Pictures
Title: Pictures
Author: berryblue_girl
Rating: G
Genre/Warnings: Is fluff a warning?
Summary: Penelope hummed a happy tune as she made her way to Aaron's office.
Spoilers: A small mention of episode “Penelope”
Disclaimer: I don't own the show or the team and ain't it sad?
Author's Note: Based on the comment_fic prompt “Criminal Minds, Hotch/Garcia, cork board full of family pictures”. I'm using these lovely little comment fics to coax my muses out of hiding. I hope ya'll enjoy this, I've become something of a fan of this pairing. Enjoy!
<(^v^)>
Penelope hummed a happy tune as she made her way to Aaron's office. After she was shot, she and Aaron began spending time together, helping each other with problems. Then they began spending time with each other for the fun of it. Penelope was surprised but delighted when Aaron asked her out on a date. That was two months ago. As she hummed, she tapped the tune out on the file she was bringing him. She waved to JJ and Rossi as she passed their offices before stopping at Aaron's. She knocked before she entered, finding the office empty. She stepped inside and sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. As she waited, she observed his work space. It was tidy, everything with a proper place. The only personal touch was a framed photo of Jack. There was a cork board behind his laptop, but it held nothing more than a couple of Post-It notes. She smiled, feeling a project growing.
“Garcia, what are you doing in here?”
She smiled as Aaron entered the office and circled around his desk. She held up the file and said, “I've got that file you asked for.”
“Oh, good,” he replied, sitting down. “Today is paperwork day, and everyone is swamped.”
He took the file and she asked, “So the team is grounded?”
He nodded and she smiled, saying, “Well, then would you like to come over for dinner? I'm making spaghetti.”
“Sounds great,” Aaron replied with a rare smile. “Anything I should bring?”
“Just yourself and a good bottle of wine,” Penelope smirked.
She stood and left the office. Instead of going back to her bunker, she shimmied to JJ's office, knocking on the door. JJ called out for her to come in, and Penelope opened the door, saying sweetly, “Hello, JJ darling! Having fun?”
Penelope sat down as JJ laughed and motioned to the mountain of files around her, saying, “Oh, tons! I'm trying to downsize all this clutter. I don't know how Hotch manages to keep his office so neat!”
“He's a workaholic,” Penelope commented with a grin, “but I'm trying to get him to have more fun as well.”
JJ smiled. She was the only person Penelope had told. Derek was an amazing friend, but he was also a man, and men never had the proper reactions to that type of news. Penelope leaned forward and said, “I have a idea for a project for Hotch. Care to help me?”
“Yeah, of course,” JJ answered, setting aside her file. “What did you have in mind?”
<(^v^)>
Hotch took another sip of his coffee as he walked into the BAU's bullpen. He nodded to Morgan, Reid, and Prentiss as they called out their greetings. He saw JJ on the phone and organizing files, and he guessed that meant she had a case for them. Rossi waved to him, which he returned, before stepping into his office. As he sat down at his desk, he began organizing the files piled on it and booting up his laptop. He arched an eyebrow when he saw that the cork board was covered with a sheet of black paper with a small note on it. He pulled the Post-It off and read, “A touch of light in the darkness. P”
Intrigued, he pulled the paper away and felt a smile tug at his lips when he took in what was on it: pictures of the team, laughing and having a good time. Morgan and Penelope laughing at Reid, who had a Santa hat pulled over his eyes. Prentiss and JJ taking bites from burgers and giving big thumbs up. Rossi sitting outside with Henry and Jack, the three of them flipping through a pop-up book. The pictures of the team were along the border while the center held four pictures of him and Jack.
Knock, knock, knock “Hotch?”
He turned to see JJ with a bundle of files in her arms. He tucked the note away in his pocket and asked, “Do we have a case?”
“Yeah,” she replied, “and it's pretty bad.”
“They always are,” he noted. Standing, he stated, “Gather the team in the conference room. I'll be right behind you.”
She nodded and left. He looked once more at the collage of smiling faces, that light giving him the strength to once more turn into the darkness.
<(^v^)>
Author's Note: I hope ya'll enjoyed this! Thank you for reading, and as always, reviews are loved and cherished!