Hey guys! I'm so sorry I couldn't post earlier, I've had some serious family problems, and then my computer shamefully gave up on me! =/

But here is the end of this short story! Enjoy! :)

Under The Mistletoe

"I have always thought of Christmas as a good time; a kind, forgiving, generous, pleasant time; a time when men and women seem to open their hearts freely, and so I say, God bless Christmas!" - Charles Dickens

Chap 5: Snowman & Mistletoe

It has been snowing for hours. Songs were ringing out on all the street corners and the smiles weren't leaving the faces. Children's laughter rang, while Jack and Henry were making a snowman in the garden, only enlightened in the night by the streetlight and the luminous tinsels hung from the roof of JJ's house. Jack suddenly slipped and bumped into the snowman, making the head falling on Henry who found himself covered in snow. Hotch and JJ who were watching them, sitting on a bench while they were waiting for the team, laughed when they saw the surprised look on Henry's face. JJ suddenly turned around, hearing her name being called and rushed towards Emily and Garcia who just arrived at the house.

"Hey girls! What's up?"

"I found an amazing gift!" Garcia exclaimed, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

Her friends burst out laughing.

"I'm rather proud of my gift too!" JJ replied with a smile.

Emily contented herself with a slight blush on her cheeks. Her friends turned to her with a suspicious look on their face.

"Why do you suddenly look like a tomato?" Garcia asked.

"I..." She tried to find something to say but her mind was suddenly blank.

"Okay, spit it out. What are you hiding?"

"Nothing, what are you talking about?"

"You know Emily, you're very lovely with that red on your cheeks." JJ said. "But you usually don't blush, except when we're talking about..." She stopped mid-sentence, with a mischievous grin on her lips.

Emily groaned. A car suddenly stopped next to them. Emily welcomed Derek's and Rossi's arrival with relief. She was so not ready to face the suspicious look and the pressing questions of her friends. JJ et Peneloppe knew she was head over heels in love with their superior and even if her reaction was kind of revealing, she wasn't going to confess anything, even under torture. She glanced at her friends. The mischievous grin which decorated their face showed that they seriously were planning on using it.

"Hey Derek!"

"Hey my brunette beauty. What's up?"

"Oh, Peneloppe and JJ were trying to make me blurt out the name I picked."

Derek burst into laughter.

"Why doesn't it surprise me?"

"Did you find your gift?"

"Yeah, it wasn't easy, but I found one. You?"

"Talk about it! I didn't know it was going to be that difficult to find a stupid Christmas gift!"

He smiled. Reid arrived at that moment, carrying a strange package. It was a big box with a round lid, wrapped in a lovely slight pink and green gift wrap. A huge ribbon was tied up around it and several holes pierced the top. The team watched him with big curious eyes but he just smiled at them.

"Alright guys! Let's go inside, it's cold here!" JJ suggested.

Everybody happily agreed.

Jack and Henry were upstairs, Jack showing to Henry the new toys he had received this morning from Santa. All the team was in the leaving room, all the gifts on the table except the one from Reid who refused to let it go, winning his friends' curious looks again. He smiled confidently.

"Come on JJ, you begin!" Garcia exclaimed with energy.

JJ smiled and held a big bright red package wrapped with a little white ribbon out to Reid who took it, surprised. He slowly opened it and a huge grin broke his face when he saw the shirt, the pennant and the book.

"With this, the next time we're going to a game, you're gonna look like a real fan!" She said with a smile.

"Thank you so much JJ, that's really a wonderful gift! I would hug you if I could but I'm kind of... cluttered."

Everybody chuckled at his comment.

"Choose the next one!" Chirped Garcia.

"Okay, then... Rossi! It's your turn." JJ said with a slight smile.

Rossi smiled and held a little black bag out to her. JJ pulled out a little slight blue velvet box. Throwing a confused look to Rossi, JJ opened with caution the little box. She was amazed when she saw what was inside the box.

"Oh my God! It's gorgeous!" Emily exclaimed, looking at the ring that her friend was holding in her hands.

"Ya know JJ, if one day a man offer me this kind of ring, I marry him right away!" Peneloppe said with a smile.

JJ looked up and her eyes met his.

"I... I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything. Just smile!"

"You shouldn't have, it must have cost you a fortune!"

"Don't worry about that."

He smiled warmly to her.

"It will be lovely with your eyes."

JJ blushed slightly. She couldn't look away. Emily and Peneloppe exchanged a knowing glance, then the analyst said with energy, so that they could have some privacy:

"It's my turn!"

She caught a little red package, wrapped with a huge golden ribbon and held it out to Derek with a radiant smile.

"Merry Christmas Derek!"

Derek took the gift with a smile. Peneloppe always had really good ideas when gifts were involved. He opened it and stared at it, mouth opened, when he saw the book which was inside.

"You don't like it?" Peneloppe worried.

"No, I... It's... It's great! Where did you find it?" He stammered.

"A magician never reveal his secrets!" She answered with a mysterious grin.

He burst into laughter and took her in his arms, kissing her on the cheek.

"Thank you Peneloppe. That's the best gift you could have offered me!"

She smiled widely.

"Come on, it's your turn!"

Derek turned to Rossi and JJ who had quietly joined them. He smiled when he saw that they were standing close to each other, their hands brushing. He caught a big rectangular package and held it out to Rossi.

"That's for you."

Rossi looked at it, trying to find out if it was a new joke or not. He opened the package and laughed when he saw the french cooking book.

"You showed us that you weren't that bad when Italian cooking was involved. With that, we're going to broaden your horizon and see your actual level!"

Everybody laughed at that comment. Derek turned to Emily with a little smile.

"It's your turn, my brunette beauty!"

She smiled, caught a little beige bag and held it out to Hotch. JJ and Peneloppe couldn't stop themselves from bursting out in laughter. Everybody looked at them with a curious face, except Hotch and Emily, who were too concentrated on the bag to care. Hotch opened it and pulled out three ties. He smiled.

"It's lovely, Jack's gonna love them! Thank you Emily!"

Neither of them noticed that he had called her by her first name. Their eyes met and they unconsciously moved closer to each other. Peneloppe suddenly cleared her throat. They quickly stepped aside, blushing slightly.

"Reid, it's your turn!"

Reid stood up and held the package out to Garcia with a big smile. The analyst was almost jumping up and down in excitation.

"Easy!" Reid warned her.

She gave him a curious look and put the package down on the table. She gently undid the huge ribbon and lifted the lid. When she saw what was inside the box, she let out a gasp of surprise. Everybody came closer to see what had made her gasp like that.

"Awww, he's so cute!" Emily exclaimed.

"Hi sweetie!" Peneloppe whispered.

She took the little kitten in her hands and squeezed him against her chest, looking lovely at him.

"What's his name?" She asked to Reid.

"His name is Cupcake!" He answers with a smile, proud of his gift.

Emily and JJ were close to their friends, looking with rapture at the little hairball who was purring quietly in Peneloppe's arms. Men exchanged a look hearing the women chuckle, stroking the kitten.

"Okay, now I absolutely need one like him!" Derek joked.

"You know what you have to offer her next time!" Hotch laughed at Rossi.

"Stop laughing at me and go, it's your turn!" Rossi retorted.

Hotch, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, caught the last gift on the table. He held it out to Emily who looked at him with curious eyes. She snatched the little mauve package wrapped with a dark blue ribbon up and opened it with caution. When she saw the beautiful scarf, her face broke into a huge grin.

"Oh my God! How... how did you know?" She stammered.

"It's my secret!" He whispered.

Their eyes met and they forgot the world around them. With a mischievous smile, Derek approached and gave a little jog in Hotch's ribs then pointed out the little mistletoe hung from the ceiling above them. The couple looked up and blushed seeing the little green plant. Everybody smiled seeing them look daggers at Derek who beated a retreat. Then they looked at each other again, Hotch asking her silently her permission. She just smiled, moved closer to him and kissed him on the lips. Hotch grabbed her by the hips and she put her arms around his neck.

"Awww that's so cute!" Garcia whispered to JJ who happily agreed.

The world around them didn't exist anymore, only the other mattered. Hotch squeezed Emily against his chest in a possessive way and deepened the kiss. Upstairs, Jack's and Henry's laughter rang. A door opened and they could hear a song.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

Just like the ones I used to know

Where the treetops glisten,

and children listen

To hear sleigh bells in the snow

JJ and Garcia pulled the amused men by the sleeve out of the room so the new couple could have some privacy.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

With every Christmas card I write

May your days be merry and bright

And may all your Christmases be white

When the air became an absolute necessity, Emily and Hotch pulled apart, out of breath.

"It seems that we're alone!" Hotch noticed with a smile.

Emily didn't answer. She took off his tie under his inquiring glance. Then she grabbed a beige tie in the pocket of her jacket and tied it around his neck. On this tie, we could read these words: "Kiss me under the mistletoe". Hotch laughed quietly and Emily smiled to him, cupping his cheeks with her hands.

"And enterprising! I love it.

"Shut up and kiss me!" She whispered.

And so he did.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

With every Christmas card I write

May your days be merry and bright

And may all your Christmases be white

Please leave me a review! :)