The Darkness

by MahfaeraakTahrodiis

Garcia's past is catching up to her. Hotch knows something is going on, and everyday it gets harder for him to remain in control. When feelings and secrets are revealed, who will be left standing? OOC, Mature themes. Review Please. If you want to know the sensitive issues in the story, PM or Review me

6. Chapter 6

A.N.- Hello! I know I've been horrible at updating for a while on my Criminal Minds stories, but it's been insane here. I am going to make them more of a priority in the future, because I love these characters, damnit! ;) I have a lot still planned for these two, and I want to get in as much writing as I am able to. Okay, so I hope you like this one. I made it extra long. I love you all so much! I have the best readers! Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. :(

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Chapter Six

"Lust is the craving for salt of a man who is dying of thirst."- Frederick Buechner

A sliver of sunlight peeked into Penelope's eyes through the thick curtains she owned. She flinched, and moved her face away from the offending light and snuggled deeper into the warm embrace behind her.

She melted against his skin, and she could feel him stirring, which was sending her body very dangerous signals. Mentally scolding them, she twisted her head and saw Aaron's eyes were shut, seemingly asleep, if it wasn't for his roaming hands across her naked body.

They didn't have sex, and true to his word he never tried to, but he managed to talk her into the benefits of sleeping naked. Together. Which went better than she thought it would, except now she could feel his hard dick against her, and now it was all she could think about. His long fingers constantly came close to touching her sex, as did his aching member, and her hands couldn't stop slipping close to his balls. His eyes seemed wild when that happened, and as he kissed everywhere on her body, he was lost in a haze of lust.

She couldn't stop touching him either, and she gave him a full body massage. His moans and breathing worked her up to the point she almost gave in. Yet, she stopped herself, because she needed to be strong. She couldn't get hurt. She forbade it. Yet as the night went on, she knew it would be futile. This time was for him to decide if she was what he really wanted. To think of all of the consequences now. Jack was too important to both of them to not think this through.

His hands roved along her curves, and his hand hooked her inner thigh, and began kissing the side of her neck. This felt too damn good, and Penelope reached back and ran a hand through his hair, reveling in his touch.

His hand moved from her thigh, and slid to the small amount of hairs above her pussy. Ticklish, she writhed harder against his length, and he cupped her sex, needing to feel her heat.

She felt so good, and he loved to see her worked up as much as he was. He loved just being close to her, and he knew they needed to talk, but his body couldn't stop touching her when she was this close. He needed her and he could spend all day in bed with her.

Suddenly, he froze, and realized the sun was peeking through. "What time is it?" he asked, panicked. His heart began to pound, and he started to search for a clock, and Penelope moved forward, sensing his urgency.

"I think it is late morning, but I don't have my glasses on, so..." He sighed, and rested his head against the back of her neck.

"Fuck. I had my phone on vibrate and didn't set any alarms. I am really late to pick up Jack." He groaned. His finger grazed her clit, and she gasped.

"I'm so sorry! I should've made sure-" he cut her off with a searing kiss. She moaned into his mouth, and fisted his hair as he explored her mouth.

After a minute, she broke away from his raw lips. He was panting, and his eyes held nothing but lust, which made her so wet. He was so handsome she could barely breathe.

"J-J-Jesus-Jack! You need to grab Jack." she rasped, her mind so fuzzy from those lips. His eyes were starving, and her stomach tightened when his dark eyes trapped her in place. After her words sunk in, his eyes shifted to a mix of regret, urgency and hint of guilt before he softly kissed her lips, and untangled their bodies. Sighing, he looked around, trying to find his boxers. He couldn't remember where they took off all of their clothes, it was all a haze.

Penelope stood up, wrapping the sheet around her body, which sucked, since he wanted to see her lying bare as he left, so he could keep that in his mind tonight. He had Jack, and next weekend he knew that they were probably going to be off somewhere working. Who knows when they would have time to spend together again?

Penelope strutted to him, holding out his boxers with her pinky. Her hair was knotted and her alabaster skin was slightly flushed from the morning. He stood up, slipping them on and kissed her passionately. He didn't know how they were going to make it through work like this.

He cupped her face, and she chewed her lip, thinking. Softly rubbing his thumb over her cheek, he gave her a crooked grin. "Once we're dressed, we should talk," he whispered. His eyes trailed to the blanket she was wearing, and she must have taken the hint once she saw the need in his eyes.

Once he let go of her, he grabbed his pants and slid them on as Penelope went into her dresser and pulled out a dress. He was mesmerized as she dropped the blanket and slid the dress on without putting panties on. He bit back the groan caught in his throat, and focused on trying to reverse his shirt.

Once his shirt was on, her dress didn't help matters any. It was a halter, and her cleavage was pronounced against the sapphire blue dress. It hugged her gorgeous curves and stopped mid-thigh. More than anything he wanted to see her riding him wearing that dress, but now was not the time. He needed to focus. He had a priority waiting for him and his other needs could wait. Unfortunately.

When she was about to tie the straps behind her neck, Aaron came up and helped her. She lifted her hair out of the way, and he tied it slowly, and delicately as he thought of what to say.

"Penelope, I want to see if we have something here. I know things are going to change, but what if it's for the better? I don't know if you feel the same way, but I care about you so much," he told her honestly. He was nervous, afraid she would turn him down, but it's better he know now.

Before she answered, he hoped he wasn't reading her signals wrong. She seemed to welcome his touch, but when she turned to look at him from the angle, there was an apprehension in her eyes that tightened his chest. Reaching up, she ran her fingers around his neck, and turned to face him.

She cupped his cheek and ran her hands over his long stubble. It sent a shiver down his spine as he looked into her hazel eyes. She didn't have her glasses on, and he wasn't used to it. He recalled a few times in his head that he had seen her without them, and each time it took him by surprise. He didn't know what to think about her glasses, because even though she was beautiful either way, it was nice to see her eyes without something in the way. Now on the other hand, as gorgeous as she was this way, he loved how much her glasses are an extension of herself, something that is as natural as her exquisite eyes themselves. And seeing her much more comfortable in them than contacts was sexy as hell.

He closed the distance, their bodies now pressed together, and his hands went to her hips. He dared not touch anywhere else he wanted to until he knew what she was thinking. She was the one who wanted to take the time to think it over.

She reached up on her tip toes, and gave him a searing kiss. The passion he felt crackled his skin, and it took his breath away by the intensity of it. When she broke the kiss, she ran her hands over his arms, and smiled.

"I want this, too. I have wanted you for so long, Aaron. I wanted you to be sure. If you are, then I want nothing more than to be with you. But where does this leave us?" She kissed him chastely, before walking out of his arms. She walked to the side of the bed, and picked up his sweatshirt, and grabbed her glasses. Aaron scratched the back of his neck, and shrugged.

"That is a loaded question." He had no answer for her. Their lives were hectic with their jobs and Jack, and he could see the hesitation never really left her eyes. He didn't know if it was him or something else, but whatever it was twisted his gut, not liking it one bit. Something was wrong, and yet she said she wanted to be with him. He had the urge to ask her, but he knew her enough to know that she would keep it to herself.

When he finished dressing, he walked up to her. She smiled, and melted into his embrace. "Do you truly want to be with me?" he asked in her hair. He took a deep breath and breathed her in. She still had a hint of the perfume she wore from last night on, but she smelled like lilacs and maybe strawberries and he loved that. She looked up at him and nodded.

"Of course I do. This feels more right than I can possibly tell you. I didn't think you felt the same. I just want there to be no regrets." Looking into her eyes, he could see she was telling the truth, which relieved him.

"Then that's all that matters, baby," he whispered. He kissed her softly, and broke the kiss before it got too heated. He was really late now.

Walking to the door, he gave her a crooked grin and grabbed her hand. She squeezed it back, and grinned. "I'll see you at work tomorrow. Unfortunately, I will probably have to move back into my own office." he sighed, but grinned at the memories it stirred.

She blushed, and laughed lightly. "I suppose so, but I hope I can visit yours," she breathed. Her eyes trailed his body, and when she settled on his eyes she shivered. Aaron swallowed thickly, and clutched the door.

"You definitely should. I'll text you later," he said, and his toothy grin surprised her. She wished he'd smile more...

"Okay, say hi to Jack for me. Bye," she smiled sadly, and as she shut the door, she leaned against it and sighed. Heart pounding out of her chest, her body felt like it was on fire. She had a busy day, and as much as she wished she could spend the day with Aaron and Jack, she was happy to have today to get some things done. One thing she had to do was get a little surprise for Aaron. She had something before last night for him, but now that they changed the status of their relationship, she figured she could get him something better than that. Before she got ready for the day, she decided to take a minute to release some built up tension...

Aaron grinned to himself as she shut the door, not believing how insane the past couple of days have been... he couldn't believe that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He never thought he would be so lucky.

His mind was so focused on how he had explored her body that night, hearing his name fall off her lips in the quiet of the room, the only noises were her and his heavy breathing. How he got lost in her kisses, and whimpers. It truly was the sexiest night of his life. The sounds she made at his touch...

He was so lost in his thoughts, he bumped into someone in the hallway. "Sorry, man. Excuse me," he said, grinning to himself. He couldn't remember the last time he was this frazzled. He turned sideways to the person, who didn't even look back. He never got to see their face he was so distracted by her. Shrugging, he got to his car, and picked up his son.

That day, Aaron spent the day with Jack, and took him to a movie that he wanted to see. They played some games, and when Jack went to sleep, he took a few minutes to relax. He checked his phone, and she hadn't contacted him yet. He didn't want to bother her, so he put the phone down. He usually hated to go into work, but knowing now she'd be there, he couldn't wait to go to sleep. He was pretty exhausted since he stayed awake most of the night and ran his hands along her curves and kissing her plump lips...

The next morning, he got ready, and sent Jack off to school. His heart was skipping and crashing against his chest, he was so nervous. It was one thing to be alone in a house with her, now he will have to see her all day. He opened his phone before he pulled out of the parking space, and saw a missed text message from Garcia at midnight.

- Hey Aaron. Could you come to my office tomorrow morning before we meet for the next case? I need to ask you something.

-P-

He frowned, and started the car after he put the phone down. He hoped it was something good, but he had been waiting for the other shoe to drop since he first kissed her, and he hoped she wasn't going to change her mind. He liked her more than he thought he was capable of so early in their relationship and he didn't want to get hurt.

When he arrived at work, his heart was crashing wildly against his chest. Once he arrived at her office, he took a deep breath before knocking on her door. When she told him to enter, he walked in, and kept his eyes down, totally afraid he would lose his professionalism the second he saw her.

Unfortunately, red caught his eye, and he looked up to see her wearing a red dress, that hugged her delicious curves and stopped much shorter than she usually wore. He dragged his eyes away from her prominent cleavage the dress enhanced perfectly and looked into her chocolate eyes. Seeing her there, he didn't know what she was going to tell him, but the second he locked eyes with her, he became calm, and felt at ease. Aside from the crippling need he had for this woman.

Her eyes raked across his skin and he shivered. Feeling her eyes penetrate through him, he wanted to hike that dress up and take her against the desk. Aaron was dying to know what was under that dress, and how easy it was to come off. His cock was hard watching her take him in, seeing the lust pour from her eyes that sent him into a trance. Her bright red lipstick matched the dress perfectly, and her makeup enhanced her large doe eyes. Her long lashes batted her cheeks, and she pressed herself against the edge of the desk.

Garcia ogled the beautiful man in front of him, and she could see a hunger in his eyes that she recognized from the night before. He shut the door behind him, and as she checked him out (since she could do that now without looking weird) she felt her knees begin to buckle. She rested her hands against the desk to catch herself, since he was so gorgeous she thought she would pass out.

He was in a navy suit, with a thin necktie, unshaved, and his eyes held such an intensity, she could feel herself getting wet under his gaze. She bit her lip, and tucked a stray blonde lock behind her ear. She wore her hair down with soft curls and the dress she wore was for him, since she knew red was his favorite color.

Hotchner moved forward, a few feet away from the door, and clenched his fists. More than anything he wanted to reach out and touch her but that wouldn't have been a smart idea since they both had to go to the meeting in a few minutes. "I got your message," he said, his voice hoarse.

She smiled, and a blush ran down from her porcelain cheeks, past her neck and dipping under the dress that now camouflaged it. Her pumps were open-toed, and black with a white flower on the outer edge.

"You look so beautiful, Penelope." He was surprised at the smile that spread across her face as she closed the distance. He couldn't stand to stay away any more, and her sexy body now within arms reach he needed a taste of her lips again. He pulled her flush against him, and kissed her fiercely. He was so glad she hadn't changed her mind. So glad that she wanted him as much as he did.

She broke the kiss, and as she rested her forehead against his own, he ran his hands up and down her arms, and she felt a shiver run through her. She kissed his cheek, and slowly kissed down his neck, until she hit his collar, and moved her lips up to his ear. She licked the hollow of his ear and her hot breath was tickling him. Groaning, he captured her lips, and moved his hands to her ass. His hands roamed and kneaded the soft flesh, bringing her flush against his straining cock. The phone ringing in the background reminded them of where they were, and broke away from each other.

Both panting, he brought her close and held her. He didn't realize how much he missed her until he saw her, and he felt a swell of emotions surge within him holding this blonde bombshell in his arms. They savored their moment together before Garcia's computer started to beep at her, trying to gain her attention. After a minute, he sat up straighter, and grinned.

She giggled, and cupping his face, she stroked his cheek softly with her thumb. She reached up and kissed him softly. "I missed you," she whispered.

Aaron hugged her tightly and he felt his heart stutter. "I missed you too. You're driving me crazy, sweetheart. I won't even be able to think straight seeing you in this dress today..." That woman could turn him into a bumbling mess...

She rolled her eyes and broke away from his warm embrace. She held his hand, and squeezed tightly before speaking. "What about me? I have to see you all sexy and bossing everyone around all the while I'm gonna be thinking filthy thoughts while you be all professional." she pouted. Aaron closed the distance, and gave her a searing kiss. She moaned in his mouth, and started to run her fingers through his hair.

"You gonna tell me those filthy thoughts now?"

She smiled biting her lip. "I better not, sir. I would hate to be punished."

He had never been into bondage or S and M or any of that before, but hearing that come out of her lips had unlocked something he didn't know he desired. He wouldn't mind trying that out with her. Soon.

He swallowed, and shook his head, trying to shake out the thoughts now popping into his mind. "You are killing me."

She grinned wickedly, and kissed just below his ear. "That's the point."

She gripped his hair at the roots and he grunted in response as her lips found his again. He couldn't understand how this one woman was capable of bringing him to his knees. He needed her so badly, he felt like he couldn't breathe. He forced her backwards, until her back hit the wall, and his large hands ran along her curves, and moved to her breasts. She gasped as he squeezed hard, and attacked his mouth.

She trailed her hands downward, and grabbed his hard cock. He grunted, and his tongue circled hers, the desperation was evident as his careful control slipped. He couldn't think of why this shouldn't happen, until he remembered where they were yet again. Gasping, he took a step back, realizing they had to rein it in. His breathing was shaky, and seeing the need in her eyes was too much. He forced himself to look away.

Walking up to him, she kissed his jaw softly, and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I did ask you in here for a reason other than to attack you," she joked. He laughed, and held her body tightly against him. He kissed her neck gently, and looked into her eyes.

"Is there? This seems like reason enough to me," he breathed. She giggled, and a light blush spread across her porcelain cheeks.

"I couldn't agree more but this is important." She walked over to her purse, and grabbed it. She handed him a compact mirror and a makeup remover wipe and pointed to his lips. He checked and sure enough, red lipstick was on his face, but not as much as he thought there should be.

"Last night I got to thinking about the team, and if we were going to tell them right now or not. I don't want to lie to them, but should we wait until we know where this is heading first?" she wondered as she opened up another compact, and wiped the smeared lipstick off her face.

Aaron adjusted his tie that was now askew and took a deep breath. "If you're fine with that so am I. The problem is," he sighed. He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her ear before he went on. "we work with profilers who can read us like books. So if we do wait, let's not wait for so long. Okay, sweetheart?"

She giggled, and knowing he was right, nodded in agreement. She relaxed into his arms, and he kissed her neck softly. Aaron looked over at the clock by her computer and froze. They were really late.

"We gotta go. I have to be in the meeting in ten minutes." He hugged her and as he walked up to the door he grinned wildly at her. Her hair was slightly messy, and her makeup smudged with her dress as askew as his tie just was. He couldn't help it. She was a strobe light in his gray and dull world. Penelope smiled to herself, and grabbed her purse. She had to fix her makeup and probably her hair.

Aaron walked to the team, and they were all huddled talking amongst each other. They all looked up simultaneously, and waved to him. He nodded, with a ghost of a smile on his lips. He missed them and was very glad they got back safe. Yet he was the boss, so as much as he wanted to grab a hold of each one and hug them tightly, he brushed that shit off easily. He needed to keep some form of professionalism around here.

"Morning, Hotch. We are about to head in. You ready?" JJ asked, holding her cup of coffee in hand. Aaron nodded curtly, and looked at his watch. He hoped she wouldn't be much later than they already were. He walked over to the coffee pot and poured one for himself. He poured in some sugar and cream, and turned back to the group.

Derek looked around casually and tapped his fingers on his desk. "Anyone seen my Baby Girl? She ignored a few of my calls since we got back," he told them. Aaron stopped his mug mid-drink, for only a moment but if anyone noticed they didn't let on. Clearing his throat, he was about to make up a lie as Penelope walked in. She sauntered in, swaying her hips with confidence but wouldn't look at him. In fact, she looked everywhere but at him. She had a sly smile, and her cheeks were turning slightly pink. Instead of walking right over to him, which he wanted, she walked closer toward the thicket of their group, and he wished that she would just look at him for just a moment. She waved to the majority of the group, and Derek jumped to his feet and ran to her.

Aaron refused to look, and winced as Garcia squealed in excitement as he picked her up and she giggled at Derek. He normally wasn't a jealous man, and he's known for years what their relationship was. He even fucking knew that Derek and JJ were together even though they hadn't officially told him yet. He was a profiler after all. Yet seeing this gorgeous (because yes, look at him! He was the epitome of sex) man wrap his arms around his girl raised his hackles, and he knew he was being ridiculous, but he felt like he wanted to smash Pretty Boy's face in.

"Damn, baby! Look at you! You dressing up for me darlin'?" he groaned, biting his lip seductively and let go of her. Garcia rolled her eyes.

"Sugar cube, you should know by now you get the leather." She winked, and JJ laughed at them and walked to the printer to make some copies. Aaron's eyes darkened, and the images forming in his mind almost had him doubled over.

When Morgan put her down, she sat next to Spencer and still wouldn't meet his eyes, even though he could feel the tension building. He knew they were keeping it secret, but he wanted her to glance at him if only for a moment, still. He rolled his neck, stretching it back. The feeling wasn't uncomfortable but trying to remain normal was getting harder.

"Hotch," Derek called. He was so lost in his head he barely heard him.

"Yeah?" He took a drink of coffee, letting the scalding liquid sear his tongue. It was a good way to focus.

"Who's the girl?" Aaron felt his heart stop, yet his body was calm.

"What do you mean?"

Derek shook his head and leaned on his desk. A big, wide toothy grin formed on his face. Aaron refused to look at Penelope, even though every muscle in his body wanted to. Where was this coming from?

"Don't you lie to me, man. I know lipstick when I see it! It's on your neck. Who is she?" Aaron's fingers twitched the smallest bit, wanting to wipe the lipstick away. It was a natural reaction to something being pointed out to you, to wipe it away, but on the other hand he didn't care. Because as he scanned everyone in the room for a moment, he finally caught Penelope's eyes, and she had a naughty glint in them.

Aaron had checked his neck with the mirror, but it must have been when he exposed his neck or something. He could feel his ears tinge pink, which made the situation worse. Suddenly, Garcia got up and walked back to her office.

Before she completely walked away, JJ covered her mouth, and let it go as she asked, "Is it serious?"

Aaron saw the last swish of her hips as he answered, "Very. Well, to me that is." Everyone's faces were mixed with excitement and curiosity, but Aaron felt the need to clarify a little better. He didn't want them to think he was getting married next week or anything.

"It's someone I really like. She's different... and really special. This is new, so I want to wait to say more until I-until I get to... know her better," he lied. Well, the last part he did. If he revealed he knew her, it would be safe to assume they wouldn't stop hounding him until they guessed who it was.

"It looks to me that he got to know her pretty well last night," Spencer shrugged. Everyone turned to face him, shock clearly written on their faces. Spencer felt their stares, and even though he shrunk back slightly, he maintained his nonchalance. Reid was not one to get cheeky, and if he commented it was usually very straightforward which, Aaron believed he was doing as he said that. He just may not have realized himself how sassy his comment sounded. To his boss.

"What makes you say that, Dr. Reid?" Derek asked, clearly enjoying the prodding of his friend's personal life.

"It's not hard to tell. The lipstick must be recent, so at the earliest this morning. His eyes are more sunken in, so he hasn't been well rested. The man is smiling into his mug and pretty late. And if I didn't know any better," Spencer declared. Everyone laughed at the profiling list and pointed enthusiastically once Reid nailed one on the head. He went on, "I would say, your eyes are all gooey and dreamy."

"No way-" he was cut off by Spencer, who got riled up in excitement as he saw Aaron's eyes widen for a moment. "Dreamy, sir! Dreamy! Oh my God! Who is this woman?" he exclaimed loudly.

The other teams stopped and watched them for a moment, before Aaron stood straight up and wiped his grin off of his face. "Everyone get back to work!" Suddenly, the office hummed to life once again, and while everyone went back to their work, quite a few workers were still checking them out, waiting for another outburst.

Spencer covered his mouth and laughed, and the team cracked up. Aaron chuckled into his mug, and could feel his ears heat. Thanks Penelope, he thought to himself. Now they won't leave me or I should say us alone now. Damn sexy lipstick...

"Let's focus on our cases, shall we? We should head in for our meeting. Someone want to call in Garcia?" Walking away, he could hear them still sitting there, still laughing to themselves. It was going to be a long day, he could tell.

They went over their next cases, and luckily none of them consisted of heading to a location. Maybe in the future, but not at the moment. They apparently haven't been officially invited but it seemed inevitable. Aaron was happy to hear it, since he needed to head home at a decent hour that night. His birthday was today, and he needed to pick up a cake and celebrate with Jack. He looked at the team through the slits in his blinds, connected to the large glass windows surrounding his office. They were working very hard, and he was surprised at how diligent they were attacking their profiles and research. They were usually good, but today was intense.

He frowned, and he felt a small pang of sadness pierce his chest. Now that he thought of it, no one had said Happy Birthday to him, not even Penelope. Aaron was a little shocked, but it wasn't that big of a deal to him. He just was surprised because usually at least one person remembers a birthday for everyone. Especially Reid.

Sighing, he decided not to dwell on it, and finish his work quickly. A flash of red, however caught his eye. Penelope was talking and laughing with Reid, and her eyes kept glancing toward his office. Aaron's jaw tightened, his body rigid and unmoving. Seeing her today had been the sweetest torture he could imagine. Before, when he had thought about her, they weren't vivid, just only a fleeting fantasy.

Now that he knows what lies under that curvy dress, and how it was even more gorgeous than he could ever have envisioned, he couldn't think of anything besides her. As much as he wanted to see her today, he stayed clear of her office. He needed to focus and it was hard enough when she was in the crowd, and judging by how this morning had went, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop touching her.

He finalized his analysis, and began to type it on his laptop. His eyes couldn't help but glance at the work piled on his desk. It would take him late into the night before he was finished so he could go home. Getting home by eight would be a miracle.

It was four 'o clock, and a melodic rap of knuckles on the door alerted him to who it was before he even looked up. Derek was standing there, and had a small smile. "Hey, boss. How's the Boston case coming along?"

Aaron nodded minutely, and closed his folder in front of him. He felt his body tense seeing his dark, sexy eyes stare at him, waiting for his acknowledgment. His mind went immediately to how he held his Penelope only hours ago, and his jealousy flared for a moment. He knew it was irrational. They have been doing their song and dance for years, and nothing came of it. Not to mention Derek is with JJ, and Garcia had never looked at anyone else the way she looked at Aaron, not to brag but it was a fact. He was the same. Like he was the most sexiest thing on the planet. Well, she did look at Derek that way as well, but he could see the actress in her took over that way after a while. She didn't have the same brightness as when she looked at Aaron.

Breathing deeply through his nose, he realized he was being stupid. Yet when he breathed through his nose he could smell Derek's cologne from across the room, and the man smelled amazing. It wasn't fair. Hell, it was probably his soap and natural scent, the lucky bastard.

"Yeah, I wrote that it should be a woman, upper class, possibly early thirties who would have worked with the victim." Derek nodded, and Aaron could see it morphed at the end to a grimace.

"Yeah, and unfortunately from their file it sounds like you narrowed it down to pretty much everyone at his office, then." Derek chuckled. Aaron knew it was true, but that was as much as they had to go on, and he wasn't about to throw in more characteristics if he didn't have the information just to make it look thicker and more professional. To be fair the police station hadn't given him much to go on.

Laughing along with him, he sat up in his seat. Rubbing his eyes, he took a drink of his cold coffee. Smacking his lips, he put down his cup and looked at Derek, who seemed a little off. Something was weird. He couldn't put his finger on it though.

"Something wrong, Morgan?" Derek looked down and shook his head.

"Nah, man. I didn't want to say anything, since I know how busy you are today, but if you could, could you talk to Garcia in a minute?" Aaron tensed slightly, and stood up. His heart began pounding, wondering why he had to be tortured in such a beautiful way to be alone to talk to the woman who had invaded his every thought for weeks. He took a deep calming breath and he could practically smell her perfume hitting his nose already. Unless... it was already on Morgan? He didn't know, but his mind went into a million scenarios that flashed in a single second through his mind and he frowned at why he would have her perfume on his skin.

"What for? Something wrong?" he asked, his voice tight. He couldn't help but be nervous and dying to see her, but the fact that he should talk to her sent a jolt of worry through him. It wasn't so long ago that Derek asked him to do that before, and he found his Penelope crying.

Damn, he really needed to stop this. He knew without a doubt that Morgan was just a friend- to both of them- and this was just him being nervous on where they stood exactly. He knew they wanted to try this relationship, but it was not going to be easy since they were constantly working, and he was a father first and foremost. Not to mention if this went sour. His mind was turning into putty because of this woman and it had only been a night together. With no sex. She was going to be the death of him.

Derek smiled, and shook his head. His body screamed ease, but the tiny crease in his forehead was just enough to know that he was slightly tense. Stressed, even. "I don't know, man. I mean, it was our first day back, and did you see how quiet she was? That woman didn't even ask how our trip went, which was odd enough really, not to mention she seemed different since a week ago. I mean, hell, Hotch, she didn't even say a word when we were busting your balls about your new girlfriend! You know damn well she would have interrogated the hell outta you to get her name so she could run a bazillion background checks on her! She had this... I don't know. I had never seen her so distant. I may be wrong, but I would feel better if you could see what's up. Then I think Rossi said he wanted to talk to you about something after," he explained.

Aaron's brows furrowed, and nodded. Once he got to her office, he would have to stay away from her. If he takes one step closer he knows he won't stop kissing her. "I'm on it. May as well do it now," he told him.

Derek nodded, and smiled. "Thanks, Boss. You may want to hurry. I don't know how long Rossi is going to stick around."

Nodding, he stood up and stretched, his body tight in tension from sitting in the chair for so long. Morgan walked out, and after Aaron refilled his coffee cup with some new coffee, he walked quickly towards Garcia's office.

Rapping his hand on the door, he opened it after hearing Penelope yell, "Kom in Vanligen!" Aaron walked in quickly, and shut the door behind him. Garcia tensed, and turned around with a knowing smile on her face. She took off her ear piece, and got to her feet. (Come in, please!)

"Is-is that Swedish?" he grunted. Why was he only hearing this now? To be honest, he never much cared when others had different languages, and it probably had to do with the fact that it was something he hadn't learned about her yet but it was insanely hot. His eyes fixated on her lips, that were up in a coy smile.

Giggling softly, she stood up and pulled her dress down since it had ridden up while she was seated, showing him a peak of her soft, creamy thighs. His back was against the door, and he dared not step closer.

He honestly didn't know what was the matter with him. He was acting like a horny teenager! In fact, this wasn't even close to how he was when he was in his teens. He was far more controlled back then. This was crazy. This woman he had known for years on a friendly basis was now turning him into a panting puppy with a fucking constant hard-on. On second thought ew. Horrible analogy. Nonetheless, he needed to shake this shit off.

Coughing, he looked away from her body, and looked at the large marionette monster puppet she had lying in the corner of her office. It was teal, with two legs and a big butt with large doe eyes. It was adorable. And so random. He knew it was one of the many things she had used to keep the boys busy when they came to her office to visit or to be babysat, and that sent a warmth flowing into his veins from her kindness. It was also helping to keep him distracted from her close proximity.

She stood up, but didn't move closer. She was batting her long eyelashes at him shyly, with a small grin on her face. "Don't get your hopes up, sir. I know a minuscule of Swedish because I was considering moving there right after college." She shrugged, and cleared her throat.

"By the way I am really sorry about the lipstick. From my angle it looked cleaned up. And I-" he cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"It's fine, Penelope. They're bound to find out soon anyways. When do you think we should tell them?"

"Tell them? Yikes, I think we should wait on a weekly basis and assess what is happening with us before we decide. Besides," she shrugged and tucked a lock of golden hair behind her ear before continuing, "people tend to be..." she chewed her lip to stop herself, and Aaron furrowed his brow.

Forcing a smile, he shook his head. It was obvious she didn't want to finish her thought, so he decided to let it drop since they were working. For now. "Don't worry about it, Penny. All I need is you," he told her truthfully. He didn't like that look. She was worried and it made him worried in return.

"Penny, huh?" She gave him a quizzical look and Aaron shrugged.

"I don't have to-" She cut him off and shook her head.

"I like it. Well I like you calling me that if you want. I've always liked the nickname, actually compared to my real name."

Aaron furrowed his brows in confusion. "So why not have people call you it?"

She blushed slightly, and her demeanor changed. Penelope held her smile, but it lost it vibrancy. "My mother was actually the one who forced my full name. She used to say, "I didn't name you that so others could hack it off. If I wanted to name you after money I would have called you Woodrow. Once she died, I- but yeah, Penny is fine."

Aaron chuckled, and leaned against the doorframe. "I take it you inherited your awesome-ness from your mother." Penelope's eyes sparkled, hearing that, and took a deep breath. She refused to cry right now. Today was a good day. A happy day, so no tears.

She blushed, hating the conversation to be about her. She would rather get to know someone else than talk about herself. It also hurt to think of her mother. For every time she did, her mother's blank and lifeless eyes are all she can see. They were lifeless, but so accusing it twisted her gut. It made her nauseous, just thinking of a memory of her. No, now was not the time. She needed to focus.

Staring at the sexy man before her, she was curious if he had any preferences. She burned to know what he liked to be called, if he liked to hear Aaron or if there was some hidden nickname in his past that the team doesn't know about. She was too afraid to ask him, so she didn't. She hoped she could soon. She was very intrigued now. She couldn't help but wonder if it was one that he did or didn't like to hear aloud. She chuckled, thinking of some like Bean Pole or Bug. Clearing her throat, she looked down nervously when he noticed her laughing to herself.

"She was pretty awesome. I'm just very glad she didn't follow through with Woodrow, though."

They both chuckled. "True. I think it would have been adorable, though."

She scrunched her nose, and shook her head. "I-I uh, nope. It would not."

After their laughter died down, a moment later the mood shifted. Aaron knew he had to leave in a minute, but he still didn't trust himself to move closer. "We can wait for as long as you need, Penelope. I don't care if they discover it on their own. They'd get over it. I just want you to feel comfortable."

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Thanks. I want the same for you, but we should try to tell them before they figure it out. Out of respect for others." Aaron, confused, cocked his head to the side, and he was about to ask what that meant, but her phone rang loudly in the background.

Aaron smiled, and looked down. He could suddenly feel this barrier up around her. For all he knew it wasn't something new. It could have been there as long as he'd known her. It was something he didn't really expect. He's always known she wore her heart on her sleeve, but the closer he is getting to her now the more it showed that she wasn't as open and light as he thought. There was something in the way she stood and spoke that was so conflicting. All it kept screaming to him was that she was keeping herself at arms length, and it upset him more than he thought it would. That was something he always liked and envied about her, her openness. How easy it seemed for her to let herself be free, but now he realized it wasn't like that after all. It reminded him of how she was around her parent's death anniversary, and he never wanted to see her so broken ever again.

"I suppose you should get that..." he sighed. The phone rang as if it was agreeing with his idea. Penelope bit her lip and nodded curtly. She forced a laugh and just as quickly she looked like her old self.

He really didn't want to leave. He wanted to sit down and really talk to her. Get to know her more than he already did. The phone rang once more and Garcia held a finger up and picked the phone up.

"Talk to me." She nodded to the person on the phone, as if they could see and she laughed brightly. "Yes, I will get to that. I have to go. Yup. I will call you back."

Hanging up, she sighed and crossed her arms when she noticed Aaron looking at her. He was so sexy, and as the day slips into evening, she secretly loved the dark stubble forming on his face. She loved that time he wore a beard, and she hoped he would bring that back again. Then again, if he did, she may never leave the bedroom.

She had been so preoccupied all day, wondering if or when he was coming to her office or if she could go to his. She loved seeing his eyes follow her when she walked up to the group, his sharp and probing eyes danced on her skin, leaving goose bumps in their wake. She knew she had to get out of there. For both of their sakes.

She could get lost in his eyes, but now was unfortunately not the time. Glancing over, she noticed he had been in here longer than he should have. "As much as I want you to stay in here, you should head back now. I don't want more lipstick all over you before work is over, sir. Well, not today," she grinned wickedly, and Aaron's eyes raked over her body. Hearing "sir" come out of those plump red lips... fucking hell.

Her eyes trailed down to his length, which was quite pronounced in his slacks. Her face became flushed, and Aaron wanted to close the distance. He needed her more than anything right now, and he didn't know how he could walk out of there without taking her. Every nerve and pulse of his heart yearned to touch her, to make her feel good. It was a torture he didn't think he could endure for much longer.

Clearing his throat, he looked into her eyes. "You are such a tease Ms. Garcia," he grunted, his voice was gravelly, full of need.

"Teasing and warning are two different things, Mr. Hotchner. Now, shoo! We both have a lot of work to do," she commanded, but her blush gave her away. Grinning, he looked over to the left and saw an empty manilla folder on her side table that held her extra work supplies. He grabbed it and took a deep breath.

"What do you need that for?" she asked.

"I need to use it to actually make it back to my office without everyone having a thousand questions about my 'situation'." He emphasized it, looking down with a cocky smirk.

She followed his eyes and turned her face away quickly once she saw him again. "I'll see you later, Ms. Garcia." He said as he opened the door. Walking out, he sighed and walked to the main center of desks that held his team. Everyone was talking in hushed whispers, and when they saw Aaron, they all got back to work.

"Hotch!" Rossi called as he exited his own office. Aaron naturally looked at his watch and noticed the time. It was almost five, and he really needed to get his work done to head home.

"Yeah, Rossi?"

"Listen, I know you want to head out of here, but something's come up." Aaron internally groaned and aside from rolling his shoulders, he didn't protest. He needed to start looking into a proper vacation as a thank you to his ex sister-in-law for all of the babysitting she's had to endure.

"What is it, Rossi?" he asked, his voice lacking any emotion.

"I got a message. Here, take a look."

He handed Aaron his tablet, and pressed play. Aaron's blood ran cold for a second. His heart thundered in his chest, seeing it, but he was so shocked he pressed play again, hoping he heard the words right.

Jack popped on the screen with a huge smile on his face. He waved with a huge gesture of his arms, screaming, "Hi, Daddy! Look behind you!" Aaron slowly turned around, and in front of him stood Jack and his aunt, along with the whole team. Derek and Spence walked into the room, holding a huge cake that was covered in candles.

"Happy Birthday, Hotch!" everyone cheered. Aaron, who usually hated surprises, was quite shocked to see everyone. He could feel a blush coming on, and so he looked away. His birthday had always been one people seemed to forget, since it was the day after a holiday that people tended to stay up late with. Growing up it had been expected, and even though they remember every year, he was always still surprised they remembered.

"Hey buddy! I am so happy you're here!" he exclaimed to Jack. Jack jumped in his arms, and since he was getting so big, he let him go after a good amount of hugging. He always had an instinct to cuddle him on his hip still or throw him on his shoulders.

"I think it's cake time!" Jack shouted, trying to amp up the group. Everyone laughed and Spencer walked closer.

"You know the boring rules, boys. You get cake while we all eat our dinners! Let's go! Come on, Hotch! Blow out the candles!" Spencer told them. Aaron smiled and walked to the cake with a giddy Jack and Henry. Everyone crowded around him, and he could feel Penelope's eyes on him. Derek whispered something into her ear, and she pushed him away, huffing. Derek's booming laughter echoed in the room, and Aaron locked eyes with her for a moment before making a wish.

Once the cake was cut, they sliced a huge piece off for Henry and Jack, while everyone waited for the caterers to come. Everyone was mingling with one another, and having a great time. Seven o' clock came around, and by then everyone was now well fed, and starting on their cake.

Aaron spent a lot of time hanging out with Jack, and did the usual run around of showing him off. It never got old. Garcia and Spencer were talking, when Jack ran up to her. He gave her a huge hug, and she enveloped him fiercely. "Hey little Hotch! Oh man, how was trick-or-treating the other day? Have you beat my record yet?" Spencer asked, fist bumping him in some intricate move they must have made up together.

"Hey Uncle Spencer! It was awesome! Penelope and Dad went with my friend Max, and we hit the entire neighborhood! We got so much candy I could barely carry it!" Jack beamed up at the sinewy man. Aaron froze, and tried to recover, but Spencer saw it. Penelope laughed, and nodded along, seeming quite normal, but Aaron could see her turning more pale than usual.

Spencer gave him a high-five and he looked between Garcia and Aaron for a moment, before shaking his head a little. "Hey Jack- how about we go grab some action figures in my office so you and Henry can defend the cake from..." she trailed off, letting Jack answer.

He gasped, and narrowed his eyes. "One-eyed Rossi? Not again!" He ran towards Garcia's office without a second glance and Garcia laughed maniacally as she ran to pick up Henry to take him to her office. Spencer laughed, as did Aaron.

"Rossi!" Spencer called from across the room. David turned and looked at him, giving him a quizzical look. "Time to bust out your dark side once again, Rossi."

David chuckled softly, and pulled the knot out of his tie. Haphazardly tying it around his one eye, he turned toward the thundering yells of the boys as they ran into the room. "Leave that cake mountain alone One-Eyed Rossi!" Henry cried.

Rossi crouched and ran toward the half-eaten cake. Aaron watched as his son took his action figure and attacked Rossi as he slowly made his way toward the cake. Spencer was standing next to Hotch still, and Aaron could see from the corner of his eye that Reid was looking at him. He ignored it, until Spencer cleared his throat.

"Hotch?"

"Yeah?"

His heart was pounding, hoping he didn't put the pieces together. It would not be good. "I know you said you were getting to know this mystery girl, but you should really evaluate how you feel about Penelope."

Aaron swallowed hard, and looked down into his cup of coffee. It was slightly warm, but it tasted bitter, no matter the amount of sugar and cream he puts in it.

"What makes you say that?" He wasn't going to flat-out deny it, but he figured he could at least go around the issue.

"You know Garcia has had a thing for you for like, forever... right? Besides, Jack is crazy about her. She seems the same. You'd be lucky to have someone like her. Just saying." he shrugged. Aaron could see a pang of sadness envelop his features in his young friend as he said this. So Reid didn't put that together, but the fact that Penelope had liked him for a while mixed with doing a family type outing implied Aaron was hurting Penelope by being with the "other woman."

He felt a swell of feelings stir within him thinking how good she was and had been with her son. It was clear she really cared about him. He was surprised to hear Spencer of all people talking about relationship-type feelings about others. That was just kind of weird. Not to mention he was their boss and that was a colleague talking about dating a colleague. They were great friends, sure, but they still had a business relationship thrown in there as well.

He was right, of course. Aaron would be lucky to have her. She was hilarious, random and a uniquely beautiful woman. Without another word, Spencer patted him on the back and walked over to join in with the boys. Garcia was karate-chopping the cake with an action figure, a minion of Rossi's, when Spencer became the extra super hero. Garcia cried foul as well as Rossi.

After an hour, Aaron realized he better get Jack home. Emily was talking about what happened at their last case when they had to go on location with Aaron and he doubled over in laughter. "I'm serious! The examiner seriously asked that! How some people manage to get their license is beyond me..." she laughed.

"So, Aaron, how bored were you working here? Miss the action?" Aaron scratched his stubble coming in and shrugged.

"I wasn't bored. I thought I would be, but I had fun, surprisingly." He wanted to stay vague, since he didn't want to bring up the amount of time he spent with Penelope.

"Oh? What happened?" As he silently cursed himself, Rossi had walked over to Aaron and clapped him on the back. He had to get Jack home soon to keep his schedule. He was already hopped up on a ton of sugar so it wouldn't be easy to settle him down. Not to mention this line of questioning could expose them.

"Who's ready for a drink?" Rossi asked. Emily raised her hand quickly, and Aaron regrettably shook his head.

"I should really get Jack home. He has a big test tomorrow and I need him to get some homework done."

"Taken care of."

Aaron raised an eyebrow, and waited for him to tell him what the hell he was talking about. Jack ran over and hugged Aaron tightly around the stomach. His sister-in-law walked up and waved.

"Bye Dad! Happy Birthday!" He let go and ran to Spencer and Garcia across the room. Aaron looked to Rossi, and his sister-in-law who smiled at him.

"What's going on?"

Aaron watched as Rossi rubbed his hands together. "We are going to have some nice libations and we figured the boys would love to have a sleep-over."

To say he was shocked was an understatement. This must have been planned for a while to have made this all happen. He truly had a great family. Yet this was too much. He pawned his child enough on this poor woman.

"Jessie I appreciate it, but-" She cut him off with a simple swish of her hand.

"It's more than fine. I want you to actually enjoy yourself."

Aaron stared right into her eyes and conveyed as much reasoning as he could into her. "You have three children under the age of thirteen. I know it's crazy to have just Jack there but are you sure about having Henry there too? I could easily take them to my house-"

"No. I got it all under control. That boy is far from a burden for me and you know that. Henry is as sweet as pie so I know it won't take much to watch them. They will work on homework and get right into bed. When is the last time you went out and had fun?"

He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyed slightly. Two can play at this game. "Yeah? When is the last time you went out?"

Jessica hugged him and tapped his cheek. "Don't sass me, Aaron. I am fine with it. Go. Have fun. Your boy will be fine."

"Thank you, Jessie. I don't thank you enough." Rolling her eyes, she adjusted her purse.

"Yeah, yeah. Such a burden with these hellions. Have a good time. Happy Birthday, Aaron."

Aaron smiled gratefully and hugged her tightly. She was amazing. He was so lucky to have her around now that Jack's mother wasn't here anymore. When he gave Jack a final hug, they all left and almost instantly Emily came out with shot glasses and whiskey. Aaron refrained from the shots, but gladly took a glass of whiskey.

Penelope drank a couple of shots, from what he noticed but it was hard to tell since she didn't come near him at all. That was a sure-fire way to get busted, but what could he do?

There was a small amount of music in the background from Emily's iPod. No one was really working near them but it still seemed odd to blast music in the government office. It had been an hour, and while the music may have been low, the crowd sure wasn't. Their loud laughter and voices carried through the stale hallways, sending most of the others that didn't partake in the celebration home since it was probably impossible to get any work done.

Aaron had a few drinks by then, not enough to be drunk, but enough to get him relaxed and feel the warmth spread throughout his body. He finished the last of his drink, and looked over to Rossi who was laughing with Derek.

"Hey bartender! What about the promise you made that I wouldn't see the bottom of this glass, tonight?" he called out. Rossi grabbed a paper napkin off the table and laid it across his left arm. He walked over with his bottle of whiskey, and poured it with finesse. Aaron chuckled into his glass, and welcomed the burn in his throat as the amber liquid slid down smoothly.

"There you are, sir. A fine year." Rossi smiled. Aaron would have just gotten more himself, but it felt weird to get more since it was David's whiskey. Once the boys left, Rossi made the promise as a way to make him feel better about leaving Jack with Jessica.

"Thanks."

"No problem. I am a horrible bartender, however." Aaron gave it a moment before replying, "Yeah, You really are."

Rossi chuckled, and put an arm around him. "Let's say we get a real bartender to pour you these drinks, huh? I think we should head to Romano's, and get out of this dungeon."

Aaron crinkled his nose in disgust. It wasn't that he absolutely hated it, but he definitely didn't want to go there. "It's a bar that has eighty year old males smoking cigars with one hand and inhaling oxygen in the other, Rossi."

Rossi shrugged. "True, but the best damn cigars you'll see legally, and some not so."

"Nah. I think we need to get you out, Rossi and get back in the game. Sweep some fine women off their feet, right Prentiss?"

Emily laughed, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Wait, I thought you are already in the process of this with some mystery girl?"

"It never hurts to sharpen your tools... besides, you're not official with your girl already are you?" Derek wondered. Aaron naturally wanted to look at Penelope, but he knew it would be as if he pointed a finger right at her and screamed her name as answer enough. He could see her in his periphery, however, and he could see she her head was turned toward him.

Derek had asked the one thing he couldn't really answer since there was nothing labeled, nothing to declare that this was monogamous. He assumed, but what was she thinking? Was she that serious about him already? Was it even implied? He certainly wasn't interested in anyone else and he had a feeling she wasn't either but how far is their secrecy going to go? Will he have to endure someone taking her out on the dance floor and grab those hips he had touched only a couple of days ago? Would she have to watch him make a fool of himself flirting with some girl he didn't care about to keep up this stupid charade? It made him swell with jealousy and anger, and he knew then what his answer would be.

Turning to look at Derek, his now heated face turned extremely serious, and in an octave deeper than his usual voice was, he told him, "We are exclusive, yes. Are you thinking about heading to Element?" Element was a popular night club that was just right for everyone. If they didn't go to a local bar they would usually head there.

Derek nodded, but it wasn't hard to see the shock on his face at the admission. "Whoa, man. I am very excited to meet this girl, Hotch." Aaron looked away, and he felt a small amount of guilt. When he looked up, Penelope was standing in front of him, smiling softly at him before looking away.

"Soon. Very soon, Morgan."

Everyone decided to head out, and Spencer was the designated driver. He had a drink earlier, but it was practically out of his system already. There was no point in driving that night, honestly. It wasn't that cold out that night and it was a few blocks down from the office. Albeit a little sketchy in some alleys but otherwise very safe to head back. They left their stuff at the office aside from the ladies' purses.

They got there and it was just starting to get busy. When they walked in, Garcia walked up to him. "Happy Birthday Aa-Hotch. I wanna buy the birthday boy a drink." She grabbed his hand, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Make way for the birthday boy!" she screamed. Their group cheered and once he had a drink in hand, the rest of them grabbed theirs as well.

Holding up his glass, he looked at his amazing friends and realized how lucky he was to have them. "Thanks for this amazing birthday, guys. You are the best family I could ask for. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Everyone called out before guzzling down their strong drinks. Another reason they like to go there. JJ kissed Derek sweetly, and turned her attention to Aaron.

"Come on, Birthday boy! Let's dance!" He didn't even have a chance to turn her down before she yanked him out onto the floor. Normally, if he was sober he was all for some simple dancing that mostly consisted of shuffling feet and a lot of swaying. However, when he was buzzed or drunk... his inhibitions are long gone and he lets out some either amazing or horrible dance moves. Judging by the amount of laughter from JJ, he would guess the latter.

He honestly didn't care. He was so happy to be there having a good time with his friends and Penelope that for the first time in a long time, he felt like he had everything he needed.

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and he imagined Penelope was behind him grabbing his attention. JJ stopped dancing and laughed, looking happily at the person behind him. "Hey gorgeous," he sang. Turning around, he felt his cheeks flush as he saw Emily standing there.

He didn't know why he assumed it was Penelope. Maybe it was just a mix of wishful thinking and a strong buzz. Emily's eyes bugged out, but her smile brightened. Aaron held his hands up, and shook his head.

"I mean- I thought- I- you're not her." he stumbled. When he looked a little further to his left, he could see Penelope dancing with Spencer, and he didn't know if she heard him or not. He assumed she hadn't, since he had to scream just to talk over the music.

"Who did you think I was?" Emily asked, quite intrigued. Aaron swallowed thickly, and when he scanned the room his eyes found a decent looking bar fly standing by Rossi. She was brunette, and he had seen her countless times that they had come there.

He felt eyes on him, and so when he glanced to his side, he noticed her once again. He felt his heart beat loudly as their eyes locked. It wasn't hard to see her, wearing such a striking color it was easy to find Penelope, as if she was a beacon, glancing at him. She seemed concerned, but Aaron couldn't focus on that. He had a very intrigued Profiler asking him a question he didn't want to answer and oh yeah, he was pretty buzzed, if not a little drunk.

Taking a deep breath, he looked back to Emily, and knew he had to do damage control. "See that barfly? She had been eye-fucking me the whole time I've been here. I thought it was her. She seems the type to make the first move."

Emily glanced in the direction Aaron pointed at, and nodded once he pointed her out. Luckily, as if on cue, her eyes locked with his, revealing she was in fact trying to flirt. Aaron nodded his head, acting as if he was interested, and he smirked at her. Fat chance, lady...

Emily laughed, and looked quite shocked. "Wow. She seems very interested." Aaron chuckled, and nodded in agreement.

They talked for a few more songs, and kept dancing together."I need a drink, JJ. Excuse me, ladies." he told them. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he walked to the bar, and joined Garcia talking with some guy who looked like a surfer guy.

"Hey, Penelope. Who's your friend?" Garcia tensed the slightest bit, but she kept her smile.

"Oh, hi, Hotch! This is someone I just met, his name is...?" she wondered.

"Jerry. Hi, nice to meet you, Penelope. Who are you? A 'Hotch', you said?" Aaron smirked, and wanted to secretly punch him. He didn't even know why. He seemed nice so far, other than his abandonment issues telling by profiling him for a few seconds. He really needed to talk to her. He was normally never this jealous, but the fact that there was nothing said between them about exclusivity is spiraling him into madness.

"Aaron."

"Hi. So, Penelope? How about that dance?" Penelope looked down, her body tense.

"Actually Penelope promised me this dance. Next time." Without another word he pulled her onto the dance floor.

The song changed while they had spoken to a slow song, and as much as he didn't want to, he grabbed her hips and she brought her arms around his neck. He wanted to close the distance, but he knew he had to control himself.

"That was a little rude, don't you think?" she asked, as they moved softly to the music.

"Rude? Rude would have been punching him in the face for even talking to you. I at least conversed with him."

"That's conversing? Huh. Could have fooled me."

Aaron's jaw tightened. Looking over to the group, they paired off and were dancing amongst each other. "What? You wanted to dance with him? Wanted his needy little hands all over this beautiful dress you are wearing just for my eyes. This dress that makes me want to rip it off and take you right here?"

She gasped as he closed the distance. His arm encircled her waist, and he pressed his head on her forehead. There was now no space between them, and Aaron felt the mood shifting. Her hands clutched his body tightly, and he swore he could feel her heartbeat thundering on his skin. Or maybe it was his own. The tension mounted, and he could feel her become just as affected as he was getting. Maybe it was the drinks, or maybe he didn't care about what the others thought anymore. He suddenly felt savage, like any moment he would have done just that. He couldn't wrap his head around taking this slow when it was so obvious there was something incredible between them.

The song changed, although it wasn't still quite a fast song. It broke the moment, since Penelope began to look around. She took a step back, giving them some distance, and after squaring her shoulders, her piercing eyes narrowed on him.

"Yes, I didn't want to dance with him, but I didn't need a rescue. I was about to ask you myself before you ripped me away from him. I would've expected you of all people to handle that better."

He licked his lips, and tried to think of something to say, but she was right. He didn't even give her a chance. Sighing, he felt his chest deflate, and he nodded.

"I'm sorry, Penelope. You're right, It's just seeing you today..." he didn't want to bring up the worry of if they were exclusive or not and he didn't want to bring up how the men looking at her were driving him insane all night.

She smiled, and nodded sympathetically. "I know what you mean, Aaron. It's been a little intense, and it's only day one."

Agreeing, he nodded and moved the tiniest bit closer. "That's an understatement."

She giggled, and looked into his eyes. "So... what do you want for your birthday, sir?" she asked softly.

He wasn't even sure he heard her correctly. Leaning down, he pressed his ear to her lips and she repeated it once again. This time, it was a little softer, and her shaky breath blew on his ear. His mind ran a million thoughts, some were innocent, some were fun, but mostly were far from innocent.

Swallowing hard, he knew what would make him very happy. "I want you to tell me you're mine. Only mine. You're all I want, Penelope. I can't think of a better birthday gift."

She slowly slid her head back, and closed her eyes. The tension was still escalating from earlier, and when she finally opened her eyes, he could see pure lust and his grip on her hips tightened.

She took a deep breath, and suddenly, looking into his eyes, she gave him a wicked smile. "Okay, you're mine."

He narrowed his eyes as she cracked up. That wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear, but to be fair, he did tell her to tell him that. His hands moved to her ribs, and tickled her.

She squeaked and tried to get away but it was useless. "Think you're funny, do you?" She laughed loudly, and nodded. He chuckled, and watched as her body moved swayed around, trying to break free from his fingers.

"Okay, I'm sorry!" she cried. He relented, and when he glanced around his friends were still dancing together. They seemed quite drunk, and very handsy amongst each other. Except Rossi, who was dancing with the barfly from earlier.

"You're beautiful when you laugh." Blushing, she looked away before catching his eyes once again.

"I like seeing you laugh more. I missed seeing it," she told him. They danced for another song, but this one was faster, and much more exciting now that she could grind on him. She rolled her hips against his front, the bold beat of the song directed her hips, and he was lost in the feel of her body on him. When the song ended, JJ ran up to Penelope and the three girls danced together.

Aaron walked back to the bar and watched as his girl started to twist her hips against JJ, who had her arms wrapped around Emily's neck. Emily, slid her hands slowly along JJ's curves, and Penelope danced slowly around them. They did this dance before a few times when everyone was drunk, and Aaron had always loved it. He had always watched her dance with them, her curves on full display for him. He used to imagine it was for his benefit she would do it, trying to entice him, to seduce him, and felt his stomach twist in jealousy when he realized that was never really the case. He figured it would be the same this time but it wasn't the same as before. He did wish those were his hands on her yet he was anticipating being the one to touch her. He didn't feel that gut twisting feeling, and instead felt as if his imagination turned to reality. Usually, she would dance with them, and laugh and just have fun. This time, he had caught her eyes a few times, and it felt like it was all for him. Every movement, every touch, a promise.

When it was over, the girls hugged drunkenly before heading back to the bar. Men were sending them a lot of drinks, which they declined. Not only because they were FBI agents who knew better than to take a glass from someone you didn't see pour it, but also they were clearly not interested.

Spencer had met someone in the back of the bar. A beautiful blonde with soft waves and a wearing a green dress that wasn't about to expose her vagina like most of the women there. Aaron wanted to dance with Penelope more, but he figured he would wait. Emily and Rossi were dancing together, but Emily wouldn't stop looking at the girl in the green dress. Rossi couldn't either.

Derek grabbed Penelope's hand, and kissed it softly. "Come on, Mama. Let's show 'em how it's done." Garcia giggled, and bent a little, curtsying. Aaron looked away, and ordered another drink. He wanted to watch her, to see where exactly those hands were going but he trusted her. He trusted him, and as beautiful as he may be, they clearly aren't very interested in each other.

He glanced, but didn't actively watch, until their eyes met from across the room. She looked at him with lust-induced eyes, and as she twisted and writhed, Aaron knew she was only looking at him. His eyes darkened, and as he gulped the last of his drink down, he looked away. He needed her so much it was killing him.

After an hour, Aaron's mood was starting to darken. Penelope danced with everyone, as did he. Hell, even Rossi and he danced cheek to cheek. It had been fun, but the longer he was there, the more he was unable to focus on anything but her. Besides, he stopped drinking a couple hours before that, so he was starting to get a dull headache. Something that he gets when he stops. Enough was enough. Yet he wouldn't go without her. He wanted to make sure she got home okay.

Penelope gulped the last of her drink, and smiled. Walking over to him, she faced the bar and their elbows touched. "Hey, baby. Having fun?" he asked. He wasn't really drunk anymore, okay maybe buzzed, but he wasn't too out of it. Penelope seemed the same, since she was so giggly. She will laugh at almost anything if she is in the slightest good mood when she drinks.

"Yeah, I have. Now I am ready for bed."

"So am I." he agreed, but took it in an entirely different context.

"Do you want to leave? I think the others aren't leaving for another couple of hours."

Aaron nodded, and got to his feet. He was about to pay his tab, but Penelope stopped him. "Don't bother, Rossi is paying. He already told them to cut up your card if you hand them one. He paid them quite the generous tip to have them do that, too."

Aaron rolled his eyes, and put his wallet back. He learned that lesson the hard way to follow Rossi's plan. Penelope paid for hers, and they walked up to Spencer.

"Hey, I am going to head out and make sure the Birthday Boy gets home safely. Goodnight, Spencer." Penelope told him.

"Sure. Happy Birthday, Hotch. See you in the morning."

Aaron hugged him, and walked up to the rest and they explained that they were heading out. When they turned the corner of the club, Aaron grabbed her hand. They walked back to the office, to retrieve their things, and Penelope walked up to him as he grabbed his briefcase.

"Here. I got you something." Holding up a present, she handed him the envelope. She even wrapped the envelope.

"You didn't have to do that. I-" she cut him off with narrowed eyes.

"If I hear you say something along the lines that I am all the present you need I will gladly slap you up. Got it?" she threatened.

"I wasn't going to say that." Penelope visibly relaxed, and Aaron smirked as he opened the envelope.

"I was going to say that I don't need anything since I told you what I wanted at the club." Penelope smiled, and sighed.

He opened it up, and saw there were two tickets to a comedy club and ten handmade coupons. Five of them were for free babysitting, and he saw a couple of free kisses were in there, along with a free kiss of his choice of where, and he looked up at her. It was one of his favorite comedians, and they were amazing seats. "Penny-"

"Baby, you need more than what you asked me at the club and you know it. You need to go out and have some fun too. Not just go from work to taking care of Jack. I got you these so you can have a good time. And by the way- no pressure about it. I don't care who you go with as long as you actually go and have fun."

Aaron was at a loss for words. He didn't expect this. The party was more than enough. This was very sweet of her and she must have gotten these weeks ago. He had tried to get tickets a couple weeks ago and they were sold out.

"Thank you, Penny. Will you go with me?" Penny looked at them, and nodded.

"Yes! I mean, sure. I would love to. I hope it's alright I talked to Jessica and asked if I went with you if she was available for the night of the comedy club and she said it will work. Otherwise I would have gladly watched Jack for you."

Aaron wanted to thank her. He wanted to show her how much he appreciated her and what they have. "Come with me."

Penelope grabbed his hand, and he looked around, not finding anyone. He thought of bringing her to a janitor closet, but for all he knew the janitor could still be there. Running to his office, he brought her inside and kissed her roughly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down further, since he was so tall. As good as that was, it didn't feel great on his back, so he backed her against his desk. Tongues clashing, heart beating out of his chest, and her fingers were running through his hair, it was all he needed.

She broke the kiss, and started leaving trails of hot kisses on his neck. His head was fuzzy, and as her teeth grazed his jugular, she moved her hands to the buttons on his shirt. He couldn't think of a better idea. His hands moved to the back of her dress, and found the zipper. Soon enough the dress was hanging off of Penelope, and he took her in.

She had lingerie on underneath, and he sucked in a breath. It was a detailed black corset with matching panties. She looked so incredible his dick throbbed at the sight. Tilting her head back, he kissed her neck as she leaned back on the desk. Her deft fingers had his shirt almost unbuttoned, and he was surprised how fast that was. It felt like a second ago she was kissing his neck.

"You are so sexy, sir." She smiled against his skin. He was losing it. He felt like he couldn't breathe. He watched as she twisted them into the opposite position, and as she kissed down his chest slowly, she paid attention to every inch of him.

"Penny," he choked out. He needed to be inside her soon. Her soft giggle against his skin had his hairs stand on end.

"Tell me what you want, Aaron. Tell me, baby."

Aaron's head rolled back before he answered. She was slowly falling to her knees, and her cleavage from this angle was in full bloom. "Fuck!" he moaned. Her crooked smile was all he could see once she lightly traced her finger over his clothed cock.

It was begging her for entrance, and he had no self control left to tell it no. This was far from the perfect place for them to do this, but as long as he was with her that was all that mattered. His jagged breathing filled the room, and she slowly moved her hands to his belt.

"Fucking hell! Suck me. Use your pretty pink mouth on me," he moaned loudly. He was so hard, it was painful. She moaned, and attacked his stomach with soft grazes of her teeth and wet kisses trailing down as she undid his belt. He groaned, and when she unbuttoned his pants, he was done with the teasing. He wanted to finally be with her and make love to this beautiful woman. The thought of actually being inside of her...

"Fuck, Penelope. I need you." Suddenly, the door burst open, and their heads turned to see that it was none other than a shocked Derek.

He busted the door open, and took in the scene before him. Aaron could see to his surprise that the shock turned to something he was not expecting. He was angry. Dangerously angry. Penelope was redder than her shade of lipstick, and she must have noticed as well.

"Derek, listen we can-" she was abruptly cut off by Morgan.

"You fucking son of a bitch!" he screamed. Charging at him, Aaron held his hands up and Penelope tried to cover herself up and get out of the way. Derek grabbed Aaron's open shirt and yanked him off the desk and roughly against the wall.

"Derek, no!" Penelope screamed.

"You fucking- Where's your girl, huh? Penelope is not some side piece for your drunken ass! All that talk today and here you are messing with my Baby Girl! What the fuck is wrong with you, man?" Derek screamed in his face. A vein was popping out of his head he was so livid.

"I can explain-" Morgan cut Aaron off. "Oh I see. I fucking see plenty. I thought you were better than this. You didn't see how she felt about you? You didn't see how much she was in love with you and here you are-using her!"

"Derek, let go of him right now! I swear to God I will beat the shit out of you if you don't." That made Derek more angrier, if that were possible. Yet seeing Penelope's strong, and determined face must have been enough to see she was serious.

Reluctantly, he let go and took a step back. "She is the same woman I've been talking about." Aaron pointed at Penelope.

Derek looked between the two of them, and took another step back. "It was my stupid idea, Derek. I didn't want anyone to know until we were completely sure that this is going to get serious. Aaron just went along with it." Derek looked between them, and rubbed his face.

"So you aren't cheating on anyone?" Derek asked Aaron. Aaron shook his head in response.

As Aaron said these words, he didn't look at Derek, but looked at Penelope."She's all I want." he told her sincerely.

Penelope's eyes watered, and she smiled brightly. Her cheeks were still quite red, much more so after that. Derek smiled, and embarrassment flooded his cheeks.

Derek looked between the two of them, before a big smile lit up his face. "Sorry, man. I didn't know-" Aaron cut him off by waving his hand.

"I know. I would have done the same thing too if I thought someone was going to hurt her."

Derek looked down, before his eyes trailed to Penelope. He walked over, and gave her a hug. She was still upset, but she embraced her large best friend. "I am so happy for you guys! Shit, man. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to even react that way. I feel terrible it's your birthday and everything."

"Well, sweetie, you're drunk. You should grab JJ and go home."

"I will. I can't believe you are together! I am so happy for you! I love you so much you guys!"

"Thanks. Now can we talk more about this later?" she asked, tightening her hold on her body, and blushing brightly. Derek looked her up and down, and let out a huge breath.

"Damn, girl! No wonder he can't keep his hands off you. That red dress and now that corset! Has he seen the hot pink one yet?" Garcia knowingly smiled, and shook her head.

"I wanted to wait until our first time for that one." Aaron's eyebrows shot up, and all blood in his veins flooded downward.

"No way! You don't want the poor man to have a heart attack before you even enjoy him do you?" Morgan asked, chuckling.

Now Hotch was beyond curious, but now also about something else. "How close are you two, exactly?" he wondered aloud. His tone was more guarded and a little more accusing than he intended.

Derek sighed wistfully and wrapped an arm around Penelope before turning toward Aaron. "Extremely close, but not as close as you two apparently."

Aaron looked at Penelope, who was completely disheveled and her eyes still held a hint of lust. "We're getting there. Listen, I know it would be stupid to ask you to keep this to yourself, but could you at least wait until we say something to them? Give us a couple days, tops."

Derek chuckled, and walked to the door. "I would say more like the morning. Everyone already knew something was happening. I would just get it out of the way if I were you. Call me tomorrow, sweet cheeks. I'm sorry again, Hotch. Love you, man. Happy Birthday."

Derek walked out, and Penelope tried covering up her body with the tight dress. Aaron walked up to her, and helped her slip her dress on. He wanted her so much, but now it would have felt a bit strange to keep going.

"Come on, love. Let's get you home." They got in their separate cars, and Penelope drove to her house. It was starting to get late, and they had to get in early.

Aaron followed her to her house, and walked her to her door. "I'm so sorry about Morgan. I really wanted you to actually enjoy the gift I was giving you." she blushed.

He chuckled, and kissed her softly on the lips. "Don't be sorry. It was probably a good thing that happened."

Confusion was written on her face. "How so?"

"For one, I would have taken you in my office, when I want you on a big, soft comfortable bed. So his barging in was like a bucket of ice water, which also sobered me up."

She hummed in agreement, but she seemed affected by his words. "Also, he said that we should get it over with telling them soon. I think he's right. I want you, Penelope. I don't need weeks or months to know what I already feel for you is more than a casual thing. You are one of my best friends, and you should know I would never hurt you."

Shocked, she swallowed thickly, and looked away. "Yes, but I am the one who could hurt you just as easily. We don't know what the future may hold, and I never want you to regret us.. You mean so much to me, and I wanted you for so long."

She laughed bitterly, and looked down. "I don't know if you know this, but I wanted you from the moment I met you. You were always this fantasy that I never thought was within reach and here you are, asking to be with me. I don't want to hurt you, Aaron."

He hooked a finger under her chin, and looked into her eyes. She was scared. He didn't even need to study her to know how frightened she was. He cupped her cool cheek in his hand, and took a step forward. "Then don't, Penny. Let's take it a step at a time. Slow this down, even. There is nothing wrong with telling our little group about us so they don't need to pry and we won't have to lie. We can take this as slow as you want but I'm sure of us."

She couldn't find the words. It was his birthday, and the last thing she wanted to do was to burden him on such a happy day. She would tell him soon. She had to. For now, he could just enjoy his birthday and she could go on fantasizing that everything will be fine. She ignored the dread oozing from her bones, and smiled at him.

"Okay. I don't know how slow I will be able to take this, but I appreciate the gesture." she smiled.

"I don't know what you were thinking wearing that outfit to work. I could barely look at you I wanted you so much."

Blushing, she was shocked she had such an effect on him. "You think you had it tough? Imagine seeing you wear a sexy lumberjack outfit to the next day wearing a suit and tie!" she giggled.

He laughed and grabbed her hand. He really didn't want to go. They had work early in the morning, and he had to pick up Jack. "Thank you for today. It was great."

"It was nothing! We could barely contain our excitement when they finished their case earlier than they thought and realized we could have your birthday party on your actual birthday."

She grinned up at him, and shrugged. "Glad you liked it, Aaron. I gotta say though, us sneaking around was a little underwhelming than I thought it would be."

Aaron mulled over the day, and he nodded. "I know! I thought it would have an air of sexiness to it, but it really didn't. Especially when Derek barged in." he laughed.

Penelope didn't laugh, and instead shook her head a little. "That stupidly beautiful chunk of dark chocolate is going to get an earful when I talk to him tomorrow!"

He grabbed her hand, and rubbed his thumb on top of her smooth skin. "It's fine. I would have done the same. Except I would have been jealous. His was out of concern."

Reluctantly, she nodded. She knew he was right, but that didn't make her feel any better. Luckily Derek didn't punch him, but he still threw him against the wall.

"I know. So are you going to pull Emily aside to give her the news, or should we tell them all at once?" she asked.

Aaron gave her a puzzled look, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I didn't know we had to Emily first. Why is that?" he smiled. He was beyond confused, now.

She bit her lip. "I thought it would be thoughtful since you two-?" she trailed off, seeing the shock on his face.

"What? What gave you that idea?"

"I don't know, I wasn't sure if you had something casual! Remember the cookies? The screaming comment? I don't know, I mean it would make sense! You two would make a better match than we would," she rambled. She was beyond uncomfortable talking about this, but she did want to know if there was something more going on than she knew about.

Aaron scoffed, and thought back to the cookies incident. Suddenly, he laughed a little under his breath. Penelope was so darn cute when she was jealous. "Penelope..."

When he caught her eyes peeking at him, he spoke again. "You have nothing to worry about. There is and was nothing going on with us. I love her as a friend only, and that is as far as our relationship has gone. Remember when we lost Mary Wentworth? The little girl in Louisiana?"

Penelope nodded, remembering the horrific case. They helped with a murder case, where a pedophile was taking children, and mutilating them after raping them. It was a terrible case, and Emily paired with Derek had been the closest to apprehend him. She recalled that the pedophile tried to run away, and got a few hundred feet before Derek took him down. Emily was with Mary, the latest victim, and she had died in her arms.

"Oh my gosh, I completely forgot! I'm so sorry!" She felt like a complete ass now.

"She was there, Penny. She saw that scared little girl die in her arms, asking if she was dying. When she got back to the office, she was holding it all in. Everyone left, and so I told her to scream. Let it all out. She screamed until she cried, and I told her that while she couldn't do it in front of everyone, she could do it with me." She could feel the sorrow and pain radiating off of him, and she wanted to hug him.

"Oh God, you're right. I am so sorry." Not able to hold back, she threw her arms around him, and held him tight. He hugged her back, smiling.

As he broke away from her hug, he kissed her forehead. "I promise, love, you are the only one that I had ever wanted to get close to in the office. I don't take dating one of my co-workers lightly. I wouldn't be with you if I didn't think we had a strong chance, sweetheart."

"You're making it very hard not to fall for you, you know."

He chuckled, and held her tight. "That is the idea..."

She would have been fine if he had been with Emily, but she couldn't deny the fact that it calmed her a little more knowing that they were only just friends. She felt so bad for her for going through that. She was so sweet, and Penelope couldn't pretend to know how that felt to have a tortured child die in your arms, so close to going home, but her little body gave up. She doesn't regret what she does, because she knew they helped countless people, but to look at the horror on her screens, coupled with the ones they couldn't save in time was almost too much to bear.

"I should head home. We have an early morning."

She nodded, and couldn't help but want him to stay. He was right, though, and she was tired. Drinking makes her tired. "Okay. Uh, Aaron?"

"What?"

"Would you like to go on a date? When we have a day off, that is?"

He grinned, and to say he was shocked was an understatement. He didn't think she would have asked him first. He was going to do that soon, when he knew they had a couple days off. "You didn't need to ask."

She beamed up at him. She loved seeing how happy he was in that moment. She was so lucky to be with such a kind, compassionate, and bad-ass man. She couldn't help but wonder when he would realize that she wasn't worth his time. She was weird, not unique, and some of the guys she had dated mistook her for the latter. Kevin was one of those men, and seeing the strange looks he gave her made her question herself often.

Penelope had a lot more self-confidence than she once had, but Aaron was so far out of her league, she couldn't help but worry. "I hope you're right. Well, I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

She cupped his face, and brought him to her lips. It started slow, but the next thing she knew it got heated. He had her up against the wall, exposed to the public as he had her hands up, pinned on the door while he ravished her lips and skin. He was everywhere, and she couldn't stop him even if she wanted him to. "Aaron," she breathed.

He couldn't control himself. It had been a while since he had been with a woman, and seeing her so responsive to his touch bulldozed any semblance of control he may have lately. Her fingers gripped his roots sharply as he let go of them on the door. His lips traveled to the base of her throat, and she whimpered as his tongue swirled on her sensitive skin before nipping lightly.

"I wish you could stay," she almost moaned. He groaned, hating to be reminded he had to leave.

He broke away from her, and pressed his forehead against hers, breathing hard. "I wish I could too."

Reluctantly taking a step back, he gave them enough space to cool off. "Goodnight, Penelope."

"Goodnight, Aaron. See you in the morning." She kissed him softly, before turning to open her door. He watched her get inside, and he walked down the hallway. The light was flickering, and he thought to remind her to tell her super the next day. As he got to his car, he stopped and looked around. He felt as if he was being watched.

He looked around, and didn't see anyone, but the feeling never really left him. It was starting to get late, however, and he chalked it up to being a little tired. As he opened the door, an old lady walked by the car.

"Excuse me, sir? Can I have the time? I think I missed my bus," she said. She was an older woman, with a floral dress on and an oversized purse. She looked around eighty years old.

"It's almost midnight, ma'am. Do you need a ride? I can take you somewhere, if you'd like."

He didn't normally give rides to strangers in his own car, but he felt terrible for her. She looked like she could barely walk. "Oh, you're so sweet! You remind me of my grandson! He's staying with me, you know."

He smiled, and ran around to the other side and opened the car door. "So where do you live, ma'am?"

"I live at 5693 Dixon Drive. I don't want to put you out. The bus should be here any minute." She bobbed her head, but her eyes were almost vacant.

"Well it's a good thing we don't need the car, then. I can take you to your apartment. Are you apartment A?" Her eyes went wide a little, and smiled.

"Why, yes I am! How did you know?" Aaron smiled, and gave her his arm as he escorted her across the street.

"Well I was dropping off your neighbor, and I know there are only two apartments with that address." She gave him an incredulous look as they walked to the door.

"Miss Penelope Garcia? Oh, she is so sweet! She sends me chocolate covered turtles every... what day is it again? Oh, yes, Sunday! Lately my grandson has been taking them before I get a chance to taste them, though. You tell her I can't wait until I get another batch!"

He smiled, and held the door open for her. "I will. You have a good night, now."

As he shut the door, he ran to his car and drove away.

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A.N.- I love them! Send me love! Love you all!