Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds and I'm not making any profit off of this story.

Summary: When Hotch is faced with telling Penelope the truth about things left unsaid in the season 6 finale he gets more than he bargained for.

Begins at the end of the sixth finale and continues into the seventh season, with just a few changes.

Please R&R

Hope you Enjoy!

…

Penelope turned her keys over and over again in her hand absentmindedly as she walked to her car. She was deep in thought, reflecting on the past few days.

She knew there was something up with her Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner, but she just couldn't pin point what it was.

She was worried for her team, even if the others didn't seem minded by Hotch's weird behavior.

So much had happened in the last year, first JJ leaving and then Emily dying, Penelope didn't think she could take anymore change.

"Damn it!" she heard someone swear a few feet from where she was standing; her head snapped up in the direction it had come from, she knew that voice.

Quickening her step Penelope made her way to a large black SUV that was parked just a few spots down from her own car.

There she found Hotch, leaning against the SUV with his head in his hands.

"Hotch?" Penelope asked tentatively.

There was slight stiffening in his posture, but other than that there were no signs to tell he had been startled by her voice.

His hands fell to his sides and he looked up at her "Garcia," he acknowledged "I would have thought you had left with the rest of the team to get dinner?"

Penelope shook her head "I wasn't hungry," she lied.

She could tell he was profiling her and probably knew she was lying, so she quickly asked "What about you? I thought you had left almost two hours ago?"

"I got held up," he explained "Strauss stopped me and said she wanted to talk before I could leave the building."

Penelope wrinkled her nose at the idea. She wouldn't want to spend a Friday evening with the Dragon Lady, especially after finishing up a long case. However she didn't dare say that.

"Then when I finally got down here I found that my engine," Hotch patted the hood of the SUV to emphasize his point "wouldn't start. So now I'm stuck here until Triple A comes."

Penelope bit her lip, not knowing what else to say she pathetically responded with a "That sucks."

Hotch raised an eyebrow, his look seeming to say 'That's the understatement of the year.'

"Well I'll wait with you if you want?" Penelope offered.

Hotch hesitated for a moment before saying "It's okay Garcia, it's late, you should get home."

Penelope wondered about his hesitation, did he think she didn't want to stay with him even though she had offered, it had seemed to her like he was about to tell her that he'd like her to stay until he had changed his mind at the last minute for some unknown reason.

She really didn't mind, she liked hanging out with Hotch especially when work wasn't involved and you'd sometimes get the chance to see one of his rare smiles. Plus anything was better than going home to her empty apartment on a Friday evening.

"Really I don't mind," she said with a bright smile "and who knows when Triple A is going to get here, do you really want to wait alone?"

Hotch didn't answer her, he just sighed and leaned back against his car again, Penelope took that as a no since he hadn't told her to leave.

"Well," Penelope began, a thought coming to her "since you're stuck here anyways…and since it is technically later, maybe it would be a good time to talk about…."

"How did I know you were going to ask that?" Hotch said cutting her off, he sighed as he thought about earlier that day when he told Garcia he would talk to her about the changes that were happening at a later time.

"Well being a profiler probably helped" Penelope said.

Hotch couldn't help but chuckle.

"There's really not much to say" he continued.

Penelope shook her head "Don't give me that, I know something's up, you've been acting strange all month."

"Now who's the profiler?"

"Hotch." Penelope warned, not allowing him to change the subject, she wanted answers.

Hotch rubbed a hand over his face.

"You know I'm just going to continue asking until you tell me, so you should just save yourself some trouble and tell me now" Penelope reasoned.

She did have a point. Hotch knew that was the truth but he also knew Penelope wasn't going to like what he had to say one bit. Now he was just weighing which one would be worse.

He decided that he would have to tell her at some point, so he better just get it over with.

"The directors have told me that they are planning on downsizing the team because of budget cuts. They want me to lead an investigative task force," Hotch said, bracing himself for her reaction.

As he expected Penelope's eyes widened dramatically and then she shook her head fervently. "No!" she said firmly "They can't…they can't just take you away. We're a team, a family. Please tell me you're going to fight them; we just can't lose you too!"

Penelope looked like she was going to cry and Hotch felt bad, he hated seeing the always smiling tech unhappy.

"Actually…" Hotch began, knowing fully that this would hurt her more than anything but it couldn't be avoided "I think it's the best for the team, if I leave most of the pressure will be taken off the rest of you and I already know I'll be leaving the team in good hands. Morgan has already proved that he can lead this team."

Penelope gaped at him for a moment and then the tidal wave of her emotions assaulted him. "Are you out of your fricken mind?" she asked boldly "We're a family, whatever gets thrown at us we can handle it as long as we are together! We would fall apart without you. You can't leave…"

Hotch watched her as she ranted and almost groaned out loud. Her face was flushed, her cherry red lips moving a mile a minute, her body practically shaking with the injustice of the situation, leaving her breathless.

Even in her anger Penelope was beautiful and his restraint was waning.

Without thinking Hotch stepped forward, leaned down and captured Penelope's lips, shutting her up effectively.

Penelope gasped and stiffened.

Realizing what he had done, Hotch pulled away quickly and studied her face.

Penelope needed a minute to comprehend what had just happened.

She couldn't believe it.

Her Boss, Aaron Hotchner, a man she had had a secret crush on for the past seven years, had just kissed her.

Her! On the lips!

Her, the geeky, witty but far from beautiful technical analyst who couldn't possibly have a shot with him.

Hotch took her silence as rejection.

He shook his head "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

Penelope looked up and her eyes locked with Hotch's.

He looked desperate.

"Don't you see?" he said turning away from Penelope "this is why I have to leave."

"Because of me?" Penelope asked incredulously, finally finding her voice.

Hotch shifted uncomfortably "Listen Garcia, I shouldn't…"

"No," Penelope interrupted him "are you planning to leave the BAU because of me?"

Hotch was now extremely uncomfortable, why did he have to go and kiss her?! "Not because of you, because of my…attraction to you."

Even though he had kissed her not five minutes before, it was still weird for her to hear him admit it out loud and again she stared at him blankly.

Hotch ran a hand through his hair "But of course nothing could ever happen between us. For one thing you're with Lynch…and god, I just kissed you, I'm such an ass."

"Actually I'm not" Penelope said.

"What?" Hotch asked turning around and looking her in the eye, he had previously been staring at his hands in guilt.

"Kevin and I broke up three weeks ago" Penelope explained.

Hotch was shocked "Why?" Then he frowned, he was being rather insensitive, but before he could tell her she didn't have to answer that she went on.

"We wanted different things," Penelope said and since Hotch looked confused she added "he wanted me to move with him to a farm because he argued that my job was too stressful…even that I was too jumpy." Penelope made a face and muttered "Though I'm sure most people would be jumpy if someone tended to sneak up on them all the time…"

"A farm?" Hotch repeated still trying to grasp what she was saying.

"Uh yeah, a farm with fluffy sheep, chickens, a big old barn and probably no internet connection" Penelope glowered at the thought.

"There were just some things that Kevin couldn't understand. First of all, I Penelope Garcia, do not do the country thing, I never have and I never will. Secondly, and most importantly, I could never leave the BAU, no matter how stressful some days are. You guys are my family and I wouldn't give that up for anything."

"So Kevin told me he had enough, said he was tired of being chosen second over my job and I don't blame him, I always put the team before him and he just couldn't live with that."

Hotch wanted to offer some form of comfort to her but he didn't know what to say. Her situation sounded exactly like his had when Haley had asked him for a divorce, but he guessed many people with jobs like theirs ended up in the same situations.

"I'm sorry to hear that" he finally said.

Penelope chuckled "First you're kissing me and now you're telling me that you're sorry to hear I broke up with my boyfriend?"

Hotch actually blushed to Penelope's surprise.

"Well…" Hotch said trying to keep his cool "as I said before I shouldn't have done that."

"Why?" Penelope asked "Other than Kevin that is."

Hotch just stared at her for a moment, wondering if she had actually just asked him that "…Because it's against the rules, fraternization policy and all."

Penelope couldn't help but roll her eyes "You think with all the stuff our team has gotten away with in the past that Strauss would come down on you because of the fraternization policy?"

Hotch was surprised by Penelope's attitude towards the rules, if he remembered correctly she had been quite fearful of her relationship with Lynch becoming public due to those same rules when she had started dating him, but he guessed a lot of things had changed since then.

"Best not to push our luck," Hotch finally said "and besides it wouldn't matter since you're obviously not interested."

Penelope raised a brow at that "Who said I wasn't interested?"

Hotch froze where he was standing "…The way you reacted, you tensed up…I just assumed."

"Well you assumed wrong," Penelope said mater-of-factly "I was just surprised. Truthfully I've had a major crush on you since…the first time I saw you smile."

Penelope blushed, thinking she had revealed too much.

Hotch swallowed "It…it would still be wrong."

"Who says?" Penelope asked, now that she knew she had a chance with Hotch she was not going to just let him walk away.

She took a few steps towards him.

He took a deep, shuddering breath when she was standing less than an inch from him. She leaned up, angling her face towards him and planted her lips firmly against his.

Their mouths moved together and then the Alpha male in Hotch took over. He pushed Penelope up against the side of his SUV and practically attacked her mouth in his vigor. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip causing her to part her lips and his tongue to slip inside.

He cupped Penelope's face as he kissed her, then his hands moved down to explore her body. He pushed one of his legs between hers and Penelope nearly fainted.

Penelope moaned as she ran her hands through Hotch's hair "Oh Aaron…" fell from her lips when his mouth moved from hers down her neck, leaving a hot trail of kisses.

Penelope felt like she was on fire, she pushed herself more firmly against Hotch's body as his hands began to slip under her shirt. Caressing her stomach as his hands moved slowly upwards.

Then they heard the screech of tires coming down the ramp of the parking garage and jumped away from each other, both of them breathing heavily.

"I bet that's Triple A," Hotch said as he tried to straighten his suit, really the parking garage of the FBI was not the best make out place.

Penelope was trying to smooth her own wrinkled clothes and brush down her mused hair.

Before Hotch could say anything else, the tow truck pulled up and two men got out, greeting him as they went to take a look at his SUV.

Hotch shot Penelope a look, he wanted to talk to her but now was not the right place.

However he didn't need to worry, Penelope wasn't going anywhere.