Realizations

Hours later, the food was eaten and it was beginning to get dark. Reid came out of the house carrying a brown paper bag, smiling like a little kid on Christmas. "I brought sparklers!" He said excitedly. "You can't have a 4th of July, slash, housewarming party without them."

They came in colors, so he handed the girls pink and purple ones, although he kept one purple box for himself. He then handed the guys blue, orange, and green ones. Jack and Henry were bouncing up and down as Morgan got a lighter from the kitchen, to light them safely.

Will and Hotch stood by the little ones, making sure they were handling the sparklers correctly, while the rest of the team ran around the backyard chasing each other, and laughing. Reid grabbed a camera from this bag and began taking pictures. It made him so happy to see his family laughing and playing together. As a child, he was an outcast, but here, with the team, he was accepted. Sure, he was teased, especially by Morgan, but it was always good natured, and as far as he was concerned, any attention from Derek Morgan was good enough for him!

The last few months had been hard on everyone, but seeing Morgan so angry was hard for the genius. He tried to help, by inviting him over for the occasional movie night, but he knew that it was his properties, mainly this one, that brought Morgan back to his old self again.

He assumed Morgan had found someone he wanted to share the house with, because once he found this house, he was focused solely on it, even blowing Reid off every time he tried to coax Morgan out. He had never seen Morgan so driven. And, through the process, the light in his eyes came back. And as much as he wanted to be happy for Morgan, his heart was breaking at the same time. Sometime in the past six years, his feeling for the older man had gone from brotherly to something deeper.

He knew his feelings were one sided, and would never in a million years be reciprocated, so he tried to put on a brave face, but at night, alone in his room, he allowed himself to grieve for a love he could never have. But, here and now, at Morgan's new house, he has his game face on, trying to be the life of the party, while also trying to get some candid pictures of the love of his life.

He wonders when Morgan will introduce the team to his new fling. Of course, she must be more than a fling if he is building her a house. He was convinced Morgan was going to do it tonight, and to Spencer relief, he didn't. At least he has a little more time to pretend Derek is single. He's not sure how he'll be able to see him with someone else. Sure, he's all over every girl at the bar, and that hurts enough, but Spencer has noticed that even though he dances with all the single ladies, for the last few years, he hasn't been taking them home.

A tugging at his leg brings him out of his head. "Unca Pence, look."

Reid looked up, to see what his Godson was pointing at, and he saw the sky light up with color. "Fi-works, up, up."

Reid reached down and picked Henry up, both of them looking skyward at the fireworks display lighting up the night sky. "Wow," he whispered. "Aren't those amazing, Henry?"

"Mazing," Henry agreed, and the two stood with their mouths slightly open, enjoying the beauty of the fireworks display.

Morgan stood over to the side of the deck, watching the interaction between Reid and Henry. Usually, the young genius was uncomfortable around children, but with Henry, he seemed so natural. The scene playing out caused a flutter in the older man, that was unexpected.

He knew his feeling for Reid had changed over the past years. At first, he was the annoying kid with all the answers. Then he became a younger sibling to the team. But after Emily's death, he blossomed into a man. He hit the gym, and developed muscles, and spent his free time at the shooting range, and now could score as high, if not higher at times, than the other members of the team.

But, what was confusing him lately, were his feeling for the young genius now. Reid's new found confidence was causing Morgan to examine things more carefully. At first, he was afraid of these new and interesting feelings. But after all the team had been through with Emily, he had to confront some things. Like why, right after Emily's funeral, did he dream that Reid had died. Ok, so that in itself, wasn't unusual. The fact that he woke up sobbing, clutching his pillow and screaming Spencer's name, was. He was so freaked out by that dream, he had called Garcia at 2:47 in the morning to make sure it was all a dream. Thank goodness she was too tired to delve in to deep in Morgan's feeling that night.

It was the next day, that he came upon this house. It's true, the house spoke to him right away, but what he hasn't admitted yet, is that she he walked into this house, it reminded him of Spencer. And all the special details he added were as much with the young genius in mind, as they were for himself.

Unfortunately, he could not admit this to himself until tonight. When Reid complimented him on the house earlier, he felt a warmth flood his body. Since that moment, he hasn't been able to take his eyes off the kid. He tried to be discreet, of course, but his goddess notices everything, and pulled him aside for a heart to heart.

"Would you mind walking a lady to the powder room?" He felt an arm side through his, bringing his focus to Garcia, who had snuck up beside him while he was focused on the gorgeous young doctor in his backyard.

"Uh, while I'm flattered, I'm sure you can find your way without my help." He replied, trying to pull his arm away. He saw her face, and realized she had figured him out, and he wanted to avoid a confrontation.

"Sorry hot stuff, you can't get away from me that easy." She chuckled, pulling him toward the house. She led him down the hall, into the room across from the master bedroom.

Oh shit, he thought. She can't know, can she?

"I love this room, it's so, so... young genius. Am I right?" She asked, confirming his fear. She could always see right through him.

He tried to lie his way out of it. "What are you talking about, you crazy woman? I found this idea in a design book, and thought it would look great in this house. I already had a master, and office space and a spare room, so I figured the house could use a library, as well." He was rambling, and when he looked up, she was smirking.

"Derek Morgan, I may not be a profiler, but I can read you like a book. You built this room for Reid. Admit it!"

He lowered his eyes to the floor in submission. "Ok, so maybe I was thinking about Reid when I designed this room. But, I just figured he should have a place to feel comfortable. You know, when I have the team over, or if the guys are here watching the game, he can come in and read."

He looked up, hoping she believed him. She was still smiling at him, but the smile had a sadness to it. "Sweet cheeks, you and I both know that's not the reason. Tell mama what going on in that head of yours."

Morgan walked over to one of the leather wing back chairs and sat down, putting his head in his hands and sighing. "Oh Baby Girl, it's not my head, it's my heart." She didn't answer, waiting for him to finish. She didn't have to wait long. "I built this house for us." He paused again. "He has no idea how I feel about him. Hell, I just figured out how I feel! I didn't even realize I was building this room for him until I was finished." He paused, and took a shaky breath before continuing. "How do I tell my best friend that I not only have less then platonic feeling for him, but that I built this house for him? How fucked up is that?"

"It's not at all. As a matter of fact, it makes thing so much clearer." She responded.

He looked at her confused. "Explain, Baby Girl."

"Oh gorgeous, you and I both know you have been a little lost these last few month. Grieving for Emily, chasing down Doyle, getting Emily back. I saw the anger and resentment, but I also saw you pushing one boy genius away."

"What, I wasn't..."

"Ah, ah, ah. I wasn't finished." She tutted, tapping his nose after each one. "The one person you didn't include while looking for Doyle, was our little resident doctor. My question was why? Now, after seeing this house, it all makes sense. You were protecting him. You saw how Emily's death effected him, but you didn't bring him into the loop while we were looking for him. You didn't want him hurt. You couldn't imagine losing him, so by not including him, you were keeping him safe."

She paused, letting her words sink in.

"After Emily returned, and Doyle was dead, you continued to avoid him, because you didn't want him to witness your anger. Sweetness, what you didn't see was our sweet boy trying to reach out to you. All those movie nights were for you, not him. He was trying to help you. He cares about you too, Derek."

"You don't think..." He couldn't finish. He was afraid to know the answer.

"Yes, Sugar. I'm pretty sure your Pretty Boy feels the same. There's only one way to find out. You need to tell him. Tonight."

"I don't know. What if he doesn't feel the same? Then I've ruined our friendship. I don't know if I can take that chance."

"But can you live in this house you built for him, not knowing?"

He thought about that. Could he come home everyday to an empty house, when every room reminds him of Spencer? No, he couldn't. "You are a goddess!" He said standing up to hug her. "Thank you for being here to keep my head on straight."

"Always, my sweet, always! Now, go find your genius and tell him how you feel."