A couple of days later

"He was so shy when he asked me out, as if he was afraid I was going to say no," Shawnda told her godmother. "He relaxed completely when I immediately said yes. I think he probably feared rejection."

When Shonda had heard the news that her goddaughter had met her mate she was very happy and excited for her.

"He's probably not the type that often asks a woman he likes for a date," Shonda told her goddaughter in a fond tone. "He's likely very intelligent as they don't just hand out degrees to be a veterinarian. He would've had to really study and learn all he could. My point is though, that really intelligent people often have trouble in one area or another sometimes with the opposite sex. They're often loners without any friends or at least not many. They have trouble finding acceptance from people who are less intelligent, because they often spout off with what they know where they come off as a know it all. They often can't help it. People are often judgemental you know that. That's probably happened to your mate more than once in his life. Asking you out like he did must mean he really, really likes you and so managed to overcome his shyness enough to ask you to dinner, which is probably a pretty big step for someone like him."

"Well, since he is my mate it's a good thing he likes me so much," Shawnda said with a grin. "Our first date went really well I thought and I had to ask him for another one as he was sure I wouldn't be willing to go out with him again so didn't bother to ask. I suspect he's been rejected, probably multiple times and probably nastily, so you're probably right when you said that it was a big step for him to ask me out."

"So what did he say when you actually asked him out for a second date?" Shonda ask curiously.

"He was rather surprised as he figured that I wouldn't want to go out with him again, but he accepted and we had a good time on that date to," Shawnda said.

"So where are you taking him on your next date?" Shonda asked. "I'm assuming there is going to be a third."

"Of course there is!" Shawnda exclaimed. "He is my mate after all, even if he doesn't know it yet. As for where I'm taking him, he's really into science, so I thought I'd take him to a science lecture at the University. I think he'll enjoy it, as he tries to keep up with all the new advances that they make and not just in veterinary medicine."

"That sounds right up your alley," Shonda said knowing her goddaughter was really intelligent like her parents and sometimes liked to go to lectures of one type or another just to learn something new and interesting.

Besides, when you were immortal it was sometimes hard not to be bored, especially when you had no mate of your own. Even with a mate it was good to get out of your comfort zone sometimes. She hadn't often been bored, not with Aaron in her life anyway, but it did happen occasionally. Usually when they were between children.

"Why don't you go see your nieces and nephews before you go," Shonda suggested.

Shonda had five children at present that were under age. While the Rossis had three. While the Hotchner children weren't really Shawnda's nieces and nephews they were referred to that way as they were close, even if they weren't blood related.

"Be happy to, but I left my dog on his own and I really need to get back," Shawnda said. "I'm gonna have to get someone to watch him if I'm gone for hours since he has that broken leg and is still recovering from the surgery."

"Poor doggie," Shonda said sympathetically.

"Yeah poor Mocha," Shawnda agreed.

"That's a cute name," Shonda said.

"Thank you, I thought so," Shawnda grinned. "He's mostly brown with black patches, which is how he ended up with a name like Mocha, since it means brown and it's certainly more original then brownie."

"True that, though I know it's hard to come up with an original name for your new pet," Shonda said. "You know you probably need to get one of those dog crates for Mocha at least until he heals up so he won't be able to move around too much."

"I hate to do that as it seems more like a prison, but I suppose I should as we don't want him to hurt himself again," Shawnda said.

"Mocha is lucky he survived," Shonda said and her goddaughter nodded in agreement.

"Yes, he is," Shawnda agreed with heartfelt emotion. "I've got to get going. I'll try to pick up a crate sometime in the next couple of days. He also needs to be housebroken so he doesn't pee in my apartment."

"Once he heals up you probably need to take him to those dog obedience classes," Shonda suggested.

"Already in the plans," Shawnda grinned.

"Thanks for stopping by and I'm only sorry Aaron wasn't here," Shonda said.

"I'll be back to visit sometime in a few days," Shawnda promised kissing her godmother on the cheek.

"Aaron and I are always happy to see you you know that sweetie," Shonda said.

"Yeah, I do," Shawnda grinned before heading up to see the children before she left.

~~~Shawnda and Spencer~~~

Months later

"I think it's time to tell Spencer about immortality, but I'm gonna need help," Shawnda told her parents as well as the Hotchners as they were all gathered together in the den of the Rossi house. "He just proposed you see, which shocked the hell out of me, as I didn't think he would do it. I figured I'd have to propose to him at some point, but he seems to have gained his courage since we've been dating.

"You know we'll help if we can," Aaron said wanting his goddaughter to be as happy as he was with Shonda. "This Spencer you've been telling us about appears not to be magical or any other supernatural species. He appears to be completely human."

"Which means it's going to be pretty difficult to tell him about immortality and get him to believe it," Jazz said agreeing with Aaron. "Telling a human is going to be more difficult than telling someone like me and Shonda. We were magical and in some ways we're similar to immortals in the fact that we have mates so we accepted the news easier than most anyone else would have.

"So what do you want us to do?" Dave asked his daughter looking faintly worried. "He should accept it easier than most people would, because that's one of the things that makes him your mate. I'm not saying he won't be shocked, but he should accept the fact that you're immortal and that you also have magic without to much trouble."

"The problem is, is he's very logical and scientific, he's probably going to argue there is no such thing as immortality or magic for that matter can possibly exist," Shawnda said. "Yes, he loves me, but his brain is still likely going to argue with him."

"You think he's going to try to insert logic into the situation, which defies logic," Shonda said in understanding. "You believe he's going to go by logic. Logic that says that magic or immortality can't possibly be real. You think you'll reject you, even though he just proposed and break off the engagement."

"So I hope you have a plan, as we don't want him to reject you just because he's so logical. He's probably not one to accept that supernatural things can and do exist," Aaron said.

"Understatement of the decade Uncle Aaron," Shawnda snorted sarcastically. "I love him to death, but he's likely gonna let logic interfere with his feelings, as it's just the way he's made. This is something we need to prevent if we can."

"I'll make a decadent dessert and add an extra dose of magic to it," Jazz said. "A dose of magic should hopefully make things easier to accept for him."

"That's not a bad idea mom," Shawnda said, "so long as it doesn't backfire on us."

"It will simply enhance his positive emotions honey. You know what my magic does to people who eat my treats."

Shawnda nodded, because her mother's magic came out in the deserts she baked. It helped people realize that it was stress that caused them to argue. Like if they were planning a big event like a wedding and that was what was causing the constant arguing. That was just one example out of many.

"I would like all of you to be there when I explain it to him," Shawnda requested. "I was thinking we could do it over dinner here at the house. We can say it's for our engagement, so he can meet the family."

"Yes, it is better if we tell him our secret in private," Dave said gravely worrying for his daughter's future happiness. He knew everybody else was too without even having to ask. Once you found your mate you would never be happy again if they rejected you. While Dave had never met this Spencer Reid, Shawnda said he was logical and that could cause problems when they told him what they were.

Hopefully, Jazz's dessert would have the effect they wanted making Spencer accept their explanation easier simply because he loved Shawnda. Dave only hoped that Jazz's dessert made Spencer realize that he did love Shawnda.

"We'll be here for you," Shonda said looking at Aaron who nodded his expression as grave as she had ever seen it. "We'll do our best to get your mate to accept our explanation. Hopefully, without too much drama. Congratulations on your engagement by the way."

"Thank you for that. Hopefully, Spencer won't break things off when we try to explain what we are to him. By the way, are you sure you're talking about this family?" Shawnda asked her godmother with a mischievous grin. "We thrive on drama."

"Absolutely true," Dave snorted in amusement. "It does make things a little less boring when it happens at least for awhile. Don't worry so much Shawnda about your mate breaking it off. If we have to knock him upside the head until he accepts then we will."

"Absolutely," Jazz agreed with Dave. "We'll keep him here until he accepts it. We won't let his logical brain overcome his feelings for you."

Everybody continued to discuss it for a few minutes and it was finally decided that the dinner would take place in the dining room here without the children present. For one thing they should be too old to have children as young as theirs so the nanny was going to watch them until Spencer was told the truth. The nanny would be glad to do it, as she was simply part of the family.

~~~Shawnda and Spencer~~~

The next night

Spencer was nervous about meeting his fiancée's family. Shawnda had assured him they would love him because she did. Spencer wasn't too sure about that, as his own father hadn't loved him after all, but he said nothing as he didn't want to disappoint his fiancée by being a coward. He knew he would have to meet them eventually, which was why he was here as he figured he could get it out-of-the-way. He would likely never have to see them again after this, which was why it was good to get the first meeting out-of-the-way.

He rang the doorbell precisely on time and it was opened by an older man. "You must be Spencer. I'm David Rossi, Shawnda's father."

David Rossi didn't look old enough to have a 30 year old daughter Spencer thought, but then, he knew they were numerous ways to look young in this century. Still, David Rossi despite the gray in his hair and his beard did not look old enough to have a daughter Shawnda's age

"It's nice to meet you sir," Spencer said politely shaking Dave's hand trying to hide his nervousness. Spencer noticed that Dave's hands didn't look aged with winkles or liver spots. They were the hands of a much younger man but then some people aged well and apparently his future father-in-law was one of them.

"Come in," Dave said and Spencer entered the home of Shawnda's parents. "Everybody is in the living room. If you'll follow me."

The home was fairly large, especially for just two people, but Spencer was assuming that Shawnda had grown up here along with her siblings who would also be grown-up now, so at one point this large home had been full of children running down the halls their laughter ringing in the air.

Spencer couldn't help but be wishful because he had been an only child and he would've loved to have had a sibling, though with his luck that sibling would have turned out just like his father. In other words, uncaring, rude, condensing and arrogant.

Dave led Spencer to the living room that was just off the front hall and escorted him inside where everybody was already waiting.

Dave gestured him to the love seat where Shawnda was already sitting and so Spencer sat down.

"Everyone this is Spencer Reid, Shawnda's fiancé. Spencer this is my wife Jazzlyn and our good friends and Shawnda's godparents Aaron and Shonda Hotchner."

"It's nice to meet you," Spencer said, as he rose and shook hands with everyone politely.

"It's certainly nice to finally meet you Spencer," Jazz told the nervous young man. "We've heard a lot about you from Shawnda over the last few months."

"She's hardly mentioned her family at all," Spencer said not realizing that there was a reason for that even as he spoke.

"Well you'll learn more about us now son," David Rossi spoke. "You'll soon become family since you proposed to Shawnda just the other day. You can call me Dave and my wife is Jazz."

"I am Aaron and my wife is Shonda," Aaron added.

"There's no reason to be so formal. Not among family," Shonda told him.

Spencer was rather amazed at the acceptance considering his own father couldn't accept his son for who he was.

"We can talk over dinner as we wouldn't want it to get cold," Jazz said rising to her feet. "Come on everyone. I didn't cook dinner just for you guys to let it spoil."

"That would be a tragedy," Shawnda joked lightheartedly, as she rose to her feet taking Spencer's hand, "Come on Spence. You're in for a treat. My mother is a terrific cook."

"What about me?" Dave asked his daughter with a raised eyebrow and twinkling eyes.

"All right, all right. I'll give credit where it's due. Both of you are terrific cooks," Shawnda said with a grin

"That's better," Dave said with a chuckle, as they entered the dining room.

Spencer saw the table spread with food at one end. The table was large as if it was made for more people and it probably was. At one time he had no doubt, that Shawnda and her siblings had sat at the table to share dinner with their parents.

"You sit here Spence," Shawnda indicated a place that was right beside her on one side of the table.

Spencer did so and watched as Dave held out a chair for his wife while Aaron did the same for his. Apparently, the family was big on old-fashioned manners that most people didn't observe anymore.

Jazz started to serve herself. Apparently, they didn't have servants or a droid. "Just grab a plate and get what you want," Shawnda instructed.

"That's just the way we do things around here," Jazz told Spencer after having filled her own plate.

"No droids or human servants?" Spencer asked curiously.

"No, we prefer to do for ourselves," Dave said not telling the Spencer the reason they did.

"We could have droid, I suppose," Jazz said as she enjoyed her dinner. "On the other hand, we never needed one as the only people we ever have over are family and friends and they are perfectly capable of serving themselves. We don't stand on ceremony, not with family."

Spencer thought this family was pretty unusual from what he knew of the high class. They had no servants or droids either, as they simply did for themselves.

"Don't fill up Spencer. My mother did a terrific dessert and you need to leave room for that," Shawnda told her fiancé.

"You don't want to miss Jazz's desserts," Shonda added with a smile. "Trust me on that. She owns a bakery and there's always a line outside the door every day she opens and that ought to tell you something about how popular the place is."

"I'll have to save room then," Spencer said with a smile. He couldn't wait to try one of Shawnda's mother's desserts if they were really that good.

"You'll regret it if you don't, because I know how you feel about chocolate and it's chocolate eclairs, except their homemade and not bought in a store," Shawnda informed him.

"And they're filled with Bavarian cream," Dave said. "Believe me, they're great, seriously great."

"You've already had your dessert honey," Jazz told Dave with a smile. "Save them for everyone else who hasn't had any."

"Oh well, it's not like I don't get delicious desserts on a regular basis," Dave shrugged philosophically. "There are some advantages being married to a baker."

"I'd say so," Spencer said, as he listened to the conversation not saying much. "So can you cook like your mother?" he asked Shawnda.

"I'm not as good as my mother, especially when it comes to desserts, but I won't say I'm bad either," Shawnda answered.

"You cook just fine honey," Jazz told her daughter. "Don't downplay your talent in the kitchen."

"Never be as good as you are mom," Shawnda said loyally.

What Shawnda didn't say was that she didn't have her mother's talent to be a bakery witch. Some of her siblings had gotten that talent, but she had not, which had disappointed her mother for a long time. Jazz had known that it was not likely that all her children would inherit her talent as a bakery witch as genetics just didn't work that way.

"I think you're a fine cook," Aaron told his goddaughter. "Don't put down your talent. Believe me, I've eaten in restaurants that don't cook as well as you do."

"I totally agree with that," Dave supported Aaron, "Shawnda is a fine cook and will make Spencer very happy I'm sure."

"That would be good, as I eat out all the time," Spencer admitted. "I've never been much of a cook, I'm afraid."

Spencer watched the byplay in fascination. There was an undercurrent of something that wasn't being said though he had no idea of what.

"Your mother never tried to teach you?" Shawnda asked.

"She was a university professor," Spencer answered. "She died when I was really young. I was around 10 or so when that happened."

"I won't say that's too young to learn to cook, but most 10 year olds don't have an interest at that age," Shonda commented.

"I was more into reading," Spencer said. "Stuff that wasn't appropriate for a child."

"What kind of things? Girly magazines," Shawnda teased him and Spencer shook his head smiling, even as he blushed.

"That kind of thing never interested me. I'm talking about the same stuff that my mother taught in her university classes. She was a literature professor before her death. She adored literature from the 15th and 16th centuries in particular. Stuff not really appropriate for a boy my age at the time."

"I'm sorry your mother passed away," Dave told Spencer who nodded in appreciation. "It's clear you loved her very much."

"I did," Spencer agreed soberly. "She was always there for me until she died. She was pregnant with my brother at the time. She walked in on two college age boys who were holding some of the teachers and students hostage and got caught in the crossfire. Quite a few people were killed."

"So where did this happen?" Shawnda asked.

"At Las Vegas university where my mother taught," Spencer answered.

"What happened to your mother was definitely a tragedy," Aaron told Spencer sympathetically, "but bad things happen to good people."

"I'm well aware of it," Spencer said. "It is the reason I'm an only child though."

"I hope those young men went to prison to contemplate their life choices," Dave said. "For that to happen at a school..."

"The students were charged with the murder of my mother and also my brother, even though he hadn't been born yet as well as the death of everybody that died. The only good to come out of it was that stricter security measures were put into place after that tragedy."

"I think it's time for dessert," Jazz announced once everybody had finished eating. "I hope you all left room for the eclairs."

"Of course we did mom," Shawnda told her mother with a smile. "None of us would miss out on one of your desserts."

"That's true," Shonda told her best friend. "If I ate as many of your desserts as I wanted to I'd weigh 300 pounds or more."

Since Shonda's figure was slender it probably meant she exercised, Spencer thought. She definitely wasn't overweight.

Jazz came back in just a minute with a plate of eclairs and there was more than enough for even Dave to have another one if he wanted. Jazz passed out small dessert plates to everybody and Spencer took an eclair. Spencer took a bite of the desert and nearly moaned as the rich chocolate hit his tongue and with the combination of Bavarian cream it was the best éclair he never had. The pastry was also nice and flaky and the chocolate chips buried in the cream at one end gave it a nice contrast.

"Nobody was kidding that you are a great baker. This is seriously spectacular," Spencer told Jazz.

"Want another?" Jazz offered holding out the plate of eclairs.

"No thank you, I'm stuffed," Spencer said. "I'm not used to eating such big meals, so I feel like you can just roll me out of here."

"That's true, he eats like a bird whenever we go out to a restaurant," said Shawnda. "It's clear to me why he's so skinny and it's not only his metabolism. I've been trying to change that, but he hasn't been cooperating with me."

"I've never been a big eater," Spencer shrugged.

"You're also underweight for your body size," Jazz told Spencer.

"I'll soon gain weight if I keep eating like I did tonight," Spencer said.

"Why don't we head back to the living room," Dave suggested. "We'll worry about the dishes later."

Everybody trooped back to the living room and sat down in their previous spots.

~~~Shawnda and Spencer~~~