Chapter 20: Game Changer

Reid brought his hands to his face, covering his eyes and smiling about last night. He smelled Morgan's scent on his hands and breathed him in… letting out a content sigh, only to roll onto his side and close his eyes again.

Morgan was on his back, still fast asleep.

The morning had only just begun to lighten up the bedroom as it tried to peak through the blinds and drapes.

"I love you," Reid whispered into the air. He brought his hand to Morgan's chest and snuggled into him, feeling the length of Morgan's warm body up against his own.

"Your feet are cold," Morgan managed to say while half asleep.

Reid snickered a little. "Answer me…" he whispered, half begging, half ordering.

Morgan just grunted before turning onto his side to hide his smile, but that didn't last long. Reid wasted no time getting him on his back again. "Come on, now," Morgan moaned. "I'm tired. We were up until 4am."

"I'm ready to go again." Reid was proud of himself.

"You can do without me."

"I bet I can change your mind…" He pushed his center against Morgan's hip and the sleepy man immediately felt what Reid was talking about, not being able to stop his smile once it started.

"You need some kryptonite or somethin'," Morgan teased.

"Are you comparing me to Superman?" Reid latched onto Morgan's neck with his warm, wet mouth.

"Mmph, not if it's gonna go to your head," he tried to fight it.

"Which head?"

Morgan laughed, "Are you kiddin' me right now?"

"No, I'm not," Reid breathed. "Say my name, tell me yes and make love with me," he politely demanded.

Morgan groaned and rubbed his eyes, turning his neck into Reid's face as Reid tried to give him a love bite. Then he felt Reid's hand on his crotch. He closed his eyes and gave in to Reid's advances, letting out a relaxed breath. He turned his head to meet Reid and they looked into each other's eyes. Morgan put his hand at the back of Reid's head and pulled him in, both men opening their mouths wide. Reid moaned and climbed Morgan's side, placing his knee snugly between Morgan's legs as he worked his pelvis against Morgan's hip.

Reid pulled back and stared at Morgan, feeling his lovers hand caress his face. "You have my heart…" he confessed. "I think you've had it since the day I met you."

There was a hint of a smile on Morgan's lips. "Come here," he said so gently. Reid leaned in for another kiss and this time Morgan kissed him deeper than before, igniting a fire inside his lover. Several minutes passed as they rolled around, body parts getting hung up within the sheets, groaning, laughing.

When Reid managed to roll them right off the bed, the short fall still proved quite painful. They both sounded out their discomfort, but then began laughing again. "You are about as graceful as a—"

"Don't say it! Whatever you're about to say, don't say it!"

He began to lift off Morgan trying to rearrange them into a position that was more comfortable, but then Morgan rolled them over again and pinned him.

Reid could see how serious Morgan was. He wasn't smiling or laughing anymore and the tone of the moment had completely changed. Reid just breathed and continued to try to read his best friend, but wasn't quite sure what to make of him.

Morgan relaxed, adjusting his weight as the two men lay on the floor beside the bed. "You're serious?"

Reid knew exactly what he was talking about. He swallowed and then exhaled his answer, "Yes."

"You want marriage?"

"Or equivalent, yes."

"You want kids… with me?"

"Yes, a million times, yes."

"How would we pull off something like that?"

"A surrogate… One of us will be the biological father." Reid forced them to sit up by moving out from under Morgan. "I've thought a lot about it… I was thinking we could talk to one of your sisters… uhh…" he paused when he saw Morgan's eye brows raise. "If we want a child that is truly a mix of our genes, that's the easiest way."

Morgan was skeptical of that plan. "That's a lot more complicated than it sounds. And I don't know if I could raise a baby one of my sisters gave birth to. It'd be her kid too, right?"

"She'd have it for us, Morgan and we just all need to be on the same page, contract and everything. We'll have her sign away her rights, like with any surrogate, and you can adopt the child… our child. But whatever you decide because I'll do what it takes, Morgan. Whatever you want, whatever it is."

"Okay," Morgan chuckled. He was amused with Reid's eagerness.

"Is that a yes?"

"What? Nooo. I'm still weighing my options, Pretty Boy. You gave me quite the roller coaster ride. I feel like I'd be kissing you on the first date if I said yes so quick."

Reid smirked. "So you're going to say yes, you're just making me wait for it?"

"That's not what I said," Morgan teased. "Can we just get back into bed and do some sleepin' in. I'm fucking tired," he whined.

Reid hadn't stopped smirking. That may not have been what Morgan said, but that's exactly what he meant. "I'm getting up," he told his lover. "I can't sleep now."

"Why not?" Morgan tried to pull Reid back down as he began to stand up from the floor.

"Because I'M GETTING MARRIED!" he yelled as he raised his arms. "WOOH!"

Morgan laughed at the kid's excitement and for the fact the Reid was buck naked. "Reid?"

Reid stopped celebrating and stood still with his smiling eyes on Morgan. "Yeah?"

"I didn't give you an answer yet," he slowly shook his head with his brow raised.

"I know, I'm just practicing," he grinned wide.

"Get your ass outta here. Let me get some sleep." Morgan slowly crawled back onto the bed and then sprawled out, taking up most of the surface space.

Reid leaned down and kissed his head before he headed to the bathroom for his shower.

Reid was so nervous. He hadn't seen an awake Michael for what felt like forever. He had no idea how the lone twin would react to his sister being shot and killed much less to the fact that he was the one who had to do it. As he and Morgan stood by Michael's door and waited for the nurse to come out, Reid's fingers kept creeping into Morgan's open hand that he had relaxed at his side. Morgan would take hold, but would let go if someone walked by. Reid wrinkled his nose and sniffed as he looked around them. The hospital was quiet today. When he turned back around, the nurse was exiting Michael's room.

"He's pretty groggy, but he's a trooper. Just give him a few minutes." She smiled warmly, but then her face changed, giving both men an awkward look. "He only wants to see 'Derek Morgan'?"

"Did he say why?" Reid's hands went into his pockets only to be immediately and anxiously crossed in front of his chest.

Morgan shot a glare over his shoulder at Reid. The boy was thinking out loud, saying the first thing that came to mind. Morgan wished he could ease his worry.

Reid frowned, but as he watched Morgan confirm to the woman that he was Derek Morgan, his face became long and sad when the realization hit him. "He doesn't want to see me?"

Morgan closed his eyes, hearing the hurt in Reid's voice and turned around to face him. The nurse picked up on the tension and quickly found somewhere else to be. "I don't know, man. I'll go in there and see where his head's at."

"Will you tell him that I've been here every day reading to him?"

Morgan saw the tears brimming at Reid's lower eye lids and put his hands on the face of the man he loved. "Reid, you're not the bad guy here. He's got some stuff to work through and what you had to do is on the very top of that very hard to face list. You're gonna have to give him some time. Alright?"

The lovers were searching each other's eyes and a couple of tears managed to escape as Reid nodded. "Okay," he choked out in a quiet tone.

"Do me a favor and take a walk or something. Get some air. You're white as a sheet."

"I'm nauseous," he told Morgan.

"Take a walk…" Morgan sternly repeated.

Morgan didn't wait to see if Reid had done as he was told. Instead, he quietly opened Michael's door and closed it behind him. When he crept in, he saw Michael lying in bed, just staring at the lumps under the blanket made by his feet. When he saw Morgan, his eyes lit up; it was clear he was happy to see him. "Derek," was all he could say before he started fighting the tears.

"Look at you, Papi," Morgan smirked and walked up to Michael's bedside. "You look damn good in that gown." To be so casual and friendly with Michael was different, but Morgan owed the man his life. They shared a bond now too and Morgan knew he had to bury any and all grudges. Life was just too short for that kind of nonsense. He couldn't lie to himself either, he was happy the kid was alive.

"This old thing?" Michael tried to laugh, even though it hurt his insides a little to do so. He reached for his morphine and pressed the button for another dose. The two got quiet and looked each other over in silence. "You look like a million bucks compared to how I remember you…" Michael said. And it was true. All Morgan had to show for the trauma to the side of his head was a very fresh scar at the top of his left cheekbone and a faded black eye. His shoulder had healed and his leg was also on the mend. His broken rib only caused him pain when he was giving it reason to.

"Same goes for you…" Morgan told him. He knew Michael had undergone several surgeries since he arrived to repair the damage that the 22 caliber bullet caused. He looked alright for someone who had been knocking on Heaven's door.

Michael smiled again and started to laugh just the tiniest bit, but Morgan's heart broke as he saw the laughter turn to tears. He quickly took Michael's hand and watched Michael's face turn beet red again as he just had to let it all go. Morgan teared up along with him and they squeezed each other's hand so tightly. "Morgan…" he started, "I am so relieved you are alive."

The tremors in Michael's body were vibrating into Morgan's hand. "I'm happy to be breathing, but I couldn't have done it without your help, Michael."

Another wave of emotion hit Michael and he closed his eyes and cried. Morgan wiped his own eyes with his free hand and waited for Michael to gain some control back.

Michael struggled for a breath and once he was able to take it, he told Morgan, "There won't be a day that passes that I won't be grateful that you're okay."

"Me, too," he said just above a whisper. Morgan waited for what he thought was an appropriate amount of time to bring it up. "Reid is here. He really wants to see you."

Michael only looked downward toward his lap. "I can't… Even picturing his face…" Fresh tears rolled down his cheeks. "Finding out he was the one who killed her…" he shook his head. "I am sorry, but I cannot see him right now.

Even though Morgan understood, he sighed quietly. "She almost killed you. She was gonna let you die. She was trying to kill me. She chased after me out of your house with a gun. She was hell bent."

"I know… I know all that. But as I lay there dying, I could feel what had happened. I knew she'd been killed. I could feel it. And everything is different now."

"Anyone in Reid's position would have done the same thing. He had seconds to react and –"

"And he killed my sister."

Morgan couldn't argue with that. And there was no way to sugar coat it, but still, he tried to plea his best friend's case. "Hey, Reid came here every day and read to you. If he couldn't make it for lunch, he came for dinner. If he couldn't make it all, I know he'd called at least twice a day to check on your condition. That boy never gave up on you. Please don't do that to him."

Michael slowly shook his head and then swallowed the lump in his throat before he spoke. "She was a bad person, but she made me whole. I feel dead inside now. I don't know how else to explain it."

"Look, I've got no idea what it's like to lose a sister, much less a twin, and I hope I never do, but I do know it's gonna be hard for a long time. Maybe forever. And I also know that friends will make it easier. Reid and I aren't gonna disappear. Alright? You're stuck with us now," he tried to throw a smile in for good measure, but he could tell that dose of morphine Michael had given himself was starting to work. He seemed to be fogging over a bit, looking a bit distant. "Can I let him in?"

Michael's response was surprisingly immediate. "I said no."

"Alright," Morgan told him. He glanced at their hands that were still clasping tight and sighed a little. Reid was gonna take this pretty hard. When he looked back at Michael's face, he saw fresh tears spilling over. "Hey, we're all gonna get through this, Michael. It's gonna be a tough ride, but we'll make it."

Michael's face was beet red again and Morgan could tell something was boiling over inside of him. He waited for him to calm down enough to be able to form words. "Morgan… I have a horrible secret."

An hour had passed before Morgan stepped out of Michael's room and Reid was right there waiting. "Can I see him?" He didn't even give himself a chance to read Morgan's demeanor.

"Sorry, kid. Not today." Morgan shook his head and walked passed Reid, away from the room.

"Do you know when?"

"Reid, stop," he started looking around. "Where's the nurse?"

"She said she'd be back in ten minutes seven and a half minutes ago. Why? What's wrong?"

"I can't say."

"What does that mean? Is he okay?"

"Far from it."

"What does that mean?" Reid repeated.

Morgan couldn't think with Reid trying to grille him. When he saw the nurse coming up the hallway, he met her half way. Reid followed, but at a distance. What he overheard Morgan say worried him. "I'd like a psych eval done on Michael Ortega. I think we may need him on a 72 hour suicide watch, maybe longer. Please have someone look in on him. And here's my card. Have whoever call me with any questions, especially if Michael doesn't talk." The nurse nodded, knowing Morgan was with the bureau and respecting his professional opinion. She immediately turned back around and high tailed it to get those balls rolling. "It all makes sense now…" he mumbled to himself.

"I heard that. I heard all of it. Tell me what's happening," Reid demanded.

Morgan sighed. "All I'm gonna say is that four years ago, something happened between Michael and Maya and it was a game changer. It's what triggered her murdering spree and now that he's put it all together, I'm not sure he'll ever be able to forgive himself for it."

"What happened?" Reid spoke before he realized that's approximately when Michael and Jason broke up. But he didn't understand what that had to do with Maya.

"It's not my place, man," Morgan told him. He wasn't even able to make eye contact with Reid when he said that.

Reid was all sorts of confused. What could have happened to start all this? But more importantly, "Is he suicidal?" Reid's brow was so heavy with concern.

"I think if you were able to see him, you'd agree: that man is not the same man you knew. The man behind that door doesn't want to carry on; he's run out of reasons because the only one that really mattered to him, no matter how evil she was, is dead."

With zero warning, Reid sent projectile vomit down the front of Morgan's shirt.

"Oh, God," Morgan groaned, grimacing and turning his head, simultaneously pushing Reid away. "What the fu—?"

"I'm so sorry," Reid tried to manage as he covered his mouth. He felt another surge coming up and desperately tried to hold it down as he raced to a trash can.

Two interns happened to be passing by and were immediate to help with clean up. Reid turned around once to see the interns on the floor and Morgan trying to clean the front of his shirt. He was too busy heading toward the last bathroom they'd passed on the way to Michael's room to rinse out his mouth. He pushed the door open and scared a young boy. A young boy with glasses. He tried to smile but his discomfort only helped to make it an awkward exchange. He rinsed his mouth out a few times and then drank from the faucet. After letting out a short groan, he stood at the counter, bracing himself. Glancing in the mirror, he turned the water back on and splashed his face.

Morgan was standing behind him when he began flinging loose water from his fingertips. They stared at each other until Morgan said, "Sorry about Michael. I know he means a lot to you. Hopefully he can pull through this. I told him we'd be there for him."

Reid looked at Morgan's reflection and then began to reach for the paper towels. "Good…Thank you." He dried his face and the two stood in silence for a little bit. "I… I'm sorry about your shirt. You had about as much warning as I did."

"I got a clean one in the rig. Do you feel better now that you've gotten that out of your system?"

"Not really." Reid wasn't ready to drop it. "So, what happened?"

"Reid, use your imagination. I am absolutely not repeating what he told me."

"If I guess correctly, will you confirm?"

Morgan shook his head and chuckled; Reid had to be kidding.

"Isn't it pertinent to the case?"

"It doesn't have to be. I think she would have begun killing anyway." Morgan saw Reid's frustration building, but he knew couldn't help the man. "If he wants you to know, he'll tell you."

"He may never speak to me again," Reid raised his voice, trying to get through to Morgan.

Morgan let out a sigh. "Hopefully, they can help him," he sidestepped directly responding to Reid's concern. "Let's get out of here. We can come back after he can have visitors again."

"Why you, though? Why did he tell you?" Reid asked as they were walking out of the bathroom.

"I don't know… I think he just needed to tell someone."

"He could have told me."

"Reid, don't do that. This isn't a popularity contest. The fact is you killed his sister and right now he can't even stand the thought of you. I was his next best option. You need to shelf your self-perceived importance in his scheme of things and take a step back. Let him come to you."

"I feel like you're choosing his side."

"For what? I'm not on anybody's side. I asked for him to let you in. I told him of your time spent here and I told him that you haven't given up on him, but he doesn't care right now. So I backed off."

Reid knew he was overreacting to everything, but he was so emotional, it was very difficult to remain objective. Thank goodness Morgan was doing his best for everyone involved. "Thank you," he whispered as he pulled Morgan into a hug.

Morgan hugged him back and swayed their bodies just a bit as they stood in the empty hallway. "I'm just telling you how it is. You can appreciate that, right?"

"Yes, I can," he squeezed Morgan again and then pulled away. Then he looked between them at the wet streak down Morgan's shirt and made a face. "I'm really sorry about that."

"Just don't let me forget to change."

As they were walking back to entrance, Reid told Morgan, "I really hope we can still be friends at some point down the road."

Morgan nodded. "He seems to be the forgiving type. I'm sure he just needs some time." Then Morgan remembered about how Michael cuts ties with exes. It would be nice to have him gone from their lives, but he understood the selfishness of that thought. If Reid and Michael could carry on a friendship after this, why not let them have it?

"So you don't have any issues if we remain friends? I mean, I know you didn't ask for any of this."

Morgan sighed a little bit, conceding. "No…" They continued to walk and Morgan could feel Reid's eyes staring a hole into him as they moved side by side. "You two were barely a thing, so no, no issues. Let's not worry too much about it until we know if he's decided to keep you around or not. Who knows? He may up and move away for a fresh start or something."

Reid pursed his lips and looked toward the ground not really liking that thought. But he knew he needed to be ready to settle for Michael's happiness. It was most important; not their relationship. "I just want him to be okay and make it through this."

"Me too." They made it back to the Suburban after another minute and hopped inside. "We still got some time off. Let's head home and be lazy. What do ya say?"

Reid instantly smiled, loving that look in Morgan's eyes. "Warm soup and blankets?"

"Yeah… but before… maybe a hot bubble bath and some smoochin'."

Reid blushed just a little bit, but tried to keep a straight face. "That sounds nice," he said while Morgan reached behind his seat into a gym bag on the floor. He pulled out a black t-shirt and proceeded to change his top. "And maybe an answer to my question?"

Morgan just grinned and took Reid's hand as he pulled out of the parking garage to head home.

I started this chapter October 9th of LAST YEAR, guys! Shows how busy I've been. Hope you like! Leave our boys some love! They're finally working things out!