Here's chapter 2 - San
Merry Christmas to SQ215 - we did a little Christmas gift exchange. The prompts were - the song 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town' a Santa hat, eggnog, and candy canes.
Happy holidays to one and all - not matter how you celebrate the season!
JJ sat curled up in the window seat, watching out the window while Spence played in the snow with Chloe and Henry. She couldn't even have imagined this being their life five years ago when she sat next to Diana looking at Spence's baby book and the cute pictures of him bare on a bear skin rug. JJ giggled to herself as she remembered how mortified Spence had been to find his Mom showing his girlfriend that picture. Then she smiled to herself, remembering how that Christmas had been when Caitlyn had started calling Spence, Uncle Spencer.
Caitlyn looked up at JJ and pulled on her hand to get her attention.
"What is it sweetie?" JJ asked bending over and picking up the little girl.
"I has a secret to ask you." Caitlyn said.
"Oh Okay. Go ahead" JJ said tipping her head down so Caitlyn could reach.
As Caitlyn whispered her question in JJ ear, JJ eyes got big and her eyebrows rose on her forehead. She glanced at her brother and Kim to see their reactions. Both were biting their lips and nodding their heads yes and looking very amused.
JJ turned to look at Caitlyn. "OK, do you want to ask him yourself?" JJ said.
Caitlyn nodded her head yes while shyly biting her lip.
JJ chuckled. She settled Caitlyn on her hip and reached to her side and grabbed Spence's hand. He should be sitting down for this. "Come on Spence." she said pulling him behind her to go sit on the couch.
Once Spence was seated she placed Caitlyn in his lap and sat beside him holding his hand. Seeing the confused look on his face, JJ explained "Caitlyn has something she wants to ask you."
"Go ahead sweetie" She said to Caitlyn
"Tan I tall you Untle 'Pencer?" Caitlyn asked Spence with a very innocent and open expression on her face.
JJ smiled as she looked out the window and saw Chloe and Henry dancing around Daddy and the snowman they'd built while Daddy put the snowman's face in place. She rubbed her belly where the baby was kicking and smiled fondly as the memories continued to wash over her.
JJ was knelt down on the living room floor, wearing a Santa hat as she wrapped presents. She sent Spence to the store for eggnog to get him out of the house so that she could wrap his presents.
When 'Santa Clause Is Coming To Town' came on over the radio, JJ couldn't help but start to hum along to the first verse.
You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
But by the time the second verse came on over the radio, she was singing along as she tied ribbons across packages and used a pair of scissors to create curly queues at the ends of the ribbons.
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
And of course that was the exact moment that Spence walked in the house, as she was bent over placing ribbons and bows on the last of the packages and sliding them under the tree, wearing her Santa hat, and singing about Santa coming to town and his naughty and nice lists.
Spence paused in the doorway to the leaving room. Even after being with JJ for over a year and a half now, she never ceased to take his breath away. He cleared his throat, letting JJ know that he was back as he leaned against the doorway. "I've got the eggnog you wanted, but I really don't understand why it couldn't wait until we went to the store this weekend."
JJ turned to look over her shoulder at Spence and chuckled. "Well I couldn't very well wrap your presents with you here."
Spence's eyes lit up playfully. "Isn't a little early for Santa to be here?" He asked nodding towards the Santa hat resting on her head.
JJ grinned as she stood up and stalked towards her boyfriend. "Well, I had to check which list you're supposed to be on." JJ said as she reached Spence and rested her hands on his stomach, her thumbs rubbing tiny circles.
"So what were you able to determine?" Spence asked softly as he looked down at his girlfriend.
"Hm" JJ murmured softly as she slid her hands up his chest to wrap around his neck and stood up on tip toes. "Santa will definitely be coming to visit you this year. You've been a very good boy." She said then leaned up to kiss him.
Spence moaned as JJ leaned up on her tip toes to kiss him and the white fur trim of her Santa hat brushed across his forehead, and he gripped onto her hips to balance himself as the kiss became more intense.
"But right now, I think we should be nice n' naughty." JJ whispered in his ear and then tugged on his earlobe with her teeth as she let her hands slide down Spence's chest. JJ slipped her fingers through the belt loops of her boyfriend's cords and led him back to their couch, turning as they reached it and pushing him back to sit on the couch. Then she climbed onto the couch as well, one knee straddling either side of his slim hips as she lowered herself into his lap.
Spence tightened his grip on JJ hips as their lips met in a heated kiss…
JJ was startled out of her thoughts by her family trouping in from out in the snow and the cold and unbundling their layers.
"Mommy!" Chloe exclaimed happily as she tromped into the living room and made her way to where Mommy sat in the window seat and climbed up next to her. "You see our 'nowman?" she asked.
JJ smiled as she looked down at Chloe. "I did baby girl. You guys did a really good job building him."
"Daddy helped." Chloe said as she scooted close to Mommy and snuggled.
JJ laughed as she wrapped an arm around Chloe. "Oh sweetie, brrr. Aren't you cold?" she asked and then felt Chloe's head nod against her.
"What do you say we see if Daddy and Henry want hot chocolate to warm up?" JJ asked as she brushed Chloe's bangs out of her face.
"Wif canny canes?" Chloe asked.
"Sure you can use a candy cane to stir your hot chocolate." JJ said as she stood up and held out her hand to Chloe, who took her hand and then stood up on the window seat and jumped off.
JJ smiled looking down at Chloe as they walked towards the kitchen. It was hard to believe she'd been their Christmas baby just three short years ago.
The family stood looking at the freshly decorated Christmas tree that stood in the corner of the room beside the fireplace. The light from the fire burning in the hearth was glinting and reflecting off of the ornaments on the tree, while the lights on the tree twinkled merrily. JJ hung the final ornament, baby's first Christmas, engraved with Chloe's name and the year, and then stepped back to enjoy the view of the tree.
"It's beautiful." JJ said her hands resting on Spence's arms that were wrapped around her waist.
"Mmhmm" Spence murmured into her ear as he kissed the soft skin just behind his wife's ear.
JJ turned her head to look at Spence "Baby, you aren't even looking at the tree."
"I know" Spence said smiling at JJ. "but, it's beautiful too."
"I love you." JJ whispered as she leaned in kissing him softly and then resting her forehead against his.
"Love you too." Spence whispered back.
Spence laughed as rounded the corner into the living room with a cup of coffee for himself and a cup of tea for JJ. JJ sat with Chloe in the midst of the living room floor piled high with shredded wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, boxes, and the other remnants of the orgy of greed that had taken place not that long ago. He smiled watching JJ holding their daughter while watching their nieces playing with their new toys, delivered by Santa last night, of course.
Thoughts of Chloe's first Christmas naturally flowed into thoughts of Henry's first Christmas just a year later.
"Is Chloe going to sit on Santa's lap too?" Caitlyn asked.
"Oh I don't know, sweetie. Sometimes it takes Chloe a minute to adjust to new people we'll have to see." JJ said as she rubbed Henry's back and glanced over her shoulder at where Spence stood behind her, holding Chloe and talking with Alex while they waited in line for the girls to visit Santa.
Before long, it was the Jareau/Reid clan's turn with Santa. Caitlyn and Madison both sat on Santa's lap and shared what they hoped to find under the tree on Christmas morning.
"Chloe, do you want to sit on Santa's lap?" JJ asked when she saw Chloe watching her cousins sitting on Santa's lap.
Chloe looked back and forth between Mommy and Daddy, not really quite sure about the guy in the big red suite whose lap all the kids were climbing on and off of.
Spence climbed up the steps with Chloe in his arms and tentatively seated Chloe on Santa's lap, not quite sure how she was going to react.
Chloe's lower lip quivered while she tried to decide what she thought of the whole experience. "Dada?" she said.
"You're okay Chloe. Daddy's right here." Spence said resting a hand on her back.
Chloe tipped her head back to look at Daddy. "Mama?" She questioned.
"Mommy's right there Chloe." Spence said pointing out JJ in the crowd of people below.
"Hehry?" Chloe asked.
Spence smiled. "Mommy's got Henry, princess."
"Henry?" Santa asked.
"Her baby brother." Spence said glancing up at Santa.
Santa chuckled. "Well if Mommy wants to come up here with Henry, I bet we could all squeeze together so that you could have a nice family Christmas photo." Santa said.
Moments later Spence was looking over JJ's should at their family photo with Santa. Chloe was grinning cheerfully from Santa's lap as Daddy knelt down next to her. Henry's eyes were open as he gazed about at his surroundings while Mommy tipped him up so that his face could by the camera as she knelt down in front of Chloe and Spence. Santa, of course, was his normal, jolly self in the photo.
"Hey JJ" Spence said as he leaned in and gave her a kiss. "You haven't seen Henry have you?" he asked with a wink.
JJ looked at her baby boy slung over his Daddy's shoulder and wondered what game they'd started playing when they came back in the house. Then she looked back at Spence. "No I haven't seen him since I watched you guys outside building the snowman. You didn't accidentally lose him in a snow bank did you?"
Henry giggled from where he hung over Daddy's shoulder and then let out a little boy version of a fierce scary growl.
"Hmm, no. No." Spence said shaking his head. "I know we didn't lose him in a snow bank. But I'm worried because we finished building the snowman and then all of a sudden Henry was gone and this scary monster here was in his place." Spence said wiggling the shoulder Henry was hanging over. "I think it might have eaten Henry." Spence mock whispered. "So I brought it in the house. I didn't want it to get away."
"Oh." JJ said with a smile, winking at Spence. "That's too bad about Henry. Chloe and I were just going to see if you and Henry wanted to join us for hot chocolate. But I hear hot chocolate isn't good for monsters."
Henry popped up from where he dangled over Daddy's shoulder. "I no monstew. I Henwy!"
Spence pulled Henry up from over his shoulder and held the boy out in front of him, as if studying him. "Are you sure you're Henry and not the monster trying to trick us?"
"Dada" Henry screeched and laughed as he wiggled and giggled.
"He looks like Henry and he sounds like Henry, but how can we be sure?" Spence said as he smiled at JJ.
"Hmm" JJ said and reached out her fingers and tickled Henry's exposed belly where his sweat shirt had ridden up causing the little boy to laugh and squirm.
"Mama no tickwe" he said as he laughed and squirmed.
JJ laughed. "It must be Henry. He is the only giggle box I know who laughs like that." She said reaching out and taking Henry from Spence and resting him on her hip.
"Mama we have hot chocit?" Henry asked as he looked up at Mommy with his big blue eyes.
"Yes we're going to have hot chocolate," She said as she leaned down and kissed Henry on the forehead and the nose, "because you and your sister are both freezing. Brr."
Then Spence bent over and scooped Chloe up into his arms. "Are you cold princess?"
Chloe nodded her head as she snuggled into Daddy's chest and the nice warm fleece pullover he was wearing.
Once Chloe and Henry were seated in their booster seats and occupied with some animal crackers, JJ and Spence worked together to make hot chocolate. Spence grabbed the milk out of the fridge and poured some in a pan, handing it to JJ. Then he reached up and grabbed cups, the cocoa mix. He smiled when he turned back around to look at JJ who was standing in front of the stove, one hand on her belly, and one hand stirring the milk so that it didn't scald to the bottom of the pan. After a quick check to make sure that Chloe and Henry were okay, he stepped up behind JJ and wrapped his arms around her seven month pregnant belly and nuzzled his nose against her neck.
"A little to the right baby" JJ said as she sat with Henry in her lap and an arm around Chloe, who was seated next to her as they watched Daddy put up the Christmas tree. JJ for her part was enjoying the view of her husband's backside as he bent low under the branches of the tree on his hands and knees to adjust the tree in the tree stand.
"How's that?" Spence asked from under the branches of the tree.
"Perfect" JJ said as she looked at the full branched Douglas Fir tree that now stood in the corner of the living room, tucked off to the side of the fireplace at a safe enough distance for the flames and embers of the fireplace not to reach the tree.
Spence stood up from underneath the tree and brushed his hands on his pants as he stood looking at the tree. JJ was right it did look perfect. The only thing that was going to make it look better was once they had it decorated, or finished decorating it that was, as he'd already strung the lights on it prior to pushing it into the corner and making the final adjustments.
He walked over to the couch where Chloe was sitting and picked her up, glad that he was finally without crutches or a cane and able to pick up and carry Chloe and Henry. "What do you say we put some decorations on the tree princess?" He asked as he leaned down pulling the lid off of a box of ornaments that sat on the coffee table. "Do you want to put this one on the tree?" He asked as he handed her the 'babies first Christmas' ornament that bore her name along with 2007, the year of her birth.
Chloe nodded her head. "Pwetty" she said as she looked down as the crystalline ornament in her hands.
"Did you know this is your name?" Daddy asked as he pointed to where it said Chloe Jane Reid on the ornament.
JJ smiled and stood up with Henry in her arms and pulled his 'baby's first Christmas' ornament out of the box of ornaments and walked over to join Spence and Chloe where they stood next to the tree.
"Okay, let's find a good spot for you and Henry to put your ornaments." Daddy said "How about right here on the middle of the tree. Can you hang it on this branch right here?" he asked as he leaned in close so Chloe could reach and then helped her settle her ornament on its home for the next couple weeks.
Once Spence and Chloe stepped back out of the way, JJ stepped up close to the tree and hung Henry's ornament for him on the branch next to Chloe's. "There, the two most important ornaments are on the tree now." JJ said with a smile as she turned to look at Spence. Then the family settled into decorating the tree with Mommy and Daddy helping Chloe and Henry with hanging the ornaments.
"Hey" Spence whispered in his wife's ear. "Where were you just now?"
JJ smiled as she turned to look at Spence. "I was thinking about Christmas last year. Actually I've been thinking about our last five Christmases together this afternoon."
Spence nodded and smiled. "They're the best five Christmases I've had, but each one was better than the last."
"I love you." JJ said leaning over to kiss Spence softly.
"I love you too." Spence replied and then rubbed her baby bump as he looked down into the pan where the milk was warming. "So are we almost ready for cocoa?"
"I think so." JJ said. "Here, try it and make sure that it's not too warm for them." She said holding a spoonful of warm milk out to Spence.
Spence sipped from the spoon and nodded. "It's the right temperature for Chloe and Henry, but we'll probably want to let it warm a little bit longer for us." He said as he tossed the spoon in the sink and grabbed a fresh one out of the drawer. Then he poured warm milk into Chloe and Henry's cups and mixed in hot chocolate mix and stirred.
"Is that good?" JJ asked as she and Spence sat at the table with Henry and Chloe while the family enjoyed their hot chocolate.
Henry sat down his cup and nodded his head.
JJ laughed at the hot chocolate mustache Henry was sporting on his upper lip. "What animal is this one baby?" she asked holding an animal cracker out to him.
"Wion!" Henry exclaimed.
"You're right, it is. You were a lion for Halloween weren't you?" JJ asked as she looked at Henry. "What sound does the lion make?"
"Rawr" Henry replied as he reached for the animal cracker.
"How about you princess? Do you like your hot chocolate?" Spence asked.
"Uh huh." Chloe said nodding as she wiggled and kicked her legs in her booster seat. "Daddy?"
"Chloe?" Spence responded playfully while making a funny face at his daughter.
"Tan we watch tartoons?" she asked.
"You want to watch cartoons?" Spence asked.
Chloe nodded.
"We'll have to see what's on. But just for a little bit, okay?" Spence asked. "But you have to finish your snack first."
A short bit later the Reid family was cuddled up on the couch together watching 'Frosty The Snowman'. Of course less than half-way through the movie Chloe and Henry fell asleep in their parents' laps.
Spence made a move to stand up with Chloe in his arms and carry her up to her bed for her nap, but JJ held out her hand to stop him. "Let's just sit here like this for a little bit." She said. "They're only going to be little like this for so long, let's just enjoy it, just for a little bit?"
Spence recognizing that JJ was feeling a little nostalgic at the thought of their babies growing up, nodded and sat back in his seat, reaching behind them to grab the throw blanket the rested on the back of the couch, and then spread it out over himself and JJ as well as Chloe and Henry who were in their laps. Then he wrapped his arm around JJ and she leaned her head on his shoulder and they quietly talked while Chloe Henry napped in their laps.
"Okay" Spence said as he popped up from under the tree. "This one is Chloe's, and this one is Henry's." He said as he handed them their one present to open on Christmas Eve. "And this one is for Mommy." He continued as he put the last wrapped present in JJ's lap.
JJ smiled at Spence. "And this one is for Daddy." She said picking up the package she'd just wrapped earlier and placed it in his lap as he sat down next to her.
"Tan we open dem?" Chloe asked as she looked up at Mommy and Daddy.
JJ nodded. "Go ahead sweetie."
Spence and JJ laughed as they watched Chloe and Henry tear into the colorfully wrapped packages.
Chloe sucked in a gasp of air. "Tinker Bell Mommy!" Chloe said as she held up her new Christmas pjs to show Mommy.
"I see sweetie. Do you like them?" Mommy asked with a smile.
"Uh huh" Chloe said nodding her head. "Tan I wear dem tonight?"
"You sure can. They're your new Christmas pajamas." Mommy explained as she leaned down and kissed Chloe on the top of her head.
"What's on your pajamas Henry?" Daddy asked as Henry finished opening his present.
Henry's face looked puzzled for a minute. "Tuwtwes?" he asked as he looked up at Daddy.
"You're right buddy. They are turtles. Just like Crush and Squirt." Daddy said as he pointed to the sea turtles that were swimming across the front of the pajamas he'd gotten for Henry when they went to the aquarium the week before.
"Okay, how about we go take baths and put on our new pjs and then we need to leave out the cookies and milk for Santa and go to bed so Santa can come." Mommy said. "But first I think Daddy is going to read us a story."
Two freshly bathed and pajama clad toddlers helped Mommy and Daddy carry a plate of cookies and a glass of milk out and place it on a small table beside the fireplace where it would be easy for Santa to find and then they scampered up onto the couch to sit in between Mommy and Daddy while he read them a bed time story.
"Are you guys ready?" he asked as he looked down at Chloe and Henry. Seeing them nod, he then looked at JJ. "Is Mommy ready?"
JJ smiled and nodded.
"Okay" He said opening the brightly colored book and holding it out in front of Chloe and Henry so they could see the pictures. After all, with his eidetic memory, he could recite the story from memory. "'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there…"
JJ held the other side of the book and helped Spence by turning the pages as the family sat together reading the classic tale of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas'.
"But I heard him exclaim 'ere he drove out of sight, Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" Spence said as he recited the last two lines of the poem and watched JJ close the book.
When he and JJ looked down at Chloe and Henry, the two were cuddled up against each other, sound asleep.
Spence leaned forward placing the book on the coffee table and then he stood up and bent down to scoop Chloe up into his arms and rested her against one shoulder, then JJ helped him hoist Henry up onto his other shoulder and they made their way upstairs to tuck the currently youngest Reids into bed so that Santa could make his appearance.
After setting everything up for the morning, eating the cookies, and drinking the milk, Spence and JJ made their way upstairs to bed.
"Merry Christmas baby." JJ whispered in Spence's ear as they settled in bed and cuddled up together.
"Merry Christmas JJ." Spence replied leaning forward and kissing her softly as his hand slipped up under her pajama top and ran softly and reverently over her belly where the baby was kicking. Then he leaned down and pushed her pajama top up slightly and kissed her belly. "Merry Christmas to you too baby boy. Just think next year you'll be here to open presents with your big brother and big sister. They're super excited to see you in a few months, and so are Mommy and Daddy." He said and then continued to talk softly to the baby.
JJ ran her fingers through Spence's hair as he rested his head on her belly while he talked quietly with the baby, but she could still hear him. She had to agree with Spence's comment from earlier in the week. Each Christmas kept getting better and better. Perhaps that was because each year there was move love to share. Spending time with your loved ones was one of the most special parts of Christmas, whether it was a manger in Bethlehem, a chateau in France, an igloo in the Arctic Circle, a ski chalet in Aspen, or a house in the Washington DC area, or any other place people called home around the world.