Disclaimer: please see my profile

A/n this is the last chapter folks. Thank you all for your support. Thanks to my beta for putting up with Adele's whims.

Better than a Fantasy

Emily looked up at the clock. It read just past midnight. Everyone had left for the day except for her. All of the lights were off in the bullpen except for the lights over her desk. She glanced up at Hotch's office, but he'd left long ago. She sighed and placed the last of her files on top of her outbox. It was over, finished and done. Her decision had been made and there was no going back.

She hit the print button on her computer screen. One sheet of FBI letterhead spit out of the printer two desks away. She picked it up and took it back to her desk. Five minutes later, she'd packed up her bag and slung her go bag on to her shoulder. Her last bit of business shouldn't be a surprise to Hotch because they had discussed it that day for two hours in his office. He hadn't been able to change her mind though.

She went up the stairs to the walkway above the bullpen. She slipped the envelope with his name scrawled across it under his locked office door and headed to the elevator.

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Emily opened the door to her brownstone in response to a light tapping sound. Reid stood on the other side waiting for her. He was fidgeting with the end of his sleeve. She pulled the door open wide without acknowledging the agitation so clear on his face. He edged in the door as though afraid of a blow.

"Reid." She greeted. "I take it you closed the case."

He just stood there staring at her. The deep chocolate of his eyes had an accusing spark she'd not seen outside an interrogation room.

She sighed and turned away from him toward the living space. "I know you're upset..." She began to say.

He stopped her with a hand on her arm. Actually, it was a vice like grip that hurt. "Why did you just leave like that?" He demanded harshly

She yanked her arm away from him so that she pulled him forward two steps. "I get that you're irritated, but don't you dare grab me like that again." She snapped.

"I'm sorry Emily. I miss having you around every day."

"It's only been a week Reid."

"Spencer!" He snapped angrily. "You don't work at the bureau anymore, so don't call me Reid."

"Alright…" She got right in his face. "If you can't be civil, I want you to leave."

His beautiful eyes suddenly lost their furious cast. "I'm sorry… I just don't understand. You come in one morning and tell us you've given Hotch your letter of resignation. You pull me aside right before you leave and tell me we'll talk when I get back from our case. I tried to call you four times and you didn't answer the phone. How do you expect me to deal with all that?"

"I'm sorry Reid. I didn't want to do this over the phone. I wanted to talk to you in person."

"I'm here," he said softly.

All of his angry energy had disappeared in just a few seconds, now he stood, deflated and unhappy, in the low light of the afternoon that drifted in through her window and through her light yellow curtains.

"Come sit down." She tried to tug on his hand, but he shook her off.

"No, I don't want to sit down until you tell me."

Her heart began pounding in her chest despite practicing for this moment for a week. "I left the FBI for two reasons. One, Hotch told me that because of budget woes, they were considering cutting my hours. I told him I didn't need the money because I have a trust fund but I needed to work full time because I love the job. I told him I would take a pay cut. He said the union wouldn't allow it. Second, and much more important, is you."

"Me," he squeaked high enough to send any dogs in the vicinity running for the hills.

"Yes… You," she said.

"Why?" He resembled a deer in the headlights.

"I had to make a decision. I've been dealing with some very intense feelings for you Spencer. I knew if I wanted to be with you I would have to give up my job."

"You didn't have to do that," he said hoarsely. "I don't want to be respon -"

She cut him off by closing the gap between them and kissing him. She wrapped her arms around his neck when he tried to pull back from her. His mouth was tight and hard under her lips. She ground her hips into his groin. He gasped his mouth opening wide enough for her to slip her tongue into the warm, moist, heat of him.

His hands came around her stroking her back so that she shuddered under his feather light touch. One of his hands moved to her hair and massaged her scalp. Her knees went to jelly so that she nearly fell when their kiss broke off for some much-needed oxygen.

"Emily," he whispered breathlessly.

His face stayed just inches from her so that she could smell coffee and something else that made him Reid.

"I chose you over the job because I feel like there is something between us that I want to explore. I can't do that if we work together."

"I - um, I want that too." He squeaked. "I can't stop thinking about you."

The fear that he would go running for the hills lifted off her shoulders as if a ton weight had lived there for so long she didn't notice it until it was gone. "I'm very glad." was all she could think to say.

"What if -"

She put one finger on his lips. "I know what you're going to say Dr. Spencer Reid. You're afraid that this won't work out and I'll resent you for giving up my dream."

"Yeah."

"If I thought that had any chance of happening I wouldn't have made the decision to leave."

He twisted his fingers together. His face went through the gamut of emotions as she watched. "I want to try and convince you to go back. I want to be the self-sacrificing one, but I'm tired of that role." He said pulling her in close. "I want to be selfish."

"I'm very happy you want to be selfish." She said walking her fingers up from the button on his pants to his tie.

"What's your pleasure Spencer?"

He turned an adorable shade of pink as she pulled his tie off his neck. "Shouldn't we talk or maybe go out first."

She sighed. "You seriously want to make me wait." She ran her tongue over her lips and he gulped.

"I'm not… I mean I don't have experience with women."

She pushed him up against the back of her couch and licked the outer edge of his ear. "I think a bad boy like you can figure it out."

He froze as one of her hands touched the straining bulge in his pants. He groaned and moved to kiss her at the same time she moved her head. His chin collided with the top of her head. "Damn it!" She pulled back and rubbed at her scalp.

"I'm sorry…" He pleaded with her. "I told you I'm not good at this."

"You're not getting out of it so easy." She unbuttoned his shirt ignoring the pain in her head. "You make weak in the knees." She told him.

He tipped up her face, going in carefully to kiss her mouth. He let go with a sucking pull on the bottom lip.

"I think you're doing just fine," she breathed pulling the zipper on his pants.

"Emily…"

"Just trust me."

She almost laughed at the deep mistrust in his eyes. "I don't know if -"

He stiffened, and then started to breathe in deep hitching breath as she pushed down his light brown cords and the white cotton boxers he wore.

"What are -"

She effectively shut him up by taking his erection in her hand and stroking slowly. His legs started shaking when her free hand cupped his testicles and squeezed lightly. He groaned and bucked his hips. His breathing increased as her stroking pace increased.

"Oh Emily," he could barely speak it pleased her to see, as her hands kept up a steady rhythm of stroking and squeezing. "I can't…Oh God, Emily, please oh, oh." His hips jerked hard and he released with a screaming moan into her hand.

He slid down the couch to the carpet shaking and breathing as if he'd raced a car on foot. "Don't move," she ordered.

He stayed put until she came back with a towel. He cleaned up and climbed unsteadily to his feet wearing only his shirt.

"Emily, I'm so sorry I don't -"

"It's okay baby… I was just making you more comfortable."

"But -"

She smirked at the questioning look on his face. "You don't really think we're done do you?" She asked. "In fact, I think we'll test out your stamina."

He gaped at her and she laughed. "Why don't you stay here until you feel up to the challenge? I'm going upstairs. Just think about it." She suggested. "Oh, I'd like to borrow your shirt if you don't mind."

He took it off and handed it up to her wordlessly. She took it, gave him a long, slow once over with her eyes and went to the stairs. "My bedroom is right at the top of the stairs."

He leaned back on the couch feeling very light headed and drained. Could he go up those stairs to her bedroom?

He decided to close his eyes and hope that her faith in him was warranted. If he didn't think about what waited for him, then everything would be okay.

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Emily lay on her bed when the door to her room opened. She grinned to see Spencer wearing only his white cotton boxers standing in her doorway. He was staring at her with eyes darkened by lust.

"Hey there," she smirked. "Why are you just standing over there?"

"You're wearing my shirt?"

"Yeah and it's very comfortable." She uncrossed her legs, spreading them just a bit while pulling up the edge of the shirt.

She heard him swallow and butterflies filled her stomach. Something had changed in his face as he came closer to the bed. He looked like a starving man at a banquet.

He sported a significant bulge in his boxers. She went wet, dampness pooling between her legs as he boldly pushed off his boxers and climbed onto the king-sized bed with her. He kissed her, pulling her body under him. She flipped him over and scolded him. "No you don't Dr. Reid."

"Spencer," he reminded her flipping them over again.

His hands pushed his shirt up to free her breasts for his touch. He licked her closest nipple and she stopped trying to throw him off her body. "Oh…" she gasped.

He sucked greedily on the swollen nub while attempting to push her legs apart. "Spencer."

He looked down at her and the predatory gleam in his eyes reminded her of her vampire fantasy. She stopped trying to fight his mouth, which savaged her neck, licking and sucking as more wetness pooled between her legs. Her hips bucked against his freed erection. "Please…" She found herself begging him.

He smirked down at her. "I should punish you for making me worry for the last week." He said, using one hand to circle her wet and sensitive nub. He slid one finger inside her and she groaned his name.

"I'm sorry." She sighed.

He smiled widely. "Well, I think you can make it up to me."

He rolled off her, lying sedately on his back. "Why don't we just watch television?" He pointed at the big screen mounted on the opposite wall.

She immediately straddled him, pinning him to the bed. She let her wet entrance drag over his throbbing manhood. "I don't think so." She scolded.

He flipped her over again without difficulty as his heart began to race. He easily opened her legs and slid into her heat. "Emily." He sighed bending his head to kiss her mouth then move to suck on her earlobe as he started moving inside her as slowly as he could.

"Spencer, oh my God don't stop baby." Her hips bucked up to meet his trusts.

They set a slow and steady rhythm for long minutes that stretched out like a day devoted to just paperwork.

Emily managed to turn him over and she rode him sliding up and down on his shaft her head thrown back. He used his hands to knead and massage her breasts until the nipples went hard and turgid in his hands.

Pleasure built up in his gut. His hips began to lose the slow rhythm they'd set. He tumbled her over onto her back and thrust hard and fast until he felt her tighten almost painfully around him. She cried out his name as he thrust into her twice more before emptying into her with groan and cry of her name.

He collapsed on her, breathing heavily and letting the slow, nearly painful wave of pleasure crest and pull back.

"Wow…" She said slapping his ass. "Now that was so much better than my dreams."

"You've been having dreams about me." He asked when he could breathe."

He moved off her and rolled on to his side to watch her. Her bare chest heaved as she fought to get her breath back. "Yeah… every night for months."

"Me too," he said going very red in the face. "Sometimes it's more like daydreams."

She turned to face him. "Can I hear about them?"

He blushed even redder. "It's too embarrassing."

"I'll share mine if you share yours." She negotiated.

"Alright."

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"You guys did a great job of hiding this from us." Morgan complained five months later.

"Why did you wait so long to tell us?" JJ said from her seat near Henry and Will.

"We wanted to get past the first trimester." Emily said, rubbing the small bump that was Spencer's baby growing inside her.

"Yeah… We wanted you all to know that this is for real for us. We love each other very much."

"I for one am glad you two stopped pining around for each other." Hotch said with a rare smile.

"It was pretty pathetic." Garcia agreed over their laughter. She stabbed her fork at the penne and roasted chicken she'd ordered.

"What do you think Dave?" Emily asked the older man who was enjoying a superb wine with his linguine and clams.

"I don't have a say in the matter except that I'm glad I'm not the one about to become a father." He said seriously.

Everyone laughed at the grateful look on the profiler's face. Reid just watched everyone as they ate and kidded each other. It had been a long time since they'd all been together. He felt Emily squeeze his hand under the long table. It was a gesture he could feel, not one he imagined as he had for so long. He let go of her and put his hand on her belly. The baby kicked his palm, a small tap that would get stronger with time. He looked over to see Emily smiling at him.

Dreams and fantasies had their place, but the blessings of true love lived on forever.