Here's another part of the Changes universe, this one taking place roughly 8 months after Hotch and Emily are married, in early Season 9, and focusing primarily around Reid/Maeve, though still containing Hotch/Emily moments near the end.

Disclaimer - If I owned Criminal Minds, Season 12 would have been very different indeed


"I miss you, Maeve".

The woman on the other side of the phone from the brown-haired profiler sighed softly. "I miss you too, Spence. How's the case going?"

Reid listened to the soft voice of the geneticist on the other side of the phone, one of the only two people he knew who could get away with calling him Spence, as she spoke, silently wishing that he could be at home with her instead of in a hotel in Baltimore. "I think we're closing in on the killer. We might be done by tomorrow, if I'm right. How are things there?"

Maeve paused for a couple of seconds. "They're quiet. I haven't had any interesting patients lately. Not for a few weeks, as a matter of fact. I ended up going for a walk in the park today. It was nice to get out and get some fresh air for once without having to worry about constantly watching my back, to be honest".

"I bet it was".

There was a couple of seconds pause before Maeve spoke again. "The rest of the team haven't figured it out yet, have they?"

Reid shrugged, for a second forgetting that the woman he was talking to couldn't see him. He glanced quickly around, making sure that none of his team-mates were listening to what he was saying, smiling slightly at the fact they were too engrossed in talking about the case to notice anything else. "I don't think so. I know that both JJ and Morgan are at least suspicious that there's something going on, but if they or the rest of the team know for sure then they haven't said anything yet. We should definitely tell them soon though, especially since we both know Garcia is the most likely to figure it out first, and once she does the others won't be far behind".

"I agree. When do you think we should tell them?"

"How about this weekend, after this case is over? We could invite everyone over for dinner and tell them all at once".

Though Reid couldn't see her, he somehow knew that the woman on the other side of the line was smiling at the idea. "I think that's a good idea. Garcia's been bugging me for weeks for an opportunity to taste that recipe of my mother's".

Reid nodded, quickly scanning the rest of his team, pausing as he remembered the one agent who was most definitely missing from their discussion. "Alright, we'll do that then. I guess I'd better get back to work. After all, the sooner we crack this case, the sooner we can come home. By the way, if you get a chance today would you mind going and checking on Emily? I know she's probably feeling pretty lonely since she's forced to stay at home and Hotch is still working this case with us here in Baltimore, so I'm sure she'd be delighted to see a friendly face".

Maeve smiled, the warmth in her voice evident when she next spoke. "Of course, I'll go and see her this afternoon. And don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't see you-know-what".

"Good. Alright, I'll talk to you tonight. I love you".

Maeve's voice was soft and loving when she replied. "I love you too, Spence. I'll talk to you tonight".

There was a gentle 'click' as the woman hung up, and Reid slipped his phone back into his pocket before sitting down with the rest of the team once again. "Everything okay at home, Pretty Boy?"

Reid looked over at the darker-skinned agent, smiling. "Couldn't be better. By the way, Maeve and I want to invite you all over to dinner once we get back from this case, since there's some news we have for everyone. And she's cooking. Now, let's finish solving this case so we can go home".

-One day later-

The team were sitting comfortably on the chairs in the living room of Reid's and Maeve's apartment, having just finished eating. Emily, being just under 8 months into her first pregnancy since marrying Hotch, curled into her husband's side, her cheek resting on his shoulder, smiling lazily up at him as his arm drifted to drape itself over her own shoulder. "So, Maeve, Spence mentioned you had some news for us?" JJ queried.

Maeve smiled warmly at JJ. "That's right, we do have some pretty big news".

Spencer, who had been sitting on the shorter couch next to the geneticist, his right hand entwined with her left, nodded in agreement. As he lifted his hand from hers, Maeve shifted so that her left hand was more visible, and a small ring on her hand flashed as the light from the ceiling hit it, causing everyone's eyes to widen in surprise. When she next spoke, both her smile and that of the brown-haired profiler next to her were wider than the rest of the BAU members could ever remember seeing. "We're engaged!"

As the women leaned forward to examine the ring on Maeve's finger, and Rossi and Morgan leaned forward and embraced the younger agent in a congratulatory hug, Aaron added his own congratulations before leaning back against the cushions of the couch, a satisfied smile on his face as he watched the team interact. Their boy wonder had finally found the girl he would spend the rest of his life with and, honestly, he couldn't have been happier for them.


There.

Songs for this update:

We Are The Champions - Queen

I Am... I Said - Neil Diamond