Spencer Reid chose red foil wrap for the small bottle of gardenia scented perfume. He wrapped it meticulously and placed a tiny silver bow on top. He picked up the videos he'd bought, "The Notebook," and "Tristan and Insole." She would like those, he thought, smiling to himself. She always loved romances. He wrapped them together in blue paper and placed them in the large box with the other presents. He wanted the package to look festive when she opened it, wrapping each gift in a different color. If she was having a good day, she would be delighted by the brightly colored presents. Of course, if it was a bad day, she would merely scowl and ask "what the hell is this?" The last gift he placed in the box was a tin of peppermints. He signed her card "To Mother, With love, Spencer." He placed it on top, and sealed and addressed the package.
It was a two block walk to the post office. He put on his heavy jacket and gloves. It would be easier to walk than trying to find a parking space. Besides, he enjoyed looking at the lights and decorations in the various shops along the way.
It was a dark, grey day with a cold, biting wind. The forecast was calling for snow towards evening. Spencer liked snow. He grew up in Las Vegas, and it wasn't until he moved to Virginia that he made his first snowball. It was to throw at Morgan in retaliation for the one his co-worker playfully pegged him with going into FBI Headquarters one stormy morning.
There were scores of last minute shoppers on the streets. He was glad to see he wasn't the only procrastinator. He paused for a minute by the toy shop on the corner. It had a huge Christmas tree in the window with a train set running beneath it that reminded him of the train set he was given when he was seven. He and his father put it together under their tree on Christmas Eve. Young Spencer loved rearranging the buildings and figures in the village. It was the last Christmas he remembered his life being normal. By the next holiday, his mother's illness had become severe. She refused to get dressed or even get out of bed. What he remembered most about the last holidays his parents were together was the screaming. By the time he was eleven, his dad was gone.
It was December 24. Diana Reid's package would arrive at the hospital two days late, but she wouldn't know the difference. His mother rarely knew what day it was. As he stood in the line at the post office, he recalled how hurtful it was when he returned to school after Christmas vacations. The other students would be talking about how they celebrated and what gifts they had received, but Spence had no such memories to share.
Coming out of the post office, he turned up his collar. The wind was blowing harder. He doubted that the bad weather would hold off much longer. Morgan had caught an early flight out this morning, hoping to be in Chicago ahead of the storm. He'd invited Spence to go with him to his mother's. "She's a great cook and she loves having company," Derek told him, but Spencer lied and said he would be flying to Las Vegas.
At the office party last night, Penelope Garcia and her boyfriend, Kevin, invited him to Christmas dinner, but he declined their invitation, too. He told everyone the same lie; he would be going to Vegas to visit his mother. He didn't want his friends feeling sorry for him and he didn't want to intrude on anyone's plans. JJ was going to New Orleans to be with Will. Rossi said something about visiting grandchildren. Emily would be in DC with her parents. Even Hotch was excited about the holiday. He son would be visiting overnight.
Last year, Spencer spent Christmas at Gideon's cabin. The two men drank spiced rum and played chess by the warmth of the fireplace on Christmas Eve. Gideon made dinner the next day. The man was a wonderful cook. Spencer enjoyed it immensely, since most of his meals came from a microwave. Damn, he missed Gideon. Losing him was like losing his father all over again. He understood why he left. After his friend was murdered in his own apartment, he came close to a nervous breakdown. Still, it didn't make it any easier.
There was a gift on his coffee table from Gideon. It had arrived yesterday and was postmarked El Paso. He would open it in the morning, along with the presents from his teammates. It was something to look forward to.
He was grateful to be back inside his cozy apartment. He made a pot of coffee to warm up. He plugged in the lights on the tree in his living room. He always put up a small tree, even if no one else would see it. There were so many years he didn't have one growing up. He sat down on his recliner and sipped his coffee, watching the twinkling lights. Outside, snow began to fall, as softly as the tears that fell from Spencer's eyes.