Title: Christmas Shopping, BAU Style
By: Daisyangel
Pairing: Rossi/Hotch friendship
Rating: PG
A/n: written for the CM Christmas gift fic exchange over at the chit chat forum. My assigned pairing is Rossi/Hotch and my assigned Christmas song & prompts are: Twelve Days of Christmas; Christmas tree, Red Velvet Cake, and red teddie. I'm writing this for AAnderson43. I hope you enjoy it!
Summary: Written for AAnderson43 for the Christmas gift fic exchange on chit chat forum. my assigned pairing: Hotch/Rossi my song/elements Twelve Days of Christmas, Red Velvet Cake, Christmas tree, and a red silk teddie. Not slash! Just friendship, h/p implied.

***

David Rossi groaned as he followed his best friend into the toy store. It was December 23 and Hotch had been putting off his Christmas shopping. Somehow – and Dave wasn't even quite sure how – he'd been roped into helping the other man shop for a gift for Jack and pick out a Christmas tree. Hotch was determined to give his son a good Christmas this year. It had been a little over a year since Haley's death and things were finally starting to get back to normal or at least what passed for normal in their mixed up lives. This was why the two agents were currently fighting there way through Toys R Us trying to find the perfect toy for Jack Hotchner at 11:00 in the morning two days before Christmas. In all fairness, they'd been on a case until yesterday so this was the first opportunity Hotch had to go shopping.

"Dave, look out!" Hotch called as a baby doll that a woman was trying to reach for slipped out of her hand and headed straight for the profiler's head.

"Thanks," Dave said as he ducked and grabbed for the doll, handing it to the woman. As the doll was moved it talked and began to move.

"Mama," it said in a high creepy voice.

"Here you go, ma'am," he said.

"Oh, thank you so much," she said taking the doll and walking off.

"That's the creepiest doll I've ever seen," Dave grumbled as he turned back to his best friend.

"Tell me about it. I remember when my cousin was a kid, her doll didn't talk unless she made it by using her voice," Hotch commented.

"Toys sure have changed since we were kids, huh?" Dave interjected.

"Yeah, they sure have," Hotch agreed.

"What does Jack want this year?" Dave asked as they walked up and down the aisles.

"He said he wants some Legos and some kind of FBI action figure. I didn't even know they had action figures that were FBI agents," Hotch said in bewilderment.

"Yeah, I know what he means; I got my nephew one for his birthday. I'll go grab that, why don't you go get the Legos?" the older profiler suggested. Nodding Hotch headed for the aisle housing about a hundred types of Legos leaving Dave to get the action figure.

"Found it," Dave declared as he met up with Hotch in the checkout line. Glancing over Hotch raised his eyebrows. Not only had Dave found the requested action figure but also a model airplane kit, a baseball, and a bat.

"That looks like more than the action figure," Hotch quipped.

"I'm Uncle Dave, it's my job to spoil him," Dave defended. Hotch just laughed and began to hum the first few notes of Joy to the World as it came on the radio.

"So what all does that action figure come with if anything?" the father wondered as the clerk rang up the items.

"A badge, a fake gun, and a folder that looks like a case file," Dave answered, reading the box.

"Wow, Jack's gonna love it," Hotch commented. Dave nodded as he handed the item to the clerk and gave her a flirty smile which she happily returned.

Ten minutes later found the men in the main part of the mall and eyeing the bakery next door.

"What do you say to a snack before we go find a tree?" Hotch suggested.

"That's the best idea you've had all morning," Rossi replied scanning the bakery case in front of them. "That Red Velvet Cake looks good. What do you think?"

"Red Velvet Cake is one of my favorites," Hotch admitted as he ordered two slices as well as two cups of coffee.

"Thanks," Dave said as they settled at a table in the food court.

"It was the least I could do for you coming with me to this mad house two days before Christmas," the unit chief said.

"That's what friends are for, but you're welcome," Dave said biting into his cake. The two of them sat in silence enjoying their snack as they listened to the music being piped through the speakers. A smile crossed Dave's face as the Twelve Days of Christmas came on.

"What's that smirk all about?" Hotch asked out of curiosity.

"I used to love this song as a kid and would start singing it the day after Thanksgiving and wouldn't stop until Christmas Day. My mom had to threaten to take all my presents back if I didn't stop," Rossi explained. Hotch laughed and rolled his eyes. Noticing that both plates were clean, Hotch spoke.

"How about we go get that tree now?"

"Yeah, but I just have one question first," Dave said.

"What's that?" Hotch wondered.

"Please tell me you bought a gift for Emily long before now." A smirk crossed Hotch's face and Dave became nervous. That smirk usually meant he was about to learn something he really didn't want to learn.

"Yes, I did. A red silk teddie, now let's go get that tree," Hotch said turning and striding for the doors to the mall leaving a gaping and shocked Rossi behind. That was definitely way too much information for the older profiler about two of his best friends. With a groan he followed after Hotch bound and determined to erase the images currently in his head with a large glass of Scotch as soon as possible.

Finished!