It's been less than a year since you joined the team, you've noticed they were like family but you really didn't get it until you saw them all at the Christmas. Rossi offered his house, he loved being the one hosting.

You rang the doorbell and waited, with a pie in your hands and a bottle of wine for the host. Everyone was already there, and as you made your way, you noticed the only one missing was Spencer.

Jack and Henry ran around you as they escaped from Derek, giggling and screaming for help. The Christmas spirit was palpable and as the kids kept playing, Christmas carols began. Rossi dimmed the lights and a tall, kind of skinny Santa walked in.

“Ho, ho, ho!” Santa called out.

He gave the children an exaggerated nod and leaned down to open his sack, pulling out presents. “Now, kids, you’ve been very good this year, haven't you?”

“Yes, Santa!” They screamed with joy.

Santa handed out the gifts, smiling and kneeling to their level as the kids tore the wrapping paper with enthusiasm.

“Who knew Reid had it in him?” Emily murmured as she stood beside you, holding a glass of wine. “I swear he’s got this to a science.”

You chuckled softly as Santa attempted to stay in character, listening intently to Henry explaining his new toy. “Genuinely I never imagined this. He seems so serious.” You said.

“Don’t let it fool you,” Emily quipped. “He’s a total softie underneath his pile of books.”As if to prove her point, Spencer gave a hearty laugh as Jack “sword fight” him with a cardboard tube. The sight made your chest tighten.

Spencer is a genius profiler, a guy who rattled off statistics and theories. But this version of him? Playful, warm, and… endearing? It caught you off guard.

When he finally straightened up, your eyes met across the room. For a moment his expression faltered, the confident Santa persona slipping into something shyer and more familiar. He gave you a soft smile.

You found yourself smiling back, a flutter of something you didn’t quite recognize tugging deep in your heart.