Step Up – S02E11 Sex, Birth, Death Pt.1

Nathan Harris. Morgan wondered how much of a problem he'd be. If he was the guy killing those prostitutes, then it could be good for them; it was so rare that they found a killer early on, before they had the chance to take too many lives. If Nathan Harris was their man, then they might've just saved a lot of people. Maybe he was being a little uptight, a little defensive, but a potential serial killer had approached Reid. He didn't want to take chances.

Then again, they weren't sure yet. Reid and Garcia had found him, now it was time to have a bit of a chat. And Morgan, when he noticed, thought it was just a little bit funny how he didn't even think twice about following his co-worker into the kid's room. In another situation, he might've stayed outside with Gideon and the mom, but if Nathan was the killer? No way was Morgan letting Reid talk to him alone. He didn't even have to think once.

Unsure – S02E11 Sex, Birth, Death Pt.2

Driving around, looking for Nathan Harris, wasn't something Morgan really wanted to be doing. The guy had run away from his house, and maybe he wasn't the killer, but that didn't mean he couldn't easily become one. He was with Reid, at the very least, so it was okay.

Well, until the genius dropped a bit of a bombshell.

Afraid of his own mind? It took a moment, only a moment, and then it clicked. Reid's mom was schizophrenic, a disorder that was passed genetically…the kid was getting close to the age where breaks happened. Morgan knew he would've been terrified too, if he was in the same situation. And he wondered if maybe Reid's memory and his IQ, the things he knew, the nightmares he'd had because of the job and the things he could never forget, didn't contribute to that fear too.

He ended up not saying anything. Didn't even give Pretty Boy a comforting pat; just changed the subject to a lighter one. Morgan just didn't know what to do or say in response to what he'd been hit with. But he knew for sure it wasn't going to change anything. Actions speak louder than words, after all.

Other Side – S02E12 Profiler, Profiled (Reid's POV)

They'd talked. He and Morgan. Twice before now, they managed to get a few sentences in edgewise around the cases they fielded, about what was going on. Nothing serious, they hadn't had the time, but it had been enough to compound what Reid knew was going on. Feelings were developing (on both sides, he couldn't deny that), he just didn't really know how to go about with this sort of…thing. Relationships were one of the few things he didn't know (not) everything about.

But there was no denying the emotions. The little bit of despondency he felt when Morgan had mentioned going to Chicago to visit his family, so he wouldn't be there at all. The shock when he'd heard the man had been arrested of all things, for a murder no less. And that little burst of almost-confused joy that he felt, when he heard that Morgan had been talking about him with his family. Granted, he probably came up when the other was asked about his job and co-workers; the skinny genius who knew everything, why wouldn't he be talked about? But something in the way his sister said it, and in the look and smile Morgan's mother gave the table…it had the young profiler thinking that what they were told was different from the norm. He was okay with that.

And that night, when Reid really didn't think the other should be alone, they talked. Actually talked, settled on Morgan's couch with the darkness blanketing the outside. Not about his past. It was still too fresh, and when the older man looked at him, Reid just smiled and said they had plenty of time for it later. No, they talked about other things.

The genius learned that his co-worker was actually bisexual, though his experiences with men were few and farther between than his ones with women. He said it was because it was harder to trust men sexually with what had happened. Reid himself wasn't entirely sure; there had been Lila yeah, but with her it had felt more juvenile than what he felt for Morgan. They talked about getting together, but agreed that they each needed a bit more time to figure things out, and Morgan needed some to…well, deal with everything that had been dragged out into the open.

Fear – S02E15 Revelations Pt. 1

"JJ, look at me. Look at me. Where's Reid?"

Morgan's heart felt ready to stop as he waited for the answer. Instead, it kicked into overdrive when he heard that Reid and JJ had split up. He was just as worried about the woman in front of him – she looked like she'd been through hell – but JJ was here. They had her, she was upright and safe if severely shaken. Reid wasn't. He was out there somewhere, and Hankel was in that same somewhere.

So, knowing Prentiss would take care of their other teammate, Morgan jogged out of the barn. He headed straight for the cornfield; the place any unsub would head into if they were trying to get away. Immediately, dark eyes scanned the area. A small ways in there was a patch of flattened corn stalks; closer inspection had Morgan pursing his lips into a very fine line. Fear and worry still swirled through his veins, but they were very quickly being overtaken by anger.

He headed back. Told Prentiss what he'd found, glanced in JJ's direction. He didn't blame her, god no. It had only been the two of them, she couldn't do everything, and he knew enough by now to know that sometimes, Reid just couldn't be stopped. She'd gone through enough anyways. Morgan just hoped she'd pull out of it well enough, because he had a feeling they were going to need everyone to find their genius boy.

After that first, almost frantic search, his body started to numb itself. Morgan didn't try to fight it. The agitation, the irritation, weren't things he wanted to take out on Garcia. He just wished it would work faster, because even the presence of his baby girl wasn't doing much to calm his nerves. Luckily, the other 'distractions' that came with the case were enough do it. Until the first video feed.

It was that first moment all over again. Heart pounding, breath short, a kind of fear that made his limbs shake, his chest constrict. Morgan could barely look at the screen. Reid was there. He'd been beaten, and now he was being forced to play god for a psychopath. When the screens went black, it all flooded back over him. Everything he'd been forcing down or trying to control. Helpless. Helpless and useless. For now, that was all they were. But he was going to bring Reid back, hell or high water.

Confusion – S02E15 Revelations Pt.2

Morgan had only just barely managed to calm himself down when JJ came to talk to him. He knew she must've been going through some serious problems of her own, dealing the after- effects of the dogs as well as her own guilt about Reid being captured. But at the same time…he didn't want to deal with her. JJ needed to figure out her problems on her own, because yes, maybe he thought she and Reid should've stuck together, but he didn't blame her, and it wasn't his job to help with her conscience at the moment. They still had to find the kid. Maybe, after that, he could deal with it. But not now.

The second feed (god, how sickeningly happy he was that he hadn't seen Reid…and just as much so when he'd been brought back) got them the break they needed, thanks to Prentiss' quick thinking and Reid's own genius coded hints. As soon as they knew where the kid was being held, everyone moved out. Morgan was practically vibrating with restraint on the ride over, and breaking into that shack only relieved the smallest part of that energy. The rest was spent on combing the cemetery outside, the worry for Reid finally pouring through his limbs, and racing towards the gunshot when it went off. He couldn't help the call that slipped through his lips.

Seeing the youngest of their team there, alive and breathing, was an adrenaline rush by itself. He wouldn't collapse until everyone got back to their beds, but he felt drained all the same. The thing was, Morgan hadn't been one of the people to hug Reid when they found him, nor had he afterwards. Why? Because the whole ordeal had left some things pretty plain, but it was also the same issue about the case with Carl Buford.

He was definitely…well, maybe not in love with Reid, but there were feelings there. Strong ones. Ones that demanded he acted on them. But how could he, with Reid in the hospital? How could he, when the boy was still trying to put himself back together after Tobias? When he was dealing with the drug problem he wouldn't admit to anyone? It would be forcing just one more thing on him when he didn't need anything else. Other people might've said it would be something positive to focus on to help him out, but it wouldn't be. Not for Reid. He was so new to relationships, it would only cause more stress.

So, Morgan held off admitting to his feelings. He was there each and every time the other needed someone to talk to or hang out with when the nightmares inevitably came. He offered support and guidance and advice and anything he possibly could, without over-stepping his boundaries.

(It was only later that they fell into a relationship. No big talk, no grand gestures, it just happened. But only later.)

Problems - S02E16 Fear and Loathing / S02E17 Distress

It had been a week since Reid's kidnapping. He seemed to have been doing fine. Hadn't had any major breakdowns. Morgan took every chance he could to be open to the kid, just in case. He didn't want to push, but he wanted Reid to know that he was there for him. There was never anything though; no phone calls, no visits, nothing. He was just… quieter all of a sudden. It seemed like the genius was just trying to handle things himself. It was worrying, but Morgan trusted him to ask for help if he needed it.

Now though, a week later, it seemed like maybe standing back hadn't been such a good idea. Reid was different; he spoke more, but he was disappearing randomly. Nothing major, it was just… strange. Unfortunately, with the way things were going, between the girls and the mayor and the Reverend and then Detective Ware, Morgan just didn't have the mind to put the pieces together.

It wasn't until they were on their way home, looking at Reid's dozing face and wondering how in the world he'd gone so far in only a few short moments, that Morgan finally asked. He pushed through the snappish remarks, having already gotten a couple over the past week, until the kid finally told him. About how the pictures bothered him because he knew now, about how he couldn't focus, couldn't do his job. And all Morgan could do was give him the best advice he could muster. Because he couldn't tell Reid "it'll pass" or anything like that; they were profilers, they had jobs, and Reid was either going to have to grab hold of this fear, use it, let it make him better, or give in and find somewhere else to work. Somehow though, he wasn't worried; pretty boy was pretty strong in his own right. He wouldn't let this little thing beat him.

Then again, things always get worse before they get better.

Reid was late to the briefing, and it wasn't the first time that week. He was irritable, defensive, snappish. Almost rude. So extremely different from his normal self, and now that it'd been brought to his attention, Morgan couldn't help but notice all of it. And he knew what it was; they all did. Oh sure, Reid never admitted to anything, but the signs of withdrawal were obvious to the team's keen eyes, and knowing exactly what Tobias Hankel had had a habit of… well, for profilers, it was pretty easy to put two and two together. Not that they said anything.

Interlude

Reid did get better though. The irritability subsided, he stopped disappearing at random, and went back to how he used to be. There was something different, sure, and that would always be there, but he was the same genius the team remembered and loved. Morgan stood beside him the whole way, being there in any way he could without pushing. He was rewarded with some quiet, vulnerable moments, when his pretty boy just needed someone to talk to and sit with, and he was content with that.

It was when they had figured out a potential House Cleaner was loose, with 63 victims, that the two kind of… fell into it. No exact date or time, since it was just a mutually agreed upon thing. They didn't talk about it, didn't discuss it. No one asked the other person out. It started with Reid easily reciting a quote without getting that distant look in his eyes, and ended with them curled around each other on Morgan's couch, falling asleep to some TV program after the case had finished. Just something easy, like it seemed to have always been.

-Sable