ONE OF THE PERKS OF BEING A WORKAHOLIC WAS THE SHEER AMOUNT OF VACATION DAYS BOTH KATHARINE AND SPENCER HAD BUILT UP. Over the past two years, Katharine had managed to procure an entire week of vacation days. On the other hand, Spencer had months built up due to almost never taking a personal day over the past ten years.

Time really did fly by when all a person did was work. Even before the FBI, SHIELD really was the entirety of Katharine's life. All she really knew since the age of twenty-one was field missions and tracking down the bad guys.

Just yesterday she had been working on a case beside the rest of her team. They'd been tracking down a homicidal boxer in Philadelphia who's initial motive for killing was financial gain. It was hard on the entire team when they eventually found the guy, allowing him those last moments with his son before the younger boy's passing.

After seeing that, Katharine decided that it was a good time for her and Spencer to take some time off. That, coupled with the approaching holidays, made it easy for Hotch to agree to sign off on their vacation request forms.

Katharine rolled over to Spencer's side of the bed, laying on her stomach as she watched him emerge from their bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist. She watched as he made his way into their closet, flicking the light on before disappearing behind the wall.

"You should get ready," he called out to her. She just groaned and pulled the blanket further up her barely-clothed body. Her outfit, if you could even consider it that, consisted of a pair of black panties as well as one of Spencer's shirts that just brushed the tops of her thighs when she was standing.

Katharine buried herself deeper into the bed. "Why do we have to get up so early? I'm pretty sure the jet won't leave without us. After all, I am the pilot."

Spencer came out of the closet, the towel that was once around his waist now slung over his shoulders. She watched him as he hung the towel on the hook they had inside the bathroom and lazily made her way into a sitting position when he came back out.

"We promised my mom that we'd be there before noon, remember?" He gave her a pointed look. "And it's already twelve here. It'll be eleven when we arrive."

Katharine looked over at the clock on the bedside table. "It's eleven-thirty, Spencer. I can get us there in less than two hours."

Nevertheless, she climbed out of bed and stretched before passing him to get into the shower. She spent roughly thirty minutes under the hot water, working at the stubborn knots in her hair. She then spent another twenty (or so) brushing her teeth and doing her hair so that it wouldn't become a giant mess of puff during the day.

Once she had finished, she made her way into the closet and got dressed, checking herself over in the body length mirror before heading into the kitchen. Katharine came up behind Spencer, who was standing over the stove, and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his back.

"I'm sorry," she apologized against his back. "I know you're anxious to see your mom again and I really wasn't helping with that."

She felt his shoulders relax as he sighed, setting the spatula down and turning the stove off. He turned around in Katharine's arms, returning her hug. He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, resting his cheek against her hair.

"It's fine," he said, making them sway back and forth slightly. "You were right. You'd get us there in an hour and thirty-two minutes if you wanted to."

Katharine smirked against his chest. "I promise I'll get us there before noon. Plus, we don't have to go through security or anything."

She pulled her head away slightly, tilting her head upward so that she could kiss him properly. He kissed her back, backing her into the kitchen island and helping her hop up onto the counter.

Katharine hummed in satisfaction, pulling away from Spencer as he continued to kiss a trail down her neck. He unbuttoned the first two buttons, pressing kisses to the skin there before pulling away.

"I thought we had a plane to catch?" Katharine teased, threading her fingers through his hair.

"'I can resist anything except temptation,'" was his quoted reply, kissing her sweetly. She giggled, recognizing the line from Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan.

She stayed on the island as Spencer turned away from her to plate the breakfast he had made. Katharine accepted his peace offering, feeding him a blueberry off the end of her fork as he stood in between her legs. His plate was off to the right side of her while her's was placed on the left. The two of them enjoyed their breakfast, which consisted of two pancakes each and an entire assortment of fruit.

Once they finished breakfast, Katharine volunteered to clean the dishes while Spencer loaded their luggage into the car.

She set the last dish on the drying rack before wiping her hands on the towel hanging over the oven handle, making sure everything was off before exiting the kitchen. She made sure to shut all their lights off and turn on the alarm system before closing the front door and locking it.

Katharine climbed into the passenger seat while Spencer took up the drivers' seat. She glanced at the car's clock, which read twelve-thirty pm in bright white. They'd arrive in Las Vegas with an hour or so to spare.

"You got everything?" Spencer asked, checking his mirrors before buckling up. She glanced into their backseat, going through a mental list and double-checking that she did indeed have everything.

"Yeah," she replied, turning back so she was facing forward. "Everything's here."

"Good," Spencer said, checking his mirrors one last time before setting the car in reverse. "Because once we get to the airport, we are not coming back until next week."

Katharine grinned, watching as he pulled out into the street and set the car in drive, pulling away from their home. One whole week of uninterrupted vacation time. She couldn't wait.

AS IT TURNS OUT, time slips out of a person's hand just as fast as it does when they're working twenty-four seven. For the past three days, Katharine and Spencer had been bouncing around from casino to casino with the promise of Spencer only being there to watch and not play.

Of course, that didn't apply to him whispering into Katharine's ear and telling her what to do. Soon enough, Katharine was blacklisted from just as many casinos as Spencer was.

But for each hour they spent in a casino, another was spent with Diana Reid. The woman, though known for her hatred of flying, insisted that Spencer and Katharine hold a ceremony and fly her out.

It felt good that Diana approved of their marriage even though she had been the one to give Katharine her blessing, it was nice that Spencer's mom told her again.

On their third and final day in Las Vegas, Diana took Katharine aside once again and told her to take care of her boy.

"He likes to pretend he can take care of everything by himself," she said, looking off to where her son had gone off to. "But even the strongest of us need help sometimes."

Katharine hugged Diana before she left, promising that she would look after her son. With another promise to visit again soon--with grandbabies, Diana hoped--they left Spencer's hometown and hopped back on the plane. With four days of their vacation left, they were off to Chicago to spend Christmas with the Morgans.

She sensed Spencer's anxiety all the way from the cockpit and when they finally leveled out, Katharine called her husband up to where she was sitting.

"What's got you all jittery?" she asked, flipping the autopilot switch on. She turned in her seat, leaning against the back of it as Spencer leaned against the wall without any buttons or switches.

"I don't know," Spencer said, shrugging. "The last time we had Christmas with your mom, we got called away on a case and had to leave mid-Christmas dinner."

"Derek and I had to leave, too," she reminded him. "It wasn't just you. And besides, you can't control when we get called in. It also doesn't hurt that my mom loves you. She kept asking when I was going to bring you back around and practically screamed in joy when I told her I was bringing you back around for Christmas."

"Really?" Spencer quirked an eyebrow, not quite believing the words Katharine was saying.

She nodded. "Yes, really. She thinks you're a good influence on me."

"That's because I am," Spencer smirked. Katharine stuck her middle finger up at him, causing him to laugh and retreat into the back of the jump jet. They had a little less than thirty minutes of flight time left, the modifications Tony did on the aircraft allowing them to travel upwards of fifteen-hundred miles per hour.

Forty-five minutes later and they were landing on the private airstrip. Katharine moved the jump jet into a hanger they rented out for the next four days before lowering the ramp allowing people to come aboard and help them with their luggage.

Once they were fully situated within an SUV that had been provided for them, Katharine finally relaxed. While she loved flying, she had to admit that it was a stressful hobby to have. Not to mention expensive. Jet fuel was not getting any cheaper.

Spencer drove them to the hotel from there. Despite her Aunt Fran's offer to house them during their vacation, Katharine was sure that having Derek and her own mom were more than enough people. They would have stayed at Katharine's childhood home if it weren't for the fact that her mother was having her entire home renovated.

They didn't spend much time at the hotel, only dropping their things off before getting back into the car and driving off toward her Aunt Fran's house. To say that it's been forever since she'd last been in her aunt's house was an understatement. The last time was when she was twenty, merely five days before she was approached by Phil Coulson and asked to join SHIELD.

Spencer pulled up in front of the house behind Sarah's car, shifting the SUV into park before looking over at his wife.

"Do you think Derek beat us here?" Katharine asked nervously, rubbing her palms onto her jeans. Despite having just told Spencer he had nothing to worry about, she was anxious about seeing her family again after a year of minimal contact. Especially since the last time they had seen each other, Spencer and her had just started dating.

"Most likely," Spencer said, licking his lips. "Considering his flight landed three hours before we flew in."

Katharine took in a deep breath. She'd faced down an organization of Nazis before with zero anxiety. She'd even stared Death in the face--Literally. This... this was nothing.

She stepped out of the car, one foot at a time. She waited on the curb for Spencer to join her, lacing her arm through his, before taking another step toward the house.

Before she knew it, Spencer was leaning forward to knock on the door.

She heard the faint sound of her cousin, Desiree, call out, "I got it!" before the front door swung open. Katharine plastered a wide smile onto her face, separating herself from Spencer to throw her arms around her cousin. All her anxieties melted away as soon as Desiree returned her hug with the same amount of enthusiasm, squeezing her tightly and welcoming her back home.

"And you," Desiree said, pointing at Spencer and pulling away from Katharine. She pulled him in for a hug without another word, Spencer stiffening for a moment at the sudden human contact before relaxing and returning the hug. "Don't think I forgot about you, Spencer Reid."

Desiree pulled away from him before inviting the two of them in, pulling them away from the cold. She let them kick off their shoes and drop their coats off by the front door before dragging Katharine into the kitchen by the arm.

"Mom," she said, setting Katharine up in the middle of the hallway. "Look who decided to finally pay us another visit!"

Aunt Fran put down her cooking utensil before turning around, her face lighting up upon seeing her niece.

"Katharine!" she greeted, coming around the small table and pulling her into her arms. "Oh, we missed you."

"I didn't even get that good of a welcome back when I got here," she heard her cousin joke. Katharine turned her head to see Derek standing by the couch in the living room. Spencer was standing next to him with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"Well it's obviously because Aunt Fran missed me more," she teased, sticking out her tongue. She pulled away from her aunt. "Where's Sarah and my mom?"

"Sarah brought Aunt Grace to the shop for some last-minute ingredients," Desiree filled her in, already setting up the table. "They left a bit before you arrived, took your mom's car."

Katharine nodded, making her way over to the stove to see what her aunt was making. She opened the drawer next to them and pulled out a fork, trying to sneak a bit of food without her aunt catching her.

Unfortunately, all the spy training in the world wouldn't have been able to help her get past her aunt. Not even a moment later, Katharine was snatching her arm back when Aunt Fran slapped her with the spatula.

"C'mon," Katharine complained, dropping the fork into the sink. "I haven't had your cooking in so long, Aunt Fran."

"Well, who's fault is that's?" her aunt sassed before shooing her out of the kitchen. Katharine begrudgingly headed into the living room where she found Desiree teaching Spencer how to do cornrows on one of her wigs.

She plopped down onto the couch next to Derek.

"Aunt Fran kick you out of the kitchen?" Derek asked, passing her an unopened beer. The bottle opener came next, Katharine pulling the cap off easily before setting it on the end table.

"Yes," Katharine frowned, taking a sip of her beer. "Why's Desiree teaching Spencer how to do cornrows?"

Derek shrugged. "Something about you guys having kids but I already told her that won't be happening. Reid knows I'd kick his ass if that happened."

"Derek we're married," Katharine reminded her overprotective cousin, laughing as he shrugged again.

"The day Reid knocks you up is the day I die," he joked, throwing an arm over her shoulders. "But really. No babies yet. You're too young to be having kids."

"I'm thirty," Katharine deadpanned. "I'm getting closer to the, 'It's now or never' age."

"But you're not there yet," her cousin pointed out, a stupid grin plastered on his face. "If you did have kids with the boy genius just know that that baby is going to be spoiled."

Katharine laughed. "I know. I already see how Garcia spoils Henry."

They didn't touch the subject of children for the rest of the evening, instead, watching Spencer learn how to do hair while Desiree coached him through the entire head of hair. Katharine even rewarded him with a kiss once he'd finished the entire head, praising his handiwork as Sarah and her mom walked in through the door.

"I missed you so much," Katharine said into her mother's shoulder, hugging her tighter. "I'm never staying away for this long again."

"I missed you too, baby," her mom said, pulling away so she could look at her. "What have they been feeding you over at the FBI? You've gotten thinner since the last time I've seen you."

Katharine rolled her eyes good-naturedly, stepping out of her mother's embrace. "I'm eating fine, mom. Just been working out a bit more."

Grace Morgan gave her daughter a pointed look. Katharine laughed and promised to start eating more.

"Now where's that husband of yours?" her mom asked, pushing past Katharine to move further into the house. Katharine closed the door behind her mother, grinning as she moved to rejoin the small family. She reentered the living room to see Spencer hugging her mom, a grin on his face as she checked him over as well.

She leaned against the opening in the wall, thinking about how wonderful it was that her family accepted Spencer and her marriage. It wasn't necessarily unconventional by her mother's standards, only having dated her father for three months before sealing the deal.

If Grace Morgan had it her way, Katharine was sure she and Spencer would have been married within the first month of dating. No questions asked, just a promise of grandchildren and a happy future.

Katharine leaned her head against the wall as Spencer showed her mom the wig he had successfully done up. He was practically glowing with the amount of praise the woman was giving him. She sighed in content, the smile never leaving her face.

That was the man she was going to have children and grow old with. She was sure of it.

IT WAS AFTER DINNER WHEN SARAH APPROACHED HER, saying that there was a white man standing outside asking for her. Immediately Katharine assumed the worst, hand darting for the gun on her hip that wasn't there. She then reached for the small knife she had managed to hide in her sleeve, assuring herself that she wouldn't be completely defenseless.

She thanked her cousin, telling her not to worry about it before slipping on her shoes and pulling her coat on. She stepped out of the house, locking the door behind her.

"I didn't think you'd actually come out of the house," a voice said from behind her. Katharine whirled around, hand on her knife, ready to fight.

"Woah," the man said, holding his hands up. He stepped out of the shadows and into the light, revealing himself to be Tony Stark. She relaxed, dropping her hands down by her side.

"Why are you here, Tony?" she asked, combing her hair back. "I'm on vacation."

"I know that," he said, pulling out a box. "I just came to drop off your Christmas present."

Katharine furrowed her brow in confusion. She accepted the box anyways, flipping it over to examine the wrapping.

"Did you get Pepper to wrap this for you?" she asked, observing the meticulously neat wrapping. She flipped the box back over, holding it in both hands.

Tony looked offended. "Excuse me but I was the one to wrap it. I can't believe you'd think that I needed Pepper to wrap a box for me..."

He trailed off as Katharine gave him a pointed look.

"Okay, yeah. Pepper wrapped it," he admitted. "But everything else was me. I swear."

She looked down at the box, debating whether or not she should shake it. She decided against shaking the box, not knowing what Tony had decided to give her.

"Well thank you for the gift, Tony," she said, looking back up at her friend. He looked at her expectantly, eying the box. "Did you want me to open it right now?"

"Please do," he said. "There's a bit of explaining I've got to do before I can leave."

Katharine looked at him. If this was anything dangerous, she'd beat his ass. It wouldn't matter that he gave her a paycheque anymore. He'd be six feet under before he could even think about calling for one of his suits.

Hesitantly, she pulled off the bow before sticking it on the front of her jacket. She unwrapped the box before taking off the top, revealing two thin metal bands with blue solar panels on each of them.

She picked them up to observe them further.

"Put them on," Tony urged her. Katharine stuffed the wrapping paper and box into one of her pockets, slipping the cuffs onto her wrists.

"Now tap them together twice."

She did as told, tapping the back of her wrists together before holding her hands out in surprise, watching as metal emerged from the thin bands. The metal created two fingerless gloves, powering up before revealing the glowing blue in the middle of her palms.

"Are these...?" she trailed off. She flexed one of her palms outward at an empty soda can on the curb, eyes widening as a burst of energy shot out from them. She looked back up at Tony in disbelief. "You made me blasters?"

Tony shrugged, explaining the solar-powered capabilities of the weapons before telling her to repeat the activation motions to deactivate them. Katharine watching in awe as the metal retracted back into the metal bands.

"Thank you, Tony," she thanked him. She threw her arms over his shoulders, capturing him in a hug.

He chuckled, hugging her back. "It's no problem, really. Made it out of some scrap metal from one of my old suits."

"This is gonna make my gift look lame," she jokingly complained, pulling back from the hero. Tony waved her off, telling her that it was fine.

"Merry Christmas, Songbird," he said, patting her shoulder.

Katharine grinned widely. "Merry Christmas, Tony."