Title: I'll Be Home For Christmas
By: floatingamoeba
Pairing: JJ/Hotch, Rossi/Prentiss
Rating: FRT
Word Count: 9,805 Warnings/spoilers: Description of case related violence and the occasional swear word.
Summary/prompt: Two days before Christmas, the BAU team find themselves in Boulder, Colorado, and discover that the spirit of Christmas is more than just a myth.

***

Chapter 1

Morgan slammed the file shut, shooting Prentiss a triumphant grin. "8pm and I am out o' here! I will be seein' you later."

"Wait, wait!" Emily protested, scribbling faster, "I'm almost done!"

He laughed as the last few unintelligible words spewed from the end of her pen, and then Emily was hurriedly shuffling the papers away. "Thank God," she muttered, "I thought it'd never be over with."

"What, Dave waiting at home with a glass of wine and carefully positioned whipped cream?" Garcia said, appearing from behind them. Emily jumped, her head turning so fast she winced.

"Haven't you learnt that sneaking up on people in this line of work is normally not such a great idea?" she said waspishly, and Morgan chuckled. Garcia arched an eyebrow.

"No denial. You're slipping, my love."

From just outside Hotch's office, JJ watched sadly, feeling a headache pushing at the sides of her head. Taking a deep breath, she pushed away from the wall. Get it done, JJ.

Wincing inwardly at how happy they were, she approached them apprehensively. Garcia beamed at her, Christmas earrings jingling cheerfully.

"How goes it, buttercup?"

Looking over his shoulder, Morgan easily read the shady guilt in her eyes. He shook his head.

"No. No way. You are not doin' this to me today," he said angrily. JJ flinched.

"I'm sorry. But it's a bad one."

"JJ, it's two days before Christmas!" Garcia protested, "You can't make us work a case tonight!"

Hotch appeared from his office just in time to hear her comment.

"It's not a case, and it's not JJ's fault. This came from the top. We're briefing on the jet. Get your go bags."

"Hotch, man!" Derek protested, looking at the others to back him up.

"Now, Morgan!" Hotch snapped. He was just as unhappy as the others - perhaps more so, since he was going to spend yet another Christmas away from Jack. It was their first without Haley, and Hotch had wanted to make it a special one for both of them. Now the burden was once again going to fall to Jessica.

Grabbing his bag from the office, he stalked down the stairs and out of the office. The stares of his team burned into his back.

***

JJ passed the folders around in silence, carefully doing her best to not look her colleagues in the face.

Hotch cleared his throat.

"I know this is bad timing, but Boulder have three suspects in a serial case that they need narrowing down to one."

"Serial? How many vics?" Rossi asked while perusing the folder on his lap.

"Twenty three," Hotch answered stonily. Even Rossi managed to look surprised.

"Over how long?" Emily asked, still shocked.

"Two months."

"Two months?" Morgan echoed incredulously, "Seriously?"

Hotch nodded. "The police weren't sure when it first began because the M.O.'s were different. Even the dumping of the bodies - some in remote area, others in alleys, and ravines - didn't match up. But the UNSUB is slipping. The last three kills were sloppy and he dumped them in the same location."

JJ brought the pictures up on the screen, making sure they couldn't see weakness on her face as she did so - they were already mad at her for taking the case. They didn't need another reason.

"I only had time to grab the files for the last three victims. The first, Marsha Daniels," she began, pointing, "Was found raped, tortured and strangled in a parking lot just outside Boulder City. The other two, Kristy Samuels and Rachel Kirk, were also raped and tortured and found in the same parking lot, except they were stabbed repeatedly instead of strangled."

"Why the change?" Rossi questioned, speaking his thoughts out loud, and JJ shrugged. She continued.

"Local police have three suspects in custody. One was apprehended at two out of the three crime scenes. Witnesses place him at the first and third, but not the second. One, James Caulfield, left his fingerprints on the bodies, but alibis out for all three murders. The third suspect confessed to police at the second crime scene, then later retracted his confession and hasn't said anything since."

"Was there any evidence of police coercion?" Reid asked, pulling out his notepad and started writing.

JJ shook her head. "From what the report says, the suspect confessed on the scene without any prompting. Once they got him down to the station, he clammed up and then demanded a lawyer."

Reid stopped writing. "Innocent men don't confess and then retract. Obviously he knows more than he's letting on."

Morgan set the folder down. "You said this case came from the top. Any idea why?"

Hotch nodded. "Marsha Daniels is the granddaughter of Congressman John Daniels, who currently holds the seat in Congress for the Colorado 4th."

"There was no getting out of this?" Morgan asked. JJ glared at him, her frustration finally boiling over.

"You don't think I tried?"

"I think you have a real problem saying ‘no' to small town detectives," he shot back, "Isn't that how you ended up with Henry?"

JJ straightened, and even Dave winced at the way her eyes flashed menacingly. She remained silent, which to all sitting on the jet, was worse than having her yell and shout.

Exchanging glances with Garcia, Rossi cleared his throat, desperate to rid the jet of the tension travelling between JJ's burning eyes and Morgan. He turned to Emily.

He eyed her warily. "You seem fairly unaffected by this little excursion? Why?"

Emily smiled serenely.

"You mean why am I happy to be spending the holiday with my best friends, doing a job I love, as opposed to spending the holiday with my shrew of a mother, talking politics with a bunch of overweight bureaucrats who deal in corruption and 25 year old malt whisky?" She shrugged happily, "Who knows?"

Her gleefulness managed to earn a laugh from everybody, even JJ.

Rossi raised an eyebrow. "Well, Princess, when you put it like that, a murder case in Colorado is the lesser of two evils. Though I would love to get my hands on that bottle of 25 year old malt whisky. God knows we're going to need it before this case is over."

"Amen," Morgan muttered under his breath.

"Some more than others," JJ muttered back and turned her attention to the folder. Hotch cast a glance her way, his eyes giving away nothing. But Rossi caught the look, and felt a smug smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

Giving a slight nod, he settled back against the seat cushion.

"I would suggest we all get some rest before we land. Boulder is expecting a heavy snow and cold temperatures tonight. The more rested we are, the faster we can get this case over and back to DC," Rossi suggested.

"I agree with Dave. Detective Connors is meeting us at the air strip, so until then..." Hotch looked at his watch. Three hours to their ETA in Boulder. "We need fresh eyes to tackle this."

Turning off the overhead, he got up and moved toward the tail. A tense silence fell over the cabin, and Hotch stifled a sigh. I'm sorry, Jack.

Looking out the window, he rested his forehead against the cold windowpane and watched the snow pass by, praying for the moment he could lock his gun away for the last time.

***

Landing in Colorado around midnight, JJ felt her breath stolen at the snow covered mountains that stretched into the skyline all around them. The beauty of the moonlight bouncing off the pure white snow was perfectly serene, and gave nothing away to indicate the blizzard waiting around the corner.

As they congregated around the waiting vehicles, Hotch slid his hands into the pockets of his coat.

"Prentiss, go with Detective Connors to the first crime scene. Morgan and Reid, go to the morgue. Dave and I will go to the second crime scene," he instructed, "JJ, check into the hotel, then catch up with local media networks. Make sure they know not to run anything else until we say so."

"Sure," she said, fingers already flying over the buttons of her cell phone. Garcia stepped forward.

"I'll go with JJ, then dig up everything I can, see if there are any chat rooms or websites they had in common." She turned to the Boulder detective. "Is there anywhere I can set up my system? The faster I can get into their networks, the faster we can start following leads."

Uncertainly, the young detective looked her over. "That your computer?" Garcia nodded. Connors winced at a sudden gust of cold air, before adding, "We have a whole system at the station - very modern and up to date; we had it brought in about six months ago."

Garcia's eyes brightened as she waved a vague hand at her team. "I'll catch you guys later."

Rossi looked Prentiss over. "Are you going to be alright?" He noticed the way she blew on her fingers. "I have an extra set of gloves." Extracting the leather gloves from his coat pocket, he handed them over. "Thank me later," he whispered and walked away. Emily smiled to herself, then followed Detective Connors to the fourth vehicle.

Seeing JJ disconnect whatever last minute call she'd been making, Morgan called her name. She glanced up as he came to a stop a few feet away from her.

"Hey," Derek threw out cautiously.

"Hi."

He took a few steps closer.

"I wanted to...you know...I'm sorry. For yellin' at you earlier. What I said was...well, I was out of order."

The blonde couldn't help but smile at his awkward apology, and nodded. "Okay."

Morgan moved even closer, until he was finally standing beside her, his back to the vehicle.

"That's it? You're not going to threaten me with castration or something?"

Her eyebrow twitched in amusement. "Do I look like Emily?"

Morgan laughed, then fell silent. Eventually he said, "So how are you doing?"

"Me?" JJ echoed in confusion.

"Must be hard not being with Henry."

The tears were back with a vengeance, and JJ dug her fingernails into her palm to hold them back.

"Yeah," she choked out, nodding sharply. Morgan didn't miss the sudden sheen in her eyes. He sighed heavily.

"My mom has cancer," he said softly. JJ blinked, staring at him in shock and confusion.

"What?"

"My mom. Breast cancer."

"Derek..."

"No, it's okay. She's having treatments, fighting it like a bitch, but I just...I don't want this Christmas to be the last, you know?"

"Why didn't you say something?" she said, keeping her voice low, "Hotch would have let you fly home to Chicago to be with her. Derek, this is a family emergency!"

"I know, but the job does come first. Even if I was there, I couldn't do anything for her. I would probably just get in the way of my sisters. Which would not bring joy to the season."

JJ peered up at him, searching his eyes as she asked, "How is she?"

"The doctor says her recovery looks really good. Still…"

"I know. I sometimes wonder if every case is going to be the last one. And if it is, will I have any regrets? Will my last thoughts be of wondering if I gave Henry enough hugs, or if he'll know how much I love him." Her voice threatened more tears. Morgan pulled her close.

"Listen to me, angel eyes," he said quietly, hugging her against him, "Henry knows you love him. And he knows that this is killing you, not being there tonight."

JJ sniffed miserably, her tears dampening his t-shirt as her arms loosely circled his waist.

"I don't know if I can do this," she whispered, "This job and be a good mother." Morgan chuckled.

"Now that's the biggest load of bull I've ever heard. You can do anything you set your mind to – I've never seen you doubt that before."

"Yeah, well, that can be our secret. Remember that I'm a sharpshooter if you decide to blab," JJ warned him.

"You got my word."

A voice behind him cleared his throat, and Morgan turned his head to see Hotch glaring at them both.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked coldly. At the hard stare he was fixing her with, JJ blushed.

"We were just..."

Her voice trailed off, and Hotch stiffened, the muscles in his jaw tensing.

"You both have jobs to do," he snapped, "So I suggest you do them."

Giving each other a nervous look, they walked away. At the last minute, Derek turned around and called out: "JJ, make sure the room you get us has a connecting door…if you know what I mean."

Smiling, she nodded in response and got in the SUV.

Neither one saw the scowl Hotch levelled their way before he got in his SUV and drove off.




Chapter 2

As Reid traipsed in, snow covered and shivering, JJ couldn't help but smile.

"I take it the blizzard started?"

"T-there are se-seventeen blizzard related d-deaths a year," he replied, gratefully taking the cup of coffee Emily offered.

"At least the hotel is just across the street," she pointed out.

Hotch, shrugging off his coat as he entered, barely spared JJ a glance as he moved towards them.

"What do we have?" He looked at the white board covered with crime scene photos of the victims and the little information about the suspects. It wasn't much to go on, but his team had accomplished the impossible more than once in the years he worked with them. He hoped they could do the same here.

"Nothing new," Emily said simply. A hand along the small of her back spoke of Rossi's arrival.

"The parking lot where Kristy Samuels and Rachel Kirk were found is secluded, free from traffic, and off the main road. He knew where he was taking them," Dave added.

"The coroner estimates that both women had been dead for ten to twelve hours," JJ read from the folder, "so the UNSUB had to know the right time to dispose of them without being seen."

"This means he's familiar with not only the area, but the women he took. He knew that it was going to be a while before someone discovered the bodies," Morgan finished. Draining his coffee cup, he placed it on the desk.

"So, this is all we have at the moment?" Hotch inquired. "What time is the briefing?" He looked at the blonde liaison officer immersed in the folder in her hands. "JJ?"

Startled, she looked up. "I've arranged a press conference for 12:15 tomorrow.

"That's not too soon?" the Colorado native asked, a frown marring his brow. JJ shrugged.

"I'll draft a statement, you can look it over before the press get here." She tried to hide a yawn.

"I think you all should turn in," the detective remarked, taking in the exhausted features of the seven-man team.

"JJ, what about hotel rooms?" Hotch asked, not even bothering to turn towards her. Narrowing her eyes at his back, she reached behind her for the envelope of card keys.

"We're all on the fifth floor. Rooms 25-31," she said, handing around the keys.

Emily leant forward to whisper in Rossi's ear. "You just know she put Garcia between us for a reason."

He chuckled, but seeing the glare Hotch shot him, quickly turned it into a cough.

"Get some sleep," the unit chief instructed, checking his watch, "It's 3am now. We start again at 8."

***

Squinting against the early morning sunlight that reflected off the snow, JJ blew out a long breath, watching it rise up in front of her. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hotch circle the back of the crowd, his dark eyes fixed on her.

"The FBI would like to make a statement at this time," she announced, and waited for a near silence to fall, "We are looking into the murders of three women in the Flagstaff area. The FBI are working with local law enforcement officers to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice." She scanned the crowd. "I'll take a few questions."

"Agent Jareau! Is it true that you have suspects in custody?"

Hotch wondered how she kept her face so blank.

"There are a number of individuals helping us with our enquiries. We will not be releasing any names until a formal arrest is made."

Another voice yelled her name. "Agent Jareau, can you confirm that the person responsible for these crimes has killed twenty three people in the last two months?"

"As I've already mentioned, the FBI are investigating three murders. If anything else arises as a result of our enquiries, we'll deal with that then."

Hotch moved further into her line of vision, letting her know with a nod of his head that she should wrap it up.

"I'm afraid that's all I have time for. We'll be issuing a further statement when the need arises, but for now I'll ask that you hold your stories until Boulder City give the all clear. Thank you."

JJ ignored the groans of frustration, stepping down from the podium just in time to fall in step with Hotch.

"Good job."

"You think that was enough to make the UNSUB know we're on to him?" JJ asked.

"We'll find out."

"When he kills again."

"It happens," Hotch confirmed. He watched as she looked over at Morgan, his stomach churning at the smile that passed between them. Watching her watch him, Hotch started to speak but stopped. "I'll meet you inside," he shrugged and stalked off.

Speechless, JJ's eyes followed him helplessly.

***

Stepping inside the conference room, JJ saw her teammates huddled in the small confines. Catching the looks they gave her, she paused in the doorway.

"Is that mistletoe?" JJ asked uncertainly, loosening the scarf around her neck. Garcia grinned, looking slightly psychotic.

"It certainly is, honey bun. I strongly encourage you all to participate in a little nookie under the berries."

"Did you know that mistletoe was traditionally used as a...?"

"Please," Rossi interrupted with a groan, "No mistletoe discussion. I got enough of that when it led to my second marriage."

Morgan chuckled. "So what was responsible for the third marriage?"

"Three glasses of wine and a bad book review," Dave replied, his eyes sparkling and his lips turning up at the corners.

Emily smirked. "That's all it takes?"

Rossi frowned slightly. "All it takes to what?"

"To get you into bed," she said teasingly, her voice dropping to a tone so low it sent shivers down his spine. For the first time in a long time, David Rossi was speechless. After a stunned silence that seemed to stretch on forever, punctuated only by the soft chuckles of his teammates, he mustered up a smirk to match hers.

"Would you like to make notes, Emily? Be the best student in class?" Morgan challenged, his eyes dancing with mischief.

Standing, she slid past him, bending to whisper in his ear. "Didn't you hear? I already got an ‘A'."

Watching her walk away with an extra swing in her hips, and frowning deeply as Rossi shifted in his seat, Reid shuddered.

"Why does she keep doing that? Doesn't she know we can hear her? And Emily knows it makes me go all...weird. Uncomfortable," Reid corrected, as he slid two fingers under his shirt collar.

Garcia arched an eyebrow. "And you ask why she keeps doing it?"

Morgan slapped the young doctor on the back. "If anyone needs a truckload of mistletoe for Christmas, it's you! We've got to get you laid, man."

"Hey!" Reid protested.

"You should try it sometime; you might like it," Garcia added just as Morgan winked. Reid looked helplessly at his friends. Rossi cleared his throat.

"Don't look at me. I don't share my women with anyone. No matter how desperate the situation." He stood up. "It might not be too late to get Santa to bring you that special gift, though. Until then, Rosie Palm might carry you thru in case all you get is a lump of coal in your stocking."

Suppressing giggles, Morgan and Garcia watched their teammate turn crimson. As Emily returned, JJ cleared her throat.

"Uh, guys? Can you...follow me."

Exchanging confused and curious glances, the team trailed after her. Making sure they were all there, JJ took a deep breath, and opened the door to their temporary office.

Morgan heard his breath catch in surprise. "Oh my..."

It was Christmas contained to one room.

Strings of fairy lights hung from what looked like every available surface, a bunch of mistletoe lurking suspiciously in the doorway. The team moved further into the room, gazing in awe at the straggly tree standing bare in one corner and the food piled high on the table.

"I called ahead to arrange the tree," JJ admitted quietly, "and Garcia had the Christmas lights in her go bag."

Emily turned to JJ, her eyes wide.

"You did all this?"

The blonde smiled shyly.

"Just in case. I mean, it's my fault you're all here. It's the least I could do. But we need to decorate the tree – I didn't get a chance to..."

Seeing Reid already stringing lights over the tree, and Rossi and Prentiss arguing over decorations, JJ didn't bother to finish what she was saying.

"You didn't need to do this," came a soft voice from behind. JJ turned her head as Hotch moved to stand beside her. She shrugged, hugging her arms around her.

"Yeah, well..."

His fingers itched to reach out and caress the curve of her neck, but he did nothing but shove his hands into his pockets.

"Have you called your parents?" he asked. JJ shook her head.

"I think if I have to hear them tell me how much fun Henry's having, I might just lose it," she admitted sadly.

The waver in her voice threatened to break. Throwing caution to the wind, Hotch rested a hand on her shoulder, letting it drop down to cup her elbow reassuringly. As he led her a small distance away from the others, JJ took a deep breath, pushing the hurt down until it was nothing but an uncomfortable pit in her stomach.

She glanced over at him.

"You got it wrong, you know," she said quietly. He scoffed under his breath.

"I get a lot of things wrong. You're going to have to be more specific."

"Me and Morgan," she replied, her tone telling him that she knew he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"What am I supposed to think when I catch you in the middle of...I don't know what, then overhear you arranging hotel rooms with an adjoining door?"

Her eyes flashed. "You know what happens when you assume, Hotch. You make an ass..."

Realizing how childish she sounded, JJ bit the words back. Hotch said nothing, only fixed her with a blank look and listened to her sigh.

"He's a friend. I could really use one of those right now. You may not have noticed. He did. Derek Morgan may chase after everything with a pulse, but I don't," JJ said, "I thought you knew me better than that, Hotch."

Mustering up her fiercest glare, JJ turned on her heel, stalking off and leaving him staring after her.




Chapter 3


"You found what in his freezer?" Hotch asked.

"Dissected squirrels, rats, opossums…He says he was doing biology experiments and was trying to perfect cryogenics," Emily replied, handing over the pictures of the ‘crime scene' they had discovered.

Hotch flipped through the photos, inwardly wincing at the sight of dead wildlife. "Most serial killers begin with small animals and wildlife."

"Trust me," Morgan shook his head. "It's not him, Hotch. He's sick, but he's not a serial killer."

"Yet," Emily added darkly. Rossi nodded.

"So we're down to two."

"All we can do is hold him for 72 hours. Then we have to let him go," Morgan commented. "We'd better start working on the other two. Fast."

Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Rossi, Prentiss, you take interview room one. Morgan, take room two. Let me know if you get anything."

***

Ten minutes in, and Morgan hadn't got far – every question he asked, every statement he made, was greeted by silence.

"You were a good student. 3.9 GPA, scholarship to York. Where'd it go wrong, huh? Maybe when you..." he said, his eyes flicking between Williams and the file, but stopped suddenly as Hotch entered the room and cut him off.

"Start talking."

"Hotch..." Morgan said incredulously, looking to the one-way glass in confusion. The unit chief pressed on.

"You committed your first sex crime at fourteen," he stated bluntly, "What was it? Stealing your neighbour's underwear? Watching her in the shower?"

A flicker of lust came and went, and before Hotch could make anything of it, Rossi's voice came over the bud in his ear.

"Aaron, it's not the guy we've got in here. He gets off by the lights and commotion, but knows nothing about the actual murders. He thinks garroting is a food preparation."

Absorbing information without letting anything show on his face was a skill Hotch had perfected. He circled the table, ignoring Morgan's subtle attempt to catch his attention.

"Tell me about your mother."

A flicker of dark anger shot across William's face, and he spoke for the first time, "My mother was a good woman."

"Your mother was a prostitute. Your father was a drunk."

"She was not a prostitute!" Williams yelled.

"No, that's right," Hotch agreed condescendingly, "She was a...what do they call it? A massage therapist."

"Only because ‘high paid call girl' is still unacceptable in polite conversation," Williams remarked sarcastically.

"What poli...?" Morgan began, but once again found himself cut off.

"Your mother entertained her clients in your own house. Is that why your father was an alcoholic?" Hotch asked.

Williams shook his head. "You don't understand."

"Then explain it. I'm interested in knowing more about your childhood," Morgan replied, the glare he shot Hotch all but daring him to interrupt.

Williams grinned. "There's nothing to say. I loved my father. He was the best man ever born. Unfortunately, his life was cursed; go figure."

"What do you mean: his life was cursed?" Hotch asked. He sat in the seat opposite, his face impassive and his tone giving nothing away. Williams slid down in the chair, arms coming to rest behind his head in a position that clearly stated he was done answering questions.

"You're the FBI with all the answers. You tell me."

"You killed three people."

Williams smiled genially, raising his eyebrows. "Did I now?"

"We have your DNA at the crime scene and you were seen with the victim a few hours before the remains turned up."

"That doesn't mean anything. Our paths could have crossed. Unless you have something more solid than she and I were seen together, I would suggest that you all let my lawyer do the talking."

Morgan crossed his arms over his chest. "We never said it was a ‘she'."

"Lucky guess. I had a fifty-fifty chance of getting it right."

"We know you did it."

"Prove it," the suspect said with a grin.

Morgan placed his hands on the table top and leaned forward. "We will."

As they left the interrogation room, Hotch was met by a pair of angry blue eyes, and realized for the first time that this situation with JJ was quickly spiraling out of control.

"What happened to ‘good cop, bad cop'?" she demanded, "That was more like ‘bad cop, no cop'."

Not having realized there had been witnesses to his lapse in reasoning, Hotch shrugged. "What do you want me to say?"

She opened her mouth to snap at him, but Morgan beat her to it.

"What the hell, man?" Derek said angrily, "What's your problem?"

"My problem," Hotch responded, just as angrily, "Is that we're no closer to making an arrest, and if we're wrong about Williams, another woman may be in danger."

"So why are you all over my interrogation?"

The muscle in Hotch's jaw tightened. "Things were not progressing fast enough."

Biting his tongue to hold back a comment that would only upset the blonde beside him, Morgan turned, storming away to cool off.

JJ glared at him. "What's wrong with you?" she hissed, following in Derek's heavy footsteps.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Hotch looked around the room for any answer to explain what he was feeling. Not finding what he was looking for, he ran a hand over his face and decided to get a cup of coffee. He needed something to calm his nerves and organize his thoughts.

Three suspects in custody - although one had been eliminated - and someone had the answers…the missing piece to the crime puzzle, but who? And what exactly was the team missing?

Busy with his thoughts, he barely noticed Emily sitting at the table perusing the crime folder. Pouring a cup of coffee, Hotch sat down opposite her, and barely had a chance to open his mouth before she was speaking.

"I'm not going to help you," she stated, barely lifting her eyes off the page.

"You don't know what I was going to ask," Hotch pointed out. Emily arched an eyebrow, reluctantly setting down her pen.

"I know it's going to involve JJ, and that's something you have to figure out on your own."

He sighed heavily, and stood up.

"I will, however," Emily added quietly, "Tell you that Rossi put JJ in contact with a family lawyer, and I may have overheard her on the phone arranging for somebody to go and collect their stuff from her apartment."

"Morgan?" he questioned as he turned. Emily sniffed, returning her attention to the files.

"You'd have to ask Reid. I mean, Reid was the one Morgan asked for statistics on breast cancer."

Hotch blinked. "What? Who has breast cancer? JJ?"

Emily gave him a quizzical look. "JJ? No, Morgan's mother. She was diagnosed last month and had surgery. Morgan was hoping to go home for Christmas to be with her."

Hotch groaned inwardly. "Why didn't he say something? I would have let him go."

"He felt he needed to be with the team."

"But his mother is ill."

"JJ made arrangements to have his ticket changed over so he can fly out of Denver once this case is over. And Strauss approved him for two weeks off to help out while she under goes chemo."

His face softened. "Why didn't he or JJ tell me?"

Emily gave him a sardonic chuckle. "Well, Hotch, considering some of the looks you've been sending their way…you scared me a couple of times."

Hotch swallowed hard. "How is she? Morgan's mother, that is."

"She's going to make it. They caught it early, so the recovery is ninety-five percent." Emily watched his face. "Now that I've brought you up to date, you need to go talk to Morgan and clear the air."

"Are you sure?"

"It is the season of great tidings and good will toward men," Emily offered and walked away to leave him with his thoughts.

Hotch found Morgan hunched over a folder at the table. His brow was furrowed as he tried to find that missing link to break the case wide open. A knock on the door caused him to look up, and seeing who it was, felt his hackles rise defensively.

"Garcia find anything?"

"Nothing yet." Hotch cleared his throat, his brow creased in its usual frown. "I was short with you earlier," he said, "and my behavior during the interrogation was uncalled for. I apologize."

Smirking, Morgan shrugged.

"No problem, man. If I thought somebody was moving in on my girl, I might get a little snappy too."

"She's not my girl," Hotch responded automatically. Morgan's smirk bloomed into a full grin.

"Maybe you might want to sort that out then," he suggested, "'cause it's Christmas, and JJ's not gonna wait forever."

"What are you suggesting Agent Morgan?" Hotch asked evenly, his heart beating that much faster.

"That sometimes the best gifts don't come wrapped or stuffed in stockings."

"I didn't ask for JJ."

"For a smart man, you are pretty dense, Hotch. Didn't you ever hear the phrase ‘unanswered prayers'?" He leveled a gaze at the unit chief. "It's Christmas, man; it wouldn't hurt you to get into the spirit. Just a bit."

Garcia walked over to where the two men stood. "Is everything alright?"

"Couldn't be better, baby girl. Don't let your miracle go, Hotch, just because you lost once before. Sometimes the second time can be better than the first."

Wordlessly, Hotch walked off.

"What was that all about? Is Hotch going to be okay?" She kept an eye on the unit chief, noting the defeated slump of his shoulders. Morgan wrapped his hand around her elbow, pulling her to the side.

"Mama, I need you," he said in a low voice. Garcia chuckled. Carefully, she brushed a bit of lint from his sweater.

"Oh, I know you do sugar, but I'm working right now. Meet me in my hotel room later and I'm sure I can be of service."

Morgan laughed. "Very funny. Now stop running your mouth an' listen to me, alright?"

She mimed zipping her lips, the sparkle in her eyes dancing.

"I wanna do something for JJ and Hotch."

"You mean apart from lock them in a room and force them to do the dirty?"

Morgan winced at the image that sprang to mind.

"Yeah, apart from that. I want to let them see their kids on Christmas Day."

Garcia raised her eyebrows, her antlers comically lopsided.

"Their kids that are currently hundreds of miles away? Honey, I know you're Superman and all, but don't you think that's stretching your cape a little far? I mean, you'd need a miracle. Or at least somebody with major Christmas skills."

Derek grinned the grin that would have made a lesser woman crumble.

"Why you think I'm here talking to you, sweet thing?"

Her eyes widened as she caught on to his plan, and then she smiled. She patted his cheek lovingly.

"You, my hunky Christmas elf, are a genius."

He gave a tug to her antlers and grinned. "Someday you're going to tell me something I don't already know."

She laughed. "Oh, someday, huh?"

"You bet. Until then, get a move on that extra special Christmas gift or I'll make sure Santa leaves a lump of coal on your Mac, sweet thing."

Garcia's eyes shone with love. "I'm all over it, my deliciously handsome milk chocolate Santa."

Morgan watched her walk away, a wistful smile on his face.




Chapter 4

JJ hadn't slept well.

Neither had Hotch, but his perpetual tiredness was nowhere near as evident as her dark circles and barely concealed yawns visible as she all but fell into the room. It was just after midday, and tempers were beginning to wane.

"Is everybody here?" Garcia chirped. JJ thought she seemed far too happy, but nodded regardless. The technical analyst beamed, taking Morgan's hand in her own, "Good. Now follow me, everyone!"

Emily smirked as Hotch's face morphed into confusion.

"Is there something I should be aware of?" he asked, as close to uncertain as she had heard him. The brunette shook her head.

"Nope."

"Dave, is there something you're not telling us?"

The senior agent shook his head and looked at the bandana in his hand. "Even if I did, I‘m still not telling. Now turn around." He threw a wink at Emily.

JJ arched an eyebrow. "I don't really think..."

"For God's sake, woman," Rossi muttered, hastily placing the blindfold over her eyes, "Do I need to gag you as well?"

"Go ahead and try it," she muttered. Having made sure the blindfold was secure around her eyes, Rossi took her by the hands to lead her forward.

"Consider this your Christmas gift. From all of us."

Beneath the fabric, JJ arched an eyebrow. "All of you?"

"Well, except Hotch," Morgan chimed in from behind her, "But we figured he'd be getting you something anyway."

The wind was knocked from his lungs as an elbow connected with his stomach.

"Just because I'm blindfolded doesn't mean I won't shoot you," Hotch said, feeling Emily nudge him forward.

"Sit," she commanded, "Both of you."

JJ and Hotch did as they were ordered, inadvertently brushing hands as they did so.

"Okay, ready?" Reid asked, and JJ wondered why he sounded so excited.

"Get on with it," Hotch muttered. Soft laughs came from all around him, and then the blindfold was lifted and he blinked against the brightness.

A small voice called out. "Daddy!"

His eyes widened, and he leant forward. "Jack?" he asked incredulously, a grin splitting his face as his son's face filled the screen in front of him.

"Hi Daddy! Aunt Penelope told me that you were going to be on the computer tonight."

"Really?" Hotch looked at the computer analyst.

"She told me that Santa was setting up a special way for us to talk. Is she one of Santa's elves?" Jack's eyes were wide with wonderment.

"Actually, son, Aunt Penelope is an angel, but don't tell her I said that." Someone made a coughing sound in the background to cover a laugh.

"I have to make this quick because Aunt Jessica and me are making cookies for Santa. She said reindeer get very hungry dropping off gifts and need their energy."

Hotch felt the tears well up. "Yes son, they do."

"Do you think Santa likes chocolate milk?" Leaning close to the computer screen his features were distorted as he spoke in a loud whisper: "Aunt Jessica says he doesn't, but I know he does. I won't let him drink regular milk because it tastes funny." Pulling back, he looked around for his aunt.

"Jack, you tell Aunt Jessica that I have it on good authority that Santa loves chocolate milk." Hotch rubbed his eye.

"Daddy, are you crying?" Jack asked, concern in his voice.

"No."

"Yes you are, but that's our secret. I won't tell anyone. Not even Santa Claus because he already knows."

"What do you mean?" Hotch asked flummoxed.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Jack rolled his eyes. "You better watch out, you better not cry; you better not pout, I'm telling you why…Santa Claus is coming to town," his little voice sang out loud and off key. Pen sniffled and reached for a Kleenex.

"Did you learn that at school Captain?"

"Yep. When you get here, I'm going to sing it all for you in its ‘tirety. I got to go Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too Jack. I'll be home soon."

"Catch the bad guy first, okay?"

"I will. Good night."

"Good night Daddy. I love you."

The computer screen went blank. For a long moment a heavy silence filled the room. Morgan, usually so strong, turned around and walked out of the room. Garcia leant forward, sniffing, and hitting a few keys, the screen shifted as another young face came on.

"Henry?" JJ breathed and reached out a hand to her young son.

"Say hi to Momma," the voice off camera encouraged. Her father's voice caught her unawares, and JJ felt another surge of pain clench around her heart.

"Hi Mama!" Henry gurgled.

"Have you been a good boy?" she asked, her voice wavering, her arms aching.

"Yes."

"Have you been tearing things up and getting into mischief?"

"Yes."

"He's not lying," her father encouraged from off screen, "You should see the bathroom."

JJ groaned inwardly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it Jen; talk to your son."

"Are you ready for Christmas?"

"Kissmas. Santa and toys and deer come down from the sky." Henry motioned with his hands Santa coming down.

"Yes honey, they do."

"I lub you Mommy." He tried to blow her a kiss. Instead he blew her a raspberry.

"No Henry," JJ's mother corrected, "Like this." He looked up to watch her. Pressing his hand against his lips, he made a big smacking sound then waved his hand around. "That's better."

Henry leant closer, a sticky hand pressed against the screen. "Come home Mommy."

JJ felt the tears run down her cheeks. "I am pumpkin. I'm on my way." She reached out to touch the screen. "I love you."

"I lub you too." He yawned widely and rubbed his eyes.

"Don't worry Jen; we're holding Christmas off until you get here. If that's alright."

"Tell Santa to bring you home with his sled. Okay?" Henry piped up sleepily.

JJ bit her lip. "That's more than okay. Give him a hug for me." She pressed her hand against the screen to try and bring her baby closer. "Bye baby." The screen went blank. Then her tears flowed.

Pen disconnected the transmission. Looking at the rest of the team, she cleared her throat.

"I think we need to go finish our reports," she encouraged, shepherding them towards the door.

Silently, everyone but JJ left the room.

***

"They were all whores!" Williams yelled, his face turning an ugly shade of purple, "They were worthless, all of them! They were worthless, right down to the moment I choked the life out of them!"

They all realised what had been said at the same time.

Hotch straightened, the barest hint of triumph alight in his eyes. Turning his head a fraction, so that his stare never left the UNSUB, he said, "Morgan, tell Detective Connors that we just got a confession."

Williams sat in shock, his own tongue having betrayed him. Hotch let a small smile curve his lips, his eyes cold.

"You'll enjoy prison," he said, "Somebody can show you exactly how worthless you are."

"But I will always know the feeling of choking the life out of another human being. That's worth everything."

Shutting the door, and allowing himself a rare moment of reprise, Hotch breathed a long sigh of relief. It was done – they could go home.

Crossing to his team and nodding at their brief congratulations, Hotch looked around, his frown deepening. "Where's JJ?"

Emily turned her head.

"She just finished talking to Henry," she said sympathetically. He nodded, already moving away to find her.

JJ was sat in front of the laptops, and even from a distance, Hotch could see the tear tracks on her cheeks.

"JJ."

Turning sharply at the sound of his voice, JJ wiped a guilty hand over her face, standing.

"Hotch. You scared me."

"Sorry," he apologised. She shook her head.

"Don't. I should be..."

"Hey," he interrupted gently, "It's me. You don't need to pretend to have things to do."

A faint smile curved her mouth. "I do have things to do."

"So does Santa, but Mrs Claus always knows when to tell him to take a break."

He chuckled, but felt it trail off into nothing the moment fresh tears clouded her eyes. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Henry asked if Santa was bringing me home on his sleigh," she whispered, and Hotch squeezed her shoulder, his fingers ghosting over the ridge of her collar bone, "My baby..."

"Oh, Jayje..."

Barely thinking twice, and certain that he would realize this was a bad idea if he did, Hotch reached out, wrapping his arms around her shoulders to hug her close. She tensed in his arms, pushing her now closed fists against his chest.

"What are you...?" JJ struggled to be free of him, but he held on, "Hotch, let me go!"

"No. Stop struggling," he ordered in the voice specially reserved for miscreant agents and frustrating suspects. Realizing that he was too strong for her to fight off, JJ heaved a heavy sigh, reluctantly lowering her arms to sit around his waist.

Smirking into her golden hair, Hotch spoke again, his voice rumbling deep and low in his chest. "One thing I've learnt from my son," he said quietly, feeling her body sink against him, "Is that a hug makes everything better."

She sighed again, this time in a mixture of gratefulness and exasperation. "Hotch."

"We got a confession," he continued, "That's what I came to tell you."

"So we can go home now?" Her tone held unspoken hope.

"That's the plan. Once everyone gets their stuff together, we're going to be heading out."

"I'm going to need to call to get Morgan picked up and taken to the airport so he can fly out before the storm," JJ murmured. "With any luck he will get to Chicago before the worst hits."

"If anyone can do it Jen, you can."

JJ pulled away. "I better make that call before it gets too late."

He caught her hand.

"It's Christmas Eve," he said. JJ arched an eyebrow.

"I hadn't noticed," she replied with a laugh.

"It's Christmas Eve," he repeated pointedly, "and we're stuck in Boulder, Colorado, which means that what I'm about to do can either be a miracle...or blamed on too much eggnog."

Her smile disappeared.

"What are you ta...?"

She never got to finish what she was saying, because his lips were covering hers and his hand was burying itself in her hair.

Not that she wanted to carry on speaking - kissing Aaron Hotchner was a far more productive use of her time. Her arms rose up, tightening around his neck to pull him closer, even as her mind was screaming at her to push him away. His tongue crept out to stroke her lips, and without thinking, JJ opened her mouth to him.

Hotch groaned softly, sliding the hand that wasn't currently fisted in her hair down to her hip. She pressed herself against him, her body soft and full in the right places. He had always dreamt of holding her in his arms, of kissing her senseless until she stole the breath from his lungs. Now, through the miracle of Christmas, his wish had come true.

She moaned softly as his free hand slid from her hip to cup her buttocks and pull her more firmly against him. Reaching up, JJ tangled her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss. She had always wondered what his lips felt like and if he was anywhere near as good a kisser as she imagined. As her tongue duelled with his, all of her questions were answered. He was perfect.

Slowly, but still too quickly for his liking, they became aware of their surroundings. Pulling away, Hotch buried his face in her hair and tried to get his breathing under control. His body, awaken by the forgotten touch of a woman, was alive and demanding fulfilment, his heart pounding away in his chest. His body would have to wait – they couldn't do this here. Not now.

But what he would give to wake up with her in his arms on Christmas morning.

"Jayje, are you alright?" Hotch asked as he pulled back to look at her. She couldn't meet his eyes, instead choosing to check the time on her cell phone.

"Wow, I better, uh...you know."

"JJ..." Hotch began helplessly.

"No, really. It's fine. I'll, uh...talk to you later, or something."

Like a fish in the sea, she was gone, leaving Hotch staring after her.



Chapter 5


Later, Hotch found her tucked away in an office, surrounded by paperwork and wearing the frown that now seemed a permanent fixture on her face. He lingered a few feet behind her, caught between approaching and running away.

"I know you're there, Hotch. You're not as quiet as you think you are."

He cursed inwardly, closing the distance between them until JJ turned her blue eyes on him in a curious stare. Hotch cleared his throat.

"JJ, we need to talk," he said softly, conscious of the many ears surrounding them.

"About what?" she replied, feigning ignorance and trying to ignore the way her heart beat faster as his arm brushed against hers. Hotch groaned quietly.

"Don't make this harder..." he begged. JJ sighed heavily, setting down her pen and turning to face him.

"We kissed, Hotch. It's not like it was completely unexpected, and it's not like it'll happen again. Heightened emotions led to a lapse in judgement and a loss of inhibition," she recited, and Hotch wondered how many times since she had practised that speech, "Let's just forget about it, okay?"

He opened his mouth to reply, then hesitated.

"Is that what you want?"

A flash of something unreadable passed over her face, but then a faint smile appeared in its place.

"Yeah. I mean, that would be easiest, right? Just to..."

"Forget about it," he finished, barely masking the disappointment weighing down on his shoulders. JJ nodded.

"At least we can blame the mistletoe," she said in false brightness. She watched him summon up the pathetic remnants of a smile.

"Yeah. Except there wasn't any mistletoe where we were standing," Hotch observed. Looking at his watch, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Do you have Morgan's flight ready?" She nodded. "Good. Now get your things together because the jet leaves in thirty minutes." He turned on his heel and left the room.

Stifling a heavy sigh, JJ threw her papers and phone in her briefcase. One last look around and she left the room. Not for the last time…if crime had anything to say about it, they would be back in Colorado soon enough.

Finding Morgan fixing himself one last cup of coffee, she handed him the plane ticket. "Have a safe trip home Derek." She stood up and pressed a brief chaste kiss to his lips. Drawing her into a hug, he held her tight.

"Thank you, Jennifer," he whispered in her ear. "I don't know how to pay you back."

"You called me ‘Jennifer'; I don't think I've ever heard you say my full name before." She playfully patted his cheek. "You go home and take care of your mom. Call me and let me know how she is doing, okay?"

"I will. I love you, Jen."

"I love you too, Derek."

"Take care your men."

JJ paused. "I think you mean ‘man'; Henry is spending the day after Christmas with my parents."

"No, I meant ‘men'. You'll find out when you get back to Quantico." He grabbed his go back and left the room.

JJ watched him, then she followed the rest of the team outside to the jet, a bounce in her step as home began to seem far closer.

***

The flight home passed quicker with the knowledge that Christmas was waiting just around the corner. JJ ran down the steps, throwing out hasty goodbyes.

"I'll see you in a couple of days," she said, "If you need me, call my home phone, but you might get my father answering."

"Go, Jayje," Emily laughed, pulling on her own coat, "Give Henry a hug from me."

Rossi nodded his agreement. "Merry Christmas, kiddo."

"Merry Christmas," JJ breathed, "Oh wait! I need to..."

A firm hand closed around her wrist, gently pulling her towards the elevators. She looked up at Hotch in surprise.

"What are you doing?"

"Making sure you get home to see your son open his stocking," he said, "I'm walking you out."

Downstairs, having said their goodbyes in time to set up the final stage of their plan, Garcia and Reid sat waiting in Reid‘s car, Christmas tunes blaring from the radio. Morgan was watching from the laptop Garcia had set up so he could share the moment, the computer precariously perched to allow him a good view.

"This isn't right," Garcia said, pouting slightly, "This is like, a majorly epic invasion of privacy."

"Don't you want to see how it works out?" Morgan replied appealingly. Penelope hesitated.

"But...but what if they see us? What if they see us watching, and get so flustered that all our hard work is undone? What if we break them up, Morgan? What if we ruin their chances at happiness?"

Her voice had slowly been creeping up in both volume and pitch, and Reid shrank back.

"Garcia, the statistical probability that either JJ or Hotch allows their happiness to be..."

"Can it, beansprout," Garcia said fiercely. Morgan chuckled.

"Princess, chill out. It's not a big deal. Two more minutes and we'll leave it alone."

"Drive away," she demanded, slapping his arm, "Now, Reid!"

"Baby girl, would you just hold the laptop a little higher...I wanna see!" Morgan retorted, craning his head to look in the mirror. Reid frowned.

"See what?"

Morgan sat back, grinning.

"That."

Turning in his seat, Reid quickly made out Hotch and JJ walking out of the FBI building. "Guys, there they are!"

JJ came to a stop, a relieved grin on her face as she turned to face him. Early morning sunlight peeking over the rooftops painted her face in golden light, and Hotch couldn't help but smile with her.

"Think you can make it home before Henry wakes up?" he asked. JJ laughed, checking her watch.

"Probably. He's not an early riser, even for Christmas. My father, on the other hand, will most likely be sat at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee and the morning paper."

Hotch chuckled, nodding. Her smile dimmed, growing softer and more gentle.

"Hotch, I...I wanted to thank you."

"For what?" he asked in genuine confusion. She gave a small chuckle.

"For just being you," she said, "And for getting us home in time."

"You're giving me too much credit," he admonished, "It was the job."

"Still. Thank you."

Hotch nodded. For a moment, he thought about telling her exactly how he felt, but couldn't. Instead, he looked down at his shoes, snow crunching beneath his feet. After a long moment, he looked up.

"Merry Christmas, JJ," he said seriously. Still smiling, she stretched onto her tiptoes, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Hotch."

The two exchanged smiles, and goodbyes, then set off in opposite directions. In the car parked a few feet away, Reid's confusion mounted, and he coughed uncertainly.

"I still don't understand why we're here."

"Keep watchin'," Morgan murmured. Reid and Garcia both turned their attention back to the scene unfolding a few feet away.

JJ had barely made it three steps towards her car when a hand spun her around. She looked up into Hotch's dark eyes, her breath catching.

"I can't do it. I can't pretend it never happened," he said breathlessly, before bending his head to close the short distance between their lips.

His kiss was anything but gentle as he took possession of her lips. Pulling her tight against him, Hotch plundered her mouth as his tongue sought out the sweet recess of her mouth. He was tired of playing by the rules – rules had cost him his marriage. Rules had forced him to make an impossible choice between his job and his son, and rules had meant he would never get ahead. This time...this time he was tossing the rule book out the window and grabbing happiness with both hands.

Cupping the back of her head, Hotch deepened the kiss. He had tried use words to tell her how much she meant to him. Now he was going to show her with actions, touch, and kisses, all the things he wanted to make her see but couldn't.

There was no way she could mistake his meaning now as he ground his pelvis against her. If the evidence of his arousal wasn't enough to change her mind, then it was over because it was all he had left.

Garcia clutched at his arm, and the squeal that left her lips was enough to make both men wince at its volume. Morgan rubbed his ear, shaking his head.

"Damn, baby girl..."

Garcia leaned over to press her hand to the horn. Morgan laughed as JJ and Hotch sprung apart, guiltily looking around to locate the disturbance. Finding two grinning faces peering out of the window, they blushed deeply.

"Garcia, what are you doing?" Hotch called, trying his hardest to look stern – the smile on his face ruined the effect.

Reid started the car, watching the woman in the seat beside him hastily roll down a window.

"Way to go, Agent Hotstuff!" she yelled, and laughed as their cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink, "Now you take good care of my little buttercup, you hear?"

As the car pulled away, Garcia still hanging from the window, JJ bit her lip to contain a giggle, hiding her face in his coat.

"I think you'd better take what Penelope says seriously; many a man who crossed her has found himself lost in the Bermuda Triangle of cyberspace."

"Nothing short of death is going to make me treat you any less than the Christmas present you are. I may not deserve you, but I'm sure as hell not letting you go," Hotch said honestly, his cheeks starting to ache from his ever-growing smile.

"So, I don't have to worry about you trading me in the day after Christmas?" JJ teased.

"I'm afraid you might want to trade me in," Hotch kissed the top of her head. "So, where do we go from here? Not to sound cliché, but ‘your place or mine'?"

Her fingers ran over the large buttons of his coat, a small frown creasing her brow.

"My parents leave tomorrow," she stated. Hotch chuckled, his hands resting comfortably at her hips.

"And Jessica is taking Jack to her parent's house in New England," he supplied.

"And Will is picking Henry up around twelve," JJ added, the frown becoming a smirk. Hotch kissed her again, harder this time, his tongue snaking passed her lips to meet hers.

"I'll be there at 12:15."

"With bells on?" she asked, only half joking.

"That might be a little awkward for the neighbours as I walk up to your porch," Hotch replied quickly, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Hotch!" Her cheeks flushed hot. "Behave."

"That's a little hard to do when I know that for once something worth waiting for will be waiting under the Christmas tree."

Hearing the serious edge creeping into his voice, JJ leant back to look him in the eyes, arching an eyebrow in silent question.

Hotch sighed. "You‘re the best gift I‘ve ever received."

Hearing all the things he didn't say, JJ laughed. "You say that now. Wait until you unwrap me." Letting her fingers walk a path down his cheeks, she pressed the ghost of a kiss to his lips, an assurance of promises to be kept. "Merry Christmas Aaron."

"Merry Christmas JJ."

And it was.

***