Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds

A/N: Only a couple chapters left of this, so just hang in there, and it'll be over soon.

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As Reid came down the stairs, wearing a red button-down, grey tie, black vest and pinstriped black pants, he couldn't help feeling a little ridiculous over his own sudden bout of nerves. No matter how many times he chanted the mantra, 'it isn't a date,' it didn't seem to calm him down. He had showered, combed his hair, the ends curling up around his jaw-line, and then spent twenty minutes picking out a shirt so he could have dinner, with a friend and co-worker. That's all it was.

Reid stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and then turned and went into the living room, where Hotch was going through a file, probably a consult he'd agreed to do for the police.

"I'm going to go now. I'll…um, see you later, okay?"

Hotch merely nodded as he flicked through the pages, but Reid noticed the way his jaw tightened, and knew that Hotch still didn't want him to go. Reid glanced at the clock, and figured he still had a little time before he had to go and get Morgan, so, taking a deep breath, Reid sat down next to Hotch, looking at him until Hotch took his eyes away from the page to meet his gaze.

"Hotch, it's going to be fine. I'm a lot more in control of myself than I was before, thanks to you. So could you please stop acting like you're sending me to my death?" Hotch huffed a laugh, and looked away, but relaxed slightly.

"I can't help it. I feel like I failed you before, that I should have protected you, from Green and Morgan. I knew something was quite right, more than a month ago. You had lost weight, and you looked tired all of the time, but I didn't do anything about it." Hotch paused, taking in a deep breath, and then letting it out through his nose. "I know that you can take care of yourself, Spencer. But the fact remains that I made a mistake before-"

"There's no way you could have known what was going on," Reid interrupted.

"No, but I did know something was wrong, and not just this time. I knew you were struggling with drugs, after Henkel, but I didn't do anything then either. I'm supposed to take care of my team, but I keep letting you down, and you're not the first person I've let down…I'm just glad you're stronger than Elle, or Gideon."

Reid felt his face go warm at the complement, and for a moment, he couldn't reply. "I-I'm not…" he muttered, looking away.

"Even after everything you've went through, you're still here, on the team. You stayed, when they couldn't."

"Where else would I go?" Reid asked, letting out a bitter laugh, before looking back at Hotch.

"You didn't fail Elle or Gideon. I…was close to them…I think, maybe it was best for them, to move on." Hotch frowned, but then nodded in agreement.

"Maybe you're right," Hotch muttered. He took a deep breath, and then glanced at the clock, smiling slightly. "You'd better get going, or you're going to be late picking him up."

Reid smiled, and stood, walking to the door. As he began to walk out, Hotch called after him, "It's cold outside, put on a coat!" Rolling his eyes, Reid grabbed his coat, and then rushed out the door, going to his car. He didn't use the old Volvo often, as he usually stayed home, or got a ride from Hotch, and had to check the fuel gauge to make sure he had enough gas before going.

Once he pulled into Morgan's driveway, he paused, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "It's not a date, so stop being nervous. If he notices how nervous you are, he'll call it off, so just knock it off!" he muttered to himself. Once he was finished with his little pep-talk, Reid got out of the car, and walked up to Morgan's door, pushing his hair behind his ears. When the door opened, Reid smiled brightly at Morgan.

"Hey!" Reid greeted, forcing the nervousness to stay out of his voice. Morgan wasn't quite as dressed up as Reid, wearing a button-down shirt, and jeans, but looking good nonetheless. Morgan scrutinized him momentarily, but he smiled, and there was affection in his eyes.

"Someone looks happy," Morgan commented. Reid simply shrugged, and turned to go to the car.

"I've been cooped up in Hotch's house for the last few days. I'm glad to get out." He didn't mention how happy it made him that he was allowed to spend time with Morgan again, figuring Morgan already knew, and didn't want to hear it. "So…you ready to go?" Reid asked, motioning to the car. Morgan nodded, and they both went to the car.

As they got in, Morgan asked, "So, what's it like living with Hotch?" Reid chuckled as he started the car, thinking over the past week.

"It's been…interesting," Reid said, keeping his explanation vague. He began driving towards the restaurant; it was a casual, but nice place, with booths, good food and cheesy pictures of old stars and singers to give it a comfortable, old-American feel.

"What do you mean by interesting?" Morgan asked, sounding curious. Reid shrugged as he drove, and glanced over when he came to a stop at a red light, and found Morgan looking at him intently, obviously expecting a little more elaboration.

"Well…I guess it's relaxing there. He doesn't let me help around the house, so I've been catching up on my reading, and we watch a lot of movies. I think Hotch is finally starting to appreciate Science-Fiction, I caught him watching '2001: A Space Odyssey' without me the other day. Also, he buys me a lot of junk food. I've eaten way more ice cream than what is healthy this past week."

Morgan let out a 'hmmph' and turned to look out his window. "So, he's basically been spoiling you?"

"I guess so," Reid admitted, pulling into the parking lot. He found an empty parking space and pulled into it, turning off the ignition and taking out the key. As they got out, Morgan walked behind the car, looking over at the street with a faraway look.

"Well, someone should be spoiling you."

Reid rolled his eyes, and started walking to the restaurant door, knowing Morgan would come out of his daze and follow him. When they walked in, a waitress directed them to their table, and gave them their menus, smiling brightly at Reid. They both ordered before settling into light conversation, talking about anything that didn't involve serial killers, prostitutes, or work in general. For the most part, Reid managed to get Morgan to talk about his experiences in college, and smiled as Morgan relaxed, even as the waitress flirted shamelessly with Reid every time she came to the table. By the time the food was done, and the waitress brought out the tab, the atmosphere was light and jovial.

"Here, Reid, let me get that," Morgan offered, reaching for his wallet. Reid shook his head, pulling a couple bills from his wallet.

"No, I said I was buying you dinner, and I meant it." He paid the bill, and then left a tip, and they got up and walked out of the restaurant, Morgan putting an arm over Reid's shoulders.

"I had a good time, kid. Thanks for making me come to dinner with you."

Reid grinned, and then nearly tripped over the sidewalk. He only managed to avoid falling on his face because Morgan caught him. Instead of blushing, and getting embarrassed like he normally would, Reid couldn't help but laugh, leaning against Morgan.

"What's so funny, Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked, cracking a grin.

"I almost fell on my face. I'm pretty sure mainstream society sees that as funny."

"You could've hurt yourself."

"Actually, falling from this height, I would probably end up with nothing worse than-"

"Reid, just be more careful, okay? You have tendency to not look where you're going and trip over things."

"Fine, I'll try to be more attentive while walking." Reid suddenly realized he was still leaning against Morgan, and Morgan still had his arms around him. Remembering that he had agreed that this wouldn't be a date, Reid stepped away, blushing and staring at the ground. He fished his car keys out of his pocket, and walked to the car, fiddling nervously with the keys, and nearly dropping them as he unlocked the door. Morgan walked up next to him, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Spencer, what's wrong?"

Reid ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry…I just really wanted to do this right."

"I don't see what makes you think you did it wrong."

Reid shrugged, and crawled into the driver's seat, leaning over to unlock the passenger side. As Morgan sat down, Reid glanced over and found Morgan watching him. Reid swallowed and started the car, pulling out of the parking lot and heading for Morgan's place. "Maybe I'm just worrying over nothing…I just don't want to wreck our friendship. I really have not social etiquette."

"You won't wreck our friendship. I still care about you, and nothing's going to change that."

"Okay…" He pulled into Morgan's driveway, and offered a small smile. "We should…do this again?" His tone was light and hopeful, and Morgan returned the smile.

"Sure, kid. You want to come inside before you head back to Hotch's?" Morgan asked. Yelling, 'hell yes!' and jumping out of the car seemed like it might be a little too enthusiastic, so Reid just nodded and got out, turning off the car and pocketing the keys as he walked to the door with Morgan. He went and sat on Morgan's couch, while Morgan went to the kitchen, before bringing out two glasses of water. Handing one to Reid, he sat down next to him on the couch.

Reid took a drink, and then stared at the glass, turning it and watching as the water distorted the images on the other side. When he felt Morgan's hand on his shoulder, a gentle, friendly gesture, he looked up and smiled.

"You look better…you look good, Spencer. It's good to see you like this."

Reid tilted his head to the side, his smile fading slightly. "What do you mean?"

"You don't look so…tired. It's like you've actually been getting sleep." Morgan let his hand slip from Reid's shoulder, and Reid couldn't stop the small sad noise from coming up from his throat at the loss of contact.

"Working with the BAU isn't exactly conductive to a normal sleep routine. I'm not the only one on the team who doesn't get enough sleep."

"Yeah, but it shows on you more. You're too young to be working so hard."

Reid rolled his eyes, and put his cup down, settling on the couch. "I know you're just saying that because you care, but I wish you wouldn't. I'm just as capable as the rest of the team, even if I am a couple years younger than the rest of you."

"I never said you weren't capable, kiddo. No one can do the things you do with that big brain of yours. You're amazing." At that, Reid couldn't help but smile, leaning towards Morgan slightly, but not making contact. Morgan seemed to notice Reid's for contact, because he put an arm around Reid's shoulders, and hugged him lightly, letting Reid put his head on his shoulder. They sat like this in silence for a few minutes, comfortable, before Reid pulled away, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

"I should…um, get going…so Hotch doesn't get worried," he said in a small voice, standing up. Morgan nodded, and stood up, suddenly looking nervous and awkward as he walked Reid to the door.

"Alright, I'll see you later." Reid nodded and turned before walking out the door. Not really thinking, he leaned forward to kiss Morgan on the cheek, before turning back around, sticking his hands into his pockets. He was about to walk away, when Morgan put his hand on Reid's shoulder.

"Reid…" Morgan began. Reid bit his lips together, figuring he must have pushed too much if Morgan had suddenly switched to using last names again. However, instead of the reprimand Reid expected, Morgan just squeezed his shoulder, almost reassuringly. "I care about you…but I still don't think it's a good idea for us to be together…"

"I know. I'm sorry…"

Reid walked out of the house, feeling just a little miserable, not waiting for a further comment, and got into his car and drove back to Hotch's, leaving the radio off in favor of silence. He wasn't sure what he'd been thinking, except that one minute he'd been focused on keeping things platonic, to avoid scaring Morgan away, and the next he'd simply given in to the impulse to kiss him.

As Reid walked in through the front door of Hotch's house, he hung up his jacket and took off his shoes, heading solemnly for his room. Hotch stopped him in the hallway, coming out of his own room, and looking worried.

"How'd it go?" Hotch asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. Reid shrugged, and looked up, forcing a smile.

"It went well, really well. The waitress kept flirting with me, but other than that it was nice." Hotch relaxed, but his eyebrows shot up.

"Did you get her number?"

"Wha-no….I wouldn't…wouldn't try to pick up a date while having dinner with Morgan…" Reid said, blushing slightly. Hotch smiled slightly, but it was a sort of sad, knowing smile.

"Alright. You should get to bed, it's kind of late."

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TBC…

A/N: Hmmm…I feel like the only interesting part was Hotch and Reid's conversation at the beginning. Oh well. The next chapter will be awhile, maybe a week.