Title: Au Natural (Part 8)
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?
Notes: So a few of you had an idea where this was going. I hope you like this part. There's no real action in this one but I like it anyway. Enjoy!

The two of them stood in the doorway of Prentiss' old bedroom. Reid could not believe that this was actually her room growing up. It was larger than some of the apartments he had lived in. There was a four post bed, with matching mahogany night stands, dressers and even a wardrobe. There was a doll house and a chest which he assumed was either a hope or toy chest. It took them both a moment for the truth to sink in.

"Where am I supposed to sleep?" Reid asked, keeping his voice quiet.

"I think my mother thinks we're dating," Prentiss sighed, ushering him into the room and shutting the door. "We have a nice night and then she goes and she pulls something like this!"

"Emily don't get upset, please, tonight has been really nice let's not change that over a room. It's not like we haven't shared a bed before."

"I know, but Reid…"

"I understand now."

He tried not sigh, but he was a little hurt. They had spent the whole night bonding and now he realised that she saw him as nothing more than a friend. Prentiss realised right away that she had hurt his feelings, but she hadn't expected to.

"We can talk to her tomorrow it's late," he assured her. "I'm tired let's just try to get some sleep."

She sat on the edge of the bed. "What do you understand now? What does that mean? Why do you look like I just kicked your puppy?"

"I don't – Can we talk about this another time?"

"I would rather we talk about this now."

"I don't see how it will help the situation. It's already awkward enough as it is don't you think?"

Prentiss' jaw dropped. "Spencer you can't be thinking what I think you're thinking."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I think we should just go to sleep."

"I think there's too much thinking going on and not enough talking."

"Emily please," he sighed.

"How do you know I'm not thinking the same thing?"

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I know what your mother thinks about this, and I think…"

She put her fingers against his lips to silence him. "Stop saying think. Reid – Spencer, you don't mind that my mother is under the impression that we're a couple?"

He shrugged. "It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

"What do you want?"

He shrugged. "You're my best friend, and as much as I don't want that to change I know that the times you've stayed at my apartment – while I've had headaches were the best nights of sleep I've gotten in my entire life and a part of me would like to explore that further."

"I want that too, but this isn't exactly the right place for that."

"I am aware of that," he assured her. "Emily I've become quite adept at not letting my desires get the better of me when you're around me. We can talk about what we might want from our relationship without it leading to my crawling on top of you like a horny teenager. I know how to control that part of myself especially where you're involved."

Prentiss' cheeks turned slightly red. "Spencer, are you saying what I'm hearing?"

He nodded. "I've had fantasies about you Emily from the moment I first met you, but I knew that I couldn't act upon them because of our jobs. After we became friends I didn't want to risk that so I never told you I wanted to be anything more than your friend."

"You've been hiding your feelings from me for five years?"

"In my defense I did try to show you, but you would tease me so I stopped. I assumed you weren't interested in me in that way. Like JJ told me once, dating me was like dating her little brother."

"I would never think that, I'm just surprised that you never told me how you felt. I never meant to tease you Reid, I just didn't know how to react because I wasn't sure of my own feelings until recently."

"I think I understand. Emily I'm not the kind of person who makes friends easily and I haven't had a girlfriend for more than a few months. I never wanted to risk what we've shared. I would rather have had you in my life as my best friend the rest of our lives than risk telling you I wanted more only to find out you didn't."

She brushed her fingers against his cheek. "Sometimes I forget just how different your life has been Spencer. I don't want to risk our friendship either but I want us to move forward."

"I'd like that too. Then we are on the same page. Where can I brush my teeth and change?"

She was a little surprised that he seemed to be pulling away. She realised that her mother's home hadn't been the ideal place for them to talk about where they wanted their relationship to go but she had expected something that might hint at more than friendship. He had waited over five years to tell her the truth and now that he had he seemed to be pulling away.

"Just through that door," she told him pointing to a closed door he'd assumed was a closet.

Reid picked up his go bag and went through the door. He took a deep breath then relieved himself, brushed his teeth and changed into a pair of flannel pajama bottoms. He didn't have an undershirt in his go bag as he only wore them when he knew he would be sharing a bed with his friend. He came out of the bathroom and Prentiss' gaze fell immediately to his bare torso. The nights they had spent together he had only gotten a glimpse of how he looked with his shirt off, and now that she was able to look she couldn't tare her eyes away. She wanted to know more about where that patch of hair led to.

"Emily," he asked, his cheeks slightly red. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

She stepped closer to him, touching the edge of the small line of hair just below his belly button. "Because I find that very sexy, it makes me think of what might be beyond what I can see."

"Emily," he warned her. "I think this might be best left for another day. It's getting late."

She sighed. "I suppose you're right."

She went into the bathroom and began to her nightly routine. When she came out she was wearing the shirt Reid had been wearing, much to his surprise. He was already under the covers, and she turned off the light before crawling into the bed next to him. He moved closer to her, as if testing the waters, to see if this was really different than the times in his apartment. Feeling him so close to her not trying to pretending they were alone they fell asleep she gladly laid her head on his chest. The sound of his heartbeat began to lull her to sleep.

End Part 8

Notes: So that's the beginning of them trying something new. There's just another part with Prentiss' mom that I needed to write you'll see next. Then things really start to take off. Let me know what 'ya think. Heart.