AN: Well here it is - last chapter. Hope you all enjoy it. I've enjoyed writing this story and hearing from those who chose to review. Thanks to all my readers!

Spencer Reid settled down in the window seat of the plane bound for Washington, D.C. He glanced to his right as Morgan took the seat next to him. The older man's presence was welcomed this time unlike the unwanted surprise on the flight out. Now, just over forty-eight hours later, Reid wondered why he had ever fought Morgan tagging along. Not only had having Morgan in Vegas with him had a calming influence, Reid knew they might never have admitted their feelings for one another if it hadn't been for the events of the night before.

The rest of the passengers finished boarding, and the flight attendant went through the standard safety instructions as the plane taxied toward the runway. As they started to gain altitude, Reid tentatively reached out and placed his right hand over Morgan's left. The older man immediately turned his hand over to grasp Reid's.

"You okay?" Morgan asked, looking over at his traveling companion.

"Yeah," Reid replied fighting the instinct to pull his hand away. "Just glad to be heading back to D.C."

"Do you regret coming?" Morgan asked, giving Reid the uncanny feeling that the older man had been able to hear his earlier thoughts.

"No," Reid replied slowly. "Sure things could have gone better but things could have been worse, right?" ~I could have been tied to the goal post a lot longer than I was if Morgan hadn't come along, ~ he added silently, not able to voice the thought. He felt Morgan give his hand a squeeze, as if once again he was reading his thoughts. The rational part of his mind said it was probably more that Morgan's thoughts were paralleling his own more than any psychic abilities on the older man's part.

Morgan didn't reply, although he did gently squeeze Reid's hand as he rested his head back against the seat.

Beside him, Reid wished he could follow his friend's example and relax but he wasn't able to. He had something else on his mind and he wasn't sure how Morgan was going to react to it. Thoughts tumbling around in his head, Reid tried to decide on the best way to broach the subject. Finally deciding that there was no easy way to break the news, Reid just blurted out the information.

"I told my mother about us," Reid said, speaking quickly. "Well, I told her that I had feelings for you and that you had those same type of feelings for me."

"Then she knows?"

"What? I just said that I -"

"No, that's not what I meant. Your mother knows that you're attracted to men."

"Yes," Reid said, not comprehending why that was important. Why wouldn't his mother know? He shared just about everything with her. He had told her he was gay when he was sixteen and had started a relationship with Brad Thompsen, though he hadn't told her the whole truth about why that first relationship had come to an end. It was another one of those things that he hadn't ever told anyone about. Maybe someday he would tell Morgan but he'd have to wait to see how things progressed between the two of them. "I told her shortly after I came to terms with it myself."

"Then you're a lot braver than I am, Kid. I haven't ever been able to admit to my mother that I'm bisexual. Though I guess I'm going to have to cross that bridge eventually as I don't plan on keeping our relationship from her for too long."

"Then you don't mind that I told her?"

"Why would I?" Morgan asked, sitting up a bit straighter and turning a bit in his seat.

"I don't know," Reid said with a shrug. "I guess maybe because it's been less than twenty-four hours and part of me still thinks that when we get back to D.C. that things will go back to how they were between us as if last night never happened."

"Is that what you want?" Morgan asked unable to keep the worry out of his voice as he tightened his grip on Reid's hand.

Reid looked down, focusing his eyes on one of the pamphlets sticking up out of the pocket on the seat in front of him. "No," he admitted quietly. "But people don't seem to stay in my life long," he added.

"I don't plan on going anywhere, Kid," Morgan told him.

"I want to believe that."

Morgan brought his other hand over to cover the one he was grasping. Holding Reid's hand between his own, Morgan leaned slightly forward in his seat trying to catch Reid's gaze. Once he had it, he spoke again. "I'll do whatever it takes to make you believe that," he told him.

Reid's breath caught. Morgan's words held such a sincerity to them that he wanted to believe them. Morgan's dark eyes echoed the sincerity in his voice. If it wasn't for the fact that they were sitting on an airplane with strangers around them, Reid would have given in to the desire to lean forward and press his lips against Morgan's. How he wanted to feel those lips on his skin again - but not with an audience. As he forced himself to exhale, Reid felt a moment of panic that Morgan might initiate the kiss as the older man leaned a bit closer to him. Instead, Morgan spoke in a tone so softly that Reid knew he was the only one who could hear the words.

"If all these people weren't here, I would kiss you. Perhaps that would convince you of what words don't seem to be able to."

"Perhaps when we get home."

"Oh, you can count on it, Pretty Boy," Morgan added in a husky whisper before settling back against the seat, Reid's hand still gripped in his own.

Reid didn't try to pull his hand away as he followed Morgan's lead. Unlike the older man though, Reid still wasn't able to relax. Too many thoughts and fears were tumbling through his head. Looking out the window and down at the land they were flying over, Reid's mind thought about the non-fraternization rule the bureau had. If the wrong people found out about him and Morgan . . .

"Morgan can we keep this relationship quiet for now?" Reid asked quietly, his gaze still focused on the scene outside the window. He could sense movement from Morgan but he didn't turn his head in that direction as he continued to speak. "I mean, technically we could both get in trouble if it were to become known we were seeing each other at the office and while I know no one of the team would have a problem with it, I'd still rather not take the chance. At least not right away. Not until I've had a chance to adjust to it."

"Until you know it's going to last," Morgan suggested, putting into words what Reid was leaving left unsaid.

"Yeah," Reid said, still not looking from the window.

Morgan sighed. "Well, except for one person, I'm more than willing to go along with that plan for right now."

Reid turned away from the window at that response. He had a feeling he already knew who that one person was. "You've already told Garcia?"

Morgan nodded. "She already knew I liked you. Why do you think she was so willing to help me follow you out here? She kept telling me that she could tell you liked me too and that I needed to tell you how I felt. Seems Garcia's picked up a few things about profiling people over the year."

"Yeah, I guess she has," Reid admitted. He couldn't help but wonder how many of the others had figured things out.

"I told her to keep things quiet. We'll tell the others when you're ready. I promise. Okay?"

It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter. Garcia already knew though as close as she and Morgan were, Reid guessed he should have figured on that. Reid nodded his consent in the matter and felt his heart skip a beat at the smile he received from Morgan.

"Now, how about you relax and enjoy the flight home," Morgan told him.

Reid nodded and leaned back against his seat. He closed his eyes and took some calming breaths, trying to relax as Morgan had suggested. When the flight attendant came around with headphones for the in-flight movie, both Morgan and Reid took a pair and watched "WALL*E" as the plane took them closer to D.C.

Derek Morgan grabbed the box of wooden matches and headed into the dining room. Reid would be here soon and Morgan wanted things ready when the younger man did arrive. Walking into the room, he approached the table and paused looking at it having second doubts. Perhaps the candles were a bit overboard. They hadn't even been together for forty-eight hours yet and here he was fretting over a perfect candle light dinner. Perhaps they should just try to get through a regular dinner first.

Remembering Reid's worry about him wanting to go all the way that first night at the hotel, Morgan retrieved the candles from the table without lighting them. Candles and matches in hand, he returned them to the kitchen and checked on the chicken dinner he was cooking.

Their flight back from Vegas had gotten in early Monday morning, hence the reason both of them had included today in their time off. Though he had wanted to ask Reid to just come home with him right then, Morgan had restrained himself. Instead, they had gathered luggage and left the airport. Morgan had driven his friend home, even walking him up to his apartment. Making sure they were alone in the hallway, Morgan had reached out and cupped Reid's chin before pressing his lips against the younger man's. Reid had eagerly returned the kiss. Finally breaking away, Morgan had invited Reid over for dinner tonight adding a soft 'and spend the night if you'd like' to the invitation.

Morgan was removing the food from the heat when the doorbell rang. Making sure nothing was left where it could burn, the Chicago native turned and left the kitchen. Clooney had already beat him to the front door and sat next to it, watching expectantly to see who was on the other side. Knowing Reid didn't have a great fondness for dogs, Morgan reached down and grabbed the German Shepherd's collar as he reached for the door knob. Morgan pulled the door open to reveal a very nervous looking Spencer Reid.

Clooney emitted a low growl, and Morgan tightened his grip on the dog's collar even as he greeted his friend. "Come on in, Kid. You're just in time. I just got done fixing dinner," Morgan said cheerfully, stepping aside to allow his guest to enter.

"Hi Morgan," Reid said as he nervously skirted by Clooney and into the house.

"Clooney, behave," Morgan scolded as he pushed the front door shut. "Hold your hand out to him, Kid. Let him see your not a threat."

Reid shot Morgan a disbelieving look, even as he switched the garment bag, he had to his left hand and slowly held out his hand in the German Shepherd's direction. Clooney sniffed at the proffered hand briefly before licking it. Satisfied that his guess had 'made friends' with the dog, Morgan let go of Clooney's collar.

Satisfied that the stranger in his home wasn't a threat, Clooney headed for the couch and hoped up onto it. The German Shepherd didn't waste anytime making himself comfortable.

"I told you Clooney wouldn't be a problem," Morgan said, looking from the dog to Reid.

"For now," Reid responded, still a bit uneasy about the dog's presence.

"Here, let me take those," Morgan said, reaching out for Reid's go-bag and garment bag that he held. "Does this mean you're taking me up on my offer to spend the night?"

"Um . . . I don't know. I mean I'd like to but I guess I'd like to see how dinner goes. However, if I do stay then I figured I might as well be prepared to go to work right from here instead of trying to get up early to go home and change."

Morgan grinned. "I got it. We'll see how the evening goes," he said, walking over to the hall closet. "I'll just put these in here for now, I'll take them upstairs later if you decide to stay," he replied, hoping to keep from pressuring Reid into doing something he wasn't comfortable with.

Reid nodded, as he lifted the strap of his messenger bag over his head. Slowly, he turned the bag over to Morgan and watched as the older man placed it next to his go-bag on the floor of the closet.

"Shall we go eat," Morgan said cheerfully gesturing toward the dining room with one hand.

Later that evening, Morgan sat on the couch, legs stretched out in front of him and one arm around Reid. The younger man's head was resting against his shoulder as the X-Men battled Magneto and his minions within the Statue of Liberty. Clooney was now curled up in the easy chair, having settled there after being shooed from the couch. Glancing down he saw that Reid's eyes had drifted shut.

"Drifting off early, aren't we?" Morgan asked softly, bending his head down to whisper the words into Reid's ears.

"Hmm . . . " Reid mumbled, opening his eyes. He took a few moments to take in his surroundings before giving a more intelligible reply. "I'm sorry. Guess the weekend is catching up to me."

"Apparently," Morgan replied softly. "You staying tonight?" he asked, having not gotten a definite answer from the younger man yet.

Reid lifted his head from where it had been resting against Morgan's shoulder. "I don't really have the energy for any extracurricular . . . "

Reid let his words trail off as Morgan placed a finger against his lips. "I don't care about that. I just want you here with me."

"Do I have to share the bed with the dog?"

"No. I can shut him out of the bedroom if you'd like," Morgan replied, reaching up to run his fingers through Reid's long wavy locks.

Reid let out a soft moan and let his head rest back against Morgan again. "Although, staying right here wouldn't be a bad idea either."

Morgan laughed softly. "Yeah, until we woke up in the morning sore and stiff. Come on, Pretty Boy, let's head upstairs," he said, rousing the younger man again.

As Reid got to his feet and headed for the closet to retrieve his things, Morgan turned off the tv and got to his feet. Reid retrieved his messenger bag and garment bag and was about to pick up the go-bag when Morgan reached for it.

"I got it," Morgan said, picking the bag up and then slipping his free hand around Reid's shoulders to lead him upstairs.

While Reid was getting ready for bed, Morgan went back downstairs to let Clooney out one last time and turn off the lights. Reid had already climbed into the queen-sized bed by the time Morgan had made it back upstairs. Quickly getting ready for bed himself, Morgan turned on the lamp on his bureau and then turned off the bedroom lights. Within moments he was crawling into his familiar bed and pulling Reid close to him. Being able to hold the younger man close to him was a source of comfort that Morgan couldn't put into words.

"Derek, we still haven't really talked about 'us' yet. Figured out where we stand with one another."

"What's there to talk about? We love each other. That should be enough for right now. We'll just figure things out as we go along."

"You make it sound so easy."

Morgan laughed softly. "There is nothing easy about any kind of relationship. However, trying to figure everything out before you start a relationship isn't very practical either."

"I know, but I don't want to go into this blindly and ruin things."

"Do you love me, Spencer?"

There was a moment of silence before Reid answered.

"Yes."

"And I love you. I would do anything for you."

"But what about other details? Like when do we start telling others about us? When do we take our relationship beyond where we are right now?"

Morgan could hear the fear and uncertainty in the younger man's questions. "We'll know when the time is right to do those things without trying to hash it out tonight. We just move at a pace that is comfortable for us. I just need one promise from you, Pretty Boy?"

"What?"

"Don't go along with something to try to please me. If I do something that you're not comfortable with, I need you to tell me because while I don't want to force you into doing something you're not ready for you better believe I'm going to be testing boundaries from time to time. We'll talk things out as the situation comes up. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like a good plan to me," Reid replied, before letting out a yawn.

Morgan smiled as he pressed a kiss to the top of the younger man's head. He wondered just how much sleep Reid had gotten in the last few days - first worrying about the reunion, the dealing with what had happened that night, and then thinking about where the two of them stood with one another.

Suddenly a flash of lightening brightened the room, followed shortly by a rumble of thunder. Beside Morgan, Reid bolted upright in bed.

"Are you afraid of thunder too, Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked lightly.

"No. It's not that," Reid said starting to climb from the bed. "I just want to grab my flashlight in case the power goes out."

Morgan reached out and grabbed Reid's wrist. "Forget the flashlight."

"But if the power goes out?"

"I'll protect you from whatever goes bump in the night, I promise," Morgan teased lightly. The light from the lamp allowed him to see Reid's face take on a reddish color. "Seriously, Kid, you don't need the flashlight. Chances are you'll be fast asleep even if we do lose power. Trust me. Lay down."

With a sigh, Reid laid back down, moving close to Morgan without any further coaxing from the older man. Despite the intensifying storm outside, it wasn't long before Reid's breathing had evened out telling Morgan that the younger man had drifted off to sleep.

If he had his way, Morgan knew he would choose to have Reid right here with him every night. At the same time he recognized the impracticality of that. If they were going to keep this quiet, they would have to watch themselves while they were on cases. Even on the nights that they weren't on the road, Morgan knew that it was going to take some time before Reid would be comfortable spending every night here instead of at his own apartment. Would take time before the younger man could call this home too but that was where Morgan was hoping this would go. They just had to take one day at a time until they got to that point.

Lighting lit up the room again, and Morgan looked down at the younger man sharing his bed. Morgan couldn't call the look on Reid's face peaceful but at least he looked content. Thunder sounded once again, and despite being asleep, Morgan felt the slight shiver that went through Reid's body at the sound. Whether it was fear of the storm or the fear of waking up to darkness, even in his sleep Reid was aware of the fear. Morgan tightened his hold on the younger man hoping that either they didn't lose power or Reid slept through the night.

"We just need to take this one day at a time and one storm at a time and we'll be fine, Pretty Boy," Morgan whispered, knowing that Reid couldn't hear the words.

Morgan knew he had gone to Vegas and had won big. Now the trick was holding on to that prize.