A/N: Sorry that this chapter took so long, but unfortunately you cannot hand in Chapter 3 of Don't Judge a Nerd by His Sweater Vest in script form instead of a Global DBQ on interdependence and feudalism in the early Middle Ages. I've argued with New York State about this to no avail. Sigh… And we had to decide how to break it up into different parts because it's really long. So stay tuned for part two! One other thing- we call JJ Jennifer in this chapter because Morgan and Reid don't know her as JJ yet.

References: Jones, once again because of Ethan.

Disclaimer: We do not own any character or place in this chapter. We do, however, own Morgan's (and Lizzy's) love for WAFFLES! (Lupy says "No more waffles!) and (Lizzy says "THE MORE WAFFLES THE BETTER!) :D

Tuesday, September 19, 2000

As the two men entered the café, Morgan wondered about the reconciliation that had just occurred. After the fight yesterday, the bickering that evening and the restless night full of Reid's sleep-talking, it was no wonder the two of them had snapped. But the strained quiet was almost more unsettling than the quarreling.

Reid stepped up and grabbed a mug and coffee. Morgan surveyed the breakfast offerings with a hungry eye.

"WAFFLES!" He said, grabbing a pile.

Reid turned to face him. "Wha-?"

"Don't you like waffles?" Morgan seriously loved waffles.

Concerned for Morgan's sanity, Reid said, "I haven't had them since I was in college."

Morgan couldn't resist a chance to tease Reid about his age. "So a month ago, right?" he said.

"Very funny." said Reid. "More like five…"

Morgan shook his head. "Kid… just… never mind."

"What?" Reid said defensively. "My aunt used to make them every Saturday. Susie and Renée liked them."

"Aunt? Susie and Renée?"

"Yeah, I lived with my aunt and uncle and their two daughters when I was going to college." Reid said.

"Why?" asked Morgan.

Reid squirmed. "I couldn't exactly live in the dorms." Of course not, child genius.

"Well then…" Morgan said, patting Reid on the shoulder, "Have waffles." Reid rolled his eyes but did as suggested.

Reid's friend rushed up to them. What was his name? Ian? Edward?

"Spencer!" he said. "Hey, what's up, man?"

"Hey." said Reid.

Morgan was still trying to figure out his name…Edmund? Eric? Ivan? Wait… got it!

"I saw you yesterday." Morgan said to Reid's friend. "You're… Evan."

"No." said Reid. "Morgan, this is Ethan Wojciechowski. Ethan, meet Derek Morgan."

Ethan (Remember. That's his name) grinned. "So, you're the one who kicked Spencer's ass yesterday. Nice to meet you."

They shook hands as Reid awkwardly stared at his feet. "Well, technically-"

"Yes, I did." said Morgan, cutting him off.

The blonde girl, Jennifer rushed in and ran straight into Ethan, who whistled under his breath and helped her up. Reid smacked Ethan in the back of the head.

"Shut up." he warned Ethan. Morgan slid on his sunglasses, grinning at the blonde woman now staring defiantly at Ethan.

"Excuse me." She said, and moved to slip past Morgan to the cereal, but Ethan blocked her way.

"Where's the rush, beautiful?" he asked.

Jennifer glared. "Move it, douche bag. You don't want any harassment issues, do you?"

Ethan moved aside, his hands up in mock surrender, the smug smile still playing around his lips. "Oh, ow. Right below the belt." The blonde slipped behind Ethan and grabbed her breakfast.

Good thing I didn't say anything like that… Morgan thought, but couldn't stop himself from flirting with her. "I'm Derek Morgan. It's very nice to meet you." He said.

"Whatever." Jennifer said, darting past him, apathy instead of the usual interest Morgan got in girls. He shrugged it off though, eyeing the other girls at the table Jareau walked to.

"Rejected…" said Ethan.

"I didn't see you getting anywhere with her either."

"Touché." He said, patting Morgan on the back. "I'll see y'all later." Ethan walked off toward the tables where most of the female cadets had pulled up chairs.

"How do you know him?" asked Morgan.

"We went to school together." said Reid.

"Another genius?"

"Erm… not so much…" Reid squirmed, and Morgan raised an eyebrow. "He was six years older than me… so you know; he was the age you're supposed to be in high school and college…"

"What's your point?"

Reid shrugged. "What's yours?"

Morgan was tired of this. "That you need to eat more waffles."

"What is it with you and waffles?" exclaimed Reid.

"Everybody likes waffles…" Morgan grinned. "Like everybody likes me."

Reid laughed obnoxiously. "…Are we going to sit?" They did, at a small table a little bit away from the girls' table. "So… um…" he said.

"Why did your dad leave?" asked Morgan bluntly.

"Excuse me?" Reid's tone was defensive and high-pitched.

"You said your dad left."

"That's not exactly an appropriate question to ask." He said. "I just met you yesterday!"

Morgan mimicked Gideon. "'You need to learn to cooperate, boys…'"

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't use proper etiquette!" Reid said, rightfully angry about Morgan's question.

He decided to back off of the young man. "Fine then, if it disturbs you."

"It doesn't disturb me; it just isn't any of your business." They sat there for a few seconds, Morgan trying to figure out what to say.

"What's it like to live in Vegas?"

Reid took the subject change in stride. "Different than how you probably expect."

"How so?"

"I'm going to bet you probably think it's all just one casino after another? Sex and murder at the heart of the city?" Reid was clearly disdainful about the stereotype of Vegas.

"Yeah… pretty much."

He sighed. "Well, it isn't, not where I lived. I didn't really live by the casinos, I was more like in a suburb, but not… do you get what I'm saying?"

"The sex and murder part without the casinos?" Morgan asked.

Reid snorted. "No, that's pretty much just the Strip. I lived in North Las Vegas, closer to Summerlin, so a quieter, more upper-middle to middle-class neighborhood."

"Oh…" said Morgan, unsure what to say because he wasn't really that interested in the answer anyway. "You know, I've never been to Vegas."

"Really?" asked Reid. "You seem like the type who would."

Morgan doubted that Reid had forgotten about the lack of money he had grown up in. "Remember what I told you?" he asked, making his voice sharp.

"Yeah, eidetic memory." Reid tapped his own skull. "But you're like… 26 now."

How could he not realize the neighborhood Morgan had grown up in? "Never had… enough money." he said tightly.

"Neither did I," said Reid. "But plenty of lower-class people still go there…" Morgan glared, resentful at being classified as lower class. Quickly and awkwardly, Reid said, "And I'm not technically old enough."

Suddenly interested, Morgan sat up. "How old are you, exactly, kid?"

"19," the young man said but quickly continued. "But I'll be twenty in a few weeks."

"You're kidding!"

"No! I was born on October 12, 1980 at 5:38 AM!" said Reid defensively.

"Oh, I'm definitely allowed to call you "kid", then." (Morgan was about six years older.)

"You're what, five or six years older than me?"

Morgan glared, irritated that Reid was right. Was he ever wrong?

Reid smiled. "Ok, five and a half. You are 26."

Right. Damn. "Fine, then what's my birthday?"

"Hmm…" Reid rubbed his chin dramatically. "Well, obviously sometime in 1974. Before September, right?"

"Whatever you say."

"Yes. Let's say June."

"Fine."

"July." No!

"Uh… sure."

"Midmonth."

"If you say so."

"July 17th."

"Yes." You're getting too close…

"July 19th, 1974."

"Dammit." Morgan said ruefully. "How the hell did you do that?"

Reid looked too smug. "Well, your class ring says you graduated from college in 1992. So I knew it had to be before September. I just used deductive reasoning after that."

"How though?" Morgan really wanted to do that.

Reid shrugged. "You told me."

"Oh, come on!"

Reid exhaled sharply, obviously not wanting to tell his secrets. "When I got closer, you would pause slightly or stall before answering." His voice grew slightly condescending. "Don't beat yourself up about it. It's a classic human response."

Morgan groaned, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. "To think I might have to work with you people!" He pushed his long-empty plate to the side and propped his feet up on the table.

Reid flinched, almost imperceptibly. "Don't do that."

Pleased that he had finally found a way to push Reid's buttons, Morgan kept his feet up. "Why?"

"You're getting the table dirty." Reid's voice was slightly higher with irritation. "People eat off of that!"

Morgan raised his eyebrows but put his feet down, suddenly feeling guilty for purposefully irritating him. Reid obsessively cleaned the table with a napkin.

"Seems I've struck a nerve." Morgan muttered.

"I just like… order." Reid said, not meeting his eyes. OCD much?

"Look, I can't psychoanalyze you like you did to me, so can you please just tell me why?"

"Could I say I'd rather not?"

Morgan groaned again. "You could, but then I could say that your ability to profile me is an unfair advantage that I don't have."

"Have you ever heard that life isn't fair?" said Reid.

Morgan rolled his eyes. "Do all people like you constantly profile other people?"

"What do you mean, 'people like me'?"

"People who I might have to work with."

"I don't know." Reid admitted. "I can't speak for people who aren't me."

"I thought you knew everything!" Morgan said with fake astonishment.

Reid scowled. "Well, I don't."

Morgan stroked his chin. "Well, imagine that."

Reid squinted his eyes and glared, giving Morgan a scathing look.

Morgan laughed. "Do you know what you look like right now?"

"Spencer Reid?"

"Oh God…: Never mind."

"What? I believe I look like myself." Reid said.

Morgan rolled his eyes and glanced over at Ethan, who was talking earnestly, grinning at Jennifer who looked about to snap. Literally, just about to snap his neck. "Well, I see that your friend is having some luck with the ladies." He said sarcastically.

Reid groaned and put his head down on the table.

Morgan laughed, but stopped suddenly. "What the hell?" Reid lifted his head up, not really paying attention.

Jennifer stood up, kneeing Ethan in the crotch. "Now, for the last time, LEAVE. ME. THE. HELL. ALONE!" Ethan doubled over, and Morgan grinned. All of the girls at the table laughed and clapped.

Ethan limped over to where Morgan and Reid were sitting, watching the spectacle. Well, Morgan was watching. Reid was staring off at a spot somewhere right above a window.

"I give up." Ethan said.

"Good idea." Morgan said, still laughing slightly.

Reid nodded absently, still staring off into space. Ethan mocked his expression, over-exaggeratedly.

Morgan gestured at Reid. "You knew him before, what's up with him?"

"He's thinking." Ethan stood up right in front of Reid's line of vision. "EARTH TO SPENCER! DO YOU READ ME?"

Startled, Reid yelped and fell backwards off his chair. The entire room full of cadets burst out laughing. Reid flushed and rushed out of the room, leaving Ethan and Morgan at the table. Despite the fact that he had been purposefully antagonizing Reid since he had met him, Morgan was surprised to find himself angry at Ethan for embarrassing the young man.

Morgan sighed. "I thought you were his friend."

Ethan turned to see Morgan frowning at him. "That doesn't mean I can't laugh at the things he does."

"Not stuff you cause."

"I didn't cause anything." Ethan snapped.

"You startled him"

"So? He fell over himself. If there's anybody to blame, it's gravity."

Now Morgan was really mad. "No, you're to blame. You made him look like an idiot when you yelled at him and he fell on his ass."

"So what?" asked Ethan, raising his voice a notch. "You hardly know him, what do you care?"

"I care." Morgan met his tone.

"I do too."

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO MADE HIM FALL OFF OF HIS CHAIR, ASSHOLE!" yelled Morgan, unable to keep his voice down. Heads all over swiveled in their direction, and the entire room fell silent.

Ethan rose to his feet in response to Morgan's tone. "SO WHAT? LIKE YOU NEVER TEASE YOUR FRIENDS?"

"HOW CAN YOU CALL HIM YOUR FRIEND WHEN YOU HUMILIATED HIM?" Morgan yelled.

"YOU KNOW WHAT-?" Ethan raised a fist but was interrupted when SSA Erin Strauss' sharp voice interrupted the fight.

"I'm going to need you two cadets to come with me. Now."

Shit.

"Look what you did." said Ethan quietly.

"Quiet, Wojciechowski." Strauss said. They reached her office. "You two will sit here until breakfast is over. Then we will discuss what happened."