Detecting a Pattern

[matilda3948]

This story is a "thank you" offering to kristen who has been writing such deliciously yummy Criminal Minds fiction this week. Thank you for your efforts, sugar!

So here is a C.M. story featuring a head cold-stricken Spencer Reid. (I don't own or profit from C.M...blah blah).

He could do it. He just needed more time. The pieces were all there in front of him but he just couldn't see the connection yet. Spencer Reid stood in front of a white board at the local police station in a small Wyoming town. The team had been called in after police found three bodies with seemingly random numbers and symbols written all over their arms and legs. Except the BAU, and Reid in particular, didn't think the markings were random. He was positive they meant something and that the something would lead them to the unsub. Trouble was, Reid couldn't figure out the connection and he'd been staring at the board for hours. He sniffed and rubbed the back of his wrist against his nose. The fact that he had a cold wasn't making concentrating any easier.

When he'd showed up at the BAU that morning it was clear he was ill. He'd been up half the night sneezing and sniffling his way through an entire box of Kleenex. His nose was red and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"Hey kid, you know it's okay to call in sick, right?" Morgan asked as Reid slumped into his desk.

"I'b fide," he said. Hihhigxt!! He pinched his nose shut and stifled a sneeze.

"You don't sound fide" Morgan teased. "Seriously, just take a day off. It's not like we've got an active case or anything."

"Not so fast," JJ said as she came walking across the bullpen waiving a manilla file folder at them. She was on her way to talk to Hotch but came to a dead stop as soon as she saw Reid. "Spence, you okay?" she asked. "You look, um, not quite yourself."

"Just a little tired," he said. She looked at Morgan who just shrugged.

"If you say so," she said and walked up the stairs to Hotch's office. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," he said.

"Sir, I think I've got a case," she said and handed him the folder. He looked it over and nodded. "Assemble the team in ten minutes?" She nodded and left the office. "Conference room in ten" she called out to her teammates and then went back to her office to get the rest of them their copies. Reid took this as an opportunity to go to the bathroom and try and pull himself together before their meeting. He grabbed a handful of paper towels and blew his nose several times. Although it felt good to relieve some of the congestion, it made his nose itch terribly. Ihh…hihh…Hihhtchheew! hih heh HehIHHTCHHEEW!! He grabbed more paper towels and blew his nose again. Then he splashed some cold water on his face and looked himself over in the mirror. He didn't look great but he figured he could get through the meeting and sleep on the plane. He was next to last coming into the conference room and took a seat near the back. Thankfully the group didn't stop chatting and Reid was able to pick up the file at his place and just begin reading. Hotch came in a moment later and JJ began describing the case. They talked M.O. and victimology for a few moments before Hotch asked,

"Reid, any idea what these numbers and symbols mean?" It was the first time Reid had made eye contact with Hotch since he'd come in and he immediately noticed the Unit Chief's eyes narrow slightly as he finally took in how pale Reid was.

"Uh, at first glance there doesn't seem to be any perceptible pattern that I can see. Right now they just seem to be random markings. I'll need to spend some more time analyzing them to find the pattern."

"If there is a pattern," Rossi added.

"I think there is," Reid said. "I don't know why but something...something about this just doesn't seem random." He silently prayed Hotch wouldn’t ask him to elaborate. His nose was beginning to itch again and he wasn’t sure he could get through another sentence without sneezing.

"Okay. Wheels up in thirty." Hotch said. "Reid, a moment?" he added as the team disbursed. Spencer could never help but feel like he was being called into the principal's office when Hotch asked to speak with him alone. As soon as the rest of the team had left, Hotch stepped in front of him. "You feel up to going on this one? You don't look well." He didn’t even get a chance to answer before the itch that had been building in his nose blossomed into a sneeze. He spun away from Hotch and sneezed into the bend of his arm. Ihhhtchshh!! “Bless you,” Hotch said.

“Thank you. I'm fine," Reid said in answer to his boss’ earlier question about going on the case. Aaron didn’t answer right away and Reid felt himself blush under the intensity of Hotch’s gaze. No wonder unsubs cracked under interrogation, Reid thought. "I’m just a little under the weather."

"It's fine if you'd rather stay in DC. I'm sure Garcia could easily set you up to work either from here or from your apartment."

"Sir, I appreciate the offer but it's not necessary." Hotch frowned. He clearly had reservations about letting his obviously sick agent travel with them but if anyone was going to be able to crack the code on the victim's bodies it was him. So, despite his misgivings, he nodded.

“Okay. Wheels up in thirty.”

***

One three hour plane ride, another dead body, fifty new body markings, and Reid was still standing in front of the white board. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been staring at the photos. Hours probably. JJ had brought him fresh coffee at least twice and had forced him to stop long enough to eat half a sandwich and take some cold medicine. He knew the team had come and gone a couple of times chasing down leads but no one interrupted him. His job was to figure out the pattern in these markings and they knew it was best to just let him work.

By 10:00pm the team was tired, hungry, and still didn’t have a solid lead. Hotch sighed and said,

“Alright, let’s go check into the hotel and get some sleep. We’ll pick this up again early tomorrow morning.” The team seemed relieved to be getting a break and everyone quickly picked up their things. Everyone, that was, except Reid. “Reid? Come on, we’re going back,” Hotch said. Spencer didn’t move. JJ walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Spence? Come on. We’re going to go check into the hotel.”

“No. I need more time here.” His voice was rough and his eyes continued to dart across the board. He stopped just for a moment to grab a few tissues from the box on the desk next to him. He sneezed a harsh double HihhIhtchh! Ihhtchshhh!! and blew his nose. He assumed JJ put the tissues there one of the times she refilled his coffee. They weren’t there when he started working but after a sneezing fit left him scrambling to find tissues he was relieved to see the box sitting there like some kind of miracle. JJ unsuccessfully tried to get Reid to stop working and go to the hotel. She looked over at Hotch and shrugged. Hotch turned to Rossi and told him to take the rest of the team back to the hotel. He would wait until Reid was ready to stop.

“Coffee?” JJ asked Hotch.

“You can go back too, JJ. I’ll wait for Reid,” he said and sat down at an empty desk.

“I’m going to stay,” she said. “I’m a little worried about him.” Hotch frowned. In truth, he was worried about their youngest team member as well. Not only did Reid have a terrible cold, he hadn’t moved from that white board in nearly seven hours and didn’t seem to be any closer to detecting a pattern. JJ came back in balancing three cups of coffee. She put two down on the desk and walked over to put another one next to Reid before sitting back down next to Hotch. They watched Spencer rearrange the photos, make notes, erase the notes, and mumble to himself. He only stopped when he was forced to sneeze or blow his nose, which seemed to be happening more frequently as the night progressed. “How long do we let him go?” she asked her boss. Hotch looked thoughtful.

“Let’s give him another hour. If he hasn’t made any progress by then we’ll head back.”

They were closing in on their hour when Reid slammed his hand down on the desk in frustration. He picked up the eraser and cleared the white board of all his notes before starting over. He’d just started making notes when he was overcome with a sneezing fit. Hehhihhtchh!! Hih hih Hihhtschhh!! Hehhktchhew! IHHTSCHH!!

JJ looked over at Hotch.

“Yeah, he’s done for tonight,” he said. JJ walked over and waited as Reid sneezed a final three sneezes. They were strained and bent him at the waist. HihhIhtschchh! Ihhtchshhh!! HehhIHHXCHHEW!!

“Bless you, Spence,” she said quietly.

“Thank you,” his voice was nearly a whisper and he blushed as he had no choice but to blow his nose in front of JJ.

“Come on,” she said. “We’re going to the hotel.”

“No. I need more time. I’ve tried the twenty most common numerical codes and twelve different algorithms. There’s Greek and Latin symbols but I can’t determine why the unsub is mixing them. I need to—”

“Spence, enough. You need to sleep. It’s late and you’re sick and—”

“I said no!” Reid snapped and turned back to the white board. Hotch stood up but JJ waived him off. She took a deep breath and grabbed Reid by the shoulders.

“Now you listen to me Spencer Reid,” she said. “It’s nearly midnight. You’ve been standing here for over eight hours. Now give me the marker, put on your coat, and get in the car.” She pointed towards the door of the police station. “Do not make me repeat myself.” Her harsh tone seemed to break Reid’s stupor.

“JJ, I’m uh…I’m so sorry,” he said. Her face instantly softened and she put a hand on his shoulder.

“Aw, it’s okay Spence. I’m just concerned. Now come on, let’s go.” She gently guided him away from the white board. Hotch was standing with Reid’s coat in one hand and his bag in the other. He silently handed them to Spencer, his frown deepening when he saw how ill Reid really looked. Reid pulled his jacket around him tightly and took his messenger bag from his boss with a quiet “thanks.” JJ rode in the front of the SUV while Hotch drove them to their hotel. Reid was curled up in the back. Now that his single-focus had finally been broken, he seemed to become aware of how truly awful he felt. It was as if his head was filled with cement. His nose was running and his sinuses were tender from congestion. He could feel the urge to sneeze building again. He felt a rush of panic as he realized he didn’t have any tissues.

“Um, JJ?” Apparently he was losing his voice too. He cleared his throat and tried again. “JJ?”

“Yeah, Spence?” she turned around in her seat and looked at him, making no attempt to hide her worry.

“Do you, um, have…hehh…hihh…any tissues?” He just managed to get the question out before he snapped forward with a harsh HihhIHHTSCHH!! JJ opened the glove box and dug around looking for some tissues or a napkin—anything that Spencer could use. His breath was coming in short, shallow gasps as he tried to keep from sneezing. Hotch reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a clean, white handkerchief.

“Here,” he said and handed it to JJ. She turned around and pressed the fabric it into Reid’s hand just in time. Hihh…hih…Hihhhmptchhh!! Hehhmngshhh!! Hehh….Hehhhngschhh!

“Bless you” JJ and Hotch said in unison.

TBC…

[Evergreen]

AHHHH! thank you so much! i love this! poor little obsessive reid! <3

[ID2006]

*dances around* happy happy day... more Reid

[Foxfire]

Ooooh, I LIKE! Reid being so concentrated on detecting a pattern that he doesn't recognize how bad he feels is great! Quite the way I picture him. And it's really nice that Hotch and JJ stay behind with him - they are so caring!

[silentdreamer789]

Very nice indeed. What is it with people making me like sick!Reid recently? And caring Hotch and JJ are awesome too.

[matilda3948]

Thanks all!! Glad you like it. Here's a bit more...

“Bless you” JJ and Hotch said in unison.

***

When they got to the hotel, JJ went to the front desk to get their room keys while Hotch got Reid and all three bags from the SUV and into the lobby. The whole team was on the same hallway of the hotel and Emily had left a message at the front desk that she'd brought dinner back for all of them if they were hungry.

"Spence, are you hungry?" JJ asked as they rode the elevator up to their floor.

"Just tired," he rasped. They got to his room and JJ unlocked the door and switched on the lights. It was a pretty standard hotel room--two double beds, a small desk, a tv. Reid immediately walked over and flopped onto the nearest bed.

"You think he needs a doctor?" Hotch asked JJ quietly.

"I think it's just a bad cold but I'm going to stay here tonight and keep an eye on him. If he's not any better in the morning it might be worth taking him to a walk-in clinic," she said glancing over her shoulder as she heard Reid sneeze several times. Hehh….Hehhhngschhh!! Hehhihhtchh!! Hih hih Hihhtschhh!!

"Okay," Hotch said. "We're scheduled to meet in the lobby at six so I'll be up at five. If you think he needs to stay in bed tomorrow let me know in the morning. I shouldn't have let him come out here in the first place. I knew he was sick in DC."

"I'll keep an eye on him," JJ reassured him.

"I'm in room 708 if you need anything," Hotch said. "Get some sleep."

As soon as he left, JJ turned to assess her friend. She sat on the edge of his bed and rubbed his shoulder.

"Spence? Can you turn over?" He turned on his side and looked up at her. She gave him a small smile and brushed the hair off his face before pressing her hand against his forehead checking for fever. He was a bit warm but not too bad. "Why don't you change your clothes before you fall asleep?" she said. He sighed but pushed himself out of bed and took his go-bag to the bathroom. JJ quickly threw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before digging through her back and finding the cold medicine she'd bought earlier that day. She put a couple pills on the bedside table and then pulled back the blankets on Reid's bed. She heard the faucet running in the bathroom and called out,

"Bring a glass of water with you so you can take more medicine." He didn't answer but she didn't really expect him to--his voice had been growing weaker all day. She heard the water turn off and the door opened. Reid came shuffling back into the room with a glass of water in one hand and Hotch's handkerchief in the other. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took the pills she put out for him.

"You okay?" she asked. He nodded but his eyes had started to flutter shut. He held the handkerchief in both hands and waited as the sneeze built before rocking forward with a nasal sounding Hehhnnshhhh!! Nhhhihhhschhhh!!

"Bless you," she said.

"Thangs. JJ, why are you in your pajamas?" he asked.

"I'm crashing with you tonight," she said and sat down on her own bed.

"Did they dot book enough rooms?" She frowned and tilted her head slightly.

"No, Spence. You're sick. You shouldn't be alone when you're sick." Reid always blushed easily but it was especially pronounced against his pale skin.

"You don't need to do that," he mumbled as he got under the blankets.

"If the situation was reversed, you'd stay with me," she said but he didn’t answer. "Well, maybe you wouldn't because you're a total germaphobe but somebody on the team would," she teased. She could have sworn she heard him laugh from under the mound of blankets. She stood up and switched off the lights, leaving the room in just a slight shadow from the street lamps. As she listened to Reid's stuffy breathing and occasional sniffles, she couldn't help but reach over and run a hand over his hair. "Feel better," she whispered before getting into her own bed. She was exhausted but just as she was about to drift off to sleep, Reid called her name.

"JJ?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd stay with you. If you were sick, I mean. I'd stay with you." She smiled.

"I know you would, Spence. I know."

She wasn’t sure what woke her up right away. She’d fallen into a deep sleep rather quickly and it took her a minute to remember she was in a hotel bed in another state.

Hehhngschhhh!!

With a sick Spencer Reid. The sound of his muffled sneeze brought her back to the present moment. She rolled over and switched on the bedside lamp. She was surprised to find Reid’s bed empty so she tossed her blankets back and padded over to the bathroom. She saw light coming out from under the door and heard another muffled Hihhhmntchhhh!! She knocked on the door.

“Spence? You okay?” He didn’t answer and she chewed on her lower lip as she tried to figure out what to do. “Can I come in?” she asked. She breathed a sigh of relief when the door handle turned and she was able to push the door open. Reid was sitting on the tile floor leaning up against the bathtub. He looked miserable—swollen eyes, red, raw nose. There was a box of tissues sitting next to him. As JJ looked him over, Reid grabbed two more tissues and sneezed into them. Hihhngxtshhh!! Nhgxtchhhh!!

“Oh, bless you Spence,” she said and sunk down on the floor in front of him. She placed her hand on his forehead and frowned when she realized he was warmer than before.

“I’b sorry I woke you ub,” he said. “I tried to be quiet but I just couldn’d stob sdeezing.” JJ winced at how hoarse he sounded.

“It’s okay. I stayed here so I could help take care of you.” She reached across and gently rubbed his forearm.

“But you deed to sleeb too,” he said.

“I will but first I’m going to help get you back to bed.” Reid pulled himself up off the floor and swayed slightly. JJ quickly wrapped an arm around his waist. Reid rested his head on her shoulder and sighed. “You with me?” she asked.

“Yeah.” She got him settled back in his bed before going back to the bathroom and grabbing the box of tissues off the floor. She came and sat on the edge of his bed and brushed his bangs out of his face.

“Can I get you anything?” JJ asked.

“Feels good,” he mumbled. She smiled as she watched his face relax as she ran her hand over forehead.

“Slide over,” she said. Reid’s eyes snapped open but she just nodded. She turned off the lamp, handed him his tissues, and then crawled into the bed next to him. His body was stiff next to her as if he was afraid to move. “Come here,” she said and shifted so he could lay with his head on her shoulder.

“Um, what?”

“It’s okay, Spence. If you just come a little closer I’ll hold you while you fall back to sleep.”

“JJ, I…” That’s when it dawned on her. He had no idea what to do.

“Has anybody ever taken care of you when you were sick?” she asked.

“I mean, when I was young my mom did the best she could but…but disease was one of things that made her paranoid. She, um, thought it was the government trying to control people. I guess that’s where I get the…hehh…heh hih HehhIHHHNGXCHHH!! sniff. Where I get the germophobia from.”

JJ felt tears spring to her eyes at the thought of an eight year old Spencer Reid sick and alone. She was glad it was dark so he couldn’t see her face.

“I’m so sorry, Spence,” she said quietly.

“It’s okay. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds.” She didn’t know what to say. It sounded pretty bad to her.

“Okay, well here’s how this works,” she said. “I’m going to put this pillow right here.” She put the pillow in the crook of her arm. “And you’re going to put your head down.” He tentatively rested his head on her shoulder so that the top of his head was just below her chin. “Now, you’re going to give me this arm,” she said and grabbed his right wrist, “and just drape it over me.” She could feel the resistance in his muscles but she felt sure that once he settled in he would enjoy being held. “Good,” she whispered. “Now just close your eyes while I just run my fingers through your hair. Just relax and go to sleep.” It took a few minutes but she slowly felt his body relax. Her eyes were starting to drift shut when she felt him try and pull away. “Spence?”

“Have to…heh…heh hih…have to sdeeze…” She groped around and found the tissues. She rested the box on her stomach so he could reach a few.

“So sneeze,” she said and just pulled him a little closer.

“But—”

“It’s okay,” she said.

HihhIhngtschchh! Ihhnxtchshhh!!

“Bless you,” she said and went back to stroking his hair. She couldn’t keep from turning her head and pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his head.

“JJ?”

“Yeah?”

“Thag you.” She couldn’t tell if his voice shook from his cold or because he was trying not cry.

“Anytime.”

TBC? I think so. I think there's one more section to this story that wants to be written. We'll see...

[Evergreen]

AWWWWW. seriously. this makes me so happy. i love when he insists he'd take care of her. and i love when JJ has to teach him how to be taken care of. this is fantastic!

[Foxfire]

Awww, this is soooo sweet! I love how caring JJ is!

And you pictured Reid's character awesome! I liked best that Reid told JJ, he would stay with her if she was sick!

[Quills & Wells]

Awww I love this! So adorable!

Thanks for posting this:)

[sneezytwilight]

Please continue!! This is soo adorable!

[ID2006]

*continues dancing*

[matilda3948]

Thanks guys! So when we get to the place where Reid starts spouting technical facts, I've made them all up. Reid is a genius. I am not a genius. But I am good at making things up. Also, there's going to have to be another section to this story. I thought I was wrapping it up but the story has more to say apparently.

And now....just a little more story...

***

The alarm on her phone was going off. And it was loud. And she had not gotten nearly enough sleep to justify her alarm going off already. She turned off the alarm and glanced at her phone. It was 5:10 in the morning. She yawned and looked over at Reid who was curled up on his side facing her. The alarm hadn't even caused him to stir. JJ got out from under the blankets and shivered as the cold air hit her. She grabbed her bag and went into the bathroom. After getting dressed and brushing her teeth she decided to check on Spencer. She turned the hall light on so she could see and sat down on the edge of the bed. Reid's head was turned to the side and he was breathing through his open mouth. He was still incredibly pale and he had the telltale flush of a fever. She put a hand on his forehead to confirm what she already suspected. He was warm but not burning up. Still, she decided, there was no way he was getting out of bed. She grabbed the keycard for their room and slipped out into the hotel hallway. She stopped in front of room 708 and knocked. A moment later Hotch opened the door.

"Do you just sleep in a suit and tie?" she asked. He blinked in surprise and JJ realized what she'd just said outloud. "Sorry. I mean, it's just...it's 5:30 in the morning."

"I told you I'd be up," he said.

"Right. Well, I think Reid needs to stay in bed today. He didn't get much sleep last night and he's still got a bit of a fever this morning."

"Of course," Hotch said. "Do you need me to talk to him or do you think he'll listen to you?" She thought for a moment and said,

"It's okay. I think he's too tired to argue with me." Hotch nodded but there was a concerned frown on his face. If Reid hadn't slept much that meant JJ hadn't either and she definitely looked exhausted.

"How are you?" he asked. This time it was her chance to look surprised at the question. "You look tired," he explained.

"Oh. I just need some coffee."

"Why don't you go back to bed for a couple hours? I'll have somebody come pick you up around 9:00."

"I appreciate the offer but we're already a man down. Can you really afford to be without another agent?" His frown deepened. She was right. They were no closer to finding the unsub and it wasn't the ideal time to be down another person, but even in the dim hotel lights he could see how drawn she looked.

"It's just a few hours," he said. "I appreciate you staying with Reid last night. Get some sleep and call me when you're ready to come into the station."

"Hotch--"

"Don't make me make it an order, JJ." His tone was firm but his eyes were soft. She glanced up at him and he just nodded in the direction of her room.

"Yes sir," she said and could have sworn he nearly smiled before closing the door. Before going back to the room she went down to the main lobby and stopped by the gift shop. There was a small refrigerator in back and she grabbed a couple bottles of orange juice and a few waters. The cashier looked about as happy to be awake as JJ was. As she made her way back to the elevator she saw Rossi sitting in the lobby reading a paper. Don't these men ever sleep? she thought to herself as she walked over.

"Morning JJ," he said and folded up the paper. He checked his watch. "Didn't figure I'd see you for another half hour or so."

"I'm actually going back upstairs. Just came to get something to drink," she said, gesturing to the plastic bag.

"How's Reid?" Dave asked. "Kid looked like hell yesterday."

"He's staying in bed today. I'm actually going back to bed for an hour or so and then joining you guys at the station later. Boss's orders."

"Smart boss," he said. "You look tired." She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as is was the second time she'd been told that in the last five minutes. Then she discovered a far more critical urge to resist: her nose had suddenly begun to itch. It dawned on JJ that she was going to sneeze and there was no way she was going to do so under Rossi's watchful eye. He was almost as bad as Hotch. She shifted the bag with the drinks to the other arm and said,

"I'll see you guys later. Call if you need anything."

"Same here," Rossi said. JJ walked towards the elevator as fast as she thought she could without arousing Dave's suspicion. She pushed the elevator's call button. She was still in Rossi's line of sight and could feel the tickle in her begin to overpower her. Her breath caught and she pushed the elevator button again. What was taking it so long? She pressed a finger under her nose and tried to breathe through her mouth. Finally she heard the ding signaling that the elevator had arrived. She'd barely crossed the threshold when she couldn't hold back a moment longer. She sneezed a feminine Ahhhktchhheew! into her free hand and then punched the button for her floor. The doors closed and she looked up at the ceiling. It was just a freak sneeze, she told herself. People do sneeze sometimes for absolutely no reason. You are allergic to dust and this isn't exactly the Crown Plaza.

She walked down the hall to Reid's room and opened the door as quietly as possible. She was disappointed to see wasn't in bed anymore but she was actually irritated to find him sitting at the small desk scribbling out notes on the hotel stationary, pausing every few seconds to sniff his runny nose. He ripped a sheet off the pad, crumpled it up, and threw it on the floor where it joined a growing pile. He suddenly stopped writing and directed a couple sneezes towards the floor. HehhIhhhngtchhhh!! Ihhngktsheew!! Then he went back to his work as though nothing had happened.

"Reid?" she called. He didn't respond so she put the bag on the floor and walked up beside him. "Reid?" she repeated.

"JJ? I thought I had something. I had a dream where I remembered this old prime number sequence that US troops used to use as code in World War huhh...ehhh...hehh Hehhngntshhh! In World War One. I thought maybe if I applied it to this numerical sequence I could figure out the cipher for the unsub's code. I remember reading about--"

"Reid!" she cut him off and handed him a tissue. "Does it work?"

"It doesn't seem to," he said. He blew his nose and seemed ready to pick up his explanation when she held up a hand.

"It's okay. Get back into bed."

"But, what time are we supposed to meet the team?" he asked. She reached over and put a hand on his forehead.

"You are not meeting the team anywhere today. You've still got a fever." HehhNGTCHHHH!!! "And you're still kind of a sneezing, sniffling mess."

"But JJ--"

"Sorry Spence. But as a bonus I'm staying with you for a couple hours." She walked over to the bed and kicked off her shoes. When she saw the questioning glance he gave her she just shrugged. "The boss thought I needed more beauty sleep." Reid blushed.

"I'm sorry I kept you up last night," he said.

"Oh, don't apologize. I'm glad I was here." She got into the bed they shared last night and waived him over. He laid down and, although he wasn't as uncomfortable as he was the night before, she still had to physically move him around until he was curled up against her. She yawned and rubbed his hair.

"I really do feel better," he said.

"I'm glad." They had only been laying there for a moment when a sneeze broke their peace and quiet. Ahhhtschheew! Only this time it wasn't his.

"Bless you." It almost sounded like a question. Reid reached across her and grabbed the box of Kleenex from the bedside table so she could reach them easier. She took one and lightly blew her nose.

"JJ?"

"I'm fine. Let's just go to sleep," she said.

[silentdreamer789]

Wonderful. I can see why it needs another section. How...terrible

Edited June 17, 2011 by silentdreamer789

[ID2006]

Definitely needs another section... or two... or three... or....

[Foxfire]

Oh yeah this screams for another section!!!

[sneezytwilight]

Aww, poor JJ. I love it!! PLease continue!

[matilda3948]

Thanks so much, guys! I really enjoyed writing this story. Here's the last part. Enjoy!

"JJ?"

"I'm fine. Let's just go to sleep," she said.

***

Her head hurt. That was the first thing she thought of when she woke up—her head hurt. Oh crap, I’m going to sneeze, was the second thing. Reid was still asleep on her shoulder and she couldn’t find the tissues so she turned her head as far away from him as possible and sneezed and uncovered Ahhhptchheew! Reid startled awake and looked at JJ through bleary eyes. Her eyes were half closed and her breath was coming in short gasps.

“Tiss…ahh ah ah…tissues?” Reid looked around and found the box lying on the floor near the bed. He held them out to JJ, who just managed to grab two before Ahh Ahh AHHHthchheew!! Ahhptchheew!! Ah…Hahh Ahhptkshhhew!! She grabbed two more and blew her nose. When she finally looked up she saw Reid looking at her like he was afraid he'd broken her.

“JJ, I’m so, so sorry,” he stammered. “You never would have caught this if you hadn’t—”

“Stob,” she said and laid a hand on his shoulder. “People get sick, Reid. It happeds.” He looked like he was ready to argue with her but the sudden urge to sneeze overwhelmed him. He sneezed, HihhIhngtschchh! Ihhnxtchshhh!! into his hands and then grabbed a few tissues from the box. “Bless you,” JJ said.

“Thanks. I’m still sorry you got this from me,” he said staring at his hands.

“I’d do it agaid,” she said. Once she was sure he wasn’t going to argue with her anymore she grabbed a tissue to clear her stuffy nose. “Oh my God. Reid, is that clock right?” she asked looking at the bedside clock.

“Uh, yeah. Why?”

“It’s almost 11:30. I told Hotch I’d meet up with them by 9:00.” Reid paled on her behalf. “Crap,” she mumbled. “I’ve got to get myself pulled together and get down there.” She stood up too quickly and felt her world tip slightly. She slumped back onto the bed and took a minute to regain her balance.

“You sure you should go in today?” Reid asked quietly.

“Yeah. I’m okay—just stood up too fast.” She got up, went into the bathroom and closed the door. Reid just sat there. He felt so bad that he’d given her his cold. He listened as five sharp sneezes echoed off the bathroom walls. He picked up her Blackberry and hit the first number on her speed dial.

“Hotchner.”

“Uh, hey Hotch,” Reid said.

“Reid. How are you feeling?” Hotch asked.

“Um, better actually but, uh, I think JJ may be sick but she’s still insisting on coming in to work.”

“Is she there?” Hotch asked.

“Yeah.”

“Let me talk to her.” Reid walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

“JJ, Hotch is on the phone.” She opened the door and saw Reid holding her phone out to her. She cleared her throat and took it from his outstretched hand.

“Hotch, I’m sorry I overslept. I’ll be ready in ten minutes if you want to send someone to pick me up.” Aaron frowned. She didn’t look well this morning and now voice was laced with congestion.

“Are you sick?” he asked knowing she would never outright lie to him.

“I…it’s not too bad. I’m sorry. I meant to be there by 9:00 and then—”

“JJ, if I’d really needed you here I’d have called. I was concerned that you were already coming down with it when you came by my room this morning and Dave said he saw you sneezing in the lobby. I was hoping if you rested you might be able to fight it off.” He stopped when he heard her sneeze. Ahhhtschheew! Hahhntschhew!! “Clearly it didn’t work,” he said.

“Hotch, I—”

“Jennifer, listen to me.” She nearly dropped the phone. He’d never used her first name before. Ever. “Are you listening?”

“Yes.”

“We’re making progress here so I’m not sending a car to pick you up. Reid sounds like he’s on the mend and now I need you to take care of yourself. Get plenty to drink and rest. Do you understand?” Hotch asked.

“I understahhehktchheew!! AhhEHHtchhahh!! I understand.” Hotch winced.

“Bless you. I’ve got to go—Garcia has a lead. Take care, JJ.”

“Thag you.” She hung up and went and sat on the edge of the bed. Reid was leaning against the headboard looking at his notes from earlier. “You ratted me out,” she said, turning to look at Reid.

“Um…I…I just thought…”

“It’s okay,” she sighed. “I’d have done the same thing.” Reid looked relieved. “I’m going to put my pajamas back on since it doesn’t seem like I’m going anywhere but back to bed,” she said. She got up and grabbed her pajamas. Halfway to the bathroom she paused. Her breath hitched twice and she doubled over with a violent ahhh AHHHngktCHHEEW!! She let out a slight moan—the sneeze tore at her throat.

“Bless you. Can I do anything?” Reid asked.

“Uh, mbaby call houskeebing and have them brig up more tissues,” she said.

“No problem.” Reid made the call while JJ changed back out of her work clothes and washed her makeup off. She looked at herself in mirror as she dried her face. She was starting to look like Reid had yesterday—pale skin, redish tinge to her nose, and dark bags beneath her eyes. While she was tempted to be irritated with Reid for calling Hotch, she knew she’d had never made it ten feet inside the precinct door before he boss would see she was sick. It seemed her efforts to keep Rossi in the dark had failed too. Time to admit defeat, she thought. She’d meant what she’d told Reid earlier, though; she’d do it again. JJ flipped off the bathroom light and went back into the bedroom.

“Are you having any luck with that?” she asked Reid who had, once again, returned to studying the patterns left on the unsub’s victims.

“No,” he sighed. “I just can’t seem to figure out the pattern.”

“Is it possible that there isn’t one?” she asked.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Reid said. “Why spend all this time doing it if there’s no meaning?” JJ shrugged.

“You’re the genius, not me,” she said. The fatigue in her voice got Reid to look away from the papers covering the desk.

“Housekeeping brought more tissues. I put them next to the bed,” he said.

“Thanks. How are you feeling?” she asked as she dropped down on the bed.

“Better. You?”

“My head hurts, my throat is raw, and I constantly feel like I’m going to sneeze,” she said. “But otherwise, not bad.” She smiled slightly as she finally admitted how bad she was feeling. Reid started to ask her something but she held up a hand. “Hang…ahh…ahh…hang on…” She grabbed a handful of tissues as her breath came in shallow gasps. Ahh ah ah ahhh AhhhEHHTCHHH!! Ahhhktchheew!! Ah ah HahhEHHngktshheew!! hahh…ahh…

“Bless you.”

AHHHthchheew!! Ahhptchheew!! Ah…Hahh Ahhptkshhhew!! Ahh HahhhEHHktschhheew!!

“JJ, are you okay?” She hadn’t even realized Reid had sat down next to her. He looked worried, but before she could answer him she had to blow her nose. The tissues in her hand were soaked from the last fit of sneezes so she balled them up and grabbed fresh ones and gave her nose a gurgling blow.

“I’m alright,” she said in a hoarse whisper. She winced as she swallowed—the sneezing had left her throat incredibly tender. Reid stood up and grabbed her a bottle of water. He twisted the cap off and handed it to her. She took several small sips before she felt the pain subside. “Thank you,” she said.

“Um, JJ, you know how when you laid down with me and just, sort of, you know, helped me fall asleep?”

“Yeah.” Reid rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to figure out how to explain.

“Well, it really helped me feel better and…uh…now that you’re the one who’s, um, not feeling well, I thought that maybe…”

“Spence?”

“I thought maybe I could do that for you,” he finally stammered. JJ smiled and slid back into the bed. Reid straightened the blankets and handed her the box of tissues before slipping into the bed next to her. JJ grabbed a pillow and put it against his shoulder so she could lie on her side with her head slightly elevated against his chest. She wrapped an arm around Reid’s slender frame and yawned. He hesitantly ran his hand over her hair, imitating what she’d done for him earlier. He heard her sigh and continued to run his fingers through her hair, growing less nervous with each stroke.

“Thank you,” she whispered and snuggled closer to him.

“Anytime,” he said.

They were both asleep when the rest of the team got back to the hotel. Hotch had gotten an extra key at the front desk and quietly let himself into the hotel room. He smiled slightly at the sight of his two agents. JJ was curled up against Reid and crumpled tissues covered the bed. He decided to let them rest for as long as possible, so Hotch went about cleaning up the room. He threw all the used tissues in the trash and straightened up all of Reid’s notes that were spread all over the desk. He gathered up the empty water bottles and hung up the discarded bath towels. Finally, he leaned over the bed and put a hand on both their shoulders.

“Reid? JJ? Wake up,” he said. Reid opened his eyes first and was surprised to see his unit chief standing over him.

“Hotch?”

“Yeah. It’s time to go home.”

“You got the unsub?” Hotch nodded. “What was the meaning behind the symbols?”

“There wasn’t any,” Hotch said, rubbing JJ’s arm to try and get her to wake up.

“What do you mean?” Reid asked. “How could there not be a pattern?”

“Sometimes things are just random, Reid,” Hotch said. Reid frowned. He didn’t like that answer. JJ started to stir. “Come on, JJ. We’re going home,” Hotch said. His eyes shifted to Reid again; he could see he was unsettled by the way things had turned out. “Reid, not everything has a reason. We focus on the things that give us meaning in a world that’s full of randomness. It’s okay for things to be random as long we stay focused on the things that give us meaning.” Hotch’s eyes flicked down to JJ for a second and then back to Reid.

“Okay,” Reid said. They both turned their attention back to their female colleague. Eventually she opened her eyes and took in two very concerned faces. She groaned slightly and moved to sit up. Hotch supported her back and kept a hand on her until he was sure she was steady.

“How are you feeling?” he asked. She blinked a couple times as if she didn’t understand the question.

“Did you say we’re going home?” she asked. He nodded and put a hand on her forehead.

“MmHmm. Team’s waiting for us at the airport.” The thought of sleeping in her own bed seemed to motivate JJ. She stood up and started tossing clothes into her bag. Hotch held out a hand to Reid and helped pull the younger man out of bed as well.

“Did you clean the room?” Reid asked.

“Yeah. You look better,” Hotch said, seriously looking Reid over.

“Uh, I am.”

“You’re still taking tomorrow off,” Hotch said. “JJ, you need help?” he called out. She’d gone into the bathroom to get her cosmetics but she’d been gone for a few minutes. Hotch walked into the bathroom and found her sitting on the edge of the bathtub, her eyes closed, and her nose pinched shut. She rocked forward with a couple silent sneezes. When she opened her eyes she saw him standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. “Bless you,” he said. “You shouldn’t do that—you could hurt your ears. Got what you need?” he asked. She nodded and stood up. The itch in her nose came roaring back and she doubled over with several intense sneezes. AhhhEHHTCHeew!! Ahhhktchheew!! Ah ah HahhEHHngktshheew!! “Bless you, JJ.”

“Thags,” she said. When they walked out of the bathroom, Reid was waiting with a handful of tissues.

“Sounded like you could use these,” he said shyly. She took them and blew her nose even though she was embarrassed to do so in front of Hotch. She supposed it was time to drop the pretense. He’d known she was sick this morning. Had heard her sneezing over the phone and found her sleeping nearly on top of Reid. With the last of her things packed, they were ready to go. The men stayed on either side of JJ as they walked down the hall towards the elevator. When they reached the hotel lobby, Hotch took both their bags and said,

“The two of you stay here. It’s cold out so I’m going to bring the car around to the front.” JJ slumped down into a chair near the door.

“I’m so ready to sleeb in by owd bed,” she said. “I can’d remember the last time I had a cold dis bad.”

“I hope you’re able to get over as quickly as I did,” Reid said.

“Be too,” she said with a smile. She was genuinely pleased that he seemed to be doing so much better.

“You know, Hotch is still going to make me take tomorrow off. I could, uh, come over if you want…I mean, if you needed me to, I could um…”

“Take care of be?” she asked. Reid’s eyes shot up as he wasn’t sure if he’d made a mistake or not.

“I’m sorry. I just meant that—” he stopped when she laughed before it turned into a cough. He sat down next to her and rubbed her back until she was able to take a breath. “So…is that a yes?” he asked. She nodded.

“Thags Spends.”

Fin

[ID2006]

Awe, that was such a perfect ending... although I am sad it's over of course.

[silentdreamer789]

Awe, that was such a perfect ending... although I am sad it's over of course.

My thoughts exactly! This was great, thanks so much for writing it.

[Foxfire]

Awww, perfect end ! Thank you so much for this! It is awesome!!!!

[Evergreen]

AHHHH! this was brilliant! what a great way to come back into the real world after my vacation than with a beautiful fic. haha. i love how JJ gets sick and tries to deny it. sick people denying sickness is always a good way to go. hah. thanks so much for this!

[HPG]

I've been trying to find this story for so long!  I love it.