"Remind me again what I am doing here at nine thirty on a Saturday morning," Morgan commented from his desk, as he reached for his coffee cup.

"Because we either do this paperwork for the case now or spend Monday doing it while everyone around us is enjoying the office holiday party," Hudson, who was the only other person currently in the bullpen, replied not looking up from the papers in front of him.

"Right. That's a good reason," Morgan said, before taking a swig of his coffee as he leaned back in his chair.

The case in Catlett, Virginia had been wrapped up the evening before. It had been Reid who had suggested that the double homicide at the fifth scene was due to the male victim, Brent Kirk, being unplanned. According to the medical examiner each of the female victims had suffered a slow death, though the method differed between them, while the male victim had simply been shot in the head. This had led them to speculate that the male victim had been one of their UnSubs. When he had started getting cold feet or had wanted to stop, his partner had killed him.

Digging into Kirk's life had led to a connection with each of the other victims, with each victim having a different connect to Kirk. A troubled youth, Kirk had managed to avoid any serious trouble with the law up to this point. He had kept to himself most of the time, the only solid relationship in his life being one with a Daniel Bradley. Bradley had spent several short periods in jail for theft and DUI. There had also been a rape accusation when he was eighteen but the victim had changed her story before the case went to trial. Five years older than Kirk, Bradley had apparently taken the younger man under his wing at the age of seventeen. Constantly at odds with his father, Kirk started spending more and more time on the streets, where he crossed paths with Daniel Bradley. Four years later, Kirk was seen in the small town almost exclusively in the company of Bradley.

It had taken a while for the profilers to locate Bradley, since there was no record of a permanent address after he had moved out of his parent's house at the age of eighteen. Having cut all ties with his family, questioning them had gotten the profilers nowhere. When the team had finally caught up with him, a gun matching that which had been used to kill Brent Kirk on him, they had found out why. Bradley didn't have a place of his own. He had about six different places owned by acquaintances that he crashed at as the mood hit him. Hotch and Reid had been the ones to stumble upon one that he was actually staying at when they had stopped by yesterday evening. Bradley hadn't done much talking, other than a comment about how long it had taken them to locate him. The Virginia State Police had been quick to take the case from there, allowing Gideon and his team to finish off the case before their scheduled holiday leave, leaving all the agents grateful.

Though Gideon had been the one to suggest they come in today and do the paperwork, he had not required it, allowing each team member to make their own decision. The only stipulation being that all of the paperwork for the case had to be completed before they could leave the office on Monday, which was supposed to be an early day for the members of the BAU. Gideon had told them he would be at the office at nine that morning and by this time every one of his agents had arrived except for Reid.

"I thought Reid had said he was going to come in today," Morgan commented, his gaze falling on the empty desk in front of Hudson.

"Wasn't really paying attention to what he said at that point," Hudson replied, still not looking up from his work.

"Maybe I should give him a call, just to make sure everything is okay," Morgan wondered out loud to himself more than to Hudson, as he knew that Hudson wouldn't be concerned with it.

Glancing toward the offices of the team's two most senior agents, Morgan saw that they had both gathered in Gideon's office. Hotch was sitting in a chair across from Gideon and neither agent looked to be concerned.

~Is he aware of the time or is Hotch just not expecting Reid to come in this morning, ~ Morgan contemplated, figuring the genius' training agent would know whether to be expecting him or not and what time?

Morgan was still debating if he should ask Hotch about Reid's whereabouts, call the younger agent himself, or not worry about it when he heard the elevator doors slide open, the sound carrying through the otherwise quiet floor. Glancing in that direction it wasn't long before he saw Reid walk through the glass doors.

The youngest member of the BAU was carrying his messenger bag, which looked like it had a footprint on it, and the strap dangling uselessly from one side. His pants and coat appeared to be covered in the slush from the melted snow, and the hat that he normally wore on his head was nowhere to be seen, leaving his hair as wet as his coat. Morgan's guess was that the grey overcast skies that had been present when he had come in had finally decided to open up with some type of precipitation.

Morgan watched as Reid walked the length of the bullpen, a question of what happened on the tip of his tongue. The look on the genius' face though kept him from asking it. When Reid walked by him, Morgan noticed that his back was wet from his shoulders to his feet. By this time, Hudson had looked up too and was staring at Reid the same way that Morgan was. Neither of them got a chance to ask anything though, as another voice spoke up as Reid dropped his bag into his chair.

"What happened to you?" Hotch asked, standing just outside the door to Gideon's office. The question brought the other profiler to the door as well.

Morgan's gaze switched from Reid to the two older agents standing on the catwalk surrounding the bullpen. He found that both men were looking in his and Hudson's direction, an almost accusatory look in their eyes.

"Don't look at me. I've been here since nine and he just walked in," Morgan said quickly, gesturing toward Reid.

"Reid?" Hotch said, switching his gaze back to the team's newest member, as his first question had not been answered.

"I'm having a bad morning," Reid replied, unwrapping the wet purple scarf from around his neck.

"Obviously," Hudson commented sarcastically.

Feeling all eyes still on him, Reid started to expand on his answer. "I got sprayed with slush by a mail truck on my way to the metro station. I just missed the train I intended to take in here. While waiting for the next train, apparently two guys decided that making rude comments about me was an amusing way to pass the time. They finally decided to wait for the train elsewhere, after I took out my badge."

"What were they saying?" Morgan asked.

Reid shook his head. "It isn't important," he replied quickly, as his cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red. "Anyways, leaving the metro stop, the strap of my bag broke halfway up the steps. By the time I made my way back down to retrieve it several people had stepped on it. By the time I got out of the station it was sleeting, and I didn't get far when I slipped on some slush, falling in the process and dropping my cell phone, which ended up in the slush. I don't even know if it still works. I really hate winter," he added, as he draped the wet coat over the back of his chair, revealing a slightly damp shirt underneath.

"So you've said before," Morgan commented lightly, having heard that sentiment more than once during this last case.

"Well, why don't you come work in my office until you warm up a bit," Hotch replied sympathetically, already planning on turning the heat up just a bit in the room. He knew the cold affected Reid more than the rest of them, who were all used to east coast winters, and being wet definitely wasn't helping matters.

With a nod of acknowledgment, Reid gratefully accepted the offer. Retrieving his bag from his chair, and the files on the desk for the current case, which Nichols had placed there earlier, the young genius headed up the steps toward Hotch's office.

"That guy is a trouble magnet," Hudson commented as Hotch pushed the door shut behind him. The grin on his face clearly said he was restraining himself from laughing.

Morgan didn't make a comment. As Hudson went back to his paperwork, the dark-skinned profiler got to his feet and headed for the kitchen area. A few minutes later, a coffee mug in hand, he knocked on Hotch's office door, entering after hearing Hotch's call to 'come in'.

Hotch was sitting at his desk while Reid was sitting on the couch on the one side. He had his paper work spread out on the low table in front of him. Not the ideal working conditions, but as the office was already warmer than its occupant normally kept it, Morgan had a feeling Reid didn't mind his awkward position. The genius' coat, scarf and hat were hanging on the coat rack which had been moved closer to the heat.

"I brought you some coffee," Morgan said, walking toward Reid and placing the mug down in front of him.

"Thank-you," Reid said, looking up at him.

Morgan noticed Reid's cell phone sitting nearby. "How's the cell phone?"

"It's not working. I'm going to have to replace it," Reid replied.

"I'll take you when we're through here," Morgan offered.

"Don't worry about it. I can manage on my own," Reid told him, which was the same answer Hotch had just received to his own offer.

"Come on, my driving isn't that bad and you won't have to worry about what time the trains leave the stations."

"I've got no problem with your driving. I just don't want to inconvenience you. I'm sure you've got other things to do."

"Nope - I've got absolutely no plans today, as I half expected to still be working that case. Have any more excuses I can shoot down?"

Reid glanced up at him. "Look, Morgan, I appreciate the offer but I can replace the cell phone on my own."

"Okay," Morgan said, deciding to back down for now though he wasn't about to give up. As he turned to leave the office, he glanced over at Hotch.

"Thanks for trying," Hotch mouthed silently to him, as he started for the door.

Morgan nodded as he left the office.

It was one o'clock when the profilers left the BAU. Riding down the elevator together, Hotch and Gideon said good-bye to the others as they reached the lobby, heading off in their own directions. Reid wasn't far behind them, though from the slow movements his co-workers had a feeling he was looking forward to heading back outside, especially as it was still sleeting.

Nichols glanced down at his watch. "Anyone want to go grab lunch? I've got a couple of hours to kill before I can pick Evan and Karen up at the birthday party they went to this afternoon."

"Sorry, made plans for this evening and I've still got some shopping to do before hand," Hudson replied. "See ya both on Monday," he said, heading for the front doors.

Morgan shrugged, "sure, why not?" he replied, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Why don't you go convince Reid to join us? He seems to respond better to you and I'll meet you guys there."

Nichols nodded. "Eagle Café?" he asked, as the two of them headed for the entrance.

"Sounds good," Morgan said, as they walked through the doors.

Reid hadn't made it far, as he walked with his head and shoulders bent against the icy wind. As Morgan watched Nichols hurry to catch up with him, Morgan made plans to make a third attempt at offering him a ride to replace the cell phone. He had made the second attempt earlier when the younger agent had first come out of Hotch's office, receiving the same answer as the first time. ~Maybe with Nichols help, I can get him to accept the offer,~ he thought as he turned and headed for his own vehicle.

Parking along the side of The Eagle Café, Morgan headed inside. Asking for a table for three, Morgan let the waitress seat him, and then sat down facing the front door. It wasn't long before Nichols walked in, with Reid right behind him. Whatever the computer specialist had said to him had apparently worked.

As they ate lunch, the three co-workers chatted about their holiday plans. At this point, Morgan had gotten more into the holiday spirit, looking forward to his Monday evening flight out to Chicago. Both he and Nichols were relieved to hear Reid was going to be spending Christmas Eve with the Hotchners.

After paying the bill and leaving the tip, the three profilers got to their feet.

"Reid, how about I take you to get a new phone and then drop you off at your place," Morgan suggested as the three walked toward the front door.

Before Reid could decline the offer, Nichols spoke up.

"That sounds like a good plan. I won't have to worry about you being out there without a phone to call in case something happens, Junior."

"Fine," Reid replied, obviously unable to protest over Nichols reasoning.

Nichols said good-bye to the two of them and heading toward his own car. Morgan pointed in the direction he had parked and then he and Reid started walking in that direction. Glancing at the bag Reid had over his shoulder again, Morgan noticed the broken end of the strap had been knotted. Morgan also noted that Reid kept a hold of the strap with one hand, obviously not confident in the temporary fix.

Morgan still had to go shopping for Reid's Christmas gift. While he had planned on getting the younger agent the true crime book that he had overheard Reid telling Nichols about, the dark-skinned profiler had wanted to get him something else too. Up until now though, Morgan hadn't a clue as to what to get him.

~After I drop Reid off at home, I'll go brave the crowds at the mall and finish my Christmas shopping,~ Morgan thought, needing to pick a couple of other gifts up as well.

Dear Mom,

I hope everything is going well with you. I'm sure the staff members are doing their best to make the holiday festive for everyone, just like they always do. Sorry that I can't make it out there this year. I will call and know I will be thinking of you a lot during this holiday season.

We exchanged the Secret Santa Gifts at work today. The idea was to find a way to give the person the gift without them knowing who it was from. Most of the gifts appeared on the recipients' desks at various times throughout the day. My gift appeared while I was getting coffee and I have a good idea of who had my name despite the anonymity. I believe it was Morgan. Though I did receive one of the newly released True Crime books I had mentioned wanting to read, there was also a pocket guide for How To Talk to Anyone, Anywhere at Anytime About Anything. I've learned that Morgan likes to interject humor into most things that he does, I think it's a technique for keeping anyone from getting to close to him, and that pocket guide just seems like his way of interjecting humor into a gift exchange. Who knows, I might even be able to put it to some use. Along with the two books, I got a new messenger bag - a great addition as the one I've had since college broke this past Saturday. I had tied the strap that broke on the old bag to get by, but the knot doesn't seem to hold well. Having a new one is much better.

Getting my gift to Nichols didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked, though. He caught me as I was trying to leave the office. I don't think I ever did tell you what I decided to get him. I had to get his sister, Vanessa, to help me with the project. I had noticed that though Nichols has several pictures of his kids in his office none of them are too recent. Evan looks to be about two years old, and the boy is now seven. Not knowing what else to give him as a gift, I paid for a photographer to take a picture of Evan and Tara together and then one of them with Vanessa and his niece, Karen. I bought frames for the two 5 X 7 photos I had made up. I noticed the pictures displayed in his office next to the older one of his children and wife when I left this evening.

Reid finished telling his mother about the gift exchange by telling her what each member of the team had gotten. He then wrote about the office party that the whole floor had participated in. He also told her about his plans for the next two weeks off from work which for the most part included catching up on some reading, and working on the two articles he was working on for professional journals. Spencer did make sure to tell her that he was planning on spending Christmas Eve with the Hotchners, unable to refuse the invitation that Haley had made in person at the office earlier in the week. She had invited him for dinner and caroling afterwards. As he didn't have any other plans, he had known declining wasn't going to work well. Gideon, who also didn't have any plans to celebrate the holiday with family, would be joining them too.

Satisfied that he had put his mother's mind at ease that he wouldn't be spending the holiday alone, Spencer signed the letter and tucked it into an envelope. He then picked up the other piece of mail that he had received that day. Opening it, he found a Christmas card from the Hendersons, friends of his mother's since before he had been born. Mrs. Henderson made sure she sent him a card every year. It was usually the only card he received but this year he added it to the two other cards sitting on the top shelf of his desk. One was from Haley and Hotch and the other one from Nichols.

Spencer looked at those two cards which meant much more to him than just holiday greetings. Recieving them gave him a sense of belonging to something and even if they were only being nice to him because they worked with him, it was more than what he was used to. He had never been a part of a group that showed interest in him outside of work. Both Hotch and Nichols had done more than that. Reid knew he wouldn't have made it through these last couple of months without their support. He had been ready to call it quits again on a couple of occasions before Nichols had talked him out of it. It had gotten to the point that Nichols just seemed to know when he was starting to feel overwhelmed, and would take him aside and give him a chance to voice his feelings. As he still found going to anyone on his own initiative difficult, Reid appreciated the computer specialist's efforts.

~I wonder if this is what it feels like to belong to a real family, ~ Spencer wondered as he looked at the two Christmas Cards from his two co-workers.

It was snowing in Chicago, as the taxi carrying Derek Morgan pulled up in from of his mother's residence. He hadn't been home since accepting the job at the BAU, and as he paid the cab driver and stepped out into the frigid Illinois winter night, Morgan felt a sense of peace come over him. It was nice to be home. With one bag over his shoulder, and another gripped in his left hand, Morgan headed for the front steps.

The door opened, and then Morgan stumbled slightly as his mother threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

"I was so worried the storm would delay your arrival," Fran Morgan exclaimed.

"Well, it didn't," Morgan replied, as he hugged her back. "Though breathing would be a nice thing to be able to do."

"Sorry," Fran said, finally letting go of her son. She grabbed his arm and started pulling him into the house. "I'm so glad you're here. We've put off putting up the tree so you could help us decorate it."

"You didn't have to do that," Morgan replied, as his mother closed the front door behind him. He placed his bags on the floor so he could take off his gloves and jacket.

"Yes, I did. I don't know how many more Christmases I will get to celebrate with all three of my children gathered together, so when one comes up, I plan on making the most of it," Fran told him, as she reached to take his jacket. "This looks new," Fran said, inspecting the heavy leather jacket as she turned to hang it up in the closet.

"It is. My gift from the team's Secret Santa yesterday. I have a feeling it was Nichols, as he kept making comments all week about my other jacket looking old," Morgan told her. Old or not though, he was sure the guy he had seen walking without a coat on his way home was appreciating the old jacket right about now.

"So, how is work going?" Fran asked.

"Fine. I'm really glad I got into the BAU. I'm enjoying the work and I've never felt as close to a group of co-workers as I do these guys," Morgan replied.

Fran knew how guarded her son was when it came to letting others in and knew he didn't say the words lightly.

"And the new guy you were telling me about, Dr. Reid, how is he fitting in now?" Fran asked.

She never got an answer to her question though as Sarah and Desire, having realized their brother was home, came running into the room, enveloping him in a hug. After greetings were exchanged, the conversation headed into another direction as plans for the last few days before Christmas were made. Sarah and Desire wanted to decorate the tree, and Fran declared they would do just that after Derek sat down and ate something.

As the plane left the airport in D.C. heading for his home state of New York, Hudson settled back in his seat. He wasn't sure how this visit home was going to go. He hadn't even had plans to go home for Christmas until his mom had called Monday night saying that his Dad wasn't doing well. Hudson wasn't sure how welcomed his presence would be, however, given how things had been when Hudson had left for the BAU in D.C.

A corporate lawyer, John Hudson had always expected his son to follow in his footsteps. Fred Hudson had never had an interest in the law though he had kept law school open as an option as he got his degree in Criminal Justice. Following graduation though, he had crushed his father's dreams by joining the state police force. When his son had told him he was going to the FBI Academy, John Hudson had lectured Fred about how he had the brains and skills to be more than a lowly FBI agent. Joining the BAU had only made matters worse. As John Hudson put it, the BAU wasn't anything more than a bunch of gypsy fortune tellers at a carnival employing a pseudo-science as a way to fool people into thinking they knew what they were talking about. The argument that had ensued between father and son had been heard by neighbors on all sides, and though Fred Hudson had talked to his mother since leaving home, he had not spoken to his father.

Now, though, Hudson knew he needed to go home and try to make amends. Though his dad had never been supportive of the career path he had chosen, deep down Hudson knew his father loved him. He needed to try to clear the air between them and if nothing else, tell his father that he loved him despite their differences. The FBI profiler knew he would never forgive himself if the last words he had spoken to his father were the 'go to hell,' he had flung over his shoulder as he had stormed out of his childhood home, following his father's declaration that if he left for D.C. he would never forgive him.

Trying to forget about his family issues, Hudson took one of the two gifts he had gotten from the office gift exchange out of the backpack he had carried onto the plane with him. He smiled reading the title, Anger Management for Dummies. It didn't take much to figure out who would have bought him the book and the electronic day planner. After the conversations he'd had with the unit chief in recent weeks, both about holding his tongue when dealing with local law enforcement and his interactions with Reid, he knew that Gideon felt that he had to work on controlling his anger.

~Well, Gideon, maybe I'll learn something from this book that will be of use when I talk to my dad, ~ Hudson thought, as he opened the book and started reading.

"Just where did that come from?" Haley asked her husband as she walked out of the bathroom, putting in her earrings. She had been expecting to see her husband dressed in one of his many white dress shirts and dull ties. Instead, he was wearing a dark-green dress shirt and was looking in the mirror as he tied a black tie with gold music notes on it. It was definitely a nice change from what she considered his normally dull wardrobe.

"The gift exchange at work. You like it?"

"Yes. My family might think I'm showing up with some new guy though," Haley told him with a smile. They were going to the annual Christmas party that her parents threw every year.

"Maybe I'll just change . . ."

"You'll do no such thing. So who do I have to thank for sprucing up your wardrobe?"

"Well, it was supposed to be a Secret Santa but given the boldness of the tie, I'd have to say either Hudson or Morgan, and since I saw Morgan leaving a gift on Reid's desk, that leaves Hudson," Hotch told her, as he finished his task. He took a good look in the mirror. "It really doesn't look that bad on me, does it?"

"You look great!" Haley told him. "Let's go before we're late."

Allowing his wife to lead him out of his bedroom, Hotch thought about being home for the next two weeks. It was going to be enjoyable, though as he headed off to the holiday party his thoughts switched to two members of his team that didn't have family to celebrate the holiday with - Gideon and Reid. At least he knew they wouldn't be alone on Christmas Eve, and Reid was having Christmas dinner with Nichols and his family.

He wasn't worried about Gideon. The older profiler would have no problem occupying his time, though Hotch knew it was this time of year that he missed his son, whom he hadn't talked to in a few years, the most. ~He probably spent today putting together that model train I bought him for the gift exchange, ~ Hotch thought as he put on his winter coat.

It was more Reid that Hotch was worried about. As he followed Haley out to the car, he found himself wondering what Reid was up to. Climbing behind the driver's wheel Hotch decided he would call the young agent in the morning and try to get him to come over before dinner. He and Haley always waited until Christmas Eve to decorate their tree so perhaps he could convince Reid to help them with that this year. For now though, he planned on enjoying the party and the time with his wife.