Staying Together

Disclaimer: I do not own any of characters in this story that you recognize, the ones that you don't I'll take credit for!

Notes: So this would be the sequel to Coming Together. If you haven't read that one then the beginning of this one won't make too much sense. As for this story, well I started writing it after I finished Coming Together but then lost interest for a while. Now, I'm back and have almost finished it, I think. What that means is, if you want chapters quickly, then I would appreciate reviews.

Warning: Slash. Reid reminds me so much of a friend of mine who is gay that I can't ever see him as straight, even though the show has had him stumbling around two or three girls.

Summary: SLASH. Part 2 in the Together Series. As Reid journeys on his road to recovery with Morgan they are bound to hit some speed bumps along the way. (Reid/Morgan est. couple)

When the alarm went off at 8am on Monday, Morgan couldn't help but be a little relieved. He didn't want to seem ungrateful of all the help he and Reid were getting, or have anyone think that he didn't love the team's company, but they hadn't allowed him and Reid a moment alone since his release from the hospital. He almost felt that they didn't trust him to take care of Reid on his own. If it wasn't someone bringing over dinner or lunch, is was movie night or time to go shopping. Even though they were sharing Morgan's apartment he felt that the only time he and Reid were alone was at night when they went to sleep and by that time Reid was so exhausted that he fell right asleep, leaving little or no time to talk. The fact that he refused to take any kind of pain medication as soon as he left the hospital, including over the counter meds, was taking a toll on his healing body and at the end of the day all he wanted to do was curl up in Morgan's guest room and sleep. In fact, the only quality time they seemed to have was when Reid woke from nightmares.

The nightmares concerned Morgan. They didn't happen every night but when they did Reid would be shaken to the core, completely unable to get back to sleep and refusing to close his eyes. There had been three nightmares in the five nights they had been home; the first one was by far the worst. Morgan didn't think he would soon forget the terror filled scream that tore from Reid's lips. The next one was less intense and he didn't cry nearly as long as he did the time before. The one that occurred last night was the mildest of his nightmares. He had quickly found comfort in Morgan's arms. Morgan took this as a sign that Reid was healing but only his psych evaluation would truly be able to tell. Even so, as he watched Reid's chest move up and down rhythmically he couldn't help but think of that first night and shudder.

The first time he had a nightmare Morgan had almost shot the shadow of the floor lamp in his guest room because Reid's screams sounded like he was being murdered. Right behind him had been Clooney, barking and growling around the room, trying to find whoever was upsetting his new friend. When Morgan had finally gotten Reid to wake up he clung to Morgan like he was afraid he was going to disappear. Twenty minutes later, when Reid was curling up in Morgan's embrace with Clooney lying on his other side, Reid began to tell Morgan what the dream was about. He told him that he was back in high school, being strung up again, only this time Morgan was the one who was doing the tying. It would seem that Michael's case had brought up really bad memories and mixed them with his deepest fears, Morgan leaving him or hurting him.

Morgan had held him for an hour before they decided to move into the den and watch a movie. They decided on Bambi because Reid had never seen it and Morgan claimed it was a classic. Eventually Reid got tired of stating the inaccuracies, such as the age of Bambi during hunting season and the fact that he was still with his mother at the time, and fell asleep with his head on Morgan's shoulder and Clooney's head in his lap. It had become a routine for the three, if Reid woke up to a nightmare they would pick a Disney movie that Reid had not seen, which they had plenty of thanks to Garcia's insistence that Reid learn about some of the true "classics," and watch it until he fell asleep. If Morgan was still up he would carry Reid back to his own bed and sleep next to him, if not they would just sleep together on the couch. They never started the night in the same bed, just ended up there, because Reid considered it crossing a line that he wasn't sure he was ready to cross just yet. Morgan respected Reid's wishes and made sure to take each step slowly.

As he rolled over to shut off his alarm he was careful not to wake the sleeping Reid. Last night the nightmare had been about Michael, blaming Reid for his death, saying that he should have protected him and should have saved him. Michael's face then morphed into Tobias', pleading with Reid not to shoot him, not to end his life when it wasn't his fault. Morgan knew that Reid felt guilty about his death, Reid had cried when they got home from the funeral until he exhausted himself, but he didn't know how much until it manifested itself in his dream. They had watched most of Aladdin before Morgan shut it off and moved them into his bedroom.

Carefully getting out of bed, making sure not to wake Reid, he quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth before getting dressed for a jog. Leaving a note for Reid, explaining where he was in case he woke before Morgan got back, he grabbed Clooney's leash and went to blow off some steam.

When he got back he was covered in sweat but felt 100% better, like everything was a little bit clearer. Going into the kitchen to make sure Clooney had fresh water he was shocked to see Reid not only awake but sitting on a barstool eating a large, popcorn sized, bowl of Coco Puffs.

"Reid you almost gave me a heart attack!" Morgan exclaimed, staring at how casually Reid was eating almost a whole box of cereal at one go. That was one thing that Morgan was happy to see improve, Reid's appetite. At first the couple had fought about the two cups a day rule but when Morgan explained that the doctor was trying to see if Reid's lack of weight gain had to do with a medical problem or the fact that he was filling up on sugar and coffee, Reid relented. About two days after their agreement Reid had managed to convince Morgan that he could have three cups if he made sure to keep up his caloric intake of non-coffee items.

"Sorry," was all that Reid offered timidly with this hint of a smile, they never mentioned the night before in the morning. They talked about the nightmare as soon as Reid was able the night it happened but the next morning it was like it never happened. Morgan wondered, at times, if Reid was avoiding them in a way but as the days went on Reid had fewer and fewer nightmares so Morgan decided not to push it. According to Reid, dreams and nightmares were just his way of handling stressful situations so Morgan wasn't going to push him, just help him deal with the after effects of his way of dealing with things.

"It's fine, just didn't expect to have to buy more cereal this morning when I bought a box yesterday or to see you there when I came in. I honestly thought you'd sleep in a little more," Morgan commented, grabbing an apple from his fruit bowl after filling Clooney's bowl.

"I must have woken up shortly after you left; your side of the bed was still warm but empty. I can't sleep in that big bed by myself, it's just too big," Reid commented, moving his good hand through Clooney's soft fur as the dog came over to greet him.

"Next time I'll leave Clooney to cuddle with you okay Pretty Boy?" Morgan joked, coming over for a good morning kiss only to be rejected by Reid's hand.

"Not until you shower," Reid said with a small smile, scrunching his nose for good measure. Morgan pretended to look hurt for a moment but inside he was pleasantly surprised by Reid's actions. He liked the fact that Reid felt comfortable enough to deny him things such as kisses when he didn't want them. It allowed Morgan to trust him to not push his limits for Morgan's sake.

"Alright, alright. I know when I'm not wanted. Hold down the fort Clooney," Morgan said, leaning down to scratch the dog behind his ears before heading into the bedroom for a quick shower and a change.

"If anyone is going to hold down the fort it's going to be me," Reid commented looking down at Clooney as if seriously demoting him, "after all I'm the one with two opposable thumbs." The dog tilted his head before licking Reid's hand and going back to his water bowl.

Reid finished his breakfast and went into the guest bedroom to pick out an appropriate outfit for the day. Recently, he had been stuck with t-shirts or simple long-sleeved shirts because of his cast and sling and he hated it; he already couldn't wait until he could start wearing sweaters and vests again because that was what he felt comfortable in. After he finished picking out a long sleeved emerald shirt and khaki pants he sat on the bed, deciding to wait for Morgan to finish his shower in the guest room instead of the den like he had for the past few days. He pulled out a book and began to read it while he waited, unable to read at his usual speeds because of his one arm handicap.

They had fallen into a comfortable routine during the past couple of days. Every morning Morgan would go on a run with Clooney, Reid would normally wake up shortly after he returned and was already in the shower. They would share a morning kiss and eat breakfast together. As Morgan cleaned the dishes from breakfast Reid would retreat to the guest bedroom to pick out his outfit for the day. Once he had laid it on the bed he would return to the den until Morgan was done cleaning. Morgan would help him get dressed; while Reid was dressing there would be no kissing because Reid's lack of clothing made him extremely uncomfortable. Then they would return to the den to read or watch TV until one of the team showed up. They would normally host whoever was there until after dinner, at which time Reid was half asleep. Morgan would help him take a bath and then dress him for bed. Once he was settled in the guest bed Morgan would be sure to give him a kiss goodnight before retreating to his own bedroom. Because only two of their team members knew about their relationship, and they rarely came alone or stayed long, Morgan and Reid's physical contact had been restricted to morning and evenings.

Though their physical contact had been limited they were both okay with that, Morgan was willing to take things as slow and Reid needed and Reid was still exploring the kissing stage and not quite ready for anything more than that. Morgan knew that every step they took was uncharted territory for Reid and he had to make sure that he didn't do anything that Reid would be uncomfortable with. He also knew that it killed Reid to be so uninformed about how everything works and had, on multiple occasions, thought about buying him some books on the subject. He knew if he did, Reid would be thoroughly embarrassed but grateful, the only thing was, he didn't know if he would be comfortable walking into a bookstore and purchasing multiple books on homosexual relationships and the inner workings of homosexual sex.

When Morgan finished with his shower and went in search of Reid he was a little surprised to find him engrossed in a book in the guest bedroom but didn't say anything about it, settling for standing in the doorway watching him. Eventually Reid noticed his presence and closed the book, making sure to look at the page number before doing so.

"Like what you see?" Reid asked with a smirk on his face. Morgan laughed and walked into the room, stopping at the foot of the bed. He leaned in for his good morning kiss and was rewarded for taking a shower by actually receiving one.

"It's not too bad a view, now let's get those clothes off you," Morgan said, the smile almost auditable as he spoke. Reid's eyes widened for a moment before he realized what Morgan meant by that and as Morgan moved to help him loosen the sling he made sure to get in a quick smack with his good hand.

As usual they had a few hiccups; Reid was extremely uncomfortable about Morgan seeing his body. He had tried to change himself on their first day home; he ended up twisting the wrong way while trying to pull his arm through the sleeve and letting out a loud pained moan that had Morgan running through the door. Morgan hadn't said anything, he simply moved Reid into a position that he knew he was comfortable in and helped him finish changing. Ever since then Reid had not protested when Morgan helped him dress and undress but they kept it very short and with as little skin on skin contact as possible.

Reid was soon fully dressed and out in the den, reading his book while Clooney's lounged on his feet. Morgan was in the kitchen trying to find something Reid hadn't eaten for breakfast when his phone rang. Both men looked up at the noise and their eyes met, each looking confused by the sudden sound.

Morgan grabbed his phone and stared at the number like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Is it the team?" Reid asked with a bit of trepidation. If it was the team and they had a case that Morgan was needed on he would be left all alone. He knew it was a possibility and that Garcia would come by after work and stay with him but he just hoped that he could have at least one day with Morgan before he was pulled away.

"No, it's my mom," Morgan replied, taking a deep breath and then flipping it open to answer it.

So there is the first chapter of Staying Together. I hope you liked it. Let me know where everyone is at through reviews and hopefully the next chapter will be up soon!