Title: Untitled Garcia/Strauss
By: Daisyangel
Pairing: Garcia/Strauss
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Rating: PG-13
Summary: 2013 25 Days of Christmas story. Mistletoe, an ornament breaking, and exchanging gifts. Written for Pandorabox82, hope you enjoy!

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The sound of shattering glass caused Erin to quicken her steps as she ran for the living room of her girlfriend's apartment. She'd been in the bedroom putting her overnight bag away. She was spending the next few days at Penelope's for Christmas. Something she was looking forward to.

XXXX

"Are you okay, Penny? What happened, sweetheart?" Erin asked in concern as she entered the living room and saw Penelope picking up shards of glass.

"I accidentally dropped an ornament," the tech explained, her voice shaking slightly. Erin frowned when she heard the tears in her girlfriend's voice.

"Are you hurt?" she checked.

"No, I'm not," Penelope answered.

"Then why are you crying?"

"The ornament was one of my mother's. I came back to the house the Christmas after they died and asked my brothers if I could have them and they said yes." Erin' heart broke, Penelope had lost her parents in a car accident when she was 18, and she knew she clung to anything she had left of them.

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. I tell you what, why don't you go relax and I'll finish cleaning this up then I'll make us a couple of mugs of tea. How does that sound?" Erin asked as she made her way over to the other woman and placed a tender kiss on her lips.

"Sounds good to me," Garcia agreed as she turned and headed down the hall while Erin went to the kitchen to grab a broom to clean up the broken ornament.

XXXX

Having just finished making their mugs of tea, Erin went in search of her girlfriend. She found her in the doorway of her guest room staring out the window at the snow blanketing the ground.

"It's so beautiful," Erin murmured in her ear.

"Yes, but not half as beautiful," Penelope replied turning and flashing a bright smile at her girlfriend. Her smile grew when she looked up and saw what was above their heads.

"What's that smile all about?" the section chief wondered.

"Look up and you'll find out," Penelope instructed. Glancing up, Erin saw mistletoe hanging above the doorway.

"Well then, I believe there is a tradition that goes along with this, and I'm not one to break tradition," Erin said. Placing the mugs down on the table next to the bedroom door, she pulled the other woman in for a searing kiss. Penelope let herself melt into the other woman's welcoming embrace.

XXXX

She'd harbored a crush for the section chief for a very long time without telling her. The final straw had come when the replicator had nearly killed her. Penelope had snuck back to the hospital after everyone else had left and had told her about how she felt. Unbeknown to the tech, Erin had been awake and she had replied that she felt the same. And the rest as they say was history.

XXXX

Pulling back from the kiss when oxygen became necessary the duo rested their foreheads together and shared a soft smile.

"I love you, Penny," Erin breathed.

"I love you to, dear heart. What do you say we take our tea into the living room and find a Christmas movie to watch?" Garcia suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Erin agreed as she picked up one of the mugs, and Penelope picked up the other and hand-in-hand they made their way to the couch to enjoy a night of cuddling and movie watching.

XXXX

Christmas dawned clear and cold. Penelope smiled as she woke up to Erin's head on the pillow next to her and Erin's arm over her side holding her tightly against her. This was definitely her best Christmas ever," the tech mused as she let her hand run up and down Erin's side. Slowly she inched her hand up until she was covering one of Erin's ample breast. A wicked smile crossed her face as she began playing with it. A low moan escaped Erin's lips as she slowly began waking up.

"MMM, morning," she mumbled as her eyes opened.

"Good morning, darling. Merry Christmas," Penelope whispered as she pulled Erin into her arms fully and hugged her tightly.

"Merry Christmas to you to," Erin responded into Penelope's pajama top.

"What do you say we get up and exchange presents then I'll make breakfast," Penelope offered.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. What time are we meeting at Rossi's?" Erin wanted to know. Normally the team would have gone to visit their families, but the weather had made it difficult to get to the airport, so the team was spending Christmas together this year. At first the team wasn't sure about her and Erin, but after a bit, they got used to it and they were all happy for them now.

"We're supposed to be there around 12:00," Penelope responded with a yawn. Nodding, Erin pulled herself from bed and headed to get Penelope's present. She hoped the other woman would like it. Penelope reluctantly pulled herself from the blankets and went to get the present she'd gotten for Erin.

XXXX

They met on the couch each clutching a wrapped box.

"Here you open mine first," Penelope requested handing the brightly colored wrapped box to her girlfriend. Erin smiled as she undid the ribbon and began unwrapping the present. Lifting the lid, she noticed the gift was wrapped in tissue paper. Carefully she removed the tissue paper and gasped at what she saw. In the box was a mother angel holding a baby angel.

"Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?" Erin breathed.

"If you think I'm telling you that I'm ready to find a donor and have a baby with you then you'd be right," Penelope answered tears in her eyes. Tears filled Erin's eyes and she smiled as she pulled Penelope in for an excited kiss.

"This is the best present you could have ever given me. I know most people would say I'm too old to raise another child, but I want to. I just hope the kids are okay with it," she said worriedly as she bit her lip.

"They're fine with it. I talked to them, and they're excited at the idea of having a little brother or sister. I made an appointment after the first of the year to start looking at donor files," the tech informed.

"That's wonderful, sunshine. Now open your gift. I'm sorry to say it's not nearly as fantastic as yours, but I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I'll love it," Penelope argued as she reached for the present.

XXXX

A smile filled her face when she opened the box and saw a picture of Erin in a frame with the words will you marry me at the bottom of the frame with a beautiful ring attached. Tears filled her eyes and she gasped. Sliding off the couch, Erin took the ring and got down on one knee in front of Penelope.

"Now that it's legal for us to and the fraternization rules at the bureau have been done away with, will you marry me, Penelope Renee Garcia?" Erin asked with shaking hands. Unable to speak, Penelope just nodded.

"Yes, I will marry you!" she cried happily. Beaming brightly, Erin slid the ring on her left hand smiled at its perfect.

"I don't know what you're talking about this gift is just as fantastic as mine if not more so," Penelope declared.

"I love you so much, Erin Strauss and I can't wait to be your wife and the mother of your child," Penelope said as they shared a passionate. Definitely the best Christmas ever, she mused as she stared in awe at her beautiful engagement ring.

Finished!

A/n, hope you didn't choke on the fluff, make sure to brush so you don't get a cavity. lol

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