Author's Note: I never planned on writing this story. In fact, I was perfectly fine with leaving "Surf, Sun, and Summer Love" the way it was. But by popular demand (and by popular demand, I mean an onslaught of pro-sequel reviews), I decided to write it. After all, what my readers want, my readers get. Keep that in mind. (; Hope you love it!

Disclaimer: It's not mine. Go ahead, rub it in my face.

"Emily?"

The raven-haired woman looked up at her genius friend. "Hey," she greeted, moving so he could sit beside her. "What's up?"

"Um…I decided that today I'm going to tell the woman I love about my feelings for her," Reid admitted.

She smiled. "Well, that's great!"

"Yeah, it's just…I'm really nervous," he said quietly, picking at his nails anxiously.

"Don't be," she chastised softly. "You have nothing to worry about."

"But what if she doesn't feel the same way?" he asked. "What if she says no?"

"Then you prove to her that you don't just like her for her beauty, or things like that." She paused. "I'm assuming she's beautiful."

He nodded, his gaze discreetly roaming over her slender figure. "Very."

"So, you tell her that your attraction runs deeper than appearances. Tell her that she always…I don't know, makes you happy. What are some of her qualities?"

"Other than the fact that she's gorgeous? When she smiles, I can't help but smile back. Her laughter is infectious. She understands me. When she walks into a room, her sheer presence makes my day bright. She's…amazing," he said, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Wow…with those words, Spencer, you could win the heart of any woman," she said sweetly.

"Really? You're serious?" he asked happily.

She nodded. "Absolutely."

"But…she still likes someone else," he said bitterly, sighing. "Her and her boyfriend are still together."

"Don't let that bother you," she advised. "Without forcing her into anything, prove to her that you're better than the other man. Show her that you love and care for her more than he does. Don't stop at anything."

"I hope it works," he mumbled quietly, running a hand through his wavy hair.

"Don't worry; it will," she promised, placing her hand on his shoulder. She looked at him intently. "She must have you in pretty deep for you to look this tormented," she commented. "Now I really want to meet her."

There was an awkward pause.

"Have I met her?" Emily asked.

Reid coughed. "N-no," he stuttered.

"Hmm," she said vaguely. "Well, she's a lucky woman."

"You think so?" he asked weakly.

She smiled. "I know so."

"Thanks, Emily. It really means a lot," he said sincerely.

Patting his back comfortingly, she nodded and said, "Don't mention it."

~.~.~

Reid was having trouble focusing all throughout dinner. Errant thoughts kept running through his mind, and all of them had to do with Emily. The very voice he loved to hear pulled him back to reality.

"Hello…Reid?" He looked at her. "He's alive!"

Everyone laughed. "Yeah, I'm here. I just zoned out for a second," he said, going back to picking at his food.

Morgan chuckled. "We noticed," he said.

"I just have a lot on my mind," he stated vaguely.

Emily looked at him pointedly, a question dancing in her eyes. He nodded. "Good luck," she mouthed.

"Thanks." He frowned when he noticed Hotch's hand resting possessively on her exposed thigh. "I'll probably need it," he finished in his thoughts.

Emily laced her fingers with Hotch's, and he whispered exactly what he was aching to do to her later that night, causing her to blush slightly. Of course, JJ noticed.

"Look at that blush," she teased.

"What on Earth could our boss man have said to turn you that shade of pink, chickadee?" Garcia asked.

Hotch chuckled as Emily answered smartly," Four words: None. Of. Your. Business." They laughed.

Minutes later, after finishing his dinner, Reid stood and pushed in his chair. "Um…Emily?"

"Yeah?"

"Whenever you're done, can you come outside? I kind of need to talk to you," he said almost shyly, praying that she wouldn't make the connection.

She didn't. "Oh, of course. I'll be there in a second."

He exhaled nervously. "Thanks."

~.~.~

Emily kept to her promise. Her and Reid walked side by side on the beach. The sky was dark, the wind was warm, and little waves splashed at their bare feet. She started the conversation. "So, have you told her yet?"

He stopped. "Yes."

"Really? What did she say?" she asked enthusiastically.

"I don't know."

Emily was confused. "What do you mean?"

He sighed. "I…I'm kind of telling her right now."

Her smile fell at the realization. "Oh," was all she was able to say.

"It's you. You're the woman I love, and you always have been," he confessed, glancing at her apprehensively.

"Spencer…"

Unable to look her in the eye, he focused on the wind billowing through her thin white sundress. "Just hear me out, Em. Please. I know that you're with Hotch, and I know that he…" His voice cracked. "That he means a lot to you, but I'm going to say something. Something true." He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. "I know without a doubt that I love you more than he does," he said slowly, his voice getting rougher and rougher with each word. "And I'm not just saying that because you told me to." He stepped forward and placed his hand boldly on her arm. "You also told me to never give up. So, I know I'll regret this later, but it's something I have to do." Reaching forward tentatively, his hand came up to brush against her cheek and he leaned forward, kissing her softly.

Surprising even herself, she kissed him back, leaning into his embrace.

Barely five seconds passed before she pulled away, shocked by her own actions and gasping for air. Reid looked at her sadly as she fought a war within herself. "I…I…Spencer, I really need to think this over…okay?" she asked wildly in an emotional whisper.

He nodded slowly. "Take all the time you need," he said just as quietly.

"Thank you," she said quickly, before spinning on her heel and running away.

Watching her retreating figure in the moonlight, he sighed and said to her back, "I'll be waiting."

~.~.~

"Emily…" Hotch said, nuzzling the soft skin of her neck. "What's wrong?"

She closed her eyes as he bit down lightly, marking her as his and only his. "Nothing," she lied.

"Sweetheart, you know that you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know," she whispered. Moving so that she was lying on top of her lover, she said, "I have to talk to someone."

"So, talk to me."

"No, it's not that. I have to go talk to someone else about a certain…dilemma," she said, averting her eyes from his.

He brushed her hair away from her face. "Is it Reid?"

"No," she answered immediately. At his skeptical expression, she sighed. "Yes. How did you know?"

He shook his head. "He said he wanted to talk to you at dinner. I don't know what it's all about, but it wouldn't be too hard to guess." He paused. "The way he looks at you…it's like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time."

She grimaced at his words and sat at the edge of the bed, shivering as Hotch's fingers ghosted across her bare spine.

"So…what are you going to do?" he asked, his lips skimming across her back and , Emily pulled on her clothes. "I'm going to tell him my decision," she answered vaguely.

"Which is?"

He was met by a disconcerting silence.

She was about to leave the hotel room, but stopped in the doorway. "Aaron?" she called out.

"Sweetheart?"

"I love you," she said sincerely. "I want you to know that."

He smiled. "I know. And I love you, too. More than anything." He paused before adding, "And anyone."

~.~.~

Emily knocked lightly on Reid door. Barely seconds later, it swung open, revealing the tall and lanky profiler wearing a plain white shirt and faded jeans that hung low on his hips. He ran a hand through his already wild hair, which Emily recognized as a nervous habit of his.

"Um…Spencer?" she asked weakly. "I…I can't. I mean -"

He opened the door wider. "Just come in, Em."

She obliged without another word, wincing when she looked at him and saw that he was staring at the fresh love bite below her ear. She self-consciously covered it with her hair. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she began her monologue. "If I had known that I was the woman you were talking about…I would have -"

"You would have what, Emily?" he interrupted. "And don't say that you would've broken up with Hotch, because I know that's not true."

"You don't understand," she said painfully. "Besides JJ, you're my best friend, Spence. You said earlier that I understand you; well, you understand me. But…I've been with Aaron for almost a year."

"And you love him. I get it."

"One year, Reid! I can't do that to him!"

"So…everything that you said was…was a lie?" he asked, disbelief bleeding into his voice.

"What?" she countered, confused.

"The advice you gave. How come it didn't work on you?" he asked almost desperately. "I did everything."

Her face took on a mildly tender expression. "That's because you didn't have to do anything; you didn't have to change. To me, you're perfect the way you are," she confessed, tears prickling the corners of her eyes.

"Do you mean to say," he began slowly, "That if you weren't with Hotch…you'd give us a chance?" he asked hopefully.

"I don't know," she murmured. "Maybe." There was a long pause. "Yes."

"Damn it." He watched grimly as Emily furiously wiped her tears away. "What are you going to do?" he asked, another unspoken question forming in his mind; who are you going to choose?

Torn, she replied, "I'm sorry, Spencer. But I love him."

"Why?" he demanded. When she didn't say anything, he said, "Well, I guess I just wanted you to know that you have a second option, and that no matter what he says or does, I love you more and I will always love you more."

"Stop," she pleaded. Not wanting to hear any more, she walked to his door, intent on escape.

"Oh, and Emily?' he asked, grasping her attention yet again. "I lied earlier, when I said that I would regret that kiss." Tears of his own came to his eyes. "I didn't regret it at all. I loved it."

"Please…" she said, flat out crying.

"Give me a chance," he begged in a whisper. "Please, Emily."

"I can't. And I won't," she said determinedly, finality evident in her voice.

"I know I said that I wouldn't force you into anything, but it turns out that was a lie, too." He coughed to clear his sob-thickened voice. "Leave him, Em. Please."

"No! Just stop!" He began to say something else, maybe an apology, but she yelled, "Stop it!" Storming out of his room with tears streaming down her cheeks, she made her way down the hallway right as Hotch rounded the corner.

His mouth fell open in shock when he saw her condition. "Emily?" He ran towards her and pulled her into his arms, not noticing Reid standing in the doorway, broken. "What's wrong? What happened, sweetheart?"

She managed to break free from his embrace. "I just really need to be by myself for a couple of hours, okay?" Not letting him respond, she opened the door to her hotel room and entered it before curling into a ball on the bed and breaking down into shoulder-wracking sobs.

Tearing his eyes away from the door that Emily had just disappeared into, Hotch glared at Reid. "What the hell happened?"

Dejected, he went back into his room, but not before answering weakly, "She doesn't love me." Slamming his door shut, he left Hotch standing by himself in the hallway, stunned and shocked beyond belief.