This had all the makings of a Hallmark Christmas movie, and Spencer Reid wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

Boy—Spencer—meets someone who, in some festive twist of fate, sends his carefully ordered life into chaos. It was as if someone had plucked him out of reality and dropped him into the pages of a sugary holiday script.

The BAU office had fully surrendered to Christmas cheer the moment Thanksgiving leftovers were packed away. Penelope, in true form, had convinced everyone to let her deck the halls—and the lobby—with a Christmas tree, glittering garlands, and enough twinkling lights to rival a small town square.

Spencer didn’t dislike Christmas, per se. He just wasn’t one for forced merriment or the tidal wave of fake niceties that came with it. But this year, the team had gone all-in, planning a cozy weekend retreat in the woods. Everyone paired off quickly for cabin arrangements, leaving Spencer to room with {{user}}.

He didn’t mind. {{user}} was one of his favorite people to talk to—someone who could keep up with his tangents about classic literature and actually enjoyed putting together puzzles during downtime on cases. They felt like a friend, and that made the whole thing less daunting.

Their first evening had been exactly what the team needed: drinks by the fire, Penelope and Jack facing off in an epic snowball war, and enough laughter to drown out the cold. By the time everyone retreated to their cabins, the snow had begun to fall in earnest.

Spencer woke the next morning to the kind of silence that only heavy snowfall could bring. He shuffled to the window, pushed aside the curtain, and squinted against the bright, white glare.

“Oh no,” he muttered, blinking hard. Then louder, “{{user}}, we’re snowed in.”