Emily stood at the window, waving at Hotch as he backed out of the driveway. She waited until his car disappeared down the road before making her way to the living room. Plopping down on the couch, she let out a sigh.
Although it was December 23rd, Emily was lacking her normal holiday spirit. Usually she was a Christmas fanatic. Every year she insisted on tree decorating, cookie baking, and ugly sweater wearing. And every year, Aaron tried to match her enthusiasm for the sole purpose of making her happy. This year, however, Emily just didn't have the heart to drag him along with her holiday mania.
Ever since his mother had died in October, Aaron hadn't been the same. He was trying his best to be his normal self, but it didn't take a profiler to see the loss had hit him hard. Earlier that day he had told Emily he was going to the cemetery alone. As much as she didn't want him to be by himself, she understood. Not many people knew just how close Aaron was with his mother. And Emily was fairly certain she was the only one who knew how much his mother loved Christmas. Most of the childhood memories he shared with her were centered around the holiday traditions his mother worked so hard to create for Aaron and Sean. Emily had a hard time getting excited for Christmas knowing she could never recreate that for him.
Or could she? Of course Emily knew that she couldn't bring his mother back. Nor could she perfectly replicate the Christmases of his childhood. But, being Emily, she had do everything in her power to make this Christmas a good one for him. Getting up from the couch, she set off in search of a box labeled "Christmas".
Aaron was exhausted. After driving over two and a half hours to Staunton, he had spent an hour just sitting at his mother's grave. He had been hoping that the visit would allow him to deal with some of his grief so he could at least try to enjoy Christmas, for Emily's sake. But now, as he pulled into the driveway, all Aaron wanted to do was crawl in bed with his wife and go to sleep.
The first thing he noticed when he came through the front door was the music. Different from the popular Christmas songs Emily usually listened to, the religious carols floating through the air reminded him of his mother. He wrote it off as a coincidence, knowing that there wasn't much that didn't remind him of his mother these days. But as he walked into the living room he realized the change in music was no coincidence at all.
Looking around, Aaron couldn't help but feel that he had been transported back in time. His eyes were immediately drawn to the tree he and Emily had bought earlier that month. Gone was the star that he had given Emily years ago, with an antique porcelain angel in its place. Aaron felt tears form in his eyes as he remembered all the years his mother had lifted him up to put that angel on the top of their own tree. The Nativity scene his mother painstakingly arranged every year was proudly displayed on the entertainment center. A Christmas quilt was draped over the back of the couch and the Yule Log played on the TV. Aaron's childhood stocking hung on the staircase, along with the ones his mother had made for Emily and Jack. It seemed that every Christmas memory he had ever shared with Emily was represented in their living room.
Aaron was too mesmerized to notice he was being watched. When he finally broke out of his reverie, he looked up to see Emily standing in the kitchen, a smile on her face. She was wearing an apron and the smell of his mother's secret gingerbread recipe filled the air. She came toward him, still smiling, and took his hand. They stood together in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Emily finally spoke.
"Do you like it? I know it's not the same as having her here, but I thought-"
Aaron interrupted her by pulling her in for a kiss. He didn't know what to say, didn't know how to thank her. She had given him the best present he could've ever asked for.
They held on to each other long after the kiss ended. Aaron allowed himself to cry for the first time since his mother had died and she rubbed his back, softly shushing him. When he pulled away, she used her thumb to gently wipe away the last of his tears. He leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers before finally replying to her question.
"It's perfect."