A week later, Emily found herself in the office, counting down the hours until the FBI Christmas party. The entire bullpen was in full Christmas swing thanks to the blond elves of their unit. JJ and Penelope had giggled like virtual schoolgirls as they’d gone about decorating the place and Aaron hadn’t said a word, even though they all knew he disapproved of frivolity in the office.
Flirting text messages didn’t count.
Emily laughed as yet another woman caught Derek under the mistletoe. He actually looked annoyed and she really couldn’t blame him. She’d been very, very careful about where she walked all day and even more careful when she and Aaron were in the same place. The last thing she wanted to deal with was having to kiss Aaron, even if was for tradition under the mistletoe.
“I get I’m a hot commodity, but really. I’m not getting any work done. I’m going to have paperwork when I come back from holidays,” Derek said, shaking his head as he approached.
“Seriously?” Emily asked in disbelief.
“Even a lady’s man has his day,” JJ joked. She’d been working at Emily’s desk with her, deciding it was more fun to spend time with the team than holed up in her lonely office.
Aaron had been called away to a meeting half an hour earlier, and the BAU bullpen had become a room ripe with mischief. Poor Spencer had been caught under springs of mistletoe held over his head and even Morrow had gotten into the spirit. She’d pinned sprigs of holly to her desk and even found a little two-foot Christmas tree for the corner.
“There’s just a line,” Derek contradicted. “This is still an office. I’m all for Christmas, but seriously.”
Emily and JJ laughed again.
Derek raised an eyebrow. “And you two ladies haven’t been caught under the mistletoe.”
The women exchanged a look.
“We’re just smarter,” JJ said with a grin.
“Hey, you were the one that threatened Agent Kent with a ruptured spleen if he so much as brought a loose sprig of mistletoe into the bullpen,” Emily shot back with a grin.
“But I didn’t threaten half of the organized crime department with a bullet to the kneecap if they came within four feet of me,” JJ responded smartly.
Derek watched in utter amusement. “You’re kidding me, right?”
Emily shrugged. “It’s all in good fun, really.”
“Because shooting someone makes for a good time,” Morrow joked with a huge smile. Emily was still the one she felt most comfortable with.
The raven-haired woman waved her hand dismissively. “What’s a bullet between friends?” She almost jumped when she felt a tug on her shirt sleeve. She turned her head only to meet the innocent eyes that reminded her so much of Aaron.
“I haveta go to the bathroom.”
“Uh…” Emily said, still trying to process the fact that Jack Hotchner was standing in the BAU bullpen on a Friday afternoon. She’d known Aaron had planned to bring Jack to meet the team and to participate in the Christmas party, but she hadn’t expected that he’d actually be there before the festivities began. Now that she thought about it, Jack would have had to be at the BAU all day because she couldn’t remember Aaron leaving Quantico.
Her body moved on autopilot as she took Jack’s hand and led the small boy to the bathroom. She’d gotten control of herself by the time he came back out. “Did you wash your hands?”
“Uh huh,” Jack grinned and shook water at her.
Emily laughed as she put her hands up to block the spray, then she took his wet hand in hers. “Have you been here all day?”
“Yup,” Jack replied as he trotted to keep up with her wider steps. “But Daddy had to go.”
It wasn’t like Aaron to just leave Jack unattended, though she’d wondered if something was up when he left the door to his office ajar instead of closing and locking it behind him. “Did Daddy leave you in his office?”
“Uh huh,” Jack answered again with the complete innocence of his six years. “He said you were right outside if I needed anything.”
“Too bad he didn’t tell me,” Emily mumbled to herself as she pulled the bullpen door open. She hoisted Jack into her arms as she made her way back to her desk.
“Who’s the kid?” Derek asked as Emily sat, plunking Jack on her lap and handing him her bright red stress toy.
Aaron had mentioned that Jack hadn’t been in to see the team since he was an infant. She’d seen baby pictures of Jack, his hair had been much lighter as a baby than it was now. He’d lost his baby fat too. “This is Jack,” she said, unable to hide the slight note of pride in her voice.
JJ’s eyebrows rose. “As in Jack Hotchner?”
Jack had looked up at his name, turning to Emily for reassurance when four sets of curious eyes landed on him. Emily read his shy behaviour and gave him an encouraging smile as she gently tickled his side. Jack giggled.
“The one and only,” Emily answered JJ’s question. “Jack, these are Daddy and my fellow monster-fighters.”
Still, Jack’s gaze was shy as he looked up at them all.
Emily wanted to laugh. She sort of understood why she was much easier to get along with than all of these people. For one thing, they’d met on his turf. In Aaron’s kitchen, it was Jack’s world and she was only a visitor. For another, there had only been one of her. Now, surrounding him, there were four new people.
Derek seemed impassive, but Emily knew there was a lot more going on behind those dark eyes. She knew from experience Derek Morgan’s mind rarely shut down. Morrow seemed a little stunned that a child was currently sitting on her colleague’s lap, her bosses child even, and didn’t exactly look like she knew whether to laugh and introduce herself. Reid looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. Emily knew he thought he was cursed when it came to children.
JJ smiled warmly. “Hello Jack,” she said gently. “I’m JJ.”
Jack’s fingers played with the buttons on Emily’s blouse as he looked up at the blond slightly. “That’s two letters.”
Emily grinned at JJ.
“It’s my nickname,” JJ answered kindly. “Do you have a name that people call you that isn’t yours?”
Jack shook his head.
“Yes you do,” Emily said, bouncing him slightly on her legs. “Daddy calls you other names.”
Jack wrinkled his nose. “But I don’t like it when he calls me a little monster.”
JJ burst out laughing.
Emily chuckled too. “He also calls you Buddy, and the Greatest Boy Ever.”
Jack looked at Emily like she was talking a foreign language. “Daddy’s never said the last one.”
She looked suitably chastised. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” But it had effectively put Jack at ease with at least JJ. The rest of them would come over time.
“What’s your real name?” Jack asked, looking up at JJ curiously.
“Jennifer,” she responded. “JJ is the first initial of my first name and my last name. Jennifer Jareau.”
“Oh,” Jack answered. “Do you fight monsters too Miss Jenny?”
JJ almost melted. “There’s no miss,” she instructed him. “And I try.”
“Like Daddy and Miss Em’ly?” Jack asked.
“Almost,” JJ replied. “I talk to the police and the news to try and make sure that we don’t do something that’s going to make the monster do more bad things.”
Jack seemed to consider this for a moment. “Is that what Daddy does?”
“Daddy helps find the monsters,” Emily answered. “JJ makes sure we get help to find the monsters.”
“Oh.” Then his eyes were drawn to the glass doors as they opened again. He didn’t recognize the blond woman that came in, arms fully of papers and files.
“Delivery!” Penelope said happily. Then she caught sight of Jack. “Who is this adorable guest?”
“You have a funny hat,” Jack said giggling.
Penelope grinned. “You like?” she asked.
“It’s funny,” Jack repeated through his giggles.
Penelope shook her head so the bells on her elf had jingled merrily. “But every elf wears a funny hat,” she replied with a wide smile. “Didn’t Mommy or Daddy ever dress up as an elf?”
Jack shook his head, still laughing.
Emily tickled him, making him laugh harder. “But you have a Santa hat,” she pointed out.
Jack’s eyes lit up. “I brought it!”
“And you aren’t wearing it?” Penelope gasped. “It’s Christmas!”
Obediently, Jack hopped off of Emily’s lap and made his way up the stairs to Aaron’s office. Emily knew all eyes were now on her. JJ and Penelope had known that she’d previously met Jack and though Derek had been observant enough to put two and two together, Jack hadn’t really crossed his mind.
“I told you,” JJ said with a grin.
“Oh please,” Emily scoffed, keeping her eye on the open door. “Jack’s not that difficult to get along with.”
“He adores you,” Penelope gushed, leaning against Derek’s desk. “You can see it.”
Emily was blushing as Jack came racing back. She winced as he took a tumble down the last stairs, but he seemed to right himself no problem, red felt grasped in his hand. She rested her arms on the arms of the chair as Jack climbed back into her lap and plunked the hat on her head. “I thought the hat was for you,” she said.
Jack held up another hat, one she hadn’t seen him put on her desk. “I have one too!”
Emily heard JJ giggling behind her as she adjusted the hat on her head. “I see that.”
“Hey Jack,” Penelope said. “I’ve got Christmas movies on my computer. Do you want to come pick one to watch?”
Jack looked up at Emily, the closest thing he had to a parent and the person Daddy had told him to listen to. The elf lady didn’t seem so bad and if Emily said he could go, well, what kid in his right mind was going to turn down a chance to watch a movie?
“Go on. I’ll tell Daddy when he gets back,” Emily said. “But make sure you listen to Penelope, okay? Her computers are important to her.”
Jack nodded solemnly, taking Miss Penelope’s hand. When they reached the doors he suddenly turned back. “You haveta wear your hat, okay?” he told Emily seriously. “A’cause it’s Christmas.”
Emily smiled as she turned back to her work, the Santa hat perched jauntily on her head.
“Damn girl, next thing we know you’re going to have a rock on your finger,” Derek teased shaking his head.
The raven-haired woman blushed, chancing a glance at Morrow. It didn’t surprise her that Derek had assumed she and Aaron were in a relationship, but they’d never discussed anything that personal with her around. As much as she hated to think about it, it felt a lot like they were about to give Morrow her very first serious test. If the news got back to Strauss it was a given that Aaron would be fired. “I think that’s a long way off yet,” she deflected.
“That’s Agent Hotchner’s son?” Morrow asked, pointed at the doors.
“Yes,” Emily answered.
“Wow,” Morrow said, leaning back in her chair. “If it wasn’t for the hair colour…”
“And eyes,” Emily admitted. “They have the same eyes.”
Morrow smiled. “He’s adorable.” If she was honest with herself, Prentiss was the one person that she felt true attachment to. Prentiss had been the one from the beginning to accept her and Morrow understood it was because, in a way, Prentiss saw herself in the young agent. Morrow wasn’t naïve, though she played it well and for the most part, understood the team’s apprehension. Prentiss had made it perfectly clear that there were no in betweens in their unit and if she wasn’t going to play by their rules, she wasn’t going to play at all.
Morrow enjoyed the team and their dynamics, but Prentiss was the only one she’d consider a friend. She’d wondered if Agent Hotchner and Prentiss were more than colleagues, but since she considered Prentiss a friend, the story wasn’t one that she was about to tell Strauss, period. The fact that it didn’t seem to affect team dynamics went a long way in soothing her conscience about not reporting fraternization up the chain of command. In fact, there had been a few cases when Hotchner had seemed at the end of his rope and Emily had pulled him aside for a few moments and he came back a little calmer.
“He is,” Emily agreed with a warm smile. Morrow had worked out better than even she’d anticipated, even if the rest of the team wasn’t as welcoming. If Morrow kept her mouth shut about this, Emily had a feeling the team would be a little more trustworthy. She picked up her cell phone, remembering she meant to scold Aaron about not mentioning Jack.
He didn’t take long to respond, a little bit to her surprise. I’m so sorry, I guess I got focused and forgot.
About your son. Good job. She hoped he knew she was teasing. She didn’t mind watching Jack, it just would have been nice to get a little bit of warning.
Is he okay?
He’s with Garcia watching a movie, Emily typed back.
Thank you.
He’s here early.
He’s off school. I didn’t think I’d make it to Haley’s to pick him up before the party.
It sounded logical enough for her. Do you know how long the meeting is going to last? The children’s party starts in an hour.
When the next message beeped through, she could almost tell he was annoyed with the meeting as it was. No.
It was natural for her to type the next words. I’ll take him if you’re not back.
I’m sorry.
Their job was just like that, so she didn’t resent him. Sometimes she did worry, but there had been many a-weekend Jack and Aaron had spent time together without her so she didn’t think he was taking advantage of her in the slightest. I take no responsibility for what happens if you can’t make it to the party though.
I’ll see you later.
Emily smiled and turned back to her papers.