It was 10:30 on a Friday night. Morgan looked around the office. Hotch was in his office doing paperwork, and Prentiss had packed up her bag and was now heading towards the door. Morgan bit his lip. He had been trying to work up the courage to do this all day, and now that they were practically alone, he had the perfect chance.
"Hey Prentiss, wait up." Derek said. "Listen, I, uh, wanted to ask you something."
"Yeah, sure. What is it?" Emily noticed how strange Morgan was acting.
"I was wondering if you're doing anything on Saturday." He asked confidently. Emily laughed.
"No," she shook her head as she smiled. "I'm not."
"Well, do you wanna do something this weekend?" Morgan grinned.
"What did you have in mind?" Emily wondered.
"I got a few ideas." He chuckled secretively. "I'll pick you up at 7." And with that, Derek walked away, leaving Prentiss standing alone, smiling like an idiot.
The next night…
Prentiss stood in front of the mirror, applying the last of her makeup and fixing her necklace. The amount of different emotions she was experiencing at once was almost overwhelming. She felt happy because she was going on a date with someone she had secretly liked for quite some time now. She felt the butterflies in her stomach. She also felt nervous. Nervous because she didn't know how this date would go. Just calling this a date made her even more nervous. What if everything suddenly went to hell? Then things would be over between the two. Not only would their friendship probably end, but it would be difficult to even talk to each other. After all, there were reasons that coworkers weren't supposed to date.
Emily heard a car horn. Derek. She grabbed her purse and headed out the door. Outside, Derek was leaning against one of his many cars. He wore a collared shirt, black dress pants, and a blazer. As soon as he laid eyes on Emily, his jaw dropped and his eyes widened. She looked amazing in her red dress.
"Better close your mouth Derek, you'll catch flies." She quipped.
"You look amazing, Emily." He complimented. Morgan opened the passenger door of his car.
"So, what is this mystery place we're going?" Prentiss asked.
"Well, it wouldn't be a mystery if I told you, would it." Morgan teased. They drove for about 30 minutes, making small talk and cracking jokes.
"This is it." Morgan said, pulling into the parking lot.
"Here?" Prentiss said, a bit shocked. She took Morgan's hand as he helped her out of the car. He pulled her into a his arms and said:
"Yep. I wanted to do something… not mainstream. I wanted this to be special." He took Emily's hand and guided her to the admissions booth. The banner hanging above read County Fair.
After buying two wristbands, Morgan asked, "What do you wanna hit first?" Derek placed the band around Emily's wrist. "I was thinking the ferris wheel." He eyed the bright wheel. Lights covered it all the way from the bottom to the top.
"Derek, no. I don't like heights." Emily warned him.
"Good thing you've got a big, strong man to protect you." He joked.
"Oh really? Where? He must not be here yet because I don't see him." Prentiss teased Derek.
"Ouch." Derek playfully slapped his cheek. "Why you gotta hurt me, Prentiss?" He grinned.
The happy couple spent hours playing the rigged fair games, and playfully making fun of each other when the other lost. Before long, they had made their way throughout the fair and back to the ferris wheel.
"Come on, Emily. It's the only thing we haven't done yet."
"Well, I'm perfectly happy if it stays that way." Prentiss protested.
"Just one time." Morgan attempted to persuade her.
"Fine." She let Morgan pull her towards the ferris wheel. They loaded onto one of the seats. They started to move backwards and up. Prentiss clutched Derek's hand as they moved higher and higher, and they watched the people below growing smaller and smaller. The wheel stopped once they reached the top. Derek and Emily sat in silence as they looked out over the fairgrounds. It was dark by now, so the lights sparkled from their view up high.
"What?" Emily laughed. Derek was staring at her with a smile on his face.
"It's beautiful up here, isn't it?" He said quietly.
"Yeah. The lights-" Morgan cut Emily off before she could finish.
"That's not what I meant." He smirked. Emily blushed. Time seemed to stop as Morgan leaned closer to Emily and planted a kiss on her lips. She kissed back. The butterflies in her stomach returned and her heart was pounding against her chest. She was completely lost in the moment, and so was he. And in that moment, they knew. They knew they were meant to be. The way they made each other feel- it was just right.