You guys have been so sweet, and I feel bad for the glitch-ups I had with the last chapter (if you don't know, it's better that way).

My last two chapters were rather short so I'm going to make this one longer CAUSE I CAN :P

It's from Morgan POV so don't get confused with all this jumping about I just think it's nice to hear what going on in two peoples head rather than one sometimes.

Also I am putting a little bit of a case in here, but it bothers me sometimes when the case interferes with what's going on. So, the details are brief and sort of non-descriptive with a bit of a lame ending, I just had to use the case in order to make a few things work. Hope it's alright :P

Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters, they belong to CBS

Warnings: This fic is rated M for language and sexual content.


Chapter Three:

The plane was fairly silent, no one really needing to say anything. The head of the department in New Orleans, Donavan, hadn't been able to give them a whole lot of information seeing as they only had two bodies that were found years apart.

They weren't even sure they had a case. The MO seemed fairly different on both bodies, but Donavan had insisted they come down and see what they can do. They hadn't been working on anything else so Hotch had given it the go ahead under the condition they leave if anything more pressing came up.

So there they all sat, staring at the couple of pages of information they did have.

Except Morgan.

He was sitting across from Reid and Hotch with Prentiss beside him, the case file open in his lap while he stared aimlessly out the window.

He had been trying to make up for his fight with Reid the day before by just pretending it didn't happen. The old "I won't mention it if you don't" thing, but Reid had been giving him a cold shoulder all morning despite his efforts.

To be honest, it had pissed Morgan off when he had seen Jasper walking Reid to his desk this morning from his spot in the break room. And to add insult to injury, Jasper had leaned in and whispered something to the kid, making him blush so hard that Morgan could only describe his face as tomato red.

Morgan had thought his speaking to Reid about Jasper last night would have come off as him being concerned for Reid feelings.

Apparently, that wasn't how Reid had seen it.

Morgan had tried his best not to stay up all night wondering about ways to get the kid to forgive him, but had come up empty. I mean, the kid really wasn't easy to please. He had learned that over their years working together.

When they landed Morgan found the right opportunity to talk to Reid when they got one of the SUV's all to themselves.

Morgan took the drivers seat as usual, turning the heater up because it was cold. Reid seemed somewhat grumpy when they first drove off, so Morgan gave him a few minutes to warm up before speaking.

"Reid, about last night-"

"It's fine, Morgan." Reid sighed, shifting visibly so he was facing the window.

"I just, don't want you thinking I'm trying to run your life."

"No hard feelings. Don't worry. I'm over it." The words were fine but Morgan could still hear the bitterness in his tone.

"Come on, Reid. I'm trying to apologize!"

Reid turned to him. "I know. Apology accepted. Happy?" He said before facing the window again.

Morgan just sighed. What could he do? They were sharing a room at the hotel at least, so maybe he could try again later.

They were at the station for only a short time. Donavan gave them a brief run down of what he knew before sending them to the hotel. It was late and they would need their rest in order to work the case in the morning.

By the time Morgan and Reid actually stepped in their hotel room they were both exhausted.

Reid promptly flopped himself down on the bed, just staring up at the ceiling.

"Reid, can we-"

"Ugh!" Reid sat up and looked at him. "Morgan, I said I was fine and that your apology was accepted what more do you want?"

"I want you to hear out why I'm trying to apologize."

"Well, I don't really care. It's done and fine." He flopped back down.

Morgan sighed harshly. "Well, you're not acting like it's fine."

"Probably because I'm tired and really don't want to talk anymore."

Morgan rubbed the back of his head. "Fine. I'm going to have a shower."

"Fine."

Morgan had stripped off his clothes and stood in the shower for a good ten minutes before he realized he hadn't really been doing anything.

He gave up, sighing as he turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist.

He had imagined Reid was asleep before he went to open the door. That was when he heard a hushed voice coming from the other room.

"I can't! Morgan's in the shower! He could come out at any minute!"

There was a brief silence before "Of course I do! It'd be fun, but I can't risk it! It'd be way too weird if he just walked in while I'm doing it. Do you know how many therapy sessions it takes the average person to right themselves after an embarrassing sexual encounter or situation?"

Morgan decided he had heard enough. This guy was seriously trying to have phone sex with Reid while they were on a case? God, he really just couldn't keep it in his pants for a couple days, could he? He'd already scored at least twice with Reid in two days! Morgan pushed the door open and he heard Reid fall quiet.

He rounded the corner to see Reid readjusting his sitting position. It looked as if he had been sitting with his knees too far apart as he quickly brought them underneath himself into a cross-legged posture.

He smiled a little oddly at Morgan before becoming distracted by what was being said to him over his cell.

"No! Stop! Stop it! I said no. I think I should be going to bed now. Goodnight."

And with that, he hung up.

"Trouble in paradise?" Morgan asked cheekily as he threw a shirt on.

"It's really none of your business is it, Morgan?" Reid retorted flipping onto his side and snuggling under the bed covers.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to be nosy."

"I'm sure you weren't."

"Why are you being so defensive? I was joking!"

"Oh, were you, Morgan?" Reid sat up and faced him. "Because it seemed to me that you were meddling with stuff that really doesn't involve you."

Morgan stepped back. "What is up, man? You're acting as if I'm being a jerk!"

Reid shook his head too vigorously. "Me? No, never! I would never call you a jerk! You're just so concerned for my well being that you must be the nicest guy in the world!"

"What the hell! It bothers you that I didn't want you to make a mistake?"

"No, Morgan!" Reid raised his voice. "What bothers me is that it wouldn't matter who I was dating! You would always be standing there scrutinizing everything! And no matter what I did or said, they would never seem good enough to you! You always say that you 'have my back' or you'll 'be there for me', but when it comes down to relationships, that's the last thing you do! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm really quite tired. Goodnight."

Jesus, Morgan thought as he pulled the towel off and changed into some boxers. That's the second time he's yelled at me in the last 30 hours.

He climbed into bed, hoping he hadn't done too much damage. Closing his eyes he pretended like he was back at home, when he heard a small sniffle from the bed beside his.

Was Reid crying?

Another small sniffle and a shaky intake of breath. Yeah, he was. Morgan sighed internally. How had he managed to fuck this up? He really just didn't want Reid to be unhappy, and now he'd made him cry. He had to be the worst friend ever.

The next morning really wasn't very productive in the whole idea of trying to patch things up with Reid.

The kid had basically leaped out of bed when their alarm clock rang and ran into the bathroom. Moments later Morgan could hear the water running in the shower. He had just sighed and pulled himself out of bed, changing into his work clothes.

Reid came out about twenty minutes later fully clothed and eager to leave. Morgan had tried to say something but Reid just shook his head and left.

The kid must've known Morgan had heard him crying because he didn't look Morgan in the eye if he didn't have too, but he wasn't acting angry, more like shy.

Morgan felt so bad. He always seemed to do this to people he cared about. Insult them or hurt them. What kind of chance would he ever have with Reid if he just kept upsetting him further and further?

It was around twelve when Hotch pulled him aside.

"Is there something going on with Reid?" Hotch asked, staring intently. "He's been uncharacteristically quiet this morning and last night I thought I might've heard you guys fighting. Is everything okay?"

Morgan sighed. Having this conversation with Hotch was not something he wanted to be doing.

"Reid's in a relationship." He said.

"Yes, I noticed his change in behavior and Prentiss confirmed it for me. " He stated and then waited for Morgan to continue.

Morgan shook his head and took a deep intake of breath. "I wanted him to make the right choices, so I tried to confront him."

"Morgan, you know Reid doesn't take it kindly when people make him feel incapable or young-"

"That's not what I was trying to do, Hotch."

"I know. But did you consider that may have been how he interpreted it?"

"Yes, I did but-"

"But nothing. I need both of you to focus on this case, and I don't want either of you to be distracted or upset. Is that understood?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, apologize to Reid." Hotch began to walk away, but Morgan grabbed his arm.

"Hotch, that's the problem. He won't let me apologize."

Hotch sighed. "That's not my problem. Fix this, please."

"How can I if he won't even speak to me? I've tried three times so far and nothing's worked."

Hotch stared at Morgan for a few minutes before seeming to come to some sort of conclusion in his head.

"Morgan, is there something else?"

That stopped Morgan short. "Like what?"

"Are you aware that Reid is dating a man?" The look Hotch was giving him made Morgan feel like he was reading his mind.

"Yes, that's the main reason I confronted-"

"Are you also aware that you are extremely protective over Reid?"

"Yes, of course I am. He's like a brother to me."

"Is he, Morgan?"

Morgan could feel his defensive attitude creeping forwards and he had to take a deep breath in order to keep from saying something to Hotch he'd regret.

"Look, Hotch-"

"Morgan, all I want is for you to take a step back and look at this from my point of view. You and Reid are extremely close, and now Reid is involved with another man." Hotch paused. "I think if you take a moment to sort this thing out, you'll see what I mean. And I don't want to speak out of term, but if you do understand, I think Reid has the right to know, as well."

He walked away. All Morgan could do was shake his head. How was it that Hotch always seemed so out of the loop and then he goes and does something like that?

He stood there for a few more minutes doing a reality check.

He liked Reid. He wanted Reid. Reid was with another man. He and Reid were fighting about it. Reid wouldn't let him apologize. Hotch wanted him to fix it.

Oh, Morgan thought sarcastically, was that all?

He hated to admit it, but Hotch was right.

He needed to tell Reid.

That chance did not present itself very quickly though, because later that afternoon they got a call on the tip line. Someone had witnessed the last murder. Turns out it was the girl's brother who had committed it, so she hadn't turned him in right away.

They had gone to the suspect's house to find pictures of both crime scenes up on the walls. All in all, the case was closed.

The team had headed out that evening. The jet had been quiet again. Rossi, JJ, and Emily were asleep, Hotch was looking over other files, and Reid was, well, reading.

Morgan had sat just staring at him for almost fifteen minutes before putting on his headphones, deciding that the jet was not the place to do this. He would offer Reid a ride home, and try it then.

When the jet landed Morgan made his way out onto the tarmac and waited for Reid to come down the steps.

"Hey, kid." He smiled. "You need a ride home?"

"No, thanks, Morgan. I got one." He brushed past him without making eye contact.

Morgan turned to see a truck parked beside the SUV's. Jasper was leaning on the hood smiling. He waved to Reid as he approached and Reid set his pace to more of a jog.

When Reid finally reached Jasper he slowed, flung his arms around the other man and…

Morgan had to look away. Seeing Reid kiss Jasper with that amount of enthusiasm made Morgan's stomach clench uncomfortably.

He swallowed hard. Was that a lump in his throat? No, it couldn't be.

Just then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning he saw Hotch give him a sympathetic smile before heading to his car.

Morgan walked slowly, not wanting to pass so close to them while they were still kissing.

They finally let up when Morgan was about tem meters from them. He watched as Reid laughed at something Jasper said. They both jumped into Jasper's truck and drove off. Leaving Morgan with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

When Morgan got home he basically threw his bag on the floor and took Clooney for a walk. He knew it was late, but he had to do something with his frustration, and walking seemed more logical than ripping Jasper's head off.

He was out for about an hour. When he made it home it was around twelve, and even though he knew he would have to get up early for work tomorrow, he threw a slasher movie into the DVD player and sat on his couch cradling a beer.

The gore did very little to distract him and soon his mind was back to contemplating Reid.

Jasper probably didn't even appreciate what he had. Reid definitely deserved better than some bigheaded jerk. The guy probably took advantage of Reid's generosity. Reid was all give and no take. Everybody knew that. 'Everyone' probably included this asshole from archives.

And if he hadn't known before, Morgan would bet he knew now.

It just wasn't fair. Morgan hadn't even known Reid was gay until a few days ago, but Reid had never advanced on him.

That's because you like to flaunt all the women you date, idiot.

Morgan had found that his 'ladies man' reputation could shield him from all the bastards like Carl out there, so he had used it to hide the fact he was gay to keep those men out of his life.

But now he wanted Reid and only Reid.

That's it, he thought and flipped his TV off. He grabbed his car keys on his way out the door. He had to speak to Reid, right now.

About halfway to Reid's house an upsetting thought came to Morgan's mind. What if Reid and Jasper had gone to Jasper's house? Morgan didn't know where he lived.

If that was the case, Morgan was just going to have to try to speak to Reid tomorrow.

But what if he got there and Reid and Jasper were at Reid's house, but they were preoccupied with-

Morgan shook the thought from his head and kept going. He wouldn't let anything deter him. And if that were the case, Morgan would figure out what to do when the time came.

Morgan pulled into Reid's driveway and saw Jasper's truck in the driveway. Good. That meant Reid was home.

He walked towards the front door with determination, but faltered before he knocked. What was he going to say? Hey, Reid, I love you? Ditch Jasper for me?

Yeah, like that would go over well.

Morgan took a deep breath before knocking loudly. He was hoping it would be enough to wake them up, or for them to hear while they were…

That train of thought was pulled off the tracks when he heard a shuffling from inside and hushed voices.

About one minute later Jasper opened the door wearing nothing but boxer shorts.

"Der-Morgan?" He asked groggily. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to speak to Reid." Morgan stated.

"Can't you wait until-"

"Gooding," Morgan spoke Jasper's last name in a threatening tone. "Go get Reid."

Jasper just nodded before disappearing again.

Another minute went by before Reid came to the door. The skin around his eyes was dark, his lips were swollen, and he had what looked like a bite mark low on his collar.

Morgan clenched his fist. He was wearing a pair of red boxers along with the V-neck shirt Jasper had been wearing at the airport. Punching something may not be the best way to deal with his anger, but, boy, would it feel good.

"What the hell, Morgan?"

"I have to talk to you. Now."

"It's like 1:30 in the morning! Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Reid-Spencer," Morgan decided it was better if he used his first name. "I know what I said was out of line. All of it."

"Cool! Happy now?" Reid's arms were folded, sarcasm dripping from every note.

Morgan shook his head. "I know I made you feel incapable and young," Morgan used Hotch's words from earlier. "But I didn't mean to. I was trying to look out for you."

Reid was silent for a beat. "This really couldn't wait until morning?"

"No, I have more to say." Morgan took a deep breath. "I told myself that the reason I confronted you was because I just didn't want you to get hurt. But, that's not it."

Reid rolled his eyes. "Great. Why did you make me feel weak and inferior then Morgan? Just for the sake of it? Because you can?"

Morgan shook his head vigorously. "No, I did it… I did it because…"

They stood in silence while Morgan was trying to collect his thoughts.

"Look, I'm really quite tired so can you get on with telling me whatever it is-"

"I love you."

Morgan had managed to cut Reid off but the words had been mumbled. Reid looked as if he were speaking gibberish.

"Come again?"

"I-I love you, Spencer. I have for a while now. And, I feel like… you deserve to know. That was why I confronted you. I know that it's a little surprising. I mean, no one even knows I'm gay, but now you do. That's the way it should be."

The look Reid was giving him was intense. It was making Morgan feel fairly vulnerable. Something he didn't like at all.

"Are. You. Kidding me?"

Morgan felt his stomach drop. Uh oh.

"We've worked together for years, Morgan! Years!" Reid shouted. "And you couldn't muster up any sort of courage to speak to me about this before I had a working relationship? Sure, tackling unsubs down and throwing yourself in the face of danger is all fun and games, but when it comes to speaking to me?" Reid paused, seeming to be so angry he couldn't speak. "What? You think it's okay to come to my house in the middle of the godforsaken night and confess to me? How dare you? What am I supposed to do? Leave Jasper so you can have your happy ending? Well, I don't work that way!" Reid gave his a look of distain. "I can't believe you." He said before turning back into the house.

The door was almost all the way shut before Reid opened it again.

"You know what pisses me off the most, Morgan? Is that I spent four years getting over you. Yeah. Think about that. Four years for me to be able to even think about other people!" Reid's voice suddenly got very quiet. "I can't believe this." He almost whispered, looking at the floor. The sentiment had almost been directed internally, like Reid was speaking to himself.

And then the door shut.


Oh jeeze. How mean am I? I thought this cliffhanger was a perfect place to end this chapter so that you all are biting your nails *wicked grin*

Don't worry though more will be coming fast!

Keep reviewing and being so lovely like you awesome people are (unless you are a unicorn, then you are a lovely awesome unicorn).

Also, a little sneek peek. Next chapter we find out Jasper isn't quite as perfect as our little genius thought he was :O

Love always! Xoxoxo