out of the woods x hotchniss

eighteen

hello hello everyone! i hope everyone is having a great saturday. i slept for 10 hours and will be passing out right at 7 o'clock my time. my body is tired from all this stress of school😅

happy readings and stay safe besties! -salem🤍

TW: mentions of physical violence, cheating, fighting, swearing, lying
word count: 3800

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Spencer: "Half a truth is often a great lie." Benjamin Franklin.

"Hello, hello family," Penelope said as she walked into the bullpen. All three agents turned and smiled at the bubbly woman. "Okay, so I'm thinking we do Mexican food for tonight's family dinner."

"We're still having a family dinner?" Spencer asked and furrowed his eyebrows. Penelope looked over at him in shock.

"Yes, boy genius! Unless there's a valid reason not to!" Penelope said and rolled her eyes. "Anyways, how does Mexican food sound?"

"I think it sounds amazing. Did you make sure to tell mom and dad about it?" Derek asked and gestured towards the two offices. JJ and Spencer both chuckled as Penelope's eyes widened. "Don't worry about them fighting at dinner. They haven't yelled at each other since he's been back."

"Are you sure? I don't want to start World War three for inviting them both to dinner," Penelope said and played with her hands. JJ rubbed her hand over Penelope's back to soothe her nerves.

"We're sure. You better go before both of their moods tank," JJ said and laughed softly. Penelope nodded her head as she walked up the stairs swiftly. Derek chuckled as she wailed her arms out, trying her hardest not to fall over in her heels.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Come in!" Emily shouted from the other side of the door. Penelope walked into the office with caution. She waved and gave the raven-haired woman a small smile before sitting down in the chair in front of her. "What can I help you with, Garcia?"

"Actually, I completely forgot to let you know about an important family dinner that the team usually has. We have it every once and a while just to rekindle the spark between all of us. Are you free tonight?" Penelope asked and interlocked her fingers in her lap. Emily smiled warmly at her as she placed down her pen. "We were thinking Mexican food."

"I'd love to come. Just make sure the margaritas are delicious," Emily said and tapped her hand against her desk. "Thank you for thinking of me, Garcia."

"You're part of the family now. You've done a lot for everybody, even if we didn't appreciate it in the beginning. You're always thought of," Penelope said and nodded her head slightly before standing up and walking out of the room. She raised a thumbs up in conformation to the rest of the team. Emily saw this small gesture and chuckled.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Derek, Spencer, and JJ all noticed the surge in peace around the office. They didn't know what exactly was said between Emily and Aaron, but whatever it was, they were glad it was said. It was nice to see the two of them knock on the other's door and talk for a few minutes without an argument breaking out.

"JJ, can I ask you something?" Derek asked and leaned over his desk. The blonde woman hummed as she didn't take her eyes off the file in front of her. She liked to stay out with the two boys in the bullpen than to be suffocated in her office. "Has Emily ever talked to you about knowing Hotch before she started here?"

"Why would Emily know Hotch?" JJ asked and furrowed her eyebrows. "That'd be very coincidental."

"Emily mentioned that they did when we were at the hospital. I just can't wrap my brain around what happened to make them go at each other's throats like that," Derek said and shook his head slightly. "Hotch has been at the BAU his entire career as a profiler. He hasn't been with other agencies."