It isn't as if JJ never liked Christmas. As a child she had loved it and had spent many of her childhood Christmas Eve's on the couch waiting for Santa, that was until she found out he wasn't real. The problem with Christmas for the blonde FBI agent was spending it with her family. Every year her father over loaded on eggnog and got really loud, and after her mother had a few it loosened her tongue a bit, criticizing JJ's choice in careers, why there was no husband or children and why they were prouder of her younger brother than they were of her. That was why JJ drove back every year just to stay in a motel for three nights before coming back.
As for the winter holidays of 2007, Jennifer Jareau had planned to work over the holidays, earning her money so she could self-indulge in her own presents and exchange gifts with her surrogate family, the BAU team she worked with had had done for the past four or five years. The only problem being that Emily was being guilt-tripped into spending it with her parents and Morgan had asked Garcia to meet his mother with him. Hotch was spending it with Jack and possibly Haley. They had decided that they should get along for their child's sake. Rossi was being Rossi and Reid was going to Vegas again to see his mother. Surprisingly, a package had been sent to JJ's office at work, complete with small gifts for each of them. From former FBI agent Jason Gideon. She and Emily had given the prodigy child some flack about it. He and Gideon always got along the best on an intellectual level that the rest of them never had.
Everything had been going as JJ had planned until exactly two days before the 25th of December. Her mother had called and demanded that she come home to Pennsylvania immediately. Her brother Sam and his wife, Molly, had been in a car accident on their way to pick up three week old Charlie from the Jareau house. A head on collision with a drunken semi-trailer, leaving little baby Charlie down one parent. Sam was awake in the ICU and asking for his sister.
"Jennifer, you have to come home this instant," said Sandra Jareau, worry in her voice. JJ had brushed it off as another attempt from her parents to have her home for the holidays.
"Mum, I told you already the last seven times you have called. I'm working over Christmas," said JJ, finishing her report on their last case.
"This isn't about Christmas. You brother has been in an accident. Molly passed away before the medics got to her. Sammy is in the ICU at the E.A. General. You have to come home. He's asking for you," said her mother, finally breaking and letting tears and sobs rack her body as she held the phone to her ear.
JJ was in shock, nearly dropping the phone to let it hang over the edge of her desk. "Is he okay?" whispered the blonde woman, hand flying to cover her mouth. "What going to happen to Charlie?"
"The doctors think that there is a slim chance he'll survive. Just come home. Please." He mother dissolved into another set of tears and JJ could barely hear her father in the background trying to comfort his distraught wife.
"I'll get the next flight that I can. I love you, mum." Said JJ, three words she hadn't said in years. She hung up just as there was a soft knock on her office door. "Come in," was barely audible to the person on the other side. Brunette Emily Prentiss poked her head in the door with a smile on her face only for it to drop to an expression filled with worry as JJ flung folders closed and pulled her overnight bag out from the bottom cabinet behind her desk.
"JJ, what's wrong?" asked Emily, stepping fully into the room, gently snapping the door shut behind her. It seemed to Emily, that whenever JJ was in a serious state of shock, only her voice could pull her out of it, but this time Emily had to take hold of JJ by the shoulders and get the upset girl to look into her eyes. "JJ, look at me. What's wrong?"
"I-I h-have to go home. Can you t-tell H-Hotch, I need a few weeks o-off?" said JJ, trying not to cry. As kids, her and her brother had always been close, inseparable until JJ left East Alleghany for college and to get away from her small town life.
"Okay, I will, but you need to tell me what's wrong?" said Emily, softly trying to keep JJ calm long enough to get it out of her.
Here came the hard part. Having to admit that her brother was close to dying to tell Emily before the tears came at full force. She was rambling incoherently so it made it harder for Emily to understand what JJ was saying, but was she did get was, "Sam, m-my brother...Car a-accident...Wife died...Baby Charlie...I-I have t-to go home...Garcia...Plane ticket."
"Okay, this is what we're gonna do. JJ, listen to me, sweety, okay? You're going to go to Hotch and I'll go to Garcia, then I'm going to take you home to get you some more clothes than just an overnight back full and then I'm going to drive you to the airport myself okay?" instructed Emily. JJ must have comprehended what was said as she wiped stray tears then had broken over her barrier and smoothed her clothes out. She nodded her head and left in a hurry to catch Hotch before he left.
Emily all but sprinted down to Garcia's big hole in the wall office filled with knick-knacks and photos of happier times. Section Chief Strauss was in there giving poor Penelope Garcia a talk-into about the type of attire she wore to work and the type she was expected to wear to look professional. Garcia argued back that no one ever sees her because she behind a computer and not out in the field. She's not allowed on field assignments unless given cleared access to. Emily knocked loudly, breaking the tension and sending the Grinch back up to her office.
"JJ need a plane ticket home ASAP, Garcia," said Emily, as the Queen Computer Geek typed furiously away at her keyboard. "Family emergency."
"How long for?" asked Penelope, turning her head to face the older woman.
"Go three weeks, and if she needs to extend it, she can," replied Emily, hastily.
"The next flight is in three hours and the ticket is waiting for her there. Merry Christmas, Em!" yelled Garcia, as her office door was flung shut, Emily already halfway down the hallway back to the bullpen.
JJ was still in Hotch's office signing her papers for time off. She had never taken any of her sick leave, seeing as she had never had to. She was immune to colds and flu's. Twenty three weeks saved up and she was using up three then and there to go home unexpectedly. Morgan and Reid had watched her flee past them with puffy red eyes and up into Hotch's office, the door swinging shut noisily. Rossi's head came out of his office next door after the wall was shaken forcefully.
As JJ and Emily rushed out of the bullpen, back to JJ's office and into the elevator in less than three minutes (Morgan timed them), jackets on and JJ's overnight bag between them and as the doors chimed closed, all four men saw JJ jumpy and worried.
"Go home, guys. Your flights are tomorrow so get some rest," said Hotch, walking out with case in hand after shrugging his coat on. "Merry Christmas."
As soon as the girls had got into Emily's car, JJ had broken down with the brunette wrapping her arms around the hysterical blonde. It was several minutes of Emily rubbing her back trying to calm her, whispering comforting words in her ear until JJ's sobs subsided. "Let's get you home," said Emily, pulling back and starting the car before taking hold on JJ's hand to keep her calm.
At the airport, it wasn't a sappy goodbye, but there were tears on JJ's part. She had a tight hold on Emily when the PA system said it was their final call for the Pennsylvania flight. They were standing right outside the doors to the security check point, having picked up JJ's ticker already and checked her in. It was going to be a two hour flight to get home and Emily knew she would be antsy.
"JJ, relax on the plane. There's nothing you can do in the air, okay? Just get there," said Emily. "Are you sure, that you don't want me to come with you?"
"Yeah, you gotta the holidays with your parents. I'll be okay," replied JJ.
"Call me when you land. I wanna know you got there without a hitch," smiled Emily. "Go!"
"Thank you," whispered JJ.
"You do need to thank me," answered Emily, giving the blonde a nudge towards the doors.
Emily stayed there until she couldn't see JJ anymore before she left. As she was getting into her car in the airport parking garage, her phone buzzed with glee as it received a text message from the blonde that was about to board the plane.
-EmilyI'll miss you. Merry Christmas-JJ
Emily replied with, 'miss you too,' and took off home to get some rest. It was already close to midnight and her flight was at seven am the next day. 'Oh, fun,' she thought, as she sped down the highway towards her house.