"Out in the highways and byways of life, many are weary and sad. Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife, making the sorrowing glad." Ira B Wilson

Aaron adjusted his tie one last time, and then slipped into his morning jacket. He stepped out into the main room of the area, where Reid and Morgan were already dressed and waiting.

"So, today's the big day. Do you mind if we still call her Garcia? Having two Hotch's around would get pretty confusing," Morgan said.

"If she doesn't mind, I don't." He fiddled with his tie once more.

"Are you nervous?"

"What? No, it's just the collar on this shirt," he replied, looking at his watch. "I had better get up to the sanctuary. We're scheduled to begin in ten minutes." He exited the room and slipped up the back stairs to the sanctuary. Their organist was playing 'Canon in D' as he took a seat next to the minister. Once the song had finished, she paused and nodded to the minister. Aaron knew this was their cue, and he followed the minister to the middle of the stage. As soon as they were in place, a brass quintet stood up near the back, and the organist and brass players began to play a rendition of 'Jacuchzet, frohlocket!' by Bach.

First down the aisle were Emily and Reid. Following them were JJ and Morgan; then Jack came carefully carrying the pillow that held their rings. Finally, Dave and Penelope came into view. He sucked in a quick breath at the sight of her in her wedding gown. Though it was entirely traditional, there were still touches of her personal style – like the multihued roses that covered the skirt.

After the longest few minutes of his life, she was up front with him, Rossi between them. As the music came to a close, the minister asked, "Who gives this couple to each other?"

As one, their team responded, "We do."

Rossi placed Penelope's hand in Aaron's while JJ took the bouquet from her. "We gather here today to join Aaron Hotchner and Penelope Garcia in marriage. These two people have decided to cast their fates in with each other, to no longer face this world alone. It is a huge undertaking, especially in this day and age. As we begin this ceremony, the bride and groom have asked our soloist to sing 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'."

Once she had finished singing, Spencer approached the pulpit that stood off center of the dais and addressed the guests. "I've been asked to prepare a reading, and even though I know how cliché it is, I feel this suits Hotch and Penelope quite well. From First Corinthians 13 – 'If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit. Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." He smiled at them and rejoined Morgan and Rossi.

The wedding moved on smoothly and the minister motioned for Jack to join them on the dais. Aaron took his son's hand and led him over to a pedestal that contained an empty glass bowl. Then, the trio were handed colored sands, a different color for each. "Since their youngest child is too small to pour her own sand, Aaron and Penelope would like Emily to join them in the ceremony in her stead." Emily joined them in the dais and accepted the jar of lilac sand she was offered. "This recent tradition is a great way to symbolize the blending of two families into one." He nodded at them, and they began to fill the bowl as the organist played 'Love Will Be Our Home'. Emily helped Jack back to his seat next to Jessica and then she stood next to JJ once more.

"Now, I'll read the vows. Both Penelope and Aaron have personalized them to fit their situations. Aaron, do you accept Penelope to be your wife through sickness and health, good times and bad, hard drive crashes and new coding languages, love and laughter, tears and sorrow, to be by her side from now until the end?"

"I do," he steadily replied, gazing into Penelope's eyes.

"And Penelope, do you accept Aaron to be your husband through sickness and health, bad cases and easy, bomb scares, shootings, long periods spent only speaking over the phone or computer, through love and laughter, tears and sorrow, to be by his side from now until the end?"

"I do," she whispered, wiping her eyes clear of tears.

"May I have the rings, please?" Jack stood and walked over to the dais, holding up the pillow. The minister took the rings and placed them on his Bible. Turning to Aaron, he held out the Bible and Aaron took Penelope's ring. "Repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed," he said, slipping the ring on her finger.

He turned to Penelope and she took the ring off the Bible. "With this ring, I thee wed."

A bit shakily, she replied, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"By the power vested in me by the state of Virginia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your wife, Aaron." Aaron bent down and gently kissed Penelope's upturned face.

The organist began playing 'The Prince of Denmark's March' as Penelope and Aaron turned to face their guests. They exited the sanctuary arm in arm and stood near the entrance to greet their guests. Once the last guest went through the line, Penelope and he went back up front with the bridal party to take pictures. Finally, that was done, and they all went outside to get in their limo.

"So, you made it through the ceremony," Emily said, smiling at them.

"And no snafus, either. Well, there's still the reception to get through, I suppose, but so far we've,"

"Penny, you're babbling," Aaron interrupted, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "The reception will go perfectly." She nodded at him and leaned back against his shoulder.

"Where's your honeymoon again?" JJ asked.

"Allende del Sol."

"Haven't we been there before?" Reid asked.

"Yeah, you guys were looking into that serial killer there. Aside from that, though, the place looked like a great place to visit. Of course, Jack put in a vote for Disney World, but that'll be in a year or two, when Amelia can enjoy it as well," Penelope said. "Though, by that time, we could have another little one, but we'll have to see."

By the time they arrived at their venue, all the guests were there and waiting. Penelope and Aaron let the rest of the team enter before they came in. The DJ saw them and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr and Mrs Hotchner have arrived." Aaron led his wife over to the head table and helped her get situated and then took his seat next to her. He caught the wicked gleam in Morgan's eye and shook his head a little too late to stop him from knocking his spoon against his glass. Soon, everyone had joined in the ruckus and he turned to Penny and kissed her sweetly.

Throughout their dinner, they kissed at least thirty time, thanks to their team. Then came the cake cutting. "Please, Boss Man, no mashing it in my face. I do not want to ruin my makeup," Penny whispered as they positioned their hands on the knife for the photographer.

"I wouldn't do that to you, Penny-love," he replied, smiling at her. Then, he placed the slice of cake on the plate that JJ held out to them and picked up the fork and fed her a piece. She followed suit and motioned to Emily.

"This is our cue to get changed, Handsome. See you on the dance floor," she said as she linked arms with the other two women and walked off.

As he watched them go, he swore he heard Emily say, "How did you talk us into this again?" He wondered what Penny could have planned, as they had never discussed this when planning the wedding reception.

He soon got his answer as the DJ announced the lights would be going out momentarily. Aaron could barely make out the three taking position in the middle of the dance floor. The lights came up at the same time the music began to play. Penelope had changed into a bright blue dress, while JJ was in red and Emily in white. Everyone watched as the women executed a near perfect recreation of the moves from 'Telephone'. At the end, Penelope came up to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him onto the dance floor as the DJ began to play their set list.

"So, how did you get them to agree to that?" he asked as he spun her around the dance floor.

"Did you forget I am the Oracle of All Knowing? That includes embarrassing high school photos. Plus, it was a great way to work off my baby weight. I added the incentive of staying in shape, and they jumped aboard. Did you remember to give Dave the key to the house so he could drop off the wedding gifts tomorrow?"

"Yes, I did that yesterday. So, how long before we can get out of here?"

"Just because Jessica will be bringing our children home later tonight does not mean we get to stay up late. Man, I do not relish waiting in line at the airport tomorrow morning. Mia still cannot get used to this new sleep schedule, and I know she's going to be cranky."

"How much do you love me?"

"Enough to spend the rest of my life with you. Why?"

"We're taking one of the jets. I arranged it with Strauss. We'll have to stop in Mexico City to drop off an agent who's going down to work with them on the drug running problem, but after that we can continue on to Allende del Sol."

She pulled him tight to her and kissed her soundly. "Oh, do you know how much I love you right at this moment?"

"And we blow this popsicle joint when?"

"Two more songs. Move me towards the exit, and we might be able to slip out unnoticed."

"How could anyone not notice you in that dress," he whispered in her ear, slipping his hands down to rest on her ass.

She smiled and lightly hit him on the shoulder. "That's for later, darling. Be good, we're almost home free."

As the next two songs played through, he maneuvered them closer to the exit. He caught Rossi's eye and nodded before they moved out into the hallway. Soon, he had joined them.

"Here are the keys to your car. I kept Morgan from really doing a number on it, but couldn't stop him from doing something. Have a good time in Mexico. We'll see you in a week or so."

Penelope hugged him quickly. "Now get back in there and dance with Strauss again. I think she likes the attention you've been giving her lately."

He just shook his head at them and went back inside the ball room. Aaron wrapped an arm around Penny's waist and they walked out to the parking lot. Even in the dim light of the parking lot, he could make out his car.

"This is why we did not drive Esther today. If Morgan had done that to my baby, well, it wouldn't have been pretty." She said as they stopped in front of the ribbon and balloon festooned vehicle.

"And we get to drive home in this," he groaned as he helped Penelope in.

"It could be much worse, Mr Hotchner," she replied as she quickly grabbed a kiss. "We could have a long way to go."

"That's true," he said as he got in and buckled his seat belt. Soon, they were on their way home, and every time a car honked at them, he cringed a little. Penelope seemed to enjoy the attention, waving at everyone in return.

Finally, they were home, and they got out of the car. "You clean up, I'll get ready for tonight," she whispered in his ear, running a hand down his front. "Don't keep me waiting too long."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Mrs Hotchner," he replied, watching her sashay into their home. Frantically, he pulled off all the detritus and quickly sponged off the writing on the back window. Satisfied they wouldn't attract any attention in the morning, he bounded inside, losing clothes along the way. He opened the bedroom door and found her laying on their bed. She turned on her side to look languidly at him.

He sucked in his breath at the sight of her, all corset and lace and cobweb thin silk. "Do you like what you see, Boss Man?"

Aaron nodded, unsure if his voice would work. He took a step towards her, and she slipped off the bed, meeting him halfway. He buried his hands in her hair, drawing her close for a passionate kiss. He felt her trying to tug his undershirt off and let go of her so she could. He looked at her once more, the swell of her breasts tantalizingly close. He bent and buried his head in them, kissing them fervently. "Oh, god, Penny. Do you know how hot you look in that corset?"

"I think I have a pretty good idea," she breathily said, pulling his head back down to her breasts. He was more than happy to oblige her wants. Slowly, he guided her back to the bed, worshipping her body as they went.

"Aaron, now!" she screamed as he continued to tease and stimulate her. She wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him tight to her. Knowing he couldn't hold back any longer, he entered her, bringing her quickly to a shattering orgasm. Soon after, he collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily.

After they'd caught their breath, she sat up. "Okay, can we get me out of this now? I haven't been able to breathe properly since one this afternoon." He sat up and drew her back a little, letting his legs rest alongside hers over the bed. Slowly, at first, he unlaced the corset, releasing her body from its prison. Once it was loose enough, he pulled it over her head. Immediately, she began to itch the red lines left behind on her stomach. He followed suit on her back and swore he heard her purr in pleasure as she leaned forward to allow him better access.

Bending slightly, he began to kiss up her spine, smiling at the shivers he felt beneath his lips. She bent her neck to the side to allow him to kiss her there. She squirmed in his arms, finally turning around to straddle him, capturing his lips. They fell back on the bed, wrapped up in each other.

The next morning, he woke up first. Penelope was curled up close to him, a hand on his chest. He watched her for a few minutes until she fluttered her eyes open. "Good morning, Mrs Hotchner," he said, kissing her forehead. "Shower, then breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me," she replied, stretching languorously. They got up from the bed, and Penny grabbed their clothes from the bureau. As he opened the door, the smell of breakfast hit them.

"Smells like Jessica's up already. We'll have to hurry our showers."

"Don't you mean shower?" she asked mischievously, biting her finger as she looked at him.

"Of course. That would save some much needed time for us," he replied, grinning back at her.

He was just finishing toweling off when a knock came on the door. "If you two are finished in there, we've been waiting to eat for twenty minutes. I've given Mia a bottle, so she's good to go. Also, an Erin Strauss called. She said wheels up in ninety minutes."

"Shit. Aaron, go eat with Jack. I still have to do my hair and makeup." Penelope quietly said, blowing her bangs up in frustration.

"Penny-love, you look fine. And there'll be time enough to do that on the jet, if you want," he said as he tucked his shirt into dark blue chinos. He opened the door and placed his hand on the small of her back, guiding her out of the bathroom.

While they ate, Aaron bounced Mia on his knee, cooing to her. He handed her to Penelope and helped clear the table, putting everything in the dishwasher. "Thanks for agreeing to check on the house while we're gone. David Rossi will be by to drop off the gifts later today. He has a key, so don't worry about sticking around to let him in. We'll be back in a week and a half."

"Okay, Boss Man. We're ready to go have fun in paradise," Penelope said, as she joined them in the kitchen, carrying her makeup case and holding on to Jack's hand. "Mia's in her car seat and waiting for us. Thanks again, Jessica."

Aaron took the bag from her and linked his arm through hers. In the foyer, he picked up Mia's car seat by the handle, then rested it on the crook of his arm. As he did, he glanced at his watch and sucked in a breath.

"Yeah, we're cutting it kinda close, Aaron. Good think we loaded everything in the car a couple days ago," she said as she buckled Jack in his booster seat. Then she opened the other door so he could strap Mia in. Finally, they were under way, and made it to the airfield with minutes to spare.

The agent who they were sharing the flight with helped Aaron load the luggage while Penelope got the kids settled on the plane. Once everything was aboard, Aaron let the pilot know they were ready to take off. The three and a half hour flight went smoothly, with Mia sleeping most of the time, and Jack working in the activity books his teacher had suggested they get for him.

After letting the other agent off in Mexico City they continued on to their destination. As Director Strauss had promised, there was a car waiting for them at the airfield. Aaron made plans to rendezvous with the pilot at the end of their honeymoon and then they were off.

"I hope you don't mind, but I told Captain Navarro that I'd swing by before we checked in at our hotel," he said as he pulled out onto the street.

"That's fine, I'll feed Amelia while you're talking to him."

"But you have to come in with me. I want you to meet him," he replied, taking her hand in his. She smiled and nodded her assent. The drive there was short, as the midday traffic was light, and soon he was parking in front of the police precinct.

Aaron helped Penelope out Mia in the shoulder satchel she'd bought for this trip and then took Jack's hand. Together, they entered the building, waiting among the hustle and bustle of the busy officers.

"Agent Hotchner, good to see you!" Victor Navarro said, clapping him on the back. "And this is your family?"

"Yes, this is my wife, Penelope, our daughter, Amelia, and our son, Jack. Thanks for getting me a great deal on the resort."

"It was a small enough repayment for the wonderful gift that you sent to me."

"I'm sorry?" he asked as he watched Penny step forward, holding out her hand.

"Elle?" she asked quietly, touching a young woman on the shoulder.

"Penelope? Oh, god, Penelope!" she exclaimed, hugging her gently. "And this is your?"

"Daughter. Amelia Jane Hotchner," Aaron said, moving to stand next to Penny, wrapping an arm around her waist. "It's good to see you, Elle. How have you been?"

She looked over at Captain Navarro. "I've been well, Hotch. Vic, I'm going to take my lunch now, and I probably won't be back until tomorrow. We have a lot to talk about." Navarro nodded, and they walked outside together. "I know this great little café just around the corner," she said, linking her arm though Penelope's, steering them towards the right.

Aaron and Jack followed the women, who chattered on animatedly during the short walk to the café. Elle ordered for them, while Penny fed Mia, who had finally woken up.

"So, when did you guys get together?" Elle asked. "I always thought you'd end up with Morgan, Pen."

"About eighteen months ago. There was a particularly rough case, and one thing led to another and that was it. I was in love," she replied, taking a sip of her lemonade.

"And Haley?"

"There was an unsub," Aaron said, leaning his head towards Jack.

"Oh, god, Hotch. I'm so sorry," she stammered, blushing slightly. "So, how long will you be here?" she asked, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"A week and a half. It was more time than I thought Strauss would give us for our honeymoon, to be honest, and I don't even have anything on her," Penelope answered.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, with Elle showing them around the city, pointing out the best places to go for fun and relaxation. As they stopped back at the police station to drop Elle off, she suddenly spoke up. "Hey, if you want, I can watch the kids some night while you're down here. You deserve a bit of romance on your honeymoon."

"Oh my gosh, Elle, that'd be great! Don't be a stranger, write me, us. I'm sure everyone would love to hear from you," Penny said, hugging her close. She then looked at Aaron, who smiled at her, then back to Elle. "So, would tomorrow be too soon to take you up on that offer?"

"That would be fine," Elle replied with a low laugh. "I'll swing by your resort after my shift to pick them up. Have a good night."

They watched her disappear into the night. "She seems happy here. Like she's finally getting rid of her demons," Penelope quietly said, hugging Mia close to her chest.

"She's doing good work down here. Navarro said that there are a lot more women coming in to report rapes and abuse cases now that she's become an active member of the force.

"When did you talk to him?"

"While you two were shopping for yet more clothes for Mia and Jack."

"They were too cute to pass up! And that sombrero…"
"I'm not wearing that monstrosity, Penny-love."

"Oh, yes, you are. Tomorrow night, it'll be that and a smile."

"Well, when you put it like that, I suppose I could wear it for a bit," he responded, kissing her quickly before taking Mia from her and strapping her in her car seat. "We're going to need a good night's sleep, aren't we?"

"Of course we are, Boss Man. Would you expect anything else?"

"No, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

She smiled sweetly at him. "You're too good for me, Aaron."

"I think you're too good for me, at times. I don't think I'll ever know what I did to deserve this second chance at happiness, but I never want it to slip from my hands."

"I won't let that happen to us. I love you too much to ever give up on you, on us, on our family. I know what I signed up for when I got involved with you."

"Daddy, will you put my cd in? I want to listen to some music, not boring mushy talk." Penelope took the disc he held up from the back and put it in the stereo. The first song to play was 'Telephone' and Aaron groaned slightly, fighting to keep the smile off his face.

"I know this song's grown on you."

"I suppose it has. Penny-love?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for leaving your heart on the dance floor."

"And thank you for picking it up." A contented silence fell over the car, and Aaron marveled over everything he'd gained in eighteen short months. If he was honest with himself, he had left his heart on the dance floor that very first night. And he wouldn't have had it any other way.