The moment the case was over, there was almost an audible release of tension. It had been a long week in San Francisco, but the streets were now washed of the blood of the six women who had been brutally murdered and the man responsible was locked up.
Morgan was tired, almost too tired when they began to retire for the night. Hotch and Rossi were first, deeply engaged in conversation about one of the suits they knew who was retiring. Rossi claimed it was because he was sleeping with his secretary, but Hotch said it was because his team's arrest record was beginning to slip. Prentiss and Reid left next, arguing fervently about a 60s sci-fi movie they'd seen over the weekend. JJ and Garcia were organizing and packing up the files spread around the office, and Morgan approached to help them.
"It's been a long time since I've been this relieved to see someone behind bars," he said, putting an arm around Garcia and hugging her. The two blondes exchanged glances, which Morgan knew meant trouble.
"Speaking of bars…" Garcia started. Morgan groaned.
"Baby girl, it's late."
"Morgan, it's 9 o'clock." He looked at her and recognized the determination in her face and sighed.
"Can I at least go back to the hotel and change?" JJ and Garcia high fived and the three of them went back to the hotel together.
Garcia had dragged Morgan into her room to help her pick out an outfit, which he was surprisingly helpful at.
"So, the purple dress and the green jacket?" She asked, tapping her check with her finger. He nodded from bed he was currently sprawled out on. She smiled and went into the bathroom to change. JJ walked in, wearing a black dress, her hair in a ponytail, blunt bangs only slightly hiding her mischievous eyes.
"My my, Miss Jareau, no one would ever be able to tell you have a son," Morgan said, sitting up. He was wearing a dark purple dress shirt and black pants.
"Thank you, thank you," JJ said, sitting down on the desk by the bed. "How's Penelope doing?"
"Well, the outfit has been decided on at least. Finally."
"I can hear you," came Garcia's voice from the bathroom.
"Love you, Sweet Thing," Morgan said to her.
"Yeah, yeah," she responded. JJ laughed. She'd always loved watching their interactions.
"Are the others coming?" Morgan asked.
"I think Penelope managed to rope all of them into coming. Even Hotch, surprisingly."
"I swear, every time we all go out somebody ends up falling over."
"Remember last time? In Memphis?" They both laughed. "I thought Rossi was going to tease Prentiss about that for the rest of her life." A few minutes later, Garcia emerged, looking like a flower between Morgan and JJ.
"All right, my lovelies, let's paint the town."
They met up with Reid, Prentiss, Hotch and Rossi in the lobby. Prentiss was in a gorgeous red dress and had been glaring at any man who so much as looked at her in it.
"I don't know why you wear that if you hate the attention," Reid commented. He was in a white and blue checkered dress shirt, a skinny black tie and dark brown corduroy pants, scuffed up black and white converse topping off the look.
"Shut up, you're the one who wanted to wear a sweater vest to a bar." He simply shrugged. Hotch and Rossi were both in suits, although they'd lost their ties and look much more laid back than they had at police headquarters. The seven of them made their way to the bar a few blocks away, a stylish place with red lit chandeliers, black leather booths, and a strange array of people milling around.
"Only you could find this place," Hotch commented to Garcia, who smiled and found them a booth in the back. Prentiss and JJ volunteered to get the first round and made their way to the bar.
"Okay, I have a plan," Prentiss said.
"Please, fill me in." JJ leaned forward after they ordered.
"It's getting to the point where even Hotch is fed up at Reid and Morgan's tension. It's ridiculous."
"I agree. I just have no idea how to make either of them ACT on these feelings they obviously have and are oblivious to."
"Here's where my devious mind kicks in, JJ. What does Derek do well with women?"
"Well.."
"Mind out of the gutter, I mean in a bar."
"Well, he flirts."
"Exactly. And what does Reid not to well?"
"Flirt."
"And what would Derek absolutely hate to see?" It dawned on JJ.
"He'd hate to see Reid flirting with anybody else. We'll make him jealous."
"You know us flirting with Reid's going to be awkward and not make Morgan jealous, right?" JJ pointed out.
"I wasn't talking about US flirting with Reid. Just women in general. I mean, look around, I've already seen several ladies eyeing him up."
JJ grinned and squeezed Prentiss's hand.
"This is going to be so much fun." They brought the load of drinks over to the table and the drinking began. Half an hour later, Garcia had dragged Rossi onto the dance floor where he was awkwardly trying to excuse himself every five minutes, and Garcia was trying to get him to actually dance. Hotch and Morgan were talking, leaving Reid, Prentiss and JJ.
"Reid, three o'clock," Prentiss said. Reid furrowed his brow.
"Emily, it's 11 o'clock." She rolled her eyes.
"There's a girl looking at you, over there," she said, jerking her head over her shoulder. Reid peered around curiously. A cute girl with short black hair in jeans and a yellow top was watching him slyly as she talked to her friend and sipped on a beer. Reid shrugged.
"Not really my type," he said. JJ and Prentiss exchanged glances.
"Come on, Spence! Go talk to her!" JJ encourage, pushing him out of the booth. He stumbled a bit and blushed when everybody looked up at him. Hotch was smirking, and Morgan was trying to look like he wasn't watching.
Reid walked over to the girl. Her friend smiled and slipped away to leave them alone. Morgan watched out of the corner of his eye, pretending to listen to what Hotch was saying to Prentiss and JJ. He watched Reid fumble over his words and the girl laugh and put her hand on his arm. Reid smiled and when she wrote down her number, she slipped it into the pocket of his shirt and walked back to her friend. Reid went back over to the table, ignoring the catcalls from the rest of the team.
"She was cute, Reid!" Garcia said, finally allowing Rossi to sit back down with her. Morgan stood up and extended his hand to Garcia.
"Dance with me, baby girl?" She grinned and let him lead her to the dance floor. Rossi and Hotch sensed the conversation that was about to take place and excused themselves to go to the bar and get more drinks.
"So, Reid," JJ began. "Are you going to call her?"
"I don't think so," Reid said, looking at her number on the corner of the napkin.
"Why not?" Prentiss asked, squeezing JJ's hand under the table, bracing themselves for the big drunken confession.
"I told you, she's not my type." The two women were crestfallen and frustrated.
"So, Spence, what is your type?" He shifted uncomfortably.
"It's not really quantifiable, I just know what I like and what I don't when I see it. It's related to what some people call love at first sight, which is a ridiculous-"
"Oh my GOD!" Prentiss said finally, cutting him off. JJ bit back a laugh. "Reid, I love you, and so does JJ, and so does everybody else, but you are infuriating." He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off again. "It's so obvious you're in love with Morgan." That shut him up. His eyes went side and he looked like he was going to sink into the floor. "And good news, Pretty Boy," she said, imitating Morgan. "He's in love with you too."
"What?" He asked, not sure how he should react. "Why did you make me go talk to that girl then!"
"We want you to make him jealous! We all know Morgan's not good at sharing, and he's had his eyes on you for a while, Reid." Reid was almost smiling now, but still looked lost and confused. "So, here's the plan."
On the dance floor, Garcia was letting Morgan spin her around until she could barely stand up.
"Okay love machine, maybe you can go all night but sometimes a lady needs a break!" She said, pulling him over the bar. She ordered herself a diamond fizz and Morgan a beer.
"So, tell me, are you going to tell Reid?" She asked. He sighed.
"We've been over this, Penelope. I can't. It's Reid, it's not just another guy."
"I know, but you'd think that'd make it easier, wouldn't it? I know, you work with him and aside from me, he's probably your closest friend but if it's not Reid, it's not going to be anybody else." He knew this was true and she knew how much the reality of the statement hurt him. "There's something else…"
"Don't hold back on me, Sweet Thing," he said.
"Prentiss made me promise not to tell but…I think Reid's just trying to make you jealous tonight."
"He's trying to make me jealous? That's why he's flirting with girls?" Garcia nodded and Morgan laughed. "Well, if that's the case that means…"
"Of course he likes you back, you idiot. Have you seen you? You could turn a straight guy gay and a gay girl straight." He laughed. "Okay, that's a lie, but you'd give them some confused feelings at least." He kissed the top of her head.
"Thanks, Garcia. Now, if Reid's trying to make me jealous, I'm not going to let him have all the fun."
"What are you talking about?"
"If my feelings for Reid are coming out and Reid's feelings for me are coming out, I'm not just going to sit back and let it happen. He's going to have to come to me." Garcia groaned.
"Stop being such a boy." He shook his head.
"Never."
The San Francisco night life certainly got more eclectic as the night wore on. Morgan noticed more men in tight shirts coming in for some early drinks before heading to a proper club later. He decided to strike. Morgan was still sitting at the table with Prentiss and JJ, drinking a Scotch and listening to them talk.
Morgan found his target, a man who looked suspiciously like Reid. He was in a pale orange v-neck and jeans, his hair was shorter than Reid's, but curly like the other man's. He made sure the man knew he was watching him and he walked over.
"What are you drinking?" He asked, letting his eyes linger on the man's mouth for a second. Back at the booth, Reid was intent on not watching, his eyes glued to the bottom of his glass. JJ and Prentiss both quieted and watched Morgan in action.
"The games have begun," Garcia said.
"This doesn't bother you?" Rossi asked Reid.
"Of course it bothers me," he snapped back. Hotch sighed.
"I don't want to get involved, but Reid, play the game." Advice from Hotch was to be listened to and followed. Reid downed the rest of his Scotch and stood up. The rest of the gang watched in disbelief as Reid made a Morgan-esque move and approached a man at the bar, only a few feet away from where Morgan was currently chatting up his doppleganger. This man was bigger, with a broad chest like Morgan had, and a black t-shirt to show it off.
Reid was obviously out of his comfort zone here, but he let the man steer the conversation, slipping in vaguely sexual lines that had Morgan grinding his teeth behind him.
"My poor baby," Garcia said, watching with feigned horror.
"Which one?" JJ asked, laughing.
"I'm not sure," Garcia said. "Let me get back to you on that."
"I don't think I can watch this anymore," Hotch said, turning away and back to Rossi, where they picked up their previous conversation.
"I can't believe it worked," Prentiss said.
"Well, it's worked before," JJ reminded her, her hand trailing up the brunette's thigh. Prentiss smiled and batted her girlfriend's hand away.
"Not now! There are gay men on the line, JJ! GAY MEN!" A few heads turned when she yelled it and JJ covered Emily's mouth with her own to shut her up. Garcia grinned, knowing it was her meddling that had gotten them together in the first place and she was passing the torch on.
At the bar, Reid was getting uncomfortable with the attention the other man was showing. The Reid lookalike had left when he felt Morgan's attention falter and now Morgan was openly watching Reid's encounter.
"So, want to go outside for a cigarette?" The man asked Reid.
"I don't smoke," Reid said, trying to send signals telling him he wasn't interested.
"'Outside' was the important part of that question, handsome." Reid swallowed hard and tried to make something up. Could he say he was allergic to air? "Come on," the man grabbed Reid's arm. Morgan tensed and stepped in.
"He's not interested," he said sternly.
"Who the hell are you?" Morgan didn't know exactly how to answer that. He was the man hopelessly in love with the skinny, know it all Dr. Spencer Reid, but surely that wasn't the right thing to say at the moment. He pulled his badge out of his pocket.
"Derek Morgan, FBI. There have been a string of assaults on young gay men in the area and a man matching your description has been spotted hanging around the area."
"Woah." He released Reid's arm. "Listen, I don't have anything to do with that. I'm just here looking to meet somebody man,"
"Get outta here," Morgan instructed. The man followed orders well, he'd give him that much.
"That was a blatant abuse of your position in the bureau," Reid said, as Morgan moved in closer.
"Just…shut up, Reid." Morgan closed the distance completely and kissed the younger agent, pressing him up against the bar. They ignored the cheers from the team, even Hotch and Rossi were cheering and continued making out.
"Well, looks like our work here is done," JJ said. Prentiss smirked.
"Don't get too relaxed, I've got big plans for you," Emily whispered.
"I think we're going to leave," JJ said. "Yeah, we're definitely going to leave." Prentiss grinned and they departed, patting Morgan on the ass as they passed him. He looked up and grinned back at them.
"Well, Pretty Boy."
Spencer was bright eyed. "Your room or mine?"