December 3, 2013

On the third day of December, Jack's first day with the calendar, he opens the door on a little pair of skates. Emily knows because she gets what amounts to a frantic call from Hotch minutes before closing time. They've been called in for an emergency meeting with the section chief. She remembers those and doesn't envy him a bit for having to attend. What that means though, is that Jack cannot celebrate the little skates with his father.

Emily doesn't hesitate to step in. Of course she doesn't. It's Jack and the last thing he wants is to leave the kid without a tradition to celebrate. How is that going to give him faith in the fun of the calendar?

She figures it out with Will. The two of them bundle Henry into the car and head to Jack's after school program. Hotch has called ahead, but Emily still takes her ID. It's a good thing too since she gets asked for it three separate times before she even sets her eyes on Jack. Where it should be annoying, it's actually heartwarming. She's really glad Jack's so secure.

"Emily!"

She grins as Jack launches himself at her. "Hello, sweetheart."

"Where's Daddy?"

"At work," she says, putting on an exaggerated pout.

Jack nods solemnly. "Gotta catch the bad guys, Emily. But usually Aunt Jessica picks me up?"

"I know, but Daddy feels pretty bad that he's not going to be able to do your first tradition together, so I promised I'd come and get you to make sure we'd do it. Henry and Will are in the car; they're going to come with us. Is that okay?"

"We're going skating?" Jack asks, just a little breathless. His little face is eager and it makes Emily smile at the same time her heart eases.

"That's the plan. I don't think Will's ever been."

Jack's mouth drops open. "Never?"

Emily laughs as she tugs on his coat, making sure it's zipped snugly. Jack, bless his heart, doesn't even flinch. "He's from the south, remember? They don't get much snow or ice."

"Do you think he knows how?" Jack asks anxiously. "Only, maybe we should bring a chair? That's how I learned!"

She barely holds in the laugh as she pushes herself up. "How about we let Will decide? Maybe he doesn't want to skate and it'll just be you, me and Henry."

"That's okay too," Jack decides. Then he throws his arms around her hips. "Thank you for coming to get me."

She crouches down again. "Of course," she answers, making sure he meets her gaze. Just because she moved across the ocean doesn't mean she can't or won't be there for him. It's just harder. "Always."

Hotch is exhausted as he climbs out of the car at Pentagon Row. From her text, Emily had been hoping to take Jack to Canal Park, but a plumbing issue has set the ice back and delayed the opening. Hotch can sympathize. Canal Park is beautiful to skate in. But he also knows that it isn't going to matter to Jack.

She's surprisingly easy to find, considering the sheer number of people dancing around the ice this late at night. She's got Jack by the hand, letting him drag her as best he can – and pushing off every once in a while so they don't slow down the speed of the rink – around and around and around. It takes him longer to spot Will and Henry, whom he notices doing the same.

"Got them?"

It's JJ, a little out of breath as she jogs up beside him. He nods, pointing them out.

"God, they're cute," JJ murmurs.

He looks to her, but there's nothing knowing in her gaze, just a clear enjoyment and happiness. It hits him so hard, so suddenly, that they've all missed her. Terribly. Like a limb. The team is whole, Blake fits, but in that moment she's so obviously not Emily it's painful.

"Come on," JJ says, tugging on his sleeve and interrupting his thoughts. "Let's go get them some hot cocoa, yeah? They'll need it. Look how pink Em's cheeks are."

He'd noticed, thanks. The pink cheeks, the wide grin, the wild hair and he'd bet her eyes were sparkling too. Genuinely happy. He wants that all the time. He wants to be the cause of it.

He follows JJ to the nearby stand, listening as she hums along with the carols being piped through a tiny radio. She continues on for a few minutes before she turns to him with a little smirk in the corner of her mouth.

"I never got to ask how you felt about our surprise."

She's asking a question in a question and he can tell. "It's good to see her again."

"Mmhmm," JJ agrees, though her tone tells him that she's definitely reading into that. Except he couldn't be that obvious. Not possible. "You called her today."

"She offered," he replies. "She gave Jack an advent calendar and he pulled skates out of today's door."

JJ's eyes are sparkling as she interrupts with, "Made, Hotch. She made that calendar for Jack when she booked her ticket out here."

Made. She made that calendar for his little boy. It's such an Emily thing to do.

"She did tell you about her dad, right? He hand-made hers. Annually."

"And Henry's?"

JJ shakes her head. "For one thing, Henry's too young to really understand what it is. Plus, my mom got him one when he was a baby. Soft little pockets with a stuffed Christmas tree he moves every day. I told Em not to bother when she offered. Maybe another year."

Just Jack. Of course, her soft spot for Jack isn't a secret. She's made it entirely too obvious sometimes. She drops everything for Jack. She always has. He thinks maybe she always will.

They carry the cocoas back towards the rink in silence, and someone must have seen them because all four of them are seated on the concrete that serves as the edge of what would be a garden. It's a happy scene.

"Mommy!"

JJ weaves efficiently through the crowd, passing her cocoas off to Will easily, like they've done it a million times before. Consider what he can remember of raising Jack with Haley, he thinks maybe they have. Then Henry's wrapped up in her arms and she's cooing into his ear.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy! Did you see me?"

Hotch, on the other hand, just barely manages to slide his to-go tray onto the concrete before Jack's launched himself from Emily's lap into his arms. Emily laughs and straightens the cocoas easily, so they don't spill. Her cheeks are still that happy flush and he'd been right, her eyes are sparkling as they watched father and son.

"He's good," Emily agrees. "He was pulling me around the rink at the end there."

"I saw," Hotch says warmly, making sure his eyes meet hers. He saw so many things in those few moments, few precious moments. Her cheeks go even pinker and against the curl of her hair brushing her cheeks and the white of her cap it's a stunning picture.

"Hotch?"

"Sorry," he says. He turns his gaze to Jack to make sure his thoughts aren't within her gaze. He doesn't need her to know. He doesn't need to burden her with that.

Her laughter is gentle. "One of these for me?"

"Yes," he answers. "What do you think, Buddy? You want some cocoa?"

Jack's eyes light up in excitement as Hotch settles on the cement between JJ and Emily, Jack on his lap. He can smell her, Emily that is, feel the brush of her hair against his arm and it takes way too much will power to keep from blurting everything out.

Instead, he swallows them down with a too hot sip of cocoa and tells himself it's the liquid, not the words burning in his chest.

Still a day behind, but that's okay. It aways fixes itself in time.

Also? Put this up and didn't save the changes. Smacks me in the head.

Hopefully they'll come easier now that I've planned all the traditions out. I just have to plan the relationship part out, but I rarely do, then it all works out! I love those best.

And you people are (awesome, phenomenal, wonderful) crazy. All those reviews? Seriously? I want to hug you all, so we're going to pretend that I am yeah?

Muah!