Determined - S06E11 25 to Life (Reid's POV)

Morgan had always been driven; classic Alpha Male behaviour. He succeeded and excelled at everything he did, and it was just another thing Reid loved about him. So when Don Sanderson killed a man less than three days after getting out on parole, parole granted by Morgan, Reid wondered what that would do to the man.

In the end, it didn't matter. He'd predicted the anger, but what Reid focused on, what he was proud of, was the fact that even with his reputation and so many lives on the line, Morgan still forgave Mr. Sanderson. He gave him a second chance, believed in him. That was a quality worth much more to him than any drive to achieve anyone could possess.

Sooner - S06E12 Corazon

"Are you sure you're okay? Where were you?"

"Huh? Oh I'm fine, I just had to go do something."

Morgan frowned. Reid hadn't stayed at his apartment last night - they didn't always, so that wasn't strange to him. It was odd though that he'd only arrived when they were meeting in the conference room. Normally he was at the Bureau earlier, to get coffee and whatever else. He'd thought maybe it was just something that they would talk about when they were alone, especially with him acting weird, but…

"Reid?"

Pretty boy sighed. "I don't want to talk about it. Not yet anyways, okay?"

That made Morgan blink. But the kid was being honest anyways, so he just nodded. "Alright, but-"

"I know where to find you if I do need to talk. I know."

They smiled at each other and went back to work, a silent promise to bring up the topic later hanging between them.

Tragedy - S06E18 Lauren

Losing Emily was hard. A friend, a teammate, a partner. Her wit and her insight and her loyalty. Knowing that she ran only to keep them safe, knowing that she rescued Declan from the life his father wanted, didn't dull the pain. It only made it hurt more, knowing the protection she so desperately tried to give. The person she remained under all of the lies.

They couldn't stand together at her funeral. Not when there were people there who didn't know. But they would have time for themselves and each other later, as with Haley. There were so many others in mourning, it would've just been selfish. Standing with the rest of the team, the other people that Emily knew, giving and getting comfort from them was something both of them needed. People outside of their relationship to share their grief with. It was after the funeral that Reid and Morgan took their private time together, sharing stories and (almost) tears before they fell asleep, not ready for tomorrow but willing to face it.

Reassurance - S06E19 With Friends Like These…

Given the unsub they were dealing with, Morgan was hyper-aware of Reid while they were giving the profile. He seemed fine, up until he started talking about the map he'd made up. So he tracked the kid down afterwards in the bathroom.

Of course Reid was scared; they were dealing with a killer who was schizophrenic, and the same age as he was. But Morgan could tell that past that, past the fear and the worry, he was still the same genius. He wasn't losing himself, he wasn't fracturing at all. Something was wrong, and Morgan worried when he heard about the headaches and the inability to sleep because he hadn't noticed signs of either. He wondered if these were the problems Reid hadn't wanted to talk about before, tumbling out now. But Reid was still okay. His mind was as sharp as ever, if a little tired, and Morgan told him so; he was the one that would help them solve this case. Hopefully Pretty Boy wouldn't be so anxious about talking to him in the future.

AN: Apologies for it being later than I said it would be, and for the shortness. At this point, this fic is caught up on where Reiver has seen to, so there won't be another chapter until we've finished watching Season 7 (which I believe we're about halfway through or so). And even then, we're coming up on where Criminals Minds is right now! My schedule for posting once we reach that point will be included as an Author's Note either at the end of Chapter 9, or on it's own.

-Sable