AN- thanks to all who reviewed! Though this, as an entirety was written aages ago, I also have an idea for a new story. Just need time to write it.
Morgan jumped up.
Oh no… not….
Reid stood at the edge of his bed, fully dressed. Morgan instantly sprang from the bed and looked out the window. The streets were clear of any sign of the snowfall of the night before.
"I know it's only 6.30. It's actually beneficial to the body to be up early in the morning."
Morgan ignored him and walked over to the shower, turning it on. Icy cold water poured out.
"There's no hot water. I already had a cold shower. It was rather refreshing."
Morgan stepped out of the bathroom and regarded Reid.
"What day is it?"
"What?"
"Just answer me."
The smile at the corner of the young man's mouth froze. "Wednesday."
"Of course."
Morgan stepped into the bathroom and got dressed in speed time.
"Let's get breakfast."
As if on cue, Reid began to talk about the film they'd now seen twice in a row. Morgan ignored him, rushing down the stairs.
They stepped out onto the street.
Reid fell straight over the little boy that suddenly pulled out in front of him on the tricycle, stumbling forward onto his hands and knees on the footpath.
The kid started to cry. A woman rushed over to the bawling boy.
"What happened?" She scooped him up in her arms, looking for any injuries.
"I… fell over him." Reid fumbled.
"Oh…" The woman looked frazzled. "Well I'm sorry then, I guess."
"Come on, Reid. Let's get something for breakfast." Morgan was already half way up the street.
This day, Morgan ordered a muffin. Hell, it was his choice, wasn't it? His comrade took a long time before ordering a croissant as well, then joined Morgan at the alfresco table outside, under a red and white striped umbrella.
"So, how do you know this John?" Reid asked, after their drinks and food were brought to them by the portly woman behind the counter.
"Reid… tell me about worm holes. Do you think time loops are possible?"
Reid turned the sugar bowl upside down and emptied the contents into his coffee. "Certainly. I think it's only a matter of time until one is discovered, or created in a laboratory." Reid finally put the sugar bowl down. He then went on to explain the complex quantum theory behind his repeating day. Morgan tried to keep up, but lost track within the first couple of minutes.
Whatever's happening, I'm not going to get an explanation I can understand from the brainiac. Well, I might as well do what we've come here for.
###
John had put on weight since he'd last seen him. A lot of weight.
"Derek!" He grabbed him and squashed him into a bearhug, not seeming to care that they were standing in the middle of a crowded police station. "Great to see you!"
Morgan happily received the hug.
"Great to see you too, man."
They released and John looked at Reid, hovering awkwardly next to Morgan.
"This is Doctor Spencer Reid, my collegue."
John's eyes suddenly lit up. He nodded and took the suddenly outstretched hand. "Good to meet you, Dr. Reid."
They released and Spencer looked down at the ground. John caught Morgan's eyes and raised his brow.
"So you guys can help us on this? That would be great, because we've got pretty much the entire town in a panic. One of the ones who died was Estelle Stevens. She was only eight years old."
"The perps name is Annie Richards. She will ring the office later this morning, saying she suspects her husband was also a victim of cyanide poisoning two years ago. Anne Richards took out a life insurance policy on her husband two weeks before he died. The clause stated that if the death was found to be through misadventure, she'd get more money."
Both John and Spencer stared back at him as though he'd grown two heads.
"Man, you guys are good!" John said.
"Good. I… I think I'll get another coffee." Morgan spied the terrible cop shop coffee the end of the room and walked over.
"Morgan, you bastard!" John followed him. "Your Dr. Reid there's a real beauty! If I wasn't so desperately in love with Sue…"
"John…" He didn't know where to start.
"Brains and beauty. The whole package." His friend was looking back at the awkward looking profiler.
"How is Sue?" Morgan sighed.
"She's well. Really well." The other man appeared distracted. Before Morgan could say any more, he stepped back over to Reid and began to engage him in conversation.
What the hell. They can talk. Morgan poured himself a coffee and checked his watch. It was still early in the morning. They could catch the first plane out. Maybe that could be a way of breaking… whatever this was.
"Reid." Morgan stepped back across the busy cop shop. "If we leave now, we'll get back before…"
"You want to leave? Why?" Reid looked genuinely puzzled.
"What's wrong, Derek?" John asked.
Morgan looked from him to Reid and felt an odd feeling curl his stomach.
"Come on, Spence. I want to talk to you." He lead the young man out of the station.
"What's wrong?" the young man asked, as they stepped onto the steps outside the precinct.
"John… John's a great guy but he's…"
Reid stood, waiting.
"We can catch the first plane out."
The young profiler continued to stare at him. It was amazing how much he looked like his old mentor, Gideon, at times.
"Let's get a coffee." Reid said, quietly.
###
"So you think you're… repeating the same day."
"Three times now."
The young man seemed to think about it. "It's not that unbelievable. Modern quantum theory is that time is not linear, rather circular."
"But why me? Why now?"
"And I don't remember?"
"You haven't so far."
He could sense Reid's amazing mind processing. The young man smiled. "This is exciting, Morgan! The implications are so far reaching that-"
"I need to know how to break it."
It suddenly occurred to him that Reid instantly believed him.
"Well, that is difficult. You say you ate a muffin today instead of a croissant? Well, maybe that's what's done it. A simple change in behaviour."
Morgan looked at him incredulously.
"Maybe we should see that damned time travel film again. There might be some answer in that."
###
The film was somewhat more understandable the third time, but Morgan felt it wasn't giving him any answer to his predicament.
On the way out, he noted the way the snow flakes settled on Reid's light hair. It occurred to him that John was right. Reid was, indeed, beautiful. Particularly standing in the snow, shivering slightly. They both forsaked the restaurant in favour of the hotel room.
"So, what happens now? I could, try and stay up, you know." Reid suggested.
Morgan shook his head. He didn't think it worked that way.
###
"Morgan, wake up!"
Reid stood, fully dressed at the foot of his bed. Morgan rolled over and checked the time. Of course, it was 6.30 am.
Screw it. He thought. I'm sleeping in this day.
When he woke up two hours later, Reid was sitting in the corner of the room, reading.
"Finally, he wakes."
Morgan grumbled and walked into the bathroom. I'll never be able to shower again, he thought, with some sadness.
Once they were out on the street, the little boy on the tricycle attacked Reid from the other side of the path. The young man fell straight over him, stumbling forward onto his hands and knees on the footpath.
The kid started to cry.
A woman rushed over to the bawling boy.
"What happened?" She scooped him up in her arms, looking for any injuries.
"I… fell over him." Reid fumbled
"Oh…" The woman looked frazzled. "Well I'm sorry then, I guess."
"Come on, Reid." Morgan shook his head. "Let's get something for breakfast."
Maybe we should find a different restaurant, Morgan thought as he ordered a coffee and croissant. But then, we are creatures of habit. His comrade took a long time before ordering a croissant as well, then joined Morgan at the alfresco table outside, under a red and white striped umbrella.
"So, how do you know this John?" Reid asked, after their drinks and food were brought to them by the portly woman behind the counter.
"John Ferris." Morgan watched, inwardly amused, as Reid turned the sugar bowl upside down and emptied the contents into his coffee.
Reid nodded, finally putting the sugar bowl down
"And they say someone's been poisoning-"
Morgan waited for him to take a sip before replying. "Don't worry. I've got it all worked out. I know who the perp is."
###
"Derek!" John grabbed him and squashed him into a bearhug, not seeming to care that they were standing in the middle of a crowded police station. "Great to see you!"
Morgan happily received the hug.
"Great to see you too, man."
They released and John looked at Reid, hovering awkwardly next to Morgan.
"This is Doctor Spencer Reid, my collegue."
John's eyes suddenly lit up. He nodded and took the suddenly outstretched hand. "Good to meet you, Dr. Reid."
They released and Spencer looked down at the ground. John caught Morgan's eyes and raised his brow. Morgan felt an arrow of anger shoot through himself.
"So you guys can help us on this? That would be great, because-"
"The perps name is Annie Richards." Derek said. "She will ring the office later this morning, saying she suspects her husband died of cyanide poisoning two years ago. Anne Richards took out a life insurance policy on her husband two weeks before he died. The clause stated that if the death was found to be through misadventure, she'd get more money."
Both John and Spencer stared back at him as though he'd grown two heads.
"Man, you guys are good!" John said.
Derek nodded. "It'll pan out. I'll catch you later, John. Reid… Spencer you can… whatever the hell it is you do."
He stalked off before either could reply.
"Morgan, you bastard! Your Dr. Reid there's a real beauty!" John rushed to catch up with him. "If I wasn't so desperately in love with Sue…"
"You're welcome to him." Derek said.
###
Morgan felt like he'd completed a lot that day. He visited the local astrology museum and learnt a few things he could attempt to impress Reid with later. He'd gone to the local park and made a fool of himself on the swings. He'd gone to the posh french restaurant and ordered the cheapest entrée.
By the time he put his key in the hotel room door, he felt rather sated. He turned the lock and stepped in. Reid sat on the bed, book in his hands.
"You were right. She confessed to poisoning the bottles at the drug stores with cyanide to get her husbands case re-opened." Reid didn't look up from the book.
"Good." Morgan took off his jacket and stepped over to the window. Snow flakes were starting to fall outside.
"Where did you go today?" There was a slight edge to the kid's voice.
"Where didn't I go." Morgan laughed.
"Morgan…" Reid put the book down. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Morgan shrugged.
This is the fourth day in a row I've repeated the same day. I'm just having a little fun, is all.
"Why did you abandon me at the police station?" A hurt look crossed the pretty face. Morgan felt a stab of guilt.
"I… had some things to do."
"Well, thanks a lot. You left me there with nothing to do. It was awkward, man. And then I had to contend with your friends lechurous attentions."
"What did he do to you?" His heart was hammering. John was a bit of a slease but ultimately harmless. He would have probably acted the same way around Prentiss, JJ… hell, even Hotch.
"Nothing… he just… he stood really close. And he told me not to be offended but that he thought I was…"
"What? Beautiful?"
The young man's blush deepened.
"Sounds like John. Look, don't worry. He's harmless. He just appreciates beauty when he sees it."
"Well, why the hell is he picking on me, then?"
Morgan collapsed into the armchair facing the window and exhaled deeply.
"Because you're… well you're beautiful. Let me tell you a story. Not long after I first met you, I found Gideon drinking alone at a bar."
Reid's dark eyes flashed at the mention of his ex-mentor. The other man felt a strange ugly twist of his stomach.
"I joined him. Before long, we started talking about you. Gideon admitted to being protective of you, not only because of your intellect, but also because of your looks." Morgan shrugged. "He was worried that what he saw as your particular kind of pretty masculine beauty would attract certain types of offenders."
"Gideon told you I was-" A certain apprehension registered in Reid's tones. His eyes sparkled.
He likes the idea of Gideon finding him attractive, doesn't he?
Morgan inwardly sighed. He couldn't continue with this discussion. Not tonight. He was thankful that Reid wouldn't remember in the morning.
"I'm tired, Reid. I'm going to bed."
"But-"
"I'll see you in the morning."
###
"Morgan wake up!"
Morgan rolled over and looked at the fully dressed Spencer. He was wearing his usual jeans, shirt and vest. His eyes looked very dark and lustrous, sunlight breaking through the window highlighting the honey-gold hair curling around his neck.
"Gideon was right. You are beautiful."
The ugly twist in his stomach increased.
What the hell, he's not going to remember tomorrow.
Reid blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Give me 5 minutes to get changed."
"Oh, ah-" Reid looked decidedly off-balanced.
The other man loped over to the bathroom, grabbing a change of clothes on the way over.
"Come on, Spence. Let's get some breakfast. There's a pretty ordinary French café up the road."
"Ah…" He still looked rather frazzled. "How did you know about the cafe?" Spencer asked, as they walked down the stairs to the front door.
Reid fell straight over the little boy on the tricycle, stumbling forward onto his hands and knees on the footpath.
"Damn, that kid's fast!" Derek muttered.
The kid started to cry.
"I'm fine, fine it's ok." He shrugged off Morgan's attempts to help him up. A woman rushed over to the bawling boy.
"What happened?" She scooped him up in her arms, looking for any injuries.
"I… fell over him." Reid fumbled.
"Oh…" The woman looked frazzled. "Well I'm sorry then, I guess."
"So you should be! Keep that kid on a leash! Come on, Reid. Let's get something for breakfast."
"I'm really sorry." Spencer said to the lady. Morgan was already half-way up the road.
Morgan ordered a beer and sat down. His comrade took a long time before ordering a croissant as well, then joined Morgan at the alfresco table outside, under a red and white striped umbrella.
"So, what did you mean when you said Gideon…?" Reid began.
"First thing on the agenda today- tell the sheriff who the serial poisoner of the town is." Morgan watched, inwardly amused, as Reid turned the sugar bowl upside down and emptied the contents into his coffee. "He's a friend of mine. Go way back. By the way, he'll try and flirt with you. Just ignore him. He's harmless."
"Huh?"
"Some brain, huh?" Morgan teased.
###
"Derek!" John grabbed him and squashed him into a bearhug, not seeming to care that they were standing in the middle of a crowded police station. "Great to see you!"
Morgan happily received the hug.
"Great to see you too, man."
They released and John looked at Reid, hovering awkwardly next to Morgan.
"This is Doctor Spencer Reid, my collegue. Yes, he's very pretty. Hands off."
John's eyes suddenly lit up. He nodded and took the suddenly outstretched hand. "Good to meet you, Dr. Reid."
They released and Spencer stared at Morgan as though he'd never seen him before. "So –"
"Annie Richards the perp. She will ring the office later this morning, saying she suspects her husband died of cyanide poisoning two years ago. She took out a life insurance policy on her husband two weeks before he died. The clause stated that if the death was found to be through misadventure, she'd get more money."
Both John and Spencer stared back at him as though he'd grown two heads.
"Man, you guys are good!" John said.
"Come on, Spence. I want to talk to you." He lead the young man out of the station.
"What's wrong?" the young man asked, as they stepped onto the steps outside the precinct.
"Let's get a coffee. There's something I have to tell you."
###
The young profiler continued to stare at him. It was amazing how much he looked like his old mentor, Gideon, at times.
"So you think you're… repeating the same day."
The young man seemed to think about it. "It's not that unbelievable. Modern quantum theory is that time is not linear, rather circular."
"I can't figure out how to break it."
He could sense Reid's amazing mind processing. The young man smiled. "This is exciting, Morgan! The implications are so far reaching that-"
"Look, you tried to explain it to me the other day. I got lost within the first few minutes."
"Oh, I could try and make it less complicated for you."
Morgan waved his hand, 'forget it'. The waitress came over and he ordered his third beer.
"Morgan…" Spencer frowned. "This morning you said…"
"Another conversation we had the other day."
"We talked about Gideon?" His face was openly vulnerable to Morgan in that moment. "What did we say?"
Derek took a long sip of his beer. "I told you that Gideon mentioned to me once he thought you were beautiful."
Spencer's expression turned to one of puzzlement. "I don't…I don't understand."
Morgan took another large tug of his beer. "No matter. How about I finish this and we see that quantum physics time travel film?"
His companion's face lit up. "It's rather a remarkable film-"
Morgan found himself zoning out.
###
Derek took the time during the film to consider his predicament. It was conceivable that he could be stuck in this day for eternity. The thought filled him with such acute dread, he had to grip the edges of the seat to keep from bolting out of the room to the toilet to vomit. In which case… what? What on earth to do? Stuck forever in this small town. He'd never see his family again. Hell, he wouldn't even see Hotch, Prentiss or JJ again. Garcia. He hadn't spoken to her in almost a week. A record for them both.
Stuck forever with Reid. Could be worse. He'd prefer Reid to Hotch or even Gideon. Particularly Gideon. In the last few days, he'd been feeling relieved that the older man had left. Particularly when he saw the way Spencer reacted when his name was mentioned.
On the way out, he noted the way the snow flakes settled on Reid's light hair. The young man turned and smiled at him. Derek felt his stomach constrict in a way he hadn't felt in years, particularly towards another man.
Well, I'll be damned…
As soon as they stepped into the crowded restaurant, as if on cue, a little kid ran, screaming past them. Reid put his hands over his ears, momentarily.
It's that damned kid on the tricycle! Derek thought.
"I'm sorry, this place is full." A blond, snooty looking man appeared from out of nowhere. The waiter raked his eyes over Morgan's jumper and jeans.
"No, it isn't. You're just a snob. Give us a table."
"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."
"Come on, Morgan." Reid said, quietly. "Let's just go."
"No, I won't. I demand some service."
The waiter's eyes narrowed, coolly observing the threat before him.
"I'm hungry and I want a table. That couple over there just asked for the bill. Seat us there. Fine." Morgan pulled out his agent's card. "FBI. Now give us a damned table!"
The waiter raised a brow. "Right this way, sir."
Derek turned to Reid and smiled. The kid looked as though he would have prefered to have melted into the ground.
"This place is terrible." Morgan said, looking about, as both sat down. "Why is that waiter so snooty about it?"
Spencer picked up the jug of water from the table and poured them both a cup.
"You believe me. Every time I've said I'm repeating the same day over and over, you've believed me."
The young man shrugged. "It's not an improbability. And you have no reason to lie. Except to make me look a fool. But with no one else around to see it, what would be the point?"
Morgan took a moment to process what he'd said. "Is that what you think, Spencer? That I deliberately make you look a fool, just to make myself look good in front of the others?"
The young man shrugged once more.
"You've got me all wrong. That's not… that's not what I'm about."
"Then what are you about, then Derek?"
Such expressive eyes. How could he have never noticed?
"I just like to tease, at times. If I hurt you, then I truly am sorry."
"Why me? Why not any of the others, then?"
Seeing the waiter making his way over, Derek picked up the menu.
"So, you're not going to answer-?"
"I'll have a hamburger with fries, and a light beer."
Reid turned and jumped at the waiter standing behind him. "Ah…" He quickly picked up a menu. "Same."
The waiter nodded and quickly departed.
"I joined the FBI to get away from people treating me like a freak. I never thought-"
"Why did you think joining the FBI would stop people treating you like a freak?"
Spencer appeared stunned. "I guess… I don't know."
"Listen, kid. Your genius makes people insecure. It's not your fault. It's just the way it is."
"So, you're saying I make you feel insecure?"
Morgan picked out his next words carefully.
"You make me a little nervous, sometimes. I guess I cover it with jokes."
"Why would I make you nervous?"
What the hell, it's not like he'll remember it tomorrow.
"Reid, I'm bisexual. I just haven't been with a man in a very long time."
"Well, yeah I figured that out. I still don't understand why I make you nervous, though."
Jesus, kid. Do you want me to draw you a map?
"How did you figure it out?"
"I am too. I've just never…with a man." His face went delightfully red. Morgan had a sudden image of Reid lying on his bed, naked, wanton, blushing as he did now. He felt a sudden tightening of his jeans in the crotch area.
"So, what have you learnt about this town?" Reid said quickly. Morgan felt oddly relieved at the change of conversation.
Stuck in the town with Reid. Beautiful, intelligent, quirky boy. Seducable? Worth looking into.
Tbc…