Disclaimer: I own nothing of Criminal Minds. It's just my writing jungle gym.
Here's another one-shot. They're nice when I want to take a break from my multi-chapter fics :) Enjoy this little Morgan/Garcia fluffy piece and as always, reviews are appreciated.
Derek woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of Penelope vomiting in their bathroom. Sitting up and squinting at the bright light from the other side of the door, he got up and went to find her head over the toilet, retching the entire time.
"Baby, when did you start feeling bad?" he asked with concern, kneeling down and rubbing her back.
Lifting her head up to look at him, she said hoarsely, "I just woke up and started throwing up!" Her face turned another shade paler and she threw up again into the toilet bowl. "Derek, I feel terrible," she said after using a piece of toilet paper to wipe her mouth.
Stroking some of her hair back, he murmured, "I see that." He put the back of his hand to her forehead and shook his head. Her skin was hot to the touch. "You've got a fever, Baby Girl. Let me go get some Tylenol for you." He rose from the ground, kissed the top of her blonde head, and left the bathroom. As he opened the door to his room, he let out a yelp. Standing in the middle of the hallway was his three year old daughter Emma. Her face was covered in tears and she was clutching her stuffed panda tightly. "Em, you scared me," he said, kneeling down to her level. "Are you okay, honey?"
She shook her small head vigorously. "No, Daddy," she whimpered. "I had a really bad dream. Can I sleep with you and Mommy?" She looked at him with huge, doe-like eyes and stuck her bottom lip out.
Derek rubbed his head tiredly. He shook his head and wiped her teary face. "Honey, I would let you, but your mamma is really sick right now and I don't want you to get the bug. Here, let me take you back to your room."
Emma shook her head faster. "Daddy, there are monsters under my bed! They'll get me!" she wailed.
Picking her up in his arms, Derek carried the crying three year old back to her room. She kept her face buried against his chest the entire time. "Emma, how about a deal?"
"What kind of deal?" she sniffled, looking at her father.
He sat her down on her bed and kissed her forehead. "If I can scare the monsters away and get them to leave, will you go back to sleep for me?"
Emma looked at him curiously then nodded. "Okay," she said softly, hugging her panda toy to her chest tightly.
Getting down on the floor to loo under the bed, he said, "Hey monsters! All of you go away and leave my little girl alone? You got it?" He paused and waited in the silence of Emma's pink room for any signs of monsters. Rising from the ground, he rested on his knees and stroked back some of her hair. "See?" he said brightly. "No monsters. Now, you've got to lay back down and close your eyes. Okay?"
Emma sighed and laid back down and let Derek pull the covers up to her chin. "Goodnight Daddy," she yawned as he kissed her forehead.
He smiled warmly and said, "Goodnight sweetie."
As he left his daughter's room, he closed the door softly and went down the stairs to the kitchen where he dug around in the cabinet high up where his daughter couldn't reach and grabbed the bottle of Tylenol to cool down Penelope's fever. He got a glass of water and took the stairs two at a time to get back up.
"Baby Girl?" he said as he went back into their bathroom and sat down next to Penelope's hunched over form.
She looked up, her eyes red and watery as she gazed at him. "Oh, thanks Hot Stuff," she choked, taking the pills from him and swallowing them slowly and carefully. She fell against his chest and murmured, "I don't know what I would do without you, Derek." She held him tightly around the waist.
Smiling, he wrapped her in his arms and rose to carry her to bed. "Let's get you back to bed, Penelope," he said, kissing her on the top of the head.
"Baby, I don't want you to get sick," she whimpered as he kissed her neck too before laying her down and pulling the blankets up to cover her up.
He laughed softly. "In sickness and in health, sweet stuff," he murmured.
As he was about to get in and hold her in his arms, the crying of a baby erupted and he sighed tiredly. Getting up again, he left the room again to go to the nursery right next door to his and Penelope's room. Opening the door, he cooed, "Hey there cutie pie." He went to the crib and picked up the seven month old Regina and rocked her in his arms. "You having trouble sleeping too?"
Apparently all his lovely ladies were having trouble sleeping and getting comfortable that evening.
Regina wailed in his arms he bounced her against his hip. "Oh, little girl," he said sympathetically. "I'm sorry you're not feeling well. Your momma isn't having the best time either and you're older sister is having some terrible nightmares. I wish all my girls were feeling better." As he went along, he hummed a lullaby to her and kissed the top of her head that had soft dark hair curling already. Gradually the tears that were staining his chest dried up and little Regina stopped crying and began sniffling. She'd been sleeping through the night fairly well for a while, but there was still the occasional night she woke up screeching. As soon as she was asleep again, he kissed the top of her head and laid her back down again, covering her again in her soft knit baby blanket.
He made his way back to his room and yawned tiredly before crawling into bed with Penelope again, hugging her close to his chest.
"Mmm," she whispered. "Hey Baby Boy. Regina and Emma okay?"
He nodded into her neck and kissed her softly on the head. "Sleeping soundly and safely. Like you're about to be sweet thing."
"I don't want you to get sick," she said softly. "You sure you want to sleep with me?"
He laughed and murmured back, "I will sleep with you until the day I die. Don't you ever doubt that." And they lay together for the rest of the night, neither of them disturbed by anything the night might offer or throw their way.