Title: Au Natural (Part 1)
Author: dustytiger aka Trista Groulx
Rating: T (like the show to be safe)
Disclaimer: I do not on CM. I am still poor. CM still belongs to its creator, network, writers, actors and actresses who bring it to life weekly.
Summary: Prentiss and Reid are getting married, but what brought them to this point? And what is up with Reid's headaches?
Notes: Thank you for the support so far. I have a lot anonymous reviews on this one which I think are people I know… sign in or at least add your screen name so I know it's you. I finally did a real wedding for Reid and Prentiss! So this is the beginning how things started to change. I really feel for Reid with headaches. But I'll explain that more when I reveal the diagnosis.

Emily Prentiss had been surprised that Spencer Reid hadn't shown up to meet the rest of the team as he said he would. Although he didn't drink he always came to socialise with everyone early in the night and would excuse himself explaining he needed to write a letter to his mother. He'd given her a key to his apartment long before she had gone into hiding, and hoped that it still worked. She was worried about her friend and needed him to know she still cared. She put the key in the lock and was surprised when it moved. She opened the door and was greeted by a dark apartment. She wondered for a moment if he was even home.

"Who's there?" she heard her friend groan from a room in the back.

"It's me Reid!" she called.

"Please, keep your voice down."

"Sorry… Where are you?" She made her way through the apartment finally seeing an open door on the right.

She went inside the room and discovered it was Reid's bedroom. She couldn't see much of anything it was so dark. There were streetlights everywhere, and she didn't understand how his room on the second flood could be so dark. She scanned the room looking for the silhouette of a window on the wall and didn't see one. She could tell he was lying in the bed, but didn't notice he was curled up in the fetal position in the darkness.

"Reid?" she asked.

"Emily what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was worried about you. We all went out for dinner and drinks you always come."

"I needed to lie down."

"Is it your headaches again?"

"I thought they were gone but for the last week and a half they've been back worse then I remember. Right now I can't stand light," his voice was low.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No…"

She had never heard him sound so scared before, and she wanted to help somehow. She went over to him and pulled him into his arms, hoping somehow an embrace would help him to feel better. For a moment he stiffened because of her closeness, but soon relaxed into the embrace. For the first time since she'd known him she realised that he wasn't used to being touch, which explained why he rarely shook hands with anyone they met. She couldn't help but feel that this felt right somehow. It was like he fit in her arms. She realised just how long it had been since she had this close to a man and despite the circumstances she wanted to feel this more often.

"Emily, I'm scared," he admitted after a long silence.

"Reid it's just a headache," she tried to assure him.

"Last time they lasted for months, they never really went away it just would be more tolerable some days. Emily this isn't just a headache, I've had headaches before and I know this is something very different."

"Then we can find out what this is and make you better."

"I tried that every doctor I saw said there was nothing wrong. In the end they all claimed what I was feeling was psychosomatic. A week after I saw the last specialist and was considering talking to my mother's doctors I woke up and the pain was gone. I don't want to go through that again Emily but I need to know what this is so I can stop it from happening again."

"Then we'll find different doctors."

"I went to every one that's covered by my HMO, with my mom's care I can't go to a doctor who isn't approved. Besides, even if I could somehow save the money to see those doctors by the time I got an appointment I might not have symptoms anymore, so how could the possibly find out what's going on?"

"I can help!" she assured him. "I have trust funds I've never touched. Money talks Reid."

"I can't ask you to do that for me Emily," he sighed. "I don't think paying more money will find a doctor who will see this as anything but a mental disorder, it's entirely possible that this is that start of me developing schizophrenia and if that's what this is I'd rather not know."

"I want to help you, and I'm offering you're not asking. I know that this is something Reid, I don't want to see you in this much pain again. Please let me help you."

"What if they just tell me it's all in my head again?"

"Reid, I can see how much pain you are in right now you can't fake that. I've seen you fighting for your life and refuse pain killers. I know that this is real and we'll tell everyone until someone believes us even if it means having to ask my mother for every cent I have ever refused from her."

"Why would you do that for me?" he asked.

"Because you're my friend and I want to help."

"Thank you Emily, but you really don't have to do this for me."

"I want to, stop arguing and let me do this for you."

"Is that the only way you'll stop speaking?" She simply nodded. "Not to be rude but I'm falling asleep here. This is the first time in days where I've found a position which doesn't hurt my head more to be in."

"I'll be here when you wake up, Reid," she assured him.

Prentiss was amazed when only a few minutes later his breathing began to slow indicating he'd fallen asleep. Her heart swelled realising how much he trusted her. She was glad that their friendship was finally back on track after everything it had been forced to endure in the past year. As much as she didn't want to ask her mother for anything she'd do anything to Reid to make up for what she had done to him. As she sat in his bed she found herself getting tired and began to slowly move to see if he would wake up. After a few long minutes she was laying down with him next to her. She curled up into the embrace and soon found herself falling asleep as well.

End Part 1

Notes: So that was that… I'm gonna have their friendship kind of get stronger for a while then the fun starts. I promise I will reveal what I think the headaches are soon. This has been in my head for a long while so I'm glad I made it work while working in some fuzzies too. You'll see.