Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the CSI franchise. I play with the characters but unfortunately I can't keep them. Otherwise, I'd have a few of them chained to a bed in my non-existent basement and you should be glad I don't own it because I'd add so many hook ups that they would have to change its name to Grey's Anatomy j/k.

A/N: Hi =) Yesterday I let two nice Mormon guys into my house to try to convert me. Of course they didn't make any leeway (because even if I believed in their God that I don't, their politics scare me) but at least they got to eat a piece of triple chocolate cake and I could ask them mind-screwing questions like what what's their church's position on Intersexuality (you know, people who used to be known as hermaphrodite and such. There're actually at least 1/1666 births who are not just XY or just XX (not taking into account Klinefelter's or Morris Syndrome) and it's time we recognize their existence instead of hiding the condition like it is a dirty secret) and how could their prophets get so many things wrong like forbidding black people to enter the ranks of their priesthood and stuff. I didn't get any satisfactory answers but at least the poor guys didn't run away scared. Anyway, last week after Conrad had to leave in a hurry because he seems to be the only capable operative under the sun XP, Morgan spent some time trying to embarrass poor Hodges-chan. When things got a bit serious and Morgan burst out that she loved him, he froze and made her misunderstand... even if he had already admitted he loved her... Will the confusion win? That's going to be answered shortly.

It was very nice of you not to hit me over the head with how I've been posting the chapters later and later into the night and of course thanks for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting the fic. Let's see if I can reverse the trend of posting each chappie a bit later than the last. No procrastination! And now let's up the temperature of the room people!

Hodges' POV

He watched dejectedly as she left the restaurant, her orange dress fluttering for an instant when she opened the door. Before she disappeared behind it, she threw him one last piercing stare with those beautiful blue orbs. They were extra shiny because of the unshed tears. It wasn't more than ten seconds but it felt longer and the shame didn't let him look up to meet them.

A voice that sounded suspiciously like Finn's was screaming in the back of his mind to get up off his ass and follow her.

-"But I've hurt her again" -he tried to counter.

-"All because you were such a scaredy-cat... You are going to hurt her more if you don't run after her right now " -it said with certainty.

-"She just asked me not to follow h..." -doubt was plain in his voice.

-"Oh, for fuck's sake, do you actually think she meant it or are you just trying to take the easy way out like a coward?" -the voice was harsh and unrelenting.

-"And ignoring her feelings and going after her sounds like such a great idea" -he said sarcastically. He had had enough... he also seemed to have lost it if he was talking to himself.

-"Usually you'd be right to listen to her but the look on her face when she left wasn't judging you. It was asking you to prove her wrong this one time" -the voice turned tender, like it was trying to gently coax him.

He pressed his hands to his temples trying to decide what what's the right choice.

-"Look, if you don't go out of that door in the next few minutes, she is going to think you don't love her anymore, she's going to believe the lies that tell her she has done you too much wrong and she is going to blame herself and close herself to everyone again, just like you did. Do you seriously want that for her?" -the tone was poignant and decisive -"This isn't about you, it's about her".

He got up and ignoring the confused looks from the restaurant's customers, who were probably wondering if he was leaving without paying, he rushed towards the exit. All that talk inside his head had only been about two minutes of real time but still when he got outside, she was already closing the door of a taxi. Just his luck. He shouted at the vehicle but it took off before he could approach it.

There wasn't another taxi appearing magically in front of him like in the old movies where the hero could just order them to "follow that taxi!". It was a cliché richly shared between the spy and romance flicks but not so much in real life.

He ran to his car parked just around the corner and decided to break all the circulation laws he could on a single ride. No, seriously. He was pretty certain she was heading to Conrad's home and he wasn't sure if she would open the door and listen to him if she got there first. If she didn't want to know anything about him because he had been an jerk, that was okay with him, but he wasn't letting her believe he didn't love her with all his heart. He was such a sap deep down...

He wouldn't forgive himself if she got depressed because he had been such a chicken shit so when the light turned red on an intersection, he stepped on the gas and managed to cross unscathed. The law abiding part of his brain was having a mini heart attack, actually all of him was having a mini heart attack...

Even after having broken quite a few speed limits, the taxi driver's superior knowledge of the streets beat him to the house and it was already leaving when he parked outside the building. He even shot him a dirty look. Damn it all!

He rang the doorbell half expecting a murderous Conrad. That was his usual luck after all. Instead he recognised the shape of Morgan just standing behind the translucent door. He could even hear some muffled sobs from behind it. It broke his heart into little pieces.

-"Morgan..." -he didn't know what to say now that he was here -"It's not what you think" -that sounded just like what you said when you had been caught cheating... He restrained the urge to facepalm at himself -"Argh, it feels like we've just had this conversation and I still haven't learned a single thing".

There was no answer from the glass panel but at least the sobs had subsided a little.

-"What you said... it was the scariest thing you could have told me... but not because I don't love you" -he confessed.

-"I don't want you saying that just because you are frightened I might do something stupid" -she mumbled -"I know I'm pitiful but I'm not going to do anything like that".

-"You are not and I'm not saying this because of pity" -he said forcefully -"If I stopped loving you, I wouldn't sugar-coat it because one of the things I admire about you is that you are such a strong person".

-"Strong, ha, look at me. I'm such a mess".

-"Actually, I can't. There's a damn piece of wood and glass in the middle" -he deadpanned, a bit frustrated at not being able to talk face to face -"but show me a person who has lived through everything you have and it's completely okay without having to spend a pair of years in therapy".

She stayed silent.

-"C'mon, please open the door. You are not going to make me go buy a boombox to blast "In Your Eyes", right?" -as usual he used humour to deflect his insecurities -"It's certainly not my style and your neighbours wouldn't appreciate it".

She still remained quietly crying but she couldn't help chuckling at his joke which soon turned into a more of a wheeze.

"I'm sure the door to door salesmen have it easier with you than me" -he teased -"Morgan, I mean it when I say I love you. I promised you to fight for this and I've been the one who has failed both of us, not you. Don't try to hog the blame" -he said in a light-hearted tone -"All the little bad stuff pales in comparison to how happy you make me when we are together and obviously we'll have to talk about everything that's happened but I mean it when I say it doesn't matter to me".

-"I want to but... I just can't believe you" -she said between sobs.

-"Open the door and look at my eyes and you'll see I'm being truthful" -he tried to convince her -"Look, you know how I hate erroneous stuff and there's nothing more wrong than you thinking that I could stop loving you. I wouldn't be able to sleep!" -he could be such a clown.

-"..."

He was starting to despair when the door creaked open. She was indeed a mess with red circles around her eyes, tear stricken cheeks and a runny nose. She was also completely adorable and he barely refrained from hugging her on the spot.

-"Now I'm in front of you" -she sounded so fragile... he seemed to have undone all the work her therapist and her had managed in those weeks. He was an ass -"Can't you see that it would be better for you to look for someone that isn't completely messed up?"

-"Ordinary people are boring. You have to realize that I'm not doing this out of a misplaced sense of charity. Even if you don't want to know anything more about me ever, you'll still be in my heart" -he said looking at her straight in the eye" -I love you, I want you and right now I want to kick myself in the ass for having provoked this situation".

-"Prove it" -she said in an unwavering tone. Before he could ponder how he could think of a way to overcome the impossibility of actually kicking oneself in one's bottom, she continued -"Prove that you love me, that you want me, that you don't hate me" -her voice grew weaker with each word like she was losing her strength.

-"How?" -was his one word answer because whatever it was she was going to say he'd do it without a moment of hesitation.

-"I don't know..." -she seemed so confused and defeated, not like herself at all -"just kiss me" -she said softly.

He approached her tentatively. Right now she looked as fragile and beautiful as a Christmas' ornament. Placing a hand behind her neck he tilted her head to meet his lips. She tasted salty just like their first kiss so long ago and this time he had provoked those tears instead of soothing them. He kissed every inch of those delectable lips and then pried with his tongue into that inviting mouth.

Their tongues played ballet at first, later switching to higher rhythms as their hearts started racing. Little moaning noises escaped from the depths of her throat making him quiver with lust. They had the good sense to enter the house closing the door after them because soon everything else stopped mattering, the uncertainty if this was the best idea, the noise they might be doing, whether Conrad might return, ...

He was entrenched on his mission of dissolving any doubt she might have. Her ears, the angle of her jaw, the nape of her neck, all was fair game for his lips and mouth. He couldn't get tired of the intoxicating sounds she produced and she had recovered that willful glint in her eye that made Morgan, well... Morgan.

She bit his neck gently just above the clavicle making him whimper with need. He retaliated brushing his hand against her nipples a bit roughly and making her gasp.

-"Naughty boy" -she teased.

-"You say it like it is a bad thing, you little vampire" -he retorted smirking.

They were still fully dressed although both were feverishly hot and had no use for the clothes. Little by little they had gotten closer to the room he imagined was her childhood bedroom. Some people found it kinky to have sex in that kind of room but having lived well into his adulthood with his mother, he didn't see the attraction.

-"You are seriously over-dressed" -she whispered on her ear, nibbling on his lobe -"Do something about it" -he could swear she knew that was one of his weak points.

Instead of complying he skillfully starting undoing the zip of her dress.

-"I haven't had the chance to explore all your body" -he explained when she furrowed her brow -"and I'm the one who has something to prove, aren't I?" -he asked smirking and more seriously -"If this would really make you believe me... I'm not going to stop until then" -her face fell and she started chewing on her lower lip.

Before the mood could turn somber, he resumed his attack on her collarbone while he finished unzipping the dress.

She stepped out of it, gorgeous as ever, the light purple underwear contrasting with her pale skin. His more animalistic instincts got incensed and he pounced on her. Fortunately, the bed was strong enough and it only emitted a pained protest when they fell on it. He made short work of her underwear and started nibbling on one of her nipples while he bothered the other with his hand. Morgan's hands were wandering over his body but he wasn't going to have that now so he pinched her nipple a little harder startling her and making her groan.

-"Today it's my turn so no wandering hands" -he said smugly.

-"That's not fair" -she complained but she stopped when he returned to his ministrations.

He knew he was making her impatient but he really wanted to discover every tickling spot, erogenous zone and tasty crevice. His fingers caressed and prodded everywhere starting from her neck and soon his lips and tongue followed. Soft butterfly kisses and wet long lashes were turning her into melted butter. It was a sweet torture to look at the face of pleasure she was making.

When he got to her crotch and started kissing her inner thighs, her eyes almost rolled to the back of her head and he got so stiff that he thought that if he just rubbed himself against the edge of the mattress, he could come just like that.

He tried to disregard his hard on and centered himself in tasting the sweet juices and tracing her labia. Her moans grew louder as he approached the tiny nub. A little pea on the surface covered by a teeny hod. So sensitive if attacked directly, he started gently giving it little licks and pressing it with his tongue. When the clit started filling with blood, he changed strategies, coating two of his fingers with saliva and introducing them inside her vagina. The feeling of the walls pressing against his digits and the gasp that escaped her mouth almost made him come then and there.

He started pumping his fingers maintaining a quick pace while sucking on the enlarged nub. Morgan was writhing, grasping at the sheets with crisped fists. There was no better feeling in the world than making her mad with pleasure. Her breathing became more ragged, she started pushing her pelvis forward looking for more contact. He tried to quicken the pace even if his mandible felt like it could fall apart any minute, he just couldn't care less. Eventually with a final lick, at the same time that his fingers grazed the G spot on the anterior part of her vagina, she came violently screaming his name. Watching her become undone was beautiful and he continued licking her while she rode the convulsions that rippled all over her body.

She came down from the high of her orgasm and looked at him with a dazed face.

-"That was fucking great".

-"Don't you mean it was perfect?" -he teased moving up to be able to hug her.

-"You smug bastard. Now you'll see." -she said trying to tickle him.

-"Hey, hey, stop" -he laughed trying to defend himself.

-"Oh, the Great David Hodges is very ticklish" -her eyes were glinting malefically.

But what her mischievous hands soon found was his erection still covered by pants and all. She seemed determined to free it and he couldn't wiggle out of the reach of her frisky hands

-"C'mon, you are really hard. Let me do something for you" -she put on some puppy eyes.

-"No, nope. I told you. Today I want it to be about you" -he tried to make her desist.

She didn't relent so he ended up holding her wrists with his hands half playfully, half seriously.

-"I'll let you go if you promis.." -At first she was simply surprised but then she started getting more and more agitated.

He quickly let go of her hands but it didn't seem to make things better, she had her eyes strongly closed. She was trembling and hyperventilating. He didn't dare touch her.

-"Morgan. I'm sorry. Are you okay? I'm here. Can you open your eyes? -he asked gently. She didn't seem to hear his voice. Panic started creeping inside him.

She suddenly snapped her eyes open with a disoriented gaze. She was sweaty and pallid but no longer hyperventilating.

-"What did just happened?" -she asked him -"I felt like someone was going to hurt me again" -she mumbled.

Hodges wanted to do heavy bodily damage to himself.

-"There's no danger anymore. I'm so sorry. I thought we were just playing. I should have never restrained you, not even as a damn joke, not after everything".

He didn't know when he had started to cry but Morgan hugged him in spite of his protests until he calmed down. He should be the one consoling her and here she was, stroking his hair like he was her little pet with his head resting against her bosom. How could she doubt she was strong? Just like that he fell asleep listening to the rhythmic sound of the air entering and leaving her lungs.

A/N: As a rule of thumb when a girl or a boy asks you (general you) to let them alone or tells you they aren't interested, they more than usually mean it and if you don't do it and move on or whatever they've asked you to do, it's not going to endear you to them. It's actually going to prove to them that you don't understand or respect their boundaries. Also NO running red lights /PSA over XP And that's all the good relationship advice I can offer apart from "Communication is very important". Well, I guess, the no running red lights isn't relationship advice... but it's useful to stay alive and staying alive allows you to have relationships so it all works in the end. For young readers, the boombox reference is a very well-known scene from a romantic comedy called "Say Anything" and it's probably one of the most referenced romantic clichés EVER.

This was a one character POV chapter because Morgan got one at the start and it was time to return the favour. I'm not very happy with it but at least I published sooner than the past two weeks. What did you think about this one? I only kinda like the ending and hate almost all the rest. I had a bit of a clear image of what I wanted to do but then it didn't sound so good in practice. Anyway, I hope you have an awesome weekend. I've got class and a birthday party, so a good one imho =) R&R sweeties!