Spencer sighed as he stepped off of his plane in Las Vegas. He’d popped into Hotch’s office that morning to ask for time off and Hotch had assured him it would be filed that day. He knew he was running. He wasn’t sure he could fault himself though. He should have known a relationship with JJ was a dream. He found himself surprisingly subdued as he waited for his luggage and hailed a cab. He was upset, yes, but not stupid enough to be blindsided by it.
“Where to?”
“Uh.. Bennington Sanitarium please.”
The cabbie raised an eyebrow. “You checking in?”
Spencer had no idea why he found that funny, but the corners of his mouth tipped up. “Visiting.”
“Not many people visit a sanitarium,” the cabbie said.
“I’m not most people.” It was clichéd, but true. He was a twenty-seven-year-old genius with an IQ of 187. His only friends were his colleagues, romantic entanglements, well, just weren’t his thing apparently. He sighed, pulling out his cell phone. Hotch would inevitably tell Emily where he was not just because they were in a relationship but because Emily worried about him like that.
Phone in hand, open and prepped to dial, Spencer leaned his head back against the seat, reflecting. He and Emily hadn’t gotten along when she’d first transferred. They’d butted heads over pretty much anything and everything. He’d never seen her struggle and she’d come into the team when the world seemed to be completely against him. In the long run though, Spencer had to admit, Emily’s transfer had turned out for the better. Emily stood by him. It had been Emily who had told him to look at Gideon’s letter differently. He trusted her with everything and unlike Penelope, Emily had an uncanny way of knowing when to ask questions and when to leave him be.
Still, he’d be a bad friend not to call her and reassure her he had arrived alright.
“Prentiss.”
“Hey Emily.”
“Hey,” Emily responded.
Spencer wasn’t surprised that there was only curiosity in her voice. “I’m in Vegas.”
“So I hear. Everything okay?”
He knew that if he asked, there would be no other questions. “I’m visiting my mother.”
“Good for you,” she said sincerely. “Thanks for calling. Let me know when you’re on your way home, okay?”
He sighed. “Yeah. Um… Thanks Emily.”
“Sure thing. Say ‘hi’ for us.”
He hung up. Emily worried way too much for a woman that worked the job they did. Maybe it was because she needed someone to fuss over, something he’d seen once she realized the team didn’t hate her in the slightest. Still, to him, she was the mother he’d been unfortunate enough not to have, not that he blamed his mother. He knew he could trust Emily with his whereabouts. He knew she probably had a pretty good idea as to why he was in Vegas to begin with and yet, she hadn’t asked him anything beyond whether or not he was okay.
“You look like someone just ran over your cat.”
“I don’t have a cat,” Spencer answered on reflex.
“Figure of speech, kid,” the cabbie responded with a chuckle. ”It’s about a girl, isn’t it?”
He’d forgotten that cabbies were often considered untrained psychologists. That didn’t stop the surprise from registering on his face.
“It’s always about a girl. Running or coming home?”
Spencer opened and closed his mouth a few times.
“Ah, running,” the man surmised. “Running scared or running hurt?”
“Hurt,” Spencer answered quietly.
“You look like a nice enough kid. What happened?”
“I ended it.”
“Brave.”
“Brave?” Spencer couldn’t remember if he’d ever been called brave in his life.
“Brave of you to end a relationship when you’re still in love with her.”
Spencer almost physically started.
“Her heart wasn’t in it huh? Too bad.”
He had no idea why he was talking to a Las Vegas cabbie about breaking up with JJ, nor did he have any idea of how the cabbie had managed to figure out what had happened. Spencer looked out at the passing scenery as they continued on. The cab fell silent, neither of them saying a word as Spencer let his mind wander, trying to get it off of JJ and the relationship he’d known had been doomed from the start. He’d taken a chance and he had no idea whether he regretted pursuing her or not. He had no idea what he thought about it. What he did know was that breaking up was the best choice after six months of uncertainty.
“Here we are.”
Spencer looked up at the sanitarium with a deep breath. It had been a long time since he’d visited his mother. He paid and thanked the cabbie and headed up to the doors, hoping a few days in Vegas would be exactly what he needed to clear his mind.
Penelope was still in a daze as she stepped into her bunker Monday morning. She’d spent the rest of her Sunday only half paying attention to a long list of movies. The other half of her attention had been focused on what Derek had said. Doubt was normal in her life, the story of her life, and it was very difficult to pull herself out of that funk, especially for Derek. They’d been friends so long and the change in his behavior and emotions towards her had come so close on the heels of her pregnancy news that Penelope had a very difficult time seeing the way he’s pursued his changing relationship with her as anything but obligation.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that it took the delicate clearing of a throat for Pen to realize there was someone else in the room. “Gosh, Jayje, you scared me!”
“Sorry,” JJ said, looking back to her laptop. “Do you mind if I work in here today?”
“If you tell me why,” Penelope bargained, setting her purse down. She’d noticed the tear streaks and red eyes JJ had been sporting when the younger blond had looked her way.
“I want to hide for the day,” JJ answered vaguely.
“Nuh uh, honey,” Penelope argued. “You’re going to have to give me more than that. Why are you avoiding the bullpen?”
“Same reason you are,” JJ guessed.
“You’re fishing,” Penelope accused, settling in her chair. “Come on, Jayje, talk to me.”
JJ’s breath was shaky when she inhaled. “We broke up.”
“You and Reid?”
“Yeah,” JJ sighed, watching Penelope log into the FBI system.
“I didn’t know you guys were having problems.”
“Pen, I don’t want to talk about it. Why can’t we all just be happy at the same time?”
“Karma,” Penelope responded almost immediately.
“What about you? You and Derek seemed perfectly happy Saturday night.”
“We all seemed happy Saturday night.”
“So you’re not going to tell me?”
Penelope sighed. “He stayed over.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“It was until the morning.”
JJ groaned. “Don’t tell me. You told him you were waiting for him to realize he could do better.”
Silence.
“Pen?”
“Mmhmm?”
“Well?”
“You told me not to tell you.”
“Penelope!” It was exasperating sometimes, dealing with her friend.
“What?”
“I thought we talked about this.”
“We did! But it’s easier said than done.”
“Not when it comes to Derek.”
“Especially when it comes to Derek. JJ don’t you get it? He’s probably the only person that could outright break my heart. I’m just preparing myself.”
“You’re being overly pessimistic,” JJ argued heatedly.
Penelope arched an eyebrow. “Is this a takes one to know one moment?”
The wind blew out of JJ’s sails and quickly. “I’m sorry. I just…”
“You’re looking out for your friends.”
“Yeah.”
“Me too.”
JJ sighed. “I think I was stupid.”
“You think?”
JJ slapped at her friend. “I just…”
“You listened to gossip.”
“How did you know?”
“I listen too,” Penelope replied, her tone obvious. “I have to.”
JJ shook her head. “I don’t understand how people can’t. I mean, with some of the things that have gone around about Emily and Hotch, especially after Christmas time…”
“Emily doesn’t listen to gossip. But she’s got training.”
JJ chuckled at that. “Politics has taught her a lot. What about Hotch?”
Penelope snorted. “The only person who knows anything about that man is Emily. And she can be pretty tight lipped when she wants to be.”
“I just need a break,” JJ said, bringing them back to the original topic of conversation. “I just need a break.”
“Honey, take all the time you need.”
The younger blond smiled affectionately at one of her best friends. “Thanks Pen.”
“Anytime Jayje.”