HAPPY NEW YEAR! For all of us on the east coast, it's happening in a few hours, and for all those who have already rung in the new year, happy belated new year, I suppose, haha. I wrote this during the day today, and I think I might go somewhere else with the ending of this for another letter/chapter (you'll see when you read it; I'm not giving anything away!) so I hope you'll like where this is going.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds, unfortunately, but it's my New Year's Goal to try and get it, so I can share the rites with some of the fantabulous writers on this site.

I'm actually really happy with the way this chapter turned out, and I'm so happy that it's this chapter I'm ending 2009 with. Hope you all have fun tonight, and I'll see you in 2010!

M is for Midnight

"How long 'till next year?" Garcia asked, walking through the door bearing two bottles of liquor, one of which Emily grabbed immediately, Rossi grabbing the other, and as many soda cans stacked on top of each other that she could carry.

"Three and a half minutes." Kevin responded from his spot on the couch next to Rossi. JJ emerged from the back room where Henry was sleeping and took the topmost soda, Will taking the one underneath it. Reid leapt from his place on couch in between Morgan and Kevin and walked to Garcia, aiming his new video camera at her.

"Why, Dr. Reid, a video camera?" Garcia chuckled, balancing the soda cans in one hand as to wave at the genius in front of her. "How dirty!" Reid blushed before zooming in on the Technical Wonder-Girl.

"Garcia, what's your New Year's Resolution?" She thought for a moment, before snapping the fingers on her one free hand and pointing at the camera.

"I," she announced, grinning broadly "am going to work on hacking into the White House Records and see if Obama has any single brothers." Kevin cocked an eyebrow over at her pointedly, and she smiled at him sweetly. Hotch turned slightly in his seat, careful not to disturb Jack, who was half asleep in his lap, to give Garcia his trademarked Don't-Even-Think-About-It look, and she immediately flushed. "I mean, sir, I was speaking metaphorically, and, uhm," She stuttered as Morgan laughed from somewhere in the kitchen. "I think I'll go help Derek with the champagne." and she disappeared in a flurry of brightly colored hair and unopened soda cans.

Reid turned the camera on Rossi and Kevin. "What about you guys? Resolutions?" Kevin thought for a minute before answering quietly.

"I think I'm gonna try and build up some muscle." Kevin squirmed uncomfortably as Rossi turned his head towards him, a look of amusement painted across his face. The older profiled turned to the camera and motioned to the pen and notebook he always had with him, always.

"I'm going to try to finish my latest book." he said, flipping through the pages for the camera, revealing pages and pages of scribbles, crossed out words, and subject ideas circled in pens of all different colors.

"Oh!" Reid caught interest. "I hope I get an advanced copy." He hinted at Rossi, who laughed and shook his head, turning his attention back to the TV, where in Times Square New York, it was coming up on the 3 minute marker. Switching the camera to his left hand, Reid took a sip of the soda he was drinking and moved to where Hotch was sitting with Jack, who'd woken up moments before. "And you, Hotch?"

His boss looked between the camera and Jack for a few seconds before answering. "I think I'm going to try and spend as much time as I can at home, with Jack. When I'm not at work, anyway." He chuckled slightly, laughing at Jack as he hopped up and down in anticipation and pride of being able to stay awake so much past his bedtime. Reid smiled at the two before switching to a shot of the TV. Two minutes to go.

"Emily, how about you? Any New Year's Resolutions?" Emily shrugged at the camera and took a sip from the glass of Vodka in her hand. She looked at her hands for a moment, trying to brush off the question before the empty ring finger on her left hand caught her eye.

"I think I'm going to try and hold down a boyfriend. You know," she blushed a little bit. "For longer than a week." Reid pat her on the arm and offered a small smile before noticing JJ and Will out of the corner of his eye.

"And you guys? Resolutions for the Happy Couple?" He asked as the two smiled at each other. JJ stretched up and placed a small kiss on Will's cheek before turning at the sound of Henry's cries from the other room.

"I think we both have everything we could have wished for." Will answered in his accent and grinned sheepishly at the camera. He clapped Reid on the back once before turning to follow JJ. Reid smiled for his friends before hearing Morgan, who had emerged from the kitchen with Garcia, who looked all too pleased about something for it to be good, call his name.

"Pretty Boy, get back over here and forget that damn camera. It's a minute and a half until next year!" Morgan caught his arms and pulled him into a kiss. Reid searched for a place to put the camera down before Garcia grabbed it and began filming the two, with a few accompanying catcalls. The two pulled apart and Morgan leaned in to rest his forehead against the younger Agent's.

"And if you're not next to me come midnight, I swear, Spencer, I'll kiss Kevin if I have to.", which resulted in an indignant noise from Kevin and a 'Can I get that on film too?' from Garcia. Reid smiled and sat right down next to Morgan as Will and JJ walked back into the room, hands laced together, taking a seat by Emily. Garcia stood up and clapped her hands together, getting everybody's attention.

"And as we go on a minute until the New Year," she announced, smiling at the group. "My Molten Chocolate Adonis, well" her smile broadened as she corrected herself "not my Chocolate Adonis, has an announcement to make." Derek stood up and thanked Penelope before putting his hands in his pockets and looking at his feet, a shy grin breaking out across his face.

"I have an important question I wanted to ask someone, and Penelope convinced me that tonight would be the best night to do it." He took a deep breath, ignoring the slight giggles from JJ and Emily, and dropped down onto one knee in front of Spencer, who promptly began to hyperventilate. Rossi smacked him on the back subtly, and he calmed down slightly, watching the man in front of him with a nervous and teary smile on his face.

"Spencer Reid." Morgan removed his hands from his pockets, pulling out a small white box. He flipped it open, revealing a gold wedding band with writing sketched into the side of it. "Will you marry me?"

With a shaking hand, Reid removed the ring from its bow and read the few words around the edges. "A loving heart is the truest wisdom." Spencer read, looking up to meet Morgan's eyes, the two momentarily forgetting the others around them. "Charles Dickens." Morgan smiled again at his -he hoped- soon to be fiancé, and looked deep into the golden eyes.

"You are the smartest, most gorgeous, loving, wonderful, and amazing man I know, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, every day." He took one of Reid's hands and interlaced the fingers with his own, marveling for the millionth time about the beauty of their contrasting colors. "Spencer, will you marry me?" Reid let a tear fall and then broke out into a huge grin.

"Of course!" He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Derek's neck and kissed him, ignoring the cheering and whistles from the group around them. Hotch walked in carrying a tray of champagne glasses very carefully, each respective member of the team toasting the New Soon-To-Be-Married couple as the shimmering ball dropped in Times Square, ringing in the start of a brand new year with all the people they loved most.