Thanks a lot to my beta QueenDiannaAgron!

In my mind, this was born to be a Shemar/Paget fic, then my inspiration changed it into this...

A TV crew is following the BAU around to create a show about a team of profilers; one of the producers notice a particular chemistry between two profilers, a chemistry that would make them end up together if they were in a TV show...!

I do not own Criminal Minds nor its characters. If I did, things would have been pretty different by now - Any reference to Morgan and Prentiss being together is purely (NOT) coincidental!

Hope you'll like it! ;)

"Fiction versus reality"

The BAU was in the round table room for a briefing on a case. They've been called by Strauss which made them believe they were having a quite tough one.

The profilers were asking each other if they have heard something, but no one knew more than the others.

"...and here there is the fantastic team I've been talking about." they heard Strauss' voice saying, followed by the sound of steps approaching.

Prentiss immediately gave Morgan an interrogative look.

"Good morning Agents," the Section Chief said to the agents "I'm sorry if I couldn't give you more informations, but I wanted to give the good news in person. So, saying again you did an amazing job during your last case in Los Angeles,"

"Have you ever heard Strauss praise us so much?" Derek whispered to Emily

"I thought I was only imagining it..." the brunette replied

"Remind me to buy a lottery ticket, it might be a lucky day."

"The voice of what you do arrived in Hollywood and they are about to make a TV show on this team!" Erin announced, surprising everyone with her excitement "There are four people in the crew who are going to produce the show I was talking about, they are going to follow you around during the case I'm about to talk to you about. Needless to say you have to behave normally, as you always have, they are just here to take notes. Okay, as I was saying, these are Paul Lane, Lauren Burke, Warren Dixon and Jimmy Fernandez. Now, can you please wait for me while I'm going to show them Agent Garcia's office? I'll be right back."

"Strauss agreed on something like that? Unbelievable." Rossi commented

"Actually it's not so unbelievable," Reid joined the conversation "it is proven that movies and TV shows on certain categories of workers increases the requests to cover those positions. A good example is 'E.R.', the TV show, since it's been on the air, there has been a boom in requests to become first aid doctors."

"Not to mention that she's gonna use it to take big part of the merits." Hotch pointed out

"Hey Spence, maybe one of us will be played by Lyla Archer..." JJ teased her friend who pretended he didn't even hear her.

"This made me curious to know who's gonna play Garcia and how." Morgan said "I just hope Strauss didn't tell her to behave as she always does!" he added making everyone laugh.

Later on, the Section Chief showed the team the case they were going to work on; it was local and, increasing everyone's surprise, she even made a joke that the crew couldn't see the jet.

oOo M&P oOo OoO oOo P&M oOo

The team took less than a week to close the case, before the UnSub would kill the 6th woman he had kidnapped.

After greeting the local police who thanked them, the members of the TV show crew wanted to interview the members of the BAU to have more information in order to make the characters of their show more believable.

Morgan was in one of the spare offices on the 6th floor with Paul Lane.

The man asked the federal some questions strictly connected to his job; afterwards, he went on a more private path.

"Now tell me agent, are you and agent Prentiss dating?"

"Scuse me, what?"

"I was just wondering if you were dating your colleague..."

"Why, do you want to ask her out?" the federal questioned, harsher than necessary

"Hey, no, relax! I've just noticed that there's such a good feeling between the two of you that you seem more than friends."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I get what you mean."

"Let's say that if you were characters on a TV show, you would be together already."

"Well, this is not a show: we are not actors and, most of all, the victims and the serial killers are very real; what you see on a crime scene is blood, real blood, not ketchup nor whatever you use to make fake blood." Derek made him realize "Moreover, relationships between coworkers are prohibited by FBI rules."

"Wait a second, let me understand," the other man spoke, closing his notepad, and approaching the person in front of him "what stops you from having a relationship with the woman you like is a bunch of words put together?"

"Those words put together are called rules and, just in case you didn't know that, we should respect that."

"I still don't get what stops you; I mean, what's the worst thing that could happen if you start a relationship with your colleague?"

"One of us might be transferred to another unit or section."

"That's it? You give in for something this silly? Don't get me wrong, call me dreamer, but for a woman I really care about I would give up everything else."

"The problem is that I'm not sure she would do the same for me..." he reasoned aloud

"Oh, she does! Trust me."

"Pardon my rudeness, but why do you care about that?"

"Alright, do you know why I started doing this job? Because I always believed it was stupid seeing two people who belong together be apart. Sorry if I'm overstepping, but you're choosing the easiest way instead of taking a risk, and for what I've seen during these days the risk doesn't scare you. Am I wrong?"

"How did you get all that?" Morgan wondered, answering his question without realizing it

"Maybe I don't use my mind for noble reasons like you, but I have a masters degree in Psychology at Berkeley. It's not as easy as you might think inventing characters. Let me tell you one more thing, even if I'm sure you already know it: sometimes to see better, you've got to take a step back. Probably you don't see it, but if you need an opinion from a different point of view, you definitely should give a try. Or do you want me to do it? I'm going to talk to her afterwards."

"We are not in high school anymore. Seriously, man, I should apologize for..."

"Nevermind, I haven't even asked your permission to go through this topic."

"I don't mind it right now, you gave me a big help. Allow me to thank you by offering you a drink or something tonight."

"You don't have to, also because I got the feeling tonight you're gonna have someone else to go out with, but if you wanna thank me by signing the authorization to use all this for the character inspired by you...okay, I'm kidding!" Paul warned him, shaking his hand.

During Emily's turn to talk to Paul Lane, in the men's restroom, Derek was practising his speech for Prentiss.

As he left the bathroom, Morgan almost ran into his field partner.

"Hey, Prentiss, what are you doing here? Do you need to use the toilet?" he asked, immediately regretting it

"Uhm, nope. Also because that is the men's room and I'm a girl, ours is on the other side of the hallway."

"Nice shot, Derek. Excellent start!" was his sarcastic thought

"Do you feel alright?"

"Yes...no...yes! Geez! I just need to talk to you."

"I know, I've been told about it. That's why I was looking for you. Is there something on?"

"Mullins is still on vacation, isn't he?"

"I don't know, I think so. Why?"

"Come with me." he told her, dragging the woman to the nearest office - Mullins' one.

"Morgan, you're scaring me..."

"No, please, give me the time to explain. Lane just made me realize something I've known for a very long time."

"He's pretty good, he could become a profiler if this thing doesn't work." the brunette spoke, nervous for what he was about to say

"Yeah, he studied Psychology at Berkeley." he digressed

"Oh, wow!"

"Yeah... As I was saying, in these last years I've this thought stuck in my mind...no wait, I didn't say it correctly." all the words he planned to say just vanished from his mind, just like his courage

"Screw it," Derek thought "I'll just speak my heart."

"Morgan?" Prentiss said with pleading eyes

"Emily, I had this feeling buried inside me for reasons that seem so stupid right now. All of this is because of you. Yes, Em, I do have feelings for you! Why are you looking at me in this way? Lane didn't say anything to you?"

"Actually, he did say something, but it was something different: he told me you consider me the weakest point of the team."

"What? That's a lie! Why did he say so? I've never thought anything like this, let alone say it to a stranger. Take the first case you worked on, you've been an important help for the team and..."

"Relax, Derek, I was just teasing you to make you feel less nervous."

"Well, it didn't work." he let her know, starting to talk again

"How can a man of action like you use so many words when he could do something much easier?" the woman interrupted him and, after slipping her hand behind his neck, he stood on tiptoe to fill the small height gap between them and kissed him.

His response to the kiss arrived immediately, gentle yet passionate.

"Why did you change your mind now?"

"Someone made me realize it clearly. I didn't want to admit it to myself because I knew that then I would have asked myself if you felt the same for me and I was to afraid to know the answer."

"Why?"

"Because I thought they were in one way only."

"Derek, you're a terrible profiler. Seriously."

"Because you understood my feelings, right?" he inquired with an amused smile

"Of course! I was just waiting for you to do the first move..."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"Honestly? No. I'm a terrible profiler also."

"So, what if our awful profiling skills go out for a dinner tonight?"

"In a kind of refresher course?" she asked with a mischievous smile.

"Actually I was thinking more about a date..."

"Can you repeat, please?"

"Uhm, sure: I'd like to go on a date with you tonight."

"You and me on a date? I really like how it sounds!" Prentiss said; in that moment, Morgan blew out a breath he had not even realized he was holding "Okay, I guess we should go now, before the team begins to seek for us"

"Yep. Oh, Em, one more thing." the man spoke, as soon as the brunette turned around his lips collapsed on hers.

"Remind me to thank them for this." Derek said when their lips parted enough to let him speak

"Yeah, but I'm gonna kick their asses if something like this happens in the show!".

Hey, you! If you liked my story, can you please let me know? Constructive criticism is accepted.

Thank you.