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A/n hello all... Here's more from Sergio, with his sidekicks Emily and Reid, plus one new member of the household(s) Please enjoy

The Cure for Insomnia

He thought moving to the couch would help, but he was wrong. Lying there, listening to the little sounds of the apartment like the refrigerator cycling on and off in the kitchen, didn't soothe him. He flipped toward his desk with his laptop and a stack of books that he couldn't see because the darkness was nearly complete. A bit of golden light bled into the living room around his wooden slat blinds. He wanted total darkness to sleep, but hated the blackness at the same time.

He turned to his back and sighed, pulling the extra comforter from the hall closet around his body. He sighed again, longer and deeper this time, and placed an arm over his eyes. Just for once, he'd like to get into bed and go to sleep without tossing and turning for hours, was that too much to ask?

"Hey…"

He jerked at the voice and the bright light that blazed around his arm and into his eyes. "Jeez Emily… The light!"

"Sorry baby…"

He let his arm drop when she dialed the lamp light down to the point of a romantic glow. Or, it would have been a romantic glow if he wasn't ready to kill Morpheus for ignoring him over the last week.

"What's wrong?"

She crouched over him wearing his shirt and nothing else. He couldn't even muster the desire to enjoy her exposed cleavage which didn't bolster his crappy mood.

"I can't sleep." He snapped.

"I woke up and you weren't there." Emily said, kneeling next to where he lay. "I was worried."

He reached out and touched her dark hair. "I know you were. I'm sorry I snapped at you."

She clutched at his bare arm. "You don't have to apologize. I wish I could do something to help."

He sat up at bit, pulled her into his arms and held her close for a long time. "Just having you here helps me, more than you know," he said into her shoulder.

"Why don't you come back to bed?"

He shook his head. "I think I should stay here. I don't want to keep you awake all night."

He gently disengaged from her arms and lay down. He pulled the blanket off his arm, baring the upper half of his body to the light and her gaze.

"What if I said I can't sleep without you?" She answered.

"I would say you're lying, but I appreciate the thought."

A small orange, black and white cat appeared and jumped up on the couch. The feline walked up Reid's body to his chest and lay down.

"Hey…" Emily scolded. "You're in my way."

The calico cat ignored Emily and closed her eyes. "Are you sure we have to keep her." Emily asked him.

"I can't help it if she likes to sleep on my chest." He squeaked. "I think she learned it from Sergio."

"Speaking of the devil… Where is he?"

"I don't know." Reid picked up Spice, and put her on the floor. She trotted off, unperturbed to wherever she went to sleep when she and Emily visited Reid.

"Wherever he is, I'm sure he's up to no good." Reid said wearily.

Emily giggled. "Come on Dr. Reid. I have just the thing to help you sleep."

Reid smirked at her. "That's what you said a couple of hours ago. Much as I enjoyed it babe, it didn't help."

"Are you saying I'm losing my touch?" Emily retorted.

"Oh no… I'd never accuse you of losing your touch. You have a great mouth too. What was that thing you did with -?"

She smacked the back of his head. "Don't get cute!"

"Ow…"

"Oh, don't act like I hurt you."

He led the way into his bedroom, but he didn't get into the bed they'd shared that night for only the third time since Emily had returned to his life.

"Go lay down," She ordered.

"I don't want to."

"Stop acting like a baby. I promise you won't be sorry if you get into bed right now like a good boy."

"Now you're patronizing me."

"Reid, please just get into bed."

It was the pleading her eyes that made him drop the comforter and climb into bed. He turned over on his back and looked up at her, "Happy now."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I am ecstatic."

"You know, the sarcasm isn't helping right now. I'm exhausted. I haven't slept more than three hours a night for the last week. We've had brutal cases for the last two weeks and I'm about to lose it." His voice rose on every word until he nearly shouted at her.

"Turn over," She ordered.

"Emily…"

"I promised I'd help didn't I?"

He grumbled and turned over to lie on his stomach. Emily climbed on the bed and pulled the covers down to his feet.

"Hey… It's kind of cold in here. What are you doing?"

"You'll see." Emily straddled him and put her hands on his bare shoulders.

"I'm not in the mood for sex." He said bluntly.

"You're a man. You're always in the mood, but that's not what I'm doing despite the gratuitous display of beautiful naked flesh in front of me."

"I don't like your tone and you're the one that pulled off the covers." He reminded her irritably.

She grinned down at him even though he couldn't see her in the lamplight. She adjusted her hold on his shoulders and began to massage his back. "Just relax and close your eyes."

"Hm… That's good." He sighed. "Why didn't I know you have such talented hands?"

"Hey…"

He laughed, making the bed shake a little. "I'm kidding."

"Why don't you be quiet and enjoy your massage."

His response was a deep sigh of pleasure as her hands moved over his shoulders, kneading the flesh and loosing the knots she felt in his shoulders. She adjusted her position again and moved her hands down his back.

"Reid…"

He responded with a little snuffling noise. "Hm…"

"Go to sleep baby."

"Kay…"

He was out fifteen minutes later when she climbed off the bed and went to the bathroom. When she returned to the room, Spice and Sergio were curled up on the bed. "Hey… What are you two doing up there?"

Sergio stared up at her out of his bright yellow eyes. Spice swished her tail and turned over on her side, stretching out her paws, exposing her claws for a moment before closing her eyes again.

"Well, make yourselves comfortable, why don't you?" She scolded with her hands on her hips. "Come on, both of you get down from there."

They ignored her until she moved to pick up Sergio. He evaded her grasp and leapt off the bed. She picked up Spice and carried the cat out of the room. "You two are incorrigible. You both act like you own the place."

She stroked Spice's head. "You and I don't live here. We're guests for the weekend so you better behave." Emily told her.

Spice meowed and jumped out of Emily's arms when they entered the living room. The cats ran under the couch and Emily went back to the bedroom. She shut off the lamp and climbed into bed. It was a long time before she could settle down to sleep.


When Emily entered Reid's kitchen the next morning, she found the table set for breakfast, a pot of coffee in the maker and a paper bag on the counter. Reid, dressed for the day in a pair of dark grey slacks, a light pink shirt with black and silver pin stripes, and black belt with his dirty white converse worked on preparing a couple of bagels.

"I must have died," she said. "I didn't hear you get up."

He turned around from his task, but he didn't smile. "Not funny, I thought you were dead, remember?"

She felt her cheeks burn. "I'm sorry. I didn't think."

"It's okay."

She went over and hugged him around the waist. "Why don't we start over? Good morning." She said brightly.

He kissed her. "Good morning. Thanks for the massage last night. I haven't slept that well in a long time."

"You're welcome. I can't stand to see you suffering. I love you."

He held her tight in his arms, stroking her hair. "I thank God every day you came back to me. I bless every day we have together."

Something brushed her leg and meowed loudly and irritably. She looked down to see both Sergio and Spice sitting on their hunches looking up at them.

Reid and Emily began to laugh. "Why do we put up with them?" Emily asked.

"Is that a rhetorical question?"

"I'm just surprised they didn't sit outside the door meowing to wake us up this morning."

Reid just shook his head. "You really were down for the count. They were outside the door, trying to wake us up."

"I'm sorry," She began.

He put a finger to her lips. "Like I said, I got more sleep than usual, so I feel good, okay?"

She nodded and kissed him again. The cats ran to their bowls and meowed in unison. "I guess I better get them their breakfast." Emily sighed as she pulled away from Reid.

"I'll finish our breakfast."

"Nice! Fresh bagels from down the street," Emily began "Remember the -"

"I remember… You want cream cheese and strawberry jam. Ick!" He said with a shiver of revulsion.

She smirked at him as she headed for the cat food. "Don't knock it till you try it."