SPENCER - spencer reid

S E V E N

CHAPTER 7: MERRY CHRISTMAS

Dr. Spencer Reid's POV

[December 25th, 2009]

Rosemary and I walk out of Rossi's place with huge smiles on our faces, bidding him a good night and a Merry Christmas. We walk to my car, putting our presents into the backseat.

From Morgan, Rose and I received coffee mugs that are labeled Grandma and Grandpa, but we found them hilarious rather than offensive. Garcia got me a pair of dark purple slippers to wear around my apartment and got Rose a warm-looking blanket with navy blue, white, and tan Aztec patterns stitched into it. Prentiss gifted us with a DVD series about the American Revolutionary War, which I know we will be avidly watching all night long. Rossi paired up with Morgan for his gift of the mugs, giving us a box of Swiss hot chocolate and two books.

We place our items into the back, closing the doors before hopping into the front seats. Our hands instinctually meet in the middle after I backed out of the driveway, any hesitation that there had ever been in the past long gone by now. I have noted that Rosemary and I often behave in the same manner as magnets. Thoughtlessly reaching out to each other whenever we are within reach has become a part of our nature.

After a relatively short drive, we arrive to my apartment complex and climb out, grabbing our things and Rose grabbing her overnight bag. We decided that we wanted to spend our Christmas together, so she is just going to spend the night here. My heart flutters briefly in my chest at the thought of Rosemary spending the night even though I know that our time will be spent watching the documentaries we received, drinking hot chocolate, and reading.

Rose takes some of my load as I fumble for the key to unlock my apartment. I turn the lock before taking all of the items from her arms, not wanting her to have to carry the somewhat heavy items for any longer. She walks in behind me and I kick the door shut, hearing her lock the deadbolt behind her. She helps me place all of the gift bags and boxes onto the kitchen table, the two of us grabbing our own and putting them on opposite sides of the counter.

Rose excuses herself to the bathroom to put on her pajamas and I prepare the hot chocolate before doing the same myself. When I emerge from my bedroom, I see Rose cozied up on the couch in her pajamas, her new blanket draped over her shoulders and the Revolutionary War documentary already in the DVD player. She is a very fast and thorough learner, so I am not surprised that she hasn't forgotten how to use the DVD player after I showed her how to a few weeks ago.

She holds a corner of her blanket up to me when I approach, and I put it around my shoulders as I sit down next to her, accepting the extra mug of hot chocolate from her hand. I press play on the remote, leaning over to press a kiss against Rosemary's temple. She automatically snuggles closer, smiling up at me before gently pressing her lips to mine.

"Merry Christmas." She smiles, glancing towards the clock, which tells me that it is past midnight and - therefore - officially Christmas.

"Merry Christmas." I reply, kissing her forehead.

With that, I hold her a little closer, sipping from my mug as she runs her fingertips absently against my hand.