Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but the snowman. So don't sue me.
Author's Note: This is for Marauder-In-Disguise that I have written for in the ChitChat on Author's Corner Gift Fic Challenge. My second challenge that was extremely tough due to my not having a computer, mental illness, and my life as an organizer. Yeah, go me! So Marauder-In-Disguise, I hope you will like it. Yes, this has some spoiler alerts...
It was three days until Christmas, and for Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, he was lucky that there was a three-day last minute shopping sale at the Kmart located near where he lived. He was lucky that Jack could have a great Christmas this year with his father, knowing that Santa did not forget him. Well, if Santa turned out to be such a veteran profiler in Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi. It made sense. Rossi had his wealth increasing from revenue in his books. Yes, Hotch got annoyed whenever Rossi splurged on Jack. They had verbal disagreements that were often tempered, and tossed onto a spitfire. And no, the little boy did not suspect that his Uncle Dave was Santa Claus. If he did, his beliefs of a man dressed in red climbing down a chimney and leaving gifts underneath a decorated tree for nice little boys and girls would be shattered.
When Hotch and Rossi got back from Kmart, they found Jack on the front lawn by the apartment complex the Unit Chief stayed in building a snowman. Jack's Aunt Jess (who was Hotch's deceased ex-wife Haley's sister) watched him from the front door. Jack beamed when he saw his father arriving. "Hey, daddy!" he exclaimed as he hugged him. "Look at what I did!"
"I see," the Unit Chief smiled. "That's an awesome snowman!"
"Yup, it's you!"
He noticed the tie wrapped around the glacier neck of Frosty. That. Was. His…second favorite tie. Well, he hoped he could…wash it once Frosty melted into a puddle of water come the spring. "Jack wanted to surprise you once you got home," said Jess. "Looks like we'll be getting more snow. Well, Aaron, I must take off. I'll take Jack this weekend."
"Thanks, Jess." He hugged her. "We'll talk soon."
"Bye, Aunt Jess!" Jack hugged his aunt.
So Hotch picked up Jack and headed back inside with Rossi. He told Jack to go into his room and play, until he called him for dinner. And he and Rossi went into the kitchen and found a bunch of carved turkey in a couple of large sandwich bags. Looks like Jess overdid it on the Jennie-O. He thought to himself. Instead of digging in onto the slices of the bird in the bag, Hotch and Rossi got to work slicing the wrapping paper and wrapping up the gifts they had bought for Jack, each other and for the rest of the team. They put away the wrapping paper, with Hotch thinking of loaning some to Garcia, knowing full well she would make some uses with the paper. After all, he had to hear from her how environmentally conscious the team has to be, even if she had to force Reid on evolving technologically. He still hasn't sat down with her on spending the budget on the thing she did one time where the team (minus Reid) got tablets instead of case files.
They washed and Hotch made turkey sandwiches as Christina Aguilera sang, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas on the radio. "I prefer the Frank Sinatra version," Rossi huffed. "Of course, this lady can sing, but Ol' Blue Eyes. That man can croon."
"And you still dream of joining the Rat Pack," Hotch smiled a bit.
"You never know, Aaron."
The Unit Chief opened up the cranberry sauce. "Sauce on yours, Dave?"
"Yeah. You hanging in there, Aaron?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it's been two years since Haley passed away, and with everything that went down with Emily and the team, I've noticed that you seem a bit depressed."
"Don't profile me." Hotch gave him his stoic, cold stare.
"Who's profiling whom?" Rossi raised his hands. "Look, Aaron, I'm just saying that you shouldn't push away someone who cares deeply about you."
There was silence, all of a sudden. There was tension so thick you could also cut it with a knife and slowly open the contents inside.
"I wasn't pushing you away, Dave," Hotch sighed. "It's just that the spending on Jack, the expensive dining. Maybe I'm not the one who is depressed. Maybe it's you. You still haven't gotten over Carolyn's death, and you hide this by spending money."
Again, silence crept up, then another verbal argument, then, it was Rossi's turn to speak. "You're right. I think I was doing this because for as long we've been friends and we have been through losing our loved ones, maybe I'm doing this because I love you, Aaron. I love you more than a friend would."
Hotch's stoic face softened. Did Rossi just confess his feelings?
"Oh, Dave," Hotch began to tear up. "Maybe you're right about me pushing you away. I think I did it because accepting that I had feelings for you or accepting any help would render me weak."
Rossi gave him a hug. "You're human, Aaron," he said. "You got to understand that. You're a great father and hero Jack has ever had. I'm sorry that I 'bought' your love when I didn't think how strong you are. Sometimes when you fall in love with someone you call friend a long time, you do all these things to try and hide it."
A few minutes later, Jack joined them at the dinner table and ate their turkey sandwiches. Rossi decided to take the other bag of turkey home to create a unique casserole, maybe a shepherd's pie or turkey lasagna. Hotch walked Rossi to the hallway, hugged him and uttered, "I think we should move on and move forward with each other. No more dining out in luxury restaurants. I want this relationship to mean something more than the two of us being friends."
"You got it." Rossi smiled.
"I love you, Dave," Hotch's lips pressed onto Rossi's and the kiss deepened, growing more loving and passionate.
"See you later, Aaron. My place?"
"Only if you make a shepherd's pie with the turkey."
THE END
Post Author's Note: What did you think of this effort? Curious minds want to know. For those wondering (or care...lol...I kid!), I'm still working on this Criminal Minds/WWE crossover called Love At First Ringside, and am brainstorming to make this into a series involving Drew McIntyre and Reid. So feel free to read and review that one.
Happy HolidKwanakah! And blessed Yule!