Aaron cleared his throat as he knocked on Garcia's door before opening it. She was still typing away on her keyboard as she turned to look at him, a bright smile on her lips. "All right, Prophet, that's all the data I can find for you. Remember, the other technical analyst will be taking over for me, and you'll be dealing with him until after the New Year. Thanks, you, too." After ending the call, she motioned for him to take a seat on the edge of her desk. Once he had done so, her smile widened a little as she leaned in and looked into his face. "What can I do for you, Hotch?"

"I need Christmas shopping help, and was wondering if you'd be free tomorrow to go out with Jack and me?"

"Ooh, who do you need help buying for?" she asked, resting her hand on his knee. He knew that he should try to discourage her familiarity with him, but in this case, he needed her comfortable enough to agree with this little scheme of his.

"I have to make you promise not to reveal to anyone what I'm about to say." She nodded eagerly, and he took a deep breath. "I need to find an impersonal Christmas gift for Chief Strauss, but one that says some thought and caring went into it. She's going through a rough patch at the moment, and…"

"And you want to be kind. You know, Boss Man, that's why I kind of love you. It's too bad that you're not my brother, because I think you would have made a great one."

He chuckled as he smiled, shaking his head a little. "I'm glad that you see it that way. So, would you be free tomorrow?"

"Yes, and I have the best idea! I was planning on heading to this little craft fair that I always hit up before Christmas, since I can find the best, almost personal, little gifts there. I'm certain we could find something for Strauss, too. Though I'll only agree to helping you out if you buy lunch for me afterwards. Preferably Chinese food."

"You drive a very hard bargain, Garcia, but I think that we can do that. I'll pick you up at?"

"At seven. It's a bit of a drive, so I'll have coffee made for us to help wake us up as you drive."

He nodded before getting up off the desk and heading towards the door. "I'll see you bright and early then," he said as he left the office, trying not to think too much about having to get his son up that early on a Saturday morning when they weren't going to be playing soccer.

Somehow, he had managed to get Jack up and into the car with little fuss, and the drive to Garcia's apartment building was filled with his happy, if tired, chatter along with his singing along to the Christmas music that played in the background. Aaron had hardly managed to pull up to the curb before Garcia was at the passenger door, her hands filled with three travel mugs. "Good morning, my sweet Hotchner men! I have made us all a treat to help wake us up," she sang out as she climbed into the seat, easily managing to pass around the cups before fastening her seat belt and holding out her hand expectantly.

"What?"

"I need your phone, so I can plug in the address for you to follow. Unless you want me to drive?" Shaking his head, he handed over his phone, and she quickly got the directions loaded into his GPS while he took a long sip of the coffee that she had prepared for him. It was a superb blend, and he gave her a quick smile. "I pay attention to the way you all like your coffee. Though Jackers has hot chocolate, as he's a little too young to start on the hard stuff."

Aaron chuckled as they got underway, and the rest of the drive was filled with the light conversation that Garcia and Jack kept up when they weren't singing at the top of their lungs. After finding a parking spot a surprising distance away from the entrance, they got out of the vehicle and headed towards the end of the line. "Is this why you said arrive early?"

"Uh huh. It's busier than last year, too. Here." She thrust a reusable shopping bag into his hands. "I know, you might not find too much here, but that will save the vendors from using up their bags, and it will help save the environment a little."

Aaron nodded as they came to a stop at the end of the line. Thankfully, they didn't have to wait too long to get in, and then he was breathing in the overwhelming scent of cinnamon and cloves that always seemed to scream Christmas to him. "Daddy, do you think we could find something for Aunt Jessica here?"

"We already bought her something, Jack."

"But what if I want to get her something else?"

"We'll have to see. Okay?" Jack nodded, giving him a winning smile as they turned down the first aisle. "This is…a lot."

"Yeah, but you can find the best stuff. Usually, when I shop in stores, I case the store and come back to something I like, but since all these things are handmade and one of a kind, I always buy the thing that catches my eye. And I'll point out things that I think might work for Strauss. Sometimes, it's easier for women to know what another woman would like."

He nodded as they continued slowly down the aisle, nothing really catching his eye, since the only person he had left to buy for was Erin. That was until Jack set his eyes on a set of wooden toys, quickly falling in love with one of the large dinosaurs. Meeting Garcia's eye, he gave a small nod, watching her guide Jack to the next booth while he picked up the gift for his son, trying hard not to react in shock at the price, since it was handmade.

After dropping it into the bag Garcia had given him, he hurried to catch up with them, finding his technical analyst gazing at the knitwear on the table. "You know, Strauss seems like a shawl woman, and this is excellent work for a more than fair price. I know that she usually wears neutral colours, but this soft pink one would complement her well."

He fingered the soft fabric between his fingers, finding it pleasing to his touch. "And this would be impersonal?"

"Yes. Especially since it's not like you made it for her."

"If you'd like, you can pick the shawl up and look at it a little better."

Aaron looked at the crafter, giving her a small smile as he did just that, letting out a long breath at the exquisite pattern that had been formed out of the yarn. Next to him, he could see Garcia also looking at some of the other knitted garments on the table. Somehow, he knew that the woman had been right about this being perfect for Erin, and he nodded approvingly as he handed the shawl to the woman. "I think that I will take this."

"Excellent, sir. Would you like to include a shawl pin with it?"

Cocking his head to one side, he shrugged, and the crafter grabbed a bowl of delicate metal pins. "What do you think would work best?"

"I wish my wife was here, she's better at knowing which pin belongs with which shawl, but I'll do my best." She rummaged around in the bowl before pulling out a gorgeous spiral pin with a matching pink gem attached to the smallest point of the pin. "I think this would go well. Would you agree?"

He nodded and handed over the right amount of money to the crafter before placing the gift into his bag, knowing that the rest of the morning would be spent trying to diplomatically tell Jack no when he found something that he wanted. That was a small price to pay for having Garcia help him find something for Erin for Christmas.