Not sure which one you're reading first - but either way, I hope you enjoy both chapter 1s...
I don't own Criminal Minds, at least not in this reality ;)
Happy reading and enjoy :D
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.
JJ sighed as she woke up and wiggled back against Spence, who was wrapped around her, spooning against her back.
"You shouldn't do that unless you want us to pick right up where we left off last night." Spence mumbled against his wife's neck, where his face was buried. His arm rested across her belly while his hand rubbed small circular patterns on her belly.
"Mm, I have no complaints with starting the day that way." JJ moaned as she wiggled her hips back against her husband's groin.
"JJ, baby" Spence groaned low in his throat at the feel of JJ wiggling her hips back against him, and then he began lightly kissing her neck, while his hand shifted to hip, and he lightly traced a trail across her thigh between her hip and her knee withhis fingers, over and over.
JJ gasped as her husband's fingers suddenly stopped the teasing trail they had been tracing and moved to her center and continued teasing.
"I love you" Spence said in the aftermath, kissing her shoulder and then lifting his head to place a soft kiss on his wife's lips.
"I love you too." JJ replied as she reached up and pushed Spence's sweaty bangs off of his forehead. "Come on, let's take a quick shower. Chloe and Henry will be awake soon." She said scooting to the edge of their bed.
Spence smiled and stood up, coming around the other side of the bed and offering JJ a hand up.
They had no more than gotten out of the shower and gotten dressed, than they heard the sounds of their waking children from down the hall.
"I think it sounds like a certain little girl and a certain little boy remember that Daddy promised to take them to the aquarium today." JJ said with a smile as she pulled her hair back in a ponytail.
"Hm… are you sure you don't want me to help you with Christmas shopping?" Spence asked as he wrapped his arms around her and nibbled on her neck.
"And how am I supposed to buy your Christmas present if you're with… besides I'm sure Morgan will appreciate having another big boy besides Hotch and Will along to play with." JJ said smirking in the mirror. "and you did promise Chloe and Henry."
"You're right" Spence said lifting his head to look at their image in the mirror. "It's going to be fun to see what they think of all the real life fish." Spence said and then headed to round up Chloe and Henry for breakfast.
"Okay guys tell Mommy bye bye." Spence said as he helped Henry into his coat, hat, and mitten and then stood up with the little boy in his arms so that he could reach Mommy.
"Bye bye Mama!" Henry said excitedly as he leaned from Daddy's arms to kiss Mommy on the cheek. All he'd talked about all morning was getting to go see Nemo, Crush, and Squirt at the aquarium with Daddy. Or in Henry's words, 'Memo, Cwush, and Skurt'… either way he was excited.
"Bye Mommy" Chloe said as JJ knelt down and help her finish zipping up her coat and pulled her hat and mittens on and then kissed the little girl on the nose.
"Bye baby. Have fun playing with your friends." JJ said with a smirk as she stoo up and leaned in to kiss Spence good bye and then moaned softly as their lips pulled away from each other's.
"I will." Spence replied softly against her lips. "But can you, Emily, and Elle try and keep an eye on Penelope? Now that she knows the baby is a boy…" He said trailing off.
JJ chuckled. "We're going to do our best. The three of us already made a pact, at no time is she to be left alone and unsupervised. The space in our children's closets and toy boxes depends on it."
Spence chuckled and leaned in and kissed JJ one more time. "Have fun. See you later. I love you."
"Mm…" JJ moaned as he pulled away. "I love you too... all three of you." she said with a smile at her bundled up family.
"Dada, we go now? See Memo?" Henry asked.
"Yeah buddy we're going to go see Nemo now. You know what else?" he asked as he looked down at Chloe. "Jack is coming too."
"Jack?" Chloe asked.
"Yep." Daddy said popping the p. "Uncle Aaron, Jack, Avery, and Seth are meeting us there and so are Uncle Derek and Jake, and Uncle Will and Billy."
"Yay!" Chloe cheered as they headed out the door at the thought of seeing all of her favorite playmates.
"Yay!" Henry cheered joining in on the opportunity to make some fun noisy sounds.
JJ smiled as she watched Spence help both of their children into their car seats and to get buckled in. then he climbed in and buckled up himself, waving to her as he backed out of the driveway and heading off to meet up at the aquarium with the rest of the guys and the kids.
"So what all do you have left on your list peaches?" Pen asked as they all sat comparing the remaining items on their lists and which stores they needed go to.
"Nothing. I've been done shopping for about a month." JJ replied with a smile.
"You've been… you're … done?" Pen stammered in shock attempting to find the words.
"Pen, this is my third time being pregnant during the holiday season. I learned my lesson the first time around when I had to tell Spence that all he was getting for Christmas was a baby girl… at least he was okay with it." JJ replied. "Now obviously, I don't have to worry about going into labor before I finish my Christmas shopping, but it was also easier to get it done weeks ago." JJ said with a shrug. "I just came along to get out of the house and spend time with you guys. That's not to say if something catches my eye that it won't be going home with me to be found under the tree."
Elle and Emily shook their heads. Of course their former media liaison who could write a press release, book hotel reservations for seven, go through one hundred case files, and help out with a case in the field all at the same time had already finished her Christmas shopping. It was no wonder that the Pentagon had stolen her away.
"How about you Pen? What do you have left on your list?" JJ asked.
"I don't have a list either. I just know what to get when I see it." Penelope responded.
Somehow that didn't surprise Emily or Elle either.
"PG its okay to admit that you are always on the lookout for the perfect Christmas gift and that you shop throughout the year," Emily said, "along with birthdays, weddings, honeymoons, Halloween, baby showers and any other opportune time for gift giving. After all, that's the only thing that explains the fabulous bikini you gave me to wear on the beach when we went on our honeymoon in March. You can't find a decent swim suit in March if you owned a surf shop, let alone a bikini."
"Okay so what about you girls?" Pen asked looking pointedly looking at Elle and Emily.
Elle and Emily looked at each other and then reached into their purses and pulled out their lists handing them over to JJ and Pen who looked them over and then leaned close together comparing the list.
"Well it's decided." Pen said as she took the final sip of her Orange Julius and rose from the table they were seated at in the food court.
"And what is the verdict PG?" Emily asked.
"Considering the only people you and Elle have left to shop for are your husbands" Penelope said with a quirk of an eyebrow behind the funky frames of her glasses "We're going to Victoria Secret's. It won't matter if they were on the naughty list or the nice list, either way you're covered. Jayje might just find a little something to take home and put under her tree that stops a certain genius' brain mid computation, and like you said, I'm always looking for an opportunity to give gifts, especially the kind that keep on giving.
The ladies all chuckled as they stood from their seats, gathered their packages, and prepared to go once more into the fray of harried Christmas shoppers.
All of the kids ooed, aahed, and squealed with glee as they paused in the glass tunnel of the indoor aquarium to watch as the fish, sharks, and sea turtles swam all around them. They pointed out all of the different fish and sea creatures. They all except for Billy and Seth got to feed some fish.
After several hours of excitement while out and about at the aquarium, it was time for the exhausted little ones to go home. Even Jack was dragging by the time they were re-bundling to go home.
JJ turned to look at the entry way, from her spot on the couch where she was relaxing with her feet up when she heard the front door open and the sounds of Spence, Chloe and Henry talking to each other as coats, hats, and mitten were removed and put away.
A few minutes later a noticeably tired Chloe and Henry came into the living room with Daddy.
"Hi guys" JJ said looking at Chloe and Henry. "Did you have fun seeing all the fish and animals at the aquarium with Daddy?" she asked.
Chloe nodded from where she stood next to Mommy's leg and Henry nodded in Daddy's arms and then laid his head down on Daddy's shoulder.
"Tell you what guys, why don't you sit with Mommy and tell her all about our day and I'll make us some dinner. You guys are still hungry right?" he asked as he sat Henry next to Mommy on one side and then picked Chloe up and sat her on the other side of Mommy.
Again Chloe and Henry nodded in unison and then turned to look at Mommy and began to tell her about their day. JJ could tell how tired her babies were because instead of their usual enthusiasm, they were incredibly quiet. She supposed though, it had been a very long day for them at the aquarium, as they didn't get a nap today.
When Spence came to tell them dinner was ready Chloe and Henry had both snuggled into Mommy's side and were talking to the baby while she held them close. JJ looked up at Spence. "I hope made something quick and not too messy. I don't think we'd make it through baths tonight."
"Hot dogs, mixed fruit, and carrots, quick and easy cooking and cleanup." Spence said as he bent over in front of JJ and picked up Chloe and Henry and the family headed to the kitchen for dinner. "I made us sandwiches." He added as they walked. "You just didn't look like you were in a hot dog and carrots kind of mood."
"Oh man down, man down." Daddy called out as Henry's head began to bob as he struggled to finish his dinner. He looked over and saw that Chloe was in the same predicament. "Okay guys, legs go get you cleaned up and in some nice warm jammies huh?" he said as he moved their plates away from them.
JJ wiped their hands and faces and then Spence scooped them both up and the family headed upstairs to get ready for bed. Both of the little ones were asleep before they were even completely in their pajamas.
JJ sighed. "Baby that feels so good." She moaned as Spence used his thumb on the arch of her left foot while he gave her a foot rub as they relaxed on the couch.
"Feel better?" he asked as he finished rubbing her foot.
"Mm hm, but now I think we should go to bed. Who knows what time Chloe and Henry are going to wake up tomorrow morning with going to bed as early as they did." JJ said to Spence as he stood up from the couch.
"I know. They are going to be talking non-stop about the aquarium tomorrow… they loved it." Spence said as he stretched his arms overhead and then reached down to help JJ up off of the couch. "Come on, we need to rest up if we're going to keep up with them tomorrow." He said as he pulled her up and then led her up the stairs to their bedroom where they climbed under the covers, snuggled up, and dreamt sweet dreams.