Criminal Minds 1. Chapter 1

Hey all! It's been too long... but it's been a crazy month for me. Work has been insane and my Dad's been in the hospital. He's going to be okay - but it was more than a little bit scary and things were touch and go at first.

I know, I know I should be working on The Road Before Us, Though the Road Was Never Smooth, or Use Your Illusion... don't worry I am. I'm working on chapters 24 of The Road Before Us and Though The Road Was Never Smooth as we speak... and then it's off to chapter 5 of Use Your Illusion.

This story, as you may or may not have guessed based on the name, is an off shoot of the The Roads Series. It's the story of Jason Brendan Reid's journey and adventures through the multi-verse... and I am open to prompts and suggestions for future chapters - just putting it out there!

And now, without further adieu, what you came here for...

Happy reading and enjoy :D

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><p><em>Unless a man undertakes more than he possibly can do, he will never do all that he can.<em> - Henry Drummond

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><p>Jason Brendan Reid smiled as he sat on the bench waiting for his next assignment, reminiscing as had become a habit for him now after all of the different realities he'd visited and altered.<p>

The universe was an endless expanse of a thing and when he'd first started this mission after hugging and kissing her mother goodbye where she sat seated on the bathroom floor after her own experience with the multi-verse, he'd wondered how he would ever begin to work his way through all of the different realities. Then he'd realized that since the multi-verse was a place where everything that could happen, did happen, he wouldn't need to visit every reality. He could exclude the realities where his parents, JJ and Spencer, were already together and he could exclude the realities where they'd never been born or didn't exist. The only universes he needed to worry about visiting were the ones that needed correcting, the universes where his parents were unhappy and suffering separately, the universes where they hadn't met yet or were at risk of missing their opportunity to meet, the universes where it looked like perhaps their chance might have passed them by. Those were the places that he could put things in motion and set his parents on the right course.

Jason snickered at the thought. "I'm sure my sisters are laughing somewhere that this project essentially boils down to me being a multi-verse matchmaker for our parents." He said to himself with a shake of his head. Then he relaxed back against the bench and thought of all the times he's set his parents up, whether they knew it or not.


	2. Chapter 2

Aaaaaaaaaaand here's chapter 2... also - I still don't own it. I planned to steal it over the holidays this winter... but the freakishly cold and snowy winter stopped me in my tracks and caused me to have to bundle up in blankets at home. Drats... foiled again.

Happy reading and enjoy :D

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><p><em>For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest words are these: "It might have been."<em> - John Greenleaf Whittier

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><p>Jason smiled as he stepped out of the ether and into the control booth at FedEx field. It was going to be a good game. He'd done his homework; after all he was the son of Dr. Spencer Reid, how could he not do his homework? October 23, 2005. The Redskins played the San Francisco 49s beating then soundly 52 to 17. His mother would be over joyed at her team's victory… even more so considering that Dad had received tickets from Gideon for his birthday and asked her join him.<p>

Jason shook himself out of his reverie. He had some work to do if he wanted his parents date to the football game to turn out differently this time than it had originally. He sat down in the control booth chair and rolled up his sleeves as he familiarized himself with the equipment, keeping an eye on the clock so that he would be ready for another crucial part of his plan.

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><p>"Spence its fine. You've never been to a football game before so I understand you not knowing that it was okay to dress down. Besides," JJ said as they fought their way through the crowds streaming from the parking lots towards the gates of the stadium, "I think you look adorable in your sweater vest… you might be a little bit out of place, but you look good." She said with a shy smile as she reached out and brushed a stray piece of lint off of Spence's shoulder. She paused smiling up at Spence as she rested her hand on his shoulder.<p>

"JJ?" Spence sputtered nervously as he glanced from her hand on his shoulder to the soft smile on her face and her big blue eyes turned up at him. He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as willed himself to continue breathing as their eyes met.

"Spence?" JJ whispered softly in reply, hoping that he was going to lean down and just kiss her.

"We should um, get inside to the uh game." He replied, nodding in direction of the stadium.

"Oh… yeah… the game." JJ responded turned to look over her shoulder and then falling into step beside Spence.

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><p>"So," JJ asked as she held the hot dogs while Spence carried their beers, "where are our seats at?"<p>

"Uh section 101, row 2, seats 1 and 2." Spence replied using his eidetic memory to recall the seat numbers from the tickets.

JJ stopped and stepped off to the side. "Spence those are VIP box tickets." She explained in shock.

"Yeah," Spence nodded, "Gideon mentioned that when I opened the box… but I don't really know what that mea… oomph." Spence exclaimed as he was bumped from behind.

"Oh man, I am sooo sorry." Jason apologized, knowing all the while this had been part of his plan. If his Dad didn't have beer in a cup, it would be harder to spill. Hopefully no spilt beer would mean Mom would be successful in trying to hold his hand… and his other part of the plan would be successful as well.

JJ's eyes widened and she quickly reached out pressing the napkins she held in her hands to Spence's sweater vest attempting to minimize the damage as most of their beers ran down his chest.

"Oh… not cool man… not cool at all." Jason said as he took in the soaking wet front of his father's sweater vest and shirt. "Dude, let me buy you a shirt or something… it's going to be uncomfortable as hell to watch the game in that… and while I'm at it the least I can do is buy you and your girl a replacement beer.

JJ smiled; the face of the kind stranger in front of them reminded her of someone… but she couldn't think who… "Thank you."

"I…yeah… thank you." Spence said in a very distracted tone with JJ's hand on his chest, to the kind stranger in front of them.

"No worries, besides, it was my fault anyway. I should really watch where I'm going more. I get a little too caught up in what's going on in my head; my Mom says I totally take after my Dad like that." Jason grinned, unable to resist a little inside joke of his own as he stood talking to his parents. "Okay… let's get you a new shirt man." He said clapping his Dad on the shoulder. "I'm Jason by the way." He said as he held out his hand.

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><p>JJ stood outside the men's room waiting for Spence and holding their beers and hot dogs while he changed out of his beer soaked sweater vest, shirt, and tie and into the shirt Jason had bought as a replacement for him. "Hey Spence," she called out as she recognized his familiar head above the others coming out of the rest room. Then the crowd parted and she saw him in a Redskins jersey. "Looking good Dr. Reid."<p>

"Yeah?" Spence asked nervously, his hands smoothing over the jersey, the lightweight material feeling strange as he was used to being in shirts, ties, and sweaters as well as the occasional polo shirt. Such casual clothing felt awkward on his body.

"Very much so," JJ replied, "but we should get to our seats."

"Right, our seats." Spence said as he reached out taking the beer bottles from JJ and heading for their seats.

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><p>JJ turned to Spence partway through the first quarter, "I have to say you know a lot more about football than I thought you would."<p>

"I, um, spent some time reading up on football the last couple of weeks. I wanted to have an idea of what we'd be going to see. Before that I didn't know anything about football… but I heard what a big fan of football you are so…" he shrugged.

JJ smiled, finding it endearing that Spence had taken the time to find out about football instead of just coming to game. This might be the only football game he would ever attend, and yet he'd taken the time to find out about the sport. She set her hand on top of his on the arm rest their seats shared, her fingers sliding underneath his hand and across his palm as she turned his hand.

Spence jerked at the unexpected feeling of JJ's hand on his own. He lurched forward in his seat. The hand holding his beer flew up from his knee in surprise. If the beer had been in a cup instead of a bottle, the fan in front of him would have been wearing his beer; luckily for that fan, Jason had purchased them bottles of beer not cups.

JJ watched Spence set his beer in the cup holder as she slipped her fingers between his, interlocking their fingers. She smiled as he turned to face her, her thumb stroking lightly over the back of his hand. Then she squeezed her fingers and waited to see his response as she watched his eyes.

Spence's eyes widened as he realized that JJ hadn't been searching for the arm rest. She was holding his hand. He squeezed back.

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><p>Jason smiled as he sat in the control booth scanning the crowd. Seeing that his parents were holding hands, he nodded his head realizing that it was time. He prepared the kiss cam logo to appear on the screen and started to work his way through the crowd, picking out couples hovering until said couples realized they were on camera.<p>

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><p>As the thunderous cheering settled down from the most recent touchdown and extra point kick, JJ and Spence settled back in their seats. This time it was Spence that reached for JJ's hand, enjoying the feel of her smaller hand in his as they watched the teams on the field set up for the kick off and return.<p>

JJ glanced up at the jumbotron screen at the aww sound from the woman seated next to her. She smiled at the sight of the couple captured on screen by the kiss cam. Then her eyes widened in surprise as she saw herself and Spence on the screen.

Spence turned to look at JJ as she nudged him and was caught off guard as she leaned across the arm rest between them and kissed him. He got lost in the sensation of her palm cupping his cheek; her fingers running through his hair; the softness of her lips; and the way her nose brushed against his as he closed his eyes.

JJ moaned softly as she pulled back, wanting nothing more to continue kissing Spence, but also knowing that they were in a public place and needed to stop... for now. "So Spence, what should we do for our second date?" JJ asked with a smile on her face as her eyes met Spence's.

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><p>"And my work here is done." Jason said with a smile as he stood up and slipped back into the ether and on to the next universe.<p> 


End file.
