Meeting Her

This is just the first two of twenty plus chapters so far. I love this story and it seems to be telling itself through my fingers so I will keep writing it as long as the muse is still here. I now understand that we only get 10 items in our portfolio so please email me if you'd like a link to the rest of the story. Enjoy!

Meeting Her

They were all there with him. Had a hospital room ever had so many agents in it? Spencer Reid lay on the bed, his broken right arm and left leg in casts.

"Do you need anything, are you in any pain?" JJ asked him, her blue eyes dark with worry.

"I'm ok, thanks, but it itches..." Spencer replied.

"That'll teach you to try to ride without lessons, kid. You can't learn to sit a horse from a book," Morgan lectured.

"What were you thinking?" Hotch asked him, his face stern.

"You guys leave him alone, he's suffered enough." Emily chided, as she reached out and patted his good arm.

Garcia looked up from signing his cast with her purple marker, hearing a commotion just outside the room at the nurse's station.

"... I said Spencer Reid! Where is he, what room - " a woman's frantic voice reached them from the hall.

Reid's head whipped around and suddenly a bespectacled brunette whirlwind flew through the door, practically knocking Hotch down in her haste to reach the bed. She dropped her coat and purse on the floor and ran to his side, her hair flying. She gently touched his face, his chest, his arm, taking no notice of the agents in the room, her expression panicky. She reached to touch his face again as tears filled her eyes and she said "Spencey, what the hell? What happened? I told you to wait – did you try to ride that bastard Rum? I told you he was fractious!"

Spencer took her hand in his free one and said "Jaye, it's okay, I'm alright. Calm down honey... shhh". Spencer touched a finger to her lips.

You could've heard a pin drop in the room as JJ looked at Morgan and mouthed "Spencey?" Emily met and matched Hotch's look of surprise and Garcia just stood there holding her purple marker in the air, her mouth open in shock.

"How did you know where I was, how to find me?" Spencer asked her, pressing his forehead to hers.

"I called her," David Rossi said, getting up from the chair across the room. "Sorry Reid, didn't mean to bust your cover, but she woulda killed me if I didn't let her know."

Spencer didn't take his eyes off hers but said "It's fine, thanks, Rossi."

Dave said "Don't mention it. Come on guys, let's give the lovebirds a little privacy, shall we?" as he motioned for the team to leave the room.

"Thank you all, for being here for him." Jaye said quietly, her gaze never leaving Spencer's face.

JJ was the last to file out. She looked over her shoulder at the couple and said "You're welcome?"

Lovebirds? She saw Jaye lift Spence's hand to her lips and kiss his fingers and felt a stab in the pit of her stomach. She didn't like this, not one bit.

Reflection

Back at the BAU, JJ sat at her desk, fidgeting. She couldn't concentrate on her cases, and she definitely didn't want to be at work. All she could think about was Spence. She pushed the files aside and took her head in her hands.

How long had they been together? Why hadn't she known, why hadn't he told her? Part of her was angry that he didn't trust her enough, and part of her was actually... no... not jealous?

The realization hit her hard. How could that be? She loved Spence, no doubt, would die for him... but he was her dear friend, the godfather to her son, and... and she had Will! What was this? Why was she feeling this?

Nobody had talked about anything else on the way back to work from the hospital. The team were all jabbering and speculating, with Rossi setting everyone straight. Apparently he was the only one who had known all along.

No, she wasn't a genius but she was a doctor, a Veterinarian, and an accomplished horsewoman. She also had a Ph.D in Engineering, and her and Reid had met at a seminar several months ago. Reid had told Rossi the truth because he had guessed something was up, and confronted Spencer, who shyly told him the story. He had asked Rossi not to say anything until the budding relationship was on more solid ground, as he didn't want to be teased mercilessly over something that would just blow over. Yes, the petite brunette was apparently ga-ga over Spencer, loving his quirks and hanging on his every word, seemingly falling in love just as much with his incredible mind as who he really was inside. He seemed genuinely smitten with her in return, and they spent most of their off time together.

Through all of this, JJ remained quiet, listening. As everyone around her joked and laughed about their cluelessness, and talked about how cute the couple were together, Jennifer just felt... empty.

She jumped as her ringing desk phone startled her out of her reverie, and quickly answered it with “Agent Jareau.”

“Hey, JJ... it's me,” Spencer's quiet voice said. “I... I wanted to talk to you. You got a minute?”

JJ cleared her throat and said as calmly as she could “Sure, Spence. What's up?”

“I'm sorry I didn't tell you.”

JJ felt her heart rate speed up, her mouth going dry and she said “Oh... hey, that's - “

“I mean,” Spencer interrupted, “I didn't think much of it at first, and it's only been a few months and we just recently got kind of... serious. So I was going to tell you all, actually tomorrow, and then the stupid accident...” he trailed off.

JJ felt she should say something, but the only thing she could think of to say was “Are you happy?”

“I am. I think... yes.” Spencer answered. “We've been spending a lot of time together lately and she seems to really like me. We like a lot of the same things and... I feel pretty lucky, actually...” he finished.

JJ felt her eyes start to tear up (what the fuck?), but she said “She's the lucky one, Spence.”

“I don't know about that, but anyway, I just wanted to make sure that you weren't mad at me for not telling you sooner. You're not mad, are you?” Spencer's voice broke on the last part and so did her heart.

“I could never be mad at you. Not ever.” she paused. “Spence, look, I have to get back to it, okay? Let me know if you need anything, and we'll talk soon, alright?” She tried to sound bright and cheery around the pit in her stomach.

Spencer pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it, hearing something  weird in her voice. He decided he'd interrupted her work long enough. “Oh sure, sure! Sorry to keep you... I just -”

“Talk with you later,” she interrupted, and hung up the phone. She let her hand linger on the headset for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She wiped her eyes and attacked the pile of files in front of her, opening one and seeing nothing but a blur.


Morgan knocked on her door and poked his head in. “Okay if I come in?” The big man asked.

“Of course, always.” JJ made a show of shuffling some papers around and quickly wiped her eyes again, hoping he wouldn't notice.

“JJ, I'm just checking in here. I noticed you didn't say a word in the car, and you've been holed up in here since we got back. You okay?” He asked.

She made a face and said, “Yeah, why wouldn't I be?”

She couldn't seem to stop moving, putting pens in her desk, stacking files. Morgan touched her arm and she looked up at him, annoyed.

“Look I know you and Reid were... are close. It just seems like that back there at the hospital kind of threw you,” he said, honestly.

JJ made another irritated face and said “Well I'm worried about him, Morgan. Aren't we all? That horse gave him two broken bones!”

“JJ that's not what I mean and you know it. The girlfriend,” he said.

“I just want Spence to be happy. It's none of my business, otherwise. Or yours.”

JJ stood and grabbed her purse, needing to get out of that room. “Will you tell Hotch I took personal time for the rest of the day? Thanks.”

“Sure, I can do that. But what about -” he said.

She moved around Morgan and fled, taking the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. Chiding herself all the way down the stairwell, she felt like she couldn't breathe. “This is stupid! Get ahold of yourself,” she thought. Four flights down she stopped and sat, dropping her purse and covering her eyes as the tears came.

She didn't hear Morgan's soft approach over her own crying, so she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Busted. He'd caught her. Derek didn't say a word, just took her in his arms and let her go. She sobbed softly against his shoulder and said through her tears, “Don't tell him, Derek. Please don't.”

Derek patted her back as she cried and said “Lot of secrets being kept around here lately. But it's not my place to tell him. I think you should, when you're able.”

She shook her head no against his chest.

“He deserves that, JJ. You know he does. C'mon, I'll walk you out.”

JJ picked up her purse and wiped her eyes again, saying nothing as Morgan got her downstairs and out to her car. She got in without a word, embarrassed about her outburst, and drove away, leaving him standing there watching her go. He shook his head and turned to go inside, clapping his big hands together. “Back to work” he said to no one in particular.