A/N: I'm soooo sorry this took so long guys! There were a couple of reasons for this- I've just started uni, so I'm really busy at the moment, I had a bit of writer's block about halfway through (and as a result this chapter is kinda short, which is another thing I'm really sorry about) and this is a really important chapter, so I wanted to get it exactly right. I ummed and ahhed over this, and changed it so many times, and now it's here! In this chapter, Neal and Reid finally decide what to do about their relationship, so I hope it was worth the wait!

Oh, and sadly, after this chapter there are only two more to come :( I'm going to be sad to see this end, I've really enjoyed writing it. But I hope you enjoy the last few chapters when they come!

Disclaimer: From now on, see my profile for the disclaimer.


Chapter Eleven: Are We Really Going to do This?


The drive back to Neal's was completely silent. Reid gripped the steering wheel with both hands, his eyes focused on the road even as part of his mind was focused on the man sitting in the passenger seat beside him. Thousands of thoughts were flying around in his head, each one analysing and sorting through everything that had happened and what he wanted to happen. It was a potentially dangerous thing to happen, he knew that, but it was something beyond his control. Any other time he would pull over to clear his head but, with Neal in the car, that wasn't really an option because he didn't want the other man to realise there was anything wrong. There was one thing however, that was growing louder and louder with every second was that he knew how he felt, and he knew what he wanted in his heart.

Neal's arm was stinging, as his stitches pulled at his skin each time he moved, but his mind was far from the pain. Like Reid, his mind was focused on the man next to him. Unlike Reid, though, he didn't have to focus on the road, so his mind was entirely focused on Reid. Neal had had a lot of time to think, in between Elizabeth and Peter leaving and Reid arriving to pick him up. He had thought about what Elizabeth had said about Neal realising he loved Reid and that it meant he already knew what to do about all of this.

Reid and Neal continued their silence all the way up to Neal's place, and they didn't even look at each other until they were safely ensconced inside with the door closed and locked behind them. When they did, they could each see something in the other's eyes. There was a world of emotion there for both of them: Want. Hope. Love.

Neal had crossed the room to stand beside his dining table so Reid followed after him, stopping mere inches from the other man. "Neal," Reid said softly, not wanting to break the quiet of the room but needing to speak, and the former con man focused his gaze on Reid. "Neal, this- you and me- this could be a very bad idea," Reid began. "So, so many things could go wrong. I think you know that. We might not work out. This could end up being a risk that isn't even worth it."

"I know that," said Neal quickly, but Reid wasn't finished.

"I'm an FBI agent," Reid reminded him. "This could be a very bad idea. If I'm with you, a former con artist-"

"Alleged con artist," Neal cut in automatically with a smirk.

"Either way," Reid continued, "everybody, from the FBI Director to Agent Burke and my team, is going to be watching us. And they're going to be watching us very closely. You would have to always stay on the straight and narrow. Outside of anything that has to do with your work as a CI, you would have to be as well behaved as is possible for you. One wrong move, and you not only bring yourself down, you bring me down with you."

"I understand that," Neal said. "And I promise you I'm going to try. I won't steal anything, or forge anything, or con anyone out of a large sum of money. I mean, I can't deny that I'm going to be tempted. But the temptation of being with you is so much stronger. I do like how you said I can still be as crooked as I want to on the job. Nice touch." He finished with a cocky smirk on his face, winking at the taller man.

Reid couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Neal," he said, ignoring the last comment and focussing on the sweet one from before. Then he fell silent for what felt to Neal like an eternity, clearly thinking over what he was going to say next. "That's not what I'm really worried about, though," he finally said. "I don't want my heart to be broken again. I don't want to go through that pain again, Neal. Yes, I know, last time I broke up with you, so that pain was technically my fault, but I- I don't want to go through it again. I don't think I could possibly go through it again, I-"

"Spencer, Spencer!" Neal said quickly, holding up a hand to stop what he recognised as one of Reid's trademark ramblings and not liking the hurt, almost broken, look in his eyes. "You're not going to have your heart broken again. Not by me. I promise you that. You know how I know?" Reid shook his head. "Because I joined the FBI for you, Spencer. To make you proud. I thought, when I first came up with the idea to become Peter's CI, that the only reason I was doing it was to get out of prison and find Kate, but, when Peter finally agreed to it, I- the first thought that crossed my mind was 'I wish Spencer could see me now. He'd be so proud of me'. I did all of this for you, Spencer. I love you. More than anything else in the world. I never stopped loving you, and I never will."

That was enough for Reid. Without another moment's hesitation, Reid crossed the distance between him and Neal and pressed their lips together. The kiss lasted for nearly a minute before both men broke away, needing air, but it was only a few moments before they were joined again. One of Neal's hands tangled in Reid's hair and one of Reid's hands gripping the back of Neal's shirt, pulling him closer and deepening their connection. Reid's tongue pushed at Neal's lips and the other man immediately allowed him entry and surrendering some control, sensing the other man needed that. He wasn't going to let Reid take complete control however, he wasn't going to let him explore as he pleased. With each swipe of Reid's tongue, Neal's moved right back creating a delightful mix of sensations for the both of them.

Neal's hands moved towards the bottom of Reid's shirt, slowly working their way under and pushing the fabric up. Reid, however, reached out and took Neal's hands, stopping him. "Stop," Reid whispered. "Just… just hold on a sec, okay?"

"Is something wrong?" Neal asked, suddenly worried.

"No, no," Reid assured him quickly. "I just need to know something first. I just need to know if you're sure about this."

"Spencer, I've never been surer about anything in my life," Neal replied. Neal tried to pull up Reid's shirt again, but Reid gripped his hands again to stop him. "What is it?"

"I love you too," Reid said, a grin pulling at his lips, before finally allowing Neal to remove his shirt.

"Thank god you're not wearing a tie today," Neal said, as he drank in the sight of Reid's naked chest. Damn, how he'd missed seeing this. This was more beautiful to him than any artwork he'd ever seen. "I don't know about you, but they always get in my way in situations like these."

"They sure do," Reid muttered, the extreme desire he was feeling evident in his already husky voice. "Thank god you didn't have the chance to put on a suit."

"Normally I'd disagree with you, but considering I'm gonna be completely naked soon, I'm going to agree with you," said Neal in a low voice. "I have waited far too long to do this again."

The hunger, desire and near desperation Reid and Neal felt as they basically tore each other's clothes off was like nothing either of them had ever felt before. Reid, while he had been in relationships since Neal, had not been involved in anything serious. He'd blamed his job for his inability to remain in a relationship, and in some cases this was true: his relationships with Lila Archer and Austin (and one or two other people) had fallen apart because he was far too busy, and he never had the time to travel to see them. Most of the time, however, Reid knew that it was his inability to be in a relationship; to even want to commit. Since Neal had come back into his life, Reid had begun to realise that maybe there was another reason behind that as well: that he still carried a strong torch for the person who had once meant everything to him, and could mean everything to him again.

Neal, on the other hand, had definitely been in a serious relationship since Reid. He had loved Kate, and he had thought, until she had died, that he would be with her for the rest of his life. But, in the back of his mind, Neal had never forgotten Reid. He had thought that he'd never see Reid again, so he hadn't felt guilty remembering what a relationship with the other man was like. And being with Reid was so different to being with anyone else. There was nobody in the world like Reid. Nobody made love the way Reid did. Nobody was as gentle and as caring at Reid, while being so passionate and so forceful at the same time. Nobody was so confident, and yet also so unsure. And nobody was as unique and as special as Reid. Nobody.

Neal couldn't help but stare at Reid once they were both fully undressed. Now there was a sight he thought he'd never see again. He braced his hands against Reid's chest, leaning in and kissing the other man hard. "Maybe we should go to the bedroom now, before we get too far to be able to stop ourselves," Neal suggested.

"Maybe we should," Reid agreed. "You… you do have supplies, right?"

"You never were one to just say condoms and lube, were you Spencer?" Neal chuckled, moving his hands lower and lower down Reid's chest. "Yes, they're in the drawer beside my bed. Always a full stock, just in case."

"Why am I not surprised?" Reid said. "You… you are incorrigible, you know that? But I really missed that. I really missed you."

"I missed you too," Neal whispered in a low, husky voice. "I missed kissing you." He kissed Reid, teasing him with his tongue before pulling away. "I missed touching you." He moved one hand slowly down Reid's chest, resting it on his thigh. "God, you have no idea how much I've missed touching you."

"I think I have some idea," said Reid. "Because I've missed all of that too. Maybe I should just show you how much."

*CMxSRxNCxWC*

A long while later, completely naked and covered in a sheen of sweat, Reid and Neal were lying in bed facing each other. Both men were exhausted, yet happier than they'd been in a long time. They really had missed this.

Neal smiled, brushing a lock of Reid's hair out of his eyes. "Wow, genius. You've certainly learned some moves since the last time we were together," he said.

"Quite a bit of time has passed since then, Neal," Reid pointed out. "It's only logical that I would've learnt some moves in the bedroom. And I had to, to be able to match you. Nobody makes love quite like you, guy or girl."

Neal chuckled. "Well, I suppose you're right about that last part." He stroked Reid's face gently. "Do you… do you have to leave? To go back to your hotel?"

Reid shook his head into Neal's hand. "No," he replied. "The team know I've come to try and work things out with you. I- I told them about us. I had to, Neal. They're my family- I couldn't not tell them; it wasn't fair to them."

"That's okay, Spencer. Watching you since you've been here, I could see how important they were to you, and you were to them," said Neal. "That's why I said you could tell them."

"Thank you," Reid whispered, instinctually leaning towards Neal and pressing a kiss to the other man's forehead. "You know, we don't need to talk now. We have all day tomorrow to talk, if we want to."

"I do," said Neal. "And I must admit, I don't have the energy to talk right now. I haven't done anything like we just did in a very long time."

"Then let's talk in the morning," Reid agreed. The two men put their arms around each other, holding their lover close. And as they fell asleep, their minds were only on each other.


A/N: So there you have it- Neal and Reid are really going to go ahead with this relationship! They do have quite a bit of stuff to work out and talk about, and the BAU and Peter still need to hear about this, which is to come in the next two chapters. Stay tuned! :)

Oh, and I also have a poll on my profile, asking which one of my currently in-the-works multi-chapter fics you would like me to publish first! Be sure to go and vote! :) And if you're not too angry at meet for making you wait so long for this chapter, I'd love for you to review!

Note from Diamond Cobra: "Smut free yet still sexy ;P"