(Author's Note: As always, no money is being made from this and I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters. But I do like to play with they every now and then.

I wanted to make things between Dave and Penelope a little more personal, but still keep that flirting sassiness that so defines Penelope Garcia.)

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"We need to go shopping, before Tony and Scotch ensue." Rossi said, pulling into a local store.

Penelope turned in her seat, "Bennet, Scotch, and you're feeding me as well? My pet, I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful evening." With a naughty grin, "Your three ex-wives have trained you well."

Opening his door, Rossi grinned, he was enjoying this flirting. Now he saw why Morgan always had a smile after calling her, it was a real ego boost. After that first day she walked into the office, she had always drawn his eye. And, after seeing her that fateful night in her apartment with a naked Lynch, he couldn't help but think of her sometimes, and wonder. Well, as he had told her, he was only a man, and he was no saint. "I learn something from all the women of my acquaintance." Rounding the SUV, he opened the door for Penelope. Putting both hands around her waist, he helped her from the vehicle, and paused for just a moment to look down into her eyes before letting go, "What will you be teaching me, Kitten?"

Dragging her nails down Rossi's arm as she walked past him, Penelope let her eyes run down his long form before replying, "There are many talents I have that you would greatly appreciate, Super Agent Rossi, many you would joyfully beg me on your knees to use on your behalf." With a wink, Penelope began walking towards the store, putting an extra sway into her step, ignoring those damn tingles Rossi's fingers gripping her hips left in her.

Rossi could only stare a moment as she walked away. Watching those hips sway under that slip of a dress. The only thought in his head for a moment being what he would give to see that walk without that dress between him and what would surely be nirvana. With a step to follow her, Rossi began to contemplate the many ways he could commence his begging from his knees.

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"No meat?" Rossi looked horrified.

"None" Penelope verified.

"Pasta it is. Good thing I make an excellent pesto. Lead the way to the vegetable aisle, my Goddess." Rossi shook his head at the thought. Vegetarian?

As they gathered vegetables, Rossi couldn't help but ask "What about hamburgers? Don't you miss hamburgers? What about steak?"

Penelope smiled. That was usually the first question everyone asked. "Sometimes. But, it's not the taste I miss, it's the people and times I associate with them. Fourth of July dinners with my family, Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners-"

"So, what changed? What moved you to become a vegetarian?" Rossi finished gathering what he needed as they strolled through the aisles. Penelope watched, every now and then reaching for something he indicated on her side of the aisle. Rossi was either focused on her or on what he was gathering. His eyes never strayed to anyone else, except to move the shopping cart around another shopper. Even when she was out with Kevin, his eyes still strayed to see who was around them, kind of doing an internal assessment. Rossi had taken one overall glance at where all the aisle and exits and people were when they first entered, and every once in a while he would give the area one all encompassing look, but he never let his gaze linger on any one person. You know, for the office Lothario, he was actually a real gentleman. Damn! It was making him even hotter.

"The best explanation, and probably truest, is it makes me feel better about myself. The simple explanation, my sexy Profiler, you have probably already thought of. It's meat. It was once alive, and now it's not." With a grimace, Penelope glanced away from Rossi for a brief moment. "It's too close to what I see people doing to each other with our cases. Treating people as if they aren't people."

Pulling to a stop, Rossi ran his hand gently up and down Penelope's arm before pulling her in to cradle her against his shoulder, regardless of where they were. "Kitten, you have gone through some tough times with a few of our cases, haven't you?" Looking down, he remembered his first sight of this beautiful woman. Her entrance into the room, her flair, her scent, and her rapidly covering her eyes crying "Is it gone? Is it gone?" revealing a touching innocence that, at the time, he had cynically thought she would have to lose. And as he grew to know the team he had worked with, and became part of that team, he began to try and protect them, but especially her. Not sure exactly when he went from cynically thinking that she would have to lose that innocence to do her job, to trying to protect her and her innocent outlook on the world, he wasn't sure. He just knew, coming into work in the mornings and not having a smiling, effervescent, Penelope Garcia there, sassing her friends while also trying to mother them, would not be worth showing up for.

Snuggling into the comfort he was offering, she sighed, "It's not just our team. I'm on call for 2 other teams. Sometimes, I have to recharge. And, as much as I love all of you, sometimes you all make me so very tired, my love."

Arriving at the register, Rossi removed his arm reluctantly from around Penelope and began pulling items from the cart for the clerk to scan. It seems Kevin Lynch must not have been taking care of Penelope's peace of mind, even when they were together. He had been very angry at Lynch for breaking up with Penelope when she had wanted to wait before getting married and refused his proposal. But, now, he was thinking it might have been a good thing Lynch had. Rossi would have hated to have to go and threaten a man in his own home for not taking care of his wife. And, if Kevin had actually hurt Penelope, he would have had to rip his dick off. And a farm would have just offered too many hiding places for a body. The temptation would have been too great. Looking at Penelope, he smiled, "Then you will just have to let this old Italian Romeo pamper you for tonight." Looking back at the register, he winced, he hadn't meant to throw that 'old' in there and hoped she hadn't noticed.

With Penelope carrying one of the light plastic bags, and him carrying the other two in one hand, he took her arm as they left and walked back to the SUV. Penelope luxuriated in the attention Rossi was giving her. Rossi had touched her more in this short evening so far than Kevin had on their dates. Kevin never felt comfortable with PDAs (Public Displays of Affection). It used to make her feel like Kevin was ashamed of her in some way, in her more insecure moments. Like he didn't want people to know he was actually with her when they were out in public. Having Rossi escort her, open her doors, lift her in and out of the SUV, hugging her in public, comforting her without worry about where they were, and especially having those hands splayed across her back as they walked and on her hips when he helped her in and out of the SUV were having a very strong effect on her lust meter. In fact, if she was in one of her video games and she had had one of those bars over her head and it filled up as her lust for one sexy super agent grew, it would be close to filled already and she would have a new super power, woo hoo! With a private grin at her thoughts and the tune to Zelda playing in her head, she finished fastening her seatbelt as Rossi put the rest of their groceries in the back and walked around to climb into the driver's seat.

Reaching over to grip Rossi's thigh for just a moment, Penelope paused till Rossi glanced at her, "And, just so you know, all the times us girls, and quite a few guys, gossiped and lusted after you at the office, the word 'old' never got used. Most of the time, we all agreed, someone with your confidence must be very 'knowledgeable'" and Penelope added an extra waggle of her eyebrows and a seductive caress where her fingers were resting on Dave's thigh, "so, Romeo, just know, you have a lot of reputation to live up to." Slowly drawing her fingers away from Dave's thigh, she let her nails scratch across the suddenly tense thigh muscle as she drew back.

Dave reached out and seized her hand before she could finish pulling it back, running his fingers over her knuckles as he cranked the engine and put the vehicle in gear. Bringing her hand to his lips, he smiled before brushing a soft kiss across her knuckles, flicking the tip of his tongue at the webbing between her index and middle finger, reminiscent of other actions. He grinned at the shiver he felt from his sweet companion before tucking her hand back on his thigh and turning his attention to his driving.

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(I think of Dave and Penelope primarily as a Romance, with the possibility of hot sex and sensual sassy flirting between them. I hope I can maintain the image in my head with the words I put them to. Aughh! Insecurity abounds in my life! LOL! Thank you for all the lovely reviews and I hope you continue to enjoy! KK)