Chapter One
I sat up in bed and stretched, reaching out to pat Clooney next to me in the bed. Clooney barely spared me a glance as I walked to the bathroom. It was Friday and I was happy.
We had just finished a case the day before and if the day went well it would be paperwork and then movie night with my best friend, Reid. It started off as a once in a while thing Garcia had come up with but over time had evolved into a regular Friday night deal mostly with myself and Reid.
Occasionally Garcia or Prentiss would still come by and make a party of it and rarely Hotch or Rossi would drop in. Mostly it was just Reid and me relaxing with a DVD and some takeout. With all the chaos we dealt with at work I had come to appreciate these quiet nights with the young genius,
well as quiet as Reid gets when he rambles about my own movie choices.
I showered and made my way to the kitchen for breakfast. The smell of bacon frying was enough to rouse Clooney from his warm bed and after a little doggie spoiling I let my canine friend out in the fenced in back yard to do his business and some play time. The fence had been a great addition and allowed the Doberman some freedom while I was at work. After breakfast and time spent with Clooney, I headed to work. The weather wasn't too bad so I rode my motorcycle; after parking I crossed the street and picked up some coffee from the local Starbucks grabbing a cup for Reid while I was there. The kid did love his coffee and he didn't ask for much so me and the other team members had taken to bringing him a cup of the good stuff each day. Garcia on Mondays, Prentiss on Tuesdays, Hotch on Wednesdays, Rossi on Thursday and myself on Friday, Reid was always delighted so it had become a regular thing. A few times before we had worked out the schedule the kid had been overjoyed to find himself with multiple cups on the same day.
I walked into work and Reid and Prentiss were already at their desks, although it didn't appear they had actually started anything productive. They were talking about some science fiction book they had both read. Reid had finished it days ago and had waited a week for Emily to finish so he could talk to her and ask her what she thought. She looked to be on the verge of throwing up her hands at Reid's arguement against the book while she had liked it. The kid was shy around most people but with the team he relaxed enough to argue his points and technically he was always right which was frustrating to say the least. Sometimes it was pointless to argue with him because he could wear you down to prove his point. It amazed me to think that a former football jock would call this geeky genius his best friend but Reid has a way of growing on you. Everyone on the team felt it; you couldn't help but care about him. I set the coffee down in front of Reid earning a smile from Reid for the coffee and Prentiss for the distraction. I grinned back at them both.
The day was pretty quiet and we were able to accomplish quit a bit of paperwork even with my typical grumbling. Prentiss and I had been able to sneak a couple of folders each onto Reid's pile and then felt guilty when the kid still finished first and offered to help both of us with what we had left. Rossi and Hotch had both made appearances at lunch only because Garcia had threatened a computer virus if Hotch didn't stop to eat with the rest of us. The day dragged on after that but was coming to a close and Reid and I had started discussing what movie we were going to watch that evening. Garcia walked up and offered some advice on the choices we had narrowed it down to. She had plans with Kevin and wouldn't be able to make it tonight she said with a wink and a smirk at me. I was curious why she would do that and when I glanced to Prentiss she only grinned and lowered her head to the file in front of her. Reid was still rambling on about the merits of his choice and never wavered from his speech. When she got up to head back to her office to gather her things and shut down her computers for the night, I followed.
"Hey, baby girl," I said. "What was with the look?"
She smiled at me and patted my cheek but turned back to her tasks. I waited. When she had finished she turned back to me and sighed.
"Morgan, my love," Garcia sighed again. "You don't have to hide from me; you know I love you and I would never judge you or Spencer."
I stared at her in question.
"Derek, for as long as I have known you, every Friday we were in town you would talk about the latest lovely lady you were spending the evening romancing. Then one Friday your date fell through so we had movie night. Over time you talked less and less about going out with a new hottie and more and more about Reid and your plans. Not that I'm complaining, just the thought of you and our gorgeous boy wonder is enough to fuel my dreams for ages but don't you wonder why you don't spend your Fridays with the ladies anymore?" Garcia paused.
My mouth dropped open, Garcia thought that Reid and I were a couple? Why the hell would she think that?
I am a ladies man through and through and Reid is my best friend, we could never think of each other romantically. This was absurd. I shook my head.
"Garcia, you have a perverted mind. Reid and I are just friends and I like the ladies. You and Prentiss need to get your minds out of the gutter. Why would you think that?"
She smiled sweetly at me, patted my cheek and walked out of the room. I stood there for a moment and let everything she had said run through my brain. So what if I liked a quiet night just watching TV with Reid;
it's not like we were a couple, Reid and I didn't think of each other that way. All we did was have some dinner and watch a movie, sit on the couch and oh no...I'm dating Reid.
