DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it from time to time. Dance Monkeys! Dance!
RATING: M for Mature
SPOILERS: Through US Aired Episodes Season 4
WORD COUNT: 1539
PAIRING: Derek Morgan/Emily Prentiss
POST EP: S04X25-26 To Hell... And Back.
SUMMARY: Sometimes you just need to know you're still human after something like that.

A/N: This is my first attempt at a Criminal Minds fic, so I hope everyone will be gentle. Just a little something that's been tickling my brain ever since the Season 4 finale. Major thanks and heaps of gratitude to my long suffering beta. Without her, I never would have finished this one

REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.

He always insisted on walking her to the door. She never really understood why. They both chased pathological criminals for a living, so who was walking him to his door?

But it was different that night. The case was different. It hit them all really hard, but Morgan the hardest. His words continued to ring in her ears.

"I mean, that's all I've been thinking about all day, is the entire time I've been with the BAU, working almost non-stop and having no real life, these brothers have been out here killing eighty-nine people and we didn't even know about it. "

She didn't know why, but Emily decided to invite him in for a drink. He looked almost relieved as he stepped inside her place for the first time.

Morgan glanced around the room, taking stock of his surroundings as Emily walked to the kitchen. Pulling a couple of beers out of the fridge, she turned to find him slumped against the breakfast bar. Handing him the bottle, she asked, "What is it?"

He shook his head and silently took a long pull from the bottle. Emily wasn't sure what to do or say, so she just followed his lead.

Ice cold beer slid down her throat, satisfying a thirst she didn't realize she had. By the time they both took a second drink, she was already feeling the warmth it generated in her belly. She wasn't normally a lightweight, but they had been going for days with barely any sleep, and she couldn't even remember the last time she had something to eat.

When Derek set his bottle down on the counter behind him, Emily felt compelled to ask again. "You want to talk about it?" His only answer was to shake his head a second time.

Her training kicked in and she reached up to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, just as she had so many times before. But something felt different. He closed his eyes tightly as her hand slowly trailed down the side of his arm, and she felt every muscle tighten under her touch. Stopping, she felt the hard muscles of his forearm quivering under her hand. She looked up into his face and saw that his eyes were straining to stay closed.

Later on, she would try to convince herself it was the beer, or the lack of sleep that made her do it, but in that moment, none of it mattered. With her other hand she slid over his chest, one ridge at a time, until she reached his neck. The moment her fingers touched the bare skin of his neck Derek's eyes flew open and found hers.

Looking into each other's eyes, they both knew there was no turning back. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in tight, his mouth crashing into hers with his kiss. His mouth tasted like allspice and cinnamon burning on her tongue. The heat in that kiss started a fire which promised to either save them from themselves or consume them completely.

The hardness of his body was surprising. She had always known he was built, but the reality of it was incredible. Emily found herself wanting to explore every single ripple with her fingers and her tongue. As they devoured one another with their kiss, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer. When she felt her knee being drawn up along his side it took her a moment to realize that it was Derek's hand guiding it to rest on his hip.

It wasn't long before her feet were no longer on the floor, and Derek carried her out of the kitchen. Her legs wrapped tightly around his body, her feet rested just below the firm flesh of his ass. Their kiss never broke as he moved them swiftly into the living room.

Falling onto the sofa, Emily quickly ripped the shirt from his body, paying no attention to the buttons. As she fought to get his undershirt out of his pants, his lips left hers and slid over her jaw to her neck. He was kneeling over her, and she could feel his hands on her, but she was single-minded in her desire to touch his skin. Once Emily got her hands under the shirt she was too busy running her fingers along the hot flesh she had exposed to concentrate on anything else. They continued to fumble with the clothes, all the while exploring one another with their hands and lips.

If either of them had been thinking of the consequences, she was sure it never would have happened. This wasn't something to think about. It was about need, about feeling human in the face of such inhuman depravity. Skin on skin, human life in its most primal form.

Somehow, they were able to get rid of their clothes, stripping each other bare. The feel of his skin sliding over hers was enough to melt away any restraint she may have had left. And from the way Derek ground into her with his body, she suspected he felt the same way.

He paused for a moment, looking deep into her eyes to find an answer to his unspoken question. Wrapping a leg around him, Emily pulled Derek in close and gasped into his ear, "Want this… Want you."

Turning her head, she captured his mouth in another intense kiss. Derek got his final answer with her mouth locked on his, and he wasted no time.

Emily had barely a moment to prepare before Derek grabbed her knee and brought it up to rest on the crest of his hip. Her foot had only grazed the back of his thigh before he pulled back and brought his cock up to her opening. He rested on one elbow and pushed the hair off of her face with the other hand.

She could see the swirling emotions in his eyes. The sorrow, the anger, the despair, the desire, and the fear, they were all there, threatening to consume him. And if she was honest, she would have to admit that they were lurking just over her shoulder, waiting to take her as well. Their lives were a high-wire act, walking that fine line between the extremes of the human condition in order to combat the evil in this world.

But none of that mattered to her in that moment. Her own body was aching with need. The pressure of his blunt head against her lips had her throbbing with want. But he held firm, once more brushing his hand through her hair. His ragged breathing matched hers and she was afraid he was about to pull away when his mouth crashed into hers, practically sucking the life out of her as he dropped his hips and slid inside.

Derek swallowed her gasp with his mouth as he smoothly sheathed himself within her walls. She wanted to cry out, but his tongue was in her mouth, stroking against hers and she turned herself over to the pleasure of the moment. She was stretched to the limit and yet Emily found herself wanting more. Mouth still locked on hers, he slowly withdrew, leaving only the head still within her grasp.

He finally broke the kiss on his down stroke and Emily was able to shriek, but she pulled him down harder with the leg she kept wrapped tightly around him. He grunted when they crashed together as he lost his balance. Still, she wanted more.

Derek lifted up on his arms, and before Emily could adjust to his new position, he was pushing back inside of her until there was nothing left to give. A whimper tumbled out of her mouth as he withdrew once more, up and out, grazing past her clit just enough to have the tension rising in her body with every stroke.

His rhythm started slow, in and down, up and out, over and over, making the pressure build with each pass. As the heat between them grew, their bodies slicked with sweat, the pace increased, and so did the intensity. Before long he was pounding into her, pushing her up on the couch and forcing her to hold him tighter and tighter to keep from being thrown off.

With each musk filled breath of air her whole body screamed for release as her walls began to clench around him. Finally, Emily let go and allowed the cascade of ecstasy overwhelm her as he slammed into her, over and over before he exploded with a tortured roar.

Every drop of energy exhausted, Derek collapsed into a heap on top of her. They were nothing more than two empty human shells left in the moonlight.

And that was it.

She pretended not to wake when he rolled off of her later. And he pretended to believe her as he gathered up his clothes and quietly left.

Two wounded souls in need of human connection after a horrific experience. Someone else might think it meant more than that, but not her.

No, she was far too smart to pin any hopes on a man who had no desire to get serious about anything but his work.