Title: Keeping a Secret.
Summary: One Shot. Reid is so much happier; Garcia, Morgan and JJ are trying to find out the reason for his happiness.
Author's Notes: I have thanked REIDFANATIC so many times for the beta read but she certainly deserves it! She is awesome!
This one shot is for BeingDazzledByEdward who had given me a request.
BeingDazzledByReid, I do hope that you enjoy this story!
I would like to show so much appreciation to Poobie52, Daniela, Sue1313 and amberfly for reviewing 'Like Father, Like Son'. It was so nice to read all the reviews.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Sadly, the characters in this story are borrowed from the TV show 'Criminal Minds'.


Reid grinned as he put down the phone, sighing as the voice lingered in his mind. He wanted nothing more than to pick up the phone again and listen to her rambling about everything and nothing in particular, learning something new in each conversation, no matter how many times he'd actually spoken to her.

He swirled around in his chair, kicking his feet slightly as he could feel the happiness overpowering his heart, he had never felt this way before and he liked it.

He could not believe his luck when he summoned up enough courage to ask her out in the bar, just down the road from where he was now sitting. He had not stopped grinning for days afterward as soon as she said the word 'yes'.

He waited, the phone in his hand, hoping that she was feeling the same on the other end. He could picture her, her beautiful eyes, the way her hair gently dance as she talked. Reid let a smile creep onto his face as he remembered their first date. It was almost a year since the day he'd nearly given himself a heart attack in the bar. He was both pleased and surprised that the team hadn't caught on to the fact that the genius had found himself a girlfriend. He knew that they noticed his happier moods and that he'd even become more relaxed around strangers, women in particular. He was comfortable with his surroundings for the first time in his life.

Feeling a little bit dizzy from all the swirling, he brought the chair to a sudden stop. He really wanted to shout and scream out his girlfriend's name to the team so that they would have to cope with his chatter about his soul mate every single day. However, the first week, they'd both decided that it would be for the best if he kept her a secret, after all, he did not want her to get hurt. She had laughed at him for suggesting a situation that she could get herself into; kidnapped out of her moving car, a brutal punch in the head and drowned in a dirty, disease inflected lake so that even if by some miracle she survived the drowning, she would die from a horrible illness. She agreed, knowing that it was his choice, after all - it was his team.

Reid felt his leg twitch, knowing that it was a signal that his body was crying out for coffee and sugar.

"Coffee?"

Reid swung around; he faced Morgan straight away with a streaming cup in his strong hand. Reid held back a drool, and held his hands down as they were trying to fight their way to the mug. His girlfriend thought that he drank too much coffee but she wouldn't know, would she?

Ignoring the look of concern in Morgan's face, he gave the room a quick scan and then decided that she had eyes everywhere, no matter where he may be.

"No thanks."

His hands twitched harder and he tapped his foot, trying to overcome the overwhelming urge to snatch the coffee out of Morgan's grip. He gave Morgan a feeble smile before looking at the paperwork.

Dumbfounded, Morgan just stood there, unsure of what to do with the overly sugared coffee. He had made it the way Reid liked it. Two spoonsful of the coffee and then five and a half spoonsful of sugar, stirring at the same time as the hot water were poured in. He opened his mouth but no sounds came out.

"Huh."

After he was sure that Reid was not going to change his mind, he went to Garcia. She would know more about this … this thing.

"Garcia?" Morgan whispered, as she sat in front of her many screens, covered with codes, and was typing furiously on the keyboard. He turned around, preparing to leave her to cope with the situation that seemed be plaguing her at the moment.

"My knight! Who brings you to the castle of delight?"

Morgan stopped in his tracks and slumped into the chair next to her. He glared at the blinking screens in front of him, the codes always changing.

"I am designing my website." grinned Garcia as she turned the screen off, bringing a calmer feeling into the room with only the lamp above lighting the room. "It is nice not have work. It is almost relaxing isn't it?"

Morgan nodded in answer; he placed his hand over hers. Letting her know that he wanted to ask her something but wasn't sure how to. That just made Garcia more concerned, with a gasp; she looked Morgan straight in the eyes.

"Is the team alright?"

"What? No. I mean yes." stammered Morgan as he lost his normal cool, stumbling over words. "Reid is … different. I can't place it."

Garcia let out a sigh of relief. She would never be able to rebuild her heart if one of them had gotten hurt, or worse, killed. She loved them too much. Each one and every one of them was like a member of a close knit family. Although, Morgan did seem deeply worried about Reid, at least he was safe. She would try her best to help in any other way.

"Nightmares?" She asked, she knew about the youngest member of the team's nightmares. She even ensured that Gideon would have found out by dropping a few subtle hints that thankfully he picked up on. She knew everything about her family, keeping a close watch on them, like a mother hen. She too however had noticed Reid's change of behavior and couldn't find a reason for it.

"No. He is too happy for that."

JJ chose that moment to walk in, she caught Morgan's statement, with confusion in her mind. She asked a question.

"Who is this he and why is he too happy?"

Garcia nearly fell out of her chair, her hand clutching her pounding heart.

"Geesh girl, don't scare me like that! You should know better by now." boomed Garcia as she tried to calm her scared heart; her forehead broke out in sweat. She really was not expecting somebody else to come in, the building had been quiet as they were all doing paperwork, glad for the break.

JJ gave an ashamed smile, feeling guilty to just barge in like that. Morgan snickered at JJ's expression and the over the top reaction from Garcia. He stopped as soon as Garcia gave him a warning look, a smile still played on his mouth, and he gave JJ a secret wink. JJ caught it but her face was still filled with guilt for scaring the bubbly woman.

"Sorry?" Her worry lines ceased when Garcia grinned at her and patted another empty seat next to her, signaling that she should sit down.

"It's alright, JJ. I guess I kind of overreacted." Morgan didn't bother holding onto a laugh as it bubbled over of his mouth. Garcia just smirked at him before carrying on with the talk.

"It's Reid. He is happy. Too happy. He even said no to coffee!" Garcia burst out as she used hand gestures, she really didn't know what the hell is going on. "Coffee, JJ! Coffee! You know, his favorite liquid of all time with tons of sugar. And he rejected it."

"Oh?"

"Is that all you have to say?" Garcia could not believe what she just heard, a short, bored 'oh'. How could this not be interesting? Reid declining coffee was like Santa Claus saying that he doesn't want to deliver presents to all the good children in the whole wide world.

"I think it's great that he is happy." responded JJ, as she grinned at the couple. "Now all we have to do is figure out what it is that's made him happier."

"A puppy?"

"Reid? No. A snake?"

"I don't think it's an animal. New apartment?"

"An apartment? Unlikely."

For a moment, they were all stumped. Stuck. There was only one thing left in their mind but none of them dared to say it. Morgan opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish. Garcia twirled her golden hair around her finger. JJ looked at the blank screens, her eyes scanning them for any signs of colors. Garcia was the one to build up the courage to say the word.

"Girlfriend?"

Morgan hastily nodded his head and JJ smiled, agreeing. It was the only thing that actually made sense. Garcia stood up and headed out of the room.

"Princess? Where are you going?"

"To become a super spy."

Morgan looked at JJ who was clearly amused by what had just happened. They shared an entertaining glance before following the computer genius into the bullpen where Reid was working.

Garcia took a seat at one of the desks, in clear sight of Reid. He was writing away furiously, papers surrounded him.

"I don't think you would make a good spy, sweetie." Morgan gently told her as he took a seat next to her, waving at the younger man.

"Sometimes, in the clear sight is the best way to hide." Garcia wisely told him as she smiled at Reid.

"I am going to see where he goes after work. I will find out."

"Let me. He wouldn't be expecting me." JJ said as she set out to make herself a cup of coffee, letting the aroma waft around the room making Reid twitch even more.

"Deal. You text me as soon as you find out something."

After following Reid for a while, he came to a stop outside a bar. He had told her all about this place once, when it was made and the fact that it used to be a factory. After counting to ten, she followed Reid into the light atmosphere of the bar.

JJ stopped in her tracks at the doorway, taking a moment to survey the scene in front of her, Reid was sitting at the bar, waiting for his girlfriend. She grinned as she text Garcia,

'I found him. Will keep an eye on him.'

As the soon as the text was sent, she walked to the bar.

Garcia squealed as she read the message, she showed it to Morgan, unable to form the words. She knew that this was a bad way to get it out of Reid but they needed to know. He was the baby of the team, she wanted to look up the girlfriend's name and ensure that she was good enough for her boy. She twiddled her thumbs, she wanted nothing more than to get out of there and head down to the bar and see it with her own eyes. She shook the phone while Morgan chuckled and pulled it out of her grip. She was too impatient. He could wait and he would.

JJ's heart fluttered as she took the photo on her phone, the couple. Sending the picture to her best friend, she ordered a drink, glancing at Reid. He was so happy.

Morgan jumped when the phone shrieked in his palm, before he could answr, Garcia seized the cell out of his hands. She held her breath as her jaw fell open. Morgan caught the falling phone before it crashed to the ground. He looked at the screen and straight away he understood Garcia's reaction. He took another look at the picture, he would never have guessed this and he was a profiler for Christ's sake. With disbelief in his face, he stared at the screen.

The picture of Reid's smiling face while JJ gave him a small peck on the cheek stared back at him. He gave a hearty laugh, they were certainly good enough for each other.

Garcia joined in with the laughing; she was going to get back at JJ for keeping this so easily from her.


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