Thank you for the wonderful response. I would be a lot happier if the reviews reflected it. Don't worry, I won't hold this story hostage for them.

Spencer ended up in Gideon's lab. Surprise, surprise, Gideon was there. "I thought the purpose of your moving into a dormitory was for you to have some kind of college experience," the professor said as the young man put on his protective gear.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea anymore," Spencer shrugged.

"What happened?" Gideon stopped his work and put his safety goggles on the table.

"What are you doing with a blowtorch?" Reid pulled his goggles off.

"An artist slipped a mickey into my powershake and told me this was a healthy way to relieve stress," the professor looked at the atrocity he'd created.

"Female artist?" Spencer asked.

"Female lesbian artist," Gideon stopped the young man's train of thought.

"That speaks to her sexuality, not yours," Spencer pointed out, "Breasts are breasts, homosexual or otherwise."

"Why are you here?" Gideon gave the young man one of his strange smiles.

"I just needed to get out of my room," Reid said as casually as he could, which wasn't very, and he blushed furiously. Gideon just looked at Spencer. He knew the young man was a rambler. Enough silence and he would spill it all. "Something happened... with my roommate," Reid looked around the room and said nothing more. His face just kept on heating up.

"I heard you're sharing with one of the jocks," Gideon folded his arms. Spencer always had problems with jocks. "I could ask the RA to keep an eye on him," Gidoen offered.

"It's not anything like that," Spencer kept his eyes trained on the wall.

"Does he have his friends over?" the older man was going through the list things Spencer hated about sharing living space with anyone.

"He kissed me," Spencer looked down at his hands, "And some other stuff."

"I'm gonna do something about that," Gideon got up, "In the meantime you're going to stay with me."

"I wanted him to," Spencer said without looking up.

"Oh," Gideon sat back down, "Well..." the professor was puzzled, "Is he being a jerk?"

"No," Reid put his hand on his forehead, "I think I might have been the jerk," he rethought his reaction, "I didn't know what to do afterwards so I just left," he fell into a chair.

"Given your romantic history, or lack thereof, that's not surprising," Gideon went to their little coffee station and poured Reid some milk.

"I would never talk to me again if I were him," Reid looked up for the first time since he'd told Gideon. The professor saw the worried look on his face.

"You like him?" he set the glass down in front of the young man.

"No I don't," Reid sprang out of his chair, "He's a jock who has freshmen carry his things around and fold his clothes and shine his obnoxiously displayed trophies. He's all the things I don't like about college."

"Then why did you want him to kiss you?" Gideon asked, holding his laughter at bay. He'd been through this phase, granted he'd been thirteen at the time but Spencer was special.

"Because he has tight abs and big arms and..." Reid pulled his collar from his neck, "It's basic instinct to be attracted to the... best specimen."

Gideon had no choice but to laugh.

"Do not laugh at me. I am losing my mind," Reid put his hand on either side of his head.

"You have a crush on your roommate," Gideon shrugged.

"How is that a contradiction?" Spencer's voice shot up three octaves. Gideon laughed silently as he picked up the lab phone and dialled. "How can I possibly like the one person who has all the qualities I dislike?" Reid was talking to himself.

"Hotch," Gideon smiled into the phone, "Our little boy is all grown up."

"Who's the lucky girl?" Prof Hotchner asked. Reid had been pretty asexual all the time they'd known him.

"His name is Derek Morgan," Gideon answered. Spencer was in another world.

"The captain of the football team?" Hotch was taken by surprise.

"That's the one," Gideon still had surprise in his voice.

"What are you doing?" Spencer lunged for the phone.

"Sharing the good news," Gideon moved the phone out of his reach.

"You told someone?" Spencer wanted to hide even though the person who'd been told was not in the room.

"It's just Hotch," Gideon patted the young man's shoulder.

"We should invite him to your party next week," Hotch walked through the adjoining door.

"Do you people never go home?" Reid said as the dark haired professor walked into the lab. Interning for professors with adjoining labs had seemed like a good idea when he was doing it.

"Haley said if I missed dinner again I could sleep in my lab," Hotch answered, "Now what's this I hear about you and the football star?"

"He's never going to talk to me again so it doesn't matter," Spencer sat down again. Hotch looked to Gideon for what he was missing.

"They did 'some stuff' then Reid freaked out and bailed," Gideon summarised the information he'd been given.

Stuff? Hotch mouthed. Gideon raised his shoulders. "There's this wonderful invention called the apology that has helped me out of many a sticky situation," Hotch went to sit next to the young genius.

"Says the man who'll be spending a night with rocks and bones because he missed dinner," Spencer mumbled at the archaeologist before taking a swig of his milk. Hotch and Gideon were taken aback by Spencer's less than friendly sarcasm. "I'm sorry Hotch," Reid immediately felt remorse.

"It's okay," the professor smiled a little sadly, "Now go try that with your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend," Spencer blushed deep red.

"Whatever you say," Hotch raised his hands in surrender.

"Explanations help," Gideon said as the young man headed for the door. Spencer stopped at the door.

"Maybe I should do this tomorrow," he turned around.

"The longer you wait the harder it will be," Hotch told him.

"What if he doesn't wanna talk to me?" Spencer asked his shoes.

"Just try," Gideon told the young man. He knew if he gave specific advice Spencer would pick it apart and would spend the rest of the night in the lab.

"Okay," Reid took his overnight bag and left.

"He's still in his lab coat," Hotch said to Gideon after Spencer left.

"It makes him look a little less like a fourteen year old boy," Gideon picked up his blowtorch.

"For all emotional purposes he is a fourteen year old boy," Hotch looked down at the glass of milk the young doctor had left,"I take it we're holding thumbs," he picked up the goggles that had been pushed towards him.

"Of course we are," Gideon said as they put on their protective eyewear, "And we're calling that tech girl with the blindingly colourful office."

"Spying is bad," Hotch said in the voice of a third grader who knew a friend was sinning but had no intention of turning him in.

"It's Spencer," Gideon replied.

"Yeah," his friend nodded.

Reid spent an hour at the library writing and rewriting his apology and explanation. Then he walked aimlessly around campus trying to improve what he was sure would be a clumsy delivery at best. By the time he got to his room, after midnight, the lights were out and Derek was fast asleep. Reid changed into his pyjamas by the light of his desk lamp. Something on his bed caught the light. He picked it up and brought it into the light. It was a white rose. He adjusted his lamp and saw a small envelope on his pillow. Spencer looked over at Derek and smiled. After smelling the rose he put a coat on over his pyjamas and went back to the lab with both his treasures. He was out of breath when he got there.

"What happened?" Gideon hastily set his torch down.

"He," Reid panted, "He left this on my pillow," he held up the letter and pressed the flower to his pounding heart.

"What does it say?" Gideon asked with a lazy smile.

"I was hoping you'd tell me," Spencer set the envelope on the table. Hotch looked at the envelope then at Gideon.

"There may be things in there that neither of us want me knowing about you," Gideon pushed the envelope back to Spencer.

"But I can't read it," he stepped away from the document like it might bite him.

"What are you? A twelve year old girl?" Hotch blurted. Gideon kicked him under the table. Hotch always thought Gideon coddled Spencer a little. He took the envelope and pulled out a white card with intricate patterns in shades of gold that looked almost embroidered. "Because it should have been special," he read.

Spencer grabbed the card out of Hotch's hand and read it seventy three times, which was easier now that he knew what it said. He held it to the chest with the rose and smiled, feeling strangely giddy. Reid was trying not to smile so widely but he couldn't help it. Every time he tried not to smile a chuckle forced its way out of his throat. "Is there anything I can help either of you with?" Spencer asked enthusiastically, "I don't think I can sleep."

"There are notes that I don't have electronic versions of yet but after that you have to go home," Gideon pointed to a small stack of papers.

"Great," Reid all but skipped to the paper pile. He read through all of them and made a few notes in the margins. After scanning all the pages he took a pad and started scribbling furiously.

"Reid, go home," Gideon said firmly.

"Remember that paper you couldn't publish because we couldn't get the math to work with the physics?" Reid asked excitedly, "Well I've had an epiphany and I can have it fixed in an hour or so," he smiled brightly.

"Okay," Gideon nodded, "Seventy five minutes then I send you home."

"Deal," Spencer went back to his furious scribbling.

"Only Reid would channel his excitement into math and physics," Hotch smiled and shook his head at the same time. He watched Gideon and Reid work, not wanting to go back to his lab and think about just how furious Haley might be at him. Exactly seventy five minutes later all three were leaving the lab. Gideon was feeling a lot more relaxed, suspecting it had more to do with Spencer's achievement than his attempt at creating art. Hotch felt dread creeping up on him as he went back to his lab.

"Are you really going to sleep in there?" Gideon asked.

"I'm in the dog house for missing dinner. She might kick me out if I add to our credit card bill with a night in a hotel," he answered.

"I have a guest room," Gideon offered.

"Thank you," Hotch put his access card back in his pocket, "I was about to flip a coin to decided between my chair and the floor."

"I'm gonna give this one a ride home," Gideon tipped his head in Spencer's direction, "Make sure he doesn't fall into any ditches while he has his head in the clouds."

"Good idea," Hotch nodded, "I'll just wait in my car. His smile is giving me an ulcer."

Reid just laughed and got into Gideon's car. He whistled annoyingly all the way home. For a second before discovering the rose and the card Spencer thought what was to him a big deal may have been nothing to Derek. It was college after all. He thanked Gideon for the ride and quietly entered his room. Morgan had thrown off his covers and apparently slept only in his underwear. The desk lamp Reid had forgotten to turn off cast light and shadows over his perfect physique. Spencer hung up his coat and turned it off. He was going to have enough trouble falling asleep tonight without continued images of Morgan's hotness assaulting him. He got into bed and closed his eyes on the perfect day.

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