A/N: A belated Merry Christmas to all of my wonderful readers! I hope you all had amazing days with your families and got everything you wanted! And I hope that the rest of you guys had good weather- cos here it Melbourne, Australia, it was absolutely horrible, one of the worst storms we've ever had! Torrential rain, freaking huge thunder and lightning, and hail the size of freaking golf balls! And apparently a mini-tornado hit the city. But luckily everyone's okay, and I've finally finished the next chapter! Just to recap, Morgan has just told his mother about him and Reid, and the first words out of her mouth were 'it's about time', like she already knew something. Hmmm...

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters, despite how much I wanted them for Christmas.

Chapter Three: Welcome to the Family, Doctor Reid

Both Morgan and Reid stared at Fran in shock. There were several moments of stunned silence before Morgan finally opened his mouth. "What?" he finally managed to say. "What do you mean, 'it's about time'? Did you already know?"

"No," said Fran. "I did not know, or suspect, that you and Spencer were in a relationship. But I knew how you felt about him, Derek."

"How is that possible?" Morgan asked. "I didn't even know until about five minutes before we got together."

"Because I'm your mother, Derek," Fran answered simply. "I could tell, from the way you talked to me about him. You would talk about all of your team, but you would talk about Spencer the most. No matter what we would talk about, somehow the conversation always found its way back to him. You would talk about him for the longest time. And you talked about him with such reverence… and love."

"Love?" Reid repeated, looking between Morgan and Fran, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I could hear it in Derek's voice when he talked about you, Spencer," Fran explained. "I know that he didn't know himself; that he didn't realise that he loved you. But I know he loved, and still loves, you. From the moment you joined the team."

"I should've known," Morgan chuckled. "Sometimes I think you know me a little too well."

"I'm your mother, Derek," said Fran matter-of-factly. "It's my job to know more about you than anybody else."

"Can I ask you something?" Reid said to Fran in a quiet voice. When Fran nodded almost instantly, he said, "If… if you knew Derek loved me, why didn't you say anything to him?"

"Because this was something Derek had to figure out on his own," Fran replied. "It wasn't something I could tell him. He would deny it completely, if it came from me. It wouldn't be the same, if I were the one who told him he loved you. This was something Derek had to figure out on his own. I did try to… indirectly ask him," she added. "I have been asking him for years whether there is anyone in his life, or whether he liked anyone. Every single time-" Fran turned to look at her son- "-he baulked and changed the subject."

"Seriously?" said Morgan. "That's why you kept asking me that? Not because you wanted me to settle down and give you grandchildren?"

"Well, there's that too," Fran admitted. "But really it was because I wanted you to be with the person you love."

Morgan was touched by his mother's words. "So you don't care that Spencer's a man?" he said.

"Of course I don't," said Fran. "I married a black man in a time when society thought that shouldn't happen. I think I would be a hypocrite if I was against your relationship just because you're both men."

Morgan smiled, squeezing Reid's hand tightly. "Thank you, mama," he said. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"It's nothing, Derek," Fran assured him. "Anything that makes you happy makes me happy. And besides, I've always liked Spencer."

"See, I told you," said Morgan with a smile, pulling Reid against his side with one arm. "I told you she'd like you."

"I guess you did," said Reid.

Morgan started leaning in, about to kiss Reid, when he suddenly thought of something and pulled back. "Sarah and Desiree," he said. When both Fran and Reid looked at him, confused, he added, "Do they know? How I felt about Spencer, I mean."

Fran shook her head. "No," she said. "They don't. I think they've grown so used to their brother not having anyone in his life, they wouldn't recognise the signs."

"Well, telling them should be fun," said Morgan darkly, scowling. "It's going to be twenty million questions in here, until my head explodes."

Reid, feeling slightly uncomfortable, began filling up his coffee with sugar so he'd have something to do. Fran watched him as he did so, her eyes going slightly wide. "Wow," she said. "You weren't kidding when you said he took a lot of sugar, Derek."

"Told you," said Morgan with a smirk. "I don't know how he can sleep at night, what with the amount of caffeine and sugar he always has in his system."

"My body's used to it, Derek," said Reid, lifting his cup to his lips and casting a sideways glance at his boyfriend. "And what do you mean, 'it's going to be twenty million questions'?"

"Owing to the fact that they're my sisters, Sarah and Desiree are going to ask me as many questions as they can think of about our relationship," Morgan explained. Seeing Reid was still confused, he added, "It's a sibling thing, Spence."

"I take it you don't have any siblings?" said Fran.

Reid raised an eyebrow at Morgan; he obviously hadn't told his mother anything about Reid's family. Reid could understand why, though; given Reid's family history, Morgan wouldn't have been sure what Reid wanted other people to know. "No, I'm an only child," Reid replied. "Mum didn't want any more children after she had me; she said I was all she needed."

Morgan shot his mother a glance, indicating that she shouldn't enquire further. "When are Sarah and Desiree getting here?" he asked to avoid any awkwardness.

"Any minute now," Fran replied. "I think Sarah is picking Desiree up on her way here." No sooner had Fran finished speaking than the doorbell rang. "I'll be right back," said Fran, rising from her seat and leaving Reid and Morgan alone.

"That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Morgan whispered in Reid's ear, a seductive tone to his voice.

A shiver ran down Reid's spine, as he tried hard to repress his urges. "I guess not," he whispered back. "Now can you please stop trying to turn me on? We're in your mother's house, and your sisters are about to walk in to the room."

Morgan chuckled and pressed a kiss to Reid's lips, pulling away just before his sisters entered the room. Upon seeing the two women, Morgan jumped up from his seat and pulled them both into a bear hug. "It's good to see you," he said.

"Good to see you too, big brother," said Desiree as they all pulled apart. "Nice to know you still love us."

"Yeah, even though you only come to visit once in a blue moon," Sarah added. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about us or something."

"Come on, Sarah, you know how full on my job is," Morgan protested. "It takes up all of my time. I'm only here now because we're on a case."

Morgan shifted slightly, and Sarah and Desiree caught sight of Reid for the first time. "Dr Reid!" Desiree exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I- um, well, I-"

"I invited him," Fran said, saving Reid from answering. "I think he'll enjoy a Morgan family dinner."

"He certainly looks like he needs one," Desiree joked. "He's too skinny."

"See, that's what I keep telling him," said Morgan, walking over and sitting down beside Reid again. "It's because he lives on nothing but coffee."

"I eat!" Reid protested, pouting slightly. The Morgan's couldn't help but laugh, and Morgan himself was sorely tempted to lean over and kiss the pout right off of Reid's face. But he couldn't. Not yet.

Sarah and Desiree took seats on the couch across from where Reid and Morgan were seated. Both of them couldn't help but notice the nervousness and anxiety that was rolling off Reid in waves. "Are you okay, Dr Reid?" Sarah asked cautiously.

Reid gave a small nod, murmuring, "I'm fine." Even though they didn't know him as well as Morgan did, Sarah and Desiree could tell that Reid was lying.

Realising that there was only one thing to do now, Morgan cleared his throat. Everyone in the room- even Reid- looked at him. This was it. This was the moment.

"There's something I need to tell you guys, actually," Morgan said to his sisters. "I mean, you may already know, I don't know, because Mum did, but I didn't exactly make it obvious."

"Derek, what're you talking about?" Desiree asked.

"The fact that I'm bisexual," Morgan answered.

"You are? Seriously?" Desiree said, staring at her brother. "I mean, Derek, you know I have absolutely nothing against it- I have gay friends, after all, I think it would be kinda hypocritical if I was- but I thought you were as straight as they come! I've lost count of the number of women I saw you with…"

"To be honest, Des, I thought that too," Morgan admitted. "But, well… let's just say things changed."

Sarah was a lot more restrained than her younger sister, and managed to keep any shock she may have felt under control. "What're you thinking, Sarah?" Morgan asked her.

"I'm thinking I don't give a damn what my brother's sexuality is," Sarah said. "You're still the same old Derek I know and love."

A smile spread across Morgan's face. "You're a much better sister than I have ever given you credit for, Sarah," he said.

"Hey! What about me?" Desiree asked indignantly.

"C'mon, Des, you know I love you," said Morgan, laughing.

Reid, who had been quiet throughout this entire exchange, looked at Morgan, the question obvious in his eyes. "There's actually more," Morgan said, drawing his sisters' attention again. "I've been in a relationship with another man. For about six months now." And with that, Morgan took Reid's hand in his.

Sarah and Desiree looked at the two men, the realisation setting in. "You're dating Dr Reid?" Sarah asked for confirmation.

Morgan nodded. "Well… yeah," he said lamely.

"So the things that changed…" Desiree said.

"Was me realising that I was in love with Spencer," Morgan finished. The rest of the family couldn't help but smile as Morgan pulled Reid against his side, pressing a kiss to his temple.

"That's adorable," Desiree commented. "Can I have him?"

Morgan chuckled. "Sorry, Des. He's mine." He turned Reid's face towards his own, pressing a kiss to his lips this time. Reid blushed bright red, and Fran, Sarah and Desiree all laughed.

"I think I'm going to go and finish working on dinner," Fran announced. "Sarah, Desiree, did you want to help me?"

"But Mum-" Desiree began in protest, but Fran interrupted her.

"Now, Desiree." She cast a glance towards Reid and Morgan. Both sisters now understood, and followed their mother into the kitchen, leaving Reid and Morgan alone.

"They actually like me," said Reid after a moment of stunned silence.

"Told ya so," said Morgan again. "It's hard not to like you."

"That's not what I meant," Reid protested. "I meant- well, they don't seem to care that I'm a man. At all."

"That's because they don't care, Spence," said Morgan. "They don't care that I've brought a man home to meet them, as opposed to a woman. I mean, they were shocked, of course; they have seen me with a constant stream of women, and never with another man. But seriously, they don't care about that. The fact that I love you and you're the first person I've ever brought home to meet them is all that matters to them."

"I think I'm beginning to see that now," said Reid with a smile. "Are they always like that?"

"Only around me," Morgan said, chuckling. "We're siblings; it's what we do. They'll probably ask you a heap of questions, but they'll do it in the nicest possible way."

"They will?" said Reid, gulping slightly.

"They're just curious, Spence," Morgan assured him. "I mean, you're part of the family now. They just want to get to know you as well as they possibly can."

"Okay," Reid sighed. "But you know how I am around people I don't know that well."

"I know," said Morgan. "But you've got me right here beside you. And you know the difference between being at work and being where we are right now? We don't have to hide the fact that we love each other."

Smiling broadly, as though he'd only just remembered this fact, Reid put his arms around Morgan and pulled him close, kissing him. Reid was very mindful of the fact that he was in Morgan's childhood home, and that his mother and sisters were in the next room, so he didn't kiss Morgan with as much passion and need as he would like. Instead his kisses were soft, gentle and sweet. To Morgan, they tasted like coffee and sugar. Morgan loved that taste; it was distinctively Reid, and it always reminded him of his younger lover.

"Well, adorable isn't a word I ever thought I'd apply to my brother, but here I am doing that right now," said Sarah suddenly from the doorway.

Reid pulled away from Morgan instantly, looking highly embarrassed, and refusing to look at Morgan and Sarah. Sarah tried to suppress her giggles, but she was only partly successful.

"Aw, come on, Sarah!" Morgan exclaimed, but with a playful tone to his voice. "Why'd you have to go and embarrass my boyfriend for?"

"Well I am sorry for that," said Sarah, "and for interrupting, but Mum wanted to know what Doctor Reid wanted to drink. She didn't know whether you drank alcohol or not."

"Call me Spencer," said Reid, surprising both himself and Morgan. "And I drink red wine. Or just water, if you don't have any."

Sarah smiled. "Got it, Spencer," she said. Looking at her brother, Sarah mouthed 'adorable' before leaving the room again.

Morgan looked back at his boyfriend, and had to suppress his laughter when he saw that Reid was blushing. "Oh, come on, pretty boy," Morgan said. "She didn't mind. They don't mind seeing us kiss."

"Yeah, I know," Reid sighed. "Doesn't make it any less embarrassing."

Morgan couldn't help but laugh this time. Reid scowled at him, but both men were saved from saying anything else by Fran calling from the kitchen, telling them that dinner was ready.

Morgan jumped up from the couch instantly, grabbing Reid's hand and pulling him after him. "Come on, pretty boy. You're going to love this," Morgan said as he and Reid entered the dining room.

"Pretty boy?" Desire repeated, confused.

"It's my nickname for Spencer," Morgan explained as he and Reid sat down. "'Cause, you know, I think he's beautiful."

Reid blushed deeply again, but this time it wasn't from embarrassment; it was from love, and from hearing that praise from Morgan. Especially in front of his family.

"Derek, you are being so sweet and cute it's almost sickening," Desiree commented, screwing her face up in an expression of mock disgust. "Especially since it's you."

"Gee thanks, Des," said Morgan sarcastically. "I feel so loved. You are just an amazing sister."

"You aren't that great a brother yourself, Derek," Desiree retorted. "I only ever see you on Christmas, or Thanksgiving, and on Mum's birthday. I only get a five minute phone call on my birthday."

"Aw, come on, Desi!" said Morgan. "You know that's not my fault! And you know I love you!"

"I'm sorry about this," Fran said to Reid as she shovelled more food onto his plate than he could possibly eat in one sitting. "They always get like this whenever Derek comes to visit. Sarah too. It's just banter, though. They don't mean anything hostile by it."

"No, it's okay, I understand," Reid assured her. "It's intriguing to watch. Both as a profiler who is an only child, and as Derek's boyfriend. It helps me learn more about him. How he acts around his family."

"That's a nice way to look at it," said Fran, sitting down at the head of the table next to Reid as Sarah joined in on the banter. "But you know, they wouldn't be doing this in front of you if they didn't feel comfortable with you."

Reid was silent for a long moment after Fran's words; he definitely hadn't thought of that. It gave him a very nice feeling, to know that Morgan's sisters were so comfortable around him already, even though he was their brother's boyfriend. Maybe Morgan had been right all along.

Realising that Fran was still watching him, Reid looked down at the roast she had dished out in front of him. "This looks amazing, Mrs Morgan," he said sincerely.

"Please, Spencer, call me Fran," Fran said. "You're family. I insist."

"I should've warned you about that, Mum," Morgan laughed, taking a break from his banter with his sisters and eating his dinner to look over at Reid beside him. "He can be too polite for his own good. But don't worry, Spence. I love ya for it." He reached over and ruffled Reid's hair good-naturedly, pressing a kiss to the side of the younger man's face. While Sarah and Desiree weren't paying attention, Morgan leaned over to Reid and whispered, "Hey, I'm sorry for ignoring you, baby."

"It's okay," Reid assured him. "I like watching you talk to your sisters. And your mum's nice."

Morgan smiled. "As long as your happy," he said. "Besides, we have all night to spend time together."

"Derek!" Reid hissed. "We're still on a case!" Sarah and Desiree looked up at the two men, confused. Morgan just smirked at Reid and turned back to his sisters, resuming their conversation.

Fran chuckled. "I see Derek hasn't changed very much," she said.

Reid shook his head ruefully. "Sometimes I think he forgets how important our job is," he said. "But… I don't know. I think it makes me love him more."

Fran smiled, looking over at Morgan. "I'm glad he'd found someone who loves him so much," she said. "To be honest, with his job and… what happened to him when he was a boy, I was afraid he'd never find someone. But looking at him now, I can't remember having seen him this happy in a very long time."

"So it doesn't bother you that… that I'm a man?" Reid said.

"Not at all," said Fran. "Like I said, I married a black man at a time when everybody else said I shouldn't. Your gender doesn't matter to me, as long as you're both happy and you love each other."

"I am," said Reid. "Like you said about Derek, I can't remember being this happy in a long time, either. And I definitely love him."

"And I know he loves you," said Fran. You can just see it- the way his face lights up whenever you're in the room, the way he can't help but smile whenever he talks about you. There's a… spark in his eyes I've never seen there before."

"Really?" said Reid, looking over at Morgan again. "You see all of that?"

"Yes," Fran replied. "I am his mother, after all. I probably know him better than anybody else- well, except for you. I've seen him happy, but this- this is more than happy."

Reid looked over at Fran and couldn't help but smile. Morgan had definitely been right- Reid had been worrying for nothing. Morgan's mother clearly welcomed him with open arms; as long as Reid was making Morgan happy, which he both believed and hoped he was. It really warmed his heart, to know that Fran already liked him so much.

Before Reid knew it, he'd finished eating. Morgan had been right once again: his mother's food was amazing. There had been more food than Reid had ever seen before, but he'd been more than happy to eat it all.

After everyone had finished eating, Fran suggested they move back into the living room. "Okay, Mama," Morgan agreed. "But we can't stay much longer. Technically, Spencer and I are still on the clock, and we still have a case tomorrow that we need to solve."

"Of course," Fran said. "You boys are welcome to leave whenever you need to. Derek, did you want to help me with dessert?"

Reid cast Morgan a panicked look, when he realised that this meant he'd be left alone in the room with Sarah and Desiree. "It's alright, Spence. They're not gonna kill you or anything," Morgan laughed.

"Yeah, come on, we just want to ask you questions. Get to know you," Desiree added.

Reid gulped. "Okay, I guess," he said. He followed Morgan's sisters back into the lounge room, sitting down on the couch opposite them. "Alright. What do you want to know?"

A/N: Awww, Morgan's mum is so nice! I always imagined that, if the writers got their act together and realised Morgan and Reid belonged together, Morgan's mother would be completely supportive of their relationship. And Reid's about to get the third degree from Morgan's sisters, I wonder how that's gonna go... :P Now this is my late Christmas present to you guys, hows about some reviews in return? :P You know I always love hearing from you guys!