My Hope
Intro: This is set to take place after season 3 episodes 8 (Lucky) & 9 (Penelope), in which Penelope is shot by Jason Clark Battle, aka Douchebag Deputy. The alternate ending sparks my Morcia AU.
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its lovely characters. If I did, Morcia would've happened long ago, Savannah would've never been a character, and Morgan would've never left. Just sayin'.
Colorful knickknacks rested in clusters atop the furnitures' flat surfaces along yellow and purple walls. Rainbow shells on strings created a pulled-back curtain where a bedroom door should have been. Her purple bedding and numerous throw pills matched the rest of the decor.
Morgan chuckled after taking in the interior of Garcia's apartment. "I would expected nothing less," he admitted smiling. If his baby girl's office was only a sketch of her sparkling personality, her home was an oil-canvased self-portrait.
Watching him give the residence a once over, she returned his smile. "You should be flattered. Not many people are invited in off the grid." She sort of choked on the last word, biting back a groan of pain. She didn't want to worry her best friend.
It must have worked because Morgan continued his observations. "Super-8?"
"Yeah," she nodded, walking over to the projector and turning it on. Then she stepped back to watch the home-movie from her childhood. "I always imagined myself fighting crime," she began. Morgan moved closer to get a better view of the screen. "My parents were hippies. I think it horrified them."
Morgan chuckled again. He was learning more about Garcia, and each new nugget of information left him wanting to know even more. "How old were you when you lost them?" he asked, recalling briefly the pain of losing his own father.
Still watching her younger self reading a book with her parents, Garcia answered, "18. Drunk driver." She felt the familiar pangs of grief as she so shortly explained an event that changed her life so completely.
Morgan moved to check out her room, and Garcia turned off the projector. Tonight was not the night for nostalgia. She had enough physical pain to deal with tonight without the added familiar pain of the past.
Walking back in her living room, Morgan continued his inquisitive search. Trying to treat his friend and her home with respect, he did his best not to profile her space as he would a victim's. He tried his best to play off his investigation as a friend simply checking out his friend's home.
As he perused a small stack of papers on a side-table, Garcia explained them. "I volunteer once a week to counsel family members of murder victims." She still stood by the projector, trying not to move much in order to avoid the pain in her abdomen.
Looking back at her with papers in hand, Morgan asked, "Baby, you don't get enough of this stuff at work?" He didn't understand why she would do that to herself.
She answered as best she could, willing her best friend to understand. "I look at those crime scene photos all day long. I can't know that those families are out there trying to cope and not do something to help."
Morgan did understand her logic, just like he understood why she encrypted the file that got her suspended, but both were still not the smartest moves she could've made. "You do know it was stupid to encrypt that file?"
Sighing, she admitted, "Yes, I know." Morgan noticed her heavy eyes and guessed she was tired from the operation and the pain and the medicines. "Old habits, I guess," she said, finishing the thought.
"You need some rest," Morgan told her.
Reaching up to his shoulder, she agreed. "You're right." She pulled him into a hug, saying, "Go. Be free, my love."
Morgan returned the hug, but, when she pulled back, he said, "Hey. I'm not going anywhere."
In usual Garcia-style, she argued. "I'm fine. I got my goon squad parked out front."
Morgan argued back. "Goon squad or no goon squad, that couch right there," he pointed to her living room couch for emphasis, "is gonna be my best friend until we find this guy. Now leave it alone."
Garcia smiled bashfully. "Ok." She started to walk into her bedroom, Morgan turning to watch her go. Once in her room, she stopped and turned back to face him. "But if you're thinking of trying to take advantage of me, let me call my doctor so he can revive me afterwards."
They both smiled and laughed lightly at her joke. The sexual tension jokes between them were the link that bound their adorable friendship together. "Hey, silly girl," he called after her, as she walked further into her room.
"Hmm?" she asked, watching her friend.
He looked serious, but not scary serious like when he was chasing bad guys. "I love you. You know that, right?" He said the whole thing rather fast, but he had to get it out.
Garcia's face scrunched with her sweet, smitten smile. "I love you, too," she replied after only a beat. She knew it was the truth, but she hadn't realized she'd have been ready to say it so soon.
Morgan smiled, knowingly. "Go to bed," he told her, gesturing to her room.
Still grinning goofily, she began taking most of the throw pillows off her bed. Morgan sat on the couch, grinning back at her for a moment. When she moved to her dresser to grab her pajamas, he laid back on the couch, staring at the ceiling and listening to the sounds of his baby girl in the next room. He heard the bathroom door open and shut, the water running and shutting off as she presumably washed her face and brushed her teeth, the clinking of jars or bottles which Morgan guessed were face creams or lotions, and finally the door opening and closing again. He listened as her bare feet padded across the hardwood floors and rugs in her room, as her sheets rustled when she moved them back and climbed into bed, and as she whimpered once.
"Are you alright, Baby Girl?" he asked immediately.
She chuckled. "I'm fine, Derek. I just got shot and had surgery on the most central part of my body. Every time I move, it hurts, but I'll be fine."
"Do you need any more of your meds?" he glanced to the paper bag from the drug store where it rested on her kitchen counter.
"Not now," she answered, "but thank you." He was being so considerate, the perfect gentleman as always. Adjusting herself among the remaining pillows on her bed, she settled on her side. Another whimper slipped from her lips as her healing body protested the position and forced her to roll onto her back.
"Are you sure?" Derek asked again. He hated that Penelope was in pain, and he couldn't do anything to stop it.
"No…" She drew out the answer in a pout. "I think you might be right, but I can get up and get it," she answered. She hated being a burden when he was already being so nice.
"No, no, no," he quickly called out, getting to his feet. "I'll get it. Don't get up. I don't want you tearing any of those stitches needlessly." He collected the bag of meds and a glass from the kitchen which he filled halfway with water. He brought them into Penelope's bedroom, where she was sitting up in her bed, and handed her the glass.
"Thank you." She watched as he opened the bag, pulled out the bottle of pain meds, poured out one medium-sized white pill into his palm, and extended his hand, palm up, towards her. She took the pill, chased it with a sip of water, and handed the glass back to Derek. "Thanks, Derek. You're being really sweet to me." She laid back down, head still partially propped up by the pillows.
He smiled, setting the glass and pills down on her bedside table. "Of course I'm being sweet to my sweet. I'll always be here to help you." He bent over the bed and kissed her forehead. "Now try to get some sleep, Baby Girl."
She hoped he didn't notice how much her heart rate went up when he kissed her head, but he just walked back into the living room without saying anything else. Taking slow deep breaths, she got her heartbeat back down to normal. She also managed to fall asleep fairly quickly.
Morgan rested on the couch not far from her. He listened to her steady breathing, knowing she had managed to fall asleep. "Sweet dreams, my Baby Girl," he whispered to himself, as he also closed his eyes to get some much needed sleep.
He jerked away at the sound of the first gunshot. By the time the second one registered, he was awake enough to know it was coming from outside in the general area of the front of the building. Still, his heart ached with concern for his closest friend. "Garcia?" He heard her startled gasps as she woke up.
She started to waddle towards him. "What's going on?" She knew he would keep her safe, but she was still terrified.
"Stay there," he ordered at first as he checked on the ground below through the window. Not seeing anyone below, he assumed the unsub was heading up for Garcia. "Come here, come here," he called, ushering her into the living room with him. "Get in the corner." He pulled out his ankle gun, gave it to Garcia and told her how to use it. He knew she didn't believe in guns or violence, but he needed her to be able to protect herself while he went looking for this guy.
Assured that she was safe for now, Morgan checked the hallway outside her apartment. The unsub was a floor beneath and fired at him. Garcia cried out for him, "Morgan."
"Stay there," he commanded, as he bolted from the flat and down the stairs, chasing the unsub. Both parties fired a few shots at the other, but neither hit their target. Morgan lost him in traffic. Enraged but still concerned for the dead cop and Garcia, he radioed for help and went back up to check on his friend.
Back in the room, he noted that Garcia was not where he left her. He drew his weapon to clear the space. When he and Garcia saw each other, she screamed, and he tried to calm her down. "Garcia! Garcia, it's me. Don't shoot. It's me. It's Morgan, baby." She lowered the gun, and he came over to take it from her. He pulled her close, hugging her to his chest as she cried.
"Why is this happening to me?" she wondered aloud. Sobs shook her against Morgan's torso.
"I don't know, Baby Girl. I don't know," he answered. In his mind, he vowed to find out. He held her until she calmed down. Then he sat her on the edge of the bed and walked to the bathroom. He returned with some tissues for her to dry her tears and blow her nose.
"Thank you." She cleaned herself up, and tossed them in the trash bin by her bed. Then she pulled herself back into a sitting position under the covers, but sitting up against the pillows. "I'm assuming the team is on their way?" she asked.
Morgan nodded. "I radioed for backup downstairs, and I called Hotch as I made my way back up here to you. They should be here soon."
She sniffled again, fresh tears brimming along her beautiful brown eyes. "Would… would you sit with me until they get here?" Her eyes met and held his.
Nodding, Morgan sat on the edge of the bed, slowly swung his legs up onto the bed, and scooted to Garcia's side. "Of course, Baby Girl. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped an arm around his torso. They stayed that way, holding each other, until the team arrived.
The team eventually figured out the Jason Clark Battle was the unsub. He wanted to kill Garcia because she was flagging certain local law enforcement cases as a priority for the FBI. Even though she wasn't supposed to, she did this anyways to help the families of the murdered victims of those cases, whom she counseled once a week. By flagging those cases, she accidentally stumbled upon an angel of death, a police officer who was shooting people in order to be the first on scene and try to "save" them.
But Battle got cocky. He walked into the BAU bullpen with the Internal Affairs agent, trying to prove that he was smarter than everyone and that he could get away with his crimes. Unfortunately for him, the team was onto him, and JJ was able to shoot him and stop him. When everything was over, and the team was collected in the bullpen, Garcia thanked JJ for protecting her and thanked Kevin Lynch for helping the team. He complimented her computer skills, and she told him he wasn't so bad himself. He was cute in a geeky way and seemed sweet. She hoped they would become friends after all of this. As Hotch and Rossi handled the paperwork and the rest of the team went out for dinner and drinks, Morgan took Garcia back home.
Back in her apartment, she breathed a sigh of relief. "He's really gone." She stood in the archway to her room, content with that fact.
Morgan walked up and wrapped her in his arms for a hug. "Yes, Baby Girl. He's really gone. He will never hurt you again." He kissed the top of her head and then rested his cheek there.
When Garcia finally stepped back to look up at her friend, she appreciated, not for the first time by a long shot, just how beautiful he was. "So, is that couch still your best friend, Hotstuff, or are you planning on going home now?" she asked playfully, enjoying the break in tension that Battle's death had warranted.
A wicked grin claimed his lips. "Oh, I'm staying right here with my tech goddess tonight." He kissed her forehead. "I want to make sure you're okay. I mean, I know you're safe because the unsub is dead, but you were shot, and you had surgery, and you're still healing. I want to be here to help." He paused, and then added, "That is, if you're okay with that?"
Smiling up at her best friend, Garcia nodded, "Of course, you're welcome, Derek. I can't refuse my chocolate Adonis the opportunity to care for me." She moved to step away again, but Derek held her close.
His face got serious again, losing the playful banter and mischievous teasing. "I meant what I said earlier, Penelope. That's why I want to take care of you. I want to make sure that the woman that I love is well looked after, that you are healing properly, and that you want for nothing. I want to be here to help." He leaned down slowly, giving Penelope time to pull back if she wasn't ready for this.
Instead, she closed her eyes and tilted her head up to press their lips together. Immediately, she began to melt. Her knees wobbled, threatening her balance, but Morgan's arms held her steady and close. Too close. Their body heat felt smoldered between them, as Morgan's lips continued to move against hers, seeking a connection for which they both had waited far too long. Morgan felt himself hardening and inched his hips back away from Penelope to avoid startling her. Now was not the time for that. Garcia whimpered against his lips, and Morgan pulled back to search her eyes in concern.
"Are you okay, Baby Girl? Did I hurt you?" he worried.
She smiled at him. "I'm more than fine, Hotstuff. You… I… That was wonderful." She blushed a deep red as he held her face in one hand, the other arm wrapped around her waist.
"Then why the whimper?" he asked in confusion.
The blush deepened. "The kiss…," she began. "It made me want… more," she settled on that for the word. "But, that pulling, gut sensation… It's usually really nice, but not when you're guts are currently stapled together." She grimaced at the very un-sexy way she had to describe her inner torment.
"Ah," Morgan nodded in understanding. "I follow you. The last thing I want is to hurt you, but I am definitely up for more kisses in the future, when your body has healed, and it won't risk any pain."
Garcia sighed, feeling equally embarrassed and defeated. She had wanted to kiss Morgan for so long, and the real thing was so much better than her daydreams. Now she was the reason they were going to have to wait for more physical intimacies. "Fair deal," she admitted, "but I reserve the right to risk my stitches and staples if I get too overwhelmed by my desires for my chocolate thunder. I do love you, you know?"
He chuckled at her. "I love you, too, silly girl." He placed a quick, gentle kiss to her lips, and slowly unwound her from his arms. "Now why don't you get ready for bed again? You've got to be exhausted."
As she made to protest, a yawn cut her off. "Maybe a little," she whined. "Okay." Morgan returned to the living room, and Garcia changed back into her pajamas. Crawling back into bed, she called out, "Good night, Hotstuff."
He called back to her, "Good night, Baby Girl."
As Garcia snuggled under her blankets, she tried to quiet her thoughts about the last few days. She believed everything happened for a reason. This horrible ordeal happened to her so she could see how much her work family loved and supported her, so she could make a new techie friend in Kevin, and so she and Morgan could finally say "I love you" to each other. She was shot and survived to rekindle the hope she had for life and its possibilities. She fell asleep with a hopeful smile on her face.