Author's Note: Special thanks to hot4booth (I considered those, too, if it helps!), p95000 (I can't imagine anyone would!), Jotchprossi18, The Dog in the Manger (thanks again! Merry Christmas!), Flames101 (me, too!), sweber (for both reviews!), SQ215 (yep!), therealmrsedwardcullen2013 (the notes read "JJ, you are the most wonderful woman in the world. Love"), and MegKate (had to hold off to the end!) for the reviews. Thank you to everyone who has alerted and favorited this story, too. I am completely amazed by the response to this story, which was just a Christmas story. I cannot thank you all enough and I hope the ending doesn't disappoint. My word count limitation was completely blown on this chapter. Happy Holidays!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the dvds.

Saturday, December 24:

"Merry Christmas, Miss JJ!" Jack shouted when JJ opened the door to her apartment.

"Merry Christmas, Jack!" She gave him a big hug. She helped to remove his jacket revealing a Rudolph sweater complete with a blinking nose. "I love your sweater."

Jack glanced down at it. "Thank you. Miss Penelope gave it to me."

JJ shared an amused glance with Hotch. "Of course, she did. She got Henry's sweater, too."

"Jack!" Henry squealed. He rushed over to hug Jack, causing them both to tumble. Jack and Henry both got up, giggling, before running off towards the television.

"Thank you for doing this," Hotch told her, his eyes cautious after yesterday.

JJ squeezed his arm. "It's not a problem. Henry adores Jack. We're just making cookies so go enjoy your run." She felt a a twinge of sadness when he closed the door, but pushed it down in favor of making cookies with the boys.

Hotch returned just over an hour later, surprising JJ. She was sure he would be out longer. He jumped in her shower to get the sweat off while JJ and the boys decorated the cookies they had made. Henry accidentally spilled a glass of milk all over her shirt. She stood quickly and hurried to her room to change. JJ opened her bedroom door to find Hotch standing there clad only in a towel.

"Oh my God!" JJ exclaimed, her face reddening though she didn't turn away, mesmerized by the sight of his bare chest. "I'm sorry. I thought you were still in the shower. I just need to grab a new shirt. Henry spilled milk all over mine. I-"

"JJ?" Hotch said, calmly.

She closed her eyes, briefly. "Yeah?"

"Take a breath," he teased, causing her to chuckle.

"I'm sorry." She turned from him, rummaging through her dresser to find a shirt before scurrying from the room.

JJ was busy making pasta at the stove when Hotch entered the kitchen. He admired the work the boys were doing on the cookies for a few minutes before turning his attention to JJ. "Anything I can do to help?"

"There's a bag of salad in the fridge. Could you put that into those bowls?"

Hotch filled the bowls while JJ cleared the kitchen table.

"Daddy?" Jack asked as JJ placed the pasta on the table. "Is Miss JJ mad at you?"

Hotch looked at JJ, who refused to look back at him. JJ knelt beside Jack. "No, I'm not mad at your dad. Why do you think that?"

"Because you won't look at Daddy."

"He's right," Hotch muttered into her ear causing her to jump slightly.

She stood up and looked him in the eye. "I'm not mad... just a little embarrassed."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about." Impulsively, he grabbed her, pulling her in for a tight hug. She nestled into his chest subconsciously. Hotch kissed the top of her head. "Come on. We should have just enough time to get two Christmas movies in before we go to Garcia's."

Hotch released her, leaving her thoroughly confused. The hug was not something he normally did. In fact, she could count on one hand the number of times she had seen him hug anyone on the team. It had taken all of her willpower to not breath in his scent deeply and place a kiss over his heart. But the kiss to the top of her head was almost like that of a father to his child. Mentally, she chastised herself for even analyzing his actions. She had promised herself just last night to focus on their friendship and to be happy over his budding relationship, yet here she was, trying to find meaning in what was nothing more than a friendly gesture.

"Sounds great," JJ told him, enthusiastically.

"Merry Christmas!" Jack and Henry shouted when Garcia opened the door to her place.

Garcia bent down and kissed each of their cheeks. "Merry Christmas, my lovelies!" She stood up and hugged both JJ and Hotch. "Merry Christmas, you two. Come on in."

"It looks like Santa threw up in here," JJ commented, removing her coat and Henry's. Every inch of her apartment was decked out in some sort of holiday gear.

"Jack, Henry," Garcia said, grabbing their hands while she ignored JJ's remark. "There are some gifts under the tree for you."

"Yay! Gifts!" Henry hollered. He tugged on Garcia's hand to make her move, but Jack refused to budge until his father gave the okay. With a quick nod from Hotch, all three were off.

Hotch grabbed JJ's elbow as they made their way towards the tree to watch the boys unwrap their gifts, greeting members of the team as they went. Hotch remained close to her while they took in the scene. Henry ripped through his presents, leaving an explosion of wrapping and ribbon in his wake. Jack, on the other, opened his gifts slowly, handing the paper to Garcia to throw away.

"This is the best Christmas that Jack's had in a long time," Hotch whispered to JJ. "A lot of that is thanks to you."

"Me? I haven't done anything really," she protested.

Hotch turned her so that they were facing each other. "Of course, you have. You drew Christmas pictures with him when you baby-sat. You watched hours and hours of Christmas movies with him last weekend. You played in the snow with him. You've spent all day today with him making cookies and watching movies. He hasn't stopped talking about you."

JJ smiled. "I'm glad I could help make his Christmas better."

"Not just his. I-"

"Hey, JJ?" Reid called out. "Can you come here and settle a bet between Morgan and I?"

JJ shrugged sheepishly at Hotch before walking away. She continued to watch him out of the corner of her eye while she mingled with her team. As she helped Jack get a plate of food, she noticed Hotch and Garcia in the corner of the living room in what appeared to be an intense conversation. Garcia was shaking her finger at Hotch as Hotch just shook his head. Finally, he threw his hands up and walked away, coming straight to JJ.

"JJ, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked her, his cheeks slightly red.

She nodded. "Jack, can you take this plate with two hands and go sit with Uncle Dave?" She waited until Jack was settled before following Hotch into the kitchen. "What's going on? It looks like you were having quite a talk with Garcia."

"Oh, that was nothing," he waved off. "I have something for you: a gift."

JJ felt all the air whoosh from her lungs. "Y-you did?"

"Yeah. Close your eyes and hold out your hands." Hotch waited until she did so before placing her present in her hand. "Go ahead and open them."

JJ felt all her blood rush to her head. In her stretched hand lay a small box wrapped in the same paper she had been seeing for the last eleven days. There was a single tag on the box that read "Hotch." She tore her eyes away from the box to look at him, knowing that a little gold drummer lay inside. His face was brimming with anxiety.

"You?" she asked, her voice hushed. "How?"

"I had a little help," he told her, glancing through the doorway where Garcia was watching them. "I wanted to show you how much I care about you... how much I love you."

JJ blinked rapidly. "Love me?"

Hotch nodded, swallowing hard. "My entire world was rocked the day that your transfer went through. I knew then that you weren't just a co-worker to me. At first, I chalked it up to us being friends, but while I was in Pakistan, I clung to your letters like a lifeline. I knew then that my feelings were much deeper. When I returned in the middle of all that chaos and the only thing I wanted to do was hold you close, I knew I had fallen in love with you. I can't remember the last time I was as happy as when I heard that you and Will had broken up." Hotch stopped his rambling when he realized JJ was still standing there with her hand outstretched. "I understand if you don't feel the same way. I just-"

He was cut off suddenly when flung her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. "I love you, too."

She kissed him again until a round of applause broke him apart. They looked over to see nearly the entire apartment looking at them. JJ felt her cheeks flame. She buried her head into his chest and allowed him to walk her deeper into the kitchen.

"What about Beth?" she asked him when her back hit the wall.

"She's my marathon partner. That's all. She's been dating a very nice gentleman for the past two years." Hotch brushed the hair from her forehead. "You're the only one I want... if you'll have me."

She reached up and lightly brushed his lips with her own. "Always. Merry Christmas, Hotch."

"Merry Christmas, JJ."

END