Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and its affiliated characters do not belong to me. I mean no copyright infringement.
This story was prompted by EmBonesAddict: "O Holy Night," hot chocolate, silver wrapping paper and a room lit with candles
Author's Notes: Hang on to your Santa hats. I felt a little drama was needed to help further along the bond that H/P are developing so that the intimacy and Christmas gifts didn't seem as rushed. Sorry for the wait. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I had a hard time with the dialogue and details.
A/N 2: There is texting in this chapter. I have a hard time imagining Hotch use text abbreviations so I didn't use it. In my other stories, I don't have Reid using it either. So, I'm just trying to go with their personalities. I imagine Emily using it a lot when texting JJ and Garcia but less so with Hotch.
Responses to reviews are at the end.
Holiday of Angels
Chapter 21: Little G-Man
Hotch was sitting at his desk Monday morning watching Emily work when Rossi appeared in his office doorway and interrupting his memories of the night before.
"Have a good night?" asked his best friend wearing a smirk that could be heard.
"Yes."
"Well, it's about time."
"Not that good."
"Why the hell not? You must have some kind of record going on."
Hotch finally turned away from the object of his affection and glared at Rossi.
"What do you need, Dave?"
"Relax, I'm just here to offer some support. I'm guessing you still have some shopping to do for Jack. JJ and I are happy to take Jack one evening for you. Of course, if you have your shopping done, we're still happy to take him for any evening."
Hotch rolled his eyes but dismissed the retort that was begging to be released. Rossi reminded him of other things that needed to be addressed.
"You and JJ?"
"I'm sure Emily has told you what is happening with Will and Henry?"
Hotch nodded.
"She needs to keep busy. Having people around helps. So, when does Jack want to see his Uncle Dave this week?"
"Well, Emily and I are taking him to the mall tonight to see Santa. So any other night this week would be good. I still have to shop for Jack."
"Good, plan on it being all night." He winked and left in a flash.
~oOo~
Emily's phone buzzed an incoming text message knocking her out of her daydream. She smiled when she saw Hotch's name on the screen.
You have 30 min left. If you're good and actually get some of that paper work done, I'll let you leave early.
Damn, she was caught, but she couldn't help but laugh.
how long have U been watching me
Not telling. But you could probably guess if you saw the stack of files that haven't moved from my inbox.
Emily was instantly relieved and incredibly happy that it wasn't just her. Even a man as focused as Hotch could be distracted. Another incoming text surprised her.
Do you want to leave together and pick up your car later? We can pick up Jack and head right to the mall.
Just tell me when :)
Twenty-five minutes later, Rossi was looking out his office window when he saw Hotch at Emily's desk. Something she said had him laughing. It was good to see his friend so happy again.
~oOo~
Hotch detested fast food, but like most kids, Jack loved it. Every once in awhile, he'd let Jack indulge in the unhealthy eating habit and that evening was one of those times.
The food court at the mall was packed. Hotch, Emily and Jack walked around for a minute looking for an empty table when a mother with her two young sons got their attention and told them they were getting ready to leave.
Jack shyly greeted the two wound up and excited boys who appeared to be about the same age as him. Hotch, always being the gentleman, helped the young woman clear the table.
"She has her hands full," commented Emily once they were alone and sitting down to eat.
While eating, they discussed what they wanted to do while at the mall. Hotch gave Jack a look before he complained.
"You will have plenty of time to see Santa. First, I need some help. I need you to help pick out a present for Aunt Emily."
Jack momentarily looked bewildered but then his face lit up. Obviously, he had decided of what he wanted to buy and he leaned over to whisper in his dad's ear.
Hotch chuckled. "That's a great idea, Buddy."
~oOo~
Almost an hour later, Emily met back up with Hotch and Jack at Santa's Village in the middle of the mall. Jack was jumping up and down with excitement next to Hotch who was eyeing the line wondering how long they would be waiting.
"You don't have to wait with us. You can do more shopping," he told Emily.
"What did you buy?" interrupted Jack.
"No peeking," Emily warned with a warm smile.
"Is it for me?"
Hotch smiled. He highly doubted it by the looks of the bag. "My guess is she bought girly stuff for her girlfriends or mom."
Jack made a funny face. "What kind of girl stuff?"
"Boring things like lotions, perfumes & nail polish," she answered assuming that would satisfy his curiosity.
"Do they smell funny?"
"You're relentless," Emily commented.
"You have no idea, but you're learning."
"Oh, I'm sure I understand more than you realize. After all, he is your son."
Hotch rolled his eyes but smiled enough to show off his adorable dimples.
"When is it my turn?" whined Jack.
Hotch sighed. "It's only been five minutes." He looked again at Emily. "Are you sure you don't want to do some more shopping?" he asked Emily with raised brows.
Another father behind them spoke with weariness. "They must be expecting a long wait. Workers are bringing chairs for us."
Hotch's and Emily's expression turned serious, and only a few moments later, they heard confirmation of their fear over the intercom. A few minutes before arriving at the village, they heard a page for two patrons to report to the visitors' desk. It was now logical to them that the people they were trying to contact were missing children.
Attention all patrons: Emergency Announcement. We have gone into immediate lockdown procedure. Please follow all directions of law enforcement and security personnel.
~oOo~
Flashback:
"Come on, Casey," willed Billy. "It's just over here."
"But I can't see Mom, anymore."
"That's just because you're short. I wanna see this new video game. Don't you?"
"Yeah," Casey said hesitantly. "But I don't wanna get in trouble. What if Santa doesn't come?"
"Santa always comes. Remember last year when I pretended not to see our presents?"
His little brother nodded. "Santa still came, right?"
His little brother nodded again looking more hopeful. Billy grabbed Casey's hand and led him to the videos before he could change his mind again.
A teenager rounded the corner and greeted the boys by name.
"Marcus! When did you get here?" asked Billy.
"I work in the mall now. It's my break so I wanted to check to see if my favorite game was still on sale. Hey, how about I call your mom," he was already using his phone. "And see if it's okay with her if you go to the arcade with me while she shops."
"Really?" Billy's face lit up. "Shopping is so boring when the stuff isn't for us."
Marcus chuckled. He gave the thumbs up sign. "Thanks, Mrs. Toyle."
"Yes!" cried Casey and Marcus gave both boys high fives.
On the way to the arcade, Marcus distracted them with talk of his new job and they never realized how strangely they were zigzagging around taking a strange route. Marcus wasn't too concerned about it. They'd never be able to guess he was avoiding security cameras and hiding the boys behind and in front of the patrons in the crowd.
~oOo~
Attention all patrons: Emergency Announcement. We have gone into immediate lockdown procedure. Please follow all directions of law enforcement and security personnel.
Hotch bent down to eye level with Jack. "Buddy, I promise you'll get to see Santa but on a different day."
"But why?" pouted Jack.
"There are people who need rescuing."
With tears pooled in his little eyes, he swiped at one with his sleeve. "Okay. You're the bestest super hero, Daddy."
Hotch picked him up and hugged him close feeling so very thankful it wasn't his own son he would be searching for. When they spotted a security guard, Hotch, still holding Jack, and Emily approached her and flashed their badges.
"We're S.S.A.s Aaron Hotchner and Emily Prentiss with the Behavioral Analysis Unit. How can we help?"
She nodded and took out her phone. It only took a few moments for her to respond. "Please follow me."
"Two kids," began Emily quietly. "That had to be planned. It wasn't a snatch and grab."
Hotch nodded his agreement. Jack looked too confused and a little frightened by the change in atmosphere to ask any questions or comment on anything.
The local detective was pleasantly surprised to see them and invited the team to help. Hotch contacted the team while Emily was guided a few yards away to talk to the mother. Emily instantly recognized her as the mother at the food court who passed their table to them. Her obvious surprise showed through her panic and grief.
"It's Jackie, right?" asked Emily calmly as she showed her badge.
"Yes. You're an agent?"
She nodded. "Emily Prentiss," she gently reminded while adding her last name. Who could be expected to remember names at a time like this? "Aaron Hotchner and I work for the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Metro police have invited our team to help. Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?"
Over the next few minutes, Emily learned that she was divorced and the boys' father wasn't happy that he was being denied time with his sons during the holidays because they were traveling out of state to see her parents who weren't healthy enough to come to them.
"Since there are two boys, the unknown subject or subjects would probably have needed more knowledge of the boys personally. Do you think it's possible your ex-husband would take them out of spite or revenge?"
"I didn't think so. He said he understood." She was becoming more and more upset.
"Can you think of anyone in their lives that may want to take them? A neighbor who has befriended them maybe."
"No. They're only six and eight. Who could have done this?"
"Okay, Jackie, I need you to take some deep breaths." She did as suggested.
"Do you remember where you were in the store when you last saw them? What were they looking at or talking about?" she led her thinking. "Was anyone talking to them?"
"They wanted to go further down the isle. We have a rule. If they can't see me, then they've gone too far. I shouldn't have taken my eyes off them. It was so crowded. Why did I do that?"
"You shouldn't punish yourself. If they were able to lure them away, they could have waited for another time. You need to stay positive so you can help us. They haven't left the building."
~oOo~
Rossi was grumbling when he finally walked into the mall 30 minutes later.
"It's a damn good thing you were already here. Not the best time of day to be in a hurry," Rossi complained to Hotch. "Please tell me you have some leads."
"The boys were last seen 45 minutes ago. Emily is conducting a cognitive interview with one of the employees at the toy store. Cameras on the mall exits don't show the boys leaving the mall." He handed the photo to Rossi. "It turns out the parents are divorced. The father is upset about not seeing his sons during the holidays, but there isn't any security footage of him entering or leaving the mall. Just to be cautious, MPD are going to his home to question him and an Amber Alert has been issued."
"Where's Jack?"
Hotch pointed to a nearby chair where he was sitting with a police officer.
"Isn't that…" Rossi started to say.
"Yeah, I was just about to go over and talk to them. Maybe Jack could stay with Mrs. Jackson so Officer Parks can do what she is here to do."
Hotch's phone interrupted them so Rossi went to talk with the family they knew before he talked to Jack.
~oOo~
"Hey, Kiddo, guess who I saw?" asked Rossi.
"Santa?" Jack perked up immediately.
Rossi chuckled. "No, I wasn't that lucky. But I did see Joey and his mom from soccer. Do you think you could stay and sit with them until your dad and our team find the missing boys?"
Jack's bottom lip jutted out in a pout. "I wanna stay with you, Uncle Dave."
"I know you do, Champ, but you have to be much older before you can be a G-Man," he explained.
"Daddy says I'm a little G-Man."
"True," Rossi drawled. He wondered how he was going to get himself out of the corner he just backed himself into.
"What's going to happen to them?" asked Jack worriedly.
"I don't really know." Rossi hated to lie to the kid. "The team will do everything we can to find them."
"How did they get lost? Didn't they use a password?"
"A password," mused Rossi. How many people would know a password if they used one? "You're very smart, Jack."
Jack smiled proudly while Rossi brought out his phone to call Hotch.
I cut this chapter short so I can get an update out to you before I left for the weekend.
After all, it's Hotly81173's birthday!
Still, unless something huge entertains my muse,
there are only about 4 chapters left to go!
Thank you EmBonesAddict, Barbra4317, Emilyhotchnerforever, xCuteWithoutThe.E, StarlightShivers, tiva auggie and annie hp fan, Danzjaron, HGRHfan35, Hotly81173, slj185 and guest for your wonderful reviews!
Hotly81173 - Thank you for your reviews on all the chapters. So happy you are enjoying it! Happy Birthday!
EmBonesAddict, StarlightShivers, Danzjaron, HGRHfan35, Hotly81173, – So glad you liked the cuteness. I promise it's returning!
Barbra4317 & Guest – So glad you're liking this story even when it's the middle of the summer!
tiva auggie and annie hp fan – I hope that wasn't too much drama. Only a little bit more at the beginning of the next chapter.
xCuteWithoutThe.E - I loved this review for two reasons, the first one being silly... you're from my home state! :) Second, I really liked the end scene with Jack and his reindeer eating cookies and I was hoping a reader would mention it. And it always makes me feel good when a shipper can like the way I've written a secondary character they like with someone else. That way it doesn't detract from the plot they were reading the story for in the first place. So thank you for taking the time to review!
Emilyhotchnerforever – You have a tough class load. I'm very impressed! So glad you liked the cuteness. I promise it's returning!
slj185 – Thank you for your review of chapter 8!