Author's Note: This is a republish. No changes have been made to the style of writing, although small edits may have been made to correct any grammar or spelling errors noticed.
Author's Note: First two sections are happening simultaneously.
"Mother, it's me, Emily. JJ said you phoned."
"Emily dear, how did the raid go? It was a raid wasn't it? I'm pretty sure that's what Agent Jareau said."
"The raid was fine mother. Hotch and Morgan are just interviewing the guy now. Why did you call?"
"Oh, that's good. I was just phoning to ask whether you wanted to come to my Christmas party again this year. There's royalty going to be there this year, and he would just be perfect for you…"
"Mother, I'm gay. I don't like men so he wouldn't be perfect for me, even if he were the most idealistic man ever."
"Nonsense dear, it's just a phase and you'll grow out of it eventually. As I was saying, Prince Willian, the Queen of England's grandson, in Europe, is going to be coming and he is perfect for you. So, are you going to be there?"
"I don't think I can, I'm afraid mother. We're not even sure the guy we've got is our unsub, but even if he is, we won't be flying back until tomorrow. And then there'll be the paperwork to do for this case, and I've got paperwork from our previous case; and I've not even bought any of my Christmas presents yet. I'm sorry mother, but I'm afraid I just won't have the time to come."
"That's quite alright Emily, I understand. Well, good luck catching your guy, and Merry Christmas."
"You too mother, goodbye."
XXX
JJ walked down the stairs to find Garcia stood in the middle of the living room, looking everywhere but the places Emily and JJ could have been intimate. Spotting the footrest, she had sat on the day before, Garcia moved it to next to the Christmas tree, as far away from the sofa as possible, and sat down facing the fire.
"We've never actually been intimate on the sofa before you know Pen. Leather and hot sweaty skin don't mix well. Come and sit over here with me" JJ laughed, informing Garcia of her presence.
"Maybe not. But if I hadn't walked in yesterday when I had, you wouldn't be able to say that" Penelope replied as she stood up and moved over to the sofa to sit next to JJ.
"Penny, I know you're disturbed and upset by what you saw upstairs and Emily's position; but what were you doing up there? Why are you here? You're not meant to be here until 1 and it's only just gone 9 now."
"Well, I though I'd come and help you get ready for dinner. After all, neither you nor Em like touching raw meat and it takes 4 hours to cook, so I thought I'd come and do that for you. And we can have another girly day like yesterday until the boys arrive. When I saw all the lights were off though, and I couldn't hear anything, I thought you both must still be asleep, so I came to wake you up."
JJ could only smile at her friend's thoughtfulness. It was true: neither of the girls liked touching raw meat, they had even had a petty argument about it. So it was nice to know the blonde tech analyst was thinking of them.
"That's sweet of you Pen, really. Thank you. Me and Em had everything sorted though. But I guess now you're here we can do it your way so neither of us have to touch the turkey. So, put the turkey in and be picking a movie for us to watch. I'll go upstairs and grab a quick shower with Em, and then we can all watch a movie before seriously cracking on with work."
"Okay, but only a quick shower."
"Promise."
JJ gave Garcia a quick kiss on the cheek before running back up the stairs to grab a shower.
XXX
20 minutes later, the turkey was cooking in the oven, the two lovers were showered and dried, and the three girls were sat on the sofa watching 'Lassie'. It wasn't a particularly Christmassy film – there was nothing Christmassy about a dog on a sheep farm – but Garcia had picked it knowing it was JJ's favourite movie. It had been her favourite ever since they had all watched the movie together for the first time six months ago and Emily had cried; first when Matt thought Lassie was dead and then again at the end when Lassie came back. It was a sad movie, and JJ had almost cried herself when she first saw it, but she loved it all the same. It gave her a perfect excuse to kiss and hold Emily, regardless of who was in the room. Not that she'd needed an excuse after they had told the team about their relationship. The only two people JJ and Emily needed to hide their relationship from was Emily's mother, and Erin Strauss: and they only saw her when it was absolutely vital!
True to form, by the end of the movie, Emily was crying quietly in JJ's arms. While Garcia stood up and moved over to the DVD player to remove the disc and put it back, JJ soothed Emily so they could get read for their guests: they were arriving in two hours!
