Hello, everybody; ModernDayBard here! Because I forgot to specify earlier: this fic takes place before JJ is transferred to the pentagon and before Prentiss fakes her death, with the team lineup as follows: Hotch, Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, JJ, Reid, and Garcia. This chapter focuses on JJ and her family. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own neither these characters nor these songs, I just decided to put them together!


"You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch.
You really are a heel.
You're as cuddly as a cactus,
You're as charming as an eel,
Mr. Grinch.
You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel."

JJ paused at the doorway, peering unseen around the corner at a warm and welcome, if chaotic, scene. Henry and Will were in the living room, goofing off as they often did when she was out, or they didn't think she was watching, surrounded by a mess of Henry's toys. What the game had been, JJ couldn't say, but what it now was she knew in a heartbeat—she'd known from the moment she'd heard Will trying to sing 'that' song.

Henry had watched the Grinch special the evening before, curled up between his parents, all three with mugs of cocoa, and the animated classic had lodged itself already in the young boy's heart. And apparently, his favorite section was the sleigh ride down the mountain and the following song.

The song which his father was now singing to him, teasing him with. Henry laughed, and JJ couldn't decide which sounded better, to her.

"You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch.
You have termites in your smile,
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile,
Mr. Grinch.
Given the choice between the two of you,
I'd take the seasick crocodile."

As she watched, JJ found herself witness to a minor miracle:

Without a break in song, without a pause or a gesture to explain what he was doing, Will began to clean up the mess of Henry's toys by 'stealing' them in a similar fashion to the Grinch. With a giggle, Henry joined in—one of the few times he'd jumped in to clean up any mess (much less one of his own) without being explicitly instructed to do so, and without complaining!

Far from it—he was not only imitating his father's action, but also trying to sing with him, and the next stanza came out in near unison (though their timing wasn't quite exact):

"The three best words that best describe you,
Are as follows, and I quote:
Stink!
Stank!
Stunk!"

JJ knew well that this was only the beginning of her son's obsession with the animated special, and of this song in particular. In the days and weeks to come, this would definitely become annoying, but for now…

JJ quietly slipped her phone out and began recording. Some memories should not only be cherished…they should be preserved.


So, yeah. Been wanting to use this song for a couple of years now, but couldn't figure out how to make it work. Once Endurance suggested Criminal Minds, I thought, 'Oh, if I want to do this song, I can have Henry be obsessed with the special or something!' The rest just came from that. Tune in tomorrow for Endurance's next chapter!
As always, if you liked it, or saw something you think I can fix/improve on for next time, don't hesitate to leave a review and let me know!

Song: You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Recommended Version: Animated Original (Can't beat it)