Hot Chocolate
Pairing: Reid/Blake friendship

When Spencer heard that their latest case would be in Massachusetts, he immediately realized that he'd be able to spend some time with Alex again. They talked on the phone and texted, but it honestly felt like he hadn't seen her in ages. He'd run it by Hotch, and he agreed to the team taking a later flight home. When asked if he wanted the rest of the team to know, he said no. For once, he wanted some time with her, one on one, and after all of the other cases in the area, he'd had to share her with everybody else on the team. No offense meant to any of them, but there was something about her company that was just different and more pleasant.

They had solved the case in a day and a half, and due to a possible storm, Hotch had decided that the team could fly home in the morning, extending their stay at the hotel another night. He had given Spencer the keys to one of the SUVs and told him he'd pick him up at the field office when he returned it if he'd text when he left Alex's. Spencer nodded his agreement and gave him a smile before getting into the car, driving.

The first stop he made was at a coffee shop to pick up a couple of hot chocolates with whipped cream. Then he went to a newsstand and picked up a couple of different newspapers, setting them on the passenger seat of the car. He drove to her house, parking in the driveway, and he was relieved when he saw her car beside his. He put the newspaper into his bag and picked up the tray of hot chocolates, walking to her front door and knocking.

She opened the door, a huge smile on her face. "Spencer! I didn't know you were around."

"I uh, I thought I'd surprise you. Is this a bad time?"

She shook her head. "Not at all!" she stepped back, holding open the door. "Come on in, I just started a fire."

"That sounds fantastic." He set the tray on the table in the living room before shedding his coat and scarf, hanging them by the door, and taking off his wet shoes.

"So, a visit from Doctor Spencer Reid. What makes me worthy?"

He mock laughed. "Well, I was just thinking," he started, opening up his bag, "some hot chocolate and crossword puzzles would be a good idea, for old time's sake." He took out the newspapers, holding them up. "Maybe even a challenge?"

She smirked, opening a drawer and taking out a couple of pens. "You dare to challenge me to crossword puzzles?" she asked, holding one out to him.

He took the pen, sitting on her couch and nodding. "I think I do. I'm already winning. I got the hot chocolate first so it's not scalding our mouths when we drink it."

She grabbed one of the hot chocolates from the tray, taking a sip. "Indeed you did." She set it on the table next to her chair and sat down, picking up one of the newspapers. "On the count of 3, we go through this paper, get to the crossword, and the first to finish wins. Sound fair?"

"More than fair."

She counted it out and the two of them rustled through their papers, finding the crossword puzzles and uncapping their pens.

The first puzzle had been won by Alex, and the second by Spencer. Rather than race on the last one, they decided to go back and forth and solve it together. It had been Spencer's idea, and Alex had taunted him that it was because he was afraid to lose, but he retorted that he didn't want to embarrass her. They made it through the last puzzle and enjoyed some small talk before Spencer checked his watch, sighing.

"Everything okay?" she asked, setting down her now-empty cup of hot chocolate.

He shook his head. "I need to get the SUV back to the field office and have Hotch get me so we can make it back to the hotel at a normal hour. As fun as this has been, the real world is outside of that door."

"I'll show you out," she said, getting up and walking over to the door.

Spencer slipped on his shoes, tying them, and pulled on his jacket and scarf. "Coming down to DC anytime soon?" he asked, taking the keys out of his pocket.

She thought about it and gave him a smile. "We'll see. I do have students going on break soon and I'm not teaching a course in the winter semester."

"In that case, I look forward to your surprise visit," he said, smiling at her and waving before heading out.