Stage Fever
Summary: She didn't expect that to happen when her theatre group started a new season.
Notes: Entry for the Mix & Match Challenge on "CCOAC". My chosen characters were Aaron Hotchner and Penelope Garcia; my assigned prompts were Scrabble board game, bottle of wine, pair of Bordello brand shoes, a vintage piece of jewelry. Slight spoilers for "Reflection Of Desire", especially the Pen/Aaron side story line, mentioning of events from "The Fisher King, part I". Slight AU since Kevin Lynch is out of the picture for quite some time.
Disclaimer: I wouldn't write fanfiction if they were mine, don't you think? Oh, and the different shoe brands popping up in there – all not mine. Otherwise I would be a very rich girl.
Enjoy!
When Penelope Garcia got out of the Federal Building in Quantico one September Friday afternoon, she let out a long sigh. She and her team of profilers had worked the last few weeks on several cases, almost back to back. Especially the last one was one of those cases which tested both the personal boundaries towards goriness of each of them as well as the stamina of each team member. But finally, last night at 1.30, after almost two weeks of working the case, their main suspect broke down and confessed not only the kidnapping, but also the murder of several women and teenage girls.
Her thoughts were interrupted when her cell phone chirped away with a bright, funky ringtone. Without looking at the display, Penelope knew her caller's identity.
"Hey, Noel, what's up?"
"Pen, you're free tomorrow evening?"
"Think and hope so. Believe me, as much as I love my team, I'm happy not seeing them for several hours for a change."
"Wow, and that's coming from you. Anyway, we have the first meeting of our theatre group after the summer. And we have some new players joining us."
"New guys and gals? Why didn't you say that right away? Count me in!"
Only few seconds after hanging up on Noel Matthews, a theatre enthusiast Pen knew since her days at CalSci, her phone rang again. This time Aaron called her, letting her know that Strauss had given them a week free of work, considering their excellent work in the last weeks with closing each and every one of their cases.
Starting her free Saturday with a languid breakfast, Penelope really looked forward to meet her group in the evening. Most of them were acting together for almost a decade, some of them even longer. But every September, they had a bunch of new people joining them. And so Penelope was thrilled to see her long-time friends on the one hand, but she was even more thrilled to see the new faces.
After doing some chores in her apartment and some extended shopping in her favorite mall, Pen came back home at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, giving her enough time to prepare for the meeting and having a small dinner as well. Fixing herself a tuna salad with her special variety of a Thousand Island dressing, she headed into her bedroom to choose the right outfit. Although she knew most of the group for a long time, she wanted to leave a good impression on the new ones. Pen knew first-hand that the first impression was the most important one. And so, she chose a deep royal blue blouse, accenting her blonde hair, completed it with a matching scarf and a simple black skirt, and finished her outfit with a pair of brand new, 12 inch high stilettos in a dark shade of blue, which she had acquired a few weeks ago when the new Bordello flagship store opened at the mall. She loved their shoe collections, more than Jimmy's or Manolo's. Putting up some light make up, her eyes fell on a small trinket on the left side of her vanity chest. Although she was reluctant, Pen decided that it was time to wear these special pieces in the open. The small silver bracelet with the matching necklace and earrings were everything she had left of her birth mother, handed to her at the orphanage she ended up right after her death.
Twenty minutes to six found Penelope pulling up to the old theatre building at Gramerson Avenue in her beloved Esther. If the other cars lining the street were to count, quite a lot of their group was already there.
"Hey, Pen, it's good to see you!"
Pen spun around, a bright smile on her face.
"Oh, Mitch, the same goes for you. Look at you! Handsome as ever! How's Nancy?"
"Well, you know, same old, same old."
And the kids?"
"Pete starting college next week, and Sabrina is finishing her degree next spring."
"Time flies. I remember you talking about Pete being a freshman in high school."
"Yeah, I do too."
In the meantime, Noel Matthews had joined them, as well as some of the others, exchanging welcomes and some small talk. The group had just taken their seats on the stage and was about to begin, when one of the side doors opened – and Penelope felt her breath hitch in her chest. Entering the room was none else than Aaron Hotchner, her uptight, matter-of-factly, straight and most of the time brooding boss at the BAU – and for quite some time center of her dreams. And, thanks to fate playing her the lousiest cards of a century, the only seat available was next to her.
"Hey, Penelope."
His surprisingly soft voice brought her out of her reverie. And when she looked up, she wondered if this really was the same man she saw during her working hours every day. The hard lines of his face she knew from work were gone, replaced by a slight smile tucking at the corners of his mouth which lighted up his whole face. Aaron's dark brown eyes, eyes she used to know to drill into suspects as well as detectives, police officers or other FBI agents, conveyed a warmth Pen never would have assumed with him.
"Hey, bossman."
"No, Pen, it's Aaron around here, ok?"
"Ok."
Aaron took his seat next to her, and for the following one and a half hours, Penelope had more than trouble to follow the words Noel and some of the other members of the group were saying. Her mind was way too occupied with dealing with the fact that her boss was a human being after all, and especially after all that happened to him in the last few years.
But Penelope wasn't the only one having some trouble to follow the words. Aaron as well let his mind wander over to the bubbly blonde sitting next to him. For some weeks now, he felt himself growing closer to her, especially her heart. He wasn't sure if it was just her unique personality that drew him in, or if it were the small gifts she left in his office occasionally. A basket of home-made muffins and cookies, a bottle of wine, a card from her favorite book shop filled with some book titles she thought fitting for Jack. Or maybe, he concluded when he saw the group leader finishing his speech, maybe it was the combination of all, topped with a dash of her ability to always see the best in people, even in a broken and darkened soul like him.
All of a sudden (at least for the two of them), the first meeting of the group was coming to an end. Noel and Hank were handing out scripts for the new plays they planned to show this season, while Sheila and Courtney did some checking with the personal information they had, like addresses, phone numbers and such. After giving their information, both Aaron and Penelope headed out, the blonde computer whiz way ahead of him.
"Penelope, wait!"
"Yeah, Aaron, what's up? I mean, next to the fact that your Christian name sounds strange on my tongue."
"Would like to have dinner with me?"
"What?"
"Yes, you heard right. Just a dinner among friends, no strings attached."
"What about Jack?"
"He's spending the weekend at a friend's, and Jessica is only a phone call away."
"Ok, but should we take your or my car?"
"Pen, we have to take yours." Aaron almost choked on a laugh upon seeing her face. "Dave dropped me at the corner, my car is at the shop."
"Oh, okay, let's go."
They ended up at a small Italian restaurant, and although Pen had a long list of questions in her mind, she couldn't phrase a single one out. Once again, her mind was too occupied with the man sitting opposite her. For the first time that evening, Pen had the chance to take a look at his outfit. The business suit she sometimes was sure was sewn into his skin was gone, giving Aaron the chance to wear a pair of fitting blue jeans, a green T-shirt and light brown loafers. A choice of outfit Pen decided that she liked very much.
"So, Aaron, what brought you to the group?"
"Well, as you might have noticed, I'm good at profiling criminals, but my social skills have taken a descent since… you know." His eyes turned dark, and Pen could see that he was fighting the sadness that was about to well up inside him. Even after almost two years, he couldn't speak about the death of his ex-wife at the hands of George Foyet.
"Yes, I know, but I didn't notice anything about your "social skills", as you put it. I know that overcoming grief and guilt takes its time, and I have to say that, with circumstances like that, you did an exceptional job over the last two years."
"You think so?"
"No, I don't think so." His eyes bore into hers. "I simply know it."
"Well, Pen, and I know for sure that you had have a lot of input in that matter as well." He couldn't help but smile when he saw a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. "As to your initial question, I did some acting back in high school and college, and when I saw you on stage, I thought I should give it another chance. Looks to me like a good way to forget the horror we face on a daily basis, right?"
"Right, that's why I joined the group all those years back. I know Noel since our days at CalSci, and when I read his name on the flyer, I was in within seconds."
Their dinner ended, and for the second time that evening, Aaron and Penelope found themselves standing on the sidewalk.
"So, what to do with this lovely evening?"
"Any ideas?"
"Aaron, how do you get home?"
"Probably hailing a cab." He saw her face scrunching up. "Not a good idea?"
"Nope, not when you have me and Esther around."
"You love that car, right?"
"Yes, but nonetheless, there's still some space free in my heart."
"You mean next to the part that your dedication to the job takes up?"
"Yep."
Once they were driving, Aaron's mind was busy with coming up with a plan to keep her in his company for a bit longer. He wasn't exaggerating at the restaurant when he said that his social skills were on a downward spiral. He had caught himself snapping at people several times recently, but chalked it up to the pressure of the individual cases. But if Aaron was honest for a change, it all had built up since the Foyet case. And he knew, as his inner voice pointed out with a glee, for sure that Pen was one of the few people that could catch him in time before he got out of hand.
Way too fast for his liking, Penelope pulled up in front of the apartment building he was living in. And he still had no plan how to get her up to his apartment.
"Alright, Aaron, here we are."
"It's probably a bit cheap if I invite to some coffee up."
"Well, with any other man, yes, but not with you."
He couldn't help but give her a full smile, a smile that, according to Pen, lightened up the whole inside of her car.
While Aaron put up some coffee, Pen took a look around in her boss' (he was that after all) apartment. The living room, kitchen and hallway had pretty functional furniture, with just some dashes of personal input, as with pictures of Jack, Jessica or the team. Sure, she was curious about the other rooms, but something inside her told her to get a grip. He was in good mood, and the last thing she wanted now was for him to lose it so soon. Pen was about to walk back to the kitchen island, when her gaze fell upon a vintage wooden box.
"You know, you can touch everything in here. It's not a museum, it's my apartment."
She couldn't help but let out a small shriek when his voice appeared next to her ear. Against her better knowledge, she spun around, only to have his face only inches away from hers. And before Pen could do anything else, she felt his lips on hers, soft and almost hesitant.
"What was that for?"
"Do I need a reason to do as I please?"
"No, not at all."
"Then you don't mind me doing it again?"
"Quite the contrary. I actually would mind it if you don't plan on doing an encore."
"As you wish, my lady."
They continued to kiss, only to be interrupted by the shrill sound coming from the kitchen, telling them that their coffee was ready to be served. While Aaron went to fetch it, Penelope grabbed the wooden box, planning on discovering its contents.
As it turned out, it was an old Scrabble board game, a gift his parents got from some friends when Aaron was born. They spent some of the next hours playing, telling each other stories about their families, their childhood and growing up while doing so. Aaron ended up with the vintage game when it turned out that his younger brother Sean wasn't about to follow in the footsteps of their father. And while Aaron was opening up to her, Penelope felt herself falling, falling for him, a man who was like a rare jewel hidden behind an all-business façade to her.
Several weeks later
Once again, the whole team had the weekend free. Their cases were closed, the paperwork was done. But this weekend, none of them were allowed to have any plans, not even their resident genius Spencer Reid. As Penelope told them in clear words, they would feel her wrath if they wouldn't show up at the theatre, claiming that they would miss a big surprise. Sure, they all had noticed a change, not only in Penelope, but also in Aaron, but not even David Rossi, self-appointed Profiler Extraordinaire, was able to put two and two together. The theatre was quite full, but the team had a clear view of the stage.
"Hey, Rossi, where's Hotch?"
"I have no idea, JJ, but he told me that he wouldn't want to miss it for the world."
"He better show up. I mean, even I am here, and I actually had plans for tonight."
"Let me guess, Pretty Boy? A Star Trek DVD marathon?"
"No, Derek, a Doctor Who marathon."
Derek was about to come up with a retort when the lights went out, only leaving the stage illuminated. According to the program flyer, they were about to see a rendition of "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams, with Pen casted in the role Vivian Leigh once brought to fame. When it was time for Aaron to show up as Marlon Brando's character, Pen managed to sneak a peek to their team mates. And all of them, no matter if it was JJ, Emily (who was visiting from London), Dave, Alex, Derek or Spencer, had an incredulous look on their faces when they saw their boss riding onto stage on a vintage Harley Davidson, clad in snug-fitting blue jeans, a white tank top and a pitch-black leather jacket.
Afterwards, they all met up in a bar, intent on celebrating the premiere that went down without a hitch. While Noel and the others were sitting in one corner of the bar, the team took up one of the large tables lining the bar. Dave was the first to speak, still shaking his head.
"So, Kitten, I take it that is that big surprise you were talking about."
"Oh, you mean bossman acting next to me?"
"Yep."
"No, not at all. Well, just a part of it."
"And what's the rest of it?"
"Patience, JJ, I'm just waiting on Hotch to join us." She looked over to where he was standing, talking to Jack on the phone. His sweet little son was with them during the play, but Jessica took him home afterwards to put him into bed. She saw him hanging up, and caught his eyes with hers, sending a smile to him. Both JJ and Dave saw their interaction, but kept quiet, at least for the time being.
Aaron joined his team at the table, feeling a special warmth spreading inside. For the first time for a long time, he felt whole again, and he was betting that it not only had something to do with him joining the group, but more so with the bubbly blonde who had captured his heart.
"So, Pen, spill it."
"Spill what?"
"Baby Girl told us that seeing you acting on stage was only part of her big surprise."
"Oh, I see."
"Yeah, so what's the other part?"
Before answering, Penelope took hold of Aaron's hand, placing their joined hands on the table for the rest of them to see.
"Aaron and I are together."
"As in together together?"
"Yes, Spencer."
"Since when?"
"Since we started the new season in the theatre group. I was one of the new faces joining them."
"I thought you told me you were one of the worst actors in college."
"Yeah, Dave, I thought so too. But according to the others, I'm not that bad."
"On the contrary, Aaron, I think I never saw anyone better playing that role. I mean, next to Marlon."
"Thanks, Emily."
"Oh guys, I'm so happy for you. But what about Strauss? Or the Director?"
"Don't worry, JJ, I can handle Strauss for them."
"I wasn't talking to you, Dave, for once."
"Yeah, JJ, but he's right. If one of us can stop Strauss, I would place my money on either Dave or Alex."
"Ok, just know that we all fight for you as well. If someone deserves some happiness, it would be you two."
"Yeah, and if Strauss keeps on bitching, I could use some familiar faces in London as well."
"Thanks for the job offer, Emily, but we would prefer to stay this side of the ocean, no offense."
"None taken, Aaron."
Later, when they came back to the apartment, they both were content and happy, but exhausted and tired as well. Nonetheless, Aaron didn't waste any time to show his gratitude and his happiness to her in every way he could come up in his mind.