"I think you are just being dramatic," Spencer told her in a half-scolding, half-amused tone.

Emily tore her scathing gaze away from scene that they were approaching and gave him a disgruntled look. She definitely was not being dramatic. If anything, he was being ... undramatic. Yes, she nodded to proudly to herself. That was the perfect word to describe how Spencer was acting. Undramatic. Usually a good thing, it normally meant that the person in question was acting sane after all, but not today. Today it meant that he was not taking into account all of the variables.

"I think you are seriously underestimating how bad this is going to get," Emily warned him.

He just rolled his eyes at her in a very her gesture. Oh, how the tables had turned today when she was the one trying to talk sense into him.

And she was being completely serious about how bad the mall was at Christmas. It was positively horrible.

Spencer just gave her a look and folded his arms.

"We aren't going to linger; all I want to see is this Christmas tree Garcia was talking about."

"In the geek store," Emily agreed, nodding and then shook her head. "It's a bad idea."

"And why is it a bad idea?"

Apparently, she had to explain herself now. The nerve of some people.

"There's just decorations and endless loops of three bad renditions of Christmas Classics and," Emily waved her arms with a look of disgust on her face, "you know, people."

"Because God help if there are people in the mall," Spencer said drily.

She glared at him. "Christmas shopping people."

"Can't be worse than Black Friday shoppers."

"You'd be surprised."

He really would be but he was the one who wanted to suffer through this nonsense so she would allow him to. If only to tell him "I told you so" later. That was always a good feeling.

So that's what they did. They braved the damn shopping mall during the Christmas rush. Emily immediately regretting it as soon as they stepped inside. No crowing over Spencer being wrong was worth this. Was the entire city in this one building? Because that's what it felt like.

"It's amazing how many places feel the need to have someone dress up as Santa," Spencer observed, watching as the line for a Santa's grotto grow with a plethora of small children and a few grumpy older ones.

"Tradition," Emily shrugged.

"I don't know why; the story is that you send him a letter and he somehow gets it by magic without you ever seeing him so why would you get someone to pretend to be him?"

Spencer appeared to be very passionate about this subject.

"It means more money for the stores if kids force their parents to come in for Santa," Emily explained.

"But surely children know its fake because every shop has one? Aren't they confused about seeing more than one in the same day?"

A sniffling sound came from below them. They looked down to see big, wide open eyes that were, oh no, tearing up. It was a child. A small one. With nearly combed hair and an atrocious looking Christmas jumper on. Emily glanced at the child's empty arms and her stomach sank. The kid obviously hadn't been to see Santa yet.

"S-santa isn't r-real?"

Emily held back her groan. Barely. What had they done? Or rather, as this was obviously in no way her fault, what had Spencer managed to do?

"Uh, um," a panicked look came over Spencer's face. "Of course, he is, it's just-"

"Shut up," Emily hissed at her friend. "You're not helping."

He was doing the complete opposite of helping. He blinked at her and looked down at the child properly, a look of comprehension unfolding. Finally.

"Oh."

Emily made am impatient noise. "Yes. 'Oh'."

"Sorry?" he offered.

Emily didn't know if the apology was directed at her or the little boy. Not that it helped anything in the slightest.

"That man said Santa wasn't real!" the small boy wailed, running to the group of children who all immediately burst into tears.

It all happened in a blur but between children crying and a whole hoard of angry parents, Mall Security had to be called. Which was hilarious.

Emily watched as her friend was dragged off by said Mall Security, complaining all the way. She sighed heavily. Dealing with crushed dreams was so not in today's agenda.

Maybe next time Spencer would listen when she said that going anywhere near Mall Santas was a bad idea.

"I never thought I'd be the one bailing you out of jail."

Spencer quickly jerked his head up, from where he was holding them in his hands, at the sound of her voice.

"It's not jail," he could help but point out as he stood up and meeting her at the bars.

She smirked at him. "Looks like jail," she sing-songed.

"It's the Mall Security Area."

"Same thing," she dismissed.

Spencer huffed to convey his annoyance but her smirk only got wider. This was just too good to be true. She fumbled for her phone, needing photographic evidence of the whole debacle. He was glaring in the photo but she had the 'Mall Security Office' sign in it so it was all good. It wasn't like his glare was intimidating in any way.

"Come on," she told him once she got her fill of photographs- which was a lot.

She had never seen Reid move so fast, not even when they got that new coffee in the office.

"Wait 'til Morgan hears of this!" she said gleefully, holding her phone aloft.

Panic flooded through him as he faced her.

"You wouldn't."

He regretted the words almost as soon as they left his mouth and winced. A phrase like that was just as good as giving her a dare. And Emily Prentiss always took a dare.

"Oh, I would."

Spencer groaned loudly and trailed after her. He should have listened when she'd said that going to a Mall at Christmas was a bad idea.