A/N: Happy Thanksgiving Eve! I hope all my friends in the US are snug and warm with the ones they love. I don't own Criminal Minds.

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SS&M – Part 7: For This, I'm Truly Grateful

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Sitting in a doctor's office listening to Christmas carols wasn't the most entertaining thing one could do on the Friday after Thanksgiving. While other people were running around to 'Black Friday' sales, Spencer and Derek were sitting in the office waiting to be called back for their blood tests. It was the test before the test where they'd decided to stop using condoms.

It wasn't as if either of them had been involved in risky behavior, sexually. Morgan mostly fucked women, and the fear of impregnating them made him a condom Nazi. As for Reid, he was a virgin on his wedding night, and the only person he'd been with was Derek. They'd also used condoms religiously.

The reason they were both nervous about the test was related to the jobs they held. They'd been shot, stabbed, bitten, and spat on, just to name a few. There were also the times they tried to stop blood flow from a fellow officer, a victim, or an UnSub, sometimes without protective gear because there just wasn't time. They'd been cautious, and they would remain so, but they wanted to be like any other married couple, and that meant not having to use condoms.

"You nervous?" Spencer asked Derek.

"I'm always nervous when anyone approaches me with a needle, Spence. This will be like every test we've ever had. This one now, and then another round the beginning of spring, we'll be able to dump the condoms if we want. That is what you want, right?" Derek asked.

Spencer looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. "It's what I want, Derek. There are a lot of things I want, but right now, before we go back there and become pin cushions, I'd like to think about the things I'm thankful for. Yesterday's dinner was amazing," Spencer told him.

Thanksgiving morning, the Reid-Morgans sat on the couch in the living room with a lovely fire in the fireplace. An hour before, they'd made love on the new rug Garcia gave them, and they were enjoying some spiced pumpkin tea when there was a knock on the door. Spencer hopped up and pulled on the robe Derek had given him for his birthday while Morgan grabbed his sweats, tugging them on to greet the guest at the door.

When he walked into the hallway as he tugged down his Chicago Bulls sweatshirt he had to share with Spencer because Reid absolutely refused to give it back, he was shocked to see his mother and sisters. "Mrs. Morgan? I, uh, Derek?" he asked.

"Momma, you didn't mention anything about coming east when I told you we couldn't visit for Thanksgiving," Derek told her.

She handed Derek the bags in her hands as she pushed past Spencer. When the girls and Isaiah pushed past Derek as well, Spencer saw Desiree was carrying a turkey. He looked at his husband and cocked an eyebrow. Derek looked up at the ceiling and followed the Morgan women to the kitchen.

"Wow, bro, this is beautiful. You do all this work yourself?" Sarah asked.

It was then Spencer remembered he was naked under the robe. "I'll be back. I need to, uh…I'll be right back," he stated as he rushed from the room. Once inside the bedroom, he cracked the door so he could hear what Derek said to his mother and sisters.

"I thought us sayin' we had plans would be enough to let you know we weren't interested in spending the holidays with you. After what happened after we got married, I refuse to subject my husband to that shit again. Where are you stayin'? I'll get you a cab," Derek ordered.

Reid closed the door and quickly dressed in the pair of jeans Derek dared him to buy. He wore them one night when Graham and Randy were in town and they went to a club. Spencer was surprised at the attention he garnered. He and Randy were dancing…or Randy was dancing and Spencer was trying to find the beat and not embarrass himself…when two guys came up and danced behind each of them. When Graham and Derek showed up to stake their claims, Reid and Randy both laughed as both men quickly disappeared. It was a great night, and Reid wore the jeans when he wanted to entice Derek into something of the intimate sort. Unfortunately, they were the fastest things he could find.

After he was decent, he hurried down the hallway before Derek had pissed off his family so supremely they never spoke to each other again.

"We're sorry, son," he heard Fran offer.

"No, it wasn't you. It was her," he heard Derek state as he walked into the kitchen to see Derek looking at Desiree. Spencer saw Sarah was in the living room with Isaiah, so he glanced into the kitchen to see Desiree crying hard, and he felt awful.

He approached the girl and began rambling, hoping to give her some comfort. "It's not…I mean, it's okay for you not to be accepting of our relationship, Desiree. Back in the early twentieth century it was desirous for a couple to marry so each person in the marriage had a set of back-up parents. The average lifespan of a…" Spencer began before Derek stopped his speech with a kiss.

When they parted, Derek turned to his sister. "Why did you have such a fit when I told you Spencer and I got married?"

Desiree ran down the hallway sobbing hysterically. Sarah, however, laughed as she walked into the room after settling Isaiah with a video. "D, she thought Spencer had a thing for her. When you guys came by last time before the two of you hooked up, she and Dr. Genius had a very stimulating conversation regarding American Literature. She thought he had a thing for her. When she found out he was gay and you two were a couple, she sort of cracked. Give the kid a break."

Things got very weird until Spencer went back to the guest room to have a discussion with her. When the two of them returned, a turkey was baked, a family meal was enjoyed, and all was forgiven, just like every family tended to do when there was strife.

"Derek Reid and Spencer Morgan," the nurse called with a smile. After the impromptu "come to Jesus" meeting at 'Chart House' in Alexandria, Spencer and Derek had sat down with Hotch on a Saturday afternoon to discuss estate planning without tipping off the FBI. He'd given them the name of a friend who'd helped them out immensely. They felt secure with all of their arrangements, and they were happy each of them was covered in the event something happened to the other.

They walked back to the room and each sat down in a chair, rolling up their sleeves as they waited. "How are you both doing?" the technician, Sandy, asked as she breezed into the room.

"As well as can be expected when we're in the presence of a vampire," Morgan answered with a sneer. It brought the expected giggle from the phlebotomist.

Spencer marveled at the two of them teasing each other. It reminded him of early Garcia and Morgan before she hooked up with Hotch. After the news was out, everyone had found out the man was very possessive, and from then, there were very few "baby girl's" or "chocolate thunder's." It was a new day in the BAU.

After she drew the blood and labeled it, she bandaged them and wrote numbers on business cards for them. "Call on Tuesday for your results," she ordered.

The two of them left the office and went to get something to eat. While they were sitting at the table, Spencer took Derek's hand. "I'm so grateful to have you for my husband. I'm glad you're my family, and your family is my family. I'm glad we fixed that shit with Desi and we can all be around each other without any problems.

"I love you, Derek. I don't know how I ever survived before I met you, and if I lose you, I don't know how I'd make it without you. I'm very thankful for you," Spencer told him as a tear fell down his cheek.

Derek leaned forward and kissed his cheek, drying that tear. "Baby boy, what's the matter?"

Spencer sighed. "It's not really anything, Derek. It's just that every time we have to do this, it reminds me how precious life is and I want to be sure you know how much I love and appreciate you and the life you've given me by introducing me to your family. I need to make sure you understand how important you are to me, sweetheart. I love you," Spencer told him with a gentle smile.

When they got home from lunch and the doctor's visit, they walked into a very busy house. Fran was in the kitchen making turkey tetrazzini while Desi was laying on the floor using Clooney as a pillow while Isaiah was on the floor with a drawing book and some colored pencils Spencer had ran out early that morning to buy for him.

Spencer looked around and pointed to the scene before them. "See this? This is what family holidays are supposed to be. For this, I am truly grateful."

Derek took him in his arms without another word and actually dipped him. "For this, I am truly grateful." He kissed him deeply and when they pulled away, they both smiled. They were both grateful for the life they had. It would only get better.

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Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends and Happy Holidays to my non-US friends. I cherish all of you. ML