The Room

MM/DD/YYYY

00:00 AM

10 Hours Left

Sitting on the edge of the tub, Morgan cleaned the cuts and the blood from his chest with a wet cloth. 7 incisions. A few of them were deep, the others stung a little bit, but after putting pressure on them with the cloth and a little warm water, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. And he figured once he got stitches for them, they'd heal okay too.

After doing his best with the wounds on his chest, he went to untie the towel he'd fixed around his waist to tend to the vertical cut on his lower body. However, before he could, Prentiss came around the corner. His heart did a little leap. Not only because she'd startled him, but because after everything that had happened, he was glad to see her standing on her own two feet. He re-tucked the towel into place.

"Hey." He said softly.

She was still sporting the hospital gown, her hair was tossed, and she had sleep in her eyes. Clearly, she'd just woken up, the drugs that the unsub had given them wearing off.

Emily smiled at him weakly, but then it rapidly sank into a frown as she realized what he doing. His cuts and bruises exposed, she could see where Eve had inflicted damage, but also the marks where she had hit him over and over with the table leg.

"Derek, I am so sorry…" She apologized, walking over and sitting next to him on the edge of the tub."

"Don't be." Morgan responded,"It's not your fault."

"No, I mean about losing control." She clarified, "Look at you, you're all beat up."

"Oh, these?" He raised,"These are no worse than the shrapnel scars I got from that bank explosion a few weeks back."

Emily's gaze fell to her hands. Even though he was attempting to make light of what happened, she looked like she didn't know what to say. Like she didn't know any other way to apologize or how to explain why she'd lost her self-control during their plan. Her cheeks burned a light pink, and he could tell she was feeling guilty,… and little embarrassed.

"Em." He requested her attention,"Talk to me…"

The brunette didn't lift her gaze. She merely offered a weak shrug, and when she spoke the words faltered from her lips,"I don't know… it wasn't a hard blow, but where you "hit" me— It's right where I was stabbed. And then with the table crushing, I—… it just took me right back to Doyle and the warehouse."

Morgan reached his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder,"Neither of us could have expected that would happen."

"But we should've. I should've." She continued to beat herself up.

"Hey." He asserted, mindlessly lifting her chin with his other hand so their eyes could meet,"Don't keep blaming yourself. You survived Doyle, and, for now, we both survived the unsubs. Let's just leave it at that."

Emily just nodded, her gaze falling back to her hands as she picked at her finger nails. He continued to stroke her arm gently, the two of them remaining shoulder to shoulder on the edge of tub. But after an uneventful moment of silence, she decided to stand up from where she was seated next to him, and started towards the door. Morgan was surprised to feel an immediate sense of loss when she moved from his side.

"Where ya going?" He asked quietly, the words tumbling out of his mouth before his brain could really approve them.

"Just to sit on the bed out here…" She replied, and gestured lazily to the doorway to the bedroom,"I'll let you finish what you're doing."

"Emily." He said, capturing her hand in his, and squeezing it gently, "Stay…"

To him, asking her to stay with him sounded almost pitiful, needy. But after being drugged, and going in and out of consciousness for the past hour, he couldn't care less. Nothing felt real. He was numb, drained, and very little made sense anymore. Emily made sense. She was real, and he needed that. He needed the comfort of her presence.

The brunette blinked in surprise. Then a faint smile appeared on her lips. "Okay." She agreed, and he pulled her down next to him. As she took her place beside him once more, he kept hold of her hand, their fingers finding a way to effortlessly interlace. The two continued to sit in silence, pressed against one another, unmoving.

It wasn't lost on Morgan that this was a significant change of pace for them— maybe not something completely platonic. It was different from how they'd been interacting with each other over the past few days, but it was also quite different from how they engaged in general. Yes, they could be trusting and affectionate with each other, but they were never physically this close this intimately.

He pinned it down as trauma bonding, an effect of them being trapped there with no one else to turn to but each other. Though, he'd be lying if he said he didn't like them like this: her by his she and she by his. Close. Whether or not it was platonic or romantic, they were comfortable, and that's all that seemed to matter.

"That was good thinking back there, by the way," He spoke, a thought suddenly coming to mind,"Trying to get through to the husband."

"Ah, I was hoping it might deter him in the moment," She said,"Make him do something retaliatory, but…"

"The dominant wanted her baby…" He trailed.

"Yep." She concurred, and then,"Do you? I mean—… would you want to have kids?"

The question came so abruptly, so out of the blue all Morgan could do was peer back at her, with questions of his own in his eyes. He furrowed his brow. She was genuinely curious.

"Don't look at me like that!" She said with a laugh, elbowing him playfully,"We've been here this whole time, and you're telling me you haven't thought about it at least once?"

The man shook his head, being completely honest,"I haven't, but..."

"But..?"

"Maybe someday." He shrugged.

"Oh, yea?" She grinned, the thought of him being a father amusing her greatly.

Truthfully, he hadn't thought about having kids in many years. With his career and his personal lifestyle, he'd been more focused on living his life now, fulfilling his whims and immediate desires only. He wasn't looking to settle down.

Of course that meant there wasn't a trip back home that his mama didn't press him about it. At Thanksgiving especially, Fran Morgan liked to give all her children, him especially, and earful about giving her even just one grand baby. He learned to just roll his eyes and shake is head, never truly giving her plea much regard.

Morgan frowned to himself. His mama saying that would sit differently with him now…

Regardless— Derek, he was good with kids. Better than he thought he would be anyway. He'd always been confident in his role as a mentor. Talking with the rec center kids in Chicago at least once every year was a gratifying experience for him.

He didn't, however, really comprehend his capacity to be sensitive and caring in a paternal way until he met Ellie Spicer last year. That girl revealed something in him, something which even the whole team could visibly see. Though, even as he recognized that change in himself, he was more inclined to chalk it up to his protector instincts displaying themselves in a different way.

So, no. He never properly considered kids of his own. Along with long term relationships and commitment to anything else but his job, he could admit that he'd been running from it.

But the interest that Prentiss was showing, the way she was kindly urging him to think about it, somehow made him see it. He saw the image of himself as a father, of himself with a family illustrated in her eyes, and reflected back to him. And he was surprised to discover that it didn't freak him out. Rather, it made him feel secure, and warm all over.

"What about you?" He tossed out the question,"You wanna have some little princesses running around someday?

Emily's smile slowly sank into something sorrowful. Morgan panicked. In hind sight, he figured it might've been the wrong thing to ask.

"Eh, sorry," He apologized, rushing to cover his tracks,"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay," She promised, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze,"I asked you, so it's only fair you ask me, too."

Still, Morgan felt kind of guilty. He knew about Rome and her pregnancy when she was a teen. After the case with Matthew and how she'd been characteristically not herself during the investigation, he asked and Emily willingly shared the story. He appreciated that she trusted him with that information.

He was also aware of her precarious relationship with her own mother. So, all around, he assumed the topic of mothers, or being a parent wasn't totally a comfortable one for her. Which is why it surprised him that she was willing to discuss it.

"I've thought about it a lot..." She confessed,"More now, since we've been here."

"And?" He raised.

Emily — more than he ever could be —was great with kids. She was an asset to the team as a forensic linguist, but she was also appointed as their official forensic child interview specialist for a reason.

She was every bit endearing and empathetic. Every bit the kind of vulnerable and understanding a child would need her to be amidst that frightening time in their lives. She loved and supported every child that she happened to care for like her own. Beyond being a marvel to witness, he admired that about her.

"And, well...I don't know anymore." She said, sounding almost defeated,"I'm not saying I wouldn't want to have them, because I think I do. But there's a lot of guess work involved— and obviously, a lot I need to let go of first, before I raise anyone. Not to mention that I'd want to meet someone that I'm — certain about... I don't know. The older I get, that seems less and less possible."

"Having kids? Or finding someone?" Morgan inquired, the questions coming out rather sheepishly. He was curious, but almost embarrassed that he asked.

Her eyes quickly wandered to his,"Both, I suppose…"

With her face turned to his, it was then that the man truly realized just how close the two of them were. He inhaled, speaking vacantly, almost involuntarily,"Maybe in London..."

"Yea, maybe…" She breathed.

Her voice was hollow as she studied his face, and he her's. He could see every little detail, from the faint bruises around her eyes, to the defined point of her nose, to the pouty way she was holding her mouth. His heart rate began to pick up as he tried to keep focused on her eyes only, but even then, those were beginning to fill with a hunger that enticed him.

She was so close. And unlike earlier, when he accidentally fell on top of her, and was able to bury the passion he felt rising, burning inside of him, this time, he struggled. The thought of doing what they explicitly promised they wouldn't do was right at the front of his mind. In attempt to suppress some of the energy building up, he needed to move away.

Morgan stood up and crossed to the sink. He dropped the cloth into it, then, turning his body around, he leaned back and propped himself against the countertop. He felt kind of shitty for leaving her side as abruptly as he did. And when he finally looked in her direction again, the expression on her face did nothing to assuage that feeling.

Emily opened her mouth, and it looked like she wanted to say something, ask him if he was okay, or if she did something wrong, or — anything to get an understanding of why he just fled. But she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't reply unless it was with a purposefully vague answer.

So instead, she randomly asked, "How do we start this?"

"Start what?" The man wondered. He watched as she began to shift around a little bit. He couldn't be sure, but it looked like she wasn't confident or comfortable in what she was about to say next.

Emily exhaled,"The last resort..."

He blinked,"You think we should?

"It was your plan." She reminded him,"Now you think we shouldn't?"

The man couldn't come up with a reply. All he could do was stand there, mouth agape, vacillating between what felt morally right and what he needed to do to survive. Yes, it was his idea. Yes, they were out of options. Yes, that was their last resort. And after being cut to pieces, he felt his answer should have been a resounding 'Yes, okay, let's try it.'

So, what was stopping him? Given how he was feeling at that very moment, he knew it would be entirely reckless for him to agree to something like that. So, they shouldn't. On the other hand, he wanted to execute every plan to their benefit. Doing everything possible to enable their escape from captivity. Also… he wanted to be close to her. And he suspected he wasn't alone in that feeling. The look of abandonment was still faintly on Emily's face.

Morgan inhaled deeply. Even if they didn't get to it right then, simply talking it through wouldn't be all that bad. In fact, that was probably the best way to see if he could even handle following through without being tempted to go all the way. If they just walked through it, motion by motion, there would be no harm no foul… Right?

"I mean..." He spoke warily,"We could start with a kiss."

Her eyes widen slightly. Which wasn't to indicate that his suggestion was a bad one, but to merely denote the absolute surprise she was experiencing.

"Yea—" She stumbled over the word,"Of course."

Steadily, Morgan continued,"Then I could take you by the hand.., lead you to the bed. Lay you down gently."

Without warning, Emily rose from the edge of tub. Her attention fixed on him, she began to approach with delicate steps. Morgan firmly gripped the edge of the sink. He needed to hold onto something concrete to anchor himself in reality before he lost himself in the fantasy— or really, the future reality he was describing to her.

"That's fine…" She responded distractedly, taking another step closer.

"I'll...place a trail of kisses up your body, to your lips." He hesitantly offered her more details.

Looking to her for permission, he asked her, only with his gaze, if he should continue. And where he half expected her to say no, she met him with her own gaze of intense affection.

"Keep going…" She urged.

The last logical cell in his whole body begged him to stop, to quit while he was ahead. But the rest of his being was quivering with excitement. He couldn't stop, his breath quickening. Her body maneuvered to a position mere inches away from his, and, unable to resist, he continued.

"I'll tease you a little bit," He said,"Kissing you everywhere but your mouth. Then, I'll move in close to close the desperate space between our lips. Your back will arch in the slightest, my weight will come down on you just a bit more than before…"

Emily placed her hand on his upper arm. Gently squeezing his upper bicep, she leaned in and whispered in his ear,"What else…"

Her voice sent a chill racing down his spine,"You moan, I cover you mouth with another kiss. We scurry under the covers and..."

She stood right in front of him, her smaller frame so close that he could feel her warmth, and she leaned her head back ever so slightly. He wanted to kiss her. And after vividly describing to her the things he might do with her, his mind was going crazy. His lips swole, numb just thinking about the sensation of hers.

Letting go of the counter, Morgan reached to touch her. The whole of his hand cupped her cheek, the pad of his thumb grazed her soft pink lips.

"Emily," He said, eager — desperate to shed his last reservation, "Do you trust me?"

"Yes…" She breathed, her eyes glowing with need.

Without wasting another second, Morgan closed the energized space between them. Their kiss, subtle at first as he touched his lips to hers just barely, then passionate as he kissed her tenderly, fully on the mouth.

She respond instantly, leaning into him, deepening the kiss. She snaked her arms around his neck, and drew him in. Heads tilting, their bodies shifting, they moved with each other in total enthusiasm. His hands found their way to her lower back. Unwavering, she pressed firmly against his chest while he eagerly tugged at the tie to her gown.

This was destruction. He knew it, and she knew it. They both valued what they had as partners and friends, but it had become strikingly apparent that they both shared a curiosity which could not be quieted. Evidence was how quickly he was loosing himself at the hands of her touch. He couldn't deny he'd been tempted. Especially in this room with her, he'd become shamefully desperate to discover what they'd be like as lovers.

Her fingers dug into his back, the sensation driving him mad. The attraction was undeniable, and yet they had denied themselves for so long. She tasted like heaven. His palms were behind her, pulling her closer as she moaned into another hot, passionate kiss. They were succumbing totally to their primal desires. The consequences, no matter how risky or dire, were the least of their concerns. He wanted more, and he quickly realized that if he wanted her any closer, he needed to take her to bed.

Breaking apart to do just that, they both gasped, panting for air. He heard her whimper, the sound of it so yearning, so longing for them to be connected as they were mere seconds ago. It encouraged him to move even more swiftly. Swooping her up in his arms, Derek carried Emily into the bedroom, and gently placed her on the mattress.

Possessive and impatient, Emily fervently pulled his face back to hers, searing him with fire and passion. Morgan slid his hands all over her body, caressing her hips, teasing at her breast through the gown. She released an excited moan, and it sent a shiver rushing through his whole body, and blood flowing to his lower extremity.

Then, between kisses, he moved his hand ever so slightly to caress her neck. Pulling back, for just a moment, he lingered. It was so strange, but suddenly she so looked beautiful. And although, he savored it, it somehow felt wrong to allow such a romantic thought to cross his mind, so immediately, he urged it away.

Still fully committed, he reached to pull the gown off her and she assisted him, revealing her nakedness. Her voluptuous breasts, her soft alabaster skin a splendid display before him. God, she was beautiful, he couldn't help but think. He wanted her. Fuck. He wanted her now more than ever. And as Emily's hands intentionally loosened the towel that concealed his rise, he knew she wanted him, too. Closer, closer, inside her.

A/N: WELP. How we feeling Demily nation? I feel spent, but I'm glad these turned out the way they did. I'm thinking my next few chapters are going to be the last ones. Which feels HUGE for me. Finally, finishing up this story. Wow. Anyway, I plan to get our agents out of the clutches of the unsubs, and into the daylight, where they will have to face each other and the repercussions of being held captive. More to come. Thank you all for joining me! xoxo.