Note- This story is sort of based on the premise of the Jennifer Lopez movie "The Back Up Plan".

The Most Life Changing Thing

Reid and Prentiss

Chapter One

November 2010

The light knock, knock, knock on her hotel door had Emily Prentiss reaching for her gun. She saw too much in her job to be casual about security. Since she had come into the room only a few minutes before she knew that some creep could have followed her.

If so he was messing with the wrong woman tonight. She was in no mood to deal with any bull. The unsub they were chasing- in half frozen Minneapolis- was completely depraved. They had found the bodies of two little girls today. They had died holding hands while crouched together in a field. At this moment Emily felt so sad, so angry, so full of worry for her own personal life and her future, that she would snap on any creep who tried to mess with her.

Moving toward the door of the room she called out "Yeah?"

"Its just me."

"Reid," she murmured, shoving the gun back in her holster, before she opened the door. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"You seem like you need to talk."

"I do?" Was she broadcasting her turbulent feelings to the whole world? She was usually pretty good at clamping down on her internal thoughts, at least most of the time, but lately she had so much on her mind that it was overwhelming. And when Emily got overwhelmed it was not a pretty sight at all.

"You seem really worried about something," Reid assessed. "You keep checking your phone ten times an hour."

"Oh that," she said and then lied "I'm just waiting to hear from my mother. She said she might extend her trip in Italy and I'm hoping she does. My mother during the holidays is like def con five. Everyone has to be on high alert because if Elizabeth Prentiss does not have things her way she'll blow. I just can't deal with her this year." She paused and regarded him "What about you? Are you okay?"

He thought about it. "I could use to talk."

"Oh, okay," she said, completely surprised, and let him inside. If he wanted to talk then she surely wanted to listen.

Reid told her a story about how his mother used to try and hide that she was ill before his father left but everyone knew something was wrong with her.

"That's a sad memory," Emily said. "Have you been thinking a lot about your childhood recently?"

"Sometimes I dream about it. Those dreams...I try to decipher them but I can never figure them out enough to understand why everything fell apart the way it did. I told you that memory though because I feel like you're doing the same thing right now."

Her eyes searched his.

He went on "It seems like you don't want anyone to notice you're very stressed lately. You blow off Morgan when he asks what's distracting you and you snapped at Garcia, which isn't like you."

"I was just in a bad mood that day. I apologized later."

"I know," he said, gently, as he motioned at the bed. "Do you mind?"

"Sure. Have a seat."

They sat down together and Reid went on "I guess all I'm saying is...I noticed, Emily, and if you do need to talk you can talk to me. Do you know you are the only member of this team who treats me like an adult all the time? So treat me like one now and let me help you."

Maybe it was her hormones being so out of whack that night but Emily felt an overwhelming, could not be denied, rush of love for Reid. She had flirted with him for months already but that was just for fun. In this moment she felt something entirely deeper and more intense. Something she couldn't have resisted if she tried.

"Okay," she whispered "I'll let you help me," and then she brought her lips to his, surprising him with a soft kiss. "That helps," she murmured, her eyes searching his while she was still leaned so close to him that when she breathed her breaths washed over him. "What would help more is if you kissed me back."

Nervousness and uncertainly rested in his eyes as he closed the small gap between their lips and gave her a gentle, tentative kiss. Emily moaned against his mouth, a jolt of lust cascading through her at the knowledge that Reid had kissed her. Hearing her moan must have fueled his confidence and desire because he threaded his fingers roughly into her hair, titled her head and deepened the kiss with a savage intensity.

Reaching out blindly, needing to feel him under her fingers, she grabbed at his shirt, first twisting the fabric and then smoothing her hands over his chest. Responding back to his kiss with just as much passion and fervor she urged him on with her moans and caresses until he wrenched his mouth free of hers in order to breath.

He stared at her with hooded eyes- lust and shock in his gaze.

Emily panted and begged "Don't stop. Oh God, whatever you're thinking right now, Reid, don't you dare think about stopping."