Disclaimer: Still not mine but I did put in my request to Santa :op

AN: Thank you for the reviews. I've got to post this one a day earlier than planned as I won't have internet access tomorrow. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 2

Monday 14th December

Emily arrived in the office early on the Monday morning. Her weekend had been occupied by putting her plan into action and gathering the items she needed to complete it. She knew that the blonde always got into work before the rest of the team, even after she had returned from her maternity leave she was still the first in and usually the last to leave.

The bullpen was so quiet at this time in the morning. All the desks were empty and the phones silent. There was no sound of talking or keyboards tapping. There was almost a tranquillity that settled across the room that allowed them to forget the images that crossed the desks on a daily basis.

Emily made her way over to her desk and placed her go bag on the desk. One final glance around the room confirmed she was alone. She unzipped the bag and removed the brightly wrapped package from it's hiding place. She glanced down at the gift before making her way over to JJ's office.

As she approached the door, she glanced up the corridor once more before pulling the key out of her pocket. She was glad that Garcia had managed to sneak JJ's keys from her for long enough to get a copy made, her lock picking skills really weren't up to much. Her usual form of entry to a locked door consisted of a swift kick…Not something that would go unnoticed by the blonde upon her arrival. Emily slipped the key into the lock and turned it, hearing the satisfying click as the lock opened. She stepped into the dark office and made her way over to the desk. She gently placed the present onto the centre of the desk and then returned to her own desk, locking the door on her way out.

JJ arrived at the office at her usual time. She glanced over to the bullpen as she stepped out of the elevator and was greeted by an empty room. There was a time when Hotch would be in earlier than her and stay later. Recently, things had changed. She knew that his priorities had changed and that made her question why hers hadn't. She knew that having people at home should make her want to spend more time there, yet she had no desire to do so. If anything the draw to work was getting stronger, making her leave earlier in the morning to avoid any contact with Will first thing. If he was awake there was that awkwardness in the air around them as neither really knew what to say to the other.

She walked down the corridor to her office door and unlocked it before stepping inside. Ready to face another day of reading case files that would haunt her dreams at a later stage. As she flipped the light switch she glanced at the stacks of files that surrounded her desk. It was times like these that she felt the piles just grew everyday, never getting smaller. Times like these made her feel like they were fighting a losing battle against the evil in the world.

That was when she saw it. Sitting in the middle of the desk, amongst all the dull brown folders lay a shiny red present, the paper reflecting the light shining on her desk. She walked over to the desk and took her usual seat, her eyes transfixed on the gift. She reached her hand out to the present, gently lifting it from its place. The label on the gift simply said 'JJ'. The blonde frowned as she considered how it had appeared on her desk. She knew that when she left her office, the door had been locked and that she had been the last one out of the office on the Friday night.

Hoping for a greater clue when she opened the gift, she carefully lifted the tape holding down the edge of the paper. She noticed that it had been wrapped very neatly in a distant part of her mind. As she opened the end, the first thing she noticed was the aroma. She couldn't help but raise the gift to her nose and inhale deeply, allowing her eyes to drift shut as the scent of coffee filled her senses. As she opened her eyes once more, she finished unwrapping the gift.

Her eyes scanned the label stuck onto the bag. 'Kopi Luwak Coffee Beans'. Turning the bag over she saw another card stuck to the back. She opened the card and read it. 'JJ, for those times that the world has dulled your senses, one cup of this should awaken them once more.' The card had been printed so there was no chance of identifying the sender by their handwriting. JJ opened the bag carefully and inhaled once more. The aroma of the coffee beans stimulating her senses. A smile crept across her lips as she sat back in her chair. Perhaps things were starting to look up after all.

By the time JJ emerged from her office, the rest of the team had arrived. She had fully intended to head out to the break room and sample her new coffee first thing but as soon as she had opened her e-mails she knew that was a distant pipe dream. She'd spent the next hour reading through the files that had been sent over the weekend by various police departments asking for the BAU's assistance. It was the part of the job she struggled with most, deciding who would receive their help and who wouldn't. She knew that every decision she made had an impact on someone's life…Either for the better or the worse.

She headed out to the bullpen for a much needed break and to distribute some files for the team to consult on. So far there hadn't been any that required their attendance. A rare treat in itself on the run up to the Christmas period. She knew that everyone was on the countdown to their allocated vacation time and dreaded being the one to bring a case to their attention that could interfere with their plans.

As she stepped through the doors, her gaze fell upon Emily and Garcia. Both women were talking quietly out of earshot of the other agents in the area. JJ found herself watching the two women and trying to ascertain what their discussion was about. Garcia caught sight of her blonde friend from across the room and said something to Emily before waving to her. JJ made her way over to the two women as they both turned to face her.

"Good morning gorgeous." Garcia greeted as JJ reached the two women.

"Hey Jayj." Emily smiled at her friend.

"Morning."

Garcia spied the files in the blonde's arms. "If those are files to take us away from our festive fun then you can turn right back around missy."

JJ smiled. "Nope, just consults."

"You may continue." Garcia waved her arms in a flambouyant dismissive manner before turning to head away. "Time for me to go and wake my babies." With that, the quirky analyst headed out of the bullpen.

"Babies? Should we worry?" Emily asked as they watched their friend leave.

"Since it's Garcia…No." JJ smiled as she shook her head at the older blonde's antics. "I'm just glad she hasn't suggested photoshopping the team for a calendar this year."

Emily turned to face the blonde, her eyebrow quirked. "She did what?"

Meeting the brunettes gaze she shook her head. "My lips are sealed. There are no copies left and we all took an oath to never tell of the contents of the calendar."

"I have my ways to get information you know." Emily's eyes sparkled with mischief.

"I'm sure you do Em but unfortunately you have work to do." Seeing the brunette was about to disagree, JJ handed her some case files. "Maybe when you are less busy." She winked at her friend before heading off to see the other team members.

JJ had spent the remainder of the day searching for any clues as to who could have left the present on her desk. Yet she had been unable to find any hints from anybody she had spoken to. JJ carefully placed the coffee at the back of her desk drawer for a special occasion as her note had said. She glanced around her office once more before locking the door behind her. She checked the door was locked before heading to the elevator, wondering if it had been a one off gift. Her mind drifting to the possible senders.