Emily walked into the BAU feeling exhausted. It was two days since they got back from Alaska and the day off they were given was full of laundry and chores. It didn't seem like much of a day to relax and she hadn't been sleeping well since they got back. Her only stroke of luck is that they didn't have a case today. She could just finish up her reports.

She opened the doors to the bullpen and rushed to her desk. She discarded her purse and made a beeline to the kitchen. She needed coffee.

She saw Reid leaning against the refrigerator talking to Morgan. Based on the look on his face, Morgan was relieved that someone had shown up so he could escape the conversation. She laughed internally. Reid was probably lecturing him on Star Wars again. She reached into the cabinet and grabbed the mug Garcia had given her for Christmas two years ago. It had a painting of a giant orange cat rising out of the water and attacking a ship. It brightened her day every time she saw it.

"Morning, boys," she said, and poured coffee into her mug.

"Good morning, Prentiss," Morgan said. He was smiling at her. "I take it you didn't have a good day off?"

She snorted and turned around, leaning against the counter. "I wouldn't call it much of a day off. Laundry, chores, my mom decided to call."

He laughed. "Oh, come on. She can't be that bad."

She turned her head towards him and lifted both of her eyebrows. "Does your mother call and question why you're letting your 'reproductive eggs wither and die'?" She used air quotes and rolled her eyes.

Morgan threw his hands in the air in defeat. "Okay, you win."

"Thought so."

Morgan gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and disappeared into the bullpen.

"You know, technically the average reproductive ages of women is between 12 and 51," Reid said. He had his finger in the air like he always did when he wanted to make a point. "Fertility declines with age and there could be higher health risks, but most women have perfectly healthy pregnancies well into their 40's with proper health care."

She wanted to look anywhere but him. They hadn't talked since the jet ride back from Alaska and she had been nervous to see him again. It was probably for the best if they just moved past the whole bed situation. Their sleeping situation there was circumstantial. She blamed it on Alaska.

"Great. Try telling that to her."

"Well, it's not really her choice when or if you decide that you want children, is it?"

She took a sip of her coffee and eyed him curiously. She wanted out of this conversation with him. It was already bad enough that her mother had talked about her life choices with her for nearly an hour.

"It's not really anyone's business but own, Reid," she scolded.

She made her way back to her desk and placed her coffee down. Tossing her purse to the side of her desk, she sat down and booted up her computer. It was going to be a long day.

Reid was walking back to his desk in front of her and Emily kept her head down. She frowned at her computer. She didn't know why she always took out her frustrations on her friends. It wasn't his fault that she was having a bad morning.

"I'm sorry, Emily," he said.

She opened up her internet browser to check her email. "About what?"

"For being annoying again."

The guilt washed over her. Everyone always got annoyed with him when he shared his knowledge or babbled about something that no one else could understand. She didn't want to be yet another person who made him feel bad about it.

Her shoulders fell down and she sighed. "It's not you, I promise. I'm just having a bad morning."

He seemed to cheer up and he clicked on his computer.

"I watched the Indiana Jones marathon yesterday for four hours," he said.

She looked up from her computer screen for the first time since he sat down across from her. "Yeah?"

He nodded his head and grinned. "I hadn't watched it since I was working on my second doctorate. I was trying to relax like you said."

"Oh yeah?" she laughed. "And how was it behaving like a normal human being?"

Emily leaned back in her chair and began sipping her coffee. It's not like she was actually working yet.

"I think you were right," he said. "It was nice and who knows? I have a claw-foot tub in my bathroom. I might even try a bath."

Emily choked on her coffee. She couldn't stop the fit of coughs that came with it and tried to look in any direction but him.

"Cool," she muttered. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Smooth recovery, Emily. She scanned her email. Hotch requesting notes on a case, a chain mail from Garcia, but one caught her attention. She clicked open the email and it was from an M. Rawson. She groaned. He was going to be in the area next week for a conference and wanted to see if she was available for dinner. She closed the email and decided to respond later.

After lunch, Emily had already completed the case file and decided to help JJ look through some requests that were emailed to her.

"Hey, Prentiss," Morgan said. He walked towards her and sat on the edge of her desk. She noticed Reid look up from his paperwork.

"What's up?"

"I'm going to the gym tonight to do a little training with a friend," he said. "You should join us."

"Morgan, that's just about the last thing I would want to do today."

"Come on, I can't have you getting rusty on me in the field."

She scoffed. As if she would let that happen. "You're barking up the wrong tree here."

"It'll be fun," he insisted. "I'll let you throw me around a little bit."

"You're going to 'let me'?" Emily laughed and Morgan was grinning down at her. He knew exactly the right thing to say to get her to do what he wanted. "I thought you had brawn and brains, Derek."

"That's why the ladies love me, Prentiss."

"Well, it's certainly not from a lack of ego, is it?"

"So, I'll see you there?"

Emily hesitated. She just wanted to get home and sleep, but she had turned Morgan down the past three times he had asked.

"Fine, but just for an hour!"

Morgan clapped his hands together. "Alright. Be there at 6:30. I'll text you the address."

When he walked away, she caught Reid staring at her with a frown on his face.

"Why the long face, doc?"

"I'm confused," he said. "Why would you agree to go with him when you clearly don't want to?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Because I turned him down the past three times."

"So you said yes because of that?"

"Spencer, sometimes when you reject people enough, they stop asking you," she said simply. "I said yes because he's my friend."

"So you do things you don't really want to do because someone is your friend? To be nice?" Did she hear disappointment in his voice? She had a feeling his question might not be about Morgan at all. Her mind drifted to the room they shared in Alaska. No, she doubted he was thinking about that.

"I guess. Sometimes."

"He has approximately 57 pounds on you."

"Are you questioning my abilities?"

"Not at all." He grinned and leaned forward in his chair. "I'm saying, be sure to throw him on his ass for me."

She laughed. "If that's what the doctor orders."

*.-*

When Emily arrived at precisely 6:30, she found Morgan leaning against the wall near a water fountain talking to his friend. She strode over to him and waved her hand.

"Prentiss," he said. "You made it."

"I said I would."

"This is my friend, Chris." His friend smiled and held out his hand to her. "He worked construction with me on a few of my renovations."

Emily shook his hand. "Emily."

"So, you work with Derek at the FBI?" His eyes darted up and down her body.

"Yeah." She shifted her weight on her feet.

"Well, good to meet you agent Prentiss."

"Just call me Emily." She turned her attention back to Morgan. "Ready to get your ass kicked?"

He roared of laughter. "Easy, tiger. Let's try some cardio first."

She stretched her leg behind her. "Because we don't do that enough at work?"

Chris eyed her again. "You go out in the field, too?" he asked.

Emily frowned. "Of course I do."

"You should see her, man," Morgan said. "I wouldn't want to get on her bad side."

Chris smirked at her. "I wouldn't dare."

Thirty minutes later, Morgan had convinced her to get into the boxing ring and practice defensive training. Chris stood in the corner inspecting them. Morgan appeared behind her and brought his arms around her shoulders, locking her in tight. She rolled her eyes.

"Alright, you're trapped," he said. "What's your next move?"

"Are you kidding me?" she laughed. She tried to wiggle free but he gripped her tighter. "I learned how to do this back in field training."

"But I'm not going to go easy on you. Give it your best shot."

"I'm going home after this."

He laughed. "When you don't, you're buying me lu-"

She elbowed him in the stomach and pushed herself out of his arms. She twisted her body behind him and kicked the back of his knee, pushing his shoulder until he fell down to the ground. She grabbed his arms quickly and pinned them against his back. It was almost too easy.

She heard Chris laughing in the corner and she offered him a wink. Morgan was laughing underneath her. "Rule one," she said and released his arms. "When the opponent is stronger than you, find an opportunity when they're distracted to make your move."

She stood up and saw him roll over onto his back. She offered her hand and helped him to his feet.

"Touche'." He extended his fist in front of her and she knocked his knuckles with her own. He gave her a gentle push on her shoulder, making her take a step back to keep her balance. "But you didn't have to elbow my rib so hard."

She flashed him an innocent smile. "My bad."

Chris walked over to them and pat Morgan on the shoulders. "Tough luck," he said. He smiled at Emily and offered her a high five. She clapped his hand. "You should come back sometime and show me more of your moves."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Wouldn't you be so lucky?"

She walked out of the ring and collected her things, Morgan and Chris behind her.

"I'm gonna head to the shower," Morgan said. "See you tomorrow, Emily."

"Bye."

Morgan disappeared around the corner and Chris stood in front of her rocking on his heels. "It was nice to meet you, Emily."

"Uh, yeah. You too. Goodnight."

She began making her way out of the building and stopped in her tracks when she heard footsteps behind her. Chris was jogging to catch up with her.

"Hey," he said and caught his breath. "I didn't mean to offend you earlier."

She raised her eyebrow. "You didn't offend me."

"Derek doesn't talk about work much and I honestly don't know much about the BAU, so I didn't mean to insinuate that-"

"That because I'm a woman, I wasn't in the line of duty?"

He slouched his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, yeah."

"I know. Don't worry about it." Emily stood awkwardly and looked around. "Was that all?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's it. Goodnight, Emily."

"Goodnight." She gave a small wave and exited the building. She couldn't wait to get home and curl herself into bed.

*.-*

The team was on their way back from Boise, Idaho where they tracked down a serial killer live-streaming his kills. It had been a nightmare trying to track that guy down. Even though they saved the life of the last woman he took, it didn't feel like a win to Emily. There were so many other women that died before they arrested him.

Emily found herself sitting across from Reid at the table again. He had offered to play chess with her when they first started flying but she found herself too distracted to take him up on it. She looked up and stared at him, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes were scanning the pages of yet another book that he held in his hands. She glanced up at his hair. He had shown up at the BAU for the briefing and he had cut his hair. She'd ignored it at the time and immediately brought the attention back to the case, but as she sat there staring at him now, she realized that she liked it. The way it just flopped around in soft curls around his face was distracting. Why did he decide to randomly get his hair cut?

He looked up from his book and she averted her gaze to the wall. Great, now he had caught her staring at him. She heard his book shut and he slid it onto the table.

"Why are you staring at me?"

She felt a heat rising in her cheeks and tried to feign innocence. "I wasn't."

"Yes, you were."

She couldn't think of an appropriate answer, so she ignored him. She noticed a chip on the paint next to her seat, the stale air inside the jet, and the-

"Emily," he laughed, "don't ignore me."

She sighed. Why couldn't he just let it go? "Alright. Fine. Why did you get a haircut?"

"Why has everyone asked me that?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well?"

"It got too long," he stated. His hand reached up and he swiped it through his hair. "Does it look bad or something?

Was he serious? Does it look bad? No, Spence, it looks the opposite of bad. It makes you look far more attractive than you should be allowed when I have to work with you. She wondered if his hair would feel as soft at it seemed. Emily cleared her throat and responded, "No."

He didn't look convinced. Emily wished she could come up with something better to say, but words seemed to evade her.

"Hotch asked if I joined a boy band," he recalled. "I don't get it."

She laughed. "I think he just meant that it makes you look, um...boyish, I guess."

"Boyish? What does that even mean?"

The look on his face was so distraught, Emily had to try her best not to giggle. If only he knew how cute he was sometimes. She held back her laughter and pushed the thought from her head.

"You know, like you're a member of New Kids or something."

He furrowed his eyebrows together. "New Kids?"

"New Kids on the Block, Spencer," she said. He shook his head. "The boy band from the 80's and 90's."

"So, Hotch thinks I look like someone that belongs in New Kids on the Block? How would he know that?"

"Who knows?" she grinned. "Maybe he's a fan."

She laughed at the thought. She couldn't imagine Hotch jamming to that kind of music, or any music really. Her laughter was caught in her throat when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned her head and saw Hotch scowling at her.

"Haley was the fan, Prentiss, not me." Her mouth fell open as she tried to think of an apology. Shit. He was mad. His scowl turned into a wide grin and she released a shaky breath. "And my question stands, Reid. Did you join a boy band?"

Reid rolled his eyes and smoothed his tie over his shirt. "Ha, ha, Hotch. Very funny."

Hotch laughed and walked away from them towards the drink station. Emily turned her head back around to face Reid. His cheeks had a faint tint of pink to them.

"That's the last time I let my hairdresser pick my haircut," he muttered.

"Really, Reid, it looks fine. He's just teasing."

"If you say so."

*.-*

After arriving back on the BAU, Emily decided to ask everyone if they wanted to go to the bar for a drink with her. It was one of those cases where everyone really needed a distraction. She was happy to find that they all agreed with the exception of Hotch, who wanted to get home to Jack.

When they arrived, Garcia made a beeline to the biggest table available and threw herself in a seat. She waved them over and Emily took the seat next to her.

"Smooth move, P."

"Em, did you see those vultures eyeing this table? I had to lay claim to it or we'd be stuffed in that corner over there."

Emily laughed and shook her head as everyone else took their seats. Reid took the seat next to her. She reached out for the drink menu and scanned it over. What did she feel like drinking tonight? It felt like a hard liquor kind of night. She decided on a whiskey sour. They were her favorite in college when she could down six in a row and still survive the next day.

"I probably can't stay long," JJ said. "Will said he'd stay up for me."

"Aw, why doesn't he come out with us?" Garcia asked.

"Maybe next time if we can get a sitter."

JJ took a sip of her drink and scanned the bar. Her eyes seemed to light up and she perked up in her seat. "Hey, anyone wanna play darts with me?"

Emily shook her head. The last time they played, JJ pouted that she had lost and she was grilled about a re-match the rest of the night. She was not falling down that trap again.

Rossi grabbed his glass of scotch and stood from his chair. "I'll take you up on that."

JJ clapped her hands together and lead the way over there. If only he knew what he was getting himself into.

"My money's on JJ," Morgan said. "She is way too competitive with that damn game."

Emily laughed. "Tell me about it. She does not like to lose."

"I prefer pool," Reid said. "It's basically just mathematics."

"And that is why you should never be allowed to gamble, kid." Morgan lifted up his drink. "Cheers."

Emily raised her glass. "Cheers." She took a long drink and felt the tension easing from her body. She really had needed a drink more than she realized.

"Technically, I've been banned from dozens of casinos in Las Vegas," Reid said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I'd ban you, too sweetheart," Garcia said. "You sit there all squishy and innocent and then hustle everyone out of their money."

Morgan laughed. "Baby girl, don't hate the playa, hate the game."

"Are you insinuating that Spencer Reid is a player?"

"He'd have game if he actually tried. I've seen him do it."

Emily sat sipping her drink as she watched them bicker. She wondered how they would fit together as a couple. Could their friendship actually lead to that, or were they truly just friends? Her eyes drifted to Reid. He was staring at them with his eyebrow raised and shook his head.

"Uh, guys?" he said. "I'm sitting right here, and I assure you that I do not, in fact, have any game, so there's really no use in bickering about it."

"They like to bicker," Emily told him. "It's their way of flirting without actually flirting."

They seemed to ignore him and he shook his head and brought his drink to his lips. "I don't get it."

"They're just weird like that."

An hour later Emily was two drinks in and feeling good. It was so nice being out with her friends away from work. JJ and Rossi had come back to the table and Morgan was playing pool with some girl that he met.

"Alright, I gotta head out," JJ said. She pushed her empty glass aside and slipped her purse over her arm.

Emily frowned. "Already?"

JJ strode over to her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I need to get laid."

Emily snickered and gave her a gentle push away. "Have fun with that, JJ."

"I'm going home, too," Rossi said. He slapped a bill onto the table and winked. "Have a few drinks on me, kids. You deserve it."

"That makes three."

Emily saw Garcia step out of her chair and she scooped each of them into a hug.

"Garcia." Emily's mouth fell open. "I thought you were staying?"

"Don't give me that look. I have a hot phone date with my honey. Besides, we're not ditching you. You've got Reid." Garcia looked behind her and waved goodbye to Morgan.

Emily watched them walk out the door. She glanced at Spencer and felt uncomfortable in her seat. She was feeling a little buzzed and did not want to be alone with him.

"Well, we've just been properly ditched," she said.

"We've still got Morgan." He tilted his head in the direction of the pool table. Morgan was leaning on the pool table sitting just a little too close to a pretty girl in a red dress. He was a lost cause. "For now at least."

She laughed and wiggled her eyebrows. "He shoots, he scores."

"Do you want to order another drink?"

She decided to throw caution to the wind. "Sure, let's get another one."

He waved the waitress over and ordered their drinks. The waitress smiled a little too brightly at him. He didn't even seem to realize it. Morgan was right, she thought. He could have game if he wanted to.

"So, how did you do training with Morgan?"

"I kicked his ass to the ground." She smirked. "Just for you, Spence."

The waitress placed their drinks on the table and disappeared. Spencer grinned brightly at Emily, looking proud. It melted her composure and she forgot to wear the protective shield she'd mastered when she looked into his eyes.

"I expected nothing less from you."

She felt her face start to warm again, but she blamed that on the alcohol. "Hey, wanna place a bet?"

"Depends on the bet."

"How long until Morgan ditches us, too?"

He turned in his seat and eyed the area of the pool table where Morgan was.

"Hmm...based on their close proximity and the way she's smiling, I'd wager about four minutes. What about you?"

"Ten minutes," she said. She didn't really care about the bet, but she wanted a distraction.

"So, what do I get when I win?" He brought his drink to his lips and took another sip of his wine. He only just started his second glass of wine and Emily knew that she had already drank much more than him.

"How about whoever loses has to finish their drink?"

Five minutes later Morgan strutted over to the table and reached for his jacket. Reid grinned at her.

"I'm gonna take off."

Emily rolled her eyes. "What a surprise."

"Leaving with some company?"

Morgan pulled his jacket over his arms and pat Reid's shoulder. "I am a gentleman," he said. "I'm taking her to dinner."

Emily shook her head. "Whatever you say."

"It's called a date," Morgan said. He stared at each of them in turn and she felt oddly judged like she was a child. "You two should try it sometime."

"Have fun, Morgan," Emily said with a wave of her hand.

When he left, Reid turned to her and tapped her glass. "Drink up, Emily."

Emily scoffed and tossed the straw out of her drink. She raised her glass to him and downed it in a few gulps. She felt it settle uncomfortably in her stomach. Had they turned up the temperature in here?

"Okay, what do I get for not being a sore loser?"

He laughed at her. "I didn't realize there was a consolation prize."

"I don't see why not." She pushed his glass towards him and he obediently took another drink.

"Well, what do you want?" he asked.

A rush of excitement coursed through her and she sat up in her seat. "You tell me a secret, and I'll tell you one."

"A secret?" He licked his lips and looked lost in his thoughts. "I don't really have any good secrets."

"Dig deep, Spencer. Everyone has secrets."

"Okay, well one time I found Penelope and Kevin making out in the file room on the fourth floor."

She chuckled. She wanted a secret about him, but she supposed it was something. "Fraternizing at work. Not bad."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, she didn't say not to tell anyone. I just closed the door and tried to burn the memory from my brain."

"Doesn't seem like that worked."

He tapped his head with his finger. "Eidetic memory."

She wondered what it must be like to be able to recollect everything to perfection. It was probably a burden as much as a gift.

"What's your secret?" He was looking at her curiously.

She had one she wanted to tell him, but should she be that bold? "You really wanna know?" He nodded his head. "Okay, but if you tell anyone, just remember that I'm an armed agent."

He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. Damn, that smile. It encouraged her to be far more daring than she ought to be.

Emily leaned towards him and curled her finger for him to come closer. He leaned in until his shoulder was brushing her arm. She grabbed his shoulder and perked herself up until her mouth was by his ear. She felt her heartbeat hammering in her chest. "I happen to like boy bands."

She twirled her index finger into a piece of hair that curled around his neck. His hair was as soft as she thought. When she pulled away from him, she was satisfied to see his cheeks were flushed pink when he glanced at her. "Y-you do?"

She nodded her head and beamed at him. "Yeah, it's kind of silly." She played with her empty glass and tried not to think about running her hands through his hair.

"There's always different stereotypes." She looked down at the table. "There's a bad boy who seems good with the ladies, the funny one, the older one who comes off as a gentleman."

She looked up from the table and stared at him until he looked at her and took a deep breath before continuing. "There's the cute, nerdy one who seems a little shy," she said, smirked at him. "That's probably why Hotch was teasing you."

He broke eye contact with her and took another drink from his glass. "So, which one is your favorite?"

"I said I'd tell you one secret."

"I didn't realize that was a secret."

"Since you want to know," she said and pat him on his arm. "It is now."

A silence passed between them and Emily shifted in her seat, her new found confidence dulling with each moment. He cleared his throat. "Hey, Em?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't think this is a secret, but I think you're a little intoxicated."

Emily threw her head back and laughed. Yes, she was and it definitely was not a secret. "I know I am. You're right."

She was relieved to hear that he was laughing with her. That last drink had definitely gone straight to her head. She doubted she would have openly flirted with him like that otherwise. There was no harm in it, though. She was only innocently teasing him.

"Who knew being ditched by your friends wasn't so bad?" He was looking at her with a look that she couldn't quite place. Alcohol really seemed to hinder her profiling skills.

"My company isn't so bad, huh?"

He twisted his head in confusion. "I never said it was."

"I know," she said. She played with the straw that was laying on the table. "Sometimes a girl just likes positive reaffirmation."

"It's nice, you know?" He was playing with his tie again and straightened it down over his shirt. "You don't treat me like a kid when everyone else does."

"That's because you're not a kid."

"Morgan even calls me kid."

She frowned at him. He was pouting and she wanted to laugh but thought better of it. Did everyone really always treat him like a child?

"You're like the team's little brother. He'll probably still call you kid even when you're 50."

"That's a scary thought." He laughed briefly but then stared down at the table. Emily could tell by the look on his face that his brain must be bouncing thought after thought around and he couldn't decide which one to focus on.

"What's on your mind?"

"Do you ever think about where everyone will be in 20 years? Who's gonna stay, who's gonna leave."

She really didn't. Life was too unpredictable to ponder that far into the future. With the kind of job they all had, it would be a miracle if they were all still alive and well, but she didn't want him thinking about that. She racked her brain for something more positive to say.

"It's probably no use thinking about it," she said. "But I hope we'll all still be a family."

"Do you think that's too much to hope for?"

He was tapping his fingers on the table. She reached out and gripped his hand in hers, stopping his fingers. "At the very least, I'll always be your friend."

And she meant it. No weirdness between them, no attraction, no crazy situation would stop her from caring about him. He ought to know that he's more important to her, to all of them, than he realized.

"I think I might be one of those emotional drinkers."

Her lips curved into a smile for him. She knew he didn't like to be touched, but he never pulls away from her. She liked that about their friendship."I think your mind just thinks as fast as you read."

"20,000 words per minute?" His eyebrows shot up high into his forehead. "I think I'd be labeled clinically insane."

She circled her finger over the back of his hand and saw his eyes take notice of it. She didn't like or understand why her impulses seemed to get the better of her.

"Insane...genius. It's really all the same," she said. He didn't look up from their hands and a nervous energy washed over her. Maybe she was sobering up a little bit. She pulled her hand away. She really needed to stop touching his hands so much.

"How about we call it a night?" she asked. He nodded his head. "I'll call us a few cabs."

She found her purse and reached into it to find her phone.

"At least Rossi bought our drinks." He chuckled and indicated the hundred dollar bill that Rossi had left in the middle of the table.

She dialed the number for the cab company. "We can blame him for being saps at the bar."

When they got into their cabs and each went home, Emily couldn't help but think about how Spencer Reid was one of her favorite people. There were some things that you couldn't experience with people without growing fond of them, and profiling serial killers was one of them. Life was weird like that.