Penelope and Derek looked in on their sleeping daughters who were in matching pumpkin footie pajamas. Their caramel colored cheeks snuggled against their favorite stuffed animals, and their curls were spread around their head making them look like little angels.
Derek wrapped his arms around Penelope and said, "I'm a lucky, lucky man, Garcia."
Penelope sighed and melted into him embrace and said, "As am I love bug."
They quietly closed the door and grabbed the baby monitor for Fran.
Penelope's high heeled Mary Jane's clacked against the wooden stairs, and Derek's heavy Timberland's were making a thud.
Fran smiled at the pair and said, "Penelope, you look absolutely outstanding."
Penelope blushed but spun.
Penelope smoothed down her red skirt with white trim. "You don't think it's too much?"
Fran shook her head no. "Penelope pull the hood up so I can take a picture of you two."
Derek grabbed Penelope's picnic basket and handed it to her.
Derek grabbed his plastic axe, and on Fran's count of three they posed adorably. Derek wrapped an arm around Penelope, and held up his ax, as Penelope lifted her picnic basket close to her head. They both smiled brightly.
Derek took Penelope's hand in his and playfully spun her around and said, "Yep sexiest Little Red Riding Hood I have ever seen."
Penelope ran her hands over the front of Derek's shirt and said, "And no doubt you are by far the sexiest lumberjack in the world."
Fran rolled her eyes and said, "Get going you two. Oh and did you-"
Derek said, "Yes Ma, we both have a change of clothes for the car ride home tomorrow."
Fran nodded and said, "Good."
Fran shooed them both out of the door.
Derek helped Penelope into her seat, and buckled her in, then Derek did the same for himself.
Derek looked at Penelope and said, "Seriously honey, you look amazing."
Penelope's cheeks warmed at his praise.
Penelope purred, "I'm glad you like the outfit. I figured you would. You know seeing as how much you like garters."
Derek muttered, "Sweet Jesus. Woman, behave please!"
Penelope giggled and asked, "When do I ever?"
Derek laughed and said, "Never. Let's go or we will be late."
Derek helped Penelope out of her seat before grabbing her picnic basket, and his toy ax.
Rossi opened the door with a goblet of red liquid in one hand. His normally tan skin was a stark white. His hair was slicked back, and he wore a black cape with a maroon liner.
Rossi said, "Ah velcome to my home."
Penelope giggled and said, "Sure count Rossi."
Rossi ushered the couple into the house.
Derek was impressed by all the detail Rossi had gone through to add a little halloween ambiance.
There were lit candelabras everywhere, casting a soft light in the all the rooms they passed. Derek also took notice of two freaky looking gargoyles perched in front of his library. Not to mention the ceramic pumpkins, and hanging decorations.
Rossi stopped in front of his large den and with a mediocre Romanian accent said, "Since you are the first ones to arrive make yourselves comfortable."
Derek asked, "Rossi you need help with anything?"
For a moment Rossi broke character and saidt. "Hmm well I could use help getting the bonfire started."
Derek put down the axe and said, "On it."
Penelope asked, "Rossi do you need me to do anything?"
Rossi said, "Little red if you wouldn't mind getting the door for me, that would be great. I have a couple loose ends I need to straighten out before everyone arrives."
Penelope nodded and said, "Sure I don't mind."
Rossi headed towards the kitchen, and Derek walked out into the backyard to get the fire going.
Penelope sat in Rossi's den. She grabbed a glass of red wine and took a sip. It had been a while since she had a drink. She shrugged and figured what the hell, and took another large gulp.
Rossi came from around the corner and asked, "Penelope are you ready for operation Hotch and JJ?"
Penelope rolled her eyes and asked, "As a super agent that is the best name you could come up with?"
Rossi said, "Hey, hey now. I am working with a limited amount of time."
Penelope said, "True. So what has your evil brain cooked up?"
David grinned and said, "We lock them in the basement."
Penelope almost choked on her sip of wine and asked, "What do you mean we lock them in the basement? And for how long, because I am pretty sure JJ would attack us, way, way, way before Hotch ever would,"
Rossi flinched a little. He had seen JJ in training and she may be petite but she was one hell of a force to be reckoned with.
David said, "I know it seems harsh, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Think about it Garcia, what happens if another Will or Beth enters the picture? I say we do ourselves a favor and get them two together."
Penelope asked, "How did you come up with this plan so fast?"
Rossi looked down uncharacteristically shy and said, "Blake and I may or may not have planned on doing the same thing to you and Derek back at the F.B.I building."
Penelope glared at Rossi before softening her features. "You know my liege I would have destroyed your credit score, but in the long run I would have thanked you."
Rossi said, "See this is why I would rather face their wrath now, and let them be happy, or we could just ignore it and watch two people we care about be miserable."
Penelope said, "Fine, but if we get caught I am sending them after you first."
Rossi stuck out his hand and Penelope shook it and they both said, "Deal."
Just then the doorbell rang. Penelope stood up to answer the door, and Rossi went to grab a tray of golden goblets filled with wine.
Penelope smiled brightly at Reid. "Hey boy genius love the costume. You make an excellent knight."
Spencer smiled and said, "I'm not just any knight. I stand beside the holy man and the Monarchs feel my wrath. None may move the way I can, ever the crooked path."
Penelope smiled brightly and said, "Why Reid you are the knight on a chessboard. How clever."
Reid smiled at Penelope's ability to solve his little riddle. He thought his costume was pretty fantastic.
Penelope looked at the silver breast plate Spencer wore and said, "Wow you really put a lot of detail into it."
Reid nodded his head excitedly and said, "This is an actual costume I wear when I play human chess,."
Derek came around the corner and asked, "Human what now?"
Reid repeated himself, "When I play human chess. Oh and Blake sometimes plays too."
Derek coughed, "Nerds."
Penelope shot daggers with her eyes towards Derek and said, "Well boy genius I think it's pretty cool."
Reid smirked at Derek and said, "Yeah you and Morgan should come out. But I would recommend you bring a lunch or something, cause these games can take forever."
Derek grumbled as Penelope said, "Sure we would love to. When is your next match."
Reid said, "Well if no case comes up, we have a tournament next Saturday."
Derek wasn't sure what Penelope, and Reid were talking about, but whatever it was didn't sound pleasant at all.
Rossi came into the den to see Spencer trying to sit on the couch in his armor.
Rossi chuckled and said, "I think you would do better on a bar stool."
Reid walked over to one of the available black leather barstools and found sitting to be much easier. Rossi then handed Derek a Corona with a lime, and Spencer his favorite brown ale.
The quartet sat around talking until there was another ring of the door bell. Rossi stopped Penelope from getting up and said, "I got this."
Penelope was shifting uncomfortably. Why the hell had she chosen such a short skirt?
She risked a glance over towards Derek, and if the smoldering in his chocolate brown eyes was any indication she knew exactly why.
Next Blake walked in carrying something that smelled positively delicious.
Blake smiled and said, "Hey guys."
Derek said, "Well alright it looks like we have our very own fortune teller."
Blake's dark hair and brown eyes popped with the different shades of purple that was wrapped her around her body. She had a long dark purple scarf tied around her head. The shirt was a loose flowing mix of tie dyed purples and her skirt was something that Penelope definitely wanted to steal.
Rossi stood next to blake and said, "Here let me takes these for you."
Blake handed over the triple fudge brownies. She almost rolled her eyes and she watched both Derek and Spencer look wistfully at Rossi's retreating form.
Blake said, "I promise I made plenty."
Both men sighed in relief.
Blake said, "Now I see that we have a knight, a lumberjack, and if it isn't little red herself."
Penelope smiled and asked, "Seriously where did you get that skirt?"
Blake chuckled and said, "From a thrift shop in 1978."
Blake looked at Penelope's cape and said, "I love that it is crushed velvet."
Penelope said, "Yeah it took me forever to sew it together. I couldn't find a pattern so I just Googled it."
Blake chuckled and said, "Well I think you look fantastic. So where's everybody else?"
Spencer shrugged and said, "JJ and Hotch should be here soon. "
As if on cue, the doorbell rang.
Rossi's dress shoes could be heard thumping softly on the hardwood floors.
Rossi ushered JJ and Hotch into the den and said, "Look who is fashionably late."
Rossi took in both Hotch's and JJ's costumes. Hotch was wearing a tan jumpsuit with a ghost on the right sleeve with a ghost crossed out, and the ridiculously large ecto blaster hanging from his back.
JJ adjusted the wings on her back.
Rossi chuckled and said, "Come on in Tinkerbell you guys are late."
Hotch said, "Well we wouldn't have been so late, if a certain uncle wouldn't spoil the B.A.U children so much. I swear I had to peel Jack off of the ceiling."
JJ said, "And poor Henry was so hyped up he started babbling in what I don't believe was English."
Rossi said, "Next year I'll go for the fun size."
Derek snorted and said, "Yeah right."
Rossi said, "Okay, okay enough. So I think we should get this party started."
Rossi had gone all out. He had classic Halloween movies projected on the walls, on mute of course. Then the team played hilarious party games. They started off with guess that 80's character; which resulted in everyone holding their stomachs from laughing so hard at Reid's Mr. T impression.
Derek wiped away a tear and said, "One more time Pretty Boy."
Spencer huffed but stood up and said, "I pity the fool. There are you happy?"
Penelope whose cheeks had become flush from laughing and because she was on her third or was it her fourth glass of wine said, "Okay, lets leave him alone."
After a few rounds of pictionary, and other assorted party games, Rossi declared it was time to sit out next to the bonfire where he had spiked apple cider waiting out back.
The team gathered around the fire as an actor from the local theatre gave an enthralling retelling of Jack the Ripper and his crimes.
At first the actor started losing his patience because the B,A,U team couldn't help but profile the situation, but after Penelope shushed them all, they sat quietly.
Once the actor was done everyone clapped for him. Well except for Penelope who currently had her head buried underneath Derek's arm.
The fire started to die down, and the team was pleasantly buzzed Rossi suggested a silly Halloween movie.
The team sat around laughing at Young Frankenstein.
Rossi and Blake both sat in large leather chairs with arms, and were passing snacks back and forth while enjoying watching Gene Wilder make a complete fool of himself.
Penelope and Derek were snuggled together on a love seat with a soft blanket wrapped around them as they chuckled heartily at the movie.
Reid who had take a lot of the armor off was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, given the all important job of adding a log here and there.
It was JJ and Hotch who sat side by side uncomfortably.
Hotch would glance at JJ and find himself mesmerized by the flames that created a glow on her skin.
JJ had to fight the urge not to squirm under Aarons gaze.
JJ fiddled with her hands in her lap. She wanted very much to grab a hold of Hotch's hand. Maybe that simple gesture would finally ease some of the want in her heart.
The team sat around having a wonderful time watching the movie, but after a flicker of the lights, the room was plunged into darkness.
Penelope had never been so grateful to see a fireplace,
Rossi stood up and said, "Damn power is out again."
Rossi said, "I better call the power company and see if this is an outage or just my old wiring.
Hotch said, "Dave give me flashlight, I know where the circuit breaker is."Hotch walked towards the basement door. A small part of Hotch thought, "Now would not be a good time to find out that Jason, or Freddy was real."
Hotch chuckled at himself and descended the stairs. The entirety of Rossi's home was completed, and he had yet to put in some new stairs that led to the basement.
Hotch with a flashlight in one hand fumbled around for the breaker box. His hand slid along the wall, and he jumped when he felt a stiff fabric touch his hand. Hotch immediately shone the light on the object and snorted at a painting of Mama Rossi. God how he hated old family paintings. It was if the eyes could follow you.
Aaron stood there for a few moments more, moving his head side to side, and as his eyes played tricks on him, he swore Mama Rossi was following his every move. He shrugged and thought, "Oh this is just stupid." He stepped away from the painting and continued his search.
Hotch froze in his tracks as he heard a faint sound of something scurrying around downstairs.
"Great." Hotch thought. "Millionaire Rossi has mice."
Hotch heard the noise again, but it couldn't have come from something as small as a mouse. Mice he could deal with, rats not so much. Hotch shuddered but kept searching. He knew as soon as he got the lights on the sooner he could get the hell out of that basement.
Thankfully a few minutes later he found what he was looking for. He rolled the sleeves of his Ghostbuster's costume up and started flipping switches. Each fuse was labeled, but the labeling was old and worn off. Hotch leaned closely to read the pieces of tape, to see which one he needed. After reading for a few a short while, the back of the hairs on Aaron's neck stood up. His profiling skills told him he was downstairs, and whatever was with him was most certainly not a mouse.
Hotch with a shaky hand went back to the task.
He then heard quiet steps. Aaron slowly turned around and didn't see anyone there. Hotch moved the flashlight all the around the room and still saw nothing.
Hotch was a quarter of the way turned around when something launched itself at him. Aaron took a quick step back falling into the wall beside the breaker box.
Aaron visibly relaxed as he chuckled. He bent down and picked the overweight calico cat up and said, "Hey buddy how long have you been stuck down here?"
The cat mewled a response.
"That long huh?"
Aaron placed the cat down. Aaron wasn't sure how the groundskeeper's cat got stuck in Rossi's went back to work trying to figure out why the lights were out.
Penelope looked at JJ and said, "Hey sweetpea, Hotch has been gone a long time."
Derek looked at Penelope and said, "He has? he left like, Ow." Penelope whacked Derek on the arm.
Taking the hint Derek said, "Oh uh yeah. JJ you might want to see if Hotch needs some help."
JJ shrugged but stood up anyway and took the offered flashlight from Derek.
JJ started walking down the stairs and was grateful for flats.
In Rossi den Blake rolled her eyes and looked at Derek and Penelope and said, "Oh yeah real subtle guys. So how long you plan on keeping them trapped down there?"
Derek looked at Penelope and said, "I don't have a thing to do with this. It's all Rossi and Garcia on this one."
Back down in the basement, JJ cleared her throat so she wouldn't scare Aaron.
Hotch turned and smiled and said, "We have been duped."
JJ asked, "What are you talking about?"
Hotch said, "JJ there is nothing wrong with this circuit breaker box."
JJ asked, "How do you know?"
Hotch found a nearby light switch and turned the lights on in the basement.
Hotch the said, "Rossi has more than two circuit breakers, he flipped the one for the power upstairs."
JJ shrugged and asked, "Why would he do that?"
"I think Rossi and what I suspect to be Mrs. Morgan up there, have decided that we needed to be trapped together.
"JJ looked down and said, "Oh."
Aaron stood in front of JJ and playfully asked, "Oh is all you have to say?"
JJ looked into Hotch's eyes and said, "I-I don't know what to say. I mean I feel like we have gotten closer but.."
"But what JJ? Talk to me."
JJ sighed and said, "That is our problem right there. We talk, a lot, about everything. Aaron I have been closer to you these past few months, than I have been with Will for years."
Aaron replied, "I haven't really let Beth in at all. At first it was nice to have someone who had no clue how truly haunted I am. But that backfired. She started pressuring me for more, but when she would see me directly after cases, I knew she couldn't handle being with me."
JJ said, "Hotch I just think that."
JJ eyes widened in shock as Aaron covered her mouth with his. He was tired of talking, hell he been talking to JJ since the first day he met her."
Jj blinked. She could feel Hotch pull away. So very quietly JJ said, "No."
Hotch was confused by the statement and was preparing himself to apologize. JJ stood on her toes and drug Aaron's face to hers.
Once the need for air became too great, Hotch took a calming breath and looked into JJ's bright blue eyes and said, "JJ I'm not leaving this basement until I tell you this…"
"Jennifer I love you."
Jj smiled coyly and said, "Good 'cause I love you too.
Aaron offered JJ one of his rare smiles and said, "You know it's sad that we are the one that had to be locked down here."
JJ chuckled and said, "Tell me about it."
JJ and Aaron looked around Rossi's completely furnished basement.
Aaron walked over to the bottle of wine and flatly said, "Nice Rossi."
JJ chucked her head to the corner pointing out a bed."
The pair laughed. They found a comfortable couch and sat on it talking. But this time they allowed each other physical contact. No longer did Aaron have to wish to hold JJ, now he simply could.
Aaron wrapped JJ up in his arms like he wanted to do the moment JJ told him she and Will were done. JJ slipped her hand into his squeezing it slightly, just they way she wanted too when they watched the movie.
Penelope was tapping a high heeled shoe against the floor.
Penelope looked ar Rossi and said, "Okay they have been down there long enough."
Derek said, "Rossi you better go let them out."
Rossi said, "Do I have to? Why can't Penelope do it."
Penelope looked at David and said, "Rossi just go let them out please."
Blake rolled her eyes and said, "I'll go."
Rossi and Penelope looked at Blake gratefully.
After a moment or two had passed, Blake came flying into Rossi's den smacking him on both of his arms.
Rossi said, "Hey, hey what's wrong?"
Rossi knew he had the ability to piss off a woman, but this time he was innocent. Right?
Blake glared at Rossi and said, "What's wrong? What's wrong. I'll tell you what is wrong. I now know that my boss, has what looks to be a small carved pumpkin tattooed on his ass. That is what's wrong."
Reid looked at Blake confused, Derek shook his head once-twice-three times in disbelief. Penelope's already rosy cheeks were now a crimson color, and Rossi looked at Blake and hoped the sorry ass look on his face would stop her from hitting him again.
Derek silently said, "Pumpkin." and burst out laughing.
Derek through gasps for air said, "Oh man Hotch has a pumpkin on his ass."
Next to follow Derek into hysterical laughing was Penelope.
Rossi, then Reid, and finally Blake were laughing as well.
Rossi had flipped the lights back on, and they started watching the movie again
They didn't see JJ and Hotch again until they were halfway through Shaun of the Dead.
By that time Morgan was not so innocently flirting with his wife. Reid and Blake were propping each other up, barely able to open their eyes. Rossi actually nodded off and woke himself up with his own snore.
Finally Hotch and Jj made their way upstairs. She no longer had her fairy wings on, and her normally sleek blonde hair was a little messy.
Derek looked over at JJ and said, "Welcome back you two."
Hotch looked at Derek, and said, "Not a word."
Derek sat back on the couch and cuddled with Penelope, on the opposite side of the room Aaron and JJ did the same.
Rossi smiled. For once his meddling had done some good.
The room was silent then all of a sudden in her sleep Blake yelled, "Not the great pumpkin", and everyone in the room started to laugh all over again.
Hotch sighed and said, "Happy Halloween."
As always read and review!
Yeah I am aware that this is late, but I still wanted to post it.
