COSY CHRISTMAS

Rossi was planning on savouring this Christmas. It was the first Christmas the team had managed to wrangle the full two weeks instead of the couple of days between Christmas and New Year like they have in the past few years.

He had just settled down to catch up on the numerous Christmas cards and whatnot that had piled up over the past few weeks when the team had hardly been home when his phone went. Dread began to fill Rossi when he saw that it was Strauss calling him because the last thing he wanted was to have to call up the team and cancel their holidays, especially Hotch and JJ since they had Jack and Henry to think of as well.

"Erin," he answered. "I believe the team were granted this Christmas off, so please explain why you are calling me at 10.30 at night on Christmas Eve?"

"David," Strauss said with obvious signs that she was fighting back tears. "I need your help."

"Erin, what's wrong?" Rossi asked, not waiting for her to explain before he grabbed his car keys. "Where are you? I'm coming to get you."

"I'm at home," Strauss explained, starting to sound relieved upon hearing Rossi was on his way to hers. "I'm really struggling; I know I shouldn't drink, but the kids have decided that I'm not the best parent to live with and have decided to move in with Martin…"

"Hey, hey, Erin," Rossi interrupted. "Stay with me, and listen to what I'm saying. You are not going to drink, you've worked hard to get to this point and you will not fall into a bottle again. You've become one of my best friends and if that means that I spend Christmas with you, then that's what I will do."

"You'd do that, Dave?" Strauss asked surprised that someone would actually change their plans to spend time with her.

"Of course, Erin, you're almost a year sober, nothing is worth throwing away that milestone, even falling out with your kids," Rossi replied. "Now, I'm going to have to hang up to concentrate on the roads. The snow is really starting to come down. I should be at your place in about 20 minutes."

"Ok, David," Strauss smiled. "Thank you and take care driving."

With the way the snow was coming down, took Rossi closer to half an hour to make it to Strauss' place, but his worries were eased when she answered the door completely sober.

"Sorry I took so long, Erin," Rossi apologised as she ushered him in out of the cold. "But that snowstorm is really bad. Most of the roads are being closed off, but with a flash of my badge they let me through some of the road blocks. I may actually have to stay the night since it's that bad."

"That's no problem, Dave," Strauss reassured. "You got here safely and that's the main thing. As for you staying over, that's no problem, as you may have guessed from what I said on the phone, I have plenty of empty rooms with the kids moving out."

"And that's something we can tackle in the New Year," Rossi said following Strauss into the living room. "And please tell me you aren't taking down your tree?"

"Why not," Strauss said with a shrug of her shoulders. "The kids aren't going to be here, so why keep it up?"

"Because it brings life to an empty home," Rossi countered. "So we are going to put it back up and make it even better than it was."

Strauss shared her first smile of the night with Rossi and nodded her head; she knew he had a point. So making her way over to the radio, she put it onto a local station that was still broadcasting for the time being and the opening lines of Nat King Cole singing The Christmas Song came over the airwaves. Could things get anymore cliché?

"This is just two friends spending time together Christmas Eve because they don't have family to spend it with, right?" Strauss asked. She knew of Rossi's reputation and knew that there was a moment once upon a time ago that something could have happened between them, but that time was in the past. The future for them was full of friendship.

"Of course, Erin," Rossi reassured her. "I know we almost did once, but that is in the past. We are only meant to be friends, despite how romantic the night seems to be becoming. I don't want to ruin anything and I wouldn't take advantage of you in this vulnerable state. I am merely here to be a shoulder to cry on and an ear to bend."

"Thank you, David," Erin smiled. "Now let's get back to this tree before the storm takes out the power and we end up in the dark."

So, the two friends got back to the task at hand and when the song ended the DJ came over saying that the station manager had decided to close down the station while the roads were still clear enough to allow the staff still at the station to go home. With a swift Christmas greeting, the DJ went off the air and the room lapsed into silence again. Strauss took this opportunity to go over to her old record player and selected a classic Christmas vinyl album to put on and then went back over to the tree to help finish it.

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" Rossi began to sing along with Bing Crosby. "Just like the ones I used to know."

"Where the treetops glisten," Strauss continued. "And children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow."

The pair continued to sing along with White Christmas and then as each song changed so did the state of the Christmas tree. By the time Dean Martin came on singing Let it Snow, the tree was finished and both workers were standing back to admire the tree.

"So, now that the tree is done," Strauss began as she moved towards the kitchen. "How about some hot cocoa?"

"Sure, there's nothing better than drinking hot cocoa on Christmas Eve," Rossi agreed. "So, how about I get this fire going so we have some heat and light in case the storm does take out the power?"

"Thank you Dave," Erin called from the kitchen. "All the things you need should be right next to the fire, just give me a shout if you have any trouble."

Without further ado, the pair set to work on their separate tasks in the hope to make the night be one of the best the other had ever had. Yes, there were countless years of Christmases to compete with, but there was always the chance that they could win.

Settling in front of the roaring fire with a mug of steaming hot cocoa each, the pair of friends tried to figure out what they were going to say next.

"They say I work too much," Strauss suddenly says. "The kids say they never see me because I'm always at the office."

"To be honest, Erin," Rossi said ready to sooth her if she broke down. "You do spend a lot of time at the office."

"I've cut back my hours," Strauss defended. "And to be truthful, my hours aren't by choice. The bureau has decided that I need to sort out paperwork in the office rather than take it home. So, my only option is to stay late and sort out reports and whatnot."

"That's ridiculous, Erin," Rossi said out raged. "They have more than one team that goes all over the country, and therefore they should have more than one of you, or at least give you deputies to cover each of the units within the section..."

"Budget," was all Strauss had to say before Rossi would accept her reasoning. "Seriously, if the money was available I believe I would have help. But that is not the case and that is the way the section will remain."

Just at that point the lights flickered and went out, and the record player stopped playing. It seemed that what was being predicted was coming true; the weather had taken out the power, which meant that any minute now, a phone call would be coming in from Hotch's phone. Jack always called around everyone to check up on them when the power at home went out, even if they weren't in the same state at the time.

True to tradition, Rossi's phone began to ring and he smiled when Jack's cheeky smile graced his screen. "Hey Jack," Rossi greeted. "Yeah, we've no power here either… OK, you have a good Christmas too, buddy. I'll see you at Miss Garcia's New Year's Eve party. Take care."

When Rossi hung up his phone, he saw Strauss staring at him with a small smile gracing her lips.

"What?"

"The way you are with Jack," Strauss supplied. "Did you ever consider children after…?"

"No, it tore us apart," Rossi said, referring to his failed marriage after the premature death of his son due to a serious heart defect. "But I'm fine with Jack and Henry and any other kids that seem to pop up from everywhere at the BAU."

That elicited a small laugh from Strauss and she knew that her friendship with Rossi would never be boring.

This is my entry in the 2014 Christmas Gift Fic Exchange. It was written for Aleize claire and the prompts and pairing I was given was

* Rossi/Strauss (friendship)

* "White Christmas"

* Christmas tree

* A fireplace

* A snowstorm