A.N.- Hey there! I will never get over losing Thomas Gibson on CM! That broke my heart to hear he was fired! Please come back! How will you ever end up with Penelope if you aren't there?! This is a travesty... and I'm honestly not sure I can watch it anymore without him. As much as I love all the other characters (especially Penelope)... it isn't the same without him. ='(. Anyway... thanks for all the love on this story! You have no idea how much it means to me to see my inbox full of love and excitement over my story! Love you guys! Let me know what you think! Happy Reading! ;)


Chapter Seven

The next morning, she got ready quickly. Garcia couldn't wait to get to the office and just get a glimpse of Aaron. It was a rainy day, the clouds dark and gloomy, with a sharp bite from the wind. She wore a purple raincoat, and brought an orange umbrella.

As she walked to her office, she didn't see Aaron yet. As much as she wanted to see him, she was glad that she had a minute to prepare. As she took off her rain gear, she checked her messages, and quickly called someone who needed to get a hold of her urgently.

Standing up, she felt the butterflies flutter in her chest, and she took a long drink of water. Today was the day they were going to tell the team about their relationship, and she was pretty nervous.

She loved her friends, and knew they'd be happy for them, but it still made her nervous to tell them they are together now. What if someone isn't happy about this? Honestly, she doubted that would happen, but she couldn't get the nerves to leave her.

As she walked into the meeting, she saw Aaron outside the door, looking just as nervous. Pacing and arms crossed, he didn't notice her there at first. It should have freaked her out more to see him so on edge, really it should have. But it didn't. Instead, it calmed her a little more knowing that he was ready for this, that she wasn't just some secret or embarrassment. "Hey, Hotch. How was your morning?" she smiled.

"Better now. You ready?" His eyes trailed along her body, and she blushed.

"Yes. Let's get this over with."

"Hey, Garcia," he whispered, trying to gain her attention. He put a hand a little on her arm, but didn't hold her completely. She stopped, and looked into his eyes.

"We don't have to do this. I want you to do this and be sure, not do it just for me." he murmured.

She chewed her bottom lip, and shook her head. "I am sure. Really... I am, I just don't like that kind of attention on me, you know?"

He sighed, and relented. "I mean it. If you're sure, then so am I. Otherwise if you're not, we can wait however long you need."

Shaking her head, she grabbed his hand. "I appreciate it, but I'm really fine. Come on, Hotch. Let's be more brave than Morgan and JJ."

He grinned down at her, and reluctantly let go. He wasn't excited to tell everyone, but he did like that it meant that they were progressing toward more than he ever hoped he would with her. He opened the door for her, and she walked in. The team was drinking their coffee at the table, chatting about some new movie coming out soon.

As Aaron walked in, she sat down. They decided through text that they would tell them at the end of the meeting, since their work was more important than their dating status. "We have it on good authority that the local PD will be contacting us shortly for their assistance. They haven't officially asked us yet, however." JJ told the group.

"Also, don't forget before Thanksgiving break we are heading to do that seminar. It is mandatory, so make sure you clear your calendars and call the babysitters. And by babysitters I don't mean me. I love your rugrats but I'll be coming along, also." Penelope reminded them. Everyone sighed, and started to stretch. They were in there for a lot longer than they usually were.

"Before you leave, uh... I have an announcement." Penelope called meekly.

They looked at her, and she swallowed thickly. Aaron watched as she was practically shaking, and he wanted to help her, but she beat him to addressing everyone. "I just wanted to say that Hotch and I started seeing each other. We just wanted to tell you, and I am the one he's been seeing."

She could hear a pin drop if it wasn't carpeted and she had a pin to do it with. For a few seconds that felt like forever, everyone froze and looked at one another. The group was mixed, from happy to excited to shocked. Not a mean shocked, but quite the opposite. Spencer got up, and shook Aaron's hand. "Now I get the dreamy eyes, Hotch. I am really happy for you guys."

Chuckling, he brought him in for a hug. Emily ran to Penelope and hugged her tightly, laughing. "Oh my God! That is amazing! When? Did you-? Oh yeah, he's sitting right there, huh? I need details later! Girl's night tonight!"

Penelope giggled, and nodded. JJ jumped right next to her, and her huge blue doe-eyes were so excited. "Oh my gosh! Yes! We need to go shopping too! Shopping and dinner!" Blushing, she peeked over to Aaron, who had a genuine smile for her. He was really happy.

"Of course! I can't wait."

"Man-oh-man are you in trouble, Mr. Hotchner. You have a stick of dynamite as your woman, you know." Rossi said, eyeing Penelope. Aaron chuckled, and nodded.

"Trust me, I think I know what you mean. We wanted to wait until we were sure we wanted to pursue this to tell you guys. Thanks for the support."

"Hotch, the girls are having a girl's night. How about we do a guys?" Derek said, clapping him on the back.

Aaron reluctantly shook his head. "I really need to stay home tonight. I have to help Jack with his lay-ups. If you guys want to hang out at my house, we could do that." The men nodded, and even offered to help Jack with his shots and defense.

After their congratulations, they all headed out and got back to work. Aaron smiled at Garcia, who was shutting down the projector. She blushed, and continued on her work. "That went well."

She nodded. "Yeah, that went much better than in my head."

She walked up to him, and gave him a small peck on the lips. "Well, we should get our work done. We have a lonely night away from each other."

Lip sticking out, he pouted for a second before chuckling a little under his breath. "I am all for a guy's night, but I first would like a little time with my girlfriend in the first place before I need time away from her."

Her heart skipped at his words, and she chewed her lip. "Girlfriend? Is that you asking me, or a slip of the tongue?"

He closed the distance, and captured her lips against his softly, and he used all of his self control to not go in for another kiss. Her plump lips and sexy curves pressed tight against his body was almost too much.

"I hoped I wouldn't have to ask. I thought you knew by now I want you and only you."

"If you are my boyfriend then you will take me on a date at some point, right?" she giggled.

He felt bad, because he knew she wanted to be with him more, but having a kid, it was hard to make the time before they tell Jack. If Jack knew, then he could easily have a date night with her at his house, or even hers. Until then, they had to take it slow.

"I know, I'm really sorry, Pen. I have off in a couple days. What about you?"

"Don't be sorry. I was just teasing. I totally get it. To be completely honest, I think it's super hot you are such a great dad." she told him with a grin.

"Yeah?" he smiled back.

"Definitely. I have off in a couple days, but I have a bad feeling something will come up." she rolled her eyes, smiling.

"Always does, baby." He leaned down, and kissed her softly, before breaking apart. They had to get to work, unfortunately.

"I'll see you at lunch, okay?" He gave her a crooked grin, and left. She smiled back, and waved as he walked out. This was so weird. Less than a week ago she was single, and thought of Hotch as a wild fantasy, and now... this was overwhelming. Good, perfect even, but overwhelming nonetheless.

They had a lot of work to do, and as they got busy, time seemed to fly by. Their lunch was weird, but ended up being fun. Reid came and ate with Penelope in her office, and he couldn't help but ask some questions about what happened between them. It wasn't Garcia's first rodeo when it came to talking with a behavior analyst so she switched the subject seamlessly back to him. Penelope was just asking Spencer if he got that woman's number from the night before, when suddenly Aaron knocked and peeked in.

"Oh! Hey, Reid." Aaron smiled.

Spencer looked between them nervously, and got to his feet. "Hey, Hotch. I should see if Emily is ready for me to go over her case yet." he told them. Aaron could see the lie on his face and sighed.

"Don't. You don't need to leave, Spencer."

"Sit your butt down! You were just telling me about the girl you met!"

Suddenly, the door rapped again, and Derek and JJ walked in with their boxes of chinese food. "Oh! We were just-" JJ started.

Penelope cut them off. "Hey. It's cool, guys. You can stay. Although we are starting to run out of room."

Aaron looked at the group, and said, "Follow me."

They walked out, and went into an open conference room, adding Emily and Rossi. They all talked, and while they didn't talk about their relationship to anyone, it was fun. A nice break from all of the horrible and stressful work they deal with day in and day out. As everyone was heading out, he whistled sharply, gaining everyone's attention.

"Hey. I was going to say this tomorrow, but since I have you all here, I just wanted to let you know that next week we have two people joining our team."

Everyone froze, and listened closely. All of their new additions they added lately couldn't cut it, and they didn't last very long. "I think they will be great additions to our team. You may have heard of Allen Holt through the years. It's his son, Sam. He will be joining us, along with Lorraine Mackenzie." The team was surprised there were two of them, but excited to meet them.

When lunch was over, everyone got back to work until it was time to leave. When it was time for their night out, Penelope and Aaron were both waiting for the others to wrap up their work. When everyone was ready, they split up, and Aaron gave a small wave and a sweet smile to Penelope before he left.

The girls gaped at the display, and turned to her. "Okay, the second we order a drink you are telling us everything!" JJ demanded. Penelope blushed, and it only made their excitement worse.

The men went to Aaron's house, and Aaron and Rossi cooked dinner, while Derek and Spencer kept Jack busy. When homework was done and Jack was fed, it was starting to get late. Aaron told them not to say anything in front of Jack, so they didn't. When Jack went to his room to sleep, after Spencer's infamous bedtime story-telling, they all went down to the kitchen, where Aaron opened a bottle of whiskey. Jack was just about to hit the age where he didn't want a bedtime story, and it saddened Aaron more than he was willing to admit. Jack loved Spencer's stories, however, and so did Aaron. He was so creative, like a breathing book, spewing and acting out the words.

Aaron poured everyone a glass, aside from Spencer, who he instead gave him a cup of tea, and took a hard drink before the interrogation started. As he looked at Derek, he had a mischievous grin as he nursed his whiskey. His heart rate was starting to pick up, and he hated how he knew it was rising, but couldn't control it. He hated this kind of attention, especially when it came to his feelings.

"So how long has this been going on?" Spencer spoke first.

Easy. "It started... uh, well it started when you guys left, like the first night? I think?" Okay, not so easy. He wasn't sure if he should count the almost kiss in her office, but he did, because it mattered to him. It was something he never expected that day, and he couldn't take how cute she was when she got all flustered when he first asked her if he could hang out in her office, not to mention her asking about Jack's costume and offering to make it.

"Really? That quick, huh?" Derek wagged his eyebrows and Aaron rolled his eyes.

"Easy tiger. We were working." The guys gasped, and Rossi clutched his heart.

"I'm shocked, sir! At our workplace? In an office?" Rossi playfully admonished, clicking his tongue.

Aaron sat down, and he could feel his face heat up in frustration and embarrassment. "No! Not that time. I mean," he tried explaining, and it was then that he realized what he said. Spencer covered his mouth, with shock and awe and so did Rossi, except for Derek. The reason being he had a front row seat just the night before.

"I mean we almost kissed, but it was late, and I had Jack and... I kind of ran out like a frightened school girl." he winced. They were profilers, so he may as well be honest.

They keeled over, laughing their asses off and Aaron chuckled into his drink. "That is something I would have paid to see." Spencer said.

"So the next day, I buried myself in our work, like a chicken. I did have a lot of work to do, but still. I don't know, I just didn't want to start it if she didn't feel the same way, and I thought I could control myself."

"What does she feel for you?" Rossi asked.

Derek chuckled to himself, and Aaron was positive he knew something he didn't. "I know we can't keep our hands off of each other, and that she likes me, but she has this wall up I never noticed before."

Derek pursed his lips, nodding. "Yeah, it is just under the surface isn't it? I noticed that too."

Aaron's eyes saddened, and nodded. Spencer and Rossi took a drink, and Aaron sighed. "Still, I really like her. She is so amazing. You were right about her yesterday, Spencer. I just wish I could have agreed with you when you said it."

Spencer chuckled, and waved it off. "I get it now."

Aaron grinned, and was about to take a drink when Rossi narrowed his eyes slightly. "So, the question we've all been waiting for: is she a sex kitten or tiger?"

Aaron froze, and deliberately took a long drink of his whiskey. "Hmm... is that refusal to talk about it, or was she just that good and Mr. Prude is too shy to say something?" Spencer asked, his voice taunting.

The men chuckled, and Aaron poured himself another drink. He'd need another one to answer that question. When there had been other guy's nights, it was often they talked about the women in their lives, and when they were drunk there had been a few times where they had got a little too into detail. Not when they were sober, however.

Aaron blushed, and took another long drink. "Okay, okay. We will swing by that question again." Rossi laughed.

Aaron put down his tumbler, and zeroed in on Derek. "You. Spill."

Derek pretended to be shocked. "I have no idea what you are talking about..." he smiled cheekily.

"Like we didn't know you're with JJ. Spill." Derek sighed, and smiled to himself.

He went into detail, like he always had done before. Yet this time, Hotch could see how much in love he was with JJ. As Derek was describing how they told Henry, Aaron saw something move at the patio door. "Excuse me. Hold on Morgan."

Derek stopped talking, and Aaron looked outside. His eyes scanned his backyard, and didn't see anything. He didn't want to alarm his buddies, so he casually walked to the front of the house. As he walked near the front door, he heard voices.

Tiptoeing, he glanced back at the men, who seemed unaware that people were there. As he was within touching distance of the door, he heard a few voices. "Come on, guys! No! I don't want to bother them! I already told you-" she hissed.

The girls laughed, shushing her, and Aaron smiled to himself. He could hear his Penelope protest, and Emily and JJ try to talk her into it. "Come on, Penelope! It's not like they don't want to see us!"

"What's going on?" Spencer asked quietly behind Aaron. Aaron inwardly jumped, but on the outside kept it cool. He jerked his head to the door and smiled.

"The girls," he whispered, and put a finger to his lips. Spencer's eyebrows furrowed together, and he tiptoed closer, listening in. "Ring the doorbell!" one said.

"No. Stop, you dingle berry! You'll wake up Jack!" Penelope yelled. They shushed her just as loudly, and Aaron and Spencer held their mouths laughing.

"Sorry! Sorry, okay you're right. Okay... knock. You knock or I do it. Either way, we're going in there." Emily said. Right then, the other guys joined them, and they were all laughing at the situation.

It got quiet for a few seconds longer than he thought it would be, and he wondered for a second if they gave up and walked away. Suddenly, her voice came through as clear as a bell. "I will knock, once you promise that you will tell Spencer how in love with him you are Emily Prentiss."

Aaron backed away, just as quickly as the others. Reid's eyes stayed furrowed, and he seemed lost in thought. Or rather... just lost. Derek put a hand on his shoulder, and Spencer brushed it off. Aaron waved them to leave, but Spencer was frozen. Derek put another hand on his shoulder, effectively snapping him out of it, and they went back into the kitchen.

When he opened the door abruptly, Penelope was standing there in front of them. She squeaked as the door opened, and the girls gasped. "I see you decided to crash."

"Guilty." Penelope winced. He looked toward the other two, who had excitement and a hint of guilt in their eyes as well.

"The guys are in the kitchen. I was about to make a pizza, you hungry?"

They shook their heads, and JJ was the one who spoke. "No, thanks, Hotch. We ate and got a few drinks, but decided we needed our men to be with, not the guys at the bar." Aaron's eyes darkened, and his eyes went to Penelope.

"What do you mean? What happened?"

Penelope shrugged, and pointed to Emily. "Some guys were interested, and while Emily was entertaining the idea of going home with one, the others got a little too angry they were getting left out. We handled it though."

The girls walked past them, and Aaron pulled Penelope close by her wrist. He ran his fingers through her hair, and he gasped lightly as she snaked her arms around his neck, her nails lightly scratching the hairs at the nape of his neck. "I missed you," she whispered.

He crashed his lips against hers, and he closed the distance, his whole body pressed tightly against her. She bit his bottom lip, and sucked it into her mouth sharply, the small amount of pain spurred him on, and he tugged a little on her blonde locks. She gasped, and it was enough space to slip his tongue inside her hot mouth.

Her tongue swirled softly around his own, and he could taste the sweet alcohol on her tongue. He would guess wine, but who knew if she had gotten something fruity and girlie. He pushed her against the closest wall, and ignored the hat rack clanging to the ground. All that mattered in that moment was her. Her lips, her touch, her taste. His hands slid further down, and grabbed her ass, cupping the soft flesh tightly.

Her hands slid from his neck, down to his chest, and they slowly grazed his abs. He sucked in a breath, the feeling shooting straight down to his dick. "Fuck, you are killing me, baby," he groaned. He needed to be inside her desperately.

As he broke away from her lips, his hands cupped the swell of her heavy breasts, and his lips traveled from her jaw down to the tops of her cleavage. "Aaron!" she breathed.

Her little noises were breaking him. Grabbing a leg, he flung it over his hip, and let his hand reluctantly move from her breast downward to slide inside her heated thigh. "Aaron, please-!" He cut her off with a searing kiss, and as his fingers slipped inside her wet panties, she pushed him away a little.

That sobered him up a little. "Aaron! We have an audience," she murmured, her voice all breathy. He swivelled his head, and saw the team unabashadly staring at them. A dark blush lit her face, and even Aaron felt his own heat up a little, but he didn't care. He needed her more than he thought possible. He was drowning in her, and he couldn't stop touching her. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly, smiling brightly as she seemed even more embarrassed.

"Whoa... if this is how you are now after a few days... how did you touch each other on a friendly basis?" Rossi asked. The others snickered, and Penelope huffed, but a smile still lit her face.

"Okay, okay... enough of that. Let's all get back to the kitchen." Penelope told them.

The others followed her, and Penelope sat down at the island after giving Aaron a smile. They all hung out, and talked for an hour, before everyone started to head home. After kissing him goodnight, Penelope went home to bed.

They were awoken at four a.m. to be told they had a case in Maine. Once Aaron got the news, he had to make arrangements, and head to work an hour before everyone else to get the intel and call in the agents. He hated pressing the send button, but he had no choice. A couple hours later, Penelope walked through the door.

She had on a simple green dress, and Aaron wished he could have told her to come with. He could have, but as much as he really wanted her to come, he knew she was safer here. Not that it was the only reason for her not to come. The main one was that she liked to stay in her lair. She liked to stay behind and feel comfortable. Next time, however, he was going to make her come. He would make sure to show her just what kind on incentives she could look forward to.

They were gone for almost a week, and now that Prentiss figured out a possible motive, they were quickly narrowing down their leads. When Aaron had been going to his hotel room early, he called Penelope right after he said goodnight to Jack. He missed him more than anything, and Jack was sad to hear he would miss his basketball game.

"I'm so sorry, buddy. I really want to be there. I miss you so much," he told him, his heart heavy. He held back the tears threatening to break loose and waited for his little voice over the phone. It seemed like all he ever did was disappoint him.

"I know. I just wish you were there. We are playing against the team from across town! Across town Dad! I need to have you there so I can score better! I missed four baskets the last time you missed my game, remember?" he said glumly. Aaron winced, and he tightened his hold on the phone.

"Are you kidding me Jack? You are so good with or without me there! Trust me, you are going to be the MVP of that game, buddy. I swear when I get home I will watch the game over with you, and you can give me all the highlights, okay?" He tried to keep his voice light, but it was hard near the end. He knew it was a shitty consolation compared to actually seeing it, but what could he do? Aside from quitting his job... which he had considered countless times, but his job was almost as important as a being a father. Almost.

He held back the tears, although he couldn't mask his unsteady, choked up voice. Luckily, his Jack hadn't noticed. He acquiesced, and moved on. They talked about how Jack got a D on his science quiz, but it wasn't his fault because Mrs. Gomez, his teacher, didn't believe him that fairies use the bees to help. They were the ones that pollinate the flowers and sprinkle them on bees who help by traveling far distances and to other realms and universes to spread them across the lands. Jack's voice was all too innocent, which was a sign he was all too pleased with himself.

Aaron's eyes widened hearing that, and while he wanted to laugh his ass off at the silliness of the situation, he held it in. It was fine if his innocence had gotten the better of him, but he knew the actual answer, and wanted to put that on there instead. "Jack... why did you decide to write that on your quiz?" he asked cautiously.

On her computer, she was Christmas shopping when her cell rang. She shut off her Christmas music and hit the green button. Yes, she was one of those annoying people who blasted Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but the music made her happy, and she would take all of the happiness she could get.

Seeing Aaron's pic of a coy smile light her screen made her blush instantly. She remembered when she took that picture, how he wouldn't smile for her, until she had pouted. His eyes rolled, and he gave her a smile. She caught the tail end of it, and she made sure to tease him that it was now his contact pic. He took one of her, and refused to show it to her. She thought of hacking into his phone to see it, but didn't want to invade his privacy. One day she hoped to see it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, beautiful. Where are you?"

"At work. You?"

"Leaving the station. I am getting food with the team and then turning in. Why are you still at work? Isn't it getting late?" he asked, his voice laced in disapproval.

"I'm waiting for some of the families to get back to me, and I have rehearsal in an hour."

He pursed his lips, and looked around as he crossed the street to the SUV they were riding in while they were in Maine. JJ and Emily were in the vehicle, waiting for him, and he waited to open the door. "Okay, just make sure you get home safe. Why don't you give me a call when you are finished tonight?"

She frowned, and while she loved to talk to him, she didn't know if it was a good idea. "I wouldn't want to keep you up. I could be another few hours..."

Aaron smiled, and opened the car. "I will be working in the room, so don't worry about the time. I miss your voice," he murmured. The girl's were in the back, looking up pictures of stuff on their phone, too engrossed in that to bother paying attention to Aaron.

She smiled, her cheeks hurting from the act, and looked down. "I miss yours too. You sound so sexy over the phone... not as sexy in person, though..."

He shut his eyes, and took a deep breath. "Call me tonight. Be safe."

He held in his groan, although the raspiness of his voice couldn't be helped. She breathed softly into the phone, and she nodded, even though he couldn't see. "You too. I will call in a few."

She hung up, and twenty minutes later, she finished talking with a family member. Closing up, she got to her rehearsal, and she was happy she wasn't the lead. Sometimes, if she really loved the characters, she would be devastated to not get the part, but not this time. She was a minor character, but had quite a few lines in it.

She had to kiss a man and the man was to later force himself upon her, and ultimately kill her. As she looked to her "killer," Jake Gunther, she smiled awkwardly when she saw he had a nervous laugh as they locked eyes. Yeah, this wouldn't be awkward or anything...

He was handsome, with toffee colored skin, his eyes the color of espresso. He was a beautiful man, and very much in love with his girlfriend, who works in the costumes. Although she hadn't talked to her much before, Penelope gathered she was shy, and incredibly talented. The play was opening before New Year's, and she had a lot of work to do.

After talking with Jake, running a few lines and talking with him and his girlfriend, Melody Easton, who had a kind smile and from far away she looked plain, until you saw her from close up. She was stunning. Nothing in particularly stood out to Penelope to make her think that way, but she felt it was more in the way she carried her conversation, or even carried herself. How she beamed to life as she talked around her boyfriend, or how her small, expressive eyes entranced you. Whatever it was, it was impressive.

When she got home, she checked her phone, and saw that she was indeed right. She had gotten back a few hours later, and since her heat had done it's job too well in the apartment while she was gone, she decided to forego clothing. She slid under her sheet, and let the soft, cool silky fabric caress her warm skin.

When she called him, it rang a few times, before Aaron's voice enveloped her. It was a beautiful, sexy sound she wished she had a recording of. So hot. It was cracked, and deep, a little raspy and his words a little slurred. It was everything she imagined it would be if she woke to him after a night of hot sex. Compared to what she heard that morning he woke in her room, it felt like it was just a taste of what it really sounded like, and now she wanted more. "Hey, it's me. I'm sorry. I'll call you in the morning, sweetheart. Go back to sleep."

Aaron cleared his throat, although it didn't help much, and when she heard shuffling, he spoke. "No! No, please... I want to talk to you. I miss you."

She pursed her lips, and sighed. "You sounded so sleepy, though. I would feel better knowing you're getting some sleep. Although I do love to hear that voice."

"How can I sleep now when your sexy voice is in my ear, making he harder than a rock? Fuck, I love hearing your voice, today, but seeing you on skype with everyone was torturous..."

She smiled coyly, her body tingling to life as she heard his pained voice over the phone. She pulled her glasses off her face, and set them on the bed. "It was? How was it torturous?"

He let out a deep breath, and listened to the change in her own voice. Soft and curious, her voice rising higher with every word. He loved hearing how much he affected her, and couple that with her waking him up from a hot sex dream- Needless to say he was already worked up. He palmed his throbbing dick, which was dripping pre-cum through his clothing. Licking his lips, he imagined it was her touching him right now. "I wanted to shut the doors and tell you to take off that sexy dress you were wearing. I wanted you to play with those huge tits, twisting those perfectly rosy peaks just for me." he moaned.

Gasping at his words, she felt her hairs stand on end. His voice alone could make her come. "Most of all, I wanted to watch you make yourself come, to touch and play with yourself imagining it was me doing it to you," he groaned, his voice thick with lust and sleep. His hand was still rolling his hard on over his flannel pajama pants, palming his aching cock as he recalled the look in her eyes as they skyped. Her hazel eyes locked him in, and she brought her pencil to her mouth, grazing it softly against her ruby lips. How he wished it was his cock in that moment.

She bit her lip, and closed her eyes, imagining he was in front of her now, how she'd close the distance, smell his suit, the scent of coffee, cologne and the natural smell of Aaron invading her senses. She thought of slipping her hand down his pants, probably his work slacks that were her favorite. She imagined how his eyes would close in concentration and need, how his cock would twitch as she grazed the soft, silky smooth skin. Her breathing changed, into small pants, and she was shocked at how affected she was at his words.

"Oh God..." she whimpered. She rubbed her legs together, feeling how wet she was getting between her thighs.

"I need you so bad, baby. What are you wearing now?"

Breath hitching, she laughed a little, taken back slightly that he was that horny for her at the moment. Not that she wasn't, but it was still a little strange to hear her boss of all people talk so easily about wanting to have his way with her. It was harder to grasp the reality of the situation than she realized it would be. Were they really about to have phone sex?

She looked down at herself, and saw she was naked. She didn't want to say that, it didn't feel very sexy to be already unclothed, but she didn't want to lie to him about something so stupid. She could see herself in the vanity mirror across her room, and her knees and shins were mostly blocking her body. Still, she didn't have to look at the mirror to know she was blushing.

"I am not wearing anything, actually." She swore she heard a growl, and some shuffling before he spoke.

"Jesus, Pen..."

She giggled, and it made him smile, despite the fact that he was about to come already. He took a deep breath, and pulled his pants down to his ankle, and kicked them the rest of the way off. As he closed his eyes, he swallowed thickly. Knowing she was naked and talking to him had him aching with need. He wanted to see her, he didn't want to imagine anymore.

"You're naked, huh? How do I really know if you are?" he asked her, his voice teasing, yet still thick.

Eyebrows knitted in confusion, she shook her head. "Because I just told you?" she asked. She didn't know what he meant by that.

"How do I know? Maybe you should... prove it," he taunted. His chest rumbled as he told her to prove it, and he gave his balls a couple grabs, before softly grazing his cock.

She caught on to what he was asking now, but decided to play dumb. She wanted to hear the words come from his mouth. "How on earth could I prove it to you, sir?"

He groaned, and he couldn't hold back from touching himself any more. He was stupid for not bringing her along. Even if it was for sound reasons, this was making him crazy. He gripped his cock, and began to pump slowly. Hissing at the contact, he gave himself a few more long strokes before his jaw ticked, his patience waning. "I want you to take a pic of you on your bed, lying there, waiting for me. Waiting for me to come and take every inch of you. Show me those gorgeous 'fuck-me' eyes..."

She gasped, and shakily pulled the phone away to take a picture of herself. She spread her legs, and effected by his words, cupped her full breast, her eyes filled with lust and desire, her glasses now off. Unfortunately, she realized that she couldn't get her whole body in the picture without looking stupid. "Hold on."

She realized what she needed. Grabbing it in the other room, she attached her phone to the selfie stick, and got into the same position. All she had to do was run through his words, and she was back in the moment. She took a few pictures, from a few different angles, and while she did think the position and lighting was good, to her the subject matter was a little lacking, but that may be because she is a touch biased.

"Hello? I'm back."

"Finally! Did you take one?" he asked.

She smiled, and let her finger slide from her nipple, down to her small patch of curls. "I took a few. Fair is fair, however. I want one too. Full body. I want to see all of you..."

"You are so evil. Fine... I am sure I don't need to tell you to delete them..."

She smirked, laughing into the phone. Before she could say anything, he pulled the phone away to take the picture. He came back a few minutes later. "I'll delete... as I would expect you to as well."

He grinned, and shrugged, even though she couldn't see it. "Of course... when I get home..." he trailed off, letting her know it wouldn't be right away.

"Days? What if someone sees them?"

"They won't, Penelope. I won't let anyone see what is for my eyes only. I swear. Besides... I may not be back for days, or a couple weeks. I need something to get me through this. Tomorrow we are skyping."

"A couple weeks? I hate those jobs! Please come back to me soon," she pouted.

"I'm trying. They aren't giving us much to go on, despite the new body that turned up today, and all we have is Prentiss' new theory, which sounds right, but we are missing some vital information, still. I swear I don't want to be away from you or Jack for another second."

She wanted to hit herself. Of course he wanted to get back as quickly as possible. She didn't mean it to sound like that, but she just missed him and the team so much she was going crazy. "I know. Hopefully something will change in the morning. In the meantime..."

As she said that, she sent the pics to him. She covered her face, and waited a minute for him to say something. "Holy shit," he muttered under his breath.

"Fucking- in this picture I can see how wet you are for me. Your pretty pink lips are glistening, your nipples are so hard, like after I take them between my teeth. Grab them, squeeze them for me," he rasped.

His voice turned demanding, and she couldn't deny him. Her fingers ghosted across the valley between her breasts, before circling her full mound. She was aching for him, her sex plump and soaked as she shivered at his words. Squeezing her breast sharply, she gasped, and arched her back. "Aaron!"

A chirp sound invaded the quiet of the room, and she realized it was her text messaging. She saw a couple pictures pop up, showing a naked Aaron in the mirror of his hotel bathroom. The camera blocked his face with the flash, but she could see his long, thick cock almost purple and it was standing erect. The other one was one where he angled the camera upwards, so his cock and balls were in the forefront of the picture. Above that, was his body, and a clear shot of his dark, obsidian eyes looking hungrily back at her. Her hand went between her legs, her hips involuntarily thrusting forward a little.

"You make me so wet, Aaron. My pussy is dripping for you. Only you," she moaned, her finger stroking her slick folds, her little whimper as she collected her juices and rubbed her fingers around her clit.

"Are you touching yourself?"

"Yes," she gasped.

"God, you're so hot. What are you doing?"

"I'm- Oh! Oh, God! I'm rubbing my clit. I wish it was your tongue," she moaned. He moaned, and took his thumb along the tip, and spread his pre-cum around his turgid length. He wasn't going to last much longer.

"I would lick you and fuck you with my fingers and tongue until you forgot your name. You would only know mine by the time I was through with you," he growled. His stomach coiled, and he was about to come, but he wanted her to come first. He wanted to hear her cry his name, her breathy cries and moans as she got herself off.

"Aaron!"

"Grab a toy. Now."

Hearing some fumbling, she finally became quiet. Sucking in a breath, he shut his eyes. "You have it?"

"Yes."

He felt his heart thrashing against his rib cage, and he knew he had to get back there as soon as possible. As hot as this was, it was not the real thing.

"Is it a dildo, vibrator or both?"

"It's both. Aaron please! I want to come." she practically whined. She was so worked up, her fingers bringing her closer and closer to release, and seeing her eight inch toy in front of her was enough to unhinge her. She needed to come, she was so close.

Grunting, he tried to keep the controlling tone out of his voice. "I know. I know, love. I want you too. I want you to come and imagine you're coming all over my cock. That your toy is my cock filling you whole. Understand?"

She whimpered a "Yes," before he heard the hum of the toy starting up.

"Wait! Turn it off, Penelope." She did, and he licked his lips.

"Stick it in your mouth. Pretend it's me in front of you."

She gasped, and she was glad he couldn't see how red she must have been. In all the years she owned one, she had never done nor been asked to put a toy in her mouth. She wasn't scandalized, but she was surprised hearing it come out of his mouth.

Licking her lips, she did. She knew he couldn't see her, yet she pretended he could. It was a blue dildo that vibrated, and it was a decent size, but not like a huge one. She had others she had bought, this was a tried and true toy. She ran her tongue along the silicone, ignoring the taste on her tongue. She slipped her lips around it, and sucked sharply at the tip, elongating her thrusts in her mouth. She drove it back, as far as she could in her throat, and when she almost pulled her lips off of it, she moaned.

He heard her slurps and labored breathing pick up, her moans around the object in her mouth and his hips jerked sharply into his tight hold. Spreading his legs, he brought his feet up to spread his legs further. He was so lost in her voice, her light whimpers and breathy cries. His other hand grabbed his balls, rolling them in his hand as he stroked his cock.

His breathing was getting ragged, and a minute later, he told her to stop. "Is it nice and wet?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Good girl. Take it out of your mouth, and turn it on low. Rub it between your pink lips," he said in a strained voice.

"Are you touching yourself, Aaron?" she asked, her breath hitching at the end as she turned on the toy.

"Yes, I am thinking of your hot red lips around me."

"Oh, God!" she cried, hearing him. The vibrator turned up a little when her hand twisted, and she wanted to fuck it. Yet she didn't want to ruin the image, so she kept rubbing it against her.

"Aaron... I want you to think of my tongue sliding up, tasting your tip, licking it clean. If I was there, I'd be swirling my tongue around your large cock, before taking all of you in my mouth. Sucking and moaning around you. I want you to envision grabbing my loose hair, the long blonde hairs that had been dancing across your thighs. Collect my hair in your hands Aaron, yes, like that. Then I want you to fuck my face, use me to come."

Aaron's eyes darkened, his jaw clenched. Her words affected him more than she could ever imagine. He was hanging by a thread, and his hips began thrusting in the air. "Fuck, Penny! Jesus that fucking mouth on you! So fucking hot!" he growled.

She moaned, hearing how savage he was becoming. It was so fucking sexy. She quickened her pace on the toy, and after a few minutes, she could feel she was close. "I'm close! So fucking-!" He cut her off with a groan, and his body was on fire. He could feel how close he was too, and he needed to finish soon.

"When you're wet and ready, shove it inside you. Turn it up high, all the way."

She did, and slid it in. She cried out at the intrusion, and Aaron moaned. "Yes, you like that inside you? That's nothing compared to how I'm going to feel inside you. You aren't going to be able to walk by the time I'm done with you. There are so many things I want to do to you," he promised.

"Grab those titties, Penelope. Think of me rolling them in my hands, sucking sharply as I take you. Pinch them, squeeze them hard."

She was climbing higher and higher, her head fuzzy with his words, his soft grunts and swear words. She fucked herself roughly with the vibrator, and she could feel her whole body begin to shake. Beads of sweat collected in her hair line, around her neck, and she probably looked horrible. In that moment, however, she didn't care. She only focused on his voice, trying to keep the phone near her face, and giving in to the need for release.

Finally, she felt like she couldn't take anymore. She thrashed, and her cries were getting louder, and louder. "Aaron, I'm going to come! I can't wait any longer!" she cried.

Aaron felt the same, images flashed into his mind of taking her on his desk, on the counter, in his hotel bathroom. Watching as her hazel eyes glaze over as he takes her over and over again. "Come for me! Come!" he moaned.

Frozen in place, she cried out in white-hot ecstacy, writhing as she rode out her orgasm. She heard him follow right behind, his groan loud and animalistic. It was so sexy, she felt a shiver run through her. As she began to pull out the toy, she could feel how sensitive she was still. Biting her lip, she brushed it against her clit, and it sent jolts of white-hot heat through her. "Oh, God! I need to hear you make those noises again. Please," she told him. She quickly entered the toy inside her again, and Aaron finally registered what she said. He was panting, and had an arm over his eyes.

"Another?"

"Yes!" she whimpered.

"Mmm... so hot. You are close again for me, aren't you?" he asked. He was already so close to getting hard again, but he tried to keep it from happening. It was hard enough to get through a conversation with her.

"Yes! Yes! Aaron!"

"I wish I was there. I'd have you in the shower, up against the freezing wall, taking every inch I give you. Mmm... your moans are getting me hard as a rock again." he rasped.

Moaning, she pushed the toy in faster, loving his dirty talk more than she should. She only had a few lovers, and they all were not very good at dirty talk. They always just liked to do some vanilla-type stuff, and she had a feeling Aaron was at least a mixed if not chocolate. She was teetering on the edge, but his voice was sending it over the edge without warning.

"Fuck your pussy hard. Fuck it long and deep, Penelope. That is how I'm going to take you for hours. When I get back, I want you bent over my desk, I want you to come all over my face. I want to come over every inch of you. Do you want that? I will take you up against-..." he stopped as she cried his name out, her release hitting hard.

She shivered as she pulled the toy out, and this time, she didn't feel the need to come again. She was exhausted. Aaron listened in rapture as she came, her sounds spreading through his entire being, and piercing straight in his cock. He was hard again, and as annoyed as he was, he at least had those pics still of her.

"Sorry." she meekly said.

"Penelope. Don't be sorry. I would have helped you out with that, if I was with you right now."

"I didn't really get you worked up again, though, did I?"

Looking down at his rock-hard cock, it twitched, silently reminding him that he was in fact, what she had described. "Nah. I'm fine. I just know we need to get back... soon."

"That would be a crazy idea... speaking of work, the two new recruits are on their way, and should be arriving at noon tomorrow, so make sure one of you are there to greet them."

"Great. I'll try to do it myself, but no matter what, I'll make sure to have someone bring them down and meet everyone. So... what did their background checks say?" he smirked.

She blushed, and jutted her chin out indignantly. "You have the full report in your briefcase, sir." she said innocently.

He clicked his tongue, and smiled. "Now, now, Penny. I didn't ask for that report and you know it. I want the other one."

She feigned horror, and hid her smile until the end. "I ever so do not know what you mean, my liege."

Aaron's eyes darkened, and hearing her say that to him had his cock twitch once again. It was aching now, and he let out a shaky breath. "I mean the one you run after the regular bureau background check. The one where you find out more...details than the one we ask of them."

"But sir! That would be illegal! If I were to do something like that, it would be wrong! I wouldn't even think to stick it in the front pocket of your luggage with a heart making it look like a love note!" she grinned cheekily.

"My-what? How did you get into my luggage? I didn't see you anywhere near it. Love note, huh?"

She chuckled, and laid further down, so her head was pressed into her soft, cool pillow. "I have my ways, Hotchner. I made it look like one, I didn't actually put one in there. Sorry to disappoint."

He scoffed, saying, "You should feel sorry. Now I am extremely disappointed. Here I was expecting you to write down your undying love for me and instead you call me just to help you get off. I see how it is."

Giggling, she talked once her laughter died down. "Took you long enough."

He chuckled, and looking at the time, he saw how late it was. He really didn't want to get off the phone. "How's Jack? I had to watch him for Jessie when she had an emergency staff meeting. He was so funny. He told me that he wanted to buy you a puppy for Christmas, because he knew you wanted one. Something told me that he wanted one a little bit more than you did."

He chuckled, and yawned. "Yeah, he's been dying for one. I just can't with our work, and then there is the whole responsibility thing. Maybe some day."

"Maybe. Maybe this Christmas, who knows?" she teased.

"Penelope..."

She giggled, and bit her lip. "Sir..."

The need to kiss her was overwhelming. He needed to kiss her to shut that gorgeous mouth of hers. That reminded him of another instance where he felt that way. "Babe?"

"Hmm?"

"So when you watched Jack... did you help him study? A science test, perhaps?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

She hummed a yes, and Aaron rubbed his eyes. " While I honestly do appreciate that you took the time to help him, you may want to stick to the pages inside his books from now on if you help him again. My son seems more invested in cheekiness than his grades." he told her, smiling. He wasn't mad, in fact he tried to be angry, but he could just imagine her filling his head with wonder and make believe, and he would never deny that for his son. He was serious enough for the both of them.

Covering her gasp, she felt all blood drain from her face. "I am so sorry! Shit! What happened?" she asked, already having a feeling it didn't go well...

He chuckled, and turned out the lights. "It's fine, Penny. I swear. He didn't get a good grade, but that was his choice. He knew the material." he tried to console her.

She rubbed her forehead, and shook her head. "No! I never meant for that, I swear! I will talk to the teacher, and I will straighten this out!" she told him adamantly. She refused to be the reason for his son to not pass his studies.

"It's fine. I know that I miss you both like crazy, though. I can't wait to see you."

"I miss you too. Jack can't wait to see you. When I had him over, he couldn't stop talking about you." Aaron grinned hearing that, and sighed.

"You gotta go now, huh?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah... we got to get up early tomorrow. I will talk to you tomorrow. Bye Penelope."

She smiled sadly, and sighed. "Bye, Aaron. Sweet dreams."

"I don't know how sweet they'll be... they will most likely be as dirty as last time." Penelope clicked her tongue at that and shook her head.

"You... goodnight." she giggled.

"Goodnight."

The next morning, they all began working on the case. At lunchtime, the two new recruits met up with the team, and got right to work. She met them skyping, and while they seemed nervous, they both seemed nice. They looked pretty young, and just as pretty as the rest of her team. Sam Holt, who was in his mid-forties, who looked no older than twenty-five, was a beautiful man.

Sam had vibrant sky blue eyes that popped, against his raven-black hair and sun-kissed skin. He was very tall, almost as tall as Aaron by reading the background check, and very muscular. Lorraine Mackenzie was too pretty for words. A smattering of freckles across her porcelain skin, small, petite frame, even smaller than JJ's. Medium length, copper colored locks framing her sharp, emerald eyes, she easily looked in her teens, still. She was very beautiful, and from Chicago. Sam was from the West Virginia area, previously, but mostly grew up in Texas. From both of their background checks, they seemed like a good fit here.

"Bye, nice meeting you! Tell me when they leave the room..." she trailed off, her forced smile dying off once they said they were gone.

"You know they heard you trail off... right?" Prentiss snorted.

Penelope shrugged, smiling. "What else did they expect?" They would know soon enough that Penelope would do whatever it took to keep her loved ones safe.

"They're gone, Garcia." Spencer smiled.

"How are they doing?" Penelope asked. She was so excited to meet them. They needed some fresh blood in the group. She had no idea if she would mesh with them, but it didn't matter. She had her family, and if they wanted to be a part of it, all the better. If not, she was good.

"They are nervous, and trying a little too hard, but handling everything well." Reid said. It had been so awkward over there, and she was glad she wasn't there just for that reason. Finding out later that Reid overheard Emily's little rant behind the door, she heard from Aaron that Reid won't look at her. If he does, he looks like he swallowed his tongue. Emily called her, and started to freak out, saying that maybe they could pass it off as a joke. Penelope shook her head, and told her that the lid was blown off that can of worms, and just give him time. It isn't every day that Reid gets a beautiful woman to say she is in love with him.

Not that it shouldn't happen for him. He was a beautiful man, and so smart it was scary. Women should be beaten with sticks to keep off him, but Reid was just so shy, and he didn't think anyone would want to be with someone like him. Which was insane, obviously. Penelope had a strong feeling he would be just as passionate in bed as he would be solving murders.

"Okay, well let me know when you guys hear more." She hung up, and got to work. She was busy most of the day, and after an exhausting night of talking and skyping with Aaron, she was tired.

It had been the same for the last few days, and the only thing that changed in her routine was going to Jack's basketball game. They lost by a few points, but Jack did amazing! Penelope thought of recording the game, but instead, she had Aaron watch as she skyped it, and he was so glad she did that. He got to see Jack almost make a fluke three point shot. It was awesome. Later, after the game ended, she took Jack out for a pizza with a few of his friends. Despite the loss, Jack was grinning, and Penelope had Aaron skype as they finished their slices and soda.

Luckily, the third day, there was a break in the case, and they were heading home. While Penelope was in the middle of rehearsal, she got a text. Derek was asking her to help track down who it was. As she helped them narrow the person down, they were on their way to arrest him. The good news was, it was an easy arrest. The bad news was... the killer had finished off the victim he held captive before they got there.

Now that it had almost been two weeks, they were on their way back home. Penelope waited up for texts from the group to hear they got home okay. It was late, and she was watching a movie on Netflix, when she heard something at the door. Pausing it, she got up, and slowly walked toward the peephole. No one was there. She felt her hairs stand up, and she couldn't shake the feeling someone was out there.

As she was about to look out the peephole again, she screamed as she heard it. Her cell obnoxiously beeped on the coffee table and her heart jumped out of her throat. She took a calming breath as she answered it, and while she realized it was her loneliness playing tricks on her, she couldn't stop the shakiness from seeping into her voice.

"Hello?"

"Hey! What's wrong?"

Penelope looked around the mute, open apartment. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and she shook her head. "Nothing. The phone scared me, that's all."

"Sorry. I can call later," he was interrupted by her firm tone. "No! It's fine, really. I am just so glad you guys are all back."

"Me too. I just got inside, and Jack is still asleep. I think I will surprise him like I usually do." Aaron smiled.

"How do you do that?" Penelope asked, grinning as she pictured their little routine in the morning. Or rather... how she thinks it could be. Okay... wishes it could be.

"I wake up early, and I make him his pancakes, shaped like a snowman, but the telltale sign it's me is the bacon. Jesse doesn't eat bacon, so when I give it to him, he knows I am home. He comes barreling through the house, and crashes against my hips. God, I miss him." Aaron said softly, as if he was just saying it to himself, not to her. Like he was consumed in a happy memory, disappointed once the trance is over.

"That sounds like a good way to wake up. I know he misses you a bunch. When I call him he constantly asks me when I can let you come home. Like it's my fault you guys are gone," she told him.

He chuckled, and slipped off his slacks. He was exhausted. "Of course it's your fault. We all know that we can't do our jobs without that beautiful brain and deductive skills of yours. My boy just knows how it goes."

"You are horrible. I am simply a messenger. You guys are the ones who solve it. Speaking of... we have work right away in the morning." she groaned.

Aaron nodded, and yawned. "I know. I am counting my days until I get some free days. That last case was way too long."

"I know. You are probably exhausted. I should let you go. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Aaron."

"Goodnight. I can't wait to see you tomorrow."

Penelope smiled, and she felt her cheeks heat up. "Me neither. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The next morning, Penelope rolled out of bed, and got into the shower. She was so tired. As tired as she was, however, she couldn't contain her smile. She couldn't wait to see Hotch. It had almost been two weeks, and she was so excited, she almost left without her cell phone.

When she got to her car, she got inside and put on her seatbelt. As she turned it on, her radio was off, which was strange. Usually, it was set up to her favorite radio station. Shrugging, she tried to turn it on, and it wouldn't work. Groaning, she decided to fix it later, and get to work. When she walked to the group of her friends, she felt her pulse race as she saw her raven-haired God. He was leaned over the desk, talking about a case to Reid, yet his eyes kept slinking up to check out the entrance. She had already moved a little off to the side, so she could check him out.

As he emphasized a point he was making, Penelope decided to walk in then. "Hey everyone! I'm so glad you're back!"

Aaron's head shot up like a rabbit, and seeing her set his mind at ease as his heart crashed against his rib cage as he drank in her beauty. It had been too long since he had been near her, and he wanted to run to her, kiss her, throw her over his shoulder, and unzip her dress and...

More than anything, he just wanted to hold her close, and take his time to taste her lips again. Although he didn't touch her as he reached her, he gave her a small smile. "Hey."

She tried to contain her own smile, which didn't work. She was so excited to see him, she could barely contain it. The only thing keeping her in check was the group of friends giggling like third graders behind Aaron. "Hey. Come on, I wanna meet the new guys."

Penelope spent the next few minutes before work getting to know a little bit more about her new co-workers. She found Sam's Texas-charm quite appealing, and Lorraine was harder to figure out. She was very nice and cordial while she talked to her over the computer, and still the same, but now Penelope could see an edge to her. She was snarky, and not looking to please anyone, which Penelope found refreshing. She just hoped that they didn't hate her or anything. With how close their group was, it was extremely hard to not have it affect others.

Overall, it went well, and then they got to work. She could feel someone behind her before she got to her lair, and as she turned the knob, she felt a chill run down her spine. As she opened the door, she felt a hand brush her lower back and she jumped. Looking behind her, she visibly relaxed as she saw Aaron grinning and shutting the door behind them.

"Jesus, Aaron! You scared the crap outta me!" she laughed, holding a hand against her thundering heart.

He pulled her close, and breathed in her hair as he held her tightly. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

She shouldn't be so afraid, since she knew it was him, and yet the fear still lingered, as it had been lately. Something felt off lately, and she couldn't deny the fact that dating her sexy, previously unattainable boss had something to do with it, since she felt that way from the time that his lips crashed against hers like a hurricane. It wasn't a strong feeling, something that vibrated against her heart like a constant grating, chipping away the tiniest of fragments to dust. Still, she couldn't also deny that when she was in his arms, she never felt more right than she had been in for so long. He was the poultice over the ache, and that freaked her out more, never really knowing which one would finally take over.

"Don't be. I don't know what's with me lately... I'm so glad to finally see you in person. How was Jack?" She pulled him into a hug, and she couldn't help but notice how his heart quickened against her ear.

Aaron smiled, thinking of Jack's excited bright eyes as he came barreling down the stairs and into a fierce hug. He missed him so much, and couldn't wait to get some time off. "He's better now. I made him his breakfast and he kept talking about Christmas, and wondering if we are going to vacation again this year. He doesn't want to."

"Don't you go every year somewhere warm? Where was it last year? I can't seem to recall," she asked him.

"We went to Mexico. It was okay... nothing special aside from watching Jack open his presents. I think maybe it's time to stay here. What are your plans?"

She shrugged, after taking a step back. "I don't have much going on, I suppose. Friends come over, or I go to theirs. My family is always too busy to visit or see me, and they have their own lives, so..."

Aaron pursed his lips, and looked away. Now that he thought of it, none of her siblings came to visit her, and recently she had gone to see some of them, or something, but none had ever seem to make an effort to see her. Strange.

"I'm sorry, Penelope. That's a shame you don't see them a lot," was all he said in response. What could he say more than that?

She shrugged with a lopsided grin, and checked her phone for the time. "How about more immediate plans. What are you doing for Thanksgiving?"

Aaron shrugged, and laughed humorlessly. "Probably working. Other than that I can't say. You?"

She agreed, annoyed. "Well we should get to work. I am completely swamped and if I don't start now I will miss my rehearsals. Besides, I am sure their imaginations are in overdrive by now. See you in a few."

Aaron agreed this time, and after waving, he walked out. For the next few days, they were just as before. They saw each other at work, and Aaron took the time to hang out with his son, and working late. Penelope had been busy with her rehearsals for the upcoming play, and she had been to the gym and working late as well. Their lives were so intertwined, and yet were unable to find time to spend together.

Aaron checked their schedules, and was completely relieved seeing they had time off that weekend. He couldn't wait to get her alone. A stampede of cattle running down the stairs alerted Aaron that his son was ready for school. "Dad... can I stay home?"

Aaron slid some eggs and toast on a plate for him, and handed it to him along with a glass of orange juice. "Why?"

"Because I want to." he stated simply. Aaron laughed.

"I don't think so. Sorry. Is it your class or friends?"

Jack peeked at him as he took a big gulp of his juice. "I'm not friends with Will anymore. He took my game and when I asked for it back, he lied and said it was his. Now everyone is calling me a liar."

Aaron was aware that Will was very popular, and while Jack was climbing in that direction, he wasn't like Will. Which, Aaron was glad to see. That Will was kind of a jerk for being so young.

"Was the game yours?"

"Yeah, I thought I already said that..." Jack scowled.

"Jack..." Aaron warned.

Jack looked at his breakfast, feeling guilty. "Sorry."

"Since it was yours, ask for it back again. If there are any problems, let me know and I will call his family."

Jack covered his face in frustration and leaned back. Aaron couldn't help but take notice how much Jack looked like himself in that moment. "You'll make it worse! No, Dad! Don't call, please?"

Aaron, pursing his lips, didn't agree, but he also didn't want to fight Jack's battles for him. "Fine. You are going to school, and straightening this out. If it gets out of hand I will call his Mom and Dad, got it?"

Jack relaxed, and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Okay, finish up and grab your backpack. We are gonna be late."

Penelope slept through her alarm, or it never went off, she wasn't exactly sure, but she was running very late. She hopped out of the shower, and since she didn't have time to do more than blow-dry her hair, she decided to braid it off to the side, and did the bare minimum of makeup. As she walked out of the door, to her car, she stopped dead in her tracks.

Off in the distance, there was a song playing, one she knew all too well. It was "God Only Knows." She used to love it, but now she couldn't hear it without thinking of her parents. They loved that song, and her mother hummed all the time as she grew up. It stirred so many feelings within her, and before they died the song filled her with happiness, love, contentment. Now that they were gone, it filled her with fear and pain in equal measure. She had a memory of her mother singing it softly as she washed the dishes, and another of Penelope crying on her mom's lap, her mother stroking her blonde hair as she sang it, to help calm her down. Now she sees the crashed car, their coffins, her old room. All those happy memories washed away from a single Beach Boys song.

Her hair stood on end, and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. How stupid to be so affected by such a song. She closed the car door, and now that it was more muted, she felt herself relax. Penelope started the car, and almost didn't hear her phone vibrate.

She found it instantly in her small purse, and saw it was her brother calling. Answering it, she ignored her heart skipping wildly, still affected from the song. "Hello?" she asked shakily.

"Penelope? What's wrong?"

Hearing her brother's voice didn't help matters any. She squeezed the steering wheel tighter, and replied, "I'm late for work. What is it, Freddie?"

To say they were close would be a grievous lie. She loved all four brothers, and she got along with three of them. Freddie was the third youngest brother, and the most obnoxious. At least to Penelope, he was. They never really got along, and it got worse after their parents died.

"I haven't talked to you in a while."

Penelope narrowed her eyes. The last time she saw him was five years ago, where he slept on her couch. Drunk Freddie decided it was a great idea to get wasted and hit on a friend of hers, effectively ruining the friendship of said friend when he gave her an STD and ran off without a word but that was before he went on a drunken tangent and told Penelope she was to blame for his problems and that he hated her more than anyone. He was living in New York, last she heard.

"I like it that way, Fred. What do you want?"

"I heard that John is having a baby," he said. She rolled her eyes, and nodded, even though he couldn't see it.

"Yeah. He is." She heard her brother, John, who lived in Hawaii, was having a baby in the spring. Why he was bringing this up, she had no idea. Why was he even calling her anyways? He hated her, and loved to express that any chance he got.

"You visiting them when the baby is born?"

"Probably... why?"

"Would you mind if I came with you?" he asked.

"What?"

"Would you mind coming by and picking me up? I'm a little tight on cash, so I was thinkin' you could spot me a ticket to see them."

Penelope laughed incredulously. "How is that a surprise? What... you just expect me to run up to New York and pick you up so I can fly you to Hawaii? Really?"

She heard some shuffling, and his voice got a little louder, more on edge. "You're such a bitch. Yes, I want you to. But I'm not in New York anymore. I'm in Seattle. Come on, Pen. One lousy ticket!"

"Seattle? Let me guess... for your pot?"

He scoffed. "For your information, I am using it medicinally. It's called asthma!"

She rolled her eyes and tightened her grip on the phone. "Asthma? Please... You just got winded when you had to run around the baseball field in gym! Dad never believed that you were asthmatic for a second!"

"Well he was an asshole, and not my dad. You seem to forget he wasn't yours either."

She narrowed her eyes. "He was in your life for twelve years and loved you, Fred! More than I can say for our actual dad! How dare you talk that way about him! You are such a piece of shit!" she yelled.

"Oh yeah, don't be so fuckin' sanctimonious! Like you don't smoke any! At least mine is medicinally. You are such a cunt."

Penelope pursed her lips before smirking. "That's not what I'm pissed about and you know it! My smoking isn't an issue since it doesn't revolve around my whole life and I can actually afford it! Go fuck yourself, Fred!" she seethed. That asshole can bring out the worst in her.

"Fuck off, Pen. I gotta go. Just... just send me one fucking lousy ticket! I'll text you my address." With that, he hung up. She glared at her phone and as she stuffed it back in her purse, she growled in frustration.

"Yeah, right... you just keep looking for that ticket in the mail... asshole."

Penelope started the car and pulled out. She wasn't naive enough to fall for that. If she did give him the money ahead of time, he would blow it by the time they had to buy them. If she did it later or bought the ticket herself, she would have to babysit him and that was the last thing she wanted to do right now. A small, guilt bubble implanted itself in her stomach but she refused to pop it. She always felt that way when it came to helping her brother and every time it was proven once again she never should have believed him. Reminding herself that he makes her feel guilty will just add fuel to the hate fire, and she wanted to burn the fucking building down. She loved him but that didn't mean she had to like him.

Getting to work, she was still extremely frazzled. As she walked in, she saw Aaron wasn't waiting for her. She wished she could grab a quick kiss, but alas she would have to actually work. The day was busy, and they had little to no time to talk. Penelope was busy, and now that another Technical Analyst was on paternity leave, she had taken over his work.

The days flew by, and her work only grew. She was insanely busy, and everyone knew enough not to disturb her unless there was an emergency. She had to take shifts on her days off, which soured her mood further. The only thing that pepped her day up was that Aaron and Jack would stop in and hang out with her for a few minutes. It was flu season, and people were dropping like flies in the office, and she was staying later and later into the nights. The major lack of sleep was causing her to be more irritable than before. She had little to no sleep, and she knew if she let her work slack, she would work well into the holidays, which she didn't want. She was determined to have a relaxing Thanksgiving, and by God, that is what she was going to do.

She was extremely busy, staying once again much later into the night than the rest. She had to cancel her play rehearsal which ticked her off. It was her night to read lines and now she missed it. Leaving her lair, she grabbed a coffee, and looked around. The office was dead, only the janitor's mop bucket was around. She was no stranger of staying past hours, and it looked the same as it always had at this time of night.

The low hum of the fluorescent bulbs echoed in the lowly lit office. As she turned back toward her office, she felt a chill run down her spine. Glancing around, she still didn't see anyone, so she walked back to her office, still feeling off. It had been a half hour later, and after finally finding the connection with a suspect to the victim of the secondary cases, she leaned back. Her neck was strained from sitting in the chair for so long, and rolling her shoulders did little to help.

Garcia rubbed her strained eyes, and took off her glasses. It was time for her to get home and sleep in her actual bed. Keeping her eyes shut, she listened to the silence, and the little revving of her computer, purring like a cat. She couldn't help but picture her upcoming holidays, and what she would be doing. She wondered if she would see Aaron, or if he would go on a vacation. She wondered if her brothers were going to ask her if she was going to their houses. She wondered if her friends would want to come see her or go to theirs. All scenarios popped in her head just as she heard something.

It was a message on her phone. It was a text from Aaron. Hey. You home yet? - A.

She smiled, and typed, No. Almost done.

Get home. That's an order.

Biting her cheek, she grinned. As much as she wanted to sext... she decided to curb that and get finished up for the night. Yes, sir. Any other... orders?

She put on a winking emoji and waited for his quick fingers on the text. A ping almost immediately sounded and she laughed as she read it. When you are in bed I could give you another order.

Looking forward to it. Tty in a min.

She finished up the last of her search and after turning off her computers, she left. She waved to the janitor, even though he didn't notice her, and got to her car. She pulled to her house, and made her way inside. She passed her neighbor's door, Mrs. Braxton. She is such a sweet lady, and Penelope felt so sorry for her, she does whatever she can to help her. She had to go shopping for her tomorrow, and Penelope had to make sure to get her something delicious. She never married, never had any close family, so Penelope took her to her doctor's appointments, since her health was failing so drastically, and her mind was deteriorating much faster than the doctor's anticipated. Also, Penelope always made sure to bring her some sweets as well, since that always brought a smile to her face.

As she came closer to the door, she flipped through her mail she grabbed on the way in. As she began to go through them, her phone rang. Rushing inside, she answered the phone out of breath. "Hey! I was just getting inside."

She dropped her stuff and began to change into her long t-shirt to sleep. "I wanted to hear your voice. I am ready to give you your next and final order. Ready?" Aaron asked sleepily.

"You should have just went to sleep. What is it?"

"Okay, here it is- sleep. Goodnight. See you soon."

She giggled, rolling her eyes as she walked into her bathroom. "Funny. Goodnight." Hanging up, she threw her hair up and cleaned her makeup off. She didn't have time for a shower, so she decided to do it in the morning, and after brushing her teeth, went right to bed. Getting to sleep was difficult, but she managed to finally doze quickly, but had work nightmares, that woke her up countless times throughout her small amount of sleep.

As she slept through her third alarm, she heard her phone ring. That woke her up. She answered, and it was Aaron again. "Good morning."

"Nothing good about it. Make my alarm shut up." she whined. Knowing it was useless, she got up and turned off her alarm. She went right into the bathroom, and turned on the shower.

"I would if I could. Listen... I'm probably going to be late. Jack decided to lock his bedroom before he went to bed, and he is refusing to go to school. I'll be in when I can. I can't wait to see you."

"I'm sorry. Let me know if you need anything. I'm running late myself. I have to get going. See you when you get there."

Hanging up, she got ready in record time, and she put on her favorite dress. It was a mint floral patterned dress paired with a red cardigan and black high heels. It was a little summery given the time of year but she could never leave that one in her summer wardrobe. She got to the office, walking as quickly as she could without falling, and was surprised to see an overexcited JJ.

"Hey, JJ. What's going on?" she asked curiously as she saw her friend's smile swapped out for a grin wider than Penelope had seen in a while.

"It's not me who should be asking that! Something came for you! How late did you two get out of here, exactly?" she jokingly accused. Penelope rolled her eyes, and let JJ hook her arm through Penelope's arm.

"What are you talking about? He left almost five hours before me. When he left he was a perfect gentleman. Unfortunately." she grumbled.

JJ laughed, and squeezed her arm reassuringly. "From what you told me Penelope, he is anything but a gentleman. Derek didn't kiss me for a month, you know..."

Penelope stopped dead in her tracks. "Shut up."

JJ chewed her lip and nodded. "Oh yeah. Imagine how long I had to wait?" Penelope laughed hysterically, and JJ joined in.

As they rounded the corner, she saw Spencer move toward them, but that wasn't what stopped her short at what lay atop of Spencer's desk. A huge bouquet of flowers. Orange, red, pinks popped against the dull gray landscape of the office, and despite it being far too large, that wasn't the reason she froze. "Aren't they beautiful, Penelope? What are they, do you know?"

"Hey, Penelope. They are actually-" Spencer was cut off by Penelope.

"Amaryllis. They are amaryllis." She couldn't recognize her voice, and even though she knew the team was looking at her funny, she couldn't bring herself to look away. The vase was just as it had been all those years ago. In the center of the detailed, glass vase was a black, satin ribbon, tied just the same as before. It was as someone cut out the exact same bouquet from over a decade ago and placed it in front of her eyes today. How could that be?

Not able to move, Derek came up and handed the card to Penelope. Spencer walked closer to JJ, and murmured in her ear, "I don't think it's from Hotch. The meaning is a little odd for their situation, don't you think?"

Penelope shakily opened the tiny envelope, and as she began to read, she overheard JJ asking why he would think that. "The flowers mean radiant beauty, but the story behind it means unrequited love. Why would Hotch-" Spencer was cut off when Penelope fainted.

Aaron got Jack to school much quicker than he anticipated, so he got to work and the new girl, Agent Lorraine Mackenzie was working alongside Morgan. JJ was talking with Spencer, when he got a call from his boss. As Aaron was finishing up his call, Spencer ran into Hotch's office.

"Hotch, It's Garcia! She passed out, or something! I don't know," Spencer explained. Hotch hung up, and ran to her side. He didn't move her, as much as he wanted to, and he could only focus on the blood-stained handkerchief on the side of her head.

"It's from the fall," Morgan explained, "she knocked her head against the corner of the desk."

She was out cold, and her glasses were a few feet away from her. "What happened?" he asked as he overheard someone's voice talking to a dispatcher. He was surprised how detached he sounded, since that wasn't how he was doing internally. He was freaking out, and he had trouble absorbing the events that led up to her fainting.

Penelope heard a low hum of people talking, muffled beeps and the stagnant smell of the hospital let her know exactly where she was. Her head was throbbing, her body was like jell-o. Not good. As she opened her eyes, she was in a bed, and focusing on more than that caused her head to feel woozy.

Aaron told Derek to head back to the office, and handle things until she woke up. Derek agreed, and after kissing Garcia's head, he walked out of the hospital waiting room, grabbing JJ. Rossi was waiting with Hotch, and at the moment he was glad. They didn't speak, and Aaron couldn't even if he wanted to. He was too concerned, too confused to say anything.

She shifted in the bed, groaning. Aaron noticed she batted her eyes for a few seconds, groaning and closing them again. He watched as she flinched, and moments later her eyes were staring into his.

"What happened?" she groaned.

Aaron pursed his lips. "You fainted. How are you feeling?"

Penelope looked away, and minutely shrugged at his question. "Head hurts, and I... I-I need to go. I have to-" She shook her head, groggily, and sat up. She felt like the world tilted on its axis, and the nausea froze her in place for a second. That can't stop her, though. She needed to run, to get away from everyone she loved. She had to move, despite the disorienting pain.

Aaron jumped to his feet, and blocked her. "Lie down. You need rest."

She shook her head, and tried to sit up again, but he lightly shoved her back. She couldn't look at him, and as he sat next to her in bed, he grabbed her hand, which she pulled away from.

"What happened, Penelope? Please talk to me!" he asked.

Traitorous tears blurred her vision, and she shook her head. "I can't be here! He knows where I am! I-I have to go! You need to get away from me!"

Aaron pursed his lips. "What are you talking about? Only the office knows you're here, Penny. Everything's going to be alright. I'm not leaving you until you are discharged." he told her.

She covered her face, and whimpered, "I knew they weren't from you. I knew it."

Aaron froze, and waited for her to go on, and when she didn't, he asked, "The flowers?"

Her breath hitched, and she slowly nodded. Tears slid down her cheeks and he wanted to wipe them away. "Yes."

"I'm so sorry, Aaron! I put you and everyone I care about and love in danger! I never meant to do that! I was going to tell you, I swear." she told him sincerely.

Aaron's hurt expression tore her up inside. She never wanted to hurt the people she loved. If she could have, she would have left them before any of this happened. "Please, just tell me what's going on. What danger?"

"You- You read my file right? My parents?" He nodded, and watched as she sat up straighter. Penelope looked to the doorway, which caused Aaron to do the same. It was closed, and she looked relieved.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at him. "It wasn't an accident. I came home and as I turned the corner near my street, I saw the crash. Less than a mile away from my house. They crashed into a semi, and because of me, they're dead. It's all my fault." she cried.

He pulled her close, and ran a hand down her hair. "There was nothing you could've done, Penelope. It was an accident. Sometimes these things just happen." he murmured.

She flinched, and broke out of his grasp. As much as she felt loved and comforted, she didn't deserve it. "No, Aaron! It was my fault! Before it happened, I met someone online when I was in ninth grade. His screen name was HACK-E-SAK6. It was when I was still in high school when it started, and I was nerdy and hating the world. Friendless and a shadow, never being noticed. What we had was like how Shane and I were, but without meeting each other face to face. He was my first teacher, I guess you could say. We clicked, and he showed me things. So many things that opened the world back up for me. He took me under his wing, and I finally didn't feel so alone."

"I admit, I liked him, but nothing more than friendship. He made time for me, helped me and thought I was pretty...More importantly, he thought I was special. Near the end, once I got into college and started gaining a life, he turned... obsessive. Jealous. We never met, and I never told him I liked him more than a friend, but he was always talking about how much he loved me, and that when we had enough money, I would be with him wherever he lived. I told him I didn't want to meet up with him, and that the relationship I had with him was all we were going to have, and that angered him. We never talked besides on the computer, and never on the phone or letters. I told him I was done with his weird behavior, and a few weeks later... my parents died." she choked.

Aaron stayed silent, and Penelope was grateful. It was hard enough to say this. "I was home visiting from college when it happened. That night, I went out with some old friends, and they took me to a football game. The weird thing is, all I kept thinking about was wishing I was home, curled up on the couch with a book in my hand, than being at a game I didn't really care about. I called them before the game at the pay phone, and told them I saw my cousin playing. They should come see him." she said bitterly.

Aaron got up, and stood at the foot of the bed, arms crossed. It was his I'm-analyzing-every-little-thing-you-do-and-say stance. Penelope grabbed a tissue with a shaky hand, and wiped her tears, but it did little compared to the flood that was happening. "The police said it was an accident, and at first I believed it, until I began questioning it on the day of the funeral. I heard someone knocking, and when I opened it, that same bouquet was on my doorstep. Identical. There wasn't a note, but I recognized the flower. It was one he gave me online after I solved one of his puzzles. Pixel-form, but distinct nonetheless once I saw one in person."

"After I got the bouquet, I pushed the uncomfortable feeling aside, and focused on my family. My guilt. It wasn't until a week later that I was on my computer, and it was hacked. He played the song "God Only Knows," one that reminded me of my parents. It was their favorite, and they always sang it around the house. I never told him that..."

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she looked at her hands. "Music blared into my room, a song that is now ruined by his touch. I couldn't stop the music and right when I was going to find some way to strip it off my computer, a message popped across the screen that said, 'It's just you and me now. Always.' My blood ran cold, because I knew that he had something to do with it. Just like that, it was gone. Untraceable. I had a horrible feeling, and I went to the police, but they didn't believe a teenager, they didn't even want to open the investigation. I-I uh... looked up, very legal-like, obviously, the reports, and it said that the brakes were old, and the air bags weren't deployed. Some type of malfunction, or something. It was wrong, Aaron. I knew it."

"I begged them to help, and the cops did nothing. They kept telling me their hands were tied, but when I hacked-I mean 'followed up' with them, it was clear they weren't even considering what I was saying. I was so angry. So scared and angry and my brothers had moved away by then, being so much older than me. Anger and fear morphed into paranoia, and the last time he tried to contact me again, I ran. I ran like a coward. I went underground, and I didn't come up for air until I met you."

"Are you positive it was from him?" Aaron asked. He read the note, but he wanted to know how serious this is, exactly. Why now? Why her? What did this mean?

She nodded, and pulled her blankets off as she said, "I read that note, and it's the same as the one he left for me on my computer, Aaron. He's back, and I don't understand!" she cried.

He turned his back to her, and put his hands on his hips. "Why didn't you tell us before?" he asked evenly. As she listened, she was positive she could hear an edge in his tone. He was pissed. Pissed at her, and he had every right to be. She should have told them, and she didn't even really know why she never told them. Burdensome? Guilt? Fear? Shame that she had ever been in such a situation? She didn't know. For all she knew, it could have been all of those reasons.

"I don't know. I-I don't know." she cried.

He swiftly turned around, and narrowed his eyes. "That's not good enough, Penelope!"

She flinched, and slowly looked into his hurt eyes. "I know. I didn't want to trouble you guys, and to be honest, I hoped that it was over. I wondered if he gave up or died or something. It's been so long, you know? After I went underground, he never contacted me again. I was hard to track, but I knew deep down he was more than capable of finding me if he really tried. That's why I thought of moving out of the country. Yet as I sank deeper into paranoia and fear, no one found me. Not even my brothers. If I had known he still was after me, honestly..." she shook her head.

"I still can't believe you didn't tell us. Tell me. I thought-" he stopped himself. He looked away, and held in his rage. He wanted to kill anyone who wanted to hurt her. Why would she have kept something so important to herself and not talked to her family? To him? Was this really happening? Could it be some sick joke or maybe a secret admirer sent them with coincidental wording? Probably not, but what did that mean if this was real?

"I'm so sorry, Aaron."

He looked away, and stayed quiet for a few minutes, thinking. Penelope tried to stop crying, but the harder she tried, the more it poured out. Covering her face, she kept trying to think of anything other than the hurt in his eyes, and it was useless. Suddenly, she felt his arms wrap around her, and she melted against him.

"Look at me."

Penelope slowly looked up into his eyes, and to her surprise the hurt was no longer there. They softened, and as he leaned down, his lips pressed gently against her own. His lips were demanding, and surprisingly soft. As his lips broke away from hers, he pulled her to his chest.

"It's going to be okay, Penelope. No one is going to take you away from me." She wanted to believe that. If it were anyone else she would have laughed in their face, but she was more concerned that he could get hurt, and she couldn't lose another person. She just couldn't. Not him. Not because of her.

"Aaron you need to stay away from me. It's dangerous."

He chuckled, and sat next to her on the bed. "It's no more dangerous than the job I already have, sweetheart. I will feel better knowing that you are with someone you can trust," he told her. There was no way she was getting out of his sight. Not after what happened with Haley. If something were to happen to Penelope...

"No, Aaron! You have a family to think about. It's safer for you and Jack if you keep your distance," she explained.

"No one is going to touch you, Penelope. We are going to make some calls in a few minutes. Don't you know by now you and the rest of the team are my family? When they hear about this, you know they will agree with me and I can't let you go off on your own. Not after what happened... last time. Not after Haley."

She froze, thinking of his wife. She had been in protection and she was still killed. The pain on Aaron's face as he reminded her almost broke her, and she hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

He held her tightly, and responded, "I know. It's okay. Please let me do all I can." Nodding, she slumped in defeat, and she just hoped that it wasn't a mistake. She would never forgive herself if something were to happen to anyone she cared about because of that monster.


A.N.- Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it!