"Oh, Kevin," Garcia grumbled once he'd gone home, tromping around the coffee table with a garbage bag. Her fellow geek was fun company, but she didn't like having to clean up behind him, and leaving a mess in his wake was getting to be a bad habit of his. Candy wrappers, Chinese food cartons, pizza boxes, soda cans, dirty plates and cups – she was almost afraid to guess what his own apartment looked like. "Probably makes a frat house look like something out of Better Homes & Gardens," she muttered. "Universe, as much as I appreciate the hookup with the cosmic kind of love, I really wish he hadn't been such a slob!"

She was about to dump the smaller bag into the kitchen trash when she saw yet another thing to pick up – an Almond Joy wrapper, lying behind the waist-high can. Groaning, she bent over to get it and was surprised to find something else there as well – what looked like a crumpled-up card of some kind. She ditched the other items and smoothed out the card, finding a familiar script. There is no BAU without you. We need you, Penelope. Come back to us. Hotch.

Penelope blinked rapidly. "But… Kevin said…" She shook her head back and forth, as if to shake out the offending thought that he'd lied. Not able to face that just yet, she focused on the note instead.

"This is really sweet. Too sweet. My boss-man is never that sentimental." She paused, thinking. "Well, I did almost die. Maybe that explains the lapse in Hotch's general… Hotchiness. I guess I could ask him about it…" Instantly, she snorted at the idea. "Yeah. Right. What would I say? 'Hey, Hotch! Been watching too many Lifetime movies lately?' Call me crazy, but I have a feeling that would not go over well." She hastily decided that it'd be better not to bring it up at all than to upset him or make things weird.

But that didn't solve the question of why Kevin had given her a false message and tried to discard the real one. He was obviously threatened by Morgan, and he'd read his note accurately enough. Did he somehow perceive Hotch as a bigger threat? How in the world could he have gotten that idea?

Garcia determinedly forced her eyes shut. Everything happens for a reason. I have to believe that. If I don't, then what happened to me makes no sense. And Kevin, he has to be the reason. I mean, what else could it be? She sighed. Kevin and I are just getting this off the ground. Maybe he's just trying to edge out any potential competition – although he's a few teddy bears short of a picnic if he thinks Hotch would ever want me. I mean, think about it. Tall, dark, brooding, kindhearted man falls in love with chubby, goofy, over-the-top nerdy girl? Highly implausible. Lovely idea for a romance novel, yes, but in the real world – things just don't work that way. And even if they did, he's still a mess over Haley. Poor Hotch...

"And now I've depressed myself! Good job," she scolded herself aloud.

Turning her thoughts back to the matter at hand, she eventually supposed that if all was fair in love and war, Kevin's behavior could be understood and maybe even forgiven – but just this once.

***LL***

Penelope soon recovered enough to return to work. Most of her fellow agents chuckled and ribbed her good-naturedly about her new attachment with Kevin Lynch – and Rossi perceived that every time someone did, Hotch either winced or quietly left the room. Once, Garcia had given the brooding man a reason to smile; some relief from the pressure of losing his family. Now, she was just one more reason to hurt, and at the worst possible time.

And she's noticed, Dave observed. Garcia may not be a profiler, but she knows something's wrong, and that it's not just that Haley left. She can tell the dynamic has changed between them.

His point was proven when Garcia was late for a morning meeting not long after. She rushed in spewing apologies about her alarm clock, which any profiler could see straight through. They all knew the real reason she was running behind.

"Everyone's allowed to be late. Once," the unit chief muttered coldly, tucking his chin away from her and closing his eyes. Across the table, Dave grimaced. Ouch. Aaron's taking this even worse than I thought. And after that snappy reprimand, Penelope's hurt and confusion were plain to see.

Over the next few weeks, she must have picked up that the difference in his behavior was personal. She stopped calling him 'Aaron,' a privilege he reserved for a handful of friends; it was usually 'sir' and very rarely now, 'Hotch.' Why the change? the older agent wondered, pretty sure he already knew the answer. It was amazing what people could pretend wasn't going on, even to themselves, when they knew perfectly well it was.

Days turned into weeks; weeks turned into months. They did the job. They went home. Hotch's divorce became final, and Kevin and Garcia became a definite 'item.' Rossi couldn't help but be impressed by Lynch's announcement that he wanted to talk to him 'man to man' – although he wasn't sure if that showed moxie or just plain stupidity. It certainly wasn't subtle. And it was the action of a boy – not a man. A boy who was probably too far along in the game to ever grow up. A boy who would knowingly embarrass his girlfriend by loudly proclaiming their business in front of the entire BAU. A boy who's not good enough for Penelope, Dave quietly believed.

Still, Hotch did nothing. Aaron seemed to have reconciled the fact that Garcia and Lynch were a long-term thing, at least outwardly. Maybe he gave up, Rossi guessed, although that seemed unlikely. Penelope was a rare breed. Finding another such pure and loving spirit wouldn't be easy; he knew, he'd looked. Besides, Hotch was the antithesis of a quitter.

A year later, just when Rossi was about to write off the idea as impossible, a case came up that forced Garcia squarely out of her comfort zone, and Hotch was the one compelling her to do it. She was angry, and it wasn't surprising. But what was surprising was what Dave saw after they got back. Looking uncertain, Hotch was edging hesitantly outside Garcia's computer cave. Then, a few minutes later, he was speeding from the room at a hard clip that was barely a walk, head down as if he were ducking for cover. Uh-oh. I better look into this.

While Aaron was heading towards the elevator, Rossi caught up with him. "Got time for a beer?"

"Um…" Hotch hesitated.

"Sure you do," Dave inserted before he could argue, patting his friend on the arm.

They went to their usual bar, had their usual beer, and talked about the usual things. Sipping slowly, Rossi decided to try his luck. "So, was there a fire in Garcia's office this afternoon?"

"Fire?" Hotch had downed a couple already, another sign that something was on his mind.

"The way you came flying out of there after we got back, I thought the sprinklers were going to go off any second," Dave joked.

The unit chief rolled his eyes. "I pushed her too hard. She wasn't happy about it."

"She's pretty resilient," Rossi pointed out. "Was she still upset when you left?"

Hotch shook his head. "I think I smoothed things over."

"So why the rush to leave?" Dave took another sip, watching him closely over the bottle.

The dark-haired man exhaled sharply. "Does it matter?"

"I think so," Rossi suggested. "If you're holding something back, Aaron, there's no need. Not with me. I would think you would know that by now."

"I do know that." Hotch pressed his lips together, weighing his options before he spoke. "Only a fool wants what he can't have," he finally confessed.

"And you think you're a fool," he surmised softly, "because you want Penelope?"

Aaron's brows shifted upward. "You've known all along, haven't you?" Taking that in, he sighed. He signaled the bartender for another beer. "I thought if I ignored it, I could make it stop, but I couldn't."

"What happened in there today?" Dave asked directly.

"I almost told her," Hotch revealed, "and I couldn't have picked a worse time to have done it. She was angry with me for forcing her to think like a profiler. She wants to see the best in people, and I ordered her to see the worst, to solve a case."

"You did what you had to do to save lives," Dave reminded him.

"But at a price. We all have ways of coping. Gideon's were his pictures and the list of people he'd saved. Yours is to hold onto the bracelet and take care of those kids in Indianapolis. Mine…"

"She helps you see the good in the world," Rossi realized aloud. "You can't see it, but she can. And if she loses her ability to see the good… you're afraid you'll lose your faith in humanity."

Hotch nodded. "She's happy now, with someone who won't betray that innocence. That's why I had to walk away."

"You think you're saving her heart by denying yours," Dave summed up. "It's a noble idea, but there's a problem. You're not giving Penelope the right to choose that for herself."

"She's with someone else, Dave."

Rossi shook his head. "She's not wearing a ring. They're not engaged. They're not married. He's had a year. If he hasn't asked her yet, that's his problem. And if he has and she's said no, then she's holding out for a better offer. Either way, you still have a chance, but you have to say something!"

"What am I supposed to say?" Hotch replied, sounding slightly defensive.

"When you see her, you'll know," Dave advised, being purposefully gentle and calm. "Look, I know you think you're protecting her. You think because your marriage to Haley failed, you'll end up hurting her too. But you don't know that. The only real failure is not to try. Trust me, you'll never forgive yourself if you don't."

Aaron silently considered that. "I can't tell her at the office."

He's going to do it! Rossi's face exploded with a brilliant smile. "You don't have to. Do it now. Don't wait." Not giving Hotch a chance to talk himself out of it, he took his cell phone from the counter and pulled up her number. "Dinner. Italian. Bella Vigna. It's the next best thing to having me cook for you." He could barely contain his joy when Aaron put the phone to his ear.

***LL***

Penelope pulled a box of penne from the cabinet and got out a kettle to boil the noodles. Kevin had gone to a movie party with some of his buddies, so she'd be doing dinner on her own tonight. He'd invited her, but she was quick to remind him that she didn't do slasher films, whether or not there was free pizza. Just another sign of the times, she thought wanly.

When they'd first started dating, having a techie nerd to talk to was a novelty she couldn't get enough of. It seemed they had everything in common. But lately, she had to admit, she was having her doubts. Things weren't exactly happening in the bedroom anymore, unless you counted actual sleep. And Kevin was finding more and more reasons to be gone with his friends – game nights, movie nights, trivia at the bar – any excuse seemed like a good one to get away. Their interests just seemed vastly different now that her rose-colored glasses of new love had faded – he liked vulgar humor, comic books, and RPG's; she loved the theatre, dancing, and occasionally eating at a restaurant that didn't serve hamburgers as a main staple. They were growing apart, and she knew it.

Only one thing had held her back from telling him it was over – the stubborn voice in the back of her mind that told her this was fate – and even that argument was starting to fall through. For one thing, it wasn't as though Kevin lived in Seattle, or Prague; he was only two floors down from her at work. That being the case, fate could have picked less violent circumstances to get them together – like meeting in the elevator, or the lobby, or the parking garage. And though it pained her to admit it, even to herself, her heart just wasn't in it anymore. "I'll tell him tonight," she thought aloud, "when he gets back. I'll say, 'Kevin, it's been great – mostly – but I think we should see other people.' Right. I can do that."

She'd just put the water on when her phone rang. Still vaguely muddled by her thoughts of an imminent break-up, she hadn't thought to check the caller ID, and almost didn't recognize the voice on the other end.

"Garcia?"

"Yes?"

The man calling paused for a second, as though something was wrong. "Garcia, it's Hotch."

"Oh," she murmured, slightly taken aback. "Hi."

Another pause. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked distractedly.

"You didn't answer the phone the way you usually do," Hotch pointed out.

"Right. I guess my ability to come up with snappy greetings has the night off," she feebly teased. "Assuming my other faculties are still online, what can I help you with, sir?"

"Nothing work-related," he replied. "At least, not tonight. Have you had dinner?"

Penelope raised an eyebrow. "Not yet, no. I had just gotten the stuff out to make some pasta."

"So, you and Kevin are having spaghetti tonight?" The question sounded almost doleful.

"Just me," Garcia reported. "Kevin's out with the guys watching the best – or worst, as the case may be – of crazy psycho killer movies. How he gets any entertainment out of that is beyond me." She couldn't keep the contempt out of her voice.

"The real thing is bad enough," Hotch said grimly.

"Thank you! I'm glad you get it." She blew out an angry exhale, then caught herself. "Sorry. I didn't mean to get sidetracked."

"It's okay," he murmured. "If you don't want to do dinner alone, I could meet you somewhere."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course."

Feeling lighter inside, she turned off the burner. Dinner with Hotch was infinitely better than dinner alone, waiting for Kevin to come so she could break the bad news. "That actually sounds wonderful. Count me in."

"Good. How does eight o'clock sound?"

"Perfect. Where are we going?"

"Since you were going to have pasta, why don't we do Italian? Rossi recommended a place to me, Bella Vigna. Have you been there?"

"No, but if Rossi recommends it, it must be fantastically awesome. Sir, you are a life-saver!"

"Thanks," he chuckled, "but there's one rule – since we're not at work, you're not allowed to call me 'sir.' Deal?"

"You strike a hard bargain," Penelope jabbed, "but, deal."

***LL***

A/N: In case you haven't already noticed, the canon ship has sailed (after episode 4x19) and I've gone AU. Next chapter will conclude the story. If you like what you're reading, review! It just takes a minute and writers need to feel appreciated. Yes, I am shamelessly begging for some love here. Also, if anybody wants it, I've made a desktop wallpaper for the first chapter of the story, just let me know. In addition to being a writing nerd, I'm also a Photoshop fiend.

And I just noticed, this is my second Matchmaker Rossi fic. I'm starting to see a pattern here... haha