A/N: Remember how I haven't updated in a bagillion years? Well, luckily I have a chapter of epic proportion to make up for that. Hope you enjoy!

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

Derek considered not telling the rest of team about Reid's coffee shop Casanova. It really wasn't any of his business and the ribbing that he extolled himself toward the young Dr. Reid was probably sufficient. He had considered himself all the way to not telling until he ran into the ball-of-fire Penelope Garcia and the words spilled out of his mouth.

"Reid has a girl?" Penelope breathed out. "Does he even know what to do with her?"

Derek laughed. "He doesn't have her yet but he has it bad. So does she."

"What's the issue then? It'll be good for him to have some normal female contact."

"What's the issue?" Derek proposed with raised eyebrows. Penelope snorted and answered, "Right, stupid question. So, he really won't do anything?"

"Uh huh."

"He has a cute little female after him and he won't do anything?" Derek nodded. "Alright, clear you schedule after five gorgeous. We've got some work to do."

Derek and Penelope parked in front of Cait's bookstore, Penelope bursting out of the car excitedly. Derek moved to her side and she grabbed his arm and hissed, "Okay, I take the lead in there okay?"

"I thought this was just some reconnaissance, Garcia."

"Oh it is," she affirmed with a firm nod. "But I've seen your effect on women, Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome. Add your gun holster and badge. Panties dropping across county lines. We need to keep her firmly in Reid-central."

"Believe me, she is 100 percent batting for Reid's team."

Garcia glanced up at Derek and asked, "Even with the dimples?"

Morgan smirked. "Yeah, baby doll, even with the dimples."

"Damn, he has a hold on this girl. Well, let's go meet her." She put on her game face and said. "Prepare yourself for some hardcore Garcia judging, Derek Morgan."

Garcia strode into the bookstore, Derek shaking his head momentarily before setting off behind her. Bells jingled happily as the front door open, drawing the attention of the woman behind the counter. She wasn't Cait, which Derek told Garcia with a slight shake of his head.

"Hi, welcome to Bibliomaniacs."

"Hello," Garcia chirped, while Derek dipped his head in greeting.

"Can I help you find anything?"

"No, just looking around," Penelope answered brightly. Derek echoed much the same as he wandered over toward one of the aisles. Penelope followed, leaning in close as she whispered, "Well, what do we do now?"

"She might be across the street," Derek said. "She mentioned she goes there a lot."

"Maybe looking for our illustrious Dr. Reid?" Penelope proposed with a gamey grin, knocking her elbow convivially against Derek's arm.

"Maybe…" he said, trailing off when he recognized a certain brunette female shelving books across the store. "Hey, she's over there."

Penelope whipped around to get a view of the girl, nearly knocking over a display of books next to her with her purse. She turned back to Derek with a wide grin as she excitedly hissed, "Oh, she's cute! Okay, you need to take me over there and make the introduction."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to do any of the talking."

Garcia rolled her eyes. "Well, I can't very well walk over there myself and work my magic. You do the introductions and then I will take over."

"What do you mean work your magic? I sense an ulterior motive."

"Oh please Mr. Hot-Shot-Profiler, you should have sensed it about three hours ago. Come on, let's go. Chop chop!"

The pair walked toward Cait, Penelope nearly shaking with excitement. Cait was attempting to reshelf a book on the top shelf, her height-challenged-self having a bit of difficulty with reaching the shelf. Derek stepped beside her and said, "Let me help with that."

She glanced over at him and her face relaxed into a friendly smile as she breathed out, "Derek, hi."

Derek took the book from her and easily slid it into the spot it had been positioned. Cait laughed a bit, brushing her bangs away from her eyes as she quipped, "It's a wonder what a few inches can do."

"You have a great store here," Derek said.

"Thanks. It's not much but we do well enough."

"You seem to have a pretty good business." Penelope cleared her throat loudly beside Derek. He smirked, taking a beat for Cait to glance awkwardly toward his blonde friend before saying, "This is Penelope Garcia. She is the BAU's tech queen."

"I prefer goddess," Penelope answered brightly. "But I'll take queen. Your store is pretty cool. I see lots of old binding. I approve."

"We like them old," Cait said. "Books that is. I'm Cait, by the way."

"You're the one who spilled the coffee on Reid," Penelope filled in. "You were the talk of our office."

"Oh, well, that's nice. I think."

"Very nice. We're always game for some humor. Especially when it involves Reid."

"Where is Spencer?" Cait asked delicately. "Working?"

"No, we have the rest of the day off. Slow week for cases," Penelope said. She paused for a moment and Derek glanced toward her, knowing full well what a pause and Penelope Garcia meant. She was concocting some plan. Before he could intercede she said, "We're actually having a little get together tonight at my apartment. I'm cooking-"

"You are?" Derek interrupted. He had never heard of Penelope cooking anything. Even popcorn.

"Ye of little faith," Penelope tossed of airily. "Yes, I am cooking and you all will leave with very happy tummies. You should come, Cait."

Cait looked uncomfortable as she said, "Oh, I don't know…"

"Come on, the more the merrier," Penelope gushed. "And I'm sure Reid would be happy to see you."

The last part was an obvious plug, but Cait blushed regardless. She tucked her hair behind her ears and mumbled, "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt. And I don't have plans for tonight."

"Then it's settled," Penelope said excitedly. She reached into her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. Before she had a chance to rifle through her purse for a pen Derek handed her one and said, "Save you the trouble."

"An absolute god amongst men," she quipped, flashing him a quick grin before scrawling down her address and phone number. She handed it over to Cait. "Dinner will be served around seven!"

"Okay, I will be there at seven then."

"Fantastic. Well, I need to get cooking. Enchiladas don't make themselves! See you at seven!"

Cait waved goodbye to them as they slipped out of the store. The minute the door shut Derek asked, "Does any of the team know about this little get together?"

"We'll call them on the way to my apartment," Penelope said promptly. They slid into the car and she asked, "So, any chance you know how to make enchiladas?"

The team minus Reid assembled itself in Penelope's living room, talking through the night's forthcoming events much like they would with a case. It was established that neither Penelope, Morgan, nor any other team member knew how to make enchiladas. Luckily, Rossi was more than happy to step in with a baked penne.

"Taking one for the team," Penelope lauded happily, patting Rossi's on the arm.

"Hey, our boy here has a chance to connect with a woman who isn't fictional or inflatable. Nothing gives him a better chance than my baked penne. I won over two of my ex wives with it."

Prentiss and Hotch exchanged a look.

"When is Reid getting here again?" Prentiss asked.

"Should be here any minute," Penelope said. Rossi had wandered back into the kitchen and she called out, "How is the baked penne looking? Ready to serve? I'm starving!"

The rest of the team mumbled similar sentiments and Rossi called back, "Still a bit to go. You can't rush a masterpiece!"

"So, did anyone actually tell Reid that this girl is coming tonight?" J.J. asked. Penelope answered with pointed silence. "Well, then this should be interesting."

Reid had been happily catching up on the documentaries loaded in his DVR when he got the phone call from Morgan. His initial thought was that he had no interest in going to one of Garcia's random dinner parties. As far as he knew, the woman had zero cooking abilities and knowing full well the various ways a meal could go poorly (and end poorly, too) he thought it perhaps safer to stay in his home with properly cooked dinners. Morgan pressed though and eventually Reid gave in, promising to stay for at least an hour.

"I think you'll end up having a pretty good time man," Derek had tossed in at the end of the conversation. Reid knew instinctually that this was a leading statement but couldn't find the energy to pursue it. Instead he simply said he would be there at seven and hung up the phone.

Several cars were lined up in front of Garcia's apartment and he frowned when a small silver Prius slid into the last nearby spot. He parked a bit down the street and shoved his hands deep in his pockets as he walked down to her apartment.

He recognized all the cars but the Prius and took a momentary glance as he saw the driver was still seated behind the wheel. He stopped short when he recognized Cait who was fixing her makeup in the mirror. He knew he shouldn't be staring but couldn't help himself from watching her primp. She pulled her hair into a bun only to shake it out over her shoulders. She pulled it back once more. Shook it out again. The routine repeated several times before she finally settled on hair loose around her shoulders and she climbed out of her car. She spotted him remarkably quickly and fumbled a bit on her way out of the car. Her purse dropped onto the grass and the contents spilled from the open mouth.

She was on her hands and knees gathering the wayward lip gloss and change and he crouched down beside her to help. "You really should keep this thing closed," he advised.

"I'll, uh, remember that for next time."

She shoved the rest of the items in her purse and stood up, hoisting the bag sloppily over her shoulder. He wiped his hands on the front of his pants and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Your friend invited me."

"My friend?"

"Penelope Garcia. Her and Derek came to the bookstore. She said that you had this get together tonight and invited me."

"That's strange," Reid said. "I just found out about this an hour ago."

"She said she was making enchiladas."

"Yeah, Morgan told me about that. I wouldn't eat them if I were you. Food borne illnesses are very common with novice chefs."

She nodded. "So, uh, want to head in?"

Reid thought this fair and nodded, gesturing for her to forge the way to the front door first as he took up the rear. They walked into the apartment building and made their way up the stairs to Penelope's apartment. He noticed that she hesitated for a moment before rapping her knuckles against the door. Penelope answered immediately, opening the door with a flourish.

"Cait, hello!" Penelope trilled. Her eyes widened gleefully when she saw Reid. "And look who's with you."

"Oh, we didn't come together," Cait babbled, walking past Penelope into the apartment. "We came separately."

"In separate cars," Reid added.

Rossi smirked. "So you came separately, in separate cars. Got it."

"Cait, let me introduce you to everyone," Penelope said, taking a hold of the girl's elbow and dragging her into the center of the BAU group. She introduced each of the members, saving Rossi for last. "This man is making possibly the most delicious baked penne for all of us."

"I thought you were making enchiladas," Reid said.

"Yes, about that. Turns out I have no idea how to make enchiladas despite my spicy Latina heritage."

Morgan snorted.

A timer sounded from the kitchen and Rossi disappeared from the room, tossing over his shoulder, "You guys should get to the table. It's show time!"

"He's really excited about this baked penne," Prentiss noted.

As they settled around the table Penelope lent a critical eye to the seating arrangement, shooing JJ to another seat quietly when she saw that Cait would be left sitting between Prentiss and Hotch. She watched everyone fall in place and then Reid awkwardly gesture to the seat beside him and say, "Cait, you can sit here."

"He doesn't bite," Prentiss assured her with a slight grin. Reid looked somewhat affronted as he sputtered, "Of course I don't."

"This seat is fine," Cait murmured quietly, plopping down on the seat, looking to both sides momentarily before directing her gaze to her empty plate. A moment later Rossi scooped a large serving on baked penne onto the white ceramic and happily topped it off with an exuberant, "Mangia!"

"That means eat in Italian," Reid filled in, noting the look of mild confusion on Cait's face.

"Oh, that makes sense."

"So Cait, what do you do?" Hotch asked casually, figuring the girl who was shrinking more and more into the back of her chair wouldn't mind a little fodder for conversation. His assumption proved true as she relaxed slightly and answered, "I own a book store in the city. You probably haven't heard of it. It's called Bibliomaniacs?"

"I've been there before," Prentiss cut in, nodding her head appreciatively. "You guys have a great architecture section."

Derek snorted. "Architecture?"

"Hey, I'm entitled to have some layers."

"Where is it at?" Hotch continued, guiding the conversation.

"Oak and Pearson," Reid filled in. "It's across from Harpers Café."

"Ah, your favorite haunt," Rossi said.

"It's not my favorite," Reid interjected. "Nor is it my haunt considering that I am a living person who is incapable of haunting."

"It's just a saying, Reid," Rossi said with a bit of a smile. "Anyway, how are you all enjoying the baked penne?"

"It's delicious," Cait said genuinely.

"Yeah," Prentiss threw in. "I don't know how anyone could divorce you after eating this."

Noticing the widening of Cait's eyes Rossi told her, "I'm not the best at matrimony."

She nodded, at a loss of a response besides, "But you make a mean baked penne."

He grinned. "That I do."

"So, what do you think?" Penelope asked JJ as they cleaned dishes, glancing back hurriedly at Reid and Cait sitting on the couch. The rest of the team was lounging in her living room, enjoying some coffee before they headed out for the night. One sharp jab to Derek Morgan's side had made him promise that he got Cait and Reid on the couch and she was pleased to see that bodily harm was still effective.

"I like her," JJ said. "She's nice."

"She's perfect," Penelope breathed out, grinning wide. "And I think tonight went well."

"Well you've certainly been pushing them together enough," JJ said indulgently.

"Sometimes people need a little nudge."

"It's a bit more like a shove in your case."

"What can I say? I want those two crazy kids to be happy-preferably together."

"Maybe we should let them settle that? Without meddling?"

Penelope looked at her as if JJ had proposed involving circus animals. "Excuse me? Without meddling?" She reached forward and pressed a hand to JJ's forehead. "Could a feverish delusion be prompting this inability to understand that meddling is what I do? I am Penelope Garcia and meddling is my specialty."

JJ laughed, swatting away her hand. "Fine, meddle away. Just try not to be too obvious with it all."

"Me obvious?" Garcia trilled, flicking a crumb off her lime green sweater set. "Never."

"Alright, thank you all for coming!" Penelope said, standing to the side of the doorway as she watched the team plus Cait leave. "And Cait, it was wonderful having you here. You should come to our next dinner, too!"

"Our next dinner? How many more of these are we going to have?" Reid said.

"Listen to him, talking like we never do this," Penelope teased.

"That's because we don't-"

"Okay, enough talking," Penelope interrupted. "You all just have a safe trip home."

Derek moved past her and patted her arm as he leaned in and whispered, "Real smooth, baby girl."

"Oh shut up," she hissed back.

The group made their way out of the apartment, Reid falling into step beside Cait. She stopped suddenly and he turned back toward her and asked, "Everything okay?"

"I left my scarf in Penelope's apartment," she said, thinking that was just the sort of thing she would do. She was always leaving things places. Sunglasses. Scarves. Even an entire tray of cookies once.

"Oh, I'll…uh…wait for you."

"You don't have to."

"It's not the safest area," Reid supplied. "Garcia was shot herself here a few years back."

Cait's eyes widened. "Goodness, should you really be staying out here then?"

"Oh, the shooting really wasn't anything to worry about," he said hurriedly, wondering why he had to bring up such an useless excuse for waiting for her. "The shooting was pretty targeted."

Cait's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Okay, well, I'll be right back."

He felt like an idiot waiting for her at the steps of Garcia's apartment, but throughout dinner he couldn't help but notice that he and Cait were pushed together at every opportunity. It was no doubt the product of classic Penelope Garcia meddling, but he oddly found himself not bothered in the least by the clear subterfuge. He liked Cait. She was intelligent and well read. She held her own among his friends and smelled like peonies. She completely terrified him yet at the same time felt like someone he had known for years. Everything about her seemed to muddle his senses, and for this alone he waited for her at the steps of Garcia's apartment.

She returned quickly, scarf wound securely around her neck. A shy smile pulled at her lips as she said, "Thank you for waiting."

"It was no trouble." They began walking toward her car and he said, "So…I was thinking…"

"Yes?"

"Would you like to meet up at Harpers some time?"

"We do that fairly often as it is," she answered immediately.

Reid chuckled. "Yes, that's true. This time, though, maybe we could share a table. I might even pay for your drink."

Her eyes widened and she stammered, "Pay for my drink?"

"Unless you find that demeaning. In that case you could pay for your drink but we could still share a table."

She smiled, tucking her chin down momentarily as she tried to hide the color in her cheeks. She glanced back up at him, warmth spreading in the base of her belly as she saw the eager look in his eyes. "I'd like that, Spencer. I'd like that a lot."

His mouth pulled into a wide grin. "Well, great."

"Great," she echoed.

Both laughed awkwardly for a moment before Reid came to his senses and reached forward to open her car door for her. She stepped back, dipping her head into a quick gesture of thanks before ducking into the car. As he shut the door he said, "Have a safe trip home."

"You too, Spencer."

She didn't watch him get into his car, although a part of her really wanted to. Instead, she shifted her car into drive and pulled away from Garcia's apartment, reminding herself not to show any sort of expression while she passed him. She needed to remain cool. Yes, Spencer Reid had seemingly asked her out but that was no reason to get all whiggy. When she joined the night's traffic, though, she let her mouth pull into a wide grin.

This was a good night.