A/N: Hello! This is my response to the Fanfic Challenge Round 3 – Dealer's Choice Challenge on Chit Chat on Author's Corner.

Assigned Pairing: Hotch/Garcia

Prompts: framed picture of Reid, peanut butter M&M's and pinball machine.

Thanks to 'Muscilover14' for the read-through and for being such an amazing friend!

A special thanks to 'ilovetvalot' & 'tonnie2001969' for giving us the opportunity to participate.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from this show or its characters.

Of M&M's and Night Talks

The lights that illuminated the bar were of a brownish-grey shade; the hue resembling the effect of aging in old photographs causing it to seem as if it had been drawn in sepia. The piano music- a low hum hanging on the air as if the notes were carried by a soft breeze around him.

The bar was packed that night –which was to be expected for a Friday- and it was the main reason why SSA Hotchner decided to stay at the table - instead of joining his team at the pinball machine where all of them seemed to be having the time of their lives.

Aaron Hotchner had never been a fanatic of pool –let alone attempting to play against a machine. He and Reid seemed to be the only ones of the team who had never practiced the cue sport before. However, the young genius was not as lucky as to stay behind at the table, since Garcia made her mission in life to drag him to the pinball machine and show him how to play.

"You know what kiddo, being cute and smart is not everything in life" said the exuberant woman at the moment she was dragging him towards the machine. Reid's face was tainted with a crimson-red shade causing the laughs of the rest of the team- who went right behind them knowing that the spectacle that they were about to witness was not seen everyday.

As always, Hotch stayed behind, looking as his team enjoyed of a pleasant evening after a week of exhausting work. Although it was true that a bar is not the best place to chat, it is also true that when you're among friends- and family- the place where you are is not as important as it is the people by which you are surrounded. And this was something Aaron Hotcher was perfectly aware of.

Taking a sip of his Scotch- and letting the liquid burn his throat- Hotch thought about the job and his role as the leader of one of the BAU's finest teams. No case in which they had work was simple, but lately, everything seemed to be much more complicated. Whether it was as a result of working with profilers the entire time or if the cases were becoming more gruesome because of the confused society we all live in, he will never know for certain.

He glanced up and looked at the opposite side to where he was seated- where his friends were playing pool. Each one of them seemed to be spending a wonderful time, taking their turn to beat up the machine- everyone except for Reid- who, instead of playing he started blurting out statistics about the almost non-existent possibilities of winning against a machine-, clearly something he felt much more comfortable at. However, the rest of the team was not interested in his words; instead they chose to ignore him and to take the best out of their time together.

Hotch turned his head, and his attention was caught by something no one else seemed to be interested in- except for him. Standing a few meters away from where he was, a very attractive woman in her early 50's, dressed on a very elegant dress - that screamed sophistication all along the way- appeared to be enjoying of a very good conversation whilst taking a sip from the glass in her hand- which Hotch was almost sure contained red wine. However, the woman was not the one who caught his eye, but the man she was chatting with -his mentor and friend David Rossi- and the attention he seemed to profess towards the lady.

Chuckling to himself, Hotch could not suppress the amusement that he felt at the moment, knowing that the legendary David Rossi was finally showing interest in a woman more towards his age- which indicated that the man was finally growing up- emotionally speaking that is.

Without him noticing, someone approached to the table and placed an empty bottle of beer on top of it- the noise of the bottle making contact with the hard surface bringing him back from his thoughts. With a slight move of his head, Hotch turned around and glanced at the person who had just arrived. His eyes were greeted by a silver bracelet with some noisy charms –like little jingle bells- hanging from it; looking up he found the unmistakeable design of the blouse in fuchsia colour that his technical analyst Penelope Garcia was wearing.

"Is everything okay sir?" Garcia glanced towards him as a wide smile spread over her face.

"Why don't you come over and join with us?" she asked, slightly pointing her head towards the rest of the team, the bright smile present the entire time.

Hotch shook his head in a negative gesture. "Thanks Garcia, but I'd rather stay here."

Without waiting for an invite on her team's leader behalf, Garcia slid in the booth and asked one of the waitress that was passing by for another bottle of beer.

Taking a deep steady breath and placing her hands on top of the table, Garcia turn around and looked him in the eye.

"With all due respect sir, I think you should have some fun"

"Pardon" Hotch looked intently at her, his furrows burrowed.

"I'm serious sir, we're all having a great time, even Reid." She replied nodding her head vigorously.

"But Reid is not even playing Garcia", Hotch countered, giving her a pointed look before taking another sip of his drink.

"I know that sir, but still, he is doing his best to fit in and to have a nice time with us- despite is not really his cup of tea. And I think you should do the same". Garcia finished with a firm nod of her head.

A silence invaded the table for a few seconds, the soft hum of the piano playing in the back and the chat of the people around was the only thing that could be heard. Garcia focused her attention on her team mates while Hotch focused his attention on his glass, slightly caressing the edge with his index finger.

Suddenly- and in an unexpected way- the voice of her boss filled her ears 'I'm sorry.' His tone was soft and a bit insecure. Nothing like the voice she was used to hear coming out from her leader's mouth.

"Excuse me?" Garcia turned her head to look at Hotch, her red curls bouncing on her shoulders- a spark of disbelief clearly written in her eyes.

Hotch cleared his throat and repeated the words, this time, the statement came out firmer and much more secure "I said, that I am sorry"

The lines on Garcia's forehead deepened and her head moved slightly from side to side. She opened up her mouth to say something, but she was unable to voice her thoughts –Hotch's words caught her off guard.

A few seconds passed before she was finally able to ask the question, a nervous smile touching her lips. "Why do you say that sir, to me?" Garcia was not sure, but it seemed as it was the first time in the history of humanity that her stoic boss was opening up a bit and to her nonetheless- which was pretty incredible if anyone was to ask her.

"All the horrors that we see everyday affect us. However, you are not like us and I tend to forget that fact quite often. You are different- in some ways you are a regular citizen, not a trained FBI agent and I think I've never thought properly about how much the job can affect you and I am truly sorry for that, Garcia". Hotch's voice was soft, but determined and she knew he meant what he had just told her.

"Sometimes, I wish no one of us would have to deal with what we do almost every single day, but I think I'm used to spending time with profilers all the time, and to think that they take the job and look at what we do from a completely different perspective. But in rare occasions I realise that you are not like them, like us" He finished his statement with a firm nod, his eyes never leaving hers while giving out his speech.

"But I'm strong sir"

"I know you are and I am grateful for what you do, but that is beyond the point. I do not even know if I've ever thanked you properly for all your help".

"You're welcome sir." She offered him a tight smile and Hotch greeted her by cracking the slightest hint of a smile, the gesture cannot be considered entirely as such, but it definitely smoothed his features.

Just as he finished talking Garcia turned around and grabbed her purse- her movements told Hotch that she was looking for something.

"Is something wrong?" Hotch asked, a bit concerned for Garcia's actions

"Nope" she answered with a cheerful voice "Just give me a minute" She kept digging into her bag, until she seemed to find what she was looking for.

"Ta da!" Garcia smiled triumphantly at her boss, shaking a small package in her right hand before handing it to Hotch

He took the item from her. "What is it?" he asked, looking at the small yellow package in his hand. Now it was Hotch's turn to be confused

"Peanut Butter M&M's. They are for you! The best M&M's ever if you ask me, and one of the sweetest treats ever, for you" Garcia offered him a bright smile.

Hotch chuckled. "Thanks Garcia, Jack will love them" he said, stuffing the candies in the inside pocket of his jacket

"No, no, no". Garcia shook her head. "They are not for him, they are for you. Plus, the little guy always gets interesting treats when he comes down to visit and the one who needs to smile and to put some sugar into your life right now, it is you sir"

"C'mon on" she asked as she slid up from the booth offering Hotch her hand "Let's go to have some fun with the rest of the team"

" I do not think it's a good idea"

"Oh c'mon on sir, if Reid can, you can do it too"

Looking intently at her, Hotch seemed to assess his options, before he finally said. "Under one condition".

"Oh..Okay." She offered him a quizzical look.

"The framed photo of Reid that was in your office the other day. What was it for?" Hotch narrowed his eyes cocking his head slightly to his left as he finished asking the question.

"Oh! You're sneaky aren't you?"

"Garcia..." The tone of his voice left no place for argument.

"The photo, right. Um.. okay", Garcia took a deep breath. I am going to share a secret with you, but you cannot tell anyone". She winked at him

"Garcia, do I have to remind you that you're not talking to JJ or Prentiss right now? He asked with a pointed look

"You think I don't know that? They are not as sneaky- well JJ is not- Emily on the other hand, is an entire different story. Anyway, the thing is that Reid's birthday is coming up, so I burrowed a photo of him in order to make him a nice birthday present".

Hotch's intent glare made her want to elaborate a bit more about the subject.

"Photo shop" Garcia stated simply. "I'm doing a photo-montage of Reid and his parents. Considering the kid had never had a photo with his father, I thought it would be something nice for him to have. Something he can cherish". She finished with a slight shrug as realisation washed over Hotch. "You're a good fried Garcia"

"That's what I've been told sir. Thanks" She answered with a smile only Garcia is capable of.

The moment was interrupted when Garcia's senses kicked in "Uh! Where is my beloved one?" Her head was frantically looping, her eyes scanning the entire bar.

"Erm… there". Hotch answered pointing with the glass towards where Morgan was chatting with some women. However, a few moments later, his eyes were fixated on Emily and that was when Morgan left the women to join her. Hotch could see that both agents were enjoying their time , Morgan seemed to have said something really funny, because Emily did not seem to be able- or willing- to suppress the wonderful smile that was spread over her face- happiness radiating from her.

"Thank you boss, but this time, I am not talking about my Chocolate Adonis who was sculpted by the chisels of the angels" She sighed heavily looking towards her friends. "Plus, he is with Emily, which means that he is in good hands". She said, winking at her boss. "Right now, I'm speaking of my Kevin, who certainly is not a God from the Olympus, but he is definitely mine".

"Oh!" Hotch said understanding better what the woman was talking about.

"There he is" Garcia said pointing one finger towards the opposite side of where she stood. "And that woman is placing her filthy hands on my man, it's clear that she wants him all to herself! But I won't let that happen" she assured Hotch.

It was clear that the woman was flirting with Lynch even when he was doing his best to free himself despite the woman's insistence.

Taking a long sip of her beer, Garcia turned to look at Hotch. "Sorry sir, but I have to protect my interests" she said, before dragging herself towards her boyfriend.

"Go ahead" Hotch said with a dismissive movement of hands, looking how the woman disappeared in a clear attempt to free her man from the insistent woman- Kevin cracked a nervous smile when he realised that Garcia was coming to his rescue. Hotch saw as Garcia's confident personality took Lynch by the arm and casting a sweet- but fake smile towards the woman- she dragged Kevin along with her. Though Hotch could not listen to the word exchange between lovers, he was convinced that the woman was chastising Lynch for his behaviour.

With a small chuckle he remembered the deal he cut of with Garcia a couple of minutes ago. Standing up from the booth and popping a yellow M&M into his mouth, Hotch decided to make his way towards where Reid and JJ were still playing at the pinball machine. He knew Garcia well and if she was going to act half as passionate when it came to make him fulfil his promise as she just did to defend Lynch- he better get moving.

Garcia was right, she was a strong woman but even the strongest hearts had a breaking point. All he hoped was that Garcia's did not happen for a long time to come.

The End.