She shouldn't have been surprised to feel left out when she got back from her trip to London. After all, the team had had three weeks to get used to Alex Blake without her. Reid was so excited to have a former mentor on the team with him, and JJ followed along like a puppy dog, wanting to be included. Rossi was too busy trying to keep his relationship with Strauss under wraps, even though it was the worst kept secret in their department. And Morgan was mooning over Emily all over again. She had no one left.

Sighing, she got up from her computers and stretched. It was late, but that was the way she preferred it. There would be no one there to question the tear tracks on her face. Picking up her purse, she stepped out of her office and into the hard body of someone. Looking up, she stared into the caring brown eyes of one Aaron Hotchner. "Penelope, is everything all right?"

"I'm going to be fine, Boss Man. You don't need to worry about me."

He closed a hand around her shoulder. "You are a vital member of my team; of course I need to worry about you. Now, what is going on?"

She took a deep breath and shrugged. "I feel sort of adrift, like I can't find my mooring. It doesn't make sense, but I'm rethinking everything in my life."

Hotch pursed his lips and gently guided her into his office. "I have noticed that you aren't your usual perky self, ever since your return from London. Did Morgan do something to you over there that I should know about?"

Penelope shook her head. "No. He was a perfect gentleman who was very obviously infatuated with Emily. I've become the third wheel, Sir, and it's just going to take time to get used to. No one has a place for me anymore, and with this job, it's not like I have time to make new friends out in the real world. Much though I love them, my internet friends are spread throughout the country and I can only talk to them so much. I miss my family."

To her horror, she began to cry once more and he enclosed her in a tight hug before leading her over to his couch. They sat and she tried to pull away, not wanting to further push past the boundaries he had set up that set him slightly apart from the team at all times. "You can never step into the same river twice, Garcia."

"Okay, Heraclitus, way to get all philosophical on me," she said as a small smile crossed her face.

"I got you to smile, didn't I?" She nodded. "And that's a start. Beth just called and said that she had supper waiting for me when I got home. With the way she cooks, I know there'll be plenty for three."

She rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "I'm not a stray kitten that you have to take care of, Hotch. I'll be fine."

"And you'll be more fine if you spend time in the company of friends. Beth likes you, and she's always lamenting the fact that she doesn't get to spend more time with you and the others. Please?"

Somehow, she knew that he would pester her until she said yes, so she reluctantly nodded. "You know, sometimes you suck, Aaron Hotchner."

"Haley said that to me once, when we had just started dating. She seemed to think I was really good at manipulating people to do what I want."

"Well, she was right." They stood and he led her out to the elevators. "I'll see you at your apartment."

"I'm planning on it, Garcia." And then he smiled at her and she felt all her unease melt away. They stepped into the elevator and rode down to the parking garage. She reached her car first and took off into the night, driving slowly as she tried to organize her thoughts.

"It's only supper, with both of them. It's not like he's trying to make a move on me," she murmured as she parked in the lot of his apartment complex. His garage door was just coming down and she smiled as she approached him on the sidewalk.

"Hey, you didn't chicken out. Jack is going to be happy to see his aunt Penny. When I called to let Beth know you were coming over, she told me that Jack was still up, seeing as how it's a Friday night."

She smiled, reaching out for his hand. "I could never disappoint my junior G-man. Let's head inside." He clasped her hand and led her up to his apartment, knocking softly at the door.

Jack yanked it open and launched himself into her arms. "Aunt Penny! Beth told me you were going to come over! I missed you while you were in England. Beth made stew and it smells so delicious, come in!" He tugged her inside and into the kitchen, where Beth stood, dishing out the meal.

"Hey, you made it! Aaron wasn't sure if you would or not." The smile on Beth's face warmed Penelope's heart and she nodded as the woman stepped forward to hug her tightly. "I've been meaning to call, but things have been so hectic with this new installation, and I wanted to give you some time to get back on Washington time. How was your trip?"

"I had a blast. Clyde showed me a lot of the sights in the city, when we had free time. Morgan spent a lot of time with Emily, which I should have expected, seeing as how they acted at Jayje's wedding. Clyde is nothing like what Emily tried to warn me about."

"People are often very different from what we hear about them. Take a seat, we're ready to eat." She did and was surprised when Beth sat next to her, smiling shyly. "I've always wanted to go to England. There are so many wonderful museums there. I mean, France and Italy have wonderful museums, but England is my dream vacation."

"The weather wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I had assumed it would rain all the time, and it didn't, so that was nice. Clyde took me to Bath one weekend. I loved it so much."

Jack and Aaron took their seats across from them and began to eat as they included themselves in the conversation. After Jack had finished, Aaron kissed his son and sent him off to bed before pulling out a bottle of wine and three glasses. "I hope that you don't mind white wine, Penelope."

"No, that will be fine," she replied, taking the glass from his hand. After he'd poured out the other glasses, Beth stood as well, motioning her into the living room. "So, what's the new installation?" Penelope asked as she settled back on the sofa.

"Roger Mapplethorpe. I know that I should be impartial, but I cannot stand his style of art."

"Isn't he the guy who did black and whites of nude men?"

"Yeah, and that's not what bothers me. Personally, I think his voice was stale. There was nothing revolutionary or introspective about his work, in my opinion. And I know that doesn't reflect well on me, but I can't help how I feel."

"I feel the same way about Jackson Pollock." Beth gasped a little, touching her chest in horror, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Yeah, he's my second least-favorite artist. What can I say; I'm a romantic at heart. I love John Singer Sargent, Waterhouse, Da Vinci, and so many others. I wish I could live in the past sometime, and see what inspired them to leave such beauty to us."

Penelope nodded and sipped at her wine, feeling more relaxed around the woman as they talked. She could tell that Hotch was bemused by them, since she could see him shaking his head from out the corner of her eye. "What, Hotch?"

"I'm just facing the strange, Garcia."

"Oh, ha ha, very funny." She stuck her tongue out at him and was rewarded with one of his full smiles.

"I know." A small laugh escaped his lips and Penelope knew she'd had enough. Tugging the pillow out from behind her back, she threw it at him, hitting him square in the chest. Beth tried to swallow her own laugh as she downed the rest of her wine, setting the glass aside so that she could join in the fun.

Somehow, in the midst of their pillow fight (induced by the wine, she was sure), Beth pinned her to the floor and she stared up at the other woman. A familiar look of desire darkened her eyes and Penelope tilted her head slightly to the right. Beth took this as an opening and dipped her head down, kissing her quickly. "I'm sorry," she murmured, blushing deeply as she got up off her, going over to Hotch's side.

"Not a problem, Beth." She stood as well, going back over to the couch and curling up in the corner, watching them. Beth took a seat on his lap, a shy smile on her face. "So, what do you think of Georgia O'Keefe?"

"Oh, I love her paintings of the Southwest. I cannot wait to take a trip out there and see it. It will be different, of course, but still, I'll be able to feel a little bit of what she did." Penelope nodded enthusiastically, even as she tried to swallow a yawn. "You know, if you're tired, you could crash on the couch tonight. We have extra blankets."

"I wouldn't want to impose…"

"It wouldn't be an imposition, I promise. Please?"

Penelope thought about it for a moment before nodding. "All right."

"Great! I'll go grab you a blanket while Aaron keeps you company!" The woman jumped up and hurried over to what Penelope assumed was their bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"Boss Man, what is going on here?"

He just shrugged and gave her a knowing half-smile. "Beth wants to be friends." All she could do was stare at him, knowing there was something he was keeping a secret from her. And she was not one to like secrets. Somehow, she would get to the bottom of this.

Author's Note: We're getting to the homestretch of the nomination period for the CCOAC yearly awards. Check out the Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum for the ballot and nominate your favorite stories and authors. As a reminder, the mods of the forum are not eligible for nomination nor are fics that are labeled abandoned. This is a great way to show your love for your authors!