Chapter Four
AN- Thanks again for all who read&reviewed. Glad you're enjoying reading it as I did writing it! (and apologies for Morgan being rather a douch)
Spencer stood, fully dressed at the foot of his bed. Derek recalled the events of the night before. The soft curls beneath his fingers, the roughness of his stubble. The smell of spicy aftershave intermixed with something else. Something distinctly Spencer, himself.
"We-hell… good morning beautiful…"
Spencer appeared rather taken aback. "Excuse me?"
Morgan sat up and stretched.
What the hell, right?
"Reid, I'm repeating the same day over and over again."
The doctor blinked. "This is a joke, right?"
"The cold water is out."
"That's true-"
"I'll get changed and when we go downstairs, you're going to trip over a little boy on a tricycle."
Reid shook his head. "Ok, what is-?"
Derek didn't reply. He simply grabbed his clothes and wandered over to the bathroom.
###
A little boy on a tricycle flew straight in front of them. Reid fell straight over him, stumbling forward onto his hands and knees on the footpath.
"See?"
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."
Morgan was already hurrying ahead.
"Morgan-"
"We're about to hit a café being served by a very fatigued large woman. You always order a black coffee and heap a stack of sugar into it."
"That's what I do anyway." Reid sounded unconvinced.
Morgan shrugged.
###
"So you really believe that 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."
"We've had this exact same conversation a few times now. I ask you about time loops and you go off into an explanation that I don't understand. Most of the time in the afternoon, we go see this time travel film you've been raving about. It goes completely over my head."
He could sense Reid's amazing mind processing. The young man smiled. "This is exciting, Morgan! The implications are so far reaching that-"
"You say that every time too." Morgan smiled. "What's most amazing is that you believe me. Every time without question."
"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?"
"We've also had this conversation before as well. Look, I'm sorry if I've ever made you feel foolish. I just like to tease, sometimes. It's my way of flirting, I guess."
Spencer emptied the sugar into his coffee cup.
"I've also solved the case of the poisoner. Oh there was the one day that you solved it."
"So the same days over and over in a small town. With me." Spencer smiled. "Must be your idea of hell."
"Last night wasn't so bad."
"What happened last night?"
"I'll tell you later… maybe."
###
"The clause stated that if the death was found to be through misadventure, she'd get more money."
John stared at him as though he'd grown two heads. Spencer looked thoughtful.
"You guys are good!" He exclaimed.
Derek leant in forward. "I'm sorry about Sue, man."
"How did you-?"
Morgan was already moving away. "Spencer, want to check out a film?"
###
Walking out of the film, Derek noted the way the snowflakes settled on Reid's light hair. The young man turned and smiled at him.
"Did it make any sense this time?" He asked.
"Not particularly."
Spencer laughed.
"There's a restaurant up-"
The young doctor looked up towards the sky.
"Let's just order in."
###
Spencer sat on the bed with a pensive expression.
"So, I won't remember any of this? It's a strange thought. Like dieing over and over again."
"Yeah." Morgan walked over and sat next to him. He risked reaching up and running his hands through Spencer's hair. The young man turned his head to face him.
"In any of these days-?"
Morgan considered telling him about the disastrous night before but decided against it. Unable to resist, he leant in and gently brushed his lips against the doctor's.
"What do you need?" Spencer asked. His voice sounded husky. "I won't remember tomorrow. What do you need now?"
Morgan leant forward and kissed him once more, tongue ravaging his mouth. Toothpaste and coffee.
He pulled back and flung his t-shirt over his head. Spencer's eyes momentarily flashed with what looked like anxiety before his face went lax.
Derek inwardly sighed. This wasn't the way it was supposed to work. Reid was supposed to submit to him out of pure hot need, instead of some bizarre obligation he'd come to in his own head.
"What is it?"
"Why don't we just go to sleep."
Reid's expressive face now turned downcast.
Morgan leant forward and kissed him. "You don't need to do anything for me. Except… stay here with me, tonight."
The younger man's face lit up. "Ok. Whatever you need."
Morgan climbed in under the covers and patted the bed next to him. Reid climbed in. Derek risked placing his arm around Spencer's waist. Feeling no discomfort from the other, he moved up closer so he was spooning the slighter man. He gently kissed the back of his neck. His hair smelt of citrus.
"What are you thinking?" Reid's voice sounded sleepy.
"I'm thinking that I don't want to fall asleep. I don't want to wake up and know that you'll have forgotten this moment."
"I don't want to fall asleep, either. Please promise me you'll do everything in your power to make this moment happen again tomorrow. I can be stubborn. Though I'm assuming you've noticed that."
"Spencer, I tried for almost an entire week to seduce you. I gave up, in the end."
"You did?" Soft laughter sounded. "I'm totally hot for you, man. To think of all those missed opportunities…"
Morgan laughed a little and kissed the back of his neck once more.
"Don't fall asleep."
"Mm…"
###
"Morgan wake up!"
Morgan felt a strange deflation to see Reid out of his bed and with clearly no memory of the night before.
Pushing his disappointment down, Morgan jumped straight up out of the bed.
No matter. It's going to be a good day today. In fact, I'm going to have the best day today.
"You're right, Reid!" He walked over to the window to look out at the overcast day. "It is beneficial to get up early in the morning."
Spencer grinned. "You just read my mind, man. I was going to say-"
Morgan crossed the distance between them and shushed him with a hard kiss on his lips. Reid's eyes widened and he stepped back, tripping on the bed behind him.
"C'est la vie." Morgan said.
"Morgan, what the-?"
"What the hell, I'm taking a cold shower this morning. If you're insistent on waking me up every morning at 6.30, I might as well suffer for it."
He disappeared into the bathroom before Reid could answer.
###
For the first time, the younger man was quiet walking down the stairs leading to the motel foyer.
"Morgan…"
"Derek."
Spencer shot him an indescipherable look. "What the hell was that about?"
They stepped through the front door. "Why did you-?"
"Tyke on a tricycle." Morgan said.
Reid fell straight over the little boy, stumbling forward onto his hands and knees on the footpath.
"Here comes the mother."
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."
"Nice ring." Morgan said. "When's the wedding?"
"Ah… April." She still looked flustered.
"Morgan…?"
"Derek, please Spencer. Come on, I'm hungry."
###
The name of the restaurant was 'Le Croissant'. Not particularly original. Still, at least now he had it confirmed in his memory. Morgan ordered six croissants, three slices of French toast, two plates of pancakes and two beers.
The portly woman behind the counter didn't say a single word about his massive order.
In the past few weeks, he'd started to categorize Spencer's surprised expressions. This was the slightly worried 'has my work colleague had some sort of mental breakdown?' look. Derek could see the young man's brilliant mind going through the symptoms of every mental illness.
"What's your name, gorgeous?" Morgan asked the lady behind the counter. He suddenly realised he'd never asked this before.
"Doris, love."
"Well, Doris hope I haven't cut your work out for you this morning." Derek gave her his most charismatic smile, then moved to the usual alfresco table outside, under the usual red and white striped umbrella.
Spencer didn't order anything that morning and sat opposite him.
"Morgan, Derek…is there anything you want to tell me?"
"What do you want to know?" He reached across and flicked a strand of hair off his colleague's face. Baffled, Spencer pulled back. "You know you are looking particularly pretty today. The soon to be snowing weather suits you."
Doris walked over with the beers.
"Actually, Doris, let's make it a shot of whisky. Is that ok?"
"Fine with me, darl." She said, colourlessly.
Spencer leant forward. "Ok, what's going on?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
"Why did you kiss me this morning? Why are you touching my hair and saying weird things? Why did you just order almost the entire café in food? And finally, why are you ordering a whisky at eight in the morning?"
"Because I've finally given up. I can't do anything to change anything, so I might as well enjoy myself. I kissed you because I find you intensely desirable. Some days you believe me, other days it's a complete disaster. The truth is you're an intensely beautiful man. Own it, Spencer."
A delightful red blush swept over the other's cheeks.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Reid I'm repeating the same day over and over again."
The doctor blinked. "This is a joke, right?"
Morgan shrugged. "Believe what you will."
"Modern quantum theory is that time is not linear, rather circular… what the hell am I saying? This is obviously some joke of yours to make me look the fool! Surprising, seeing as there are none of the team around to see it."
Derek recalled the night before and felt a clench of his stomach. Somehow, he didn't expect a repeat today.
"Do you mind going to the police station today? I have some things to do. You'll meet my friend John. He'll try come onto you. Just ignore him. The perp's name is Annie Richards. You'll figure it out when she rings the station later this afternoon."
Spencer shook his head. "Derek, I…" Concern showed in his eyes. "What can I do to help you?"
"There's nothing wrong with me." He smiled. "I'm completely fine."
"That's clearly not true! None of what you've done this morning makes any sense!"
Doris came back with the momentous amount of food on a tray, along with the shot of whiskey.
"How's the retirement plan going, Doris?" Morgan asked. The woman's eyes widened.
"How did you-? Ah, fine. Fine, thanks."
Derek drained all of his whisky. Doris gently placed the plates down.
"Another, doll." He handed the shot glass back to her.
"I do miss Garcia." He said, a little wistfully as the baffled woman walked away.
"You only saw her yesterday!" Spencer now sounded exasperated.
Morgan shrugged and started to dig into his pancakes.
"Look…I don't know what…"
"I told you, I'm completely fine. Now, if you don't mind going to the station for me. Tell John I'm sorry. I'll see him tomorrow." This struck him as amusing and he laughed uproariously. The look on the younger man's face made him chuckle so hard, he started to choke on his food.
"I'm not leaving you here, man. Not like… this."
"Ok, there is one thing you can do for me."
Spencer looked to him expectantly.
"We go back to the motel room." He paused.
"And?"
"And you give me a blow job."
"What?" The other shrieked. "What the fuck, Derek?"
Derek suddenly realised it was the first time he'd ever heard Spencer swear. It sounded somewhat antiquated coming from his mouth.
"Come on, Spence. You've gotta give me trumps for trying. By the way, I love hearing you swear."
"Damn you, Morgan." Spencer stood up. "Here's one for you, go fuck yourself."
He stalked away from the cafe.
Morgan turned back to his food, guilt piercing through him. He wasn't sure why he'd just said those things. There was something about riling Reid up that he couldn't resist.
Doris returned with the second shot of whisky. Morgan noted the ring on her finger. He wondered where the husband was, in all of this.
###
With sated stomach two hours later, Derek started to make his way back to the motel room. He'd lied when he told Reid he had things to do. The truth was, he wanted to be away from the young man. It was becoming too difficult, every day being near him. Fumbling over and over again for just one kiss. Trying to completely seduce the kid in one day. It was near impossible. Derek wasn't even sure why he was trying so damned hard. Did he really want Reid that much?
He recalled how his heart pounded with the feel of the lithe body against his the night before.
Damn it!
He suddenly realised he'd walked past the motel, reaching a t-junction. To the right, the road continued up a row of identical terrace houses. To the left sat a second-hand car yard. Morgan crossed over. Hell, if he was going to repeat the same day over and over, he might as well…
"What can I do you for, mister?" The attendant wore a flashy yellow suit, his red hair gelled back to his head. Morgan was standing less than twenty feet away but still felt the oozing slime.
"Looking for something sporty."
"Ah… wanna impress the ladies, huh?"
Derek smiled.
"Well…" The attendant led him past the rows and rows of marked down vehicles. "I've got a nice porsche for you. Red exterior. Leather seats. Very very smooth ride." He winked.
"How much?"
"Less than 30 miles on the odometre. Owner used to just keep it in his garage and polish it."
"How much?" Derek repeated.
"I can do a very good deal with you on this one."
They reached the sparkling waxed convertible. The hood had been pulled down to reveal a black leather interior.
"Nice." Derek ran his fingers along the edge of the leather seat.
"Carl!" A familiar voice shrieked. Morgan spun around, surprised to see the snooty waiter racing towards them.
"Excuse me." The salesman moved away from Derek. "What can I do you for, Vince?"
"Don't, don't sell. I have…" He panted, clutching at his chest. "I can give you 500 now." He fumbled around his wallet. "And if we go into your office, we can arrange-"
"Now, now Vince. I'm talking to this fine gentleman, now."
"How short are you, kid?" Derek asked.
"Now, sir, I must-"
"How much?"
Vince looked to the ground. "I'm short a grand. But I can get it by next week, I promise."
One grand? What the hell. Morgan was feeling generous.
###
"Another for my friend here!" Vince yelled to the barman. He put a drunken arm around Derek's shoulders. "I can't believe you did that! My faith in humanity is restored."
"And you'll be a nicer waiter?"
"Huh?"
Morgan shook his head. "Forget it."
The barman shook his head. "I think you've both had enough."
"We've only just began!"
For once, Morgan had to agree. The room was spinning.
"Come on, Vince. Let's go."
###
"Show me your card again!" Vince pleaded.
"It's not a toy." Derek drunkenly slurred. "If I lose it, the FBI will be on my ass."
"Really? Cool."
"Not really. But I'll have to pay to get it replaced."
"Come on man."
Derek sighed, relenting.
The young man took the card and held it before himself.
"FBI!"
A police vehicle pulled down the street. Before Derek could stop him, the kid stepped in front.
"FBI, man! Stop!"
The car slammed to a holt and a very angry, burly cop stepped out.
###
"What are you in for?" The pudgy man beside Derek asked.
"Drunk and disorderly." Morgan replied. He was glad on this occasion no one would remember in the morning. "You?"
"Same."
Before them, Vincent was shouting at the officers for his phone call. For his part, Morgan didn't much care. He'd wake up the next morning in his own bed, he was certain of it.
###
"Messed up. Just messed up." The man slurred. "I shoulda just told her, shoulda just said 'Doris, be with me, babe. I'll take care of you. I got money, you don't have to worry about it.'"
"Doris? Not Doris who owns the Croissant Café?"
The man nodded. "I've wanted her for so long. Sam, he died ten years ago. Don't you think it's time enough for her to move on?"
Morgan was surprised at the serendipity. Certainly, it was a small town, but still…
"I dunno what to say, man…"
This was completely true. His head was still very fuzzy. Pounding, in fact.
"I'm the last one you should be asking for advice."
In that instance, the door leading to the outside police station opened and an officer walked in, followed by a very disgruntled looking Spencer.
"Here he comes." Morgan stood up and staggered to the cells. "Pretty boy, how about that blow job now?"
tbc…
