AN: This story is dedicated to my dear friend, Naidoo, who came to visit me recently. We went to a festival just like this! Thanks, honey, for traveling to see me...I've been chirping happily ever since...Just a little fluff between Reid/Prentiss (Not my usual) and Morgan/Garcia...

Chapter 1

It was a normal Friday afternoon, end of the workday, like always. Most of the team had already left for the weekend, since they'd put in so many hours in the field, leaving just Penelope and a few others behind to finish up some paperwork compliance to keep Strauss and the other bigwigs happy.

At least, it had appeared to be a normal day.

She'd been in the middle of typing a final submission, when something made Penelope look up and do a double take out her door. What on Earth was that? She stood, unable to believe her eyes. Was she seeing things? That couldn't have been what she thought it was. She peaked out her door...and saw that she hadn't been mistaken.

Spencer Reid had just hurried past her lair, dressed like an elf, complete with green tights, boots, tunic shirt, and a felt hat with a feather in it.

Curiosity killed the Penelope. "Reid!" she called out, rushing after him as fast as she could go in her four inch heels. Those shoes did not help her case; Reid had quickly retreated down the hallway and disappeared into the stairwell.

Confused and questioning this oddity, Penelope turned back to her office and flipped her phone on. She quickly dialed her number one on her speed dial.

"Hey, baby."

"Why would Reid be dressed like an elf?" she asked.

"What?" Derek chuckled. "Woman, have you been drinking and you didn't invite me? Shame on you..."

"No, silly," she answered quickly. "I'm still at work. I know what I saw; Reid raced past here, decked out in an elf costume, so quick, he was like a green flash."

She could hear Derek's barely restrained mirth. "Sweetheart, I have no idea why he'd be dressed like an elf. That's damned funny. Aren't they short? Or is that just the Keebler® kind?"

She contemplated that for a moment. "No, I think you're right. They're little."

"He's taller than me; he'd be one big ass elf." He paused, and then asked, "Are you sure it was him?"

She sighed exasperatedly. "Yes, it was him. I may wear glasses, my lover, but I am not blind."

"Hush, sugar. I believe you," he said, still chuckling. "We'll find out on Monday."

"Love bug, we need to do this delicately," she warned with caution. "No attacking."

"Of course," he said dismissively, before switching the subject. "You coming over tonight?"

"Uh huh. I just need to get the Pad Thai, and I'm there."

"All right, P. Love you," he said, causing her heart to skip a beat, like it always did when he said those words to her.

"I love you, too."

Penelope was going to shoot Derek. The first words out of his mouth when Reid walked into the round table room were, "Hey, pretty boy! What was up with the Gandalf outfit on Friday?"

She could literally see Reid's internal trap slam shut. She pinched Derek's thigh under the table, hard.

"Gandalf?" Reid asked, both eyebrows up, after he'd regained his composure. "You must've been mistaken. I wouldn't dress like Gandalf." He shrugged coolly. "Must've been some other genius."

Oooh, very nicely played, Penelope thought. Unlike years ago, Reid was no longer so easy to bait and tease. Morgan seemed to forget that; Penelope knew that Derek would never see that progression; he would always be the antagonistic older brother, no matter how old Reid got.

Still, she had to be on Derek's side in this situation—like in most. She was dying to know what the deal was. However, she knew she needed a different plan of attack.

"Reid, I saw you," she asked, smiling softly at him with curiosity. "You were dressed all in green...just like an elf. What was going on?"

He met her eyes, and she could see the war in his head. Eventually, like she'd hoped, he cracked.

"I wasn't an elf," he grumbled. "I was Robin Hood."

"Ha! You were dressed like Gandalf!" Morgan crowed.

"I was Robin Hood!" Reid hissed defensively. "Besides that, Gandalf isn't even an elf. They'd given him one of the rings, but if you—"

"Did you just say Robin Hood?" JJ asked, walking in to the room. "Why were you dressed like Robin Hood, Spence?"

Reid groaned and sunk further into his chair, like he wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole.

"Do tell," Prentiss added, following JJ into the room with a smirk, and Reid's groan turned into a growl of frustration.

"Very well," he said, sitting up and sighing. "I know none of you will let this go until I tell you. I am in a human chess tournament at the Renaissance Faire."

"Human chess?" JJ asked.

"Oh, I know that!" Emily replied in an excited tone of voice. "That's where people dress up like the players on a chess board, and they move and battle and..." She trailed off as Derek stared at her. "What?"

"How in the hell would you know that?" Derek asked, teasing Emily's poor inner geek. Every once in a while, Prentiss let her show...adorable thing that she was.

Em's cheeks flushed. "I used to do stuff like that when I was younger."

Reid ignored Derek's chuckle and addressed Emily, "That's exactly it. I am doing it for charity. There's a big brother/big sister program in the area that I'm helping. I'm not a player, per se; I'm the chess master."

"Versus the Sheriff of Nottingham?" Penelope asked, genuinely curious.

Reid laughed. "Very astute, Garcia." He began explaining more. "It was only for a few weekends in September, but then I kept winning matches. Now, I'm there until the Faire ends."

"When is that?" JJ asked, and Penelope could tell from the tone in her voice, there was more to that question than meets the eye.

"This weekend is the last one," he said with a sigh. "I'm going to miss it. It has been a lot of fun."

"Doesn't give us much time, does it?" JJ asked, smiling over at Penelope and Emily.

"We could scrounge something up," Emily added, completely on board.

Reid and Morgan both looked confused, prompting Reid to ask, "What are you people talking about?"

"Will would go. We can bring Henry, and he would love it," JJ gushed. "He likes being outdoors."

"I think Kevin would probably go," Penelope added. She and Kevin had been growing apart; she hadn't been talking very much to him lately and didn't know for sure if he'd want to go. "I could find tights for him."

Reid flushed pink this time. "They're not tights! They're hosen," he grumbled.

"That would be great!" Prentiss added, ignoring Reid. "All of us could go in costume."

"Hot Stuff?" Penelope asked hopefully, smiling at Derek. It was her most convincing smile. "I can find a costume for you, too. A swashbuckler, or a knight, or-"

"Oh, no," he said, shaking his head. "Hell, no. I am not going to this nerd fest for any amount of money."

"Come on, sugar lips," Penelope pleaded. "To support Reid." Penelope pouted, but trying dramatically to change his mind. She really wished he'd go; everything was more fun with Derek. "You'd get to be with me, too..."

"No, baby," he said staunchly, and she felt her heart ache just a bit. "I got some houses I need to work on, which is more important than me prancing around in costume."

She couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice as she whined, "Can't you work on them another-"

"Okay, team," Hotch interrupted, coming in. "Enough talk about men in tights—"

"Hosen!" Reid growled.

Hotch chuckled. "Let's get to work."