A/N: Hey all. Here’s a cute little one shot written for the Challenge from other Challenges Challenge over at Chit Chat on Author’s forum. Whoa, that’s quite the mouthful, lol. Anyways, my assignment was to have Rossi and Reid as the main characters with prompts from the Valentine’s Day Challenge. Sorry, this won’t be a slash fic, just friendship between the two men in this one. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. The OC belongs to me.

A Helping Hand:

“You know what day it is tomorrow, right?” Derek Morgan asked the young genius as David Rossi listened in on their conversation.

“No…” Reid replied warily.

Rossi took in the genius’s confused face. He really didn’t have a clue. This was bad. He’d just finished telling them that his girlfriend of one year, Elena Sparks, was currently on her way over from where she lived in Atlanta for a casual visit. He seemed to have no idea that there wouldn’t be anything casual about this particular visit.

“What day is it tomorrow?” he finished, completely perplexed.

“Reid,” Morgan started in incredulity. The older man looked his way in disbelief, but all he could do was just shake his head. He could believe it. Reid was absolutely clueless when it came to these things.

“Tomorrow is February fourteenth,” Morgan informed; but, when Reid just shrugged his shoulders, Morgan had to add, “Valentine’s Day?”

All color suddenly drained from the young doctor’s face. Rossi would have laughed out loud at his reaction if he didn’t know just how screwed Reid actually was. First rule of long-term relationships, you never ever forgot major holidays. Of which, Valentine’s was almost number one.

“Crap!” Reid exclaimed uncharacteristically. “Elena’s going to kill me.”

Morgan laughed at his fellow agent. He wouldn’t if he knew that it wasn’t an idle threat. Apparently, Derek Morgan had yet to experience the wrath of a woman forgotten on the day of love. Which made perfect sense to Rossi, Morgan was a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy.

“No wonder she was going on and on about which pink and red clothes she would be bringing,” Reid went on. “What am I going to do?”

“Relax, Reid, just tell her you forgot. You’ve been busy; it just slipped your mind. Elena’s got a good head on her shoulders, I’m sure she’d understand,” Morgan advised.

“Yeah?”

Rossi couldn’t stay silent any longer. “Do that,” he began dryly, “and you’re doomed.”

The color that had momentarily returned to his face drained once again. Kid looked like a ghost. He almost felt bad about saying something. Almost, because he knew if Reid took Derek’s advice he’d look a hundred times worse come Monday morning.

“What am I going to do? Everything’s probably booked solid by now. I can’t even try to plan anything now. It’s not even possible,” Reid despaired.

Morgan shot him a ‘now, look what you did,’ look. “Yeah, Rossi, what’s he going to do now?” Morgan prompted expectantly.

Both Morgan and Reid looked to him for a solution, Reid with giant, pleading eyes.

“Oh geez,” he exclaimed at the absurdity of the situation. “Will you stop looking at me like that?”

He had warned the genius of the fury to come, what more did he want?

“Help,” Reid pleaded simply.

Rossi let out a sigh, giving in. He couldn’t stand looking at the desperate face any longer. Well, he was right about one thing, everything remotely romantic in the city was more than likely booked. So… he’d have to think of something outside of the box. It hit him suddenly.

Quickly, Rossi grabbed a slip of paper and wrote an address down. He handed the paper to his co-worker.

“What’s this?” Reid wondered, staring down at the paper.

“Bring Elena here, tomorrow, at six. I’ll take care of everything,” he assured.

“But… what if they don’t let us in?” Reid lamented. “They could turn us away.”

Morgan threw an arm around the young man’s shoulders. “Just listen to the man, will you. He has been married three times.”

With that comment, Morgan let go of him and proceeded to walk away. Rossi didn’t know if he’d meant it to be reassuring, but the sudden panicked look on Reid’s face told him it hadn’t helped.

Thanks a lot, Morgan, he thought dryly.

Rossi walked up to the doctor’s side, patting him on the shoulder. “Trust me, Reid… this will all work out.”

“So, you’re really not going to tell me where you’re taking me tonight?” Elena asked happily from the passenger seat of his car.

Reid glanced his girlfriend’s way. She looked beautiful tonight, wearing a violet colored dress—she’d decided against the traditional pink and red, it seemed—and her dark hair was pulled back from her face, done especially in large waves for tonight. He’d managed to secure her a bouquet of a dozen red roses and she’d promptly secured one bud behind her ear. She really looked breathtaking. And he could tell that she’d gone to some effort with her appearance that night, which made him feel all the worse. He had no idea where he was taking her.

“Oh, uh… it’s a surprise, remember,” he reminded her awkwardly.

She pouted, briefly, before laughing lightly. “I remember… I hope you didn’t go to a lot of trouble… you know I would have been fine with a movie and chocolate cake at home, right?”

He reached over to put his hand over top of hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You deserve anything you want and more…” he told her, a pang of guilt shooting through him.

I just hope that’s what you’re getting tonight…

“Aww… Spencer,” she gushed. “You really are a sweetheart.”

He blushed brightly.

Focusing on the road again, he noticed that they were seconds away from their destination. This was strange because they were currently in a residential area, an upper class one, but still a residential street. He pulled into the driveway of the address Rossi had given him.

“We’re… here,” he said somewhat unsurely.

The pair of them stared up at the house he’d parked in front of. No, not a house, more like mansion, he thought bewilderedly.

Elena pulled her gaze off the house and looked to Reid. “Are you sure this is the right place?”

He glanced at his GPS, then back at the house. “Yeah…”

What exactly Rossi had planned for them, he had no idea.

He got out of the car and Elena hurriedly followed, coming to his side. He folded her hand in his, pulling her close. They made the long trek up to the door and rang the doorbell once there.

“This is exciting…” she breathed out, as they waited.

He glanced at her, catching her eye. She was enjoying the mystery of the situation, he realized. She was having fun. That was something, at least. He allowed himself a brief moment of relief. The night was going well, so far. He hoped his luck would continue.

Reid nodded in answer; a second later the door to the grand house opened. An older man in a suit opened the door to them.

“Um… hi,” Reid started unsurely. “We’re here—“

The man held open the door, gesturing for them to come inside. “Come right in, sir,” the white haired man announced. “We’ve been expecting you.”

Elena let out an excited squeal before pulling him along inside. A woman in a maid’s outfit suddenly appeared beside them.

“Please, I’ll take your coats,” she said formally.

His girlfriend through hers off quickly, while he was more tentative. “All… all right,” he stuttered.

“Right this way, please,” the man, the butler, he assumed said.

The man led the way down elaborately decorated corridors further into the house. It seemed that they were making their way to the back of the home. Reid watched Elena while she took in their surroundings. She really was enjoying herself, for which he was glad.

“Here we are,” the butler announced.

“Dave!” Elena exclaimed.

“What?” Reid sputtered out.

He looked up to see that they’d been led to the backyard of the home. There was a pool, surrounded by trees which were lit up with pearl like lights. The backyard glowed beautifully. And there, standing poolside was none other than David Rossi.

Elena rushed to the older man’s side, greeting him eagerly with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Reid forgot that Elena was the daughter of one of Rossi’s closest friends.

“Elena,” he answered, “how are you, it’s been too long…”

She laughed airily. “It has, dad’s always wondering where you’ve disappeared to.”

“Your dad’s forgotten how little time off an agent really gets,” Rossi answered. “But, you probably know. Reid still treating you right? One word and I’ll take care of him for you.”

Reid gulped down his sudden sense of trepidation. He was kidding, surely. But the glare the older man sent him told him otherwise. He had forgotten all about Valentine’s Day, after all. Crap!

“Oh, Spencer’s an angel,” Elena assured. “He planned all this, didn’t he?”

Rossi nodded, while Reid held his breath. One word from him could probably destroy him, he thought warily.

“Enough catching up for now,” Rossi changed the subject. He pointed in the direction of a gazebo. “Reid’s planned a lovely night for the two of you… why don’t we get started.”

“Yeah…” Reid agreed tentatively.

He put an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders and guided her towards the gazebo. He threw a look over his shoulder to see that Rossi was eying them predatorily.

He was so in trouble…

They reached the table and a squeal of delight pealed from Elena’s lips. “Oh Spencer, you’re too cute!”

He glanced to see what “he’d” done now. Lying across the table were little candy hearts. Upon closer inspection he found that they spelled out two words, ‘love you.’ He let out his held breath, smiling at her timidly.

“I do, you know,” he let her know.

“I know,” she replied sweetly. “I love you, too.”

“Have a seat, you two,” Rossi urged loudly. He’d forgotten that the older man was still there.

They sat at the table set there for them and looked up to Rossi expectantly.

“I’ll be right out with the first course of the night,” he assured them.

He started to walk away, but not before Rossi shot him a look. And Reid did not like the glint in the man’s eye.

Reid pushed back his plate that had, at one moment, contained chocolate syrup covered strawberries. There wasn’t a hint of the dessert left on the plate anymore. Everything that Rossi had brought out was exquisite. And with each course they’d eaten Elena had become more and more pleased.

They’d been left alone for quite a while, with no sign of Rossi since he’d placed the dessert before them. But, Reid knew it was only a matter of time before the older man extracted his price.

“Ah… it looks like you two are done with the dinner portion of the night,” Rossi exclaimed, coming into view.

“Dinner portion?” Elena asked, elated.

“Yeah, dinner portion?” Reid echoed uncertainly.

“Mm hmm…” Rossi declared. “I’ve set up a dance floor over by the pool; the music is almost ready to begin as well.”

They glanced towards the pool side to see that there was indeed a floor mat placed on the ground and next to the dance floor were a number of people setting up instruments.

“This is… wonderful,” Elena breathed out. More than excited, the young woman got up. “Come on, Spencer, let’s go.”

She hurried towards the musicians. The two of them watched her run off before Reid stood up. He put one foot in front of the other, ready to join his girlfriend when Rossi put a hand on his shoulder.

He let out a sigh. The time had come, apparently. “So, how much is this going to cost me?”

“Let’s start with all my paperwork for three months—“

“Three months!” Reid cried out.

“Make it five and we’ll go from there.”

Reid looked back at the young woman already swaying to a silent rhythm. Paperwork was a small price to pay for her happiness.

“All right…”

Again he made to move, but the man stopped him again. “And how about a daily proclamation of ‘Rossi, you’re truly awesome.’”

Reid laughed out loud. Rossi could be such a kidder sometimes. The man had some sense of humor. He started for his girlfriend, this time not being held back.

“I’m not joking!” Rossi called out after him.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this. And I hope you’ll let me know what you think. Thanks!