Merry Caroling

A/N: Well, I wanted to post this close to Christmas, but I think I cut it a little too close… Anyway, this is a post for Chit Chat on Author's Corner Challenge Round 6- Christmas Gift Fic Exchange.

This story is for booksandmusic97 and I hope very much that she enjoys it! Happy Holidays!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable. Including, but not limited to: Criminal Minds, the characters, or any of the Christmas carols mentioned within.

-/\-

Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart… filled it, too, with melody that would last forever.

~ Bess Streeter Aldrich

-/\-

Reid knew it was a bad idea to come into Garcia's office as soon as he opened the door. However, it had been JJ who beckoned him in shortly after the working day had ended and he was unable to say no to anything she asked, as he had been long before they'd even begun dating. This was a weakness she was well aware of and she only exploited it on special occasions. The genius realized this must be one of those occasions as the three occupants of the room turned to stare at him. "Hey, Spence." JJ greeted him with a grin as he stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind himself.

"Hello…" He greeted, feeling somewhat awkward with three pairs of eyes on him.

Along with JJ and Garcia, Morgan was sitting at one of the many computer desks. "Well, hello, my sweet genius. Nice of you to join us." Garcia replied, patting a chair between herself and JJ. "Have a seat."

Eyeing Garcia and Morgan warily, both of whom looked entirely too smiley for his taste, Reid crossed the room and sat down as instructed. He rolled the chair back so he could see the other three people in the room. "Aright, now that we're all settled, let's get down to business." Garcia clapped her hands together in a serious manner. "I suppose you're all wondering why I've called you here…"

"Baby girl, the only one who doesn't know what's going on is Reid." Morgan cut in.

"Hush," Garcia flapped a hand at her interrupting lover and continued speaking. "I have brought the four of us together for a very special reason. As you know, Christmas is just a stone's throw away…"

"Did you know that that phrase originated in…" Reid cut in excitedly before Garcia waved her hand at him as well.

"You know I normally don't mind listening to you ramble, darling, but this is very important business we're discussing here. As I was saying Christmas is… very close," She cast a wary glance at Reid, who gave her an apologetic half-smile and shrug, and she continued speaking. "And there is something which we cannot allow the season to pass without doing…"

At this point, JJ and Morgan both looked rather exasperated and Reid was both curious and slightly apprehensive about what Garcia was going to say. "We must…" The tech said dramatically, grinning inwardly as Reid shifted forward unconsciously in his seat. "Go caroling!"

There was utter silence as Reid stared at Garcia and Morgan and JJ attempted to keep amused looks off their face. "Caroling?" Reid asked, furrowing his brows in confusion. "As in going door to door, ringing the bell, and singing at the inhabitants of whatever unlucky domicile we happen upon?"

Neither Morgan nor JJ could keep their smiles away this time at the affronted look Garcia turned on Reid. "No, I mean caroling as in going door to door, ringing the bell, and spreading Christmas cheer to the lucky inhabitants of whatever home we come to." She said pointedly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Still looking slightly put out, Reid crossed his arms as well. "Spreading… you make it sound like some sort of infectious pathogen."

"No, you're the one making it sound like something icky." Garcia countered. "And it doesn't matter what you say, you're going to go with us."

"Why do you need us to go caroling with you? I thought there was a group you usually went with." Reid asked, looking rather curious despite his frown.

"I want you three to come because you're my friends and I simply adore spending time with you. I think you'd all be fantastic carolers if you just put your hearts into it…" Garcia began, sounding vaguely like a sappy Christmas special.

"That, and the group she usually goes with isn't going this year." Morgan cut in with a smirk.

"You hush." Garcia backhanded him softly in the chest.

Morgan scowled and rubbed the spot she'd hit as if she'd actually injured him, but he couldn't keep the face for long before his teasing smile was back in place. "You'd better just accept it and move on, Kid. We did." He said to Reid, gesturing to himself and JJ.

"What about Emily?" Reid asked, his slight pout still showing.

"She has a date. I told you we should have made plans for the holidays, but you wanted to stay here…" JJ replied wistfully, smiling when Garcia glared at her.

"Well… Rossi and Hotch…" Reid started to protest, but realized the absurdity of his comment halfway through. "Never mind."

The genius sat silently for a moment, trying to think of another excuse, while the others watched him expectantly. "Have you ever heard me sing?" He asked suddenly, looking up at Garcia.

The tech thought for a moment and shook her head. "I have not…" She admitted, then looked at Morgan. "You?"

Morgan shrugged. "Nope. How about you?" He asked JJ.

JJ shook her head and then looked thoughtfully at Reid. "I can tell you that he doesn't sing in the shower."

"Not when you're around, I don't." Reid replied with a blush, before looking more seriously at Garcia. "So how can you say you want me to go caroling with you when you've never even heard me sing?"

"Because you're my friend and I don't care if you sound like a dying camel being assaulted with an angry cat- and I'm sure that you don't," Garcia added, seeing the slightly shocked look Reid gave her simile. "All I'm saying is, I think it would a lot of fun if you gave it a chance."

Reid sighed but didn't protest any further and Garcia grinned. They had him. "Fantastic!" She said excitedly. "But don't you dare try to weasel your way out of singing. There is absolutely nothing you can do that will get you out of this."

-/\-

Garcia scowled as she stared out the window, where snow was piling up and turning the world into a sparkling mass of white. She turned to Reid, who was standing beside her in her apartment window and attempting not to smile, and crossed her arms over her chest imposingly. "Oh, wipe that smirk off your face." She said sourly, glaring at him.

He promptly did so. "I know that you did this." She said, poking him in the chest accusingly.

"How could I possibly have done this?" He asked, gesturing to the snowstorm outside Garcia's window.

"I don't know, but I do know that there was no snow predicted for tonight and then suddenly we've got a whole freaking blizzard on our hands! Conveniently," She spoke over Reid's protest. "On the one night we can go caroling. You're an evil genius and a mad scientist; I know you're behind this!"

Reid blinked and shook his head. "I am neither evil nor mad and I haven't done actual lab work in years, thus I don't believe I could create an actual blizzard, even if that was possible." Reid shook his head. "I don't have access to a lab or any scientific equipment, I hardly had a sufficient amount of time and, besides all that, I'm a chemist, not a meteorologist."

"So?" Garcia asked, her tone still accusing.

"I would require much more working knowledge of meteorology and weather patterns than I currently have. I…" Reid began to explain, before he was cut off.

"Okay, okay, before we get into some sort of science fiction debate over here," Morgan cut in, who, along with JJ, had been standing off to the side watching their respective lovers argue and trying not to get caught in the crossfire. "Let's all just relax. Baby girl, I really doubt Reid would be able to cook up a blizzard."

Garcia sighed, but accepted the one-armed hug from the tall, dark agent. "Well, he doesn't have to look so pleased about it." She said with a withering glare in the genius' direction.

Reid shrugged but didn't say anything. "Maybe we can come up with something else to do. I'm not so sure it's safe to drive in these conditions, anyway." JJ suggested, coming to stand next to Reid.

The tech seemed to be thinking for a moment before a smile began to creep onto her face. The other inhabitants of the room, especially Reid, were not entirely sure they liked the sinister edge it had to it. "We are caroling." She said happily.

Morgan raised an eyebrow and looked down at her, his arm still around her shoulders. "Mama, you know I love you and I'd do just about anything for you, but I am not going out there." He said, gesturing towards the driving snow outside the window.

Shaking her head, Garcia pulled out from the circle of Morgan's arm and moved quickly over to the shelf where she kept her CDs. "None of us are going outside, hot stuff, because I… have… this!" After a moment of searching, she pulled case triumphantly out of the masses and showed it happily to her assembled friends.

The front read "Xmas Carols Karaoke Vol. 1." No one said a word, but Garcia was already moving towards the back of her apartment. "I'm pretty sure I still have my karaoke machine around here somewhere…" She said, then called back out to the main area. "Hey, Der, come help me, would'ja?"

Morgan shook his head, wondering if he, too, would be subjected to karaoke, but followed his girlfriend into her spare room. As soon as the other man was gone, Reid looked down pleadingly at JJ. "Do I…"

"Just one." JJ cut him off.

"But…"

"Only one."

"Do I really…"

"Spence, singing one Christmas carol to make your friend happy isn't going to kill you." JJ cut him off once more, sounding both encouraging and exasperated.

"I don't think she's doing this for happiness anymore, I'm fairly sure her main purpose is torturing me." Reid replied, his tone bordering on whining.

"Well, then you'd better get it over with." The liaison said, patting him reassuringly on the shoulder and giving him a quick peck on the cheek before Garcia reentered the room, followed by Morgan, who was carrying a box proclaiming itself to be a karaoke machine.

"Let's get this little show on the road, shall we?" Garcia asked, smiling at the occupants of the room.

-/\-

Half an hour later, the machine had been set up, the disc had been inserted, and everyone had taken a turn or two singing a song, save for Reid.

Garcia had started them off with a rousing rendition of "Santa Baby," which had left Morgan smirking wolfishly until JJ felt the need to elbow him in the side and declare it was his turn next. He insisted he wasn't much of a singer, but went up anyway and made his way through "Bells Will Be Ringing," despite Garcia's repeated attempts to get him to sing "Frosty the Snowman" for some reason. Though he really wasn't much for singing, his charisma certainly made for any lack of talent.

JJ had gone up next to sing "Winter Wonderland," with rave reviews, and then attempted to pull Reid up to the microphone. He declined. The other singers shrugged and on it went. They cycled around a few times, each time with Reid declining the opportunity to sing until Garcia became fed up. "Alright, Reid, you said you'd sing and you're going to. Now." She insisted, grabbing Reid's hand and hoisting him off the couch.

"Alright, okay. One song." He nodded, putting his hands up defensively. "Um… right."

Nodding self consciously, he flicked through the song list several times, never settling on a song. "Pick one before I pick it for you, my brainy friend, and I can promise my selection will not be kind." Garcia said, nudging him in the side.

"I don't really know that many Christmas carols." Reid admitted with a shrug.

"Well, what's your favorite?" The tech asked, looking over at him.

The genius thought for a moment before replying. "I like… "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"…" He said slowly.

"Then sing that." Garcia replied reasonably.

Reid shook his head quickly. "Too long."

Everyone on the couch released an exasperated sigh before Reid finally settled on "Jingle Bells." Garcia was tempted to roll her eyes at the simple selection, but decided not to complain as long as he actually sang.

Nervously, Reid got up to stand by Garcia's Christmas tree, where everyone else had been singing, and watched the screen apprehensively as the first few strains of the song filtered through the speakers. When the words appeared, he brought the mic to his lips and began mumbling quietly in time with the music. This went on for a minute or so before JJ stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You have to sing louder, Spence." She said quietly.

The genius glanced self consciously around at his audience and began to sing a little louder. To say Garcia was beginning to regret making him sing would have been something of an understatement. His voice shook with nervousness and he stumbled blindly over words until the song finally reached its close. It reminded Morgan a little of the first time they'd made the kid participate in a profile briefing. When the song ended, Reid turned, red faced, to place the microphone on the table and then return to the couch. "I told you…" He muttered, looking over at his friends and lover sitting next to him.

"No, you were… fine." Garcia said quickly, though she hesitated slightly.

Reid raised an eyebrow at her and she squirmed under his gaze. "Is anyone else hungry? I made some snacks for when we finished our merry caroling rounds, so we may as well have some now." She asked, standing up quickly off the couch.

"Yeah, I could eat." Morgan agreed, standing up and following her to the kitchen.

"Sure, me too." JJ said, then turned to Reid. "Are you hungry?"

"Um… not particularly." Reid replied, slightly confused by everyone's hasty egress. "You go ahead, though."

JJ smiled, squeezed the young man's hand momentarily then headed for the kitchen, leaving Reid in the midst of Garcia's many Christmas decorations. He sighed. It never failed to happen; he could sing just fine when he was by himself, but when he knew someone was listening he seemed to get an advanced case of stage fright.

Looking around at the brightly lit Christmas lights Garcia had strung all over her apartment, Reid smirked slightly. It wasn't all bad, he decided, at least Garcia would never make him sing again. Not that he terribly disliked singing, he just couldn't do it in front of anyone. Casting a glance over the back of the couch towards the kitchen, he saw no one near the doorway, and could barely hear their lowered voices. Quietly, he began to sing to himself.

"God rest ye merry gentlemen,

Let nothing you dismay,

Remember Christ our savior was born on Christmas day…"

When things remained quiet, he assumed Morgan, JJ and Garcia were all still in the kitchen and continued singing softly while watching the lights of the Christmas tree. He found he did feel rather Christmas-spirited as he did so.

"From God our heavenly father,

A blessed angel came…"

Then, just as Reid was beginning to get lost in the song, a voice coming from just behind him caused him to jump a foot off the couch. "Well, well, well! It seems as though you've been holding out on me, my dear genius!" Garcia exclaimed with a laugh.

Reid stood up off the couch and whirled around so quickly he nearly lost his footing. To his dismay, Garcia, Morgan and JJ were all standing behind the couch, plates of food in hand. "I…" He attempted.

"You're pretty good, Spence." JJ said with a smile, coming back to sit down on the couch.

"Uh…" He tried to explain once more, only to be cut off by Garcia.

"No worries, my musical mathematician, I won't make you sing anymore… for now." She winked at him as she moved to the couch to sit next to JJ.

Morgan followed, raising an eyebrow at Reid, but smiling and mercifully choosing to say nothing as he sat down on Garcia's other side. Reid was about to attempt a protest before JJ grabbed his wrist and tugged him down onto the couch. She scooted over slightly until she was snuggled up against him in a similar fashion to Morgan and Garcia. The tech in question snagged the remote off the coffee table and turned the television back to cable and searched for a Christmas special of some sort.

Still red-faced, Reid shifted a little more towards JJ and watched the Grinch steal Christmas. He supposed he could think of worse ways to spend his holiday than being forced to sing karaoke in Garcia's living room. Not many… but a few.

-/\-

This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.

~Taylor Caldwell

-/\-

A/N: Well… that was a lot longer than I thought it would be… but I think it turned out alright. And, yes, they really do have Christmas carol karaoke CDs…

Anyway, I truly hope you all enjoy it, and really hope booksandmusic97 enjoys it!

Thank you for reading and Happy Holidays!