Author's note: Hi everyone, just wanted to say a massive thank you for the reads, and the reviews. I'll sporadically put the rest of them up, although I'm still working on several of them. I really hope you've enjoyed these, and that you'll keep reading! This one's less character-centric, and fluffier than the first, but I nonetheless, hope you'll like it. Enjoy!


2:

Prentiss sat quietly at her desk, despite being surrounded by the bustle of the bullpen, which teemed with restless agents during the most unorthodox of hours. She fell back, and hung her sore head on her swivel chair, massaging the peak of her neck with her aching fingers. She let out a heavy sigh, while remnants of the week's events protracted amidst her mind. One case; five consultation reports; and two more case reflections- all in just this week. Boy, do I need a break.

"Emily?" An acquainted voice sounded from the cubicle beside hers.

"Oh, yeah Reid?" Emily straightened up, picking her pen up from under her muddled pile of notes.

"I'm heading home now. Would you like to take the Metro with me? That is, if you are going home now. I wouldn't want to impose and disrupt your uh- progress." Reid smiled, shoving several files into his tattered messenger bag.

"Yeah, why not? I can't remember the last time I actually had a good rest this entire week. This sounds stupid, but what day is it anyway?" Emily rested her head on her fingertips, putting pressure on her pulsating left temple.

Reid let out a concealed giggle, and replied with a smirk, "Emily, it's Wednesday."

"Only? Just a reminder why I don't like Wednesdays. Nothing tremendous ever happens on them." Emily moaned.

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't forget me, miss sassy. I was born on a Wednesday." Morgan chortled from behind her.

"Corroborates my point right there." Emily rolled her eyes sarcastically, as Reid laughed from the side.

"Ouch." Morgan joked. "Anyway, Garcia sent me down here to ask if you guys wanted to have Chinese with us and JJ."

"I'll pass. I have no intention of going anywhere but home, tonight." Emily spun her chair to look at Reid.

"I'll take a rain check as well. I've got some things I have to attend to." Reid smiled, taking a nudge from Morgan in the chest.

"I see. You two are up to something, hmm?" Morgan taunted, with a broad grin across his face.

"Stop being so smug about it, Morgan. We don't have anything to hide." Emily hissed, positioning her chair to face Morgan instead. She was deadly serious.

"Woah, take it easy. I was just joking. Why so serious, eh? Hmph. Ciao." Morgan shrugged, scurrying away as Emily raised her eyebrow, in all severity.

Morgan's words lingered on in Emily's brain. Why was I so defensive anyway? It's just Reid. He's my best friend.

Reid could sense that something was amiss with Emily. He wasn't crystal clear on what it was, and he admitted that he was albeit a tad hurt by her overreaction with Morgan. Is she ashamed of me? Reid couldn't help but wonder.

"Are you ready to go?" Reid asked in a hushed tone, hoping that he didn't provoke her.

"Yeah, sorry. Just give me a minute to pack up a little." Emily turned to Reid with a smile. She took a deep breath and brushed her thoughts off. For a long time, she had always felt that Reid was special, in a sense that even she couldn't grasp completely. She would put her emotions off, but what angered her, was the fact that the feeling never stopped returning, and she could never wholly comprehend it. It's nothing, Emily. He's just nice to you, that's it. Maybe she wished it would be more. Just, maybe.

He watched as she shoved things haphazardly into her bag. Something was definitely different about her. Reid only wished that he knew what it was. He watched attentively to her every action, hoping to gain an insight of what was troubling her. Reid was aware of how upset she would have been; if she knew he was profiling her, but he didn't know what to do otherwise. I wish I could just ask her. He however drifted off into deep thought, watching, as her slender and nimble hands seized each of her items; how her dark elegant hair fell on her shoulders; and how Emily nibbled on her lips when she was tense. She was beautiful, and Reid could never deny it.

"Reid?" Emily asked, snapping him out of his trance.

"Yeah? Are- are you ready to go?" Reid smiled, getting off his seat, and slinging his bag over his head.

"Hey, yeah, uh- I forgot- I actually drove here the other day." Emily replied, jiggling her car keys. She felt her cheeks becoming progressively warm.

"Oh- I could always take the Metro myself-" Reid smiled. He did feel disappointed, and it only added fuel to the fact that he thought she was reluctant to be around him.

"Nah, I could send you home. Your apartment's a fifteen-minute drive from mine. From a D.C. aspect, we couldn't be any nearer to each other. What do you say?" Emily flipped her keys, and swung the handle of her bag over her right shoulder.

"R-really? I really wouldn't want to impose." Reid responded, with a nervous smile.

"Uh-huh." Emily raised her eyebrow, and cocked her head at the direction of the large glass door. She started walking towards it, as soon as Reid followed suit.

None of them uttered a word until they approached Emily's car.

"How long have you even gone without sleep?" Reid asked with concern.

"I've been here since Monday. The only real rest I think I might have gotten is that five hour-long nap yesterday night." Emily yawned, feeling the burning strain on her back.

"Emily, you've gone at least seventeen hours without sleep, which means that your focus has already begun degrading. Did you know that being sleep deprived for about sixteen hours has the equivalent effect of a point eight blood alcohol level? Effectively, Emily, you're going to drive intoxicated." Reid frowned, snatching the keys from Emily's hand before her dawdling body could react.

"From what I know, you've been here just as long as I have. What makes you any different, smarty pants?" Emily sighed. Reid looked at her, hoping that it was a rhetorical question. "Oh yeah, you take those poly- whatever naps." She said, stifling her yawn mid-sentence.

"I engage in a polyphasic sleep pattern. Which means I, unlike you, am fully alert." Reid boasted, directing Emily to the front seat. He unlocked the door, and held it open for her, before he took the driver's seat.

She strapped herself in the seat, and tossed her bag on the foot of the seat. "Reid?" She asked hazily, contemplating the wonders of what a comfortable seat could do to her.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

He started the engine, and wiped the wheel with his handkerchief that he drew from his left breast pocket. "No problem. I need to buff up my driving skills too. I haven't driven in some time." He laughed. "And, Emily?"

She looked at him in a semi-dazed state.

"Just- just get some rest. I'll get you home, then I'll pick you up in the morning, so that you'll have your car back, if that's alright with you." Reid smiled, shifting the gear on the vehicle.

"Mhmm. Sounds like a plan." She nodded lethargically, leaning her head against her hand, which rested against the widow pane.

In mere moments after he pulled out of the car park, Emily was fast asleep. She was absolutely drained, and she made no attempt to hide it. Reid drove with added caution; avoiding disrupting her much needed slumber. Ever so often, he would turn his focus to admire how stunning she looked under the pallid streetlights. Streaks of her smooth hair strayed onto her face, however, her soft, rosy cheeks were still visible. Reid was content to see how peaceful she had slept, so much so that even after he pulled over outside her apartment, he didn't bear to wake her up. She needed her rest, and he didn't want to interrupt that.

Those plans were foiled, as Emily stirred awake, after feeling the car pull to a halt. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she sat up upon distinguishing her familiar surroundings.

"Hey, you're awake." Reid said in a hushed tone.

"Mhmm-" Emily inhaled deeply, feeling her muscles loosening. "Thanks for the ride home, Reid." She managed to mumble.

"No need for thanks." Reid smiled, gazing into her magnificent eyes that had always seemed to sparkle. Emily smiled back, feeling her heart thumping faster. She had always felt at ease with him, so much, that she wasn't afraid to fall asleep in his presence.

"Could I, uh- ask you something, Emily?" Reid asked apprehensively, as she picked her bag up.

"Go ahead, shoot." She replied without hesitation.

"Are you alright? It's really none of my business, but as a friend, I just want to know that you're okay. I mean- it's cool if you don't want to answer that."

"Yeah, I'm alright. I just haven't been getting loads of rest lately." Emily comforted. In fact, it was more than that, and she wanted to tell him everything. She held back. As much as she wanted to tell Reid, something within her was holding her back. She had trust issues, although she thought otherwise. "Yeah." She managed to say, once more.

"Emily?" Reid grabbed her attention. He knew it wasn't the end of the story. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Emily felt remorseful, hanging her head on her chest. "It's- I don't know how I feel, being back here. Every time I shut my eyes, I can't help but think of that night with Doyle. I don't have that many nightmares, but it's been hindering my sleep. It's just- there." She turned to look at him, her eyes becoming increasingly foggy, and her vision slowly obscuring. She had never thought that she was the kind to break down easily. Reid witnessed the desolation cloud her eyes, and he unfastened his seatbelt. Being unconstrained, he leaned over, and enclosed her in a tight embrace. It was the only thing he knew he could do. Emily didn't fight back. She had yearned for such comfort. She buried her face in his shoulder, taking in his scent, fighting back her tears. If given a choice, she would remain in his arms like this for as long as she could. She felt an undeniable consolation; she had never felt such effortlessness with anyone else.

Reid wrapped his long arms around her, letting Emily bellow on his shoulder. He could feel the heat of her body against his. He had never seen Emily in such a vulnerable state, and if only he could, and if only he knew how, he would wipe her tears away, and tell her how entrancing she was, and make her smile and beam like she always did. Instead, he let her let it out on him.

Abruptly, Emily broke away. She blinked rapidly, trying to rid her tears.

"Hey-" Reid's eyes filled with compassion. Emily turned to him, hugging him once more. "Emily-" Reid hung on to the embrace, wishing it could last for a little bit longer. He tore away, gripping Emily's hand, bringing it closer to his chest.

"I'm here for you. Always will be. Do you hear me?" Reid whispered in her ear, and holding her close, before finally planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

It was albeit too natural for the both of them. Emily didn't run from how she felt, and neither did Reid. They knew exactly what the other meant. Emily looked at him, as they exchanged mutual smiles. She admired how his coffee-coloured hair dangled from his forehead, and how his eyes would brighten whenever he smiled. She loved that about Reid; something that always made the future seem less murky for her.

"Would you like to come upstairs for a drink?" Emily broke the silence, squeezing Reid's hand back. She didn't seize him with intent. She took it slow, which made Reid feel completely affluent with her.

"Absolutely. And if- if you'd like to talk about it, I'll be all ears." He replied without hesitation, giving her palm another light, and assuring clasp.

Reid emerged from the vehicle, and made his way to the other side to open Emily's door for her. She exited the vehicle, and took his hand as he shut the door.

"Reid?" She said, with a warm smile. Her eyes met his. She needn't have said anything else. It was in her simple gaze. A gesture so unpretentious, and delicate, that told Reid exactly what she meant. Thank you.

They shared the rest of the night together, talking about anything they could think of; books, people, family, until they drifted off into sleep. Emily had forgotten how it felt to be weary, and for a moment in her life, remembrances of Doyle ceased haunting her, and she forgot how it felt to be by her solitude. And for once in Reid's life… he was reminded of what it felt like to be loved.