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A/n thank you all for your kind support of this story. This is the last chapter, so please enjoy.

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Good thing there's a cold breeze, Reid thought as he exited I-95 north; three miles from Emily's apartment. The wind, blowing in from the passenger side window, was effectively rousing Emily from the half-conscious stupor he'd found her in after cleaning the mess in JJ's kitchen.

She turned her head and stared bleary eyed at him as he stopped at the next light. "What's going on?"

"Good, you're awake"

She reached up and pushed her hair away from her face, then rubbed at her eyes. She yawned hugely and fumbled for the handle to roll up the window.

"Leave it alone." Reid ordered.

"Excuse me."

He flicked his eyes over at her tone. "I said, leave it alone. It's doing a better job than I could, of clearing out your head."

She clutched both hands in her hair and groaned. "What happened? My head feels like a couple of elephants are dancing the tango on my brain."

Reid turned left when the green arrow appeared on the traffic light. "What do you mean, what happened? You and JJ showed up at her home three hours ago, completely blitzed and acting like a couple of teenagers."

Emily yelped as the rising sun hit the windshield. She clapped a hand over her eyes, reached for the sunshade, and yanked it down, while Reid calmly maneuvered the car down the tree-lined street.

"I don't remember," she groaned.

"I'm not surprised. JJ told me what you were drinking last night The alcohol content in Absinthe ranges all the way up to 148 proof. I'm surprised you could stand up this morning, much less remember anything that happened in the last twelve hours."

She fumbled in her purse and withdrew a pair of sunglasses, which almost slipped off the end of the nose when she put them on. She cursed, pushed them up with one finger and turned to look at Reid.

"You don't have to sound so irritated."

Reid kept his eyes on the road, despite the fact that his temper snapped like a small dog at her words. "No, I'm not irritated with you. Why would you say that?"

"I didn't know you could be so sarcastic."

He turned the car into the parking lot at Emily's apartment building. "I'm not in the mood, Emily. I've got to go back and pick up JJ for the race on little sleep, and after dealing with two drunken women and a three year old child, so excuse me if I'm not doing cartwheels of happiness right now."

Emily opened the door. "Fine, I'll leave you alone if I'm such an irritant."

She stumbled out of the car and nearly fell to the pavement. Her purse tumbled out, and scattered its contents all over the blacktop.

"Wait a minute," Reid shouted.

He hurried out of the car and around to where Emily tried gathering up her belongings. He knelt and swept up her wallet, a lipstick, a compact and small comb.

"Thanks," she gave him a small smile.

"Let's just get you home. We have to be at the finish line in a couple of hours."

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Katie held Henry's hand as they, entered the living room. JJ sat on the couch, with her head back and an ice pack on her forehead.

"How are you?"

"Mommy sick," Henry ran up to the couch and jumped into JJ's lap.

"Oh, be careful," JJ, scolded gently.

She shifted and glanced up at Katie. "Thanks for watching him while I cleaned up. I wish a hot shower could get rid of this hangover."

"You're looking a little better. You think you could handle something to eat."

JJ shook her head. "No, I'm not feeling that much better. Where's Spence?"

"He took Emily home. Don't you remember?"

"Unca Spence go home."

Katie smiled at Henry's little pout.

"He took Aunt Emily home because she was sick."

Henry petted the hair that hung over JJ's shoulders. "Emily and Mommy sick."

JJ kissed the top of his head. "Yes, but we'll be better soon. I promise, baby boy. I'm sorry I scared you."

Henry threw his arms around JJ's neck and smacked a kiss on her cheek. Tears welled up in her cobalt blue eyes. "I love mommy."

"Oh, baby boy, I love you too."

"He's so cute." Katie sighed. "I wish I had an adorable little guy like that."

JJ smiled and shifted Henry on her lap. "You're going to find the right guy one day."

"Speaking of men; Dr. Reid's drop dead gorgeous. How come you never told me?"

JJ stared at her friend, as a big smile formed on her face. "I didn't think it was important."

Katie, who dared to sit in Will's chair, smirked at her friend. "You didn't think it was important to mention that you work with a man that's gorgeous, good with kids, smart and too sweet for words."

JJ frowned. "Give me a break. My head is killing me."

Katie laughed and got up to lift Henry from JJ's lap. "Why don't you and I go play while mommy gets dressed?"

JJ stood up, smoothing down her robe. "Thanks for coming today. This day isn't going like I planned. I really thought Emily, Penelope and I would spend a couple of hours just hanging out. I didn't expect to end up drinking absinthe and getting cooked out of my mind."

"Is that what you were into? Jesus, do you want a hangover that'll kill a horse?"

"Katie."

Her friend put Henry on the ground. "Alright, I'm sorry I sounded preachy. At least tell me you didn't drive."

JJ put her hands on her hips and glared at her friend. "Of course we didn't," she denied indignantly. "We took cabs."

Katie got down on the carpet with Henry, who'd begun playing with his Optimus Prime Transformer Robot. "I'm glad to hear it. Go get dressed."

"Yes ma'am."

JJ was halfway to the living room entrance when she stopped and looked back. "So, you like Spence. I'll have to file that away for future use."

Katie's head peeked around the corner of the couch. "You don't scare me."

JJ laughed. "You say that only because I'm not at my best."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Well duh. I'm not totally stupid."

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JJ was dressed and had just finished more fresh fruit juice when the doorbell chimed.

"Jeez, does the doorbell have to be so loud."

"I'll get it."

Katie breezed by like a ray of sunshine. JJ glared at her. "Show off," she mumbled irritably.

Katie wiggled her eyebrows. "I didn't get smashed last night."

"Kiss my ass."

Katie laughed aloud. "Good one," she commented and pulled open the door.

"Hello Dr. Reid."

She all but purred at him as he entered with Emily right behind him. JJ rolled her eyes, and Emily lifted her eyebrows in question. JJ shook her head, as Spencer ignored them in favor of staring at Katie like she was from another planet.

"Hi," he said at last, waving at her at from a safe distance.

Katie covered that safe distance in no time, and took his arm. "JJ needs a little more time to get it together before you leave and I have something to ask you."

"What?"

JJ clapped both hands over her ears. "Do you have to do that?"

He finally realized he was still standing in her entryway with three women staring at him. "What did I do.?"

"You're squeaking. It grates on the ears."

Emily nodded and held her head like it might fall off her shoulders. "Yeah, stop it."

"Don't listen to them. It's cute."

Reid gaped at Katie. "I don't -"

"So Spencer, I know you promised to go to this race with the others, but I was wondering if you and I could get together sometime."

He wondered if he'd heard her right. Did she just ask me out? Girls don't ask me out it must be a mistake.

Emily and JJ were both smirking at him now, as if his predicament had made them forget their hangovers.

What do I say in front of them? They'll never let me live it down if I say no. What if they tell Morgan? Oh man, I'm so screwed if they do and I say no. She's very attractive, though. Maybe I should say yes. Her body language is telling me that she sincere and so -

He shut off his brain and stared at this woman with her dark brown hair that fell over her shoulders in waves. His fingers longed to touch it. She had beautiful dark eyes that nearly matched the color of her hair, and a curvy figure. She wasn't skinny like most girls. He liked the way the blue jeans she wore hugged her hips. He bet she was soft to hold.

"Hey, wake up, Spence."

He yanked his eyes away from Katie with visible effort. JJ and Emily were still staring at him along with Katie who resembled the cat the swallowed the canary. He'd never understood that saying until right then.

Make up your mind before they think you've lost your ability to speak. Take a chance, Spencer Reid for once in your life, with someone outside the job. Who knows, maybe she'll understand.

He shut JJ and Emily out of his mind and took a chance. "Yeah, I'd like that very much."

"Now that that's over, can we go?"

Reid flicked his eyes over to JJ who still smirked at him. "In a minute, I have business with Katie."

He led her into the living room, leaving JJ and Emily with headaches the size of Kansas and smiles on their faces.

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Emily and JJ flanked Reid as they headed for the cars after Hotch finished the race. Everyone was headed for food and he was starved.

"Hey, Spence," JJ began.

"I don't want to hear it."

"You don't know what I'm going to say."

He looked over at her with her hunched posture, sunglasses and her haggard face. "Alright, get it over with," he said.

"I'm not going to tease you about Katie, if that's what you're thinking."

"Yeah," Emily agreed.

"What it is then?"

JJ glanced over at Emily. "We both wanted to tell you that we're sorry for this morning and for everything."

"I know that, I'm not mad at you about leaving me alone all night with Henry. He's a great kid. I'm just upset that you scared him."

JJ hung her head. "It was stupid I know. I guess in the back of my mind I knew that as long as you were there, everything would be alright."

The crossed under a couple of leafless elm trees and started up a grassy hill to the parking lot.

"Yeah, we take you for granted and we're sorry," Emily stated taking one of his arms.

"Guys, it's okay. Really, I'm alright."

"You got something good out of this deal."

Reid looked over at a smirking JJ. "What's that?"

"You got a date."

"Shh…"

He looked at Morgan who was several paces ahead of them and absorbed in guiding a hung over Penelope to his SUV.

"Don't worry, we won't say anything."

He looked back at Emily who was crossing her heart like a kid in school.

"Yeah, we swear," JJ, said solemnly.

He looked up at the late winter sky and sighed. Something told him the next few weeks were going to be interesting.

THE END