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“Okay, first rule if you’re going to be my partner in crime is you must catch snowflakes on your tongue,” Penelope says.
Hotch arches a brow. “Garcia, do you think that's wise?”
She lets out a heavy sigh. “Let me guess, you’re about to sound like Reid and warn me of the environmental issues of toxins in the atmosphere and the danger of ingesting such poisons, especially in an area with significant air pollution.”
“Well, yes.” He nods. “That does sum up what I was going to say.”
“Let me try this approach, Hotch.” She turns to face him. “You chase serial criminals for a living. On a regular basis, they point guns loaded with bullets at you. Now, which is more likely to kill you? The bullet from the gun pointed at you by a serial killer or the snowflakes you catch on your tongue?”
"Point taken." He smiles. “So, how do I do it?”
Penelope stares at him. “Seriously, Hotch. You never caught snowflakes on your tongue as a kid?”
"I might have but let's say that catching snowflakes on my tongue is not what I remember most vividly from my childhood and leave it at that."
"I'm sorry," she says as she reaches out her hand to touch his. "I sometimes take it for granted that everyone had good memories like I do."
He stares at the gloved hand touching his and turns his hand over to clasp hers. "I, I envy you those childhood memories, and I think that's why I work so hard to give Jack good memories."
"You are an amazing dad to him, Hotch." She gives his hand a squeeze. "Don't you ever doubt that."
A hint of a smile from him gives her a secret thrill. Who knew snowflakes and snowball fights could be such good therapy?
"So, any special instructions?" He tilts his head to the side.
"Nope." She shakes her head. "You just tilt your head back, stick your tongue out and catch the fluffy flakes."
He watches as she demonstrates. Her joy of life, the pleasure she takes in simple things like catching a snowflake on her tongue, is contagious. She looks cute with the flakes sticking to her hat and scarf and he chuckles when she wrinkles her nose after a large snowflake lands on it.
"Your turn," she says. Penelope smiles at him. "Go on."
Hotch tilts his head back, sticks his tongue out and waits. Several flakes fall on his tongue and he quickly closes his mouth then straightens.
"See? Nothing to it, bossman."
He nods but says nothing else. Something about the snow brings out the little girl in Penelope, and he envies her that ability. He watches her actively making snowballs with the occasional pause to catch the snowflakes on her tongue.
She catches him staring at her, and she pauses while working on a snowball. "Everything okay, Hotch?"
"Yes, everything's fine. I'm just, I, it's just fun to watch you because you're so in touch with your inner child." The corner of his mouth twitches. "I'm not sure I have an inner child locked inside, so I'm a little envious."
Penelope smiles. "I'm certain there's a little boy inside you just screaming to be let out. Indulge him, let him come out and play." She playfully tosses a handful of snow at him. "In other words, less chit-chat and more snowball making so we have an arsenal ready when the others arrive."
Aaron salutes her. "Yes, ma'am, boss lady."
They laugh while they form snowballs, stacking up the less than perfect spheres. They pause any time they hear someone approaching, ducking down then peeking out to see who draws near. When Hotch spots Rossi, he giggles. The sound makes Penelope smile. Hotch seems to have found his inner child, and that little boy is about to ambush his best friend. She sits back on her heels and watches as Hotch aims then tosses the snowball. Laughing at the sight of Rossi sputtering through the snow on his face makes her lose her balance, and she topples back into the snow. She lets out a shriek as cold snow hits the back of her legs.
"I'll get you for this, kitten," Rossi yells, the laughter in his tone evident.
Hotch puts his finger to his lips and peers over the barrier. Rossi stands out in the open, making snowballs. Aaron grabs a second snowball, takes aim then tosses it. He laughs when it hits his friend on the arm. The other man spins around and stares at him.
"Hotch?"
Aaron smirks at Rossi then grabs another snowball and throws it at him.
"I'm calling unfair advantage, Hotch. I know you've got help, unless..." David narrows his gaze. "Unless she's your victim instead of accomplice. You okay, kitten?"
Penelope covers her mouth with her hand to smother her giggle then pulls it away. "I'm fine, Rossi. Just have a cold bum at the moment, thanks to the snow." She grabs a snowball and slowly peeks over the barrier. In a swift, single motion, she throws the snowball and ducks behind the barrier.
"Et tu, kitten?" Rossi calls out.
Hotch and Garcia huddle together, laughing at the mock indignation in Rossi's voice. They hear him grumbling about friendships and loyalties and betrayals in the heat of battle.
The sound of someone whistling alerts Penelope to Derek's arrival. She puts her finger to her lips and grabs two snowballs. Quick as a flash, she rises to stand and lobs the snowballs at Morgan, one-two. She grins as she watches the two missiles hit home and Derek stares at her in shock. Then she drops back behind the barrier.
"Oh no, baby girl, I know you did not just throw snowballs at me," Derek calls out.
Garcia giggles and Hotch winks at her. He selects a snowball and peeks over the barrier then rises to stand before tossing it at Morgan.
Penelope watches Derek stop and stare at his boss and takes advantage of his surprise to throw three more snowballs at her chocolate Adonis.
"Hotch! Garcia! Vengeance will be mine." Morgan moves behind a barrier opposite them and begins laughing when he sees Rossi. "You too?"
"Hotch nailed me then Garcia. Who can you trust if you can't trust your friends? Ambushing me early in the morning, with snowballs no less." Rossi shakes his head, his smile belying any anger to his words.
"We can take them, Rossi." Derek grins then begins making snowballs.
Like children on the playground at recess, the four adults revel in flinging snowballs at one another. Laughter rings out, along with a few muttered curses. When Reid arrives, Morgan pelts him with snowballs while Garcia sneaks up behind him and dumps snow down his shirt collar. He lets out a shriek then whirls about to confront Penelope only to be hit in the back with a snowball tossed by Rossi.
Reid stares at Garcia's back as she returns to her fortress with Hotch. The sight of his usually stoic supervisor acting more like Jack, flinging snowballs and grinning like a six-year-old kid, leaves him speechless. Speechless until another snowball smacks him in the back. Without a word, he follows Garcia and hunkers down beside her. "Why, exactly, are we throwing snowballs at one another?"
"Because it's fun," she replies. She grins at him and hands him a snowball. "Come on, Reid. You cannot let Morgan get away with pelting you."
"Like I should let you get away with dumping snow down my back?" He crumbles off part of the snowball and drops it down the front of Garcia's dress.
"Reid," she shrieks, jumping up and letting out another shriek as the snow drifts further down in her dress.
Morgan and Rossi laugh at the sight of her jumping up and down to dislodge the snow. They take advantage of her distress to pelt her with snowballs.
"Morgan! Rossi! You should be ashamed of yourselves!" JJ's voice rings out and the men pause momentarily to glance at her before resuming their unfair assault on Garcia. "Boys!" JJ yells. She finds herself in the middle, trying to referee and failing miserably as snowballs fly back and forth in front of her. The sight of Hotch popping up next to Garcia and flinging snow like it's the most important task of the day causes her jaw to drop.
"Aaron Hotchner, if you hit me with that snowball, I'll..." She trails off as he takes aim. As she watches the snowball fly toward her, she ducks. JJ glances over her shoulder in time to see the snowball hit Emily right in the kisser.
"I'll get you for this, Hotch!" Prentiss yells. She stares as a second snowball makes its way toward her; this one tossed by Reid. "Reid?"
She deflects the second snowball then bends at the waist to scoop up her own snowball to fling back at him.
"Prentiss!" Morgan calls out. "Join us. Since JJ's intent on being referee, we need you to even up the teams."
Emily glances at him then smirks. "You just watch what I can do." She hurries over, grabs Spencer's hand and drags him behind her until they reach the other side.
"Emily, Morgan threw the first snowball," Reid whines. "I don't want to be on his team."
"At least I didn't dump a handful of snow down your shirt like a certain tech analyst," Morgan replies, grinning at Reid.
Reid considers his statement for a moment then grins back. "True, but be forewarned that I will exact my revenge on you at some later date."
"You're on, kid." Morgan nods in the direction of Garcia and Hotch's hideout. "Now, let's take them out."
From that point on, the snowballs fly. The air fills with laughter, giggles, and the occasional grunt when a snowball hit its intended target.
Hotch pauses for a moment to consider the woman next to him. Only Garcia would get a group of jaded FBI agents to drop their guard and act like kids in a schoolyard. Only Penelope had this power to slide under the carefully-placed facades of these skilled profilers to bring out the inner child in each one.
He hopes that she never changes because the team needs this special ability of hers even more than it needs her magical technical skills. More than the heart of the team, she is the soul.