"I can't believe you decided to come back here to your apartment," Reid commented with a gasp as they walked through the door of Emma's third floor walk-up. Emma noted with amusement that the trek up the flights of stairs had left him slightly winded.
"Well, it's comfortable and familiar, and it doesn't reek of overblown expectations," Emma told him with a gentle smile. "Besides, it's the last place in the world anyone would think of looking for us."
"Particularly since we left the car in long term parking at the airport," Reid commented. "Although, I can't see why we had to take the city bus. We could have taken a cab!"
"That would have left a paper trail," Emma explained patiently. "And, even though I don't suspect that Penelope would voluntarily be involved in wedding night pranks, I didn't want to take any chances."
"Now, why don't you take our suitcases into the bedroom while I get a bottle of wine out of the refrigerator?" she continued. "You'll probably need to help me open it. You know how I am with corkscrews."
"No, I don't know. I never took the time to find out things like that about you – But, I want to now," Reid told her as he moved the suitcases into the other room. "I really want things to change!"
"And, I have no doubt that they will," Emma assured him as she handed him a corkscrew along with a bottle of wine.
"I also have some snacks." She took a platter out of the refrigerator and carried it into the living area.
"Why don't we move over to the couch?" she suggested.
"Well?" Reid looked distinctly uncomfortable as he sat down next to her.
"Spencer, remember what I said about overblown expectations?" Emma reminded him. "I meant it! Now, I am going to pour us a couple of glasses of wine and then we can watch a movie, or play cards or a board game, or whatever you want."
"That's it?" Reid accepted the glass from her.
"Yes!" Emma assured him. "That's it! Or, maybe you can teach me how to play poker?" She picked up a deck of cards from the coffee table and smiled at him.
"You don't know how to play poker?" he asked, surprised. "You grew up in Vegas!"
"I never learned to play real poker, like you and the rest of the team play," Emma told him. "So – " She handed him the deck.
Reid was never quite sure how it happened, but a short time later he found himself engaged in a card game which vaguely resembled poker. He and Emma were each playing two hands of cards (one of which they had labeled 'Ghost') and laughing uproariously as she suggested more and more elaborate rule changes.
"Okay, I bet one kiss, two hugs, a pan of brownies, and the removal of a piece of clothing of your choice," she announced with a huge smile.
"What if one of the ghost hands wins?" Reid questioned.
"Well, then I will just kiss a ghost and keep all my clothes on," Emma told him cheerfully.
"In that case, I'll match your bet and up you – " Reid stopped to think. "Two pieces of clothes," he announced.
"You already have both your socks off," Emma pointed out. "You lost them to my ghost in the last game."
"That doesn't count - You cheated!" Reid announced loudly.
"You counted cards!" Emma returned.
"Counting cards doesn't work in poker, it only works for blackjack!" Vaguely Reid noticed that the bottle of wine they had opened was almost empty.
"Tell that to the dealer!" Emma challenged him.
"I am the dealer!" Reid held up the stack of undealt cards.
"Well, in that case, that is going to be a very short conversation," Emma pointed out.
"Okay – Let's see what you have!" Reid demanded.
"CHECKMATE!" Emma declared as she showed her hand of kings and queens.
"Wrong game!" Reid told her as he looked through her cards. "And, besides, that one card looks like an Old Maid card!"
"Well, you said face cards are worth more, and that's a face!" Emma challenged him.
"Home Run?" she continued, eyeing Reid suggestively
"That's what Morgan would call it," Reid told her as he moved closer to her and leaned over to began kissing her.
"It seems that poker isn't going to be the only thing we are going to be learning tonight," he continued when they broke apart. "That is, unless, you and Gary?" He stopped, embarrassed.
"That was not going to happen!" Emma assured him. "With his mother chaperoning his every move, as well as the rest of the county keeping an eye on us, we rarely had an opportunity to be alone together. He seldom even came over to my apartment. Besides, I have been married to you since I was 14 and you are the only man I have ever had any interest in."
"Now, did I tell you what our wedding present from Rossi is?" she asked abruptly.
"What?" Reid was confused by the change of subject.
"It is a picture book," Emma told him. "Very old and very – erotic. And, I want you to know I have been studying it."
"Really?" Reid was intrigued.
"Some of the pictures seem rather – farfetched," Emma commented. "However – others – "