"I was much too far out all my life / And not waving but drowning" Stevie Smith

He had come there to escape. The gaudy neon lights were exactly the type of thing that would put the team off after a tough case, and this had been one of the roughest. He hadn't wanted to go out with them, had wanted to be alone on this night of all nights. He approached the bar and pulled out five hundred dollar bills. "Whiskey sour, neat, and keep them coming until I'm drunk or the first three hundred is gone, whichever comes first. The rest is yours," he said wearily.

The bartender pocketed the money and poured out the first drink. Aaron downed it like it was water, and set the glass back on the bar. Wordlessly, his drink was refilled and he sipped at it slowly. He groaned slightly as the song switched to one that he was very familiar with, unfortunately. Penelope had let Jack listen to her iPod the last time she had babysat for him, and it had quickly become his favorite song for some unknown reason, and as a result, Hotch heard it at least twice a day.

"Sorry. It's our favorite girl's favorite song. And it does have a good dance beat, which is perfect for a club."

"Favorite girl?"

"Turn around and you'll see her out there on the dance floor, in the middle of all the action."

Hotch did so, and found his gaze drawn to the bundle of blonde energy in the center of the floor, grinding her hips in time to the music. She lifted her face and he gasped in recognition. "Garcia," he whispered under his breath as their eyes met. She blushed, but didn't break the connection until after the song was over.

As the last strains of 'Telephone' faded into a new song, Hotch watched as she walked towards him, her hips swinging in time to the beat. He gulped down the rest of his drink and set the glass behind him for another.

"Hey, Boss Man, I didn't realize you all were back yet."

"Wheels touched down just a little bit ago. I'm sure Morgan will be calling you soon." He turned back to the bar and picked up his full glass, taking a sip. "So, back to blonde this week?"

"It was time for a change again. Did everything end well?" she asked, taking a seat on the stool next to him.

"No. We didn't get to the last victim in time. Dammit, I should have…" His voice trailed off and he stared into his glass. The case had been difficult, reminding him too much of the recent past. He'd wanted nothing more than to solve the case and come home.

As if she sensed his mood, she asked softly, "Is Jackers with Jessica, then?"

"Yes. It's so late, I didn't want to wake him up and bring him home." He looked at her empty hands and motioned to the bartender. "Add whatever she's having on to my tab."

The bartender returned with moments later with a very pink drink that suited Garcia to a 't'. She took a sip and smiled at him. The hours passed swiftly as the talked about inane things and drank. He had managed to make her laugh at one point and again, their eyes locked. Leaning forward, hardly aware of what he was doing, he kissed her softly.

She broke the kiss and grabbed his hand. "You don't have to be alone tonight, Sir," she said a bit breathlessly, her face flushed.

"Gar – Penelope, are you sure?" She nodded slightly and he squeezed her hand lightly. "Call me Aaron, then."

"All right, Aaron."

They got off their stools and as they moved to the door, he wrapped an arm around her waisr, pulling her closer to him. Penelope snuggled into his side, sighing lightly. Quickly, he hailed a cab and told the driver his address. A heavy silence filled the taxi as they drove through the night, though Penelope never let go of his hand. She absently stroked her thumb over the back of his hand, and he relished the small touches.

Finally, they were in front of his home and he hastily paid the taxi driver with a fifty. "Hey, keep the change," he said when the driver protested the amount. Eagerly, and yet apprehensively, he led Penelope up the short walk to his front door. He fumbled with his keys and she steadied his hand as he unlocked the door. He chuckled to himself – here he was, a grown man, and yet tongue-tied like a school boy. Opening the door, he led her inside, closing the door behind them.

Hotch didn't bother with the lights, instead bending to kiss her upturned face, his hands digging into her hair, pulling her closer to him. She moaned lowly and the sound of her sent shivers down his spine. His fingers left her hair to fumble with her clothes, pushing the light cardigan off her shoulders, unzipping her dress.

Penelope followed suit, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt before removing both from his body. As she shrugged out of her dress, she tugged his t-shirt from his pants, pulling it over his head. He pulled her close for another kiss, his hands making quick work of her bra clasp and he pulled the garment off her, relishing the feel of her soft breasts against his chest. Panting, he rested his forehead against hers. "Follow me," he whispered, taking hold of her hand once more.

"Anywhere, Aaron," he heard her softly reply as he led her up the stairs to his bedroom to finish what he had begun.

The next morning, he awoke to the sun shining in his window. He sat and stretched, smiling down at the figure still sleeping in his bed. She was quite lovely in the soft sunlight that fell on her. Bending, he placed a feather light kiss on her shoulder, and she stirred slightly, turning to wrap her arms around him. Looking over at the clock, he saw just why the sun was shining in his window.

"Pen, wake up," he said urgently as he gently shook her.

Slowly, her eyes blinked open, staring at him quizzically. "Boss Man, what are you, oh, oh dear," she stammered, pulling up the sheets to cover her chest, a bright blush staining her skin.

"Garcia, we're going to be later to work than we already are if you don't calm down a bit. My shower is just through the door next to this one. I'll use the guest bathroom today." He stood and walked over to his closet to pull out clothes for the day. When he turned back, he noticed she had not moved, though her hands had let go of the sheet to cover her face. Then he took in the slightly shaking shoulders and realized she was crying. She never cried when she could help it, and he moved back to her side, taking a seat on the bed and drawing her close to him. "What's wrong?"

She sniffled and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Sir. It's just – I'm sorry," she said softly.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. Now, you need to get ready for work, same as I. Fifteen minutes, and I want you downstairs."

"Yes, Aaron."

He got up once more and took a quick shower, then dressed. Passing by his bedroom, he could hear the water still running. He couldn't get that image out of his head once it popped up. Penelope, in the shower, the water running down her body. Breathing deeply, he went downstairs and put his shoes on, then waited for her to appear.

Her face was bare of the usual makeup, making her look younger than she was, and she'd braided her hair into pigtails. "Aaron, don't you think it will look odd if we show up late together?"

"No, you'll go in first, and I'll follow a minute or two later. Let's get going." He opened the door to the garage and she went in and climbed in his car. He popped open the garage door, then joined her, backing the car down the drive and on to the road.

The drive was silent, and when he went to turn the radio on, knowing Garcia liked to listen to music, she stopped him, "Just let me savor this moment before I have to transfer out of the BAU." He glanced over at her, but she was staring out the window, watching the scenery pass by.

"I won't make you transfer, Penny. Morgan wouldn't let me." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her flinch, but she gave no indication as to what she was reacting to. They finally arrived at the office and Hotch parked in his spot. Garcia immediately got out and then squared her shoulders, putting on a smile. Soon, she was out of his line of sight and he got out of the car, locking it and then walking into the building. After passing through the metal detector, he made his way up to the BAU offices.

He'd just stepped inside the bull pen when JJ approached him. "We have a new case, Hotch. Can you get Garcia and meet us in the ready room? Morgan and I tried to get her attention, but she seemed not to notice us. Did anything happen to her while we were gone?"

Hotch slowly shook his head. "Not that I know of. I'll go see what's up and we'll be there in a few moments." JJ nodded and picked up the file from her desk before joining the rest of the team in the ready room. He went to Garcia's office and knocked on the door. When the door didn't open right away, he let himself in. "Garcia, we have a new – what are you doing?"

"Emergency makeup for the hickey you gave me last night. Morgan took one look at my neck and then stalked off." She finished applying concealer and pulled out a tube of her signature red lipstick.

"Don't," he said before he thought about what he was doing.

"Don't what?"

"Put that on today. You're beautiful as you are, there's no need for the armor this morning."

She looked at him as if he had grown a second head for a moment before slipping the lipstick back in the top drawer of her desk, smiling softly. "So, what's this case about?"

"JJ wouldn't say. Come on, before they come looking for us." He opened the door for her and then placed a warm hand on the small of her back, guiding her to the ready room.

"So, what do we have here?" he asked as Garcia took a seat between Morgan and Reid. JJ began to fill them in on the case and he switched into agent mode, listening intently.