Rockin Around the [Christmas] Tree - ALL

[Derek Morgan]

OOC;; Krys, I know that you said for this to take place in Morgan's home - but I started thinking, and, well, I figured that his home would be too small for both the Counter Terrorism, BAU, and their kids, so I decided to hold it here (ball room). I hope that's alright.

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Derek Morgan was officially a genius.

Well, he was almost a genius - because, with the help of Penelope Garcia and Hayley Chezaneski, he'd managed to coordinate this. Okay, so, if he thought about it - it was quite possible that they were the real geniuses behind all of this. He was just the muscle, the one who set it all up phsyically. They'd coordinated.

But that hardly mattered.

Because, Counter Terror and the Behavioral Analysis Unit were both about to have their first annual join Christmas party, and that was a feat of massive proportions, if he did say so himself. The two teams had gone from barely being able to work together - the fiasco they'd had in New York City - to becoming something akin to a makeshift sort of family - if not a very dysfunctional one.

The emails had been sent and RSVPS had been made - or, most of them had been made - and Morgan was the first to arrive in the grand ball room he had managed to reserve for the party. It was easy to see that Garcia had decorated - it looked as if Santa had thrown up.

He leaned against the doorframe. In the background, music was already playing. The guests were scheduled to arrive in ... he turned to check his watch ... ten or so minutes, and if he listened over the music, he thought he could hear people entering already.

He turned to greet the first guest.

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ooc// sorry, i know it's short and it sucks, but it's only an intro.

[lily]

Lily was clutching onto her mother's hand as they walked up the snow covered street so that not to fall behind. She had always found it exhausting to walk in the snow. It was like taking two steps forward and sliding one back. Of course, this was only something she thought about when they had to go somewhere, when they were in the park playing this was never an issue.

They had been invited to a Christmas party at Lily's father's old work and Lily had looked forward to this the whole day. She had showed her excitment to her mother by talking non stop about it, how she thought it was going to be and which people who would be there.

Letting go of her mother's hand Lily stopping for a few seconds to smoothen down her red coat she was wearing over a red and green checked dress that reached her to her knees. Before they had left home Claire, Lily's mother had helped Lily with the red ribbon bow that she was wearing in her hair now.
"Mommy, are we there yet?" Lily asked for the twentieth time in ten minutes and ran the few feets up to her mother to close the gap that had appeard while Lily had taken her 2 seconds break.

[Matthew Grimaldi]

Matt had no idea what had driven him to attend a Christmas party, especially one where you had to dress up. He wasn't the sort of guy to attend these kinds of events. He was a rugged, country man through and through even under a suit and tie which he was wearing now, though it was hidden under a coat and his ears (which were turning an adorable shade of pink at the tops) under a dark blue beanie hat. Tess, his little sister, had warned him to wear a scarf as she thought it might get nippy, and by all accounts she was right but because Matthew was stubborn he wore everything but a scarf. He would not allow the tables to be turned amongst guardian and sister, not so easily.

His large hands shoved into his coat pockets he let out an exhaling breath in preparation and watched the mist come from his mouth and cling in the crisp air. Memories of him and his friends back home when they were kids pretending to smoke imaginary cigarettes flooded back but then, with a chuckle, were quickly brushed aside. Memories had no part of him anymore. The past was the past for a reason and he had to stick to the stereotype of being a curmudgeonly old man. He had to do his part.

That's when he saw them. Claire and little Lily. He knew both of them through work and the unfortunate death of Claire's husband. Since then they had become relatively close, which tended to happen with Matthew and women/children because of his protective nature and his need to look out for someone. The left corner of his lips turned into a bit of a smile before he finally dared to take a few steps right through the snow, his destination sure he approached the two.

"Evening Claire." His eyes moved from the pretty blonde down to her little daughter and they practically sparkled. "And who is this rown up young lady?" He teased lightly, as Matt had a softness for children which surprised some, and with a smug little smile he turned his attention back to Claire. "Glad to see someone I know here, I thought for a moment I'd be on my own." Though last he heard Krys was attending as well which was part of the reason he came. He heard through the grapevine that Krys was fostering a young child Matt (ironically enough) during her time off. If anyone would know if there was truth to this it would be Claire (as she'd be working with the little boy), and she might even tell him the details without him having to ask.

In quiet as he waited her response he withdrew his hand from his coat pocket and adjusted the ribbon in Lily's hair with gentleness that some would have thought beyond him.

[Claire Burton]

Claire held her daughters hand tightly in hers. The snow had at least stopped falling, but it there was still a fair amount on the ground which made it hard for the two to walk. Her other hand rested on her belly, which had grown a lot in the past few months. She was getting close to her due date, with in the next few days actually. Her second daughter was going to have a birth day very close to Christmas, some people even said that the new baby would probably be born on Christmas day. The large belly was making it even harder for Claire to make it through the snow. They weren't that far from the ball room, though. (They had to park down the street because they were no parking spaces near the front of the building.) "Yes dear." Claire answered Lily's question. "You can actually see it, isn't that building right there." She pointed at the brightly lit place a few meter infront of them.

Claire didn't even seem to mind when Lily let go of her hand to fix her coat. She did however look over her shoulder to watch the young girl. A few months before, just after the abduction, Claire wouldn't have let Lily go. It had taken some time for both of them to fell safe again, and the Mother still wasn't completely safe talking her daughter into public, especially at night. But then they were going to a gathering of FBI agents, so Claire figured they would be safe here.

Claire's pace slowed when she heard the voice behind her. She looked to see Matthew, a man that had been a very good friend to her over the past few years, ever since her husband Charlie died. "Hey Matt." She returned the greeting as she entered the large ball room, glad to finally be out of the cold. Claire knew that the agent would like to know what Matthew, the little boy that Krys was taking care of, and that she was consoling. He was indeed an interesting soul, and it pained her to know what he had gone through, even if he didn't really talk about it. And who blamed him. But she could tell he had been through more than anyone could imagine, and on a boy as young as he was. But she wasn't going to talk about that, not while Lily could hear. The girl might have been young but she was really smart and knew what you were saying, and after what she had gone through Claire didn't want her to know bad things like his story.

Claire's eyes looked around the fancy ball room, the decorations were amazing. "I'm glad you decided to come too. At least you work with some of these people." She replied. In truth she did know many of the CT agents, and even the BAU. The CT from Charlie, and the BAU from some of the children she worked with. And, though she would like to forget about it, from when Lily was kidnapped and she hung out in the BAU office breathing down the agent's necks to find her daughter. Luckily she didn't have to wait all that long. Tonight was about something more, though. Being happy and celebrating one of Lily's favorite holidays.

[Kate Saunders]

Christmas time wasn't the happiest time of the year of Kate Saunders. Not that there was ever a really easy day for her. Her life was ruled by the bad memories of the lose of her family. But around Christmas time, like on September eleventh, those memories were even more. Kate would look back all those years ago to when her family would set up the Christmas tree and putting lights on there large mission like house. Memories to most people would be happy and keep the spirit of the holidays alive. But not for Kate. It only brought about more pain. She hated remembering any of her only life. Anything when she was Kathlen, not Kate. It wasn't that she didn't want to be happy, no, she longed to find happiness some day. (Which she figured would most likely could when she finally found death.) But when she saw how happy her family was, how care free she used to be it hurt because she knew the future that awaited them. The painful death that came to them. One that the youngest daughter couldn't stop. She hated that she could have ever been happy when it turned out she would betray them.

This being said Kate had never celebrated Christmas in the eight years since. Her Aunt and Uncle whom she lived with the years following did. Yet she never participated. She wouldn't help decorate the house, didn't ask for presents. Didn't give anyone anything, and never got anything. Not even the first year she was there did her Uncle give his only living niece something. No. He never cared for his sister, Kate's mom, and thus didn't care for her. Not that they neglected her, if anything she neglected herself. She was happier that way, though. Kate was able to push Christmas from her mind. Every year their after her guardians would go to her Aunts parents house (Technically Kate's grandparents yet with no blood relation.) and leave Kate at home. Even after moving to college Kate didn't deal with the holidays. And that was what she was planing to do this year.

That plan was ruined when the BAU decided to have a BAU CT combined Christmas party. Kate had originally planed on skipping it. Maybe by just not going, or maybe by volunteering to go undercover a day or two before and staying under until the party was done. But of course Matt nor Jack would give her an assignment. She figured they were trying to force her to the party. And her second option was gone when Hayley came to her and promised that she would go if Kate went. Of course Kate could have agreed and still not went, but she wasn't about to hurt the woman that had already been hurt so much in life like that. Even if you should have knew to never trust the word of Kate Saunders.

So here she was standing in the ball room surrounded by an annoying amount of decorations. She had been able to sneak past Matt, Claire, and Lily out side, using her ever so amazing sneaking skills to enter the room. Then she had found herself a corner somewhere she hoped she was hidden by some decoration where she planed to hid until Chez got there and she could make her appearance before disappearing again. She wasn't really the most fancily dressed person, for the dress code. She was wearing black jeans, that might have looked like dress pants for a far, and a navy blue dressy top that she wore while undercover when she was suppose to be sexy. Her hair was pulled into a pony tail. Yet some how she still seemed to look pretty good. The think to be noted most, though, was she wasn't wearing anything close to Christmas colors.

[lily]

Lily's eyes sparkled as she smiled up at Matt. It had been a long time since she last saw him but she still remembered him. Aside from Matt and the other guys at the FBI Lily hardly spoke to any man. Though, this was only a phase she was going through, it would soon pass.

"It's me. Lily!" Lily giggled and got closer to her mother in a shy-but-still-happy-to-see-you kind of way. "Are you going to the party too, Mr. Germaldi?"

When they finally had gotten inside the very beautifully decorated ballroom, Lily started to unbutton her new,red coat while listening to Matthew and her mother talk to each other. Why did grown-ups had to talk so much anyway? Lily wondered but didn't say out loud.
Her blue eyes skimmed through the room. Fake snow, lights in all of the rainbows colours, green thingys with lights in them, santas, there was a lot of things in there and Lily thought it looked beautiful. She loved Christmas, partly because of all of the lights but mostly because of all the presents!

"Momma, is Krys comming too?" Lily asked with a bright face, but didn't wait for an answer before running over to Agent Morgan which she had spotted not too far away, yet hadn't greeted. Even though she liked Matt and would have liked talking to him some more, she figured it was best to let her mother and Matthew be alone to talk grown-up stuff.
"Agent Morgan!" She called out. Last time she had seen him he had showed her around where they work, and she had pretended she was a real police officer too.

[Krys Robin]

Matt gave a little chuckle at Claire's comment and shook his head, his bright dark eyes looking back to Lily who was giggling, something that brought joy to his heart. Matt had a fondness for women and children, a protectiveness and a father like nature that always was kicked into overdrive whenever he was around them which was a surprise to those who knew the hardened FBI agent much like the surprise of him being a fairly talented singer and musician. He was a man of many odd little talents.

"Work with them yes. Consider myself a friend, rarely." He noted with a slight nod of his head. It was true though Matt was one of the best at his job and very comforting to anyone he helped with coworkers it was much different. It was almost like he had split personalities split between business and pleasure.

Matt's arms moved to cross over his chest in playful skepticness. "Lily?" He tisked playfully. "My, my how you've grown. So lady like!" He exlaimed and his breath clung to the crisp cold air in a fog, lofting above him and disappearing into the higher heavens.

He gave the little girl a nod. "Yes I am, after you two ladies of course." He offered, allowing the two to progress in front of him and then Matthew too snuck into the ballroom, his shoulders slightly slunked, as if hiding. He wasn't much of one for parties. As his face became adjusted to the warmth the ballroom provided he took in all of the sights. Flashing lights, tree decorations: green, silvers, reds, blues, and golds. It was actually quite lovely though Matt would never say so.

He watched Lily scamper off rather fondly and after taking a slow inhaling breath reached into his pocket fishing out a small red wrapped box and handed it to Claire. "For Lily. You can give it to her later won't you?"

It was a few moments later that Krys entered. She wore a modest black dress with matching jewelry, her brown hair actually out of pigtails and hung down to her shoulders in layers. Black leggings hid the paleness of her legs. The only thing that was token Krys were the colored wristbands that hid her scars. Probably a good thing too. It was Christmas afterall.

Her and Spencer were yet to have their 'date' though she wondered if this counted. Except, she wasn't alone. At her side was little Matty, a boy she had managed to foster (with help from Agent Morgan to manipulate the system) until they could find a better placement for him. The bottom line was: Krys was getting attached. To add onto it, it also seemed like Spencer enjoyed the little boy's company as well.

"Matty.. You can come in if you like." She beckoned to the door, holding out her hand for the little boy to take. She was very understanding, some would say like an angel, and she bent over a bit, still in the doorway. She would be patient. Matt was getting used to being in crowds, being taken care of, and this whole Christmas things. They'd be exchanging gifts Christmas morning: her, Spencer, and Matt. Hopefully it'd go well. "I promise that it's okay."