AN: Thank you for the reviews and the wonderful response to this story...Now we're starting to see how the ladies ended up that way...(Ps. And I kinda think Reid stole the show...)

Chapter 7

Friday night...

"Are we all stoked and ready to party?" Emily announced, stepping out of the bathroom. It was seven pm, the conferences had all ended for the day, and she, Garcia, and JJ were back in their room, getting ready for their night out. Emily had just pulled on the dark, second skin, and sexy-as-sin lycra dress she'd purchased yesterday, and her hair and makeup were already done.

Garcia turned from the mirror to look at her friend. She let out a whistle and waggled her eyebrows in exaggerated lust. "Whoa, gorgeous! You're going to knock 'em dead tonight."

Em gave a sarcastic snort. "Knock who dead? I don't think I have anyone to impress there tonight."

"What are we?" Garcia inquired archly. "Chopped liver?"

JJ chuckled and said, "You two hash this out. I'm in the bathroom next."

It had been settled on after the conference that the BAU boys were not going to be hanging out the entire evening with the BAU girls. However, Rossi and Morgan did insist on taking the girls out for a few drinks and maybe a little howling—as Morgan called it—as their part of the team celebration for JJ's upcoming wedding.

As for Reid and Hotch, they were already en route to Reid's mother's sanitarium. Before they'd left, they'd said goodbye. Reid had stopped JJ and handed her a card and an envelope.

"Although I can't be there tonight," he said with a softly teasing smile, "at least my money can be."

JJ looked surprised and touched. "Spence, you don't have to do this."

"I know, but I want to." He placed the envelope firmly in her hand, not allowing her to give it back. "Buy a round on me, so I can be there in spirit, please."

JJ cupped the side of his face tenderly with her finely boned hand. "You're something else, Dr. Reid."

"Of course." He winked at her. "I'm a genius—haven't you heard?"

"Come on, Reid, we need to go," Hotch said, smiling faintly, too. "I want to get back tonight in time for one drink with these ladies."

"You go ahead," Penelope said, sitting on the bed to slide on her purple fishnet tights for the evening. Usually the first to be the major party animal of the girls' group, Garcia was feeling a bit down. It had started after JJ had returned last night, and she'd sneaked off to call Kevin...

"Hi, Kevin."

"Penny!" he cried excitedly. "I've missed you. Where have you been?"

"In seminars, hon," she explained. "One made me pretty green, so Morgan took me back to the room, and—"

"Morgan? In your room?" he asked incredulously.

Penelope giggled at her boyfriend's show of jealousy. "I was sick, Kevin."

"How sick?" Kevin inquired in an accusatory tone.

His jealousy wasn't so cute anymore...

"He held my hair while I puked sick," she snapped rather sarcastically. "How's that?"

"Eh...ewwww," Kevin replied, and Garcia could practically see him backpedaling. "Ah...how do you feel now?"

That was much better, Penelope thought, and then answered, "I feel fine. We're going to really have fun at JJ's bachelorette party."

"Not too much fun, though, right?"

Penelope frowned, wishing she was on video conference. Kevin would never have said those words to her if he was seeing hervis a vis...he wouldn't have dared. "What do you mean by that?"

"Not strippers and things like that, right?" he asked in that same hopelessly hopeful tone he'd used before.

Penelope huffed silently. "Usually that's the kind of things you do for bachelorette parties, Kevin."

"I know," he said in a moping manner. "But I kind of hoped you wouldn't..."

"Why?" she asked incredulously.

"I don't know," he said quickly. "I guess I just don't like to think of my sweetie sweet sweet off watching nearly naked, muscle bound men sweating and flexing their muscles—"

"I watch Morgan at the gym all the time, and you never say a word about it."

"That's different," he scoffed, completely blowing her off. "It's Morgan. He's harmless."

For some reason, that bothered her. It wasn't that different. She'd drool at the strippers tonight just like she drooled at Derek when he pulled off his tank top after his workouts, those gorgeous muscles rippling, looking like they needed a good rubdown by a qualified masseuse—and she'd be willing to get her massage license for that!

"Anyway," Kevin continued, knocking her out of her rather inappropriate reverie she was having while on the phone with her lover, "everyone knows you and Morgan aren't like that."

"I know," she snipped. Of course even she knew Morgan was way out of her league. A person with no IQ at all would realize that! She recognized that her tone had been cranky, so she teased, "Afraid I'll run off with a Chippendale?"

He scoffed again. "Mercy, no! Those men have been around. They might have diseases or something."

Penelope groaned internally, thinking about how she'd thought the same thing about Morgan's showgirls. Lord, if she'd sounded anything like Kevin, she'd sounded ridiculous.

"Then what is your problem?" she asked.

"I don't like you looking at perfection, and then coming back to me," he answered honestly, and a part of her felt that was tender and sweet...until he continued, "I mean, how would you feel if I looked at strippers with perfect butts, flat tummies, and breasts that didn't droop?"

He couldn't have hurt her more if he had tried, and the sad thing was he wasn't trying to hurt her. It was just...Kevin.

"We probably won't," she answered tersely, trying not to let it hurt too badly. He didn't mean it; he really didn't. "I have to go to bed now."

"Oh. Okay. Good," he said, not noticing the change in her tone. "Goodnight, Penny. Love you."

"Love you, too," she muttered absentmindedly, and then hung up the phone.

Now, as she sat on the bed, she was wishing her tights were control top and her bra was a Wonderbra. Unfortunately for her, neither of them were.

Prentiss sat next to her and crossed her long, thin legs, making Penelope feel even worse. "So...what's the plan?"

She sighed and forced a happy smile at Em. "Let's just get dinner and drinks with the boys and see where it goes from there."

Em arched a brow at her quizzically. "PG...you okay?"

She sighed and told a half truth. "Kevin is just not real happy that I am going out and doing this tonight."

"Ah," Em answered knowingly. "The joys of having a mate—they get jealous and stupid. Just ignore him."

Penelope smiled back at her. "That's good advice. I think I will..."

A half hour later, JJ stepped out of the bathroom in a beautiful wine red dress that showed her delicate figure to perfection, and Penelope had finished putting on her fuchsia bustier dress and makeup and had done the finishing touches to her hair.

"Are we ready, Angels? Charlie is waiting for us," Garcia teased.

"Well, he can wait a minute more," Prentiss said, reaching into her bag and withdrawing a bottle.

"Ooh, Em...whatcha got there?" JJ asked, eyeing the bottle of clear liquid.

"While I was buying this fabulous dress yesterday, I also bought this," she proclaimed, holding up the bottle of clear liquid in a very fancy looking crystal bottle. "It is very, very potent, but delicately flavored and palatable—or so the liquor store guy said."

"Looks good," Garcia said. "I'll find glasses."

Em started taking the stopper out of the bottle. "This is a pear infused liquid imported from France that was used for inaugurating throned heads of state." She glanced up at JJ and winked. "I figured if it was good enough for royalty, my friends, then it might pass for us."

Garcia came back from the bathroom with three plastic cups. "Pour some into these timeless decanters, if you please."

"Timeless because they will never compost," JJ remarked with a laugh, taking the glass she was offered.

"A toast," Em said. "To a night befitting our friend. May she have everything she always wanted—love, happiness—"

"And someone great in bed?" Garcia added jokingly.

"Will is fine," JJ answered, rolling her eyes. "Here is a more suitable toast: May we all have everything we truly desire."

"Here, here!" they said in unison, and clinked their plastic cups together before they shot the deliciously scented liquid down.