Wilkins thought it strange that the day before Reid had avoided her so much. He was at work before her, and he seemed jumpy. He left early, and when she asked why he replied simply that he had something to do.

She paused, looking both ways, and crossed the street to the BAU. It was a particularly cool and moist morning, but that wasn't unusual for this time in October. She pulled her coat's collar closer to warm her a little.

Upon entering the BAU she scanned for Reid, intending to ask him what was wrong. There was Morgan – Hotch was in his office – J.J. – and Rossi, but no Reid.

"J.J.?" Wilkins asked as she walked by.

J.J. looked up from the stack of files she was carrying, her strained expression melting into that of a relieved friend. "Yeah?"

"Is Reid here yet?"

"Um – I think I saw him talking to Morgan earlier."

"Oh," said Wilkins. "Thanks." She decided she'd talk to him later. I'll probably have a ton of paperwork, like yesterday, she thought, as she reluctantly trudged to her desk.

Her eyes widened as her gaze immediately locked onto the little vase and single red rose in the middle of her tidy desk. She instinctively looked around, wondering if there was some mistake. No one's ever given a rose to me.

She sat down in her swivel chair, hesitant to reach for the card under the vase. If it was for someone else, they certainly wouldn't want her to mess with it.

Slowly beginning to think it was for her she lightly touched the tips of her fingers to the soft petals, and eventually took the rose from it's vase, closing her eyes to smell it.

Finally she turned her attention to the little card beneath the vase. It read, Bergeron's Flowers & Gifts. Unfolding it, she recognized the even, neat writing.

You said it was hard for you to make friends, she read in a whisper, but you were wrong. – Spencer

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

He tapped the tickets in his hand endlessly on the break room table. He was nervous; too nervous.

You didn't even have the nerve to give her the rose in person, how the hell to you expect to ask her to a Ball?

Just then, Morgan walked in.

"So, you took my advice with the flower?"

Reid looked up, mumbling a faint, "Mmm hmm."

"And you got the tickets for the Ball?" Reid held them up, smiling in sarcastic happiness. "And you haven't asked her yet?"

"Forgive me for answering a question with a question, but do you think I'd be sitting here if I had?"

Morgan laughed at Reid's agitation. "Alright, Casanova, you don't have to go all technical on me."

"I seriously can not do this," moaned Reid.

"Look," said Morgan, sitting down, "if you can give her the rose, you can ask her out. It's not that hard, just act normal – and will you stop tapping the table?" Reid put his hands in his lap to keep himself from continuing his nervous tapping. "Now get out there, and ask her, before I ask her myself."

"Maybe you should," sighed Reid. "At least you're sure of yourself."

Morgan pointed, demandingly, at the door.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

Wilkins looked up from her desk upon hearing Reid exit the break room, smiling, as always. He walked slowly towards her desk, still fiddling with the tickets, and dreading every moment of it.

"Reid," she said in a low, shy voice when he reached her desk, "it was very sweet of you… I mean… Thanks for the rose." There she went again, batting those eyelashes. At least that relaxed him a little. He held up his hands in a 'no problem' manner, and she looked back down at her papers, more so trying to stop her awkward starring rather than reading them.

"Um… Hol—…" He cleared his throat. "Wilkins, I was thinking maybe… I mean, would you?..." She looked back up at him, urging him to continue. "Well, see, there's this Ball…"

"The 26th Annual Costume Ball?" she asked.

Reid's jaw dropped slightly. Morgan hadn't said anything about it being a costume Ball! Reid hadn't read the tickets either. But there was no turning back now.

"Y-yeah… And I was thinking maybe…" he held the tickets up, "maybe you'd like to go with me?"

She looked shocked, but her smile widened.

"I-I mean, only if you want to. It was just—"

"Reid, I'd love to," she interrupted.

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

Reid burst into Hotch's office, where Morgan and he were talking.

"You did not say anything about this being a costume Ball!" Reid yelled.

"I didn't?" replied Morgan, calmly.

"No!"
"Oh."

"Oh?"

Hotch look back and forth between the two, and Reid could have sworn that a smile was twitching at the corners of his mouth.

"Of course it's a costume Ball, Reid," said Morgan, still in that sarcastically calm voice. "It's Halloween."

"But – but I can't go to a costume Ball!"

"Why?"
"What do you mean 'why'?"

"I mean, why?"

"B-because, I've still got a little dignity!"

"Look, like I said, I'm going."

"As what, Satan? 'Cause that's what you are, Derek; the Devil. Look at what you've got me into!"

Morgan laughed. "As a matter of fact, no. Me and Garcia are going as vampires."

Reid got in Morgan's face. "Do I look like the type of guy that dresses up as something, or someone, and then goes to a place with hundreds of other people, and dances?"

"No. But that doesn't mean you can't. Besides, you know Wilkins. She'll probably go as something, like, Marie Curry."

"Morgan… I just do not want—"

"Trust me on this. It'll be fine. You'll see."

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

"Wait… Dr. Spencer Reid, Boy Wonder, is taking you to a costume Ball?" asked Garcia in disbelief.

"Yep," Wilkins replied, spinning around in Garcia's swivel chair.

"I didn't even know you two were, like, a thing."

"Well we're… we're not."

"He gives you a rose, and asks you out in the same day, and you're not a thing?"

Wilkins shrugged.

"Well anyway, whatcha goin' as? I'm going as a vampire maiden."

"You're going?"
"With Morgan."

"Oh. Well, I don't know. I was thinking maybe Queen Susan from the Narnia books."

"Well, you know what I suggest?"

"There's no telling…"
"I suggest you go as Juliet."
Wilkins laughed. "Oh, right. That'll really give him the right impression; 'Hey Reid, why don't we go as the most famous couple in history?'"

"But you are going to do it?" Garcia crossed her arms, knowing Wilkins too well.

Wilkins paused. "I guess I could."

o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o o-O-o-O-O-o-O-o

*screams!* Well, that was fun, wasn't it? :D *sigh* Dontcha just loooove awkwardly sheckshay Spency?

Yay for Halloween! What can I say? Seasons influence my writing…

Yup, Bergeron's Flowers & Gifts is a real florist in Springfield, VA.

Oh, by the way, I don't think I've ever clarified that this is set around season five(?). I really like Reid's extra long hair era… 3

I am obsessed with swivel chairs… O_o