Ink

A/N: This is an idea that I had on my own, didn't get it from anyone else. If it accidentally copies someone's idea, I'm sorry! BTW, Tessa and others in the shop are my own invention. Also, I realize no one really texts like this, but I couldn't make myself use abbreviations in the messages in the story. Now, more Morganders!

Morgan finally got two days off of work. She'd been pulling doubles every other shift and it was getting to be a little too much. She spent the first day off lounging around, bingeing on Netflix, Hulu and sleeping. She didn't have any plans for her second day off, and was sitting on her couch drinking coffee when her phone beeped. She glanced down at it and saw a text from her friend Tessa.

Tessa: You want to hang out today? I hear you have a day off and we haven't seen each other in ages! Grinning, Morgan replied.

Morgan: Yeah! You want me to meet you at the shop?

Tessa: Sure, I have an appointment at 11am. You can come and watch if you want, I'm sure the guy won't mind.

Morgan: Sounds like fun as long as the guy doesn't mind an audience.

Tessa: He seems cool, I'll ask him.

Morgan went to get ready, pulling on decent looking clothes and a little bit of makeup. Her phone beeped again.

Tessa: He's here, I'm prepping him now. He said he won't mind an audience. Come on over! Bring snacks!

Morgan: Don't I always? I'll be there in a couple of minutes.

When she was finished getting ready, she left her apartment and ran by the store to grab some snacks for her and Tessa. After loading up on drinks, chips, and candy, she drove to the shop where Tessa worked as a tattoo artist. It was on the upper level of a strip center. She stuffed the snacks in her purse and went up to the shop.

"Morgan, hey!" Scott said at the counter. He was Tessa's brother. They worked together in the shop, along with Scott's boyfriend and several other artists that rotated in and out of the shop.

"Hey, is Tessa in the back at her station?"

"Sure is…did you bring snacks?"

"Of course!" She put the bag of goldfish crackers she'd purchased for Scott on the counter. He smiled.

"Yes! Andrew! There are goldfish crackers!" He yelled into the back. Andrew came running up and Morgan laughed. They waved her to the back, where Tessa's tattooing station was. Morgan and Tessa met when they were in elementary school. They'd grown up as best friends. When Morgan moved away when her parents got divorced, she and Tessa had done everything they could to stay in touch and reconnected as soon as she returned to Vegas.

Morgan walked down the hallway to the back room, where she saw Tessa. Her room was decorated with pictures of all her previous tattoos, other art she'd created and album covers behind glass. Her hair was black and worn short, just above her shoulders. She wore dark rimmed glasses and neon pink lipstick.

"Hey!" Tessa said with a grin. She and Morgan hugged before Morgan began to unload the snacks.

"Where's the guy?" Morgan asked.

"Oh, in the bathroom. You brought me Sour Patch Kids!" Tessa took a drink from the soda and ate a handful of the sour candies. They'd been her favorite when they were kids, too.

Morgan sat in the chaise on the opposite wall, where a small table sat piled with magazines. She arranged her snacks and got comfortable.

"So what are you doing today?" Morgan asked.

"Oh, a chest, shoulder and arm piece on this guy. It's really awesome. He gave me a general idea about what he wanted but said he wanted me to sketch some stuff out and kind of take it where I thought it should go. I always love the people that give me a little creative license. Anyway, I sketched some stuff out for him and showed him my ideas and we agreed on the one we thought would look good." Tessa pulled up the image on her laptop.

"It's huge!" Morgan said.

"Yeah, it starts on the chest and shoulder and works its way down the arm. We've been working on it for a while. I outlined all of it already and now I'm going through and shading it all in and getting the lines cleaned up. Actually, I think you'd really like this guy!"

Morgan chuckled. "What makes you say that?"

"You know me. C'mon! I set Andrew and Scott up and look at how well that turned out! I was probably a matchmaker in a previous life." Tessa said, popping more Sour Patch Kids into her mouth. Tessa had always been very good at setting people up with one another. All of the couples she'd introduced had gotten married. It was something Morgan found a little freaky, but interesting at the same time.

"Sure, I know you. Now tell me why you think we'd be good together!"

"First of all, he's hot. Not to say that's the most important thing about him, but just so you know. Second of all, he's intelligent and sweet. He's got a great sense of humor and rolls with the punches. When Scott hit on him during his first visit, he wasn't even embarrassed or angry. He took it as a compliment! Plus, he's all blonde and Nordic, so you would have adorable babies together." Tessa said.

Morgan giggled and ate some candy. "If he's so great, why don't you go out with him?" She asked.

"Because… as cute as he is, I just know that it wouldn't work. He and I hit it on the friendship level and once I got to know him, I just knew that I should introduce him to you. My matchmaking powers told me that it was meant to be."

"So, this was all a ploy to get me to meet this guy?" Morgan asked, sitting up. Tessa grinned sheepishly and Morgan threw an M&M at her.

"No violent chocolate!" Tessa cried, throwing her hands up with a laugh.

"Where is he? He's taking an awful long time in the bathroom." Morgan said.

"Scott probably has a hold of him. Giving him snacks if you gave him goldfish!" Tessa said, disappearing to go find her client. Morgan got up and found the M&M she threw and picked it up, ready to toss it in the trash when she heard a familiar voice.

"Morgan?"

She looked up and her mouth fell open. "Greg?!"

~XXXXX~

"I can't believe you two already know each other. It's kismet, it is!" Tessa was blabbing excitedly as she pushed Greg into the chair. Morgan and Greg had stood there, staring at each other in stunned silence while Tessa filled the space with her enthusiastic exclamations about the coincidence. Greg was wearing jeans and a white undershirt with no sleeves. She could see the outline of the tattoo twisting its way down his right arm and ending just above his wrist.

Morgan sat in the chaise and stared at Greg's arm. He was more muscular than she assumed; but since she'd never seen him in anything less than what he wore to work, she supposed it wasn't that surprising that she didn't already know that.

Tessa sat in a chair and pulled out her tattoo gun, switching it on and dipping it in the ink.

"You're going to have to take your shirt off so I can get the part that's on your chest." She said. Greg complied with her request, removing his shirt to reveal his lean, muscled torso. Morgan felt her breath catch in her throat in surprise. Greg's eyes locked onto hers again and they stared at each other while Tessa continued to talk. She cleaned the area off and got started.

"So, Greg, while you were in the bathroom, I was telling Morgan how I thought you two would be perfect for one another. Legit, you would. I'm the queen when it comes to matchmaking and since your babies would be beautiful, I think…"

"Tessa!" Morgan exclaimed. Greg was grinning, leaning back in the chair. He broke eye contact with Morgan to look down at himself.

"What?" Tessa asked as she moved the tattoo gun over a spot on Greg's upper arm. "It's true! I believe I said you would have adorable babies. I'm mean, just look at the two of you. So cute together!" Tessa said with a grin. Morgan felt her face flush red.

"You know, that's not the first time someone's said that to us." Greg said. Tessa moved the gun up towards his chest.

"Really? Who else said it?"

"Her name is Donna, she's a genealogy expert. Morgan got a family crest for her dad a couple of years ago for Christmas and Donna helped. Anyway, Donna said she thought we were cute together." Greg said, eyeballing Morgan. Morgan smiled at him.

"Donna and I are on the same page. She's a wise woman, I tell you. Wise!" Tessa said.

"Okay. How about you explain the tattoo, hmm? What is it?" She asked.

"It's several different designs and interlocking symbols. Most of them are Norwegian, but there are a couple of science things embedded in there." Greg said, as Morgan got as close as she dared to examine the tattoo. Morgan sat there for several hours, watching Tessa add details and shading to Greg's tattoo. Tessa told Greg embarrassing stories about Morgan at his request.

"I swear, Sanders. You're going to get it if you repeat any of these to anyone, especially Hodges." Morgan said.

"You think I would do that?" Greg asked, feigning innocence. Morgan laughed and Tessa stopped working. She stretched.

"Time for a break, wouldn't you agree?" She asked. Greg and Morgan nodded. She put her tattoo gun away and stood up.

"I'm going to walk around a bit, you two can hang out….alone of course." Tessa said with a wink, stretching her arms over her head and walking from the room. Greg got up and stretched, too.

"What made you decide to get a tattoo in the first place?" Morgan asked. Greg stared down at it for a while.

"It's something I've wanted for a while, but I wanted the design to be right. I talked to a couple of other artists, but I couldn't really get behind the stuff they showed me. It wasn't until Tessa came along that I fell in love with a design." Greg said.

"That's amazing. I can't believe you choose the one tattoo artist in Vegas that was my childhood best friend. What are the odds?"

"Yeah, what are the odds? Hey… could you not say anything about this to people at work?" Greg asked. Surprised, she nodded.

"Why do you want to keep it a secret?"

"It's not really a secret, I just don't want everyone knowing about before it's finished. They'll ask to see it and I won't feel right showing it to them." Greg said. "Do you have a tattoo?" He asked.

Morgan smiled slowly.

"You do!" Greg said. Morgan nodded.

"See? I didn't know you had a tattoo. Can I see it?" Greg asked. Morgan looked around to see if she could see or hear Tessa coming.

"I could, except I would have to take off my shirt." She said.

Greg arched an eyebrow. "Okay…" He said.

"And my bra." Morgan confessed slowly.

Greg stared at her in surprise. "Oh."

"Do you still want to see it?" She couldn't keep the mischievous grin off of her face. Greg's eyes locked onto hers.

"Definitely."

A/N: This is part one. Soon, there will be a part two. :3