WARNINGS: Slash (if you spot it. If you just don't see it, then that's how you read it) and slight OOC
DISCLAIMERS: I do not own Criminal Minds nor do I own any of the characters that are mentioned in the following story. The TV crime drama, Criminal Minds, and its characters are property of CBS.

Four victims. One missing. Males and females in their twenties. All blondes.

Spencer Reid looked at the information laid on the whiteboard, as he leaned against the head of the table. On one hand, fingers drummed the table with a red marker in the rhythm of some song he could remember if one cared enough to ask him. The other hand was on his chin, the index finger rested on his lips contemplatively.

The victims would turn up about two weeks after declared missing. They had just gotten the case yesterday morning. Judging by the precedent, the time frame they had left to find Arthur Webber was-

"Five days left."

Reid jumped a little as Morgan settled down beside him. "We still have five days left. You don't have to bust your pretty little head quite yet." Smiling, Morgan handed him a cup of coffee and Reid accepted gratefully. The two sipped their coffee in silence as they studied the board.

Fortunately, the case was taking place close enough that they didn't need to fly this time. Eyeing the map, Reid stood and drew points where the bodies were found and where they went missing. The unsub had a penchant for abducting the victims right off of quiet roads in the dead of night. Typical, nothing out of the ordinary there. Reid hummed to himself. With a pencil, he traced over the roads that the victims were on when they went missing.

"Hey, Morgan?"

He had been sitting here with his arms crossed over his chest this whole time, watching the gears in Reid's head turn. Morgan walked over the Reid and draped an arm around the boy genius's shoulders. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Can you get me the addresses of the victims?"

"Sure, no problem." He grinned and ruffled Reid's hair, "Be back in a few. Don't miss me too much."

Reid mumbled something to prove he was somewhat listening.

From outside the bullpen, Aaron Hotchner quietly sipped his own coffee, leaving no indication that he was figuring out a rather interesting mystery of his own. His brown eyes watched the interaction between his two younger colleagues with a fair amount of amusement. This had been going on for quite a while now and he was getting curious as to when something would change in the dynamics of their relationship- or lack of.

"You know, it's pretty creepy when you do that."

Hotch turned his head slightly to see that Prentiss had made herself comfortable next to him, both leaning over the railing and staring into the bullpen in identical positions. "What is?"

"The profiling, analyzing thing. To someone not used to it, it would just look like your regular, run of the mill, stalker stare."

Snorting, Hotch turned his attention again to the two young profilers in front of the board. Morgan had just returned with the addresses. Reid was looking intently over the newly presented information. Morgan was looking intently at Reid. "Please. This is just an evaluation of sorts."

Prentiss scoffed.

"Hey, you have to admit. This is pretty entertaining," he said, gesturing at the two. Reid sprang up and started fervently writing on the map right as Morgan tried to oh-so-casually put his arm around Reid's shoulders again.

"People watching, are we?" JJ smiled as she joined them by the railing. "Can't miss out on quality fun time with the team now, can I? Whatcha up to?"

Prentiss pointed to the show occuring front and center stage. The three watched Morgan as Morgan watched Reid as Reid went from the board to the papers to the files to the map.

"God, I almost feel bad for him."

Prentiss hummed, brushing her dark hair back behind her shoulders. "It can't be easy."

Hotchner frowned. "Wait. This 'him', is-"

"Reid," both women answered simulataneuously.

"What?" Hotchner shook his head. "No, Morgan definitely has it worse. Reid doesn't even know about it."

"Oh, please," Prentiss said. "He knows. The kid's not a genius for nothing."

"You mean to tell me that Reid knows?!"

"Everyone and their mothers know! We know, Garcia knows, even Rossi knows. Morgan isn't exactly hiding it well."

Hotchner frowned, a wrinkle forming in between his eyebrows. "If Reid knows, why hasn't he done something about it already?"

The two women looked at him almost pitifully. "Well, we only said that Reid knows. That doesn't mean that he knows what to do now."

"Reid isn't exactly an expert on these kinds of things. He wouldn't even have noticed if it hadn't been going on for so long. He's probably just hoping it will fade away on by itself if he ignores it for long enough."

JJ nodded. "Right. He's probably already thought this out much further than any of us have. If he was outright hostile to Morgan, it would affect their friendship and the work environment."

"And Reid is nothing, if not professional."

"Exactly," JJ said. "If he responds warmly to Morgan, Morgan might- no, will interpret it as something else and that would affect their friendship and work environment just the same. He's stuck between a rock and a hard place. So for now, he just plays dumb."

"Ironic," Prentiss smirked. "I wonder how many times he's had to do that before."

"I still don't see how Reid has it worse than Morgan. At least Reid knows. Morgan doesn't know that Reid knows. Morgan doesn't even know that we know."

Prentiss and JJ shooks their heads and sighed. "Think about it, Hotchner. If you were in Reid's position, you would feel awkward too."

JJ smirked, "Even more so if you actually were Reid."

"But it's been six months since it started. Don't you think Reid would have figured out by now that it won't just magically disappear?"

"He has figured that out. He is just really hoping it will happen anyway."

"Huh." Hotchner had to admit, it kind of sucked that he was out-profiled by the two less experienced women, though he supposed a woman's intuition really counted for something when it came down to these situations. "You think Morgan has a chance?"

The three watched as Reid jumped a little and shouted, "Guys! I got it!" He waved them over and they waved back weakly.

Morgan grinned, "I knew you could do it, pretty boy." He leaned over and gave the genius a hug, in which Reid noticably stiffened and froze. He didn't hug him back, but he didn't run away either.

The three profilers thought about it.

"Hard to say."