You followed Penelope through the bullpen doors, arms supporting a brown box with your belongings. Breathing deeply, you mentally prepared for your first day as an agent of the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI.

"Y/N?" A familiar male voice asked, halting your footsteps in their tracks.

Almost dropping the box in your hands, you recovered quickly, gaping at the tall man in front of you. "Morgan?"

"You know our resident Chocolate Thunder? Oh, Morgan, please tell me you haven't already corrupted the new girl," Penelope groaned.

"I-um, no, we actually just went on a date last week," you said, dumbstruck. "You said you worked a government job, I had no idea it was here."

Morgan chuckled, stepping towards you with a little more ease in his demeanor. "You didn't tell me you applied for the FBI."

"I told you I had a desk job," you shrugged. "I guess I didn't feel the need to specify that it was with the Child Protection Unit."

"What brings you to the BAU? It's a lot field work," he asked, brows furrowed.

You grinned. "I've wanted to transfer here for about a year now, but my mom was sick so I didn't have time to complete field training. Thankfully she's in recovery so I was able to get it done and apply."

"Well, I guess I won't have to cancel our dinner plans tonight after all," he chuckled, moving to take your box from your hands.

You let him ease it out of your arms, following him to the empty desk conveniently across from his. "You we're going to cancel?"

"We've got a case today, honey girl," he grinned, setting down the box on the desk. You tried to ignore the flutter in your stomach at the nickname. "I was going to text you right before you walked in. Since I assume you'll be going with us though, I think we can make other arrangements."

You were suddenly aware of the rest of the teams eyes on you and Morgan, listening to the entire interaction. Your cheeks and ears flushed hot.

"Oh, I don't know if Hotch will want me to-"

"Y/N, welcome in," Hotch, your new boss, trotted down the stairs from his office. "I hope your ready to hit the ground running. It's wheels up in thirty."

"That we fly out in thirty minutes," Penelope explained helpfully, a broad smile on her face. "Well, you all do, I'll be here in my bat cave doing all the fun tech stuff."

Morgan grinned at you. "You were saying?"

With wide eyes, you shrugged. "I guess we're still on for tonight then."

You chewed on your cheek as one of the other agents, Prentiss, filled you in on the case. It was a suspected serial in Miami, with four little girls abducted within the span of two months. Three turned up dead.

Your stomach turned as you boarded the jet, and not just from the details of the crimes. Planes had always made you incredibly nervous.

A warm hand at the small of your back startled you slightly as you entered the lounge area of the aircraft. "You okay, Y/N?"

You gulped and nodded up at him, allowing his warm eyes to sooth you. That was the thing that stuck out to you most on your first date. The kind, solid warmth in his eyes. It was almost enough to make the slight nausea you felt ebb away.

Almost.

"I know it's a lot," he sighed, maneuvering you to sit next to him on a couch along the side of the jet. His arm slung across the back behind you, a laidback presence you knew was already making you fall hard. "The first case is always the toughest. We can't save everyone. I think that's the hardest lesson to learn."

You breathed deeply as you nodded, the jet sealing shut and moving forward, preparing to take off. You feared that if you spoke, your voice would crack or you would puke. Neither one was an attractive option.

He leaned closer as the others discussed theories and Spencer connected the case with a similar one from the sixties. "That's not all, is it? What else is bothering you?"

Your expression twisted as the plane took off, and you couldn't help but fist the fabric of your black slacks, your breathing short. You tried to answer but nothing came out.

Morgan began to move, and Prentiss asked if you were okay. "I think our newest agent has a little bit of airplane anxiety." He said, giving the others a look that must have conveyed to leave you alone, because they returned to their discussion moments later.

Morgan returned quickly with a glass of water, coming to rest on his knees in front of you. "Hey, look at me." You hadn't realized you had balled your fists into your eyes, your ears ringing.

"Drink some of this for me," he held the class of water in front of your hands, realizing they were shaking too much to grasp it. Instead, he lifted it to your mouth himself, fingers grazing the side of your face as you drank a few sips.

"Good, that's good." He set the cup down on the table beside you, and you couldn't help but feel a bit mortified at the situation. What kind of FBI agent gets plane-sick on their first day? "Okay, now focus on my eyes, sweetheart. Watch my breathing and copy me."

You perked up at that slightly, his cool hands soothing your sweating palms as he grounded you with his firm grip. You gazed into his eyes as he instructed and followed the fluid movement of his breath as it shifted his solid chest up and down, his head moving slightly up and down.

Soon you felt much calmer, reaching over and taking a few more sips of water. "Atta girl. See? You're okay."

"This is so embarrassing," you whispered to him, eyes shifting over to the others whom you knew must be mortified by now.

"Hey, don't worry about it, okay? This is nothing new to us. Spencer used to have panic attacks at hotels all the time because he didn't think they were sanitary," he chuckled, smoothing some hair back off your damp forehead.

"How was I supposed to know when they last washed the sheets?" Spencer cried in defense.

The others snickered.

"Y/N, don't be embarrassed. A little airplane anxiety doesn't make you any less of a good agent," Prentiss said, the blonde next to her, JJ, nodding in agreement.

"Have you two...?" Hotch gestured between you and Morgan with a raised brow.

"You missed it earlier," Rossi nudged Hotch. "The two of them went on a date last week. Neither of them knew the other worked for the FBI."

Hotch looked surprised. "How did you meet?"

Morgan lifted himself up to sit next to you again, closer this time, his hand patting your knee lightly. "You want to tell them?"

You groaned, covering your face with your hands. "We really don't have to talk about it."

"Remember after the last case when we were all at the bar downtown? And my shirt got ruined?"

You giggled into your hands despite how hot your cheeks flared.

"She spilled some kind of nasty fruity little drink all over my favorite white tee shirt," Morgan chuckled, his hand still resting on your knee. He gave it a playful squeeze. "I was mad until I looked at who ran into me. She was just so cute I couldn't really be upset. So I told her I could forgive her if she gave me her number."

"And you slapped him for having the audacity, right?" Prentiss snorted, addressing you.

You lowered your hands, turning to smile at Morgan. "I mean, I guess I could've. But he was just kept begging over and over-"

The others burst out laughing as Morgan feigned offense.

"Hey, hey, hey, let's not make a habit of lyin' now," he rolled his eyes, pulling you slightly closer to his side, in contrast to his words.

Your laughter finally died down and you looked around the spacious jet. "I seriously can't believe this is my life now. I've wanted to be out in the field for years."

Prentiss made a noise of disagreement. "I hate to bring the mood down, but just wait until we get there. The field isn't always what it's chalked up to be."

The others nodded solemnly, except for Morgan who patted your shoulder with his hand that was back around you. "You'll be fine. Just make sure you take a breather if it gets overwhelming. No one expects you to be used to any of this right off the bat."

You smiled up at him, a warmth spreading through your chest. You found yourself suddenly feeling so grateful that you had someone you already knew, at least a little bit, to make the transition to such a heavy job at least a little easier.

Contrary to all the wild stories Prentiss, JJ, Reid, and the others had to tell about Morgan, he was a perfect sweetheart to you. He held your hand dutifully during the jet's decent to the airport in Miami. He carried your go-bag, which was quite hefty and overpacked for your first time, effortlessly over his shoulder as he carried his own at his side. He even held every door he could for you, his sudden chivalry causing the women on the team to tease him.

"I'm jealous, Y/N, he never treats us, this nicely," Prentiss playfully shoved at his shoulder as she spoke to you.

"Prentiss, if I held the door open for you, you would kick me and tell me you can hold your own damn door," Morgan chuckled, unfazed as he slid his sunglasses on.

"Damn straight, I would," Prentiss replied, her expression smug as she carried on in front, leaving you behind with Morgan.

"Should I be concerned that you apparently are normally a jerk towards all other women?" You smirked up at him.

He slammed his hand against his heart, "Ouch! That one hurt."

"I'm just teasing," you giggled, "but seriously, you don't have to go out of your way to do things for me, especially if it's not genuine. You don't have to put on an act for me."

He stopped, tugging on your hand, causing you to spin around and face him. "Sweetheart, none of this is a show. If I didn't want to do any of this for you, I wouldn't. Do I do it for everyone? No. Cause I don't have an interest in every woman I meet, especially not a special one like you."

You raised your brows, not expecting an answer like this.

He pulled you a fraction of an inch closer, until you could feel his breath lightly on your face. Gently, with a ghosting touch, he held your chin in between his fingers, hold your gaze onto hisl. "If I wasn't being genuine or didn't care, I would have charmed you straight into my bed by now. Or at least I would have tried my damndest to."

Your breath hitched as you watched a slow smile slide onto his brilliantly sculpted features. Not even a second later, he was spinning you back around and walking towards the large SUV ahead, leaving you too stunned to speak.

Oh, this was going to be fun.