Disclaimer: I don't own them.

AN: Thank you to all those who have reviewed. They keep me writing. A bit of a shorter chapter tonight...Tomorrow's will be a longer one. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 10

Tuesday 22nd December

JJ awoke with a certain feeling of excitement and determination. Today was the day she planned to question Emily about the gifts she had been receiving. She stretched out in her bed, part of her felt a certain degree of loneliness waking in the bed alone and yet she certainly didn't miss Will beside her. Her mind drifted back to waking up on Emily's shoulder last week, a smile graced her lips at the memory. There was something comforting about the brunette agent, a sense of comfort that she hadn't felt with anybody else.

She made her way in to find Henry yawning as his eyes opened for the first time. "Well good morning baby boy." She lifted him out of his crib and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "How are you today?" Without waiting for an answer that would never come she continued to talk to Henry as she got him ready for the day ahead. "Your mom is looking forward to solving a new mystery today. The mystery of the secret Santa."

Emily sat at her desk, filling out the report on their last case. She hoped this would be the last one before they got to head out on Christmas break. If they got a case today, there was a very good chance they would be out of town for Christmas. Everyone had their fingers crossed that JJ wouldn't be bringing any new cases to their attention.

As she finished her report, she glanced at her watch. She hadn't seen the blonde at all today which was unusual. Normally by 10am, JJ would have been round the bullpen at least once to assign them new cases to review. She knew the others were glad of her absence but Emily missed the other woman's visits. It was at that moment that she decided to drop her report off with the blonde.

Emily made her way out of the bullpen and knocked on the blonde's office door. Hearing a quiet 'come in' from the other side she opened the door and stepped inside the office.

"Hey Jayj. Here's my report on the Santa case." Emily handed her the file.

"Thanks Em." The blonde looked up to meet the brunette's gaze. "You got a minute?"

Emily felt some apprehension begin to build inside her. She had a feeling the blonde was about to ask her something she wasn't ready to answer just yet. She stood there for a moment, torn between making an excuse to leave and just trying to bluff her way through whatever the blonde asked her. Realising she hadn't said anything and time was ticking on she nodded, not trusting her voice at that moment. Emily sat down in the chair opposite the blonde when JJ had gestured towards the chair.

"Over the past few days I've been finding packages addressed to me…in my office, at home, my go bag."

Emily felt her heart start to beat faster. JJ wasn't meant to be asking these questions, not yet. If she let on to the fact that she was her secret Santa then she wouldn't be able to complete her plan. "What kind of packages?"

JJ fixed the brunette with a searching gaze, trying to see behind the walls that were so carefully construced. "Presents, always with a note."

"Signed?"

"Never."

"Ok, so you have a secret admirer. Is that a bad thing?" Emily knew the question could backfire but she wanted to get some insight into what the blonde was feeling.

"Depends on who it is."

The two women were quiet for a moment, each meeting the others eyes and searching for answers within their depths. Finally Emily spoke, "Who would you like it to be?" She knew that asking that one question could lead to her heart being broken. That the blonde would give a name the brunette didn't want to hear. Despite all her denials to Garcia and herself, she knew that part of her still hoped JJ would return her feelings one day. That there was at least the remote possibility of a chance with the younger woman. The answer to that question could shatter the last remaining hope she had.

JJ sat forwards in her chair, bringing her hands up to rest upon her desk. Her blue eyes sparkled as she looked into the depths of Emily's eyes. A smile spread across her lips as she prepared to answer the question.

"Well, there is only one person that I would want it to be."

Emily felt herself hold her breath as she waited for the blonde to speak the name she so longed to hear. She watched as JJ gently drew her lower lip in between her teeth before she opened her mouth to speak.

The ringing of the phone startled both women out of the moment. They both turned to stare at the offending object. JJ grabbed the phone and answered it, "Agent Jareau." Her voice came out with an annoyed tone that Emily normally didn't hear.

Emily watched as the blonde slipped back into Agent Jareau mode as she listened to the person on the other end of the phone. Emily stood from the chair and made her way to the door. She turned just before stepping out of the office and offered a small wave to the blonde. She could tell in that moment from the look she received from the other woman that there had been more to say. The only question was if Emily wanted to hear what was still unsaid.

JJ had been stuck on the phone for too long. It was a case that she had already reviewed and handed to the team for their consult on a profile. It seemed the local detective was none too impressed with the profile that included the possibility it was a member of law enforcement. It had taken her a good thirty minutes to calm the detective down and explain the nature of a profile and how it is best used.

The blonde stepped out of her office in search of the brunette. She had been so close to asking her question earlier. There had been a tension in the air of her office earlier. It hadn't been a bad tension but it was there. JJ needed the answer to her question and only Emily could provide it. As she rounded the corner into the bullpen, she looked over to the older woman's desk and found it empty.

"Hey Reid, where's Emily?" She asked as she approached the young man's desk.

"She got called off somewhere."

JJ felt her hopes of getting an answer deflate at the brunette's absence. She made her way back to her office before Reid could pick up on any change in her attitude. She sat down at her desk and sighed. It seemed she would have to wait longer to discover whether Emily was her secret Santa or not.

She picked up a case file, deciding that focusing on work would be the best course of action. She opened the file and was greeted with something that was not the standard FBI report. It was a note to her.

JJ, every day you face a seemingly never ending stack of these files. Each one filled with horrifying images that remain with you. After looking through so many of these things, it is easy to forget the beauty in the world. I hope this file contains some images that will remind you of these things.

JJ turned the page and found clipped inside a selection of images. She looked at the first, it was a picture of the Grand Canyon. As she turned the page she caught sight of a new note on the back. Just to show how one action can reach unimaginable depth. The next image was the Northern Lights. Once more there was a new note on the back, To explain why such beautiful sights exist, only serves to diminish the wonder they create. The third image was of the night sky illuminated by more stars than JJ had ever seen. When there is something so big, are our actions that significant? The next page had pictures she recognised instantly. They were images of the survivors from previous cases. JJ could recall their names even after years had passed. As she turned over the final image she read the note, To each of these people your actions have given them another chance to see and experience everything the world has to offer. That is the greatest gift anyone can give.

JJ looked over at the case files still sitting on her desk before turning her attention back to the images on the page before her. She knew there was no way to save them all, but the ones they did save…That made it all worthwhile.