A/N: Hello. This story was written for Jekkah, for the Christmas Gift Exchange (hosted by CCOAC forum). The prompts I was given were: stocking, egg nog, Christmas Train, and the 12 Pains of Christmas. I really hope you enjoy this story and have a very Merry Christmas!

A Christmas to Remember:

JJ rushed through the mall doors, quickly glancing at her watch for what was probably the hundredth time in the last 10 minutes. She was so worried she was going to miss the 9am opening of Joe’s Toys that it had her paranoia kicking in.

She really needed to be first in line to get into the toy shop. The shop claimed to have the last one hundred LeapPad’s in the entire city. And JJ was determined to be one of the parent’s to get their hands on one. She was fueled along not only by Henry’s desperation at wanting one, but also by her own guilt at leaving her Christmas shopping till the last minute, as well. If she didn’t get one, she didn’t know what she would do.

Finally, JJ reached the shop only to feel completely dejected. Standing in front of the doors, were more people than available LeapPad’s, she was sure. She hoped to God that the store had some sort of lottery system planned and that it wasn’t just going to be one big, chaotic free-for-all.

She began to push her way through the parents, not really wanting to be one of those pushy shoppers you heard all about during the holiday’s, but needing to make a go at it, for Henry’s sake. She took a deep breath in, reminding herself that she was an FBI agent; she took on much meaner looking people than this crowd all the time. She could do this.

She glanced down at her watch and just as the second hand made its turn over the minute hand, striking the time of 9 o’clock, the doors slid open. And it was, just as she had hoped against, a giant mad-dash into the store. JJ, bewildered by the crowd’s sudden ferocious rush towards the door, found herself spinning around with the force of people knocking into her. After a moment, she found herself standing still, back to the store, purse hanging limply from her hands, wondering all the while at what had just happened.

JJ slowly turned to the store, and saw through the glass windows, parents fighting over a few measly boxes of LeapPad’s. Joe, it seemed, had greatly exaggerated his supply.

Turning back around, she hung her head in defeat. What was she going to do now? She had to be the worst mother ever. What kind of mom leaves her only son’s Christmas gifts to two days before Christmas?

“JJ?”

Dazed, she turned every which way; she could have sworn she’d heard someone call her name.

A hand came to rest on her shoulder and she nearly jumped three feet in the air. Whirling around, she came face to face with a concerned looking Hotch.

“Hotch?” she said, puzzled by his out-of-nowhere presence.

“Yeah,” he answered kindly. He was staring at her unsurely, as if she’d just sprouted two heads. “You all right?” he finally asked.

She opened her mouth to say that sure she was all right. That she’d never been better. But as she thought about how she wouldn’t be able to give her son the thing he’d been talking about all month, a lump formed in her throat and much to her embarrassment tears came to her eyes.

It wasn’t just about giving her son some toy. It had been a hard couple of months on Henry, what with her separation from Will and him moving back to New Orleans. Henry just needed something to cheer him up in his father’s absence during the holiday season. That’s why she had invited the entire team to breakfast on Christmas day.

Hotch frowned, looking alarmed, he put an arm around her shoulders and began to guide her away. She let herself be moved along not really paying attention to anything really. She vaguely heard the song being played over the mall speakers, The Twelve Pains of Christmas, she thought. Though, that could just be her subconscious messing with her.

“Here, have a seat,” he told her gently.

JJ obediently sat down, while Hotch disappeared. She was too wrapped up in her misery to realize that she was sitting in the mall’s food court. Hotch returned a moment later with a cup of something and a sugar cookie in a wrapper in hand.

He handed both to her. JJ looked down to see the cup was filled with eggnog and the cookie was shaped like a Christmas tree. It put an unexpected smile to her face. JJ looked up, ready to give Hotch her thanks. That’s when she noticed that he was looking at her with, what was probably, the most tender look she’d ever seen on his face. The way he was watching her it was as if he believed her to be the only thing of value in the whole entire world, as if he cared about her greatly. A wave of emotion rushed through her; she found herself feeling things she hadn’t let herself feel in a long time.

JJ blushed brightly, looking down to cover her sudden reaction.

“Whatever happened to little boys just wanting a Christmas Train for Christmas?” JJ jokingly asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“I think you’re a little too young to remember when Christmas Trains were a hit…” he replied.

They shared a quick laugh before going silent.

“I’m the worst mother ever,” she blurted out, as if she just couldn’t wait to get it off her chest.

Hotch’s face took on the same frown as before. “Why would you say that?”

Without even meaning to, the whole story of how she’d known forever what Henry had wanted and she’d left it till now to get it. And that because of her procrastination her son wasn’t going to get what he wanted. And how she so wanted to make this a Christmas he’d remember because it was going to be his first without his dad.

After taking up about five minutes to tell her tale of woe, she went silent again, and waited for Hotch to confirm that, yes, she was a horrible mother.

He stayed quiet a moment longer, making her squirm; she knew her fears were about to be confirmed, but at the same time, she hated the fact that it would come from him.

“JJ,” he began slowly. “I can’t honestly say I caught all of that,” he continued, an unexpected grin overtaking his face, “But, I can surely say that you are not a bad mother. Not even close. I know that. And Henry definitely knows that. Not getting the toy he wanted for Christmas is not going to change how much that little boy loves you. Trust me.”

Shocked that he wasn’t affirming her horrible-ness, she looked up into his dark eyes; they were full of so much care and sincerity that JJ started to tear up all over again. She really, really wanted to believe him, but…

“You’re sweet, Hotch, but I still should have gotten Henry the LeapPad months ago,” she replied, not letting herself off the hook.

She stood up, not really wanting to leave his comforting presence but needing to get back into those stores to find something else for her four year old.

“I should get going,” she added, reluctantly.

He stood up to stand in front of her. “You really are great,” he assured her.

She nodded her head, not believing his words and not really believing that he believed them either.

When his arms came to wrap around her a second later in a hug, she was so shocked that it took her a moment to realize that she needed to respond.

JJ had never hugged Aaron Hotchner before. But as her arms came to rest on his back and her head came to press against his shoulder, she wondered why she hadn’t started a long time ago. Being in his arms made her feel like she was the most important person in the world and at the moment she never wanted to part from those arms.

All too soon though, Hotch was pulling back. She had to quickly get ahold of her racing heart as he looked down at her with what JJ would describe as fondness in his eyes.

“Merry Christmas,” he uttered.

“Merry Christmas,” she replied dazedly.

JJ watched the festive scene in front of her with a slight bit of trepidation in her heart. Most of her friends were already here. Everyone had brought their Christmas gifts to open at her house. And they were in the middle of doing that right now.

The doorbell rang a moment later and she knew it could only be Hotch and Jack, everyone else was already present. She attempted to ignore the flutter in her chest at the thought of Hotch coming over, as she made her way to the door.

She pulled open the door to see the two people that made her face light up with joy.

“Jack, Hotch,” she exclaimed. “Come in.”

Jack smiled shyly at her as he walked inside; she kneeled down to give the boy, that often had play-dates with her son, a hug.

“Hi, Aunt JJ,” Jack greeted, returning the hug. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” she replied, pulling back. “Why don’t you go on in and find Henry, I know he’s been waiting for you.”

The little boy nodded and hurried into the living room. She stood up to glance up at the silent Hotch. He had a smile on his face identical to his son’s. Adorable, she thought.

“Sorry we’re late,” he began. “Jack made me stop at the store to get our present’s re-wrapped. Apparently, I’m wrapping paper challenged.”

JJ chuckled lightly.

“These are for you and Henry,” he said, holding out a few wrapped up gifts to her.

“You didn’t have to, Hotch,” she said, genuinely just happy at his presence.

He smiled that same, affectionate smile from two days ago. JJ felt her heart quicken. “I wanted to,” he answered.

They made their way inside, just in time to see Garcia beginning to open a present. They stood on the edges, just watching.

When Hotch leaned over to whisper in her ear, “I see Garcia overindulged again; I’ve got a stocking at home identical to that one for Jack,” she shivered involuntarily.

She had to force herself to look where he was pointing, over at the mantle where her stocking and an overflowing stocking hung.

“What can you say about Penelope, she loves her boys,” JJ commented.

They were briefly interrupted when Garcia suddenly screeched; they looked on as she threw herself into Kevin’s arms, gushing over the gift she’d just unwrapped.

“All of them,” JJ added wryly.

Hotch chuckled. She found she really liked the sound.

Both JJ and Hotch continued to stand on the sidelines watching as everyone took their turns opening their gifts. Finally, it came to Henry’s turn. He’d already seen Jack unwrap his present from his father. A LeapPad. When JJ had seen that, she felt a moment of sadness. She silently wished that she could be half as good as a parent as Hotch was. Henry didn’t seem too fazed by it, though.

All watched on as Henry tore through the gift from his mom. Once unwrapped, he took one look at it, and rushed to his mom to say his thanks. JJ hugged her son back, loving him all the more for his polite manners.

“Henry,” Hotch spoke up suddenly, pulling something from behind his back. “I think you missed one. This is from your mom, too.”

JJ looked from Henry to Hotch, wondering what he was talking about. Henry had already opened all the gifts she’d bought him.

Henry took the medium-sized gift, wrapped in paper with trains on it, from Hotch’s hands a bit unsurely. He looked to his mother for confirmation. All she could do was nod, and smile to reassure him, but she wasn’t sure what was happening either.

The whole room watched on as the little boy took his time with this gift, unwrapping a corner at a time.

A second later, Henry was letting out a screech of delight, when the unwrapped paper revealed what it was. He tore the rest of the paper off, and JJ was able to see that it was, in fact, a LeapPad.

“Jack! Look, I got one too!” he exclaimed. Henry jumped up and down a couple of times, waving the item around wildly. And then, as if he remembered his manners, the little boy stopped suddenly and ran over to his mother.

His little arms wrapped around her, hugging her fiercely. “Mommy, you’re the best! Thank you so much!”

JJ smoothed his blonde hair down, as she hugged him back just as tightly, tears coming to her eyes. “You’re… welcome, honey.”

She searched the room for Hotch, and found him watching them with a warmth that she hadn’t known he’d possessed for them before. She smiled at him, trying to convey through her eyes just what this meant to her.

“Breakfast time,” Garcia suddenly shouted. “Kitchen, everyone, now!”

“Thanks mom!” Henry exclaimed one more time, as he ran to join Jack in the rush to JJ’s kitchen.

JJ stood up to find that Garcia was still there, looking from her to Hotch and back again. There was a glint in her eyes that JJ wasn’t sure she liked. And then with a happy squeal she was off too.

JJ moved so that she was standing directly in front of the man that had just made her son’s and her day.

“Hotch,” she began disbelievingly. “How did you—“

“I heard you mention something months ago. I knew Jack wanted one. So when I went out to buy him one, I figured I should get two just in case…”

JJ’s face broke out into a grin, absolutely delighted that he thought of her. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

The blush on Hotch’s face caught her by surprise. “It was noth—“

JJ couldn’t help herself. Her arms were suddenly around his neck and her lips were on his and she was kissing him. And he, to her surprise, was kissing her back.

She realized, suddenly, that she wouldn’t mind kissing Hotch like this forever, when they were interrupted by catcalls and whistles.

They pulled apart to find their friends all poking their heads out of the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear. JJ blushed brightly, and a quick look at Hotch showed her he had the same reaction.

“Mistle… toe?” she tried to explain.

They all shared a laugh at the halfhearted explanation and began to move back into the kitchen. JJ was aware that Hotch hadn’t removed his arms from around her waist, and her own hands were still laced together behind his neck.

She looked up into his eyes trying to see what he was thinking. And all she could discern was the same affection from before. She’d take it and anything else he’d have to offer her.

“Merry Christmas,” she murmured, leaning in close, lips millimeters from his.

“And a very Happy New Year,” he added, closing the distance between them, sharing another searing kiss.

This was definitely a Christmas JJ would never forget.

The End…

I hope you all enjoyed. And I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)