Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and its affiliated characters do not belong to me. I mean no copyright infringement.

Author's Notes: Two chapters in one day! I knew once I got past that last chapter, the muse would start rolling again. Thank you Lenika08, jenny crum, irishgirl9, Sue1313 and 68luvcarter for your very awesome reviews. Wow! You were really quick.

**Responses to your reviews are at the end of this chapter.**

The Surprise in the Jealousy

Chapter 12: The Betting Pool

When the team arrived for their next full day in Quantico, they were in for a surprise. Garcia had another surprise for them. She'd established a betting pool for the employees at Quantico to bet on which man received the highest bid and she was sending daily updates by email.

"What is this?" squeaked Reid who was first to open his email in the bull pen that morning.

"What is what?" asked Emily intrigued by Reid's unforthcoming answer. He instead just stood there with his jaw hung open. She walked up behind him to see what had him so speechless.

"No way! This is so great!" exclaimed Emily.

"Great? Why would this be great?"

"I am so getting in on this. She better be in her office."

"Oh, I think she is by the look on Morgan's face." And he isn't anymore happy about it than I am.

Everyone in the vicinity looked up to see him walking out of her lair with an annoyed expression.

"I wonder if he's annoyed that people are betting or if he's not in the lead."

JJ walked back to her desk with a cup of coffee. "I see Morgan's aware of Garcia's latest surprise." She laughed. "Who are you putting your money on?" she asked Emily.

"My money's going on Reid even though he seems to be the most popular choice."

"Why me?"

"For the same reason all the prostitutes hit on you a few years ago," Emily answered with a sly grin on her face.

JJ grabbed chin. "You're just so adorable."

Reid blushed and stormed off still hearing the girls' gossip that he was far in the lead because they suspected he had both men and women betting on him.

A half an hour later, all three women were hurrying into the round table room for their daily meeting. Reid rolled his eyes at their wide grins.

"You are ridiculously happy about this," said Rossi stating the obvious.

"Of course, I am," said Garcia with no shame. "Latest update, Reid is winning."

Morgan snorted. "Well, that's obvious. At this point, I doubt that will change."

"Jealous, Morgan?" asked Rossi with amusement.

"Hell, no!" Of course, he wasn't happy with the amount of women putting their money on him.

"He's lying," claimed Emily. "He has a reputation as a ladies man to protect."

That could mean that Reid's had a lot of people admiring him without even knowing it. Reid probably didn't even know it! Unless Reid's been dating all this time and he never suspected it. A profiler could deceive other profilers. Does Reid swing both ways?

"Morgan?" Emily tried to get his attention.

"What?" he slightly snapped.

"Hey, we were just joking around. Second isn't a bad place to be. After all, Rossi's in fifth and Hotch isn't even on the list."

"Okay," spoke Hotch. "That's enough. Garcia, please get started."

~oOo~

After lunch, Hotch called Morgan and Reid into his office. Team B had just been called out on a case and a local PD was asking for a consult on a less urgent case.

"If it isn't urgent," asked Reid as they stepped into the elevator. "Than why do we have to make the trip to do this in person?"

"Politics, Reid. You know the right person, you get special treatment. Besides, don't knock it today of all days."

Reid smirked. "Good point. It'll be nice not hearing all the talk about the bets. You don't think that's going to go on all week, do you?"

"God, I hope not."

"Who do you think got the top bid?" Reid dared to ask.

"You really want to know who got the top bid?"

"No! I could care less about it. I was just wondering if you had a guess."

"If I'm going to be betting on anything, it would be on the next Cubs game."

"That figures."

Conversation ceased until they had an SUV checked out and were on their way. After talking about the case for a few minutes, Morgan surprised Reid with a change in the direction of his thoughts.

"So this thing, with Rob… it's pretty serious?"

"Uh, I don't know. It's really too soon to tell."

"Just wondered. It kind of seemed like it to me."

"You just met him. You couldn't have possibly formed an opinion that quickly."

"His own key?"

"He lost his electricity for a couple of days after that storm last month… the one with the high winds."

"Yeah, I remember. I had some damage to repair on one of my properties. I thought you haven't been dating him very long."

"I haven't. We had just met at that conference I told you about. We'd had drinks a couple of times. I offered him a place to stay," Reid said with the shrug of his shoulders.

"Hmm."

Reid gave him a strange look. "What was that for?"

"Nothing," Morgan defended casually.

"You don't need to watch out for me. I know what I'm doing."

"I don't doubt it, kid."

Reid gave him that look that told him he needed to rethink what he'd just said. It was the same look he got when he questioned him about his facts on a case.

"Sorry, it's habit."

"One I hope you intend on breaking."

"I'll try, but habits are hard to break."

Reid knew the truth of that statement too well. He thought he'd broken his habit of thinking of Morgan when trying to sleep, but it was slowly returning.

~oOo~

"You're confused," Reid said out of the blue at a local restaurant they decided to stop and eat dinner at after their consultation.

"I know I'm not a genius like you, but why do you think I'm confused?"

"You've been watching me all afternoon."

Morgan froze. He noticed? He knows?

"You're trying to figure out how people could be betting on me to have the largest bid."

Morgan let go of the breath he was holding.

"It's okay, really. I haven't figured it out, either," Reid replied misinterpreting Morgan's sigh of relief.

"Don't put yourself down like that, Reid."

"But it is confusing," he insisted. "I mean, look at you."

"You've heard women prattle on about beauty being in the eye of the beholder. There's gotta be some truth in that, don't you think?"

"And that's what you've been thinking about all afternoon?"

"Not exactly."

"Not exactly?"

"Let it go, Reid."

Reid chose to stay silent even though it was killing him.

"And why are you watching me eating?"

"I'm trying to figure you out."

Morgan gave him a heart-stopping grin. "That will never happen."

"I like to be challenged." He smiled back before continuing his own meal.

"I know you do. That's why I can't make it easy on you." He ended his reply with a wink.

Reid's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. Step one in figuring out his friend's latest state of mind was issued.

Chapter 13 coming soon!

THANKS FOR REVIEWING! I LOVE READING THEM!

They keep me motivated!

Lenika08 – I agree. Morgan and Garcia have a great relationship. Maybe he can give her some good advice, too. She deserves better than Kevin. I really don't like him!

jenny crum & Sue1313 – Thanks! The "all-knowing" Garcia helped him! As fun as it would be to skip to the end and see Morgan tell Reid he loves him, we need a little more development for both of our boys!

irishgirl9 – Thanks! Mini freak-out… loved that description! Poor Rob has love and lost before. But that will be to our boys' advantage later. He's a good guy.

68luvcarter – Thanks! Morgan and Garcia have a great relationship. Maybe he can give her some good advice, too. She deserves better than Kevin. I really don't like him! Rob's a good guy. That will be to our boys' advantage later. Poor Rob. My heart is already aching for him over another loss. Another relationship would be good for him, too.