Pairing: Morgan/Reid friendship

Prompts: "Silent Night", Dasher, holly, and a lost gift. I hope you enjoy this story, Graveygraves! Hoping you and all others out there have a lovely holiday!

Morgan quirked an eyebrow at the odd scene currently playing out before him.

Reid was making his way out of the bullpen. He had his coat on, his bag slung over his shoulder. His gaze was focused solely on the doors, his walk slightly hurried. He passed through the doors, down the hall, until he was entirely out of sight.

Morgan's eyes turned up towards the clock.

Four pm. Again. Third week in a row he's left early.

Most of the time, Reid's odd behavior wouldn't have been cause for concern. He'd always been a little quirky and unusual, it was just in his nature. Generally, it was more cause for alarm when Reid wasn't acting strange, or being his usual eccentric self.

There were moments, however, when Reid's odd behavior did signal something darker. The snippy attitude he displayed after dealing with Hankel. The uncertainty for a time after Gideon up and left. His headaches, and the fears they brought as he withdrew after losing Emily. Morgan had been keeping a much closer eye on Reid for most of the year after everything with Emily had happened, and he'd started noticing some of those signs again, the ones that had flared up after his ordeal with Hankel all those years ago. So far it didn't seem his worst fears had yet been confirmed, but still, he couldn't help but worry.

The one thing reassuring Morgan at the moment was the knowledge that Reid had a guaranteed safe place to go in case there was anything troubling him – "catching movies", as Reid referred to his meetings.

Perhaps that's where he was going now? To see a movie? Morgan couldn't think of any particular reason why Reid would need to go to a meeting now – as far as he could see, things seemed fine in Reid's world as of late. Emily was back now, and Reid seemed to be moving on from his feelings about her unexpected return. And as far as Morgan knew, Reid had long ago sorted out all his issues with Gideon. He didn't seem to be struggling with any headaches lately, either.

Still, he decided to continue keeping an eye what happened in the coming days with Reid anyway. Just in case.

The later it got in the month, the more regular Reid's early exits were becoming. In the last week before Christmas he was leaving every other day at four.

Morgan wanted to follow Reid, his curiosity about killing him at this point. He'd briefly considered a few excuses he could give to Hotch explaining why he also should've been allowed to leave early, and even mulled over asking Garcia to do a little investigating when talking to her a few weeks back.

Hotch wouldn't buy his reasons, though, he knew that. And he didn't want to concern Garcia with any of Reid's strange behavior. Not until he had some more concrete information himself.

So he waited until one day when Reid did leave at his regular time, grabbing his coat and casually walking out behind him.

"Hey, Pretty Boy!"

Reid stopped, turning to face Morgan. "Yeah?" Typical innocent face, smiling as he greeted his friend. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just, ah, wondering if you needed a ride home?"

"Mmm, think I'm fine. Thanks anyway, though." Reid started to turn and walk away.

"Are you sure? I mean, it's kinda cold out there today."

"It's thirty-eight degrees." Reid had turned back again, slight confusion on his face now.

Morgan shrugged. "That's cold. For you, at least."

Reid waved a hand dismissively. "Have you forgotten how long I've lived here? I've gotten used to it." Morgan was about to open his mouth to protest when Reid spoke again. "I've gotta go. Thanks again for the offer, though." He waved briefly at Morgan before hurrying away.

Morgan stood, staring blankly, coat still slung over his shoulder.

Okay. Time for a new plan.

That new plan was rendered moot soon enough, however. It was now the twenty-first of December, and Morgan found himself very worried.

Reid had looked downright dismal all day long. He kept to himself, focusing solely on his files throughout the day. When one of the others tried to sneak a file into his stack, he didn't notice. And when Emily had noticed an interesting science article online, and mentioned it to Reid, all she got in return was silence.

This was definitely bad.

Noticing Reid would be leaving at his regular time that evening, Morgan put his offer out there once again. "Need a ride, kid?" he asked, coming up to Reid's side.

"Kinda want to just be by myself tonight, Morgan, if that's okay," Reid mumbled.

"Sure. That's fine." Morgan looked over at Reid for a moment, frowning upon seeing the utterly miserable expression on his friend's face. "Reid? Are you okay?" He stopped, grabbing Reid's arm.

"I'm fine." Reid pried his arm out of Morgan's grasp.

"No, you're not. Something's up with you."

"What do you mean?"

"You've been leaving early each week for the past month. Acting all secretive. And you've seemed upset all day. What's going on with you?"

"Nothing's going on with me." That much was true, Reid could say that for certain.

"Then what's the problem?"

Reid folded his arms. "It's none of your business, Morgan."

"You're my friend. When you're upset it is my business."

Reid's eyes darted about the hallway, noting the occasional workers passing through. "Can we not talk about this here, please?" he hissed.

"Okay. We'll go somewhere quieter and you can tell me what's up."

"Nothing's 'up', Morgan. I just had a bad day. That's all. Can we drop it now? Please?"

Morgan's lips set in a thin line. "Fine. Sorry I asked." One final look, and the two parted ways.

The weirdness with Reid lingered in the back of Morgan's mind that following weekend. He decided to call him when he got home, just to check in and make sure everything was all right.

At the moment, however, he tried to keep his focus on more exciting things. Morgan tapped the steering wheel, humming all the while.

Finally. I'm done! He beamed upon thinking of all the presents stacked in the backseat of his car. Most years, he found himself rushing about at the last minute to buy up Christmas gifts, but it was the Sunday before Christmas and he was officially set to go. They were even wrapped! Thank goodness for those professional gift-wrappers at the mall.

He saw the sign for the local coffee shop up ahead then, and his mouth began to water. A warm drink sounded really good right about now.

Pulling up next to the sidewalk, he was just getting out of his car when he did a double take.

There was a man coming down the sidewalk with two big boxes. Morgan couldn't see his face, but he'd know that coat and those gloves anywhere.

"Reid?"

Reid stopped upon hearing the familiar voice. He peered out from around the boxes he was holding. Great.

"Morgan?" He watched as the other man jogged up to him, grabbing the top box.

"Let me help you."

"No, it's okay, I've got it."

"Reid, you're going to trip over yourself at some point. Let me help."

Reid sighed. No way he was getting out of this one, clearly. "Fine. I just need to drop these decorations off."

"We'll take my car." Morgan waved a hand back towards where he'd parked. It took a few moments to find a space for the two boxes amongst the other gifts, but they'd managed to figure it out.

"Going to your place, then, I take it?" Morgan asked once he and Reid had settled in the vehicle.

"No. Just drive, I'll tell you where to go," Reid said. Morgan chose to ignore the hint of irritation in Reid's voice.

The drive was quiet for a while, save for Reid's occasional instructions of where to turn. Morgan began humming along with the songs on the radio again to try and ease the awkward silence. He couldn't help but notice Reid's leg twitching a little, his hands rubbing his thighs every so often. He looked positively nervous.

Morgan's curiosity finally got the better of him. He turned the radio down low. "Reid?" he asked gently. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Reid shifted in his seat. It wasn't that he wanted to shut his friend out, nor did he have any intention of making him worry. This simply wasn't an easy thing to discuss, was all.

Might as well tell him, though. He's going to find out where you've been going shortly anyway.

Sensing Reid's internal debate of whether or not to talk about whatever he was up to, Morgan pressed on. "Whatever you tell me will be in strictest confidence. You know that, right?"

Reid sighed. There was a brief pause before he finally spoke. "The, ah…group…I meet with? We're having a Christmas Eve get-together. I've been going there each week to help set things up and organize events. I'm bringing these decorations over today." He thumbed at the boxes sitting in the backseat.

That's it? Morgan's brow furrowed. "That sounds great! Why the secrecy, then?"

"Well, the meetings aren't something I really talk about at work, save for when I speak to Hotch. I know the others wouldn't say anything about it, but I have to be careful of who else might overhear, you know?" He looked over at Morgan then, who nodded in sudden understanding.

"Okay, so that explains the secrecy. What's with the moodiness of late, then?"

Reid frowned, hesitating once again. Was this really something he should share with an outsider? He knew Morgan wouldn't tell anyone else, but he didn't want to betray the confidence of those in his group.

He was out of ideas, though, didn't know where else to turn. Maybe Morgan's particular expertise could help him out.

Reid cleared his throat before speaking up. "One of the people in my group – my sponsor – they, um…their mom had to be put away a few years ago." Morgan noticed how sharply Reid's voice dropped at the end of that sentence. "He and his family had been living in her house since then – it was her gift to them, as it were, and they'd vowed to take care of her former home. But now his mom's taken a turn for the worse, and with all the bills they've racked up taking care of her, they're in danger of losing their home."

He took a deep breath. "I know on some level what they're going through."

"And you want to help," Morgan finished up, his voice filled with a mix of sorrow and sympathy.

Reid nodded. "He was so supportive when I was dealing with everything regarding Emily earlier this year. I want to return the favor. But I'm not sure what to do."

Morgan hummed under his breath, his mind racing. He glanced over at Reid, seeing that all too familiar frustrated look upon his friend's face, and fell silent, mulling over all that Reid had shared with him.

"Hey, Reid?" he said a few moments later, waiting until he had the other man's attention. "What would you say if I told you I know a way you can help that friend of yours out?"

Reid straightened up, arms folded. "I'm listening."

The party was in full swing by seven pm on Christmas Eve. The dinner had been delicious, courtesy of two of the group's members, who were known for their excellent cooking, and the members, along with the family and friends who'd joined them, had played some fun holiday games afterward.

Now, as the festive music played in the background, it was time for the gift exchange. Some of the gifts were fun gag presents, some gave cards, others shared things they'd knitted or crocheted. Reid had received a warm scarf someone had knitted, with little pictures of holly scattered about.

Finally, Reid took a moment to walk over to where his friend and sponsor stood, off in a corner. "Merry Christmas," was all he'd said before handing over his gift.

It was a card, a simple one, with a short thank you message. "For helping me through everything this year, " Reid had explained.

"It's no trouble," the man said, waving his hand in a "don't mention it" manner. "But thanks." He smiled back down at the card, his brow suddenly furrowing as he pried out the card which had been taped inside. "What's this?" he asked, holding it up.

Reid cleared his throat. "I've heard about a person who renovates properties. Normally they're put on the market to buy, but some of them are available to rent, too. I just figured, if you want to look into that, well…" He shifted. "I looked into it – this is the number you can call. There'll be someone who can work something out with you and your family. Or maybe they can get you in touch with someone who can help you keep your house."

His friend's eyes shone with tears, his mouth agape. "Thanks, Spencer. This is…wow." He took a deep breath before wrapping Reid in a big hug. Reid watched as the man went over to find his family and share the news with them. He smiled before quietly walking over to where Morgan stood, arms folded, beaming.

"Thanks for your help," Reid murmured.

"Anytime, kid," Morgan said, patting Reid on the back. "Oh!" he said then, pulling his gift out of his coat pocket. "Speaking of gifts, I almost forgot," he said, handing the small box over to Reid. He grinned upon seeing Reid's stunned face.

"This must be a first. Doctor Reid is speechless!" Morgan joked.

"How'd you find these? I thought this had been sold out!" Reid asked, picking up the tickets.

"Let's just say a certain tech goddess helped me out. There's a ticket for you, and one for Garcia, too, in case you need someone to go with you."

Reid nodded. Of course. "Sounds great." He then looked up at Morgan in confusion. "Who's the third ticket for?"

Morgan shrugged. "Some of that stuff at that convention sounded kinda cool. Superheroes? Comics? I could go for checking that out…"

Reid smiled. "I suppose this means I'll have to go to one of those Cubs games with you in return?"

Morgan laughed. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Eh, if I could handle a Redskins game, I think I can sit through a Cubs one."

"Name the time and you're on," Morgan agreed. "By the way, how'd you get a hold of those season tickets?"

Reid just gave Morgan a look.

"Garcia?"

"Mmhm."

"God bless that woman." Reid nodded in agreement. "Thanks, Reid."

"You're welcome. Merry Christmas, Morgan."

"Merry Christmas, Reid."

A few hours later, the group began to disperse, singing "Silent Night" on their way out. Morgan and Reid hummed along, the words echoing in their ears long after everyone had parted and headed for home.

The drive home was quiet once again at first for Morgan and Reid, but this time it was a much more content, relaxed silence. Along the way, they passed a lot where a man dressed as Santa was wrangling some reindeer, trying to put name tags on each of them. Reid noticed a "Dasher" tag around one of the deer's neck.

"Did you know the 'Night Before Christmas' story was the first to introduce the world to the story of all eight reindeer?" Reid said suddenly. "Rudolph wasn't even introduced until the twentieth century."

Morgan snuck a quick glance at his friend as they stopped at a red light. "No, I didn't know that," he said. "What else can you tell me about them?"

As Reid eagerly launched into one of his usual explanations, Morgan smiled in relief.

Everything's back to normal.