JJ smiled as she watched the ending of her favourite Christmas movie play out in front of her as she cuddled under the worn out blanket that had been passed down to her from her mother. Every Christmas Eve she would put Henry to bed after he put out milk and cookies for Santa Clause before she sat with a glass of wine in an oversized festive jumper and lounge pants watching Christmas films under her comforter. It was bliss. Every year for the last three years – and arguably the best part of her night – Santa would come and drop off presents for Henry, eat the cookies and drink the milk set out for him, give her a nice little treat for being a good girl all year before darting off again to make sure Henry didn't see mommy kissing Santa Clause.

Just as she was enjoying last years' replay she heard the familiar sound of the back door opening followed by a faint muted thudding noise and subsequent "Ow!" as Santa made his way into the living area.

"Are you okay?" Jennifer asked a laugh in her voice as she put her wine glass down and made to leave her rather comfortable spot on the couch.

"Yep, fine. It was just a very deadly rolling pin that'd decided to rogue, nothing to worry about." The reply came out absent minded as he looked over her with a lopsided smile. "You're looking very festive."

"For Santa? Always." Jennifer told him seriously. "Are these Henry's presents? I didn't realise he had so many." She winced as Santa dropped the sack and some of the very neatly presents spilled to the floor. Both began picking them up and sorting through them, deciding where under the tree to put them to make them fit.

"No they're not all for Henry. There are a couple for you in there." As the blonde stopped what she was doing and began to open her mouth, the man next to her held up his hand to stop her. "Hey, Santa does whatever he wants; makes toys for everybody on the nice list and you Jennifer Jareau have been very, very nice this year. So I therefore deduce that you get presents and I already know that you've gotten me some." The guilty look on her face made him smirk in victory and she hated it as much as she loved it.

"You've got cookies to eat and milk to drink Mr." He was practically dragged over to the aforementioned products as he winced, staring at them reluctantly.

"I don't know why you do this to me every year." The white haired, bearded man complained. "Can't you give me a glass of water or juice – warm milk is not nice."

"Oh shush, just drink it." And he did, swiftly. The cookie he broke in half so that his companion for the evening could have some also which she took without hesitation.

"So, about how nice I've been this year?" Jennifer asked a look of mischief in her eyes. Santa grinned before advancing upon her. He pulled her to him by her hips, resting their foreheads together, his arms linked around her waist and hers around his neck. Their lips then met in a soft, loving kiss.

"Mommy!?" Both Santa and JJ sprang apart at the sound of Henry's voice. Both adults stared, horrified at the little boys disturbed expression, in shock and embarrassment.

"Henry." His mother began, being the first to recover. "What are you doing out of bed?" She started towards him but the little boy backed away so she stopped.

"You- you kissed Santa!" He accused, pointing his finger sharply between them. "What about Uncle Spence!?"

The two adults looked between themselves at a loss for words, a sort of helpless desperation at what they could say to explain the situation.

"He said that Santa wasn't even real!" Henry cried in blame – more at his mother than Spencer, the only person who ever would have said that with a child in the vicinity. Right now the young boy was a whole lot angry at his mom though Jennifer couldn't really blame him. Her son adored his godfather, held him on a pedestal like no other.

"Henry, he's never said that to you." Santa chimed in, speaking for the first time, his tone utterly perplexed.

"He was telling Aunt Penny, saying all this stuff about how elves aren't real and that nobody could live in the North Pole or make a toy for one person each. It's not stainable."

"Sustainable." The older man corrected before he could stop himself. JJ could barely contain a smile. "You shouldn't listen to other people's discussions Henry and Uncle Spence is a man of science, he doesn't believe in things he can't see. For instance, I'm sure he believes you're in bed right now when you're not. He'd be wrong about that and if he can be wrong about that why can't he be wrong about the existence of Santa Clause?"

The young boy thought about it for a moment before catching himself. "Because- because Uncle Spence isn't wrong about anything!" The blonde boy glared at the man in the red suit and crossed his arms over his chest petulantly. In response, Santa smiled. The boy reminded him so much of his mom in that moment he couldn't help it.

"Sit down for a minute Henry?" At the child's disobedience, he added a "please?" which earned him an exaggerated huff and a slow walk over to the sofa as Henry sat reluctantly. "Your Uncle Spencer has been wrong before and has made mistakes, everybody does. I know, and your mommy knows that he'd want you to believe in whatever you want to believe regardless of whatever you hear from him or anybody else. If he believed that cookies weren't very nice would you decide they weren't very nice either? Or if he decided not to like chocolate anymore would you not like it anymore?"

"No, I would still like them." The five year old admitted quietly.

"There you go. It's okay to believe in Santa." The man spoke just as softly.

Both adults watched as the youngest of the trio digested this information. The longer he stayed quiet the more concerned they grew knowing that he was thinking hard about something.

"If Santa's real he'll be able to get anybody anything they want for Christmas right?" Henry asked eventually.

"It depends on what it is." Jennifer replied immediately earning her a glare from her son who evidently still wasn't over the mommy kissing Santa thing. Frankly she found it to be double standards for her given that 'Santa' was also a participant and Henry seemed to be just fine with him.

Her five year old shifted uncomfortably where he sat and looked down at his hands. "Me and Uncle Spence went to see a tree light up and got to write what we wanted for Christmas on these papers that we put inside stars. He said I should put one thing I really, really want in there so I did. He said if I was really good I'd get it for Christmas but I didn't put it on my list and he doesn't know what it is and mommy and him might be mad." The last part was whispered, the boy clearly distraught over whatever he had put in the star.

Jennifer, who was never one to see her boy upset immediately moved to gather her son in her arms. He hugged her back tightly whispering that he was sorry much to the confusion and worry of both adults.

"Henry, baby, what did you ask for inside that star?" The mother asked her son. "What did Uncle Spence say you'd get for Christmas if you were really good?" Her hand smoothed down her sons back in a calming motion and gradually his crying slowed to hiccups. In the time it took, Santa had come back with tissues and a cup of water – something which JJ was beyond grateful for.

"I asked," Henry began, a hiccup preventing him from continuing. Taking a sip of water he continued. "I wished for Uncle Spence to marry you and be my daddy." The words were rushed out and beside them Santa choked on a breath of air as Jennifer sucked one in. The only sound around them was the occasional sound of Henry's hiccups.

Santa let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Well that is a big wish and it really wasn't on your Christmas list. I definitely would have noticed that."

"Sp-anta." JJ whisper chastised, kicking his foot. Luckily, Henry didn't notice her slight slip up for which she was relieved especially after the effort Spencer had gone through to convince her son that Santa was in fact real. She planned to give him a very special treat for that later – when they were really alone with no chance of little boys sneaking up on them.

Reid looked at her quickly before looking away, focusing his attention back on the little boy in front of him. "Can I tell you a secret Henry? It's a big secret, one that I really shouldn't say."

The little boy's eyes grew wide with excitement at the idea of being told a secret. It wasn't something he often got what with his parents being who they were. They tried to protect him from everything meaning whispered conversations or secrets kept from him.

"Uncle Spence, when he had to write a wish in his star on that tree, he wanted the same thing as you." The genius' voice was just loud enough to carry so that Jennifer, his girlfriend of three years, would hear it too. The intake of breath confirmed it for him though he didn't look at her.

"Really?" The young boy's eyes filled with hope at the words to which the man in the suit smiled and nodded.

"Come on babe it's time for bed. We've occupied enough of Santa's time. He has to deliver a lot of other presents to a lot of other people." Jennifer lifted herself and her son off the couch ignoring the little boy's protests.

Reid smiled as he watched her carry him away knowing just what those other presents were.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - .

Thanks for reading.

I'd had this in my head for a couple of days after listening to Christmas music on the radio – it was making me feel rather festive.