AN: Enjoy! I do not own Criminal Minds, simply borrowing.

Penelope spent the entire cab ride steeling her breathing. She was a strong, beautiful tech goddess after all. No man, not even Derek Morgan, would take that from her. Stepping out of the cab onto the tarmac she was greeted by Bryce and JJ who were just walking toward the plane.

"If I was not such a secure man I would be questioning why my beautiful fiancé and her not-at-all-intimidatingly-perfectly looking work husband are arriving together in a cab just a hair shy of being late," Bryce said wrapping his arm around Penelope, half in greeting, half playfully possessively.

Derek cleared his throat, but Penelope breezed out of Bryce's grasp and began the climb into the plane stating, "No worries my sweet, I'm not nearly disheveled enough to give you any reason to fret."

Bryce laughed though he looked after her perplexed for a moment as though pausing to give this some thought.

"True," JJ interjected, "but, honestly, I still maintain you could seduce a man entirely without a single smudge of those beautiful lips of yours."

She giggled, "Okay, I retract that statement. Morgan's not nearly disheveled enough to cause concern."

"I'm so relieved…" Bryce commented his voice thick with sarcasm.

JJ took a seat next to Penelope smiling conspiratorially at her. Before Garcia could ask JJ had a pile of bridal magazines lining their laps.

"Oh no…"

"Oh yes!" JJ squeaked eagerly. "Remember how you helped plan my surprise wedding?"

Penelope swallowed hard and nodded. Bryce and Morgan had both sat down on opposite sides of her peripheral vision but she could feel both watching her now.

"Remember how I told you that it would only be fair for me to plan yours and you agreed laughing because you were convinced you would never marry?"

She nodded dumbstruck.

"Good. Then you will be happy to know I've already got us booked at bakeries, florists, and bridal boutiques throughout Virginia."

Penelope's hands were starting to shake when she lifted up the two mags in her lap. Suddenly she couldn't breathe. She hastily stood, mumbling excuse me, and wound up holding herself over the sink in the bathroom.

A small knock, a door opening and closing, and a hand on her back were registering in the very far away portion of her brain.

"JJ is…enthusiastic…" Bryce whispered cautiously.

"He remembers," she barely whispered as the first tears threatened to pour.

"So there was more to this little sleep over?!" Bryce inquired a scandalous tone to his voice.

She shut here eyes and tried to slow her breathing.

"Whoa! Hey honey? What happened?" The teasing was all gone; his voice was laced with concern.

"He doesn't see me that way," she said a rogue tear escaping.

"Come here beautiful," he said pulling her into a hug. "He's an idiot."

He held her as she cried silent tears and told her he'd talk to JJ. She wouldn't have to worry about anything.

"We really need to stop meeting like this," Penelope said finally pulling away and giving Bryce a shy grin.

"I don't know what you are talking about. This is our adorable 'meet-cute.' Sure that bathroom was much larger and less airplanesque but how else do you think I fell in love with you quickly?"

Penelope laughed, "Yes nothing says adorable quite like mascara stained cheeks and laments about another man."

He pulled her chin up and said seriously, "Nothing says adorable quite like a woman with such a big heart she'd sacrificed her own happiness for years to the one's she loved. Meeting you that night I knew you were loyal, kind, and stronger then you will likely ever know."

Penelope hugged Bryce this time, afraid she'd start crying again. "We should head back. I'm sure we are about to take off. Just gimme a minute to fix my face and I will be right out."

"Come here," he said taking her hand in his and grabbing a paper towel with the other. He dabbed under her eyes and whispered, "You're perfect."

She smiled. Those were two of the very first words he'd ever said to her and she was so thankful for her new friend.

Walking back, Penelope noticed a bit of commotion toward the back. Rossi looked angry and Hotch looked irritated. Two men sat across from them, one with a very smug look on his face.

"Dalton, I see you have made yourself at home. Whatever are you doing here?" Bryce asked, his voice a cold steel.

"Agent Jordan, two of your potential unsubs have links to two large drug trafficking rings and the director has decided that our information and our presence is necessary." The last bit of that sentence seemed to be directed at Rossi. Hotch already had his hand on Rossi's arm and gave the man a stern shake of his head.

"Do you routinely check up on everyone else's cases or do you make special exceptions for your little brother?" Bryce asked coldly.

"I merely responded to an interdepartmental queue placed on the name."

Penelope stopped Bryce and said, "That was my fault. I was searching the database and came upon the names. I sent the email. I didn't realize it was your brother's team or that they would be assigned to us."

She felt awful. She'd have warned everyone, especially Bryce, had she known they were going to show up like this.

"Technically you all are assigned to me, but I'm not here to quibble," he state superiorly. "You look extremely familiar to me. Have we worked together before miss…"

"Garcia, and no. We met at your mother's art gala in San Francisco a few weeks back."

"I apologize. I meet so many people at those things, but one does support family." He said giving his brother a cold look. "I'm rather pleased you remember me though."

Rossi looked practically murderous and Bryce stiffened entirely at her side. Before either could speak she said simply, "I make it a habit to remember my fiancés siblings."

The smug smile washed off his face as bitter realization spread across it.

Bryce grabbed her elbow and leaned over his voice so low only she could hear, "You don't have to do this…"

Before he could speak any further she kissed him and whispered back, "one does support family."