AN: Okay, so despite other things I'm not happy with so far this season, I do like Luke's character. So, for my first Christmas story of the season, (I have a Morgan/Reid friendship piece idea as well) I chose to make an attempt at writing him. I hope I do the character justice.
For now this is a one-shot but I could be persuading to add another chapter if there is interest so let me know.
I asked some friends for prompts and they were: candycane, tinsel, snowstorm, Christmaslights and mistletoe.
"I bet that place of yours isn't even decorated."
At his mother scolding accusation, Luke Alvarez looked around his place. With the exception of a few Christmas cards from his new co-workers and family, the place was indeed void of holiday cheer. Actually, the place was void of cheer of any type, given that he had only unpacked the things he had needed to use so far. Even the presents he had received and was holding onto until Christmas day were stacked in the closet, hidden from sight. He wasn't even sure he knew where the Christmas decorations he did own were, other than they were in one of the boxes that he had yet to unpack.
"I've been busy with the job change," Luke replied, which wasn't a total lie.
"It's been three months," his mother countered. "That's a really lame excuse. Maybe I should come and brighten up the place a bit. I hate to think of you all alone, in a drab apartment on Christmas."
"Ma, stay and enjoy your holiday there. I'll be fine," Luke told her. "Besides, we're supposed to get a snowstorm here later on. I don't want you getting caught in it."
On the other end of the line, Luke heard his mother let out a resigned sigh. "Fine. I won't come but you need to promise to call me on Sunday."
"I will call you bright and early to wish you a Merry Christmas. It'll be just like when I was little and woke you and Dad up at the crack of dawn to open presents."
"You call me before eight a.m. and you will regret it," his mother admonished, though there was now laughter in her voice.
Luke laughed. "Not before eight. Got it. Love you, Ma."
"I love you too," his mother said before hanging up the phone.
Lowering his cell phone, Luke looked around his apartment once again. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve. Technically, he still had time to decorate for the holiday. He just didn't see the point.
"It's not like anyone is going to see the place except me," Luke said, finishing his thought out loud.
A whine from nearby reminded Luke that he wasn't truly alone.
Luke looked over at Roxy. The dog had made herself comfortable on the couch. "Well, no one except you," he amended. "We'll put a tree up next year though, okay girl?"
Roxy barked her agreement, before laying her head down on her paws and closing her eyes.
Sleeping through the next couple of days didn't seem like a bad idea to Luke. Unfortunately, he knew he couldn't get away with it. In fact, talking to his mother reminded him that there was still a lot of unpacking left to do from his latest move. Now was as good a time as any to make progress on finishing that task.
Leaving Roxy on the couch, Luke headed to the smaller of the two bedrooms in his place that he had been using to store all the boxes. Walking into the room, he stopped and stared at the conglomeration of boxes, wondering where to start.
"Too bad they don't just unpack themselves," Luke muttered as he headed toward the stack of boxes closest to him. He had no idea what was in them but he had to start somewhere.
Opening the top box, Luke started to unpack the part of his life that he had been making do without these last few months. As he began pulling things out, he couldn't help but wonder why he was even hanging onto some of these things. Not that he had given much thought about his belongings when he'd packed. It was basically, pack everything in his old place in a box and ship it here.
Now, it was apparently time to start sorting through things he needed or wanted to keep and those things that he really didn't need. As he had nothing else planned for his time off, Luke concentrated on the task at hand. Getting through one box, he moved onto the next. Now that he had started the process, he was determined to make it look like he had accomplished something before leaving the room.
Luke wasn't sure how long he had been working when his doorbell rang. Abandoning the project, he headed toward the door. Roxy was still on the couch, but her head was up and alert. As Luke entered the room, the dog gave a bark, her gaze on the door.
"I got it," Luke informed Roxy as he headed for the door.
Reaching the door, Luke peered out the peephole. Seeing a guy with a baseball cap that read Michael's Christmas Trees, holding up a pine tree, Luke frowned. Figuring the guy had the wrong house, Luke opened the door.
"Can I help you?" Luke asked as he opened the door.
"I've got a tree delivery for you," the man replied.
"You must have the wrong house. I didn't order a tree," Luke informed him.
Unfazed by the reply the delivery man pulled out a sheet of paper and looked at it. He then proceeded to read off Luke's address.
"Well, you're at the right house, but I still didn't order a tree," Luke replied, wondering what the mix up was. "Perhaps you should call and verify the information," he suggested as a car pulled into Luke's driveway.
Before the delivery man had a chance to respond, Garcia emerged from her car and started hurrying toward the house as fast as her green pumps would allow. "The tree is at the right place. Thank-you for delivering it on time," the blonde technical analyst exclaimed.
"You ordered the tree?" Luke asked, not really at all surprised. He had learned quickly to expect the unexpected when dealing with Penelope Garcia.
"Yes," Garcia replied, having reached the front steps. "I heard you tell JJ that you weren't bothering decorating this year, and that is just unacceptable. Everyone on this team has to have some form of a Christmas tree even if it is just a two-foot tree on the counter."
"This thing is at least six feet tall," Luke countered, pointing to the tree the delivery man was still patiently holding.
"Yeah, well I figured a smaller one wasn't going to do given your lack of Christmas spirit so far. Rossi was the last Scrooge I had to deal with and I later found out he had a good reason. In fact, our Itallian Stallion is the one who paid for this tree so make sure you extend your thanks to him as well," Garcia informed him. "I plan on making your house festive before I leave if it's the last thing I do."
"Oh really," Luke replied, mildly amused. Given how much Garcia had been determined not to like him when he started he was surprised that she would put forth the effort.
"This tree isn't getting any lighter," the delivery man interjected patiently.
Luke opened the front door all the way and stepped aside. "Take it on in," he told the man, making a sweeping motion with his had.
Following the delivery man inside, Luke instructed him where to leave the tree, wondering how long it would take to find the stand in the stack of boxes he had left to open.
I really should have labeled them, Luke thought as Garcia thanked the delivery man for his help once again.
"Merry Christmas, sir," Garcia added as the man headed back out the front door. The phrase was accompanied with a candy cane that the blonde tech analyst had pulled out of her purse.
"Merry Christmas to you too, ma'am," the man replied, accepting the candy cane before heading back out into the cold.
Garcia shut the front door behind him and then turned back to Luke. "So, do you even own a tree stand?" she asked, even as Roxy jumped off the couch to come greet her.
"I do," Luke replied. "The more important question is whether I can find it."
Garcia gave a dismissive wave. "Show me where to look and I'll find it. I'm a pro at finding stuff."
"I bet you are," Luke replied, crossing over to where she was standing. Leaning in, he planted a kiss on her cheek.
Garcia looked up at her new teammate in surprise. "You kissed me for a tree that you didn't even want in the first place?" she questioned, feeling confused.
"No, I kissed you because of tradition," Luke replied. "You're supposed to kiss someone when you're standing under the mistletoe and you just so happen to have some in your hair," he said pointing to the decorative plant nestled in Garcia's ponytail.
"Yeah, maybe that wasn't the best wardrobe choice," Garcia replied, reaching up to touch the decorative piece. "I probably should've just gone with the tinsel."
"Well, it's too late now," Luke told her playfully. Looking over his shoulder, he glanced at the tree his teammates had provided him with. "I guess I should probably go find what box the Christmas stuff got packed in when I moved."
"Yeah, you do that and I'll go grab the stuff I brought with me out of my car and then come help you."
"Things you brought with you?"
"Yeah, just some extra decorations, some candy canes, and some cookies. I wasn't exactly sure how devoted a Scrooge I was dealing with so I came prepared."
"Well, I'm usually much more into the Christmas thing. I do have a few things."
Garcia waved him away. "Well then go find them. I'll be right back."
As Garcia turned toward the front door, Luke shook his head as he headed back to the spare bedroom.
"At least mom will be happy to know the place got decorated," Luke commented softly as he walked. Beside him, Roxy barked her agreement.
Entering the room, which was now more cluttered than before, Luke started in on his new mission. Opening boxes to see what was in them, he began his search for his Christmas decorations he had collected over the years. True to her word, Garcia soon joined him. With only one commented about how she couldn't believe he hadn't yet unpacked, Garcia began poking into boxes. Between the two of them, they had soon unearthed four boxes of Christmas things, including the box with the tree stand tucked in with some Christmas lights.
"I think we have enough to get started," Garcia said, picking up two of the boxes.
"Lead the way," Luke replied as he picked up the remaining two. He was resigned to the fact that Garcia wasn't leaving his house until she deemed it festive enough. He also had a feeling that if they ever met, Garcia and his mom would get along really well.
"So, which ghost are you?" Luke asked casually as the headed back to the livingroom, Roxy leading the way.
"Excuse me?" Garcia asked.
"Well, if I'm Scrooge and you've come to give me Christmas, then you must be either the ghost of Christmas Past, Present, or Future. So which one is it?"
Garcia laughed. "I guess I'll be Christmas Present for now," she replied joining in with the joke.
"Think we'll have any Christmas Futures together?" Luke asked, as they placed their boxes down on the floor.
"We'll see how long you last with the BAU," Garcia countered, as she retrieved the tree stand from its box.
"Fair enough," Luke replied.
Together the two of them began to get the tree properly set up so that it could be decorated. Luke had a feeling the tree was just the beginning of the evening.
