Chapter 4

AN: Since the first chapter today was so short... here comes update number two! I really love these two characters, and Morgan, too, you know! Now we see what's really happening...

Spencer Reid was known for being a magician. He did all sorts of neat little tricks, like making rockets out of film canisters. He considered himself quite talented when it came to magic, but he'd never undertaken anything like this before. He was about to perform the biggest magic trick he'd ever done in his life.

He was going to get his two best friends together.

Reid had no doubt Morgan and Garcia belonged with each other. However, for some reason, the two of them just refused to confess their feelings and make a move. There was chemistry between the two of them, so strong bystanders such as himself could feel it crackling.

After Alaska, it got much worse. Every meeting, they'd shoot each other lovestruck looks when they thought the other one wasn't looking. It was so bad, the entire team was getting fed up. Rossi and Prentiss barely hid their eye rolling, JJ felt sorry for them, and Hotch simply walked away, shaking his head.

Reid seriously considered putting them together a public service; it was annoying to see two smart, reasonable people be so unreasonable about such a basic thing.

The whole undertaking happened by chance. He was at his favorite restaurant, having dinner with a good book, when suddenly he heard the prattling of Kevin Lynch. He couldn't mistake the nasal tone of Garcia's rather unworthy boyfriend. He really disliked Kevin, mostly because of what Morgan told him.

Lynch was arguing aggressively with Garcia. He finally stood, with a pout on his face, and stomped out the door. Reid called for his check, then went to sit with Garcia, who looked somewhat embarrassed and grateful at the same time.

As he found out stinking Lynch (As Morgan called him) was history, he immediately went into action. However, he hit a road block. Morgan was dating a very pretty, very sweet, very wonderful, very terrific-

Reid sighed, thinking. Crystal was very everything.

Reid was good friends with the beautiful brunette in counter terrorism. He would email her daily, chat with her, meet her in the hall. She was friendly, and spoke a lot with him about weaponry, statistics, all sorts of things he never would've thought she was interested in.

Unfortunately, she seemed to see him as a buddy. This didn't surprise him. If she was interested in Morgan, she probably wasn't interested in him.

He was no competition for Morgan.

It hit him, then. He was not going to be one hundred percent altruistic in Project Lovebirds. He would get his friends together, and then find a way to get Ms. Langley's attention, too.

It was tricky. He knew if he asked Garcia to just fess up to Morgan exactly how she felt, she'd deny it. She did in the past.

He knew if he asked Morgan to just sweep Garcia off her feet, he'd refuse. He did in the past.

BUT if he made Garcia think she was helping him (And, really, she was.) and if Morgan became a little jealous as a by-product….

Reid smiled, and got ready for phase two of his plan.

It was shortly after five PM , and Reid was waiting promptly for her at the doorway to the BAU. Kevin was never on time. He would get so wrapped up in whatever computer program he was doing, he couldn't be bothered with being on time for his live girlfriend. Seeing Reid standing there, very eager and excited looking... well, it was nice.

"Ready to go?" he asked, holding the door open for her.

"Lead the way," she said, smiling as he took her arm.

They started out their date like they would if they were going out with the team. They went to Angelo's, the favorite pizza parlor nearby FBI headquarters. They'd eaten there a thousand times before and knew exactly what to get. They discussed work things, the weather, all the things they felt the most comfortable with.

Then they got down to business. Reid started it.

"Well," Reid said, taking a big bite of the pepperoni and mushroom pizza he was sharing with Penelope. "I'm a little concerned, Garcia. Morgan looked like he wanted to disembowel me!"

"You, my sweet heap of gray matter, are being over dramatic," she replied with a snicker. "Ignore Derek. He's just being an idiot, Reid. He loves you."

"I know he does," Reid stated with certainty, laughing a little himself. "No where near as much as he loves you, but still..."

She harrumphed on that one. "Reid, I'm just his friend, too."

He raised both eyebrows and widened his eyes. "He didn't want to disembowel you because you're dating me." He took another bite of the pizza and answered with his mouth full, "Morgan is in love with you."

She choked on the bite of pizza, and took a sip of water to clear her throat, all the while giving him a disbelieving glare.

"Well, it's true."

"Please," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "If he loved me, he could've made a move to get me over the past six years."

Reid lowered his brows with thinking. "He's never asked you out? I seem to recall that he had in the past."

"Once," she said, thinking disappointingly about the time after she argued with him three years ago. "Because he hurt my feelings and wanted to make me feel better."

"I hear him all the time. He hits on you constantly; you're his Baby Girl, his Goddess, his Sugar." Reid was still frowning in concentration.

"Yeah," she rolled her eyes. "Hey, Baby, if you want my hands on you, I'll show you what a chocolate God can do."

Her imitation of Morgan was spot on. Reid couldn't help but laugh.

"You know," he said, trying to make her think. "That is a pick up line of sorts, Garcia. He may not be saying, Will you go out with me?, but it is a proposition."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "That's a tease. He teases; that's all he ever does."

"He doesn't do that with Prentiss," Reid commented, noticing by the look on her face he was scoring a point.

"They work too closely together," she grumbled.

Reid burst out laughing. "I don't think that's the problem!"

"He doesn't want me, Reid," she said flatly; meanwhile, her heart was beating double time.

"I disagree wholeheartedly." Reid was in scientist mode; the way he shifted in his seat, the way he laid the pizza down to fully concentrate on talking; the gears were moving in his magnificent brain. "Sociologically speaking, what he is doing... that is a male way of finding out if a female is interested in the plan for mating. All creatures do something similar. For instance, Great Blue Herons-"

"Eat," she interrupted, picking up his pizza and bringing it to his mouth.

He took a big bite. "I'm just saying!"

She sighed. She knew Morgan was sending out feelers for years, and she sent the feelers back, saying Take me, damn you!

After six years, he never did, she gave up hope, started dating Kevin, and moved on with her life. Never completely moving on, but trying her damnedest.

It was hard to move on when the one person she was closest to was the one person she wanted and couldn't have.

That was a depressing thought. She turned her attention back to Reid. She thought about what he'd just said and snickered. "Did you just say mating? Reid, you devil, you. Finding some way to bring up sex."

He blushed vividly. "I was only explaining."

"Anyway, what's the next step?" She was curious.

Bemoaning his fate as the ever steady friend, not boyfriend, and his own social awkwardness, she and Reid came up with a rather brilliant plan to make him appear more date-able to other girls. Penelope knew those other girls included Crystal Langley. He didn't say straight out that he liked the girl, but she knew he did. She hoped Reid succeeded.

It wasn't that she wanted to hurt Derek's feelings, or make him lose his girlfriend. It was just that Crystal was all wrong for Derek. Morgan needed someone more… mature. Someone who made him laugh on his level, and understood his job and his past. Someone…

Penelope flushed and looked down, knowing exactly where her thoughts were going, and feeling ashamed for them. She was glad when Reid started talking again.

"I don't know." Reid sighed. He was now regretting his plan a bit after Morgan's outburst this afternoon. "I'm not sure I want to continue this charade if we are going to be hurting people. Morgan looked really upset."

"Hey, Boy Wonder. We can't tell Morgan we aren't really a couple," she replied seriously. "We need everyone to think it's real if we are going to get you a date."

Reid still looked skeptical.

She shook her head and went in for the kill. "Besides, I am enjoying my dates with you."

"Really?" he asked, smiling. He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm really having a lot of fun with you, too, Garcia."

His eyes were warm, a soft shade of brown. Not as dark as Derek's melted chocolate, but still very nice eyes. His hand squeezing hers felt gentle, too. Comfortable.

She smiled back at him. "Ready to go?"

"Garcia, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course, hon."

"How do you really feel about Morgan?" He was looking at her so earnestly; it was hard to say what she was going to say next.

"We're best friends," she said uncomfortably, thinking of Derek's last comment to her. She decided to add it. "Like brother and sister."

Reid burst out laughing. "Alright. However, that would be the most bizarre family dynamic anyone ever saw."

Color flooded her cheeks, she could feel herself blushing. Freaking Derek; always right.

"That's all it is." She tried to sound adamant, but she even doubted herself.

"Alright," he said softly.

Penelope decided she needed to change the subject. She grinned. "To move this along, I think we need to go dancing as a group. Show off how studly you can be."

"Oh, no. Not a bar scene," Reid groaned, cringing. "That is the most awkward situation I can ever be in."

She grinned. "Not with me. We'll plan for a few days. I'm gonna dress you up in my love." She sang the song with a silly grin.

"Ah. Madonna. 1987." He gave her the biggest grin. "I was two."

She glowered over at Reid. "Way to make me feel old, Reid."

He laughed and looked sheepish. "Sorry!"