Chapter 2

The unmistakeable swagger of Derek Morgan. Emily Prentiss laughed to herself as her confident co-worker strutted into the office, broad shoulders held proudly under the tight-fitting sweater he wore.

"Morning, all," he said with a satisfied look on his face

"Let me guess, an underwear model?" Prentiss asked feigning a look of disapproval, "or was she an aspiring actress, looking for her big break?"

"No idea what you're talking about," Morgan replied, not missing a beat.

"Oh come on, you always come in with that cocky look after you scored with a...hottie," Prentiss chuckled, snapping out of her stern pretence.

"Can't a guy just be in a good mood after a great night's sleep?" Morgan asked. This time it was his turn to joke, feigning a look of hurt, "and please, never say 'hottie', ever again...'

The friends laughed and looked down at the piles of paperwork on their respective desks.

"Huh, looks like Reid got a good start on the paper work for our last case...but boy genius didn't finish..." Morgan said scanning the records in front of him.

"He's been a little off lately, he probably just wanted to get home I guess, relax a bit," Prentiss said. She was a compassionate soul and she understood the lasting effects Reid suffered from earlier trauma. She knew that he needed space, and the team mustn't crowd him with anything, even work.

As the pair began to go through their files (much to Morgan's chagrin) Hotch appeared from his office and stalked over to their desks in the bullpen.

"So who was she, Morgan?" he asked, his rare joke making Prentiss guffaw as a small smile tweaked his own mouth. Before Morgan shot back a retort, he looked around to Reid's desk, "Have either of you seen Reid today?"

"No, he's not in yet," Prentiss said, concern crossing her face, "What's up?"

Hotch sighed, "Strauss wants him to do a psych eval.,"

"What?" Morgan exclaimed angrily, "He's fine, why would he need some shrink -"

"Hankel," Prentiss and Hotch said at the same time.

"It's around this year he tends to get a little introverted... He obviously still suffers mild PTSD, understandably," Hotch said, his face set in its usual serious countenance, "I just wanted to talk to him before Strauss gets her claws in him."

"Ah man," was all Morgan managed as he thought about his younger colleague and what he had gone through 5 years earlier. Suddenly a pysch eval. didn't seem so crazy.

"Yeah, well, send him into my office when he gets here," Hotch said, sharing a meaningful glance at Prentiss before he returned to his office. Prentiss blushed when she saw Morgan smirking at her.

"Only a matter of time..." he murmured teasingly.

"What?" Prentiss asked indignantly, her blush deepening.

Morgan merely chuckled knowingly and turned back to his desktop. Prentiss huffed and looked down at her own work, letting her gaze linger on the door of Hotch's office before she submerged herself in paperwork and records.