A/N: Hello once again, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the holidays wherever you may be. This is my entry to the Fanfic Gift Exchange on CCOAC. This is written for Dakota1013. Dakota... Merry Christmas to you! I hope you enjoy this! I will go ahead and say this is not a Hotch/JJ romance. I hope that's not too disappointing, but I just can't write them romantically. But hopefully a little fun with Jack and Henry will make up for that. Once again, MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Also, this fic is dedicated to my Skype buddies - TN, Rockie, Monkey, and Falc. Our awesome fun chats are how I came up with the idea for this story. I thoroughly enjoy the time we get to spend all together. And seriously, how much fun is it to be in the United States, Canada, and Australia all at the same time!
Your assigned pairing is: Hotch/JJ
Your assigned song title prompt and 3 prompts are: All I Want For Christmas Is You; snow; roaring fire; Christmas tree
You are writing for: dakota1013
A SKYPEY CHRISTMAS PARTY
The small country inn sat on the outskirts of a rural town. A fire roared in the stone fireplace in the lobby, putting out a soft comforting glow and providing the innkeeper's guests with a cozy warmth that reminded them of home. A large, beautiful Douglas Fir tree stood proudly in the corner, bright white lights twinkling in the firelight, reflecting off the strands of silver tinsel adorning its full branches. Homemade ornaments, made over the years by the innkeeper's grandchildren, hung proudly from the branch tips.
Adjoining the lobby to the left was a small diner. Five maple wood tables sat spaced across the floor and a counter lined the wall opposite the fireplace with bar stools for those who preferred to dine alone. The innkeeper; a kind, good-spirited, elderly fellow, stood at the bar-style counter drying off a coffee mug and watching the group of six FBI agents sitting at his largest table in the corner. The group had arrived five days ago to help the local authorities catch the one bad seed in an otherwise peaceful country town. They stayed in the rooms above his inn and ate breakfast in his diner every morning before heading out to stop a madman. Over the past five mornings he'd become friendly with the brave yet eclectic group, and brewed more coffee than he normally goes through in two months.
The group always looked serious but there was a playfulness about their interactions that told him these people were much more than mere coworkers. They reminded him of family. So it surprised him to see the group looking rather down and disappointed as their leader closed his cell phone and spoke to them. He watched as one by one they left the table and returned upstairs, leaving the Unit Chief staring into his coffee, clearly lost in thought.
"You seem sad, friend," the old innkeeper, Mr. Winter, said as he took the empty chair next to Hotch. Hotch offered him a weak smile and nodded.
"Looks like you may be stuck with us for one more night. The runway is iced over and no flights can take off."
"Ah. The airport is a good ways north of us. They must have gotten the ice that was predicted for us last night. Now I understand the disappointed looks I saw on the faces of your team. Being away from home on Christmas is hard on anyone."
"Yeah. It's happened to us too many times to count."
"I'm assuming young JJ has children. I saw those tears she was trying to hide."
"You should consider a career change to profiling," Hotch joked, albeit sadly. "Yes, JJ has a son. Henry is old enough now to understand and enjoy Christmas. I hate that she's going to miss that. I've missed enough Christmases with my own son to know how she feels."
"And how old are your sons?"
"Henry is three. My son, Jack, is six."
"Do the others have children as well?"
"No. But Reid and Garcia, our computer tech, are Henry's Godparents."
The old man chuckled. "I knew you all were more than ordinary colleagues."
"Yeah, we're close. When you've been through what we've been through, and seen the things we've seen, you become family almost by default."
"After the case you all just solved, I can certainly understand." Mr. Winter looked around at his decorated inn and an idea struck him. "I know it's not much, but you and your colleagues are more than welcome to celebrate Christmas right here. I'm certain we could set something up for a small Christmas party this evening."
"No," Hotch shook his head vehemently. "We couldn't put you out like that. Surely you already have plans with your own family. I couldn't ask you to change that for us."
"In case you missed it, sonny," the old man clapped Hotch on the shoulder, "you didn't ask. I offered. My wife and I have been married for 45 years. If you think we haven't mastered the art of the surprise holiday plan changes, you'd be sorely mistaken."
Hotch couldn't help but chuckle at the old man. How long had it been since anyone referred to him as "sonny"? Come to think of it, had anyone ever referred to him as "sonny"? He turned his gaze to the innkeeper.
"Are you absolutely sure we're not putting you out?"
"Nonsense. I'm going to call my wife and have her call the kids. Just leave everything to Old Man Winter."
Hotch laughed at the nickname, but his eyes turned sincere as he shook the old man's hand. "Thank you."
JJ hung up the phone and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Will was disappointed, but understood the circumstances were completely out of their control. She had to fight to keep the shake out of her voice when she told Henry that she wouldn't be home for one more day. The little boy was missing his mommy and let his feelings be known, as three-year-olds are inclined to do. His tears nearly unraveled her.
"I can't believe I'm going to miss Christmas with my son."
"I know, Jayje," Prentiss said as she took a seat next to her, silently cursing Mother Nature and the snow and ice she decided to drop on the cities north of the inn, including the airport. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and handed over the tissue box. "Winter weather sucks."
"You can say that again," JJ muttered before blowing her nose.
"Winter weather sucks."
That got a soft chuckle out of JJ as she playfully elbowed Prentiss in the ribs. As JJ went into the bathroom to wash her face, Prentiss heard the familiar buzzing of her cell phone indicating a new text message.
Keep JJ occupied for a few hours. I have a plan. –Hotch
Prentiss raised her eyebrows at the cryptic message. A plan? Unless his plan involved them all sprouting wings and flying back home, she doubted anything he could do would brighten JJ's mood. But if Hotch could figure out a way to make JJ smile this Christmas Eve, she'd play along.
"Hey Jayje," she called through the closed door. "Since we're stuck in town anyway, let's go check out that little mall we've been driving past all week. They have a movie theater showing Christmas movies all day today. We can see a movie and shop to our heart's content. And we can make Morgan and Reid come too so they can carry around all our shopping bags."
JJ stepped out of the bathroom. "You want to take Morgan and Reid to the mall on Christmas Eve?"
"Yes I do!" Prentiss' eyes gleamed mischievously. "They'll certainly be entertaining if nothing else."
JJ outright laughed and shook her head. "Sounds like fun. Okay, I'm in."
"Great! I'll get the boys."
As soon as the "kids" left the inn, Hotch got on the phone to Garcia.
"Oh Captain, my Captain!" Garcia greeted her Unit Chief. "Please say you're calling because the ice has miraculously vanished and all my babies are coming home for Christmas."
"Sorry, Garcia. 'Fraid not."
"This is most depressing."
"I know. But I have a plan, and I could use your help."
"A plan?" Her entire body perked up. "Do tell, oh secretive one."
"I know this is last minute, and you probably already have plans for tonight with Kevin, but I'm going to ask anyway. How do you feel about hosting a little Christmas party in your lair tonight?"
"A Christmas party?" she asked, completely perplexed. "Sir, correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't do parties. Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm feeling perfectly fine. The party isn't for me…well, not just for me. It's for all of us, but mainly it's for JJ. She's taking it hard that she's not going to be with Henry on Christmas Eve."
"So I'm assuming she has no idea you're talking to me about this."
"No. Prentiss is keeping her occupied. The others don't know anything about any of this, except Rossi."
"I am assuming that this party will include the presence of my perfect Godson and my favorite junior G-man."
"Yes. I haven't called Jessica or Will yet. I wanted to make sure you were okay with this on such short notice. Mr. Winter here at the inn offered to have a little party for us, but I know how much it would mean to JJ to be able to see Henry tonight, even if she can't be there. And quite frankly, I'm missing my son, too. We've got a place where we can set up a laptop so we can Skype with you and the boys."
"You definitely called the right Christmas Goddess, my liege. Don't worry about a thing on my end. You call Jessica, I'll call Will, and the next time we speak there will be a Christmas extravaganza awaiting your presence!"
He laughed at her exuberance, and her uncanny ability to make him smile. "Thanks, Garcia. I'll be in touch."
He hung up his phone and he and Rossi turned to Mr. Winter. "How can we help?"
"You know," Morgan's exasperated voice rang as the group returned to the inn four hours later, "the next time you ladies want to go shopping, you can count me out! Those people are crazy!"
"Oh, come on, you know you had a good time." Prentiss snarked. Morgan glared over the pile of packages as Prentiss held open the door for him. "Especially since nearly every woman in town was ogling you!"
Reid stepped in. "Seeing the population of this town is so small, I'd estimate that over half the town's residents were at the mall today. Probably closer to three-fourths."
"You mean you didn't get an accurate count?" JJ mocked.
"Too difficult with the overflow of traffic to not count people twice."
"And what the hell did you two buy anyway?" Morgan chimed in again. "These things are heavy!"
"Oh, my chocolate Herculean elf," rang Garcia's voice from the laptop residing on the countertop. "Did a little Christmas shopping bring the mighty Morgan to his knees?"
"Baby girl, you have no idea!"
It was then the four noticed the lobby and diner of the inn had been completely decorated. There were centerpieces of Poinsettias encircling white or green candles on the red tablecloths on every table. Snack trays of cookies, candies, and miniature sandwiches cut into wintry shapes lined the countertop. Soft Christmas music was playing in the background. The laptop sat near the end of the counter, plugged in behind the bar, and Hotch and Rossi sat nearby sipping eggnog.
JJ stared around in wonder. "What is all this?"
"Mr. Winter and his family decided that, since we're stranded, they'd host a little Christmas party for us. And we can't have a party without Garcia, right?"
"Got that right, boss-man!" Everyone giggled at the festively dressed tech, with her bright pink oversized santa hat that matched her pink-streaked hair.
"Why don't you go put all that stuff away and come join the party," Rossi quipped.
As the group made their way up the stairs, Prentiss questioningly looked back at Hotch. He gave her a wink. My plan is just getting started.
When the four descended the stairs, Garcia's voice echoed from the screen yet again.
"Would the beautiful Agent Jareau take the seat in front of me please?"
JJ did as she was told. "You look great, Garcia! Loving the hat."
"Why thank you! Now, we have a Christmas surprise for you in 3… 2… 1…"
"HI MOMMY!"
JJ's eyes grew wide and teared almost immediately when the very familiar blond haired, blue eyed face of her precious boy jumped in front of Garcia and filled her screen.
"Henry! Hey baby!"
"We's havin' a party!"
"I see that! Are you having fun?"
"YEAH!" He jumped up and down and clapped his hands. "Me and Jack played games. Look!" He put on his antler headband and red nose. "I'm a Reindeer!"
"That's great, honey. So Jack's there too?"
Jack popped into view wearing similar reindeer antlers and a black nose. "Hi Miss JJ!"
"Hey bud!"
"Daddy said we were your Christmas surprise. Did it work? Were you surprised?"
"It sure did, Jack," JJ wiped at her eyes. "I was very surprised!"
"Yay!" Jack and Henry high fived each other and bounced around. JJ could hear Kevin, Will and Jessica laughing with Garcia in the background.
"My Lord, how much sugar have they had already?"
"You don't want to know, ma chère," Will chimed in.
"We made cookies!" Henry yelled excitedly. "With sprinkles!"
"And some of them have green icing!" Jack added. "Look! My teeth are green!"
"I hope you remember to brush your teeth before you go to bed tonight, bud," Hotch giggled.
"We saved some for you, Mama. Penny had a special box for them and everything!"
"I'm so glad, baby. You know how much I love cookies."
"So this little cookie monster comes by it honestly," Jessica said.
"Yeah, I'm 100% guilty on that one," JJ laughed.
Prentiss walked to Hotch's side with her glass of eggnog. "So this was your plan?" He nodded and clinked glasses with her. "Well done, sir."
"Thank you."
JJ heard the exchange and looked at Hotch. "You set all this up?"
"Well," he began. "I had a little help from Mr. Winter and Garcia."
"This is wonderful. I don't know how to thank you for this."
"I just remember what it felt like. I missed too many Christmases with my son early on. I know Jack doesn't remember, but I do. I didn't want you to feel that way. This way, you can still be with him… sort of."
She surprised him by standing up and wrapping him in a huge bear hug. "Thank you, so much."
"You're welcome."
The party went on for a few hours. Mr. Winter's family mingled with the agents, laughing and joking. They took turns telling funny stories of Christmases past. Hotch and JJ never strayed too far away from the computer screen. Izzy Winter, Mr. Winter's granddaughter, found an instant friend in Garcia, who praised the candy cane stripes dyed in the teenage girl's hair. The two of them synchronized a playlist of Christmas favorites for Izzy's iPod so they could all listen to the same music and feel even more like they were all together. Once the new playlist was set, the groups danced and sang along.
After a while, the boys were starting to wear down. JJ noticed Henry rubbing his tired eyes.
"Hey buddy, it's gotten way past your bedtime, hasn't it?"
"I want a story, Mama."
"Jack," Hotch called out. "Did you remember to bring the book we talked about?"
"Yep!"
"Good. Hey Henry, how would you like it if Jack read us all a story? Would that be alright?"
His blond head nodded enthusiastically.
"Why don't we move this into the lobby," Mr. Winter suggested. "The couches are much more comfortable."
They decided to take his suggestion. Before everyone could move, Rossi's cell buzzed.
"Go ahead. I'll be there in a sec." He stepped away to answer it while everyone moved into the lobby. They moved the laptop to the small coffee table in the center of the room. They could see Henry climb into Will's lap as Jack climbed into Jessica's. Kevin pulled his chair closer to Garcia and draped his arm around her shoulders. In the lobby, everyone gathered around, some on the couch, some on the floor, to hear Jack read "The Night Before Christmas". Rossi rejoined them about half way through the story and whispered a message to Hotch, who nodded in return.
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. The end!" Jack finished the story and closed the book with a flourish. Everyone applauded his efforts. Hotch was glowing with pride.
"You did such a great job, buddy."
"Thanks! And I didn't even need help with the words this time!"
"That's right. You got them all by yourself."
Jack's smile grew impossibly bigger. He was very proud of himself.
"Did Henry fall asleep?" JJ asked.
"He's out light a light," Will answered. "I guess I should get this little guy home."
"I should probably get Jack home too." Jessica said as she ruffled Jack's hair. "We don't want to keep Santa waiting. And he can't deliver the presents until you're asleep."
Jack's face turned serious, like his father's did when he was thinking of something important.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah, bud?"
"Can you ask Santa to wait?"
That question caught Hotch off guard. "What do you mean, Jack?"
"I don't want it to be Christmas until you get home. So can you tell Santa to wait until after you come home to bring the presents?"
Hotch's eyes glistened. "You know all I want for Christmas is you, right bud? But you know what? We both might get our Christmas wishes and Santa may not have to wait after all."
"Really?" Jack's eyes grew wide. "Why?"
"Well, Mr. Rossi got a phone call a few minutes ago and guess who it was."
"Who?"
"It was our pilot. And he said the runway is almost completely thawed out. Do you know what that means?"
"No more ice?"
"That's right. He said in a few hours all the planes can start taking off again. Which means we'll be home before you wake up in the morning."
"Really?" His voice went up an octave with excitement. "You're coming home?"
"Yep. We're coming home."
"YAY!" he yelped before throwing his hands over his mouth, realizing he needed to be quiet. Luckily Henry stayed asleep. Jack jumped up and down and cheered quietly at his dad's good news.
"Go get some sleep, buddy. I'll see you in the morning."
"Okay, Daddy. I love you. Bye everybody!"
"Goodnight, Jack!" They all said in unison, causing the little boy to giggle.
"Will," JJ piped up. "Give Henry a kiss for me. I love you guys."
"We love you, too. Travel safe. All of you."
"We will. And Garcia?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you so much for this. This was perfect."
"Anything for family, Jayje. You know that. Be safe, my lovelies. We bid thee adieu!"
As the screen went blank, JJ got up from her seat and hugged Mr. Winter. "Thank you and your family. I know you probably had other plans, but this was very special. I won't ever forget it. I don't think any of us will."
"You are quite welcome, my dear," he replied, hugging her back. "I'd say we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. And I must say those are two lucky young lads to have such caring parents. That's something lacking in today's society. The two of you have done well with your sons. You should be quite proud."
JJ and Hotch smiled appreciatively at the old man.
"Thank you for everything," Hotch said, extending his hand. "Thanks for letting us stay here and for all of this."
Mr. Winter shook Hotch's hand. "No thanks necessary."
The Winter family waited until the agents were packed and ready to head for the airport, which was over an hour away. They all greeted them with hugs and handshakes, and thanks for catching the killer who was terrorizing their quiet little town.
"Stay in touch and be safe."
"We will," Hotch replied. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas!" The family all hollered in return.
The agents loaded their SUV's and drove away, knowing they would all be home for Christmas and Hotch and JJ would be with their sons. And they smiled at the fact that they'd somehow managed to make several new friends in the Winter family. This proved to be one memorable holiday season.
THE END