A/N: Hey all! Here's a new little Christmas fic from me. This was written for pandorabox82, as part of the Christmas fic Exchange organized by the JJ-Hotch Safe Haven Facebook group. I hope she and everyone else enjoys it! Happy Holidays!

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

Chapter 1:

"All right, boys!" JJ called down the small hill. "Time to go home."

She watched her son, Henry, and Jack Hotchner begin to trudge up the sled they'd been using all afternoon. Satisfied that they were heeding her instructions, she took a moment to take in the beauty around her.

The light of day was waning as JJ stood atop the hill behind her home. The air was chilly, fogging before her with every breath, but refreshing at the same time. The sky was turning a lovely shade of blue, deeper than that of a midafternoon day. And there was a glowing line of orange illuminating the few clouds in the sky as the sun continued its descent. It was just a beautiful end to a lovely day.

"Mommy!" Henry exclaimed, laughing as he ran towards her.

She took a deep, calming breath, smiling; it was moments like this that she lived for. Moments of pure happiness.

Her five year old ran-tackled her legs, nearly knocking her off her feet. She laughed heartily as Henry hugged her tight, continuing to giggle. She put her hands on his shoulders, holding him close.

Thank God for my son, she thought blessedly.

When a car accident had taken Will from her a year ago today, God has saw fit to spare her baby, thankfully. Losing Will had been painful enough, but both would have been unbearable. Because of her friends, her son, and Hotch, she'd made it through. She was in a very good place now.

JJ had to smile when she thought of Hotch. He'd become her best friend, her confidant. She had no clue what she would do without him. The problem was because he was so good to her she'd developed this annoyingly intense crush on him. Annoying because she knew he would never feel the same about her as she did him and because she just couldn't shake it. The latter, she totally blamed on him, though. Did he have to be so wonderful?

"Is it time to go home, JJ?" Jack wondered out loud.

She smiled at the little boy of seven, almost eight, actually—which reminded her, she needed to talk to Hotch about planning a birthday party—and held out a hand for him to take.

"I think that's enough sledding for one day."

Taking Henry's hand, the three of them began their trek back to JJ's home, with Jack dragging the sled behind him.

"Besides, there's two cups of hot chocolate with your names on them at home."

"With mush-mellows?" Henry asked enthusiastically.

JJ chuckled. "Yep, with marshmallows."

"Yay!" Jack and Henry declared in unison.

Hotch stomped his snowy feet on JJ's front stoop as he waited for the door to open. He'd just shoveled her walkway for her, knowing she probably hadn't had the chance to all day with taking care of the boys.

He smiled, thinking about how the three of them had spent the day together while he'd been at work, now coming to join them for the evening. It's almost like we're a family, he thought wistfully.

Of course, Rossi and Erin would argue that they were a family. The couple had gotten it into their heads that because they spent so much time together that he and JJ should just get married already. As one could imagine, conversations with 'The Eccentrics,' as he had dubbed them, were always on the frustrating side.

It wasn't that he didn't have feelings for the lovely blonde—who wouldn't? She was beautiful, fun, motherly, yet, could still kick ass, all rolled into one. It was the fact that she'd lost her husband, not too long ago, a man she loved. He just wasn't sure JJ was ready for something new and he really didn't want to pressure her.

In the entire year following Will's death, JJ had never mentioned dating anyone to him. Nor did he hear anything from Garcia, his secondary source when he felt weird about asking JJ these kinds of things. Maybe she really wasn't ready.

There's only one way to find out, a voice in his head—one that sounded suspiciously like Rossi—piped up.

Geez, now his brain was turning on him, too. He sighed just as the door burst open.

Two giggly boys greeted him.

"Dad!"

"Hotch!"

Each one latched onto an arm and pulled him inside, leaving the door ajar. "Hey boys," he returned affectionately.

"Dad, dad! JJ made us Christmas tree shaped pancakes for breakfast; we saved you some!" Jack let him know.

"We put green sprinkles on them; they were so yummy," Henry added.

"Wow, sounds delicious. I can't wait."

Jack let go of his hand suddenly to stand before him. "And look," Jack exclaimed. "Let's show him, Henry."

They lined up in front of him and now he could see that they were wearing matching Christmas sweaters. Bright red, with a cartoonish, goofy looking Rudolf front and center.

"See what JJ got us, aren't they cool?"

"They are, son," he agreed wholeheartedly.

"I'm glad you think so. There's one for you, too."

Hotch looked up to see JJ watching them from her stance in the doorway to the back of the house. Arms crossed over her chest, a smile on her face that lit up her beautiful blue eyes, she looked completely at ease. She was a wonder to look at. And if he wasn't careful he could lose time doing so.

"Great," he managed to get out.

She pushed off the wall and joined them in the foyer. He could see that she, too, was wearing the same sweater as they boys. Who knew Rudolf could look so sexy, he mused.

"You're right on time; we were just about to take our hot chocolates to the den to watch Anastasia." She paused, waiting for him to take off his coat. "Boys, why don't you go set up the movie while I get Hotch a drink…"

"Ok, mommy."

The rambunctious ones dashed for the den, leaving the two of them alone.

"Hi," she said sweetly, coming to stand before him.

"Hey," he replied, almost giddily.

They stood there for a moment, just smiling at each other. Come to think of it, they'd been doing that a lot lately…

Abruptly, JJ broke the gaze, taking his jacket from his hands. "I hope you don't mind staying," she said, now moving to hang his jacket in the closet. "I sort of promised Jack the movie. Oh, and pizza! I promised him pizza, too… I should get on that."

He stepped behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "JJ, since when do I mind hanging out with you and Henry?"

She chuckled, turning around, she said, "Just checking, you know…" Once again, she moved away, this time towards the open door. She seemed antsy; making him wonder what was up. "… we love hanging out with you and Jack, too, by the—Oh!" She glanced back at him with a look of delighted surprise on her face. "You shoveled the sidewalk for me!"

She looked too happy for words at the simple gesture, making him blush a bit. "Yeah, well, it was the least I could do… you know, for watching Jack for me today."

JJ's vacation had begun two days before his and she'd helped him today by watching Jack. With Jessica out of town, it was good to have the help.

She took a few steps towards him, closing the distance between them. He was quite surprised when she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek, lingering there. It was the most perfectly sweet kiss he'd ever received.

Her lips moved to hover near his ear for a moment. Her breath tickled at his earlobe and it took every ounce of willpower to stave off his pleasure-filled shiver.

"Thank you," she murmured.

She pulled back and he could see a twinkle in her eye. A twinkle of possibility…

JJ sighed happily as the credits began to roll. She loved that movie. Ever since learning about the Romanov family and the tragedy that had befallen them while she was in school, she'd always been fascinated by them. Especially by the occasional stories that either Alexei or Anastasia had survived. That's probably why she liked Anastasia, the movie, so much. It took a tragic event and spun it into a 'happily ever after' fairytale. If only fairytales were real, she mused.

She looked down to the floor, to the makeshift bed her son and Jack had created before the movie started. They'd called it 'the cozy zone.' Her little one was fast asleep and Jack seemed pretty out of it as well.

Ok, so life wasn't going exactly according to plan. But, things were going pretty well for her these days. She was healthy, so was Henry. And her son seemed to be coping pretty well since his dad's death. She had a great job. And, consequently, even greater friends. And one of them just so happened to be sitting by her side.

JJ picked up the remote and turned down the volume before turning in her seat to face her companion. She was surprised when she saw that Hotch was watching her with a serene, almost tender look on his face. She fought the urge to blush in case she was reading him all wrong.

"Good movie," he commented lightly.

"The best," she agreed.

They both went silent once again, just watching each other. And, just when the silence was about to become too weighty for words, he spoke again, "JJ, can I ask you a question?"

She could have made a 'you just did' joke just then, but the moment seemed too serious, too heavy, to make light of. "Of course, you can ask me anything, Aaron."

He opened his mouth to say it, but stopped. Closing his mouth, he looked down and away as if losing his resolve. And, suddenly, she would give anything to hear what he had to ask.

Carefully, she put a hand over top of his that lay between them on the couch, and gave a light squeeze. He looked up then; she could see her simple touch had helped. She waited for him to say what he needed to say.

"If I were to ask you," he began slowly, "out, what would you say?"

That's it for this chapter. This will be a two chapter fic, the second will come tomorrow.

Again, I really hope you all liked this first chapter. And if you've got a second, I hope you'll let me know what you think. Thanks!

A/N: Hey again! Just wanted to say thanks for all the lovely reviews for the last chapter. And also, I forgot to mention last chapter the prompts pandorabox82 provided. They are: gingerbread houses, sledding, ice skating, the perfect tree, and matching Christmas sweaters. Happy Holidays, everyone! And Stephanie, I really hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

Chapter 2:

Hotch wasn't exactly sure where his question had come from—no! That was a lie. It had come from the place in his heart that desperately wanted to get closer to her. He just hadn't actually planned for now being the moment of his big revelation.

And judging by JJ's reaction—a loud gasp, and a deer caught in headlights look—it was a huge revelation.

Practically a minute later, she had yet to say a thing. And that's when second thoughts began to set in. So she had kissed him on the cheek earlier, so what? That had obviously been a friendly gesture between friends. And the twinkle in her eyes had just been gratitude for helping her out. Nothing more. He'd been such an idiot, reading more into tonight's events than they warranted.

"JJ, I'm sorry; forget I said anything…" he said reluctantly, hoping if he backtracked he could salvage their incredible friendship.

A second gasp, a sharp intake of breath, was not what he expected. A relieved sigh, yes, but not a strangled sound of surprise.

Hotch dared to look at her once again. He couldn't quite get a read on what she was thinking. A mixture of curiosity and fear, but also intrigue and maybe, unless he was reading her wrong, a little delight.

Slowly, he watched as she retook his hand, let go when she'd been caught off guard by his question. "What if…" she started. "What if I don't want to forget?"

It was his turn to look completely shocked. His mouth dropped open, his eyes widened to the size of saucers. In his mind, whenever he'd pictured asking her out, her answer was always no. It was his way of mentally preparing himself for the inevitable let down. He'd never guessed that she would possibly consider even saying yes.

"Then—" He had to stop to clear his throat. "Then, I would do it. I would ask you out on a real date."

The delight won over. JJ's face broke into a luminous smile. "Ask me," she breathed out.

He had to smile. He could not believe this was actually happening. "All right, then. Ms. Jennifer Jareau, will you do me the extreme honor of going out with me this weekend? Say Saturday?"

"Yes!" she whisper-shouted. She put a hand over her lips, looking to the boys before uncovering and giving him a sheepish grin. "I mean, yes, of course," she said more demurely.

Hotch chuckled. "If I had known you'd be this enthusiastic in your answer I would have asked a long time ago."

"How long ago?" she murmured.

Too late. He realized what he just said when her smile turned into a confused frown.

He let out a sigh. Hotch certainly didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, but he did not want to lie to her either. "A long time," he confirmed. "Don't get me wrong, JJ, I've probably always been attracted to you. But when you were with Will, when Will was… Anyways, I completely respected your relationship; I admired you as a friend and a colleague. Since then, though…"

He trailed off trying to find the right words to describe what he felt for her now.

"Things have changed," she finished for him. "I feel the exact same."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I… like you, Aaron," she said nervously.

Her cheeks took on a pretty rose shade and she looked off to the side.

Impulsively, he touched his fingers to her chin, silently urging her to look at him once again. When she did so, he didn't drop his hand. Touching her felt too good. And he wasn't about to stop now.

"I like you, too," he confessed. "A lot."

Somehow the distance between them disappeared and just as he was sure he was about to get a chance to taste her sweet lips, Jack stirred from the floor.

The pair of them jumped apart abruptly.

"Daddy?" Jack questioned groggily. He rubbed sleep from his eyes. "Is it time to go home yet?"

He shared a quick longing look with JJ, but answered resignedly, "Yeah, buddy. I think it is."

JJ glided across the gleaming, smooth surface of the freshly cleaned ice. She glanced around the empty arena that Hotch had somehow secured private ice-time in, relishing the crisp atmosphere, the perfect stillness of the moment.

Even though ice-skating happened to be her most favorite winter pastime, she'd only managed to do it a handful of times since moving to D.C. so long ago. And all those times just happened to be before Henry was born.

She hadn't known how much she'd missed it until Hotch pulled up in front of her neighborhood arena and told her his intentions. That he'd also made sure that it would just be the two of them made it all the more special.

They skated hand in hand for most of the time, but now that their time was winding down they'd veered to the playful side of things, chasing each other, laughing happily and whatnot. JJ could not remember ever being happier on a first date before. She was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Turning around, she skated quickly towards Hotch. He caught her around the waist, as planned, bringing her back flush with his chest. "Whoa!" he exclaimed.

She laughed heartily, loving the combined rush of speed skating plus the feel of his hands on her body.

"We have got to teach you how to stop," he commented amusedly, his breath tickling deliciously at her earlobe.

"Why?" She turned in his arms to feign a pout. "Don't you like catching me? Because I do, you are so much safer than the boards."

She tried to hold on to her stern pout under his amused smile, but it faltered quickly. Letting out a girlish giggle, she pushed away again, skating towards the very same boards she said she wanted to avoid.

Bumping into them with a jolt, she scrambled to hold on as she turned to face her date. She loved skating, yes; that didn't mean she was very good at it.

Hotch was watching her with such an adoring look on his face that it took her breath away for a moment. He really did care for her; she marveled privately over this fact. How the heck had she gained the affection of this incredible man, she had no idea. But she had every intention of doing everything in her power to keep it.

"Nope. I don't mind catching you one bit," he let her know. The look on his face told her it was quite the opposite. Gesturing for her to skate back towards him, he added, "I'm just worried that you might hurtle yourself towards me too fast and take both of us down."

She silently scoffed at this notion, instead, speeding up her momentum. JJ reached Hotch at an angle this time. When he reached out to stop her, one foot slipped out further than intended making his stance unsteady. And because he was unsteady, so was she. Just as he prophesized a millisecond before, they both fell to the ice in one big, painful heap.

Hotch bore the brunt of it, breaking her fall. He lay sprawled beneath her, arms out at his sides, eyes firmly shut.

"Just like that…" he groaned out. "Ouch."

JJ quickly pulled off of him, sitting back on the cold ice. "Oh man, I've really got to learn how to stop," she reiterated.

Hotch chuckled, but he hadn't made a move to get up. In fact, other than speaking, he hadn't moved a muscle. Oh God, she thought frantically.What if I paralyzed him with my bad skating?

"Hotch… Aaron?" she started, panicked. "Are you ok? What hurts? Move something for me?"

To her surprise, he just continued to laugh. Maybe I gave him a concussion…

"Aaron, come on, are you hurt? Do you have a concussion?" She leaned over him, placing a hand on his face. Her fingers lifted an eyelid to check his pupils. Truthfully, she had no idea what she was doing.

When his hand came up to grasp hers, holding it there against his cheek she was able to let out a momentary sigh of relief. He can move! she thought happily.

He'd stopped laughing then, only to give her a smile and a look which struck her speechless. He was staring at her so intently, so deeply; it was like he was attempting to see right into her soul.

And then he blinked. "Sorry," he told her. "It was just so… ironic… Us falling just like I said we would."

"Aaron!" she protested, giving his shoulder a bit of a swat. "You scared me half to death."

"Sorry, sorry," he said between some more chuckles.

She tried to give him that same stern pout from before, but once again failed. She smiled; he was ok, that was what mattered. "Don't scare me like that again, all right?"

"Deal," he agreed.

Holding a hand out to him to at least get him to seating position, she was very surprised when he took her hand and, instead, tugged her down over him completely.

"Aaron," she murmured.

"JJ," he answered in turn.

That was all it took, the brief utterance of her name, for her to close the distance between them. JJ pressed her lips to his eagerly; she was met with the exact same enthusiasm as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her soundly.

And just like her first date with him, the kiss was just as perfect.

After a moment more, JJ pulled back so she could look down at him in wonder. That someone as amazing as him could care for him was a dream come true.

"God, you are beautiful…" he murmured.

She rewarded him with a sweet kiss to his forehead.

"All silver and gold and shining… JJ, your wings are beautiful…" Hotch whispered.

She looked back at him with wide eyes. Silver? Gold? Wings? What the heck?

Now that she took a good look at him, his dark eyes had a glazed sort of look about them.

He looked past her suddenly. "Are your twin sisters angels, too? You should invite them down to skate with us?" His hand beckoned her 'twin sisters' forward. "Come on, I don't bite…"

For a moment, she had to laugh at the situation; it looked like she had actually given him that concussion, or at least, knocked him silly. She sighed, getting up off the ice; she mentally prepared herself for a night spent in the hospital emergency room.

"Come on, Aaron, time to go," she said cooingly, holding out a hand to him.

He took it. "Are your twin sisters coming, too? Can we go see Santa Claus?"

"Yes, Aaron, we're going to see Santa and his elves and they've got lots of presents for you…" she murmured as she hauled him to her feet.

It wasn't exactly the way she thought the date would end. But, as she put an arm around his body, bracing him, she knew that at the very least, she'd have an interesting story to tell their grandkids someday.

"I want a… a magic wand, and a Tonka Truck!" he continued to babble as she led the two of them off the ice. "JJ, do you think it's ok if I like Ron better than Harry? I don't want to hurt Harry's feelings… but Ron's my favorite…"

And that's it. And I have no clue where that ending came from. Lol. Hope you enjoyed it anyways.

Thanks for reading! Hope you'll let me know what you think!