The day after Jessica returned to school, Rossi and Reid were sent on a road trip to Philadelphia to investigate a storage unit full of torture porn. To Rossi's surprise, listening to a book on tape actually kept Reid very quiet. So much so, that Rossi began to wonder if the book was truly the only thing keeping Reid quiet.

Rossi reached out to pause the audiobook. "So, Jessica's fully recovered?"

"Thankfully," Reid confirmed.

Rossi glanced at Reid, seeing a morose expression on the latter's face. "How long has it been since your aunt and uncle died?"

"Three years as of Tuesday last week."

"I'm sorry."

Reid was silent for a few moments. "I never met them."

"Never?"

Reid shook his head. "Never. And I'll probably never know exactly why. From what my mother says on her more lucid days, I think the estrangement had something to do with Mom's schizophrenia, but…it doesn't make sense. Why would my aunt be so devoted to a deaf child, but completely turn her back on a schizophrenic sister?"

"You can't ask your father?"

"He turned his back on us too."

Rossi could see what Hotch had meant when he said Reid 'didn't exactly win the lottery' with regards to his other biological relatives. "Well, that's a man who doesn't deserve to be called a father, then."

"Do you have children?" Reid asked unexpectedly.

Rossi flinched, remembering the day of James' birth and death. "No."

Reid saw that he'd struck a nerve. "I'm sorry."

"Me too." Rossi pressed play on the audiobook again.

When Spencer returned from Connecticut a few weeks later, he debated asking Jessica if she knew what 'Garcia and Kevin sitting in a tree' meant. He decided that Jessica would probably be unfamiliar with that particular phrase, since JJ had sung it, but Jessica might still have some idea what was happening with Garcia. "Do you know what's going on with Garcia and Kevin?"

"Considering she asked me to sleep over at a friend's place last night so she and Kevin could have a sleepover of their own…yes, I do."

"A sleepover…they're together?!" Spencer realized.

Jessica stared at him in disbelief. "You didn't know?"

Spencer shook his head. "I had no idea." He started to head toward his bedroom, but stopped when Jessica suddenly signed something else.

"I don't get it!" Jessica complained, frustrated. "Sleeping with people, looking at naked people…I don't understand how that's romantic, I don't understand why anyone would even want to do that. I don't get it. I don't."

Spencer's eyes widened. He'd been wondering when this conversation would come. "Come sit down," he suggested, gesturing to the couch.

Jessica obeyed, nodding warily.

"Jessica, do you know what asexuality is?" Spencer asked.

Jessica shook her head.

"It's when you don't experience sexual attraction at all. It's not as well-known as homosexuality or bisexuality, but it is just as real and valid a sexual orientation."

"So…you think I'm just asexual?" Jessica asked uncertainly. "There's nothing wrong with me?"

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, and don't ever let anyone convince you otherwise," Spencer signed seriously.

Jessica heaved a sigh of relief. She'd been feeling like Garcia, Beth and Claire were all talking in a foreign language whenever they talked about guys, and it had bothered her. She still didn't understand them, but at least now she knew she didn't have to. She was just different. She was used to being different. She could embrace that.

Jessica gave Spencer a very big hug, which he readily returned.

The first night of the Pittsburgh case, Garcia once again decided to stay over at Spencer and Jessica's place. She spent nearly half an hour trying and failing to befriend Bianca.

"Why not get a cat of your own?" Jessica suggested. "You got your own gerbil."

"And now Chocolate Thunder is gone and I am sad," Garcia replied. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I thought about getting a cat. But I don't know, then I'd just feel like I'm always copying you. And I don't want another gerbil, they die too fast."

"They do," Jessica agreed sadly.

"So, I am going to win over this cat," Garcia stated. Bianca leaped on top of a bookshelf, out of Garcia's reach. "…Eventually."

A few weeks later, Bianca decided to investigate the contents of Spencer's bag. Jessica went to retrieve the cat…and found something she was not expecting. "How long have you had this?!" she demanded, setting the bottle in front of Spencer.

Spencer sighed and rubbed his forehead, pointedly looking away from the bottle. "Since you were in the hospital. I told you that was a bad place for me to be. I swear I haven't used it…I just can't seem to get rid of it."

Jessica glared at him. "Why should I believe you?"

Spencer rolled up his sleeves. "Because I don't have any track marks, the bottle is unopened and I haven't been acting like a colossal jerkass?" He gingerly pushed the bottle toward her. "Go ahead, throw it out yourself. You'd be doing me a favor."

Jessica narrowed her eyes before snatching up the bottle and putting it in her pocket. "Fine. I believe you haven't used. But you need help to keep it that way."

"What did you have in mind?" Spencer asked tiredly.

"They have meetings for this kind of thing, don't they? Maybe you should try attending one."

"Maybe I should," Spencer agreed. He stood up. "I'll start looking for one right now. And please, get rid of…that."

Jessica wordlessly turned around and left for the dumpster. Once she reached it, she hurled the bottle inside with as much force as she could muster. Looking inside, she saw that the bottle had shattered. Good.

When the team returned from Texas, Spencer immediately went to give Jessica a long hug. She returned the hug, patiently waiting him out.

"Everything's going okay at school, right?" Spencer asked when he finally let go.

"Yes?"

Spencer nodded. "Good. Don't ever feel like no one will help you. I'll always help you."

"Is…everything okay?" Jessica asked worriedly.

Spencer briefly shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "I saw what I could have become if my childhood had pushed me over the edge."

Jessica wasn't sure what to say to that. "I'm sorry."

"Let's do something together," Spencer suggested. "I don't care what. Just something. Something to escape without…escaping."

"I taped the latest Doctor Who episode for you," Jessica offered.

"Perfect." Spencer led the way into the living room.

When Garcia learned that their Miami unsub was killing gay men, it got her thinking. Back at her apartment, she tried to think of a delicate way to bring up the subject with Jessica, then shrugged it off. 'Delicate' wasn't really in her vocabulary. "You know, I won't judge you if you're gay."

Jessica stared. "Thanks? I'm not gay."

"I have known you for over three years and not once have you expressed the slightest interest in any guy," Garcia argued. "I can show you pictures and you find them about as interesting as you would a random tree!"

"Actually, I'd rather look at trees," Jessica replied, slightly uncomfortable.

"Sweetie, you're not helping your case," Garcia pointed out.

Jessica sighed, realizing Garcia wasn't going to drop the subject. "I'm not gay and I'm not straight either. I'm just not into anyone, period. According to Spencer, that's called A-S-E-X-U-A-L."

Now Garcia stared. "Okay. That's…different. That's a new one for me. Not that I'm judging you for that either!" she hastily added.

"Thanks." Jessica picked up her pencil and math textbook again.

Garcia frowned. "Wait…how exactly did you end up talking about this with Reid? Was Brain Cells failing to understand boundaries again?"

"No, I asked him about it, actually."

"You, a teenage girl, decided to ask a guy questions about sex?" Garcia signed in disbelief.

"Well, I did once try asking you what the big deal was with 'hot' dates, but you just acted like I was crazy," Jessica retorted. "Any other girl I've tried to talk to has been the same way. Spencer is pretty much the only person who never acts like I'm weird for having no interest in dating—which apparently means I am A-R-O-M-A-N-T-I-C and is not the same thing as being asexual."

"…okay, now I'm confused."

Jessica sighed again, wondering if she was going to have give a crash course on the subject any time she came out to anyone. "Asexual means I'm not attracted to anyone. Personally, I think the whole idea of sex sounds weird and uncomfortable, but apparently only some asexual people are like that, and others are perfectly fine with sleeping with people despite not being attracted to them. And some asexual people do want to date and have a love life. Others, like me, are aromantic and would rather stay in the friendzone with everyone forever."

"But…but…you helped me try to play matchmaker for Reid and JJ at that football game!" Garcia protested, still trying to wrap her head around this.

"Just because I don't personally want a love life, doesn't mean I can't be interested in other people's."

Garcia took a bit of time to seriously think about all this before responding. "Okay, this is a very new and strange concept to me, but if this is what makes you happy, then I'll stop badgering you about dating. God knows I should be the last person to judge anyone for being different."

Jessica smiled in relief. "Thanks."

Garcia smiled back, then suddenly snorted in amusement. "I still wonder how Reid must have reacted when you brought it up."

"He didn't seem all that surprised, actually," Jessica replied. "Honestly, I think he knew already and was just waiting for me to figure out my feelings for myself."

"I guess living with a profiler isn't all bad," Garcia mused.

"No, it's not," Jessica agreed.

On the jet back from Florida, JJ was confused to notice her coworkers giving money to Hotch. "Did I miss something?" she asked Prentiss.

"The New Year's Eve party," Prentiss replied. "We made a bet, and Hotch just won. Don't worry about it."

"Oookay…" JJ took out her phone and began texting Will.

While working the Keri Derzmond case, Spencer got home late. Jessica immediately approached him with a form. "Permission slip for the 9th grade field trip to Philadelphia," she explained.

Spencer gave the form a once-over before signing it. "Any idea what you'll do in Philadelphia?"

"Visit the Liberty Bell and other landmarks from the birth of the country," Jessica replied. She cast a disappointed look at the form. "The junior class gets to go to Boston this year."

"In two years, it'll be your turn," Spencer offered, trying to cheer her up.

Jessica shook her head. "The end-of-year field trips are different every year."

"…well, maybe you'll get lucky." Spencer hugged her.

The next day, Spencer came home with a gift bag. "Rossi and Hotch were in Boston, and Rossi got this for you," he announced.

Jessica reached into the bag and pulled out a snow globe of the Boston skyline. "Thank you."

"If you can't go to Boston, we'll bring Boston to you," Spencer added, smiling. He had tried to reimburse Rossi for the snow globe, but Rossi had refused. At long last, the veteran profiler was bonding with the team.

When Spencer returned from Roanoke, Jessica greeted him at the door with spiky black hair and very dark makeup. Spencer raised his eyebrows. "Garcia showed you the picture of Emily from high school?"

"Yes."

"Nice wig." Spencer walked past her and picked up Bianca, who was very happy to see him.

Jessica turned back to face the living room. "I told you he wouldn't bat an eye," she signed to Garcia.

"Super Brain, why must you spoil all my fun?" Garcia complained.

"What fun?" Spencer asked obliviously, still petting Bianca.

"You were supposed to be all shocked when she came to the door!"

"…why would I be shocked that Jessica was at the door of her own apartment?"

"Seriously, I could probably get a tongue piercing and his only response would be to make sure I was cleaning it properly," Jessica remarked.

Spencer put Bianca down. "Do you want a tongue piercing?"

Jessica rolled her eyes. "No. Although pierced ears would be neat."

"We can do that this weekend," Spencer offered.

"Great. Thanks." Jessica pulled off the wig and handed it to Garcia. "Better luck next prank." She headed into the bathroom to wash off her face.

Garcia frowned. "…I'm not sure what just happened, but you two have a good night." She stuffed the wig into her purse and headed out the door.

Spencer picked up Bianca again, wondering what social cue he'd missed this time.

It turned out to be a very good thing that Jessica had a multiple-day field trip when she did, because it meant she didn't have to make alternative sleeping arrangements when Garcia accompanied the team to New York. On the other hand, she had to endure several texts raving about the luxury of the jet before she finally responded and pointed out that she'd been on the jet a couple times herself.

That night, Jessica had just crawled into bed in the room she was sharing with Beth and Claire when she got another text. She instantly tensed; she could see that her friends hadn't texted her, which meant the text was most likely from someone on the team. And she always worried she'd get a text about something else happening to Spencer.

Fortunately, this text turned out to be from Spencer. And it was far from bad news. "JJ is pregnant!"

"OMG! That's awesome! Is Will the father?"

"Yes, Will's the father. He came all the way up here to talk to her about it. What is 'OMG'?"

Jessica frowned. "Has it seriously been over three years and I've never once texted 'OMG' to you?"

"No, you have not."

"It stands for 'oh my god'."

"Ah, so that was another expression of excitement."

"JJ's having a baby, of course I'm excited!"

"So am I. But it's been a busy day and tomorrow will almost certainly be another busy day, so I'm going to bed. Good night."

"Good night." Jessica put her phone away and noticed Beth and Claire watching her curiously. "Spencer's coworker is having a baby," she explained.

The other two girls excitedly clapped and bounced on the bed. "Which one?" Beth asked.

"JJ. The blonde who is not Spencer's girlfriend. The father is her New Orleans cop boyfriend."

"Are you sure about that?" Claire asked teasingly.

"JJ hasn't stayed overnight at the apartment for more than a year. I'm pretty sure."

"You don't know what they get up to on cases," Claire argued. "Maybe you're about to have a new baby cousin."

"JJ wouldn't cheat. The baby isn't Spencer's."

"Fine," Claire relented, pouting.

"Don't be disappointed, that means Spencer's still single," Beth signed, smiling mischievously.

"How many times do I have to remind you guys that he's too old for you?!" Jessica responded, annoyed. "And even if he were interested—which I'm pretty sure he isn't—statutory rape laws are a thing."

"Killjoy," Claire grumbled.

"This isn't fair," Beth complained. "You never let us know when you find an older guy hot. How are we supposed to get back at you?"

Jessica swallowed uncomfortably. Then she decided that her friends were bound to figure it out sooner or later. "I'm just not into guys. Or girls. At all. Spencer says that not being attracted to them means I'm asexual and not wanting to date anyone means I'm aromantic."

Claire gave her a funny look, as if waiting for the punchline of a joke. When none came, her eyes widened. "Wait, you're serious?"

"I'm pretty sure she's serious," Beth signed, giving Jessica a thoughtful look. "She's right, she's never acted interested in anybody."

Claire frowned. "That's so weird." Jessica winced and subconsciously shifted away from her friend.

Beth turned to give Claire a stern look. "We do plenty of weird things. We're not going to think any differently of Jessica for this…are we?"

Claire finally looked abashed. "No, of course not. Sorry. We love you, no matter who you like—or don't like." She gave Jessica a hug, which Jessica tentatively returned. Beth threw her arms around both of them. Jessica heaved a sigh of relief, glad to have found acceptance with her friends.

A/N: As an asexual aromantic myself, I am painfully aware that this is a topic widely plagued with ignorance and misconceptions, so if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to enlighten you.