Title: Visiting
By: jiskah
Pairing: Prentiss/Reid friendship
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Rating: PG
Dislcaimer: Nothing's mine. All belongs to CBS and Ed Bernero. I really would like to have Reid for me. :)
Author's Notice: Yeah, I know just another post "Minimal Loss" one-shot but hell, this episode just made me write. I missed something like this at the and of the episode and so I wrote it.
Summary: On a night out Emily has something very unusual in mind for Reid. Set after *52 pick up*.

***

It was in the aftermath of the Cyrus case that brought Spencer Reid to his colleague´s apartment in the early morning. He needed to know why Emily had blown her cover. Intellectual he knew it. He was the only one who could get through Cyrus and play him like a puppet to save the hostages. But the emotional part still didn´t understand it and he wanted to understand her.

They both had got a few days off to recover from it and so there was enough time to think. Too much time.

When she opened her door he was shocked to say the least. Her beautiful face was still swollen and the bruises more than visible. A reminder of what she had to bear for him. He swallowed hard.

Bewilderment was meanwhile written all over Emily Prentiss´ face.

"Reid? What are you doing here this early?"

"I uhm need to talk to you."

"Sure, come in."

She let him in and led him to the living area. No one needed to say Reid was nervous, he was radiating it in a way you could feel it. He fumbled with his sleeves in a way she saw last time when they met for the first time.

"Everything´s ok?" Prentiss asked concerned.

"Yeah, I ...it´s just I don´t understand."

"Understand what?"

"Why did you blow your cover?"

She was surprised he asked this of all questions he could ask.

"You were the only one who could talk to Cyrus. I needed to."

Reid looked down. For a moment he was thinking this back and forth.

"You didn´t need to. He pointed the gun at me. He didn´t think you were the agent."

"That´s why I needed to."

Not understanding he locked eyes with her.

"Why?"

"He pointed a gun at you. This time I could save you. This time you didn't need to go through this alone."

"But he beat you."

"And probably would have killed you. I could take the beating."

He fell silent for a moment.

"It´s because of Tobias, isn´t it? You said this time. It´s because of Tobias and what he did to me."

Prentiss shook her head in an uncertain gesture.

"I don´t know. Maybe it was. Hell, you have an unhealthy habit of being the victim and I wanted to change that."

"You wanted to take the beatings for me?"

"Somehow. I wanted you to be safe and that has nothing to do with me thinking you a kid. You were my partner in this and I wanted to be sure you were ok. I couldn´t stand if something would have happened to you. No one would. We are family and take care of each other."

Reid flashed a weak smile.

"The same thing JJ did said after she needed to shoot Battle. She said she would give everything for her family."

"So everything is fine?"

"Yeah, I guess... You know, when we are a kind of family I don´t know where to put you."

She looked at him questioning.

"Well, Gideon was like a father figure. Hotch kind of uncle or something like that. Rossi is more an idol you look up to when you grow up. Penelope is an older sister like Derek is the older brother. JJ is the nice cousin you like to hang around with. But I don´t know where to put you."

A smile appeared on her face even if it hurt badly.

"The second older sister who beats the crap out of everybody who hurts her little brother."

He started to laugh.

"Isn´t it the job of Derek as big brother?"

She thought for a moment.

"Mhmm, no. Or at least not alone. And you know Penelope and I will check every girlfriend of yours."

"Funny. You´ll never know if there is a girl."

"Don´t say that, for this we have Derek."

Smiling he shook his head in disbelief and stood up.

"I think I better go know."

"Why? We don´t need to go to work and I have Arabic coffee here. So why don´t you stay for breakfast?"

His face lit up at the mentioning of coffee combined with an impish smile.

"Sure, big sister."

Laughing she slapped his arm and went to make some coffee. This time they came out of it undamaged. Till the next time.

***