the change in Spencer himself. Emily had remarked that he looked happier lately. JJ teased him, telling him she knew he had someone and when was he going to let her meet them. Dave had even cracked a joke that it was bad when Spencer was the only one of them who came to work with that happy look on his face.

Life just seemed to be going well. Things with Remy were great, things with Andrei were going well, there was no sign of Paul anywhere, and their caseload at work had even been light! Spencer couldn't help but wonder when it was all going to crash down. Then he'd shake the thought off and tell himself that, even if it did, he was going to enjoy it all now while it lasted.

It was Friday once more, a month after the trip to the zoo with Andrei and Remy, and Spencer was just getting home from work. He had plans to put away the few groceries he'd picked up and then get ready to go before heading down to Lagniappe. Tonight was another live music night and this weekend Remy didn't have Andrei, so barring any cases, they had the whole weekend together. Penelope and Derek were both supposed to show tonight as well to enjoy the band. Derek had tried to convince him to invite the others but Spencer still hadn't been able to bring himself to do it. With as good as everything was going, he was terrified to risk telling his other teammates that the someone he was dating was a man. That preyed on him now while he was unlocking his door.

Spencer didn't notice anything was amiss until he was already inside of his apartment. He was in the kitchen and had tossed his keys down into the dish on the table when his eyes caught up with his brain. Carefully he set his grocery bag down and moved back out to the living room. Instinctively his eyes scanned the room for any obvious or not-so-obvious threat. And before he'd fully looked over the room, he knew. Someone had been here. It wasn't anything big; most people might not have noticed it. A book was on top of the stack on the floor that he knew had been on his shelf before. One of the chairs by the chess board had been moved. Another stack of books had been shifted to the left by about three inches. Someone had been here.

It obviously wasn't a burglary. None of his valuables had been taken. Spencer pulled off his messenger bag and drew his weapon. Armed, he double checked the kitchen and then the living room, as well as the living room closet, before starting down the hallway. There was the chance that whoever had come in was still in here. In the back of his mind he wondered if it was Paul. He hadn't heard from the man for months now. Could this be him?

The hall closet and the bathroom were both clear. Spencer stopped at his bedroom door and saw that it was cracked. With one hand he pushed it open and, taking a deep breath, stepped inside. What he found was not what he had expected.

There was someone in there, all right. But it wasn't Paul and it wasn't some stranger or an Unsub. It was Bella Donna Boudreaux, once Bella Donna LeBeau. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, leaning back to rest on her hands. Surprise was the first emotion to hit. The second, surprisingly enough, was anger. What on earth was this woman doing here? Slowly Spencer lowered his gun and slipped it into its holster. He stared at her, unable to find words. A part of him was just slightly nervous at her being here, but it was mostly overshadowed by the anger at having his home broken into and his things messed with. Who did she think she was, breaking in to his place? He knew Remy wouldn't have just handed over his keys and let her come here without first warning him.

"Bonsoir." Belle drawled out, lips quirked up in amusement. "I can see some of the appeal you have for Remy. You made quite a picture coming in with Your gun drawn. You're a little scrawny, though. Don't you eat?"

First this woman breaks into his apartment. Then, then, she both compliments and insults him all at once! Spencer's rarely seen temper curled inside of him, shoved ruthlessly down with the control he'd learned a long, long time ago. That control made his voice flat and just a little hard. "What are you doing here?" In my home. In my bed.

Belle tossed her head, settling her hair behind her. She made a pretty picture. A small, feminine body, packed perfectly into a pair of jeans and a spaghetti strap blue tank top. Sandals were sitting beside the bed where she'd obviously kicked them off. "I'm here to see you." She told him as if it were the most obvious thing. "You been with Remy for months now and I aint met you not even once, and Andrei talks about you constantly now. I figured I was tired of waiting for Remy to bring you round, so I came here."

"So, instead of setting up some meeting of some kind, or getting my number and calling, you decided that you would break into my apartment?" There was a bite to his words that would've warned anyone who knew him. It wasn't often that Spencer's anger got the better of him. But he couldn't help the slight sense of violation he felt. Maybe if she'd just broken in and waited in the living room, maybe then he would've been able to keep calm. But he'd seen signs of a search in the living room. She'd gone through his things! Even in here, he saw signs of a search. A picture that had been moved, a drawer that wasn't shut all the way.

She must've caught on to his tone because the little smile she wore faded just slightly. "I been asking Remy to set up something but he keeps putting it off."

Spencer took a deep breath and pushed his temper down even further. It would get him nowhere in the situation. Turning away from her, he started out of the room, calling back to her. "I'm not doing this in my bedroom. Come out to the kitchen; I'll make coffee."

Going through the familiar process of brewing a pot of coffee gave Spencer something to do with his hands and a moment to think clearly. The more he thought, the more his temper started to fade. He just wasn't good at staying angry. I can't really be that mad at her for this. Really, all she did was break in and look around. She didn't take anything. It doesn't even look like she did a serious search. Just a nosey look-around. And how can I be mad at her for that when Garcia did a much more invasive search on Remy when she ran his background check? Knowing Garcia, she probably dug up every secret Remy's ever had that can be found electronically. That's immensely more invasive than a search of a home.

Footsteps behind him warned him that Belle had finally come out. He was just closing the top of the coffeemaker when he heard her sit down at the stool Remy usually sat in. "I've upset you." She said simply.

There was no real point in denying it. Wildly uncomfortable with this whole thing, Spencer stuffed his hands in his sweater pockets and turned to lean against the counter so that he could look at her. "I'm a private person. Breaking and entering is one thing. Going through my things, looking around inside my bedroom…" He trailed off, grimacing. "I suppose it's only fair, really. I mean, Garcia ran Remy. She'd do a background check on everyone in our lives if we let her. So I guess that it's only fair that you did your own search on me."

Belle fiddled with her bracelet, a thoughtful look on her face. "Non, I don't think that makes it fair." She sighed and looked down for a second before lifting her chin and meeting his eyes with a steady look. "I'll apologize for upsetting you, Spencer. That wasn't my goal. But I won't apologize for being curious bout the person Remy's so hung over, or that Andrei is growing attached to."

"I don't blame you for being curious, or concerned even. My mother says that, when it comes to children, parents are animals. So your concern, I can both understand and respect. But," Here his expression and voice went serious once more and he met her, stare for stare. "none of that gives you any right to search my apartment. I don't mind that you broke in. If you'd simply sat in the living room and waited, I would've been perfectly fine. But you had no right whatsoever to search my home and most especially not my bedroom. And if you ever do something like that again, there are going to be problems between us. Am I clear?"

"Oui."

"Good." Nodding, Spencer's expression softened and he gave her a smile that was just slightly shy at the edges and a tiny bit amused. He pushed off the counter and moved to pull out two mugs, putting them down in front of the coffee pot. "Now, we can drink some of this delicious new blend of coffee I found, sit at the table, and get to know one another better."

Belle watched him pour two cups of coffee and she couldn't help but chuckle just a little bit at the change in his mood. "You know, from how Remy talks about you, I thought I could find myself liking you. I'm glad to see I was right."

"I think I'm going to like you too." He brought a cup over and set it in front of her with a smile. "Now, cream or sugar?"

One hour later, Spencer was laughing as Belle led him up the walk to her house. She had her arm linked through his and was telling him about one of her early dates with Remy. Apparently it had been a disaster from start to finish and was something they still both laughed about. "And then, then we was leaving the restaurant. We were ready to call it a night, yeah, after everything? We got outside, right by the cab, and would you believe that my damn heel caught in a broken part of the curb and snapped right off and I tumbled right into him! And of course, he couldn't just catch me. Somehow the both of us managed to not just fall, but hit the cab door and tumble right into the backseat of the cab in this giant tangle of body parts. We looked like a human octopus!"

Laughter bubbled up from Spencer, echoed by her lighter laughter, preceding them into the house. The sound of them entering drew the attention of the two lying on the living room floor with their coloring books. Andrei and Remy both looked up. At the sight of them, Andrei shot up off the floor, crying out "Mama! Spacer!" He launched himself at his mother. Meanwhile, Remy was rising a lot slower, his expression confused as it went back and forth between Belle and Spencer. Andrei switched from Belle and moved to Spencer, arms held up toward him. What else could he do but bend down and pick the kid up? There was a little tug at his heart when Andrei wrapped his little arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

Belle smirked at Remy. She patted his cheek as she walked past him. "Merci for watching Andrei, cher. You wanna stick around for dinner or you gonna head out to eat before going to work?"

"I thought we'd go out." Remy said slowly. He looked to Spencer, who was still holding Andrei and nodding as the kid told him all about what he and his Papa had been doing. Spencer saw Remy's look and smiled at him. Remy raised his eyebrows in response. Amused, Spencer took advantage when Andrei paused to breathe, using that time to tell Remy "Apparently you've been avoiding introducing Belle and I, so she took it upon herself to come meet me. I found her in by bed when I got home from work."

"In your bed?"

From the kitchen, Belle called out "I had my clothes on, Remy LeBeau. Get your mind outta the gutter! Plus, he's too skinny for me. Don't you feed your man, cher? He's a working man, he needs to eat!"

"He aint too skinny." Remy argued immediately. He strode toward the kitchen and Spencer followed. He had to see this. From the edge of the dining room he stood and watched as Remy stopped at the counter by where Belle was reaching into the cupboard. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at her. "I like him just the way he looks. Now what were you doing in his apartment, Belle? What were you doing in his bed?"

She pulled a plastic container holding pasta out of the cupboard and set it on the counter by the stove. Then she moved to a lower cupboard and pulled out a pot. "You kept saying you was gonna set something up. Y'all been dating for four months. Merde, we was married by then! So I decided to go myself and meet him. We had a nice time after he got done yelling at me." She started to fill her pot with water and she turned to give Spencer an affection smile. "You got a fine temper hiding in there. You should learn to let it out more, mon ami."

"I did not yell at you." Spencer defended himself. "I sternly warned you. There is a vast difference between the two."

Belle shut off the water and handed the pot to Remy. "Put that on the stove for me and set it to boil, cher." Then she moved to another cupboard. "He's right, though. He didn't yell. You know how your Papa gets that look, Remy? The one where he just stares at you and speaks in that calm, serious voice?"

It was obvious they'd flustered Remy. It showed in his voice when he replied. "Oui. Used to scare me straight down to my toes when he'd talk like that. Worse than being yelled at."

"Well, that's what Spencer did. Stood there by the counter, nice as you please, and warned me that he wasn't mad I broke in but we'd have problems if I ever did the other thing again."

"The other thing?"

Andrei tugged on Spencer's sweater, pulling his attention over. "You wanna come see my room, Spacer? Mama gots me a new train but Papa and me can't make it work."

"I'd like that." It would get him away from the blowout he could tell was about to begin. Setting Andrei down, Spencer followed after the little boy. They'd just gone inside his bedroom when he heard Remy groan loudly. "Belle, I swear, you're couillon!"

That word made Andrei laugh. He tipped his head up to smile at Spencer. "Papa calls Mama that when she drives him crazy. But he says he loves her anyways, though, and that he's not ever really mad at her. They're funny." He reached out once more and took Spencer's hand, yanking him over to a desk on the far wall. This was definitely a little boy's room and one that obviously belonged to a boy who loved animals. The walls were stunning. Spencer took a moment to simply look around him. He knew, without even having to be told, that Remy had painted these walls. It was a jungle theme all around them, with grass and trees and animals here and there. But on one wall the picture was just beautiful. The jungle thickened on the walls beside it until they converged on this wall here. Monkeys and birds were visible in the trees. And about a quarter of the way in on the right was the start of a path that wound off into the trees and then turned, leaving the mind wondering where it went to. The longer he looked at it, the more detail he saw. There was a great cat of some kind, just vaguely visible between trees. A lemur was visible through leaves on a tree on another wall. It was just, wow. Absolutely wow.

Then Andrei was tugging again and Spencer turned his attention to what they'd come in for. There was a train and its package sitting on the desk. "Papa put it together but him and Mama can't make it go." Andrei looked around as if looking for someone and then he stretched up toward Spencer, who squatted down to be on his level. In a stage whisper, Andrei said "It made Papa say bad words. Don't tell Mama, though. She'll wash his mouth out with soap."

Spencer fought back the laughter. "I won't tell her." He whispered back. The two shared a smile and then turned to the train. "So, a train, hm? Well, let's see what we can do…"

Fifteen minutes later, Remy and Belle both came looking for them. Neither Spencer nor Andrei noticed them, too caught up in the train they were just finishing putting back together. Spencer was sitting cross legged on the floor, Andrei in his lap, and they had their heads bent over the train. Spencer was holding it with one hand and with his other hand he was helping Andrei hold a screwdriver steady while the young boy twisted it, screwing in the last screw. The sight of them sitting together that way squeezed Remy's heart. They were both concentrating so hard on their work that they still hadn't noticed the two watching them. Remy said nothing as he watched, just drawing in the picture in his mind. He wished he had pad and pencil right then to capture this moment. The way that Andrei looked so intent on his work, the patient way Spencer didn't even try to rush him and how he helped him steady it when the screwdriver slipped. For someone who claimed he was awkward around children and that they didn't like him, he and Andrei sure had taken to one another quickly.

How had he gotten so lucky? Andrei loved him and talked about him quite often. He'd managed to charm Belle in the duration of an hour, it would appear. She had told Remy just a few minutes ago that he had her blessing for 'this one'. There was just something about him that seemed to reach out to people.

The two finished that last screw and Spencer looked up as he smiled, finally catching sight of them. A light blush tinted his cheeks. He murmured to Andrei, who looked up and then hurried to jump up and take his train over to his parents, showing them that they'd put it together. While he did that, Spencer braced a hand on the desk and used that to help bring himself up off the floor. His knee protested only a little, giving a loud pop when he finally straightened up. Most of the times it didn't bother him anymore but sitting on the floor with Andrei in his lap had put a bit of pressure on it. Just as he got to his feet, Belle was taking Andrei to his track so they could test to make sure the train actually ran. Remy moved over and wrapped his arm around Spencer's shoulders, kissing his cheek. "You having fun playing with trains, mon cœur?"

That endearment had Spencer's heart skipping a beat. My heart. He'd called him my heart. He couldn't keep his smile in at hearing it. "It was fun." Still smiling, he leaned in, tucking his head in against Remy's shoulder. He put his arm around Remy's waist while they watched Andrei press the button on his train. His happy cry echoed in the room when the train started to move. The three adults cheered with him. Belle whispered something in Andrei's ear and then he was racing over and wrapping his arms around Spencer's leg. "Merci, Spacer! Merci beaucoup!"

Spencer ran his hand over Andrei's curls, smiling fondly at him. "You are so very welcome, Andrei. It was my pleasure."

"Get on up here and give me my love too, petit. We're gonna be getting on outta here now." Remy said. He let go of Spencer to hold his arms out to Andrei, catching him when the boy jumped. He pulled him up in his arms and squeezed him before covering him in kisses, making Andrei laugh. When they were done, Andrei ran back to join Belle at the train, caught up in his toy. Belle smiled up at them. "You two have a good night. And you remember, Spencer, Thursday night if you're home, oui?"

"I remember. If something comes up, I'll make sure to give you a call." Spencer promised.

Once they were outside, Remy looked at him, lifting an eyebrow. "Thursday?"

"I was issued an invitation that was technically more of an order to come over for dinner on Thursday. She seems to have this obsession about my food intake."

"Yeah, that's Belle for you." Remy shook his head and slipped into the driver's seat of the car. He looked over and watched as Spencer climbed into the passenger's seat. "She don't mean nothing by it, though. And you really don't have to go if you don't want to, cher. Belle, she just likes to feed people. She comes off bossy but she's got a good heart in there."

Spencer finished buckling his seatbelt and then reached out and put his hand on Remy's thigh, offering him a reassuring smile. "Really, it's okay, Remy. She doesn't bother me. We talked for about an hour before we came here. She's a very kind woman."

"She's a nosey, interfering thing is what she is."

Amused, Spencer settled back in his seat, smiling to himself as he watched Remy turn the car on. Honestly, he was glad to have met Belle. She was very much an important part of Remy's life and it felt good to not only have met her, but to find that he liked her and that she seemed to like him well enough. It felt like a good step for them to take. Too bad you haven't returned the favor. Your team doesn't even know you like men, let alone that you're dating one. She at least knew of your existence before she came to meet you. When are you going to extend that same courtesy for Remy and your friends? As he usually did, Spencer pushed that thought back. Soon enough he'd get to that. Soon enough.