Snowman
Pairing: Elle/Reid friendship

While they were in a case in Vermont, Spencer had noticed a snowman in the park they were walking through and wondered what it was. Elle absolutely couldn't believe that he'd never seen a snowman in his life, let alone built one. She tried talking to him about it, but he used his famous 'I'm from Vegas' excuse, shrugged it off, and that was the end of the conversation.

On their next weekend, Elle called him to meet her in the park and gave no further details. She wasn't sure her plan would actually work until she saw him walking toward her, his bag by his side and his hand buried in his pockets.

"Did you bring gloves?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow, reaching in his pocket and taking out a pair of gloves. "Yes, why?"

She motioned toward the snow all around them. "It's about time you have a learning experience, Doctor Reid."

"I don't say this very often, but I'm confused."

She grinned. "Good. It's time for me to teach you something for a change." She motioned toward a snowball in her hand. "Know what this is?"

"...Snow?"

"And do you know what it can become?"

"...Water, once it melts?"

She shook her head, pointing to a snowman that a kid had left in the park not too far from them. "A snowman."

"...An anthropomorphic structure made of snow."

She looked at him, confused. "Sure. That. All you have to do is start with a snowball." He gave her a look, but she stared at him. "Come on, what's going to happen?"

He shrugged before reaching down, picking up some snow and making it into a ball.

"Now, roll it round in the snow to make it bigger. We need a large, medium, and small ball to make this snowman right."

It took them some time, But they'd finally made the three snowballs, despite Spencer not seeing the point of it and vocalizing this several times. With Spencer's help, she'd stacked the three balls on top of each other, making the perfect shape of a snowman.

"...That's it?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, that's not it." She grabbed a box off of the bench nearby, holding it out. "We need to decorate him."

Spencer looked inside to see a carrot, an old scarf, a hat, coal, and several rocks. "...I'm confused."

"I've confused the great mind of Spencer Reid? Let me call Guinness."

He mock laughed, taking out the carrot. "What is this?"

"His nose. Go put it on."

He raised an eyebrow before stepping over, trying to find the perfect spot before placing it.

She grabbed a few pieces of coal, putting them in as eyes. "See it coming together?"

He pointed to the rocks. "And that?"

"...His smile," she said matter-of-factly, picking up the rocks and putting them in one by one, before holding out his scarf. "You take that and I'll take the hat."

He unraveled the scarf, wrapping it around the snowman's neck and tying it.

Once Elle had put on the hat, she stepped back, admiring their work. "Not bad for a first attempt," she said, smiling. She then took a camera out of her pocket, taking a picture. "Now get in there."

"...What?"

She pointed at the snowman. "Spencer Reid, get a picture with your masterpiece."

He opened his mouth to argue but shook his head, walking over and standing beside it as Elle took a picture.

Afterward, the two of them went out for some hot cocoa and after getting the pictures developed, Elle left one on his desk, and it's still hung up there to this day.