Black as Snow

My gift to Amberley-gubler for the Christmas Gift Exchange. Contains slash. Prompts: Santa Baby, red lace panties (although I had no clue as to how to incorporate this...), mistletoe, and Christmas cookies

The muted footsteps and car's roaring engine were as solemn as the mood. One by one the lights in the police station beyond flickered into the darkness that engulfed the world. Across the street residential houses were lit with bright Christmas lights, the families inside so blissfully ignorant. Worked to their bones today, the team climbed into the dark FBI cars and drove along the lonely road away from the station. Staying at the case when they were all tired and half delirious never helped anyone, so they were driving back to the hotel with low spirits.

For Christmas, the night was much darker and depressing than it should have been. Everyone had places they wanted to be, but duty always called first and foremost. King of Prussia- the name held some significance to the case that Reid couldn't grasp for the life of him now- was a community centered on a shopping mall. Even the murders there didn't thwart its customers. No doubt someone else would be dead come morning, and everyone felt the guilt of the situation. This unsub was intelligent and had a huge ego, clearly comfortable with the area.

The attention people focused on material items fascinated Reid sometimes. The holiday spirit hadn't declined drastically, the people almost unheeding of the FBI's presence. With the knowledge that he gained nothing from pondering the case details for the thousandth time, Reid exhaled a quiet sigh. As slight as the sound was, beside him Derek heard it and placed his hand over Reid's smaller one under the cover of the dark. Their subtle relationship wasn't anything the team didn't know about or suspect. Few emotions were secret when working with profilers, but Reid hadn't wanted to broadcast it.

The support was appreciated, but his mind was elsewhere. The confrontation with the unsub yesterday shook everyone in different ways. They were so close to catching the man, yet he was one step ahead of the agents. The public homicide was what disturbed Reid the most. In spite of the murder committed in the lobby of the mall, people returned to an almost normal state today- as if nothing happened. He understood those people turned a blind eye because they were scared and trying to convince themselves that something like this could never happen here. That was a sentiment shared with many people they'd seen throughout their careers.

But to ignore it when a child was slaughtered in public…? "We're here, Reid," Derek said in a voice lacking its usual mirth. Shivering at the blast of winter, New England wind, Reid realized that the others had left. Again he reminded himself that the thinking could wait for tomorrow, when they were rested, he climbed from the car and followed the others into the hotel. The lobby was a bustle of people having a Christmas party, only a slight less enthusiastic than the others in the community. They watched with quiet eyes as the agents crossed the space in solemnity. The music resumed only when they were going up the elevators.

Inside the tight space a medley of Christmas and Hanukkah music played. Reid forced himself to focus on the songs rather than the thoughts that plagued him in the car. He let slip a noise of discontent when he recognized the song- Santa Baby. It sounded pleasant enough, but the lyrics were materialistic and selfish. Derek attempted an amused chuckle and commented about how it was 'just a song' as the elevator settled and the metal doors slid open. The team waved good night to each other, all resolving to sleep and get to work first light tomorrow.

Reid shared a room with Derek. Some weeks ago they decided- although it was mostly Derek- that it was silly to suffer when the rest of the team had no qualms. In their own separate ways, the others acknowledged them and accepted them. Still, Reid had a slightly uneasy feeling in using the word them, still uneasy with their relationship in public. Whatever went on behind closed doors- and things did go on- didn't bother him nearly as much. Derek poked fun at him, at how he referred to his lover by his first name, yet had such inhibitions.

Tonight there wouldn't be any such fun and teasing. Almost content to collapse on the bed and think no more, Reid resisted and pulled out the case file. There was something about this town that bothered him, and it wasn't the materialistic tendencies of its inhabitants. Garcia gave them enough information about the mall and the close-knit community structure. None of that was what irked him. Frustrated, he swept his hair from his eyes and glared at the papers, as if they might suddenly rearrange their information. A firm, familiar hand landed on his shoulder and turned him around.

"Forget it for tonight. We're not going to find anything else this tired," Derek said firmly, snatching the papers from Reid's hands. He knew that his mind would work better in the morning, with energy in his body again. This just went beyond logic and reasoning. Trying to blink away the strain that settled in his eyes, Reid glanced up at Derek and nodded. He allowed himself to be lifted from the chair and led to the bed. "We're all bothered by it. But we'll catch that bastard- tomorrow and not a moment sooner."

"I know, but there's something that I'm forgetting. And-" Reid was cut off as Derek kissed him. Yes, there was something that he was forgetting and it was important; right now that didn't seem to matter. He could remember later, but he and Derek couldn't do this later. Allowing his mind to release those thoughts and those memories never felt any more a relief.

"And it's Christmas Eve, and already we're out here. No need to completely ruin the evening."

Night passed into early morning, the sun's intense rays reflecting off the pure snow outside. Reid was sore and not entirely convinced that it was worth leaving bed without a cup of coffee. Already his mind had returned to yesterday's events, focusing not on Derek and his successful distractions, but about the case. As the team gathered in the hotel lobby, they recounted the profile and made the decision to skip the police office and head for the mall. That was where this business began and where it would end.

The after-Christmas shopping was immense. The team split with the profile in their heads and the assurance that their guy was here. Perhaps he was disguised, but the temptation was too great for him to pass up the opportunity to outsmart the agents. Except this time they were ready. The leverage they needed was the man's young son, who Garcia finally identified as Frederick Koenig, more often called Fritz to distinguish him from his father under the same give name. At sixteen, Fritz was an intellectual and uninterested in sports although he excelled in that as well. The schools had always filed unspoken complaints about his behavior.

The signs were clear, when Prentiss called the principal. Fritz was always cheery and always riddled with bruises that never came from playing. If they found Fritz and managed to get him away from his father, they could get somewhere. The problem was that the man probably wouldn't let the boy from his sight. Reid and Derek set out to cover the lower floor of the mall, that nagging feeling still at the back of his mind. As they entered a bookshop and discreetly asked around for any suspicious figures, Reid wandered the aisles.

The history section was almost empty. An elderly man sat to one side, but had trouble hearing Reid when he called for his attention. Leaving the man to his book about the geography of Europe, Reid froze. He stalked down the aisle and stopped at the historical volumes detailing a place called Prussia, the place's namesake. Surely, this was a mere coincidence. The names were a perfect match, the situation close the original and damn it, why hadn't he remembered this before? In a case of mistaken identity the consequences were dire, especially because there was little reason to be had.

"Derek- no, Morgan, come here. This is what I was forgetting last night; it didn't come to me until just now," Reid said, stumbling over his words as he normally did. No one was around to hear, but he still had qualms about calling Derek by his first name in public. The darker man strode over and glanced at the books, miscomprehension written on his face. "This place is called King of Prussia, named after Frederick the Great. I remember a book said that when the king was eighteen his father Frederick William had his best friend executed for trying to escape to England. Doesn't that sound familiar?"

"Like how Koenig killed that boy in public…" Derek concluded, turning away to a secluded part of the store to call Hotch. Left alone, Reid replaced the history texts and wandered the shelves, pondering his words. Frederick William wasn't a mass murder, even if he was a king and had people executed. Whoever Koenig was obviously had issues, issues that without a doubt would be the end to his son's life. And for whatever reason, this man decided to imitate a long dead ruler. Derek came back shortly and reminded Reid that the day wasn't yet over.

They walked down the escalator in haste, to the security rooms where the team was able to contact Garcia. Along the way their eyes darted here and there, never on one place for too long. Reid had to convince himself that each flash of some middle aged tall and brown-haired man wasn't their unsub. Koenig was unremarkable in that sense and if he had any sense, he wouldn't try to be discreet and suspicious. Acting normal under these circumstances was what was causing the team so much grief.

Had Reid not glanced at Derek for some reassurance, he would never have seen the boy from the corner of his eye. Stopping so short that people bumped into him, Reid's eyes fixed upon a storefront in the distance. Derek's vague voice and strong hands grasped at him as he headed towards that store, eyes never leaving their target. Without turning to his lover he said, "I saw something; trust me on this. I don't think it's a mistake."

Before he distanced himself by means of the crowd, Reid heard Derek's phone ring and slipped away as he answered the call. The African-American man might follow him; he might return to the rest of the team, but Reid was going after that kid even if it led him into something unfavorable. In a small sense he understood the loneliness the boy's teachers spoke about with Prentiss. However bright their minds were, alienation often came with it. Without anyone there, the world was a very bleak place with little hope for anything. Reid had a family of sorts now, as dysfunctional as they were at times, and a lover as well.

Call him foolish.

The quiet music store had little business, a single lazy clerk behind the counter. Reid walked the heavily Christmas decorated aisles when a second look over yielded no results, certain that he wasn't hallucinating. Then, in the small corner near a plastic tree was his quarry. The long pale golden curls made him doubt his vision for a moment, before the almost-child's face tilted to gaze up at him. The teenager was definitely male when Reid saw his face, with blue eyes darkened in a flicker of fear and incredible misery. Yet the defiance bubbling beneath those emotions put a smile on Reid's lips.

Maybe things weren't so bad yet- maybe they were salvageable.

"My father knows he's over," the boy said in a resigned, even voice. Not to Reid's surprise was he unable to sense any sadness in the tone. Though the agent came to that conclusion himself, the confirmation was worrying. Desperate people without regard for their lives were dangerous. Still, the boy continued, emotions genuine now. "And I'm sorry for what he did. He's always been a little too passionate, too controlling. I didn't know…and Lawrence paid for it, because…I was weak and selfish and wanted to get away. That's all I wanted. "

"Kids' responsibilities aren't to look after their parents," Derek said from behind Reid, making him start slightly. A faint smile spread across his lips. The boy- Fritz as he was sometimes called- shrugged and started to stand. From the slight height advantage, Reid saw the dark bruises on the tops of his shoulders that extended into his shirt. Derek smacked him over the head, although Reid wasn't quite sure why for a minute. Fritz didn't notice or failed to comment. "Where's your father now, kid?"

"I'm not sure, but I left him in the food court. I ran away again, but you were here so I thought I might get away this time, without anyone else to lose. It ruins the holidays just a bit, doesn't it?" The cynical voice startled Reid for a moment before he shared a glance with Derek. There was always that slim possibility that Fritz was in league with his father's plans- perhaps brainwashed in a way after so many years. That would explain how they found him so easily.

In the agents' line of work, they often grew that much more distrustful of people. But Reid wanted to believe in the good in humans' hearts, especially during this time of year, already ruined by the depressing air. They silently decided take a gamble and believe Fritz, motioning for him to stand. The boy had an honest face, if marred by his sorrow. Blinking, he broke into a small wistful smile and made a gesture towards something above their heads.

"Who puts mistletoe in a music store?" Derek mused before they kissed. Fiercely embarrassed, Reid ended it quickly and they hurried to the control room where the team was waiting. Strangely, Fritz didn't seem to mind. In fact, his countenance had brightened by a fraction as the agents kept the boy close. Somewhere, a madman was about and the holiday cheer served only to boost his anger.

In the control room, the investigation was coming to a hasty conclusion. Some customers thought they'd sighted Koenig among the crowds, most content to ignore suspicious figures altogether. But nobody was perfect. With the assurance that Fritz was safe and disinclined to leave the proximity, they focused on interviewing the few people who stood up to the plate. Along with the previous interviews with friends of the family, the team had it figured out that the man would like a high, important place to stage his final act.

The single blunder Koenig made was allowing his person to slip into view of the security cameras in his arrogance and fury. From there Garcia worked her magic and came up with a grainy, yet perfect image of an infuriated man walking towards the center of the mall where some of the team was on stand-by. There wasn't a doubt as to the source of that anger. Reid, not much the physical type as Derek if he could help it, opted to stay with Koenig's son.

Amused at the way the boy grew so easily irritated by his inability to see his father's downfall, Reid allowed himself a laugh. Children often bested their fathers in some way or another, he vaguely remembered saying. While he continued to earn PhDs, Fritz eventually lapsed into much less bloody talk in contrast with his father's violent ways. He spoke about philosophers and what he wanted to do with his life. It was something very noble and difficult to achieve, but Reid said nothing. Sometimes people just needed a listening ear and little else.

Derek served as that person for him. Oftentimes a certain case would shake him more than others and while Gideon used to be the first he turned to, Derek took his place. Everyone else was there for him too, he knew, and sometimes he confided in them instead, but at the end of the day he returned to Derek. Where this relationship came from he wasn't sure. As in many aspects of life, the feelings built up and remained pent up inside until something triggered it. In their work, most of the time those feelings were horrible and heinous. Lucky for them that this time it was happy.

He was also glad to not have heard the gunshots. When the others came back without a criminal he knew that Fritz's words had been true. A very thin, grim smile was on his pale lips and Reid found it didn't suit the boy. JJ came over and talked in quiet tones with him. Trying to be discreet about staring while Derek tossed a carefree arm over his shoulders, he found no sadness in Fritz's manners or eyes. Sophia Koenig, his mother, had arrived mere minutes before her husband's death and Prentiss reported little emotion from her as well.

As the team said their farewells to the officers from King of Prussia and the mall staff, Reid again saw Fritz from the corner of his eye. Muttering a quick thank you in a strangely subdued voice, he handed Hotch a colorful box and fled the scene. A hastily written card addressed to the BAU sat on top. Hotch stored the gift in his bag to open on the plane ride home and they all walked outside into the frigid, New England cold.

On the airplane Reid sat close to Derek, a little less reserved now that they were away from the public eye. They exchanged a few smiles and words, more content to remain in each others' silent company at the end of a long day. Prentiss' voice from across the cabin prompted Hotch into remembering the box Frederick Koenig had given them. As no one else felt like moving, he tore the wrapping paper neatly and revealed a box of Christmas themed cookies. A collective good-hearted laugh of appreciation spread throughout the team. Moving to take some, Reid picked up the card addressed to them in a neat, yet rushed scrawl.

To the BAU,

It's to my regret that I didn't learn your names, but for what you did today both my mother and I are grateful for. I can't say that I will miss my father and even now I'm wondering if that makes me a bad person- but not as bad as him. It's also to our regret that we couldn't give anything more than this, since your departure was sudden. In a way, I also feel guilty about this small gift- not because it is small and not nearly enough, but because I was going to give it to my friend.

So this is also from Lawrence, in a way. I'm sure he thanks you too.

From,

Sophia and Friedrich (Fritz) Koenig

• This is a bit late, so close to the deadline. -shot- Have a happy holiday.

• Includes historical references as well as to one of my original works on fictionpress, The Story of the Dead. Fritz and his father are from that story, as well as actual history. Lawrence represents Hermann von Katte, who was Friedrich II's confidate with whom he wanted to escape to England with. But his father found out and had the other boy executed, and nearly did the same to his son. He was rather violent, lashing out at almost anyone, his eldest son suffering the most.

• I'm sorry it had to be so depressing. D: -shot again- But I can't write comedy very well and I like dark stories better than light hearted ones...so it came out naturally.

• King of Prussia is a real place in Pennsylvania. And I know Pennsylvania isn't one of the 'New England colonies/states', but it is really close. And winters here do get very cold and snowy.

• No offense meant to anyone who lives there, of course.

• Oh, an extra note: Friedrich is the German way of saying Frederick, just in case someone thought that was a typo.