Title: Au Natural (Part 12)
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: Date night is here! I had to split the date up into two parts. Thank you as always for the support on this it means so much to me.

When Prentiss got home she decided to take a quick shower before she got ready for her date with Reid. She had a towel wrapped around herself looking at her closet. She knew that Reid had told her to dress casually but she still wanted to look good for her date. She knew she didn't have to impress Reid but she wanted to dress differently from when she worked.

After trying on a few dresses she decided to pull on a pair of black jeans and a hunter green sweater that showed just enough cleavage. Her makeup was a little heavier than what she wore at work. She then put on a pair of earrings and matching necklace. She looked at herself once again in the mirror then shook her head remembering she didn't have to impress Reid.

The doorbell rang and she went to the door. When she opened it she was glad to see Reid there. He was wearing a solid black sweater and a pair of tan corduroy pants. He had large mug from edible arrangements with chocolate covered strawberries. She smiled when he handed it to her, impressed that he had gotten her something so thoughtful.

"I hope you like it," he told her. "You look amazing."

"I do thank you Spencer. Let me put this in the kitchen and get my coat," she told him.

She went into the kitchen and Sergio jumped on the counter she scratched the cat's chin as he examined the contents of the mug. She decided to put the arrangement into the fridge instead. She then picked the cat up and put him on the floor. He grunted then sauntered away into her bedroom. She then picked up her coat from off the back of a chair.

"Ready?" she asked, slipping on her coat.

"I am," he told her.

She walked out of the apartment and he put his hand on the small of her back, and led her to his car. When he got to the car he opened the door for her. She smiled at him and got in, immediately putting on her seatbelt. He closed the door then went around to the driver's seat. They didn't go far stopping at a small Italian restaurant that Rossi raved about. They went inside and were greeted by the hostess.

"Do you have a reservation?" asked the hostess with a smile.

"Yes, two for Doctor Reid," he replied.

She nodded and showed them to their table. It was by the window, and like every table had a candle lit in the middle of it. The place was fairly small and the smell of the food coming from the kitchen only added to the atmosphere. Prentiss was impressed by the how it looked, it could have been transplanted from Rome. She was already looking forward to trying the food. Their server came over to take their drink orders, Reid ordered water while Prentiss ordered herself a glass of wine.

"I can see why Rossi recommended this place, it could have been transplanted from Rome," Prentiss commented.

"I hope you like it," he told her.

"I'm sure I will," she told him, looking at the menu. "If I can ever decide what I want to eat. I haven't seen half of these options since I was in Rome."

"I'm not even sure what most of these options are. Why don't you recommend something that you like for me and then you can have some of that as well?"

"You don't mind?"

"Of course not, I trust you."

She smiled and looked down at the menu again. The server came back with their drinks and they ordered their meals. After the server left the two of them became quiet, both knowing that this was going to change everything between them, and at work, but neither of them wanting to weigh down the night talking about work but knowing they had. He reached over and took her hand. He was about to open his mouth when she began to talk.

"Spencer, we need to talk about what we're going to do about work," she sighed.

"I know we do, but can't it wait?" he asked putting down his water glass.

"I don't think so. I wish it could but Garcia and JJ cornered me today to ask me what was going on with us today."

"What did you tell them?"

"The truth, that we had a date tonight. You know we aren't going to be able to keep this from the team, right?"

"Of course I do. I thought it would be a little while longer before anyone questioned us, but I don't want to lie to them either. I know that there are rules against this sort of thing, but there are loopholes as well. If we tried to hide this I think we would be in more trouble. If Hotch or Strauss asks us what's going on we should tell them and then decide what we want to do about it at the time. We don't know where our relationship will be then so there is no point in talking about that now. I do know there could be consequences and I am willing to accept them if it means moving forward."

"You make it sound so simple," she sighed.

"If you have doubts or are worried about your job I'll understand wanting to go back to how we were."

"I can't do that Spencer. I just never thought about how this might affect our jobs and the team."

"Even if one of us was transferred so long as our relationship reminded the rest of those friendships would also continue to grow. If you need more time just tell me and we can do this another time."

As much as she hadn't really thought about what this might mean for her career she knew she didn't want to put this on hold any longer. After the kiss they had shared the day before she needed to know more about what he was like behind closed doors. She knew she was willing to risk anything to see the side of Reid she knew few people had experienced.

"No I don't want to wait any longer. I just hadn't thought about how things might change at work," she sighed.

"I have so, so stop worrying. As long as our work doesn't change it would be difficult for our superiors to use that as the excuse to reassign one of us."

"That makes sense but it's not going to be easy."

"Nothing worthwhile is easy Emily but I know I want this to work."

"I want that as well," she assured him taking his hand.

He smiled at her and squeezed her hand gently. There was something she found very intimate about holding hands with him, mostly because he normally refused to shake hands. She felt truly connected to him. The serve came back and set down an assortment of antipasto down on their table. They both smiled and began to try the various items of the plate.

"I can see why Rossi likes it here," Prentiss commented. "The wine is great and the food is even better. I haven't had a meal served with antipasto for so long. I just hope that you don't have anything that requires much energy planned because we are both going to be stuffed."

"There's some walking involved in what I have planned," he told her not giving away any other details.

"What do you have planned?"

"It's a surprise Emily but I know you'll like it."

They continued their meal. They talked mostly about past dates they had been on, never mentioning anything to do with work. Before their meals were served they were also served salad and bread, Reid was sure he was going to be full before his main course arrived. When their plates were set down he was amazed by how much was there. He was also amazed by how much Prentiss could eat.

"If we come here on a regular basis my mom will stop asking me if I've been eating every time I visit her," Reid laughed.

"I don't think I've eaten so much in years," Prentiss agreed. "And we still have dessert to decide about."

"I think it might be best if we share that."

"I think you're right, what do you feel like Spencer?"

He looked at the menu options. "I'm not entirely sure what most of these deserts are, why don't you chose something?"

"All right."

She looked at the menu and after a few minutes she decided on tiramisu. The server came back and she ordered the dessert as well as coffee to end their meal. After they had finished their desert they sat there chatting and sipping their coffees for a long time. Neither of them had ever been on a date that was so stress free before.

None of the staff seemed to mind that they were lingering to talk, but she did notice that Reid kept looking at his watch. She was curious about what he might have planned if there was a time they would need to be there. She was having so much fun she didn't really want to leave. He had already chosen one thing she loved and she didn't need anything more for it to be the best date she'd ever been on.

End Part 12

Notes: So that was part one of their date hehe… I hope you liked it. Let me know heart.