First, I want to say thank you for all of the support! Your reviews fill me with such joy. I have loved writing these stories and your support means so much. I recently went back to work as a therapist and writing these short happy scenes has been a great help for me during these hard times. It means so much that you all like them!

Also, I REALLY like this Oneshot. It is one of my favorites that I have written for this show. It is set sometime after season 3 in a world where Tasha and Reade are together, but she has not gone undercover with the FBI and the team does not go on the run. It's a happy world I presume.

Enjoy!

She never took him to be one who was obsessed with pictures. But, the more time she spends with him, the more he surprises her.

It starts one morning after she spends the night. She had been a little too busy the night before to notice it, but the next morning when she wakes up, she looks over his sleeping body and sees a new picture frame on his bedside table next to where he keeps his phone and watch.

It's a picture of them from when they first started dating. If she remembers correctly, they were at Jane and Weller's apartment celebrating some major win and Patterson snapped a picture of them, citing that they were just "too adorable." She is sitting on a stool near their kitchen and Reade is standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist. He is kissing her cheek while she is laughing like an idiot. It was rare for them to give public displays of affection in front of their team, but Patterson had managed to capture this gem.

He rolls over and throws an arm over her body and pulls her closer to him. "What are you smiling about this early?" He murmurs.

"When did you get that picture?" She nods to the frame.

He doesn't look back to see the picture she is referring to. "I found some frames in my closet over the weekend. I figured I'd put them to use."

"And the picture?"

"I like that picture." His eyes are closed, but he is smiling and she thinks that early mornings with Reade before work might be her favorite time. "You look happy."

She snuggles a bit closer, dreading the moment his alarm goes off and they have to start getting ready for work. As she rests her head on his chest and cherishes a few more moments in his arms, she is thankful that Patteson captured that little moment between them.

The next one she finds in his locker.

The team had just returned from a mission and she lingers as the other members leave the locker room to gather in the conference room for a briefing. She can tell by the look on his face that he is stressed but knows he is trying to hide it from the rest of the team. He is the assistant director of the FBI and needs to be strong for everyone else. But, everyone else does not know him like she does.

"You okay?" She asks once the rest of the team has left.

"Just tired." He sighs. "This case is…"

"A lot." He is standing at his locker, one hand on the door, and she makes her way over to him and leans on the locker in front of him. "You're not alone though."

They try to remain professional at the FBI. They reason that it is respectful to their friends and coworkers. Not to mention, the fact that he is technically her superior and they don't need one of them getting in trouble. But that never stopped the small touches and glances when they were alone, because, sometimes you just can't help him.

He puts his hand in hers and gives it a squeeze. "I know. Thank you."

They stand there for a few moments in silence, enjoying the peace of being with each other in the midst of the chaos that is the FBI. She smiles at him and is about to get ready to leave when something catches her eye. She reaches over him, pointing at a picture taped on the door of his locker.

"Since when did you start decorating your locker?"

It's a small picture from Jane and Weller's wedding. They are smiling at the camera, his arm around her waist, her head on his shoulder, and seeing the picture now she wonders how they did not know they loved each other then. Both of them have such love in their eyes for the other, but neither of them would admit it.

He shrugs. "I like the picture."

She doesn't buy it. She goes to take the picture down to inspect it further, but he blocks her.

"Look-" he starts. "I'm in here before and after every mission. Sometimes I just like to see a reminder of why I'm fighting so hard."

She blushes and- screw the remaining professional- she kisses him because she wants to. It catches him off guard, but he is more than receptive. They only break apart when they hear Patterson yelling for them, wondering if they are coming to the conference room.

"That enough of a reminder for you?" She winks before turning around to join the rest of their team.

It's when she finds a picture of herself in the pocket of one of his work pants that she becomes worried.

They alternate nights between each other's apartments, practically spending every night together, and she knows the whole "move in with me" talk is coming soon, but for now, she likes this stage. He has a drawer at her place and she has a coffee maker at his and it feels like no matter who's apartment they are sleeping in, they are at home.

He changed into sweats and a t-shirt after they got home from work and offered to pick up dinner. She decides to tidy up the place while he is gone (relationships take work and she is trying to meet him halfway) and as she moves the neat pile of work clothes he left on his side of the bed, a folded wad of paper falls out of his pocket. As she unfolds it, she discovers it is a picture of her.

She surprised him for his birthday this past year with Giants tickets and she is not sure she has ever seen that man so excited for anything in his life. They jerseyed up and attended the game in the harsh New York cold but not even the low temperatures could stop their happiness. She remembered that when one of the teams called a time out, he turned to her and said "smile" and snapped a quick picture, claiming that he wanted to remember this day forever.

In the picture, her cheeks and nose are red and her hair is messy from the wind. She is wearing a jersey underneath her jacket and has a Giants blanket that he brought wrapped around her shoulders. She is smiling and she can tell that one of her hands is definitely holding his.

She folds the picture back up and holds it tight until he comes back home. She hears the door creak and his voice call out "Hey babe, I'm back. Sorry that took so long. You would not believe the line."

"That's okay." She murmurs as she walks up to greet him with a quick kiss.

He sets their food down and then looks back at her. "You okay?"

She hands him the folded up picture. "I found this."

He unfolds the picture and looks at her in confusion. "You're mad at me because you found a picture I keep in my pocket?"

"I'm not mad. I just-" she pauses, trying to find the words. "Since when did you become so obsessed with pictures? I've known you for almost eight years and you've barely had any pictures in your apartment. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I have a couple of pictures of us and what, you assume I must be dying?" He laughs and when he says it, she starts to see the ridiculousness of her concerns.

"No, Reade, I just-"

He takes her hand with a sigh and leads her to the couch. When they sit down, he looks at her. "You wanna know the truth? I've never had pictures around because I never had reason to. Then I met you."

She smiles softly, waiting for him to continue.

"Most guys have a picture of their girlfriend as their phone lock screen. I have some boring grey screen. Most guys carry a picture of their girl in their wallet and I don't."

"Reade, I don't-"

"I can't do those things." He cuts her off. "Because if some crazy found my phone he could put two and two together and potentially hurt you. Our job comes with a lot of risks and I don't want to put you in more danger. So, I have to keep that part of my life more private."

"And the pictures?"

Reade sighs. "I suppose I wanted some sense of normalcy? I wanted to be able to see you and remember how lucky I am. The nights you don't stay over I have your picture on my table so I can see you when I wake up. And I have that picture in my pocket so I can look at it throughout the day, but I can leave it in my locker if we are going out in the field."

He pauses. She didn't know he felt this way about their lives at the FBI. Their jobs were hectic, to say the least, and it often did not leave them with a normal life. It was something they had to continue to work through and sometimes she forgot how their positions affected even the smallest things in their lives.

She reaches out for his hand and whispers "You're a good man, Reade. You know that?"

He hums and picks up their conjoined hand to kiss hers. "I know, but I'm fine if you want to remind me every now and then."

She lets go of his hand to give him a shove and then stands up, declaring. "I'm starving. Let's eat."

He follows her and as they are getting plates for their dinner, he asks "So, you're cool with all the pictures? I'm not making you want to run for the hills or anything.

"Trust me, a couple of pictures aren't going to scare me off." She pauses. "In fact, I think it's kind of sweet."

"Really?" He raises an eyebrow.

She rolls her eyes and changes the topic to dinner and he is happy to comply. She doesn't care what his reason is for needing the pictures around, whatever makes him happy makes her happy too. She thinks that maybe, she likes his logic, and might find her own pictures to tape in her locker and keep in her pocket. But she knows one thing for certain, and that is no picture will measure up to the real thing.

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