Open Your Eyes

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Morgan and Garcia

Reid and Prentiss

Chapter 12

July 2010

Since Morgan and Garcia were down in the steam room Reid and Prentiss decided to make dinner instead of them all going out. They had brought groceries anyway so they decided to cook up some steaks and also grill the vegetables that Reid got at the Farmer's market.

As they were cooking Emily asked "Do I rock or what? I did what Morgan and Garcia could not do on their own for years now. I got them to admit they love each other! They are gonna be so good together. I can totally feel it."

Reid pulled Emily close and stroked her hair out of her face. "I don't want you to hear about me hearing about this from anyone else but me so I feel I need to speak up."

"You lost me around the second hear about this."

"Do not be embarrassed but I heard you've had feelings for me for a while now."

Emily immediately looked completely embarrassed."Oh yeah? I guess that is pretty accurate."

"There's nothing I can do to take away any hurt or rejection you felt in the past. Just know that I know what that feels like and I will not set out to ever make you feel that way in regards to me again."

"You don't have to make me any promises, Reid. We can play it by ear. I'm just glad we're trying to figure this out."

"Playing it by ear is fine with me. You know where I stand on this issue. I'm with you now and I plan on sticking with you."

"You don't have to make up anything to me. You didn't even know how I felt before. Nothing was intentional on your part. If I got hurt its cause I'm a grown woman and decided to put my heart out there on the line. I don't need you to be my hero now just cause I told you that I've always been with losers before. I'm not the damsel in distress, Reid. I pack heat."

"I wanna take care of you. What good would it be to be your lover if I can't anticipate your needs and fulfill them, in and out of the bedroom?"

She gave him a dazed look. "No guy has ever even tried to do that for me before. Are you sure you're human, Dr. Reid?"

"I've been told before that I'm a very life like robot but I assumed that was in jest."

She smirked. He leaned over and gave her a kiss.

XXXXXXXXXX

Penelope and Derek were so sweaty that they moved to the downstairs shower. Still not making love they took a sensual shower together, soaping each other up, kissing, him washing her hair, and her stroking him to ecstasy.

After they were done Derek dried Penelope off. Even that experience was sensual bliss for them. He finally wrapped her in a towel. She asked "Could you go get me a change of clothes? That dress is ready for the trash bin."

"Prentiss really went full throttle this time. What would we have done if we hadn't gotten together last night? I would have really gone off on her then."

"You did really go off on her, Hot Stuff, and that wasn't very nice. She loves us and she wants to help. Plus she's just hooked up with Reid and she's in that love struck phrase where she wants everyone else happy too. You can not blame her for her actions."

"I'm over it. All is well that ends well. But I'm glad that we were already together before she pulled that stunt."

"We could have faked it convincingly."

"I would have meant every word though."

"Me too, baby."

He gave her a quick kiss, asked what clothes she wanted brought back, slipped on some boxers and jeans and then headed upstairs to fetch her clothes.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"My eyes! Good God Almighty! Come on now! You both have bedrooms!" Derek had just walked in on Reid and Emily in the kitchen. She was on the counter and they were kissing frantically.

"Grow up, Morgan," Prentiss told him, her lips as swollen from kissing.

He grimaced at the sight of them looking all consumed with lust and held his hand up to block their image from his eye line. "I'm not eating anything cooked in that kitchen now."

Reid said "More for me," before he reached out, picked up a piece of cooked summer squash and popped it in his mouth.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Derek gave in and ate the dinner that Reid and Prentiss had made. Then they all got in Derek's SUV and went for ice cream. While they ate it Emily and Penelope walked down a dock, to chat, while Derek and Reid sat on a bench, where they could keep an eye on the women.

"Kid, I'm happy for you. Its good you're not letting what happened in the past hold you back."

"I'm not over Austin but she's not coming back. Emily needs me right now. Its nice to be needed."

"You better watch yourself with Prentiss. She's a tough chick. You know my rule about dating chicks with guns. No way, no how. Not Derek Morgan."

"Emily is not as tough as she seems. Surely you've noticed that."

"Well no one is as tough as they try to look. Everyone has their softer side or weak spot. Still I wouldn't mess with Prentiss. She knows how to round house kick a man in the face."

"She's not like that."

"You haven't pissed her off yet."

"I have the same training as her. Why do you assume I'm at a disadvantage?"

Derek ruffled Reid's hair. "I'm just kidding, kid. You know I said before we left that I couldn't see you and Prentiss hooking up this weekend but I was wrong. You two do got something good going on. Color me shocked."

"What do you mean? Before we left?"

"Forget I said that." He got up and walked back into the ice cream shop.

"Hey! What? Was this trip some kind of set up?"

"You're such a stud!" Derek gave him two thumbs up before going to buy more ice cream.

Reid scowled at him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Emily said to Penelope, as they stood on the dock, "I hope you're not ticked at me like Morgan is."

"He's more bark than bite, you know that. I do think he might have a teeny fear of enclosed spaces though."

"Morgan seems fearless to me."

"He's a superhero for sure but he's still human at the end of the day."

"I should have found another way to get him to admit how warm for your form he is but that seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Well it worked, sweetie, and that's a miracle in itself."

"So you two are really gonna date now?"

Penelope nodded excitedly. The girls squealed and gabbed more about the guys.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

They went back to the beach house and watched a movie in the media room. There were oversized recliners in there. Derek and Penelope cuddled in one and both fell asleep.

Reid took Prentiss hand and led her downstairs and then outside. He said "I thought we could take advantage of the location."

"What did you have in mind, good doctor?"

"A walk on the beach."

"I thought you hate beaches."

"I'm not fond of sun bathing but its night time now. I had no problem with actual sand. I did grow up in Vegas you know."

"I know. That's why you think that you're a card shark."

"No, I know I'm an accomplished poker player. Big difference."

"Put your money where your mouth is."

"Gladly. Did you bring a deck of cards? Although I should warn you that playing with just one deck the odds of you beating me are so infinitesimal that you might as well not bother trying unless you enjoy an exercise in futility."

She laughed. "Oh, so cocky, Reid. We'll see how cocky you are when I beat you yet again. You're lucky I didn't think to pack any cards this weekend but the gauntlet has been thrown and when we get home the challenge is on."

"I just hope you won't cry like a girl when you lose because I take no prisoners."

"You can't take prisoners when you are being taken prisoner."

"We'll see."

She smiled. "We will see, Reid." Emily walked down the stairs and Reid followed her.

They took a long walk on the beach and when they stopped he wrapped his arms around her from behind. He had fallen for her because she seemed so much like she needed him. He had never been so needed in his life. It made him step up and try to be all she wanted in a man.

He hoped he could pull it off. She deserved to feel the kind of love it seemed like she never had before. And he wanted to show her that he was more than capable of giving that much love. He felt like he could and feeling that way imbued confidence in Spencer Reid.

XXXXXXXXX

Derek woke up to Penelope being in his arms. He let out a happy sigh and kissed her forehead. Shifting her in his arms he got more comfortable in the chair. It was hard to believe that she was finally his girlfriend. Soon she would be his lover. One day his wife and the mother of his kids.

He snuggled even closer to her and tightened his hold on her. She was so very precious to him. He felt so lucky to be able to hold her like this.

"Morgan," Penelope said as she woke up.

"I'm here, baby."

Looking up at him she said "Yes, you are. Usually when I wake up saying your name you're not around. Kevin used to hate that but I couldn't help it sometimes. Especially if I had dreamt about you."

"Every time you wake up now I'll be here. Whenever I'm in town I want to sleep holding you."

"That sounds nice," she said sleepily as she snuggled against him.

"Lets go to bed, baby girl."

"Stay with me?"

"Always and forever."

XXXXXXXXXXX

July 2020

"No," Reid said, with a laugh, as he sat on the deck chair on the back porch "you two are the ones who needed help getting together. I did just fine on my own, thank you very much. "

Derek laughed. "Sure you did, stud! I'll have you know Derek Morgan has never in his life needed help bagging a honey."

Just then Derek's daughter, who was only six, asked "What does that mean, Daddy?"

He blinked at her. "Nothing."

Reid smirked and then recited statistics about honey until the topic blew over. For the last seven years Spencer and Emily had been married. They had one child, an adopted daughter who was now thirteen. She seemed to have quite the budding crush on Henry LaMontagne .

Derek and Penelope had been married nine and a half years, getting married just a few months after their trip to the beach. They had eight year old son and a six year old daughter. Every summer both families, and sometimes more of their friends, came back out to the beach during July to hang out, reminisce, work on keeping their bond strong, and remember what it was like when they first opened their eyes and saw love standing right before them.

Though each relationship had its hard times- when Emily fought cancer, when Penelope had her miscarriages, when Reid's mother died, when Derek got injured and moody for six months afterwards because he couldn't work- they always found a way back to each other and back to their beach house each summer.

Besides, if either couple dare tried to break up their friends would be there to try and push them back together. Because that's what friends do. At least that is what these friends do for each other.

THE END