Title: Snow Family
By: Ann Parker
Pairing: JJ/Reid
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Rating: PG
Series: 1) Second Chances
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of "Criminal Minds." They are the property of Mark R. Gordon and CBS. This is for entertainment purposes only.
Author's Note: I know, I know, its been forever! I think my thesis temporarily killed my creative energy because I just hadn't had a spark to write until watching the current season. From the JJ/Reid scenes in the second episode, to the JJ/Will scenes a few weeks ago, I finally got inspired to pursue a fanfic with my favorite shipper couple. If you're not a fan of JJ/Reid, then this may not be for you. You've been for warned.
Spoilers: This is meant to take directly after the ending of 7x07 "There's No Place Like Home." It may or may not incorporate things from upcoming episodes, just depends on how it fits. Also, for the sake of some later chapters, I'm going to say that this episode took place in mid October. That will make sense later.
Summary: A glance at JJ & Reid's (and Henry's) first Christmas together as a married couple. JJ has a special present for Reid. Not Beta read, all mistakes are my own. Merry Christmas everyone!

***

JJ stretched and yawned as the sunlight penetrated her eyelids on a Saturday morning. It was a little over two weeks from Christmas; their first Christmas since getting married. That thought alone made her smile. She curled to the left side of the bed, expecting to be met with Spence's warm body, but she only found the cold. She fluttered her eyes open, "Spence?" She looked around to see his slender figure looking out the window. When he didn't respond, she called out once more. "Hon, what are you looking at?"

He turned and smiled, gesturing for her to come over. She slipped out of bed, grabbing her slippers and robe off the bench at the foot of the bed as she did. "It's it beautiful?" he asked as she got closer. Looking out, she saw the seven inches of freshly fallen snow the weatherman predicted last night. He wrapped his arms around her, resting them on her stomach. She leaned back into him, loving this position. She briefly wondered if he knew, but was hoping she could keep it a surprise. As she studied the sparkle from the snow mixing with the sun, she couldn't help but agree with him.

"Mmmhmmm. I think we got a little more than they predicted." She turned in his arms and pulled him into a kiss. "Good morning."

Reid smiled and pulled her back to him once more. "Good morning, Jen." She smiled at the use of his pet name for her. Ever since she confessed to him what it meant to her when he called her Jennifer, he'd taken to calling her that or 'Jen' during their private moments. "So you think Henry and I will have time to build a snowman today despite our to-do list?" She thought through their list - get and decorate their tree, finish shopping for the team, and she still needed to get a few more things for Henry...

"I still have some shopping for Henry so maybe after we get the tree I can let you two play for a bit and then we can decorate when I get back?" The smile that crossed his face made her giggle.

"Sweet. I haven't built one before. Do we have any carrots in the fridge? Oh, I need to see if we have leftover coal from the grill too." He released her and started to talk to himself, preparing a mental list. It was so cute she almost missed the beginning of that ramble.

"Wait a minute. Did you say you've never built a snowman before?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I grew up in Vegas, so we really never had snow. Then I lived in California for college and only had an apartment when I moved here so I never had a yard." He shrugged and JJ sighed. She had never thought about some of the things he missed out on as a kid, not just because of his mother, but also living in the dessert. She pulled him back to her and kissed him again.

"Oh, Spence." She wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair. "Are there other things you've missed out on that you want to do this holiday?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure there are many, but I don't really care. Just spending it with you and Henry...making memories as a family, that's all that matters to me."

JJ smiled and nodded. "Okay baby. But if you think of something, you'll let me know okay?" Reid nodded.

"Mommy, Spence, did you see the snow?" Henry came running into their bedroom and jumped on the bed. The adults smiled.

"We sure did, bud, and guess what? You and I are going to build a snowman later," Reid told his stepson excitedly.

"Yay!" Henry bounced on the bed.

"But we've got to eat breakfast, get ready and go pick out our tree and some presents for your aunt and uncles, first okay?" JJ added and Henry nodded.

"Let's go!" he yelled and jumped off the bed. The adults laughed and followed him downstairs.

JJ sighed as she dropped all her shopping bags in her bedroom closet. Luckily, Henry wasn't mischievous enough yet to raid their closet so she could wait to wrap those until he was in bed. She wanted to sneak out back to look at their snowman. She headed back downstairs, grabbing the camera along the way before making a quick stop to get a granola bar, making sure to feed her stomach something, grateful her wave of nausea while shopping had faded. Shaking that thought away for now, she went to the sliding glass door. What she saw almost brought tears to her eyes.

The boys had created a little family of snowmen. There was a tall, skinny one, complete with his carrot nose, coal eyes and smile, and Spence's favorite purple scarf wrapped around it. There was a shorter snowwoman accessorized with her spare red scarf and earmuffs. She smiled at the base looking like a skirt. In between was a small snowman with Henry's spare mittens and hat. She quietly snuck outside and snapped a few photos of their snow family before catching some of the boys making snow angels, completely unaware of her presence. When they finished, she continued to snap some photos as Spence scooped up Henry into a hug and the little boy planted a kiss on his cheek. It was then that Reid turned and saw her on the porch with the camera. He smiled at her right before Henry spotted her.

"Mommy! Did you see what we made?"

JJ smiled and turned off the camera, tucking it in her coat pocket for safekeeping. "I sure did! It's amazing, but who are those people?" she teased.

The men walked over to her. "Its our family, mommy!" Henry exclaimed. "Can't you tell?" he sounded hurt so JJ took him into her arms. She tilted her head and pretended to figure it out for the first time.

"Oh I see it now! Of course baby. It's beautiful you two." She glanced at Reid and smiled. "Now, what do you say to a snack of hot chocolate and cookies and then we'll decorate the tree?"

"Yay!" Henry and Reid both exclaimed and JJ just laughed as she set Henry down, letting him run inside. She briefly turned to Reid and kissed him softly.

"Is it everything you wanted?" she smiled and Reid nodded. "Good, because I don't think I've seen a better snow family." She kissed him once more and they headed inside. She made note to add something later.

JJ sat curled on the couch with a blanket, studying their tree. She had done that for the past two weeks since they finished it. Well, the days they were home. They had a case in the middle that took four days, including part of the weekend. She was really happy she'd managed to finish their shopping. She just needed to wrap a few more presents, including one of Spence's that Garcia was finishing working on for her. She had managed to finish her other gift for him last night.

She took a sip of her tea, trying to settle her stomach. It was getting harder to keep it from Spence, but she had only been able to confirm it with her doctor about a week ago and she wanted to surprise him and make this first Christmas special. She just hoped his genius brain wouldn't piece it all together first. Garcia had a few days ago at the office, but she had sworn her to secrecy for now.

"He is getting really excited that it took two stories to calm him down to fall asleep," stated Reid as he sat down next to her. Henry was counting the days to when Santa was coming - three more days - and was making sure everyone knew. She was enjoying watching Reid's excitement grow with the boy's. Henry had been with Will last Christmas so Reid hadn't been able to catch Santa fever with him. She could tell he had never really gone through that himself as a child so it was cute to hear all the Santa trivia he filled Henry's head with.

"Hmm, could he have been feeding off of your excitement?" she teased as Reid wrapped an arm around her and she leaned into his chest. Reid chuckled but didn't deny anything. The pair studied the tree in comfortable silence for a few minutes. "Are you ready for tomorrow?" The group was headed to Rossi's for a team Christmas and JJ had put Reid in charge of Emily and Morgan's gifts.

Reid nodded, "Yep. I wrapped Emily's DVDs and Morgan's tools earlier today. They are in a bag by the one with the gifts you got." JJ nodded and yawned. "Hmm, looks like someone burned through her excitement and energy a little fast today."

"Ha. Ha. I think you and Henry are just wearing me out lately. Or I'm coming off of my sugar high from that ice cream after dinner."

Reid kissed the top of her head. "Then let's get you in to bed." JJ giggled at his wording and Reid smiled. "Well, that's not what I meant but if you have the energy for it..." JJ looked up and pulled him into a kiss.

"Oh, I might just get a second wind."

"Here you go, JJ," Garcia handed her a glass of what looked like champagne. JJ looked at her and Garcia winked and leaned in. "It's sparkling grape juice," she whispered. JJ bit back a giggle and smiled, clinging her glass with her best friend's. They then turned their attention back to Jack and Henry laughing and gasping at Reid's latest magic trick. "He's so good with them. Who would have thought all those years ago?"

JJ smiled, "I know. I wouldn't have imagined this scene when I first joined the team. I remember him begging me the first few years to talk with any child witnesses because he just couldn't do it. Now, I sometimes think he can relate to them better than I can." The pair of ladies exchanged a glance, both knowing why she thought that.

"I certainly wouldn't have pictured him playing with my son so well," Hotch added, making the ladies turn, not aware of their boss' presence. "I think something changed when you named him godfather. And now that he's a father..." Hotch winked at JJ whose eyes grew wide.

"How?"

"I'm a profiler, JJ. I noticed similar behavior to when you were pregnant with Henry and hadn't told me yet. Have you told him?"

JJ shook her head, "I am on Christmas." Hotch smiled and gestured that his lips were sealed with a wink. The group turned to Rossi's call to the table. "Spence, Henry, Jack, its dinnertime," JJ called to the boys.

"Come on boys, let's go wash our hands," Hotch added and led the boys away. Spence stood up and flexed his knee, having been sitting cross-legged on the floor for too long.

"Getting old there, Junior G-man," Garcia teased before turning to head to the table. Reid laughed mockingly as he wrapped an arm around his wife.

"That's not what my wife said last night," he joked back and then laughed when Garcia coughed on her drink. JJ smacked his chest.

"Spence! You are so getting a lump of coal in your stocking!" Morgan and Emily both casted confused looks at their friends when they reached the table and Reid just shrugged and smiled.

"Worth it," he wagged his eyebrows at JJ and she found herself blushing.

"That's it, Morgan has officially rubbed off on you." Before the senior agent could ask why he was being pulled into the conversation, two little boys appeared.

JJ sipped her tea with a smile, amused at the scene before her. Henry had woken them at six in the morning, so excited to see what Santa gave him. Now, coming off of the sugar high of his chocolate chip pancakes and unwrapping excitement, he had crashed on the floor, hugging the dinosaur Spence had given him. She was snapped out of her revere when her husband joined her on the couch with his refilled cup of black tea.

"Bet he's wishing he had slept in a little longer...I am," he stated with a smile. He then handed her a small wrapped box. "Merry Christmas Jen." JJ smiled and kissed him before removing the wrapping paper. Opening the box, she gasped. She met his eyes before pulling the necklace out of the box. It was three silver loops interconnected so not one could come off the necklace without the other two. "Look at them closely." JJ studied them for a second and then found each of their names engraved on one.

"Oh Spence," she pulled him to her and kissed him deeply. "I love it, thank you," she murmured against his lips before kissing him again. "Okay, your turn." She quickly got up and collected his two presents, handing him the bigger one first.

He smiled as he pulled the wrapping away, "oh cool!" he said as he revealed an electronic picture frame.

"I know how much you love looking at our different photos so I thought I'd make it easy," she explained. "I had Garcia preload it with some for you. Plug it in." Reid obliged her and kissed her as it started up.

"Thank you." She smiled and then gestured to the screen, making sure he caught the right image. She watched him smile as some of the snow photos for a few weeks ago appeared. The snow versions of themselves appeared. Then another photo of a snow figure....a small snow baby....appeared. She watched as he registered the sign she made with it - "coming soon" - and the stunned look as he turned to her. "What...?" She just smiled and handed him the next gift. He blinked but obliged and opened it. His confusion grew as his pocket watch from last year reappeared.

"Open it." He did as he was told and was first met with their first official family photo at their wedding. He smiled as he pushed the button to open the secret part. Again, the snow baby appeared, this time with a sign that read, "Love you daddy, from Baby Reid."

"You're pregnant?" he finally chocked out. She nodded. As he confusion faded and his excitement grew, so did her smile. He pulled her close and kissed her repeatedly. "We're having a baby?" still with some disbelief.

JJ chuckled. "Merry Christmas daddy," as Reid pulled her into a hug. "Are you happy?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Oh Jen," he whispered, pulling back to kiss her forehead before placing a gentle one on her lips. A kiss full of excitement, nerves, hope and, most of all, love. "I am beyond happy." He ran his fingers through her silky blonde hair before placing a hand on her stomach. "This is the best Christmas present you could ever give me."

The young couple smiled at each other as Reid pull her into his embrace and they leaned back on the couch, enjoying the moment of Henry asleep on the floor, more snow falling outside and the soft glow from the tree. After a minute, JJ looked up at her husband. "Do you think the jeweler can add another ring to this necklace?"

Reid laughed. "I'll look into it. Merry Christmas JJ."

"Merry Christmas Spence."

***