Since it's that time of the year, I thought I'd attempt to do a Christmas fic. This will be a two chapter story. Hope you find some enjoyment in it. Feel free to let me know :) Merry Christmas, and I hope you guys are safe and happy.

Secret Santa

It wasn't something they ordinary done at the task force, but Cooper came up with the idea all on his own.

He entered one morning, wearing his best suit and tie, hand clasped around his walking cane. In his other hand, was a Santa hat filled with names he had taken the effort to write-up the night before. It had been a successful year, mainly thanks to Agent Keen and her helpful informant, Reddington. They had brought down many criminals over the year and Cooper felt the team deserved to have a bit of fun and celebrate; Especially after all the personal trials each one of them had gone through.

So that was why he had the Santa hat dangling in his right hand.

"Attention everybody," he spoke up, lifting the Santa hat higher in the air so everyone could see it.

Agent Ressler groaned to himself and crossed his arms over his chest. Clearly Ressler was going to be The Grinch this year. At least Aram looked excited, and Cooper noticed him look Samar's way wistfully from where she stood beside him.

"I believe it is safe to say we have had a very successful year. As you all know, it's reaching Christmas time. A time for celebrations and frivolity. I thought what better way, than to do the traditional Secret Santa." He glanced at Agent Keen, who didn't look entirely present in the room. "I am sure you all know how this works. I took the time last night to write down the names. All you have to do now is pick a name out of the Santa hat, and then you'll know who you are buying a gift for. Are we ready?"

He grinned and moved towards Amar, who nervously plunged a hand in the Santa hat, feeling around the numerous papers in there.

Please Samar, please let it be Samar, he thought to himself desperately. Then he caught a piece of paper between his fingers and drew it out.

"Don't show anyone," Cooper reminded him sternly, then he moved to Agent Ressler next.

"Are you kidding me with all this?" Ressler asked doubtfully. "You do realize Christmas is mainly for the kids, right?"

Cooper gave him a look, and Ressler sighed before shoving his hand inside and pulling out the first piece of paper he found. Cooper moved to Agent Navabi next, and at least she didn't complain like Ressler did. She gave Cooper a tight-lipped smile before drawing out her piece of paper, and she curled it open with her fingers impatiently to see who her Secret Santa was. Cooper watched her face deflate a little and he chuckled quietly to himself before moving to Agent Keen.

"Your turn, Agent Keen," he told her gently, and she reached inside the Santa hat, her fingers touching a piece of paper almost instantly. She grasped it and drew it out, picking it open with her fingernails.

Oh, great.

Reddington.

Of all the people she had to randomly choose, it had to be Red? She sighed deeply. It was going to be hard to pick out a gift for him; Someone like him, who had practically everything he could ever want or need. Why was Cooper putting them through this?

Cooper picked out his own piece of paper from in the hat and sat the hat on the table, watching everyone's reactions.

Liz was lost at sea, stressing over what Red would possibly want as a gift, when Ressler sidled up to her. "Hey Keen," he whispered, nudging her shoulder, "Who'd you get?"

"Reddington," she confessed under her breath, not completely happy by that.

"Damn, that sucks."

"Who'd you get?"

"Aram."

Liz considered that, weighing it all up in her head. "So that means either Cooper or Samar or Aram got you." She looked around, belatedly realizing Red wasn't in the room. "Sir, Reddington's not here. He didn't get a name?"

"Yes, and he doesn't need one," Cooper informed her. "I believe it's obvious who Reddington will buy for this Christmas." Cooper said it in a way that told her it was meant to mean something to her, but she couldn't say she was following. She stared at him blankly, but then he shrugged, raising his voice and addressing the team again, "Okay, now that the fun part is over, let's get to work. We have stuff to do."

Despite focusing on the work they had to do, the names of who they had to buy for still lingered in the back of their minds. Aram was searching through the database, when Liz cornered him. "Hey, Aram. Who'd you get on the Secret Santa?"

He pressed a finger to his lips, warning her not to ruin the secret. Then he showed her the name on his piece of paper.

Samar. He looked glad, all things considered.

"That was the name I wanted in the first place," he admitted to her, his voice trembling with excitement. "What are the odds?"

"Nice," Liz sang, patting him on the shoulder congratulatory. It was no secret to her Aram had quite the soft spot for Samar. "What do you think you'll get her?"

"I... I don't know." Aram frowned. "I guess I haven't thought of that yet. But if you have any ideas, that would be totally awesome?"

She smiled at him. "I think I have a pretty decent idea."

"What? I'm all ears."

"Mistletoe," she answered, with a sly wink.

"Mistletoe?" he whispered back at her uncertainly.

"Yeah, you know. Mistletoe." He clearly wasn't getting it. "Get her under some mistletoe and, you know. Give her a kiss."

"Oh, right. That's the best idea. You don't mind if I use it, do you? I mean, you're not gonna use it on the person you got, right? Or... are you?"

Use the whole mistletoe-thing on Red?

"There's not a chance in hell I'm using the whole mistletoe thing on my guy. Especially not considering a while back I assumed he was my father. That'd be kind of awkward for him, you know?"

"Who is your guy?" Aram looked around, making sure no one was near them. "Agent Ressler?"

"Nope. Reddington."

"Oh." Aram gave her a long look of pity, as if he felt sorry for her having to buy a gift for the criminal. "Well, I'm glad I'm not you right now. On the bright side, mistletoe would still work, though?"

Liz tried to imagine herself getting Red cornered under some mistletoe. She tried to imagine herself actually getting close enough to kiss him on the mouth. Kissing Reddington was not something she imagined herself doing easily. Red was attractive, intelligent, and a pain, yes. But kissing him? Not possible. Then she found herself wondering who had drawn out her name. It wasn't Ressler, or Aram. Samar? Cooper?

"Do you know who got me?"

Aram frowned, narrowing his dark brown eyes in thought. "I...I don't think so." He shrugged and turned back to the computer screen. "Anyway, good luck. Glad I'm not you."

"Thanks. I think I'm actually gonna need it."

Liz pursed her lips thoughtfully, wondering what she was going to do. What could she get Reddington?

A hat? Heaven knows, he probably already had plenty of them as it was...

A new neck tie? A pair of socks?

Yeah, no. That seemed like something a wife would do, a gift a wife would buy her husband.

Mistletoe? Hmmm. But that would mean they would have to share a kiss, and who knew how Red would feel if she moved in to pucker one on him? She didn't exactly want to cross any lines or make him feel uncomfortable in doing so. At least Aram had some luck in getting Samar; the person he initially wanted to buy a gift for in the first place. But Liz found herself really stuck. What on earth was she going to get Reddington?

How ironic it was, that she was the one he mainly spoke to and spent time with and, yet, she was clueless when it came to knowing what to get him as a gift. Goddamn Cooper for making all of them do this silly thing. Maybe Ressler was right? Isn't Christmas solely for the children?

Maybe she could subtly snoop around and ask Reddington what he liked or needed? He usually was never very forthcoming with her, however. When she met up with him later in the day, she found him by himself in the park, in the middle of a game of chess by himself.

When she went to move one of the knights on him as a joke, he made a noise of frustration and swatted her hand away. "Uh-uh. Don't touch, Lizzie."

"Red, what do you need?" she asked him, straight-to-the-point.

"What do I need?" He glanced up at her, finally giving her his attention. "Well, that's a tricky question, isn't it? Who ever really knows what they truly need in life?"

"Please, don't get all philosophical on me. I mean, in terms of... things." She found it hard to phrase it so he didn't get suspicious; If he found out early that he was her Secret Santa and that she was buying him a gift, the whole thing would be blown. "Socks? Hats? Another pen to the neck?"

She fought against the urge to look away from his eyes as he sat up straighter, eyeing her unnervingly with his head cocked to the side. "Why do you ask, Lizzie? Why all these questions?"

"It's nothing," she said firmly. "I just need to know what you need. Is there anything at all?"

"Honestly, Lizzie?"

"Yes," she huffed out impatiently. "Please be honest with me."

He pointed at something behind her, an inch or two above her shoulder. "Honestly, I need one of those." Turning to look, her stomach sank when she realized he was pointing to a stand where a man was selling scoops of lime sorbet ice-cream. It wasn't exactly the answer she had looked for. "Sitting here, it's been nagging at me all morning. It's like it's teasing me, Lizzie. Let's call this game a 'checkmate', and let's get some ice-cream."

Red really wasn't going to make it easy on her. But for the sake of keeping everything peaceful between them, she followed him over and got some ice-cream herself.

Hope you enjoyed the beginning? I don't know if it's too early for a Christmas fic, but oh well. :)