"I hope you're not sick of seeing my face, Aaron," Penelope said as she opened the door to her apartment, welcoming him inside. He gave her a soft smile before leaning in and kissing her gently, and she closed her arm around his neck, holding him close as the kiss deepened. "I'll take it by that kiss your answer is no."

"You would be correct." Aaron tugged on a piece of her hair as they took a seat on the sofa. "Is that the paperweight Strauss bought you?"

"Yeah. Isn't it lovely? Seriously, she's not that bad."

He nodded a little, making no comment, and she knew that it would probably take her a while longer to get him to see Strauss as someone a little more human. "So, did you pick out a movie?"
"I did, and it starts at eight, so we should have enough time to eat beforehand." She adjusted the headband in her hair and got to her feet, slipping into her bedroom to grab her purse and apply a final spritz of perfume before meeting him at the door and slipping her arms into her coat that he was so graciously holding out to her. "Who would have thought that my partner would be such a gentleman?"

"Well, my mother did raise me right," he replied as he hooked his arm through hers, leading her down the stairs of her building and out into the cold December air. Since the temperature had dropped, it gave her a good excuse to cuddle closer to Aaron as they walked, and she hummed beneath her breath as they went along. "I hope that Jack wasn't too much yesterday. It was hard for him, and I know that you and Jessica were trying so hard to make good memories for him, but it felt like he just wasn't into it."

"He's four, Aaron, of course his little mind is going to be off kilter, because his mommy isn't coming back, and Aunt Jessica and Aunt Penelope are hovering around him more often, so he knows that something odd is occurring. Personally, I think that he's rolling with the waves quite well. And he loved the dinosaurs you got him, more so than cars I bought."

"He'll play with them more, once the dinosaurs lose their luster." She giggled as she climbed into the passenger seat and made herself comfortable. "Seriously, he did appreciate your gifts, but I think he's just trying to show me that he loves me. At least, that's what my profiler side says. And his first counselling session begins in the new year. I finally found someone who I think will be a good fit for him."

"That's so good to hear!" she exclaimed as she grinned at him. "My therapist was such a help to me when I was shot. And I check in with her when I need to. She was the reason that I got trained to be a group counsellor, you know. And it is a very rewarding job, even if I'm not paid to do it."

"So, miracle worker and angel. What did I do to deserve someone like you?"

"I'm not perfect, Hotch. I'm human, just like you." She sighed. "What are we going to tell Jack about us? I don't want him to think that I'm trying to take Haley's place, but I also don't want him to get too attached to me, in case things don't work out between us. And I know, you probably think that I'm some wacky, spontaneous, woman, but I really enjoy knowing the boundaries of relationships. That was one of the things that bothered me about Kevin, honestly."

"Oh?" he asked as he pulled into traffic, heading in the direction of downtown.

"Yeah. There were a few red flags that I had been ignoring, because it was nice to have someone dote on me. But I should have dumped me when he thought it was a good idea to cut the power in my apartment and surprise me by sneaking up on me and putting his hands on me. In that moment, my brain instinctively thought that someone like Battle had come to finish the job that he couldn't, and he tried to laugh it off as a funny prank."

"There's nothing funny about that," Aaron replied with a glower.

"I know. But when your self-esteem isn't the best to begin with, and the person you're dreaming of never looked twice at you before then, well, you make bad choices. I'm just hoping that the choices I'm making now are better ones."

He nodded. "I think that they are. But I am a bit biased, Penelope."

A light chuckle slipped from her lips as she nodded. "You are, but that's one of the things I like about you." They fell quiet for the rest of the drive, and she turned the radio up a little, wanting to get a feel for what he liked to listen to while driving. She wasn't surprised to find that the car was tuned to a news station, and she shook her head a little as she began to move through the stations before finally settling on a classic rock station that was in the middle of "Bohemian Rhapsody". She sang along quietly, the smile on her face widening as Aaron joined in.

"We're here," he said as the song came to an end, and she looked up to see that they were at one of her favorite restaurants. "I asked Emily where you like to eat, and swore her to secrecy. After all, if Strauss finds out we're dating, it could be both our heads."

"I really don't think so, Aaron," she said before getting out of his car and waiting for him to join her. They clasped hands once more, and she smiled as she stepped close to him once more. "She seemed like she'd be okay with things, as long as we came to her first. I'll talk to her as soon as we're back, and she can take up the fight with the Director. Okay?"

He let out a long-suffering breath, which told Penelope that he didn't believe her, but would humor her nonetheless. "Okay," he finally responded before opening the door for her. As they headed inside, she wondered if he was angry with her, since his answer had been so short, and she felt the happiness in her heart start to crumble. Once they were shown to a table, she hurriedly picked up a menu and began to study it intently, even though she knew what she wanted. She just needed a temporary buffer between them, so as to get control over her emotions once more.

His hand closed around her wrist, and she looked up at him. "What?"

"You're upset with me."

"No, you're mad at me for suggesting that I tell Strauss about us. I don't want to keep secrets, just to keep you, Aaron. That's not who I am any longer." Her eyes filled with tears, and she swiped them away before shaking off his hand and bringing her hands into her lap.

"But do you really think it's wise to tell her this? She is the person who tried to separate our team a number of times over the years, after all."

She drew in a deep breath through her nose as she looked at him steadily. "Yes, it is wise. Haley's murder really shook her up, and I truly think that she would do anything to create some stability and smoothness in our team. I know that you're the profiler in this relationship, that you've taken all these classes on human behavior that you think allows you to know people, but Strauss isn't an unsub, she doesn't have the same motivations a serial killer has. And I truly think that if she had issues with us, I would not have gotten so dear a Christmas gift from her. I looked up the price on that paperweight, and let's just say that if she was planning on separating us? I would not have received a gift topping out at four hundred dollars."

His eyes widened a little as he picked up his water glass and took a sip. "You know, for someone who isn't trained in profiling, it seems like you might just give me a run for my money. And I am going to trust your judgement on this, since Strauss seems to like you for some reason."

"For some reason?! Darling, I am sunshine personified, and besides that one small slip in Milwaukee, I haven't given her any reason to dislike me." She had meant to sound sharp, but from the relieved smile on his lips, Penelope knew that he knew she was teasing him. "Well, that's our first fight out of the way. Let's order and enjoy our meal and movie. I promise, her name won't fall from my lips for a month, all right?"

He nodded and reached across the table once more, palm outstretched. She met him halfway and took hold of it, clasping it firmly as they smiled at each other. "I will hold you to that, Penelope. But if we get the green light to go ahead with this, then you can feel free to call her Saint Strauss, for all I care." She giggled and nodded at him before looking up at their server, who had just joined them. It didn't take long to put their order in, and then they fell into a much easier conversation, Penelope finding her heart a little more at ease now that things would be out in the open, come the new year.