A Number of Surprises

Penelope's worlds collide.

Bella - Beautiful

I own no characters or cannon of Criminal Minds. Many thanks and blessings to those who created them.

Thanks to my sweet, beautiful beta Sunny. In short order she's become my confidant, brainstorm partner and sister. I am the luckiest girl alive!

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She stood stock-still, unable to move. He looked to be doing the same, seemingly as shocked by her presence in David's doorway. She tried to take in her worlds colliding and wondered what to do next. Penelope's hand rested on the doorknob. She thought to herself that she may be blinking. At some point she became aware her brow was furrowed, because her forehead started to hurt. Several minutes passed. She faintly observed neither of them were generally at a loss for words. Relieved or not, she startled when the intruder finally found his voice.

"Garcia? What the he-"

"Jason!" Dave called jovially from behind Penelope, reaching to shake his old friend's hand. This was definitely a surprise, as Jason Gideon wasn't one to just stop by unannounced to another's home. But they had been friends long-enough, they each knew the other was always welcome.

"What brings you…" Dave started. Then he realized for the first time since rushing from the kitchen that Penelope and Gideon were staring at each other in an all-too-familiar and dare he think an all-too-frightened way.

Penelope and Gideon spoke simultaneously:

"What the hell is going on here?" Gideon gruffed out.

"David?" Penelope squeaked.

After, Dave spoke in a calm, level voice. "Hey you two… what's going on here? Jason?" Dave waited and didn't receive an answer. "Why did you come by tonight?" He tried. The two of them remained still… and were quiet again.

Gideon wore his resting asshole face, of which Dave was intimately familiar. Penelope literally looked like she'd seen a ghost. Dave leaned into her a little bit to make sure she was still breathing. She was. Barely.

Really not seeing any movement, Dave clapped his hands once to try and get their attention again. "Okay, that's enough. Gideon, get your ass in here and close the door behind you," gesturing him through the doorway. "Bella, come with me, baby," Dave took her hand, squeezed it as he led them all back to the kitchen. They hadn't talked about meeting others' friends, but she was looking so 'other than' she usually did that he was not going to feign distance.

"Jason, we were enjoying a glass of San Filippo, would you like to join us?"

A grunt from Gideon. Ah, what Dave didn't miss about communicating with Jason Gideon. Dave looked between the others, trying to discern their vibe. They were still staring at each another sideways, yet not engaging. He handed Gideon a glass of wine. He put his hand on the small of Penelope's back and reached, putting her glass in front of where they stood together.

"Now. I don't have to be the best damn profiler to see that A. You two know each another from somewhere and B. You're surprised to see each other here," he paused for any reaction. Dave exhaled, trying to keep his frustration at bay. "We were about to sit down to a fresh batch of savory mushroom risotto. Jason, would you like to eat?"

Profiler, Penelope heard and started to track. So David knows Gideon well-enough to know he's a profiler. That would make sense. They seem like they know each other well-enough. But how much did David know about how Gideon operated - how he looked down on people and always thought he was right? Did David know while it seemed Gideon cared about the victims of the crimes their team studied… he wasn't really nice to anyone in the office except for Spencer?

Then she sighed and her defenses rose even higher as she realized Gideon was literally crashing their dinner. David and Saturday nights belonged to her. They were her safe place and she was angry Gideon was encroaching on that.

Gideon was not always safe. He was barely tolerable on his best days. On most days since she met him, he was brooding and enigmatic. He just didn't fit with her picture of Saturday nights and she was trying to keep from becoming more upset. She would swear the daggers shooting out of Gideon's eyes were meant to intimidate her when David turned to dish the risotto.

"Yeah, I'll eat. You learned to cook?"

"Yes, I learned to cook, Jason," Dave forced. "It's what one does when one must feed oneself… and it comes in handy to woo women too." He winked in Penelope's direction, to no avail. Not a giggle, not a smirk, not a glance from his sweet girl.

Penelope bristled. She did not need Gideon knowing that she was dating David, but that ship had probably sailed by now. She certainly didn't want Gideon causing trouble for her at work. If he was going to bust in here, what would stop him from stirring up a ruckus in the office?

Then Gideon groaned, picking up the extra plate Dave extended him and carried his wine. Dave brought an extra setting of silverware while still trying to steal glances at Penelope. Her face was completely unreadable to him, which was unusual.

Once they sat, Gideon leveled another callous glare at Penelope that both Penelope - and Dave - plainly saw. Penelope didn't know what she had done to incur the wrath of Gideon tonight besides existing. But she was about to lose what little sensibility she was holding on to. She did not want to break down in front of her co-worker, however, she was shaking and was afraid David would feel it. She put her napkin on the table and laid a hand on his forearm. "Please excuse me a moment."

Penelope rose, and Dave stood with her. She made her way to the half bath off the main hall.

Dave watched her leave and turned back to Gideon, sitting down and spitting out his next words. "What the hell is going on here? Talk. Now."

Once she closed the bathroom door, a rush of tears overcame Penelope. She sat down on the closed toilet seat and cried. She covered her gasps best she could. Why did Jason Gideon have to be so mean!? And why was he here, overrunning her time and space with David!? "Ugh," she groaned in irritation.

Ultimately, she forced herself to take some deep breaths and calm herself. She looked in the mirror and used tissues to dry her face and run damage-control on her make up.

She cracked the door and wasn't sorry one bit she could hear David and Gideon's voices wafting in from the dining room around the corner.

"…crap now, Gideon. I'm tired of your veiled messages and the hidden meanings I'm supposed to deduce." Then Penelope heard what sounded like David refilling his wine glass. "I'm dating this perfectly lovely woman and I want to know why you've been so damn rude! Ruder than normal, by the way!"

"Rossi," Gideon spoke in a rough tone. "The fact of the matter is I came here tonight to talk about retirement. One case after another makes me wonder if I can even - rather if I want to - keep on doing this." She could tell Gideon sighed but started in again with a resolve only he could make sound both determined and hostile. "Seeing the girl here was just unexpected."

'Rossi?' Penelope asked herself. 'Why does that sound familiar?' Gideon retiring? What is their sweet wonder boy going to do? And why would David care if Gideon was thinking about… Ooooohhh. Rossi. R-o-s-s-i. Realization washed over her, remembering her conversation with Hotch the other day over the photo of BAU founders. Damn.

She moved out into the hallway and could hear David debating with himself from there. "Jason, that's a big decision. I certainly want to talk with you about it if you'd like - but I think you understand things have gone sideways here tonight. Where the hell does Penelope fit in?" His patience was wearing thin, she guessed. She hadn't heard this particular tone before.

Penelope decided she was done letting Gideon have his way in her refuge. She rounded the corner, entering the French doors at the front of the dining room. She cleared her throat to announce her presence. She went to stand beside David and put her hand on his shoulder. "I don't understand wholly what's going on here, but I will figure it out sooner rather than later. Nonetheless, David, I think at least part of the puzzle is that I work for the BAU."

It was Dave's turn to look at his date and feign some surprise. His eyes widened a bit but Penelope could swear there was some recognition there. She ran her hand across David's shoulders and delicately returned to her seat next to him. Gideon finally groused loud-enough you didn't need to be a profiler to understand he thought his point had been made.

But since no one was saying anything, he must've felt the need to be explicit. "So. I was surprised to see Garcia here! So what? I came to talk to an old friend and didn't expect to find the weird girl from the office." He laughed out a dismissive chuckle. "Dave. I know this girl. This," gesticulating between the two of them, "can't work!"

Penelope's mouth dropped open and she was grateful to see David's eyes scrunch-up, daring Gideon to come at him. Gideon wouldn't make it, if Penelope was laying bets. She took a deep breath and sat taller in her dining room chair, her shoulders set back and leveled her eyes across the table from her.

"You listen here, Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon. I'm about done with you thinking what you say goes! Rolling your beady little eyes, you huffing and puffing at me." She steeled her resolve. "I know you started the BAU," she sing-songed. "And I know you're God's gift to profiling and yes, you even help make our team whole. But no! Not here! I… I…"

David dutifully came to her rescue and Penelope was ever-so grateful. "Jason, I think Penelope and I probably need to talk. Thanks for coming by tonight."