Carried Away, a criminal minds fanfic

Title: Carried Away

Author: A.M. Glass

Ratings: (USA) T (UK) 15+ (AUS) MA-15

Spoilers: Season three, episodes eight, "Lucky," and nine, "Penelope."

Show Disclaimer: The characters from "Criminal Minds" were created by Jeff Davis. The following companies produce the show: Touchstone/CBS Paramount Network Television, The Mark Gordon Company, ABC Studios and Paramount Network Television. The Executive – Co–Executive producers are: Gigi Coello-Bannon, Deborah Spero, Edward Allen Bernero, Debra J. Fisher, Mark Gordon and Jeff Davis.

Author's Disclaimer: Let's face it, I don't own "Criminal Minds" or any of the characters, back story, etc. I'm not making a cent from it – if I did, I'd buy a new computer and some other things. The story; along with any original characters are mine though… I think. Pesky copyright laws.

Author's Note: I had started off thinking about the scenes between Garcia and JJ that I've seen recently and it got me thinking about them, but being the Garcia/Morgan shipper that I am – my mind went and did a crazy thing. One last thing, I "borrowed" a conversation from "Lucky" written by Andrew Wilder for this story.

Morgan, Reid and JJ were about to leave Penelope's hospital room when she called JJ back. "Would you mind sticking around for a minute?" she asked.

JJ nodded, "Sure." She looked at Morgan and Reid, "Guys, I'll meet you in a bit."

"I'm here if you need anything," Derek said.

"Thanks."

"See you Garcia," Spencer said as he walked out, following Morgan down the hospital corridor.

"You okay?" JJ asked as soon as Spencer left the room, she reached out and grabbed Penelope's hand in hers, her thumb rubbing across it.

"I'm good," Garcia whispered, her eyes trailing Morgan and Reid's progress down the hallway. Her heart aching to the pain she'd seen in their eyes.

"Do you have any idea how much I want to hold you right now?" JJ asked, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks unchecked.

Garcia smiled briefly, "Not half as much as I do. I'm going to be fine, really," she said trying to assure the other blonde.

"When Hotch told me..." JJ's voice broke. "I felt my heart stop, but I knew I had to keep calm, I had to be rational – I had to be Jennifer Jareau," she smiled bitterly, "Supervisory Special Agent," JJ said as she turned to her gaze to the machines Penelope had hooked up to her. "I could only be your friend, your colleague and it ate me up inside. The only thing that kept me sane was thinking once you were out of surgery we could go after the son-of-a-bitch that did this to you," she growled. "I never felt so angry in my life," she shook her head. "I wanted to find the guy and give him to Ferell." JJ smiled briefly as she recalled the sausage maker in Floyd Ferell's house, then she frowned, "Maybe he'd make an exception?" she muttered to herself realizing Ferell's diet consisted of female victims.

Penelope gasped. She had no idea JJ would even consider doing anything remotely heinous. "God JJ no... I'm so sorry."

JJ shook her head freeing herself from Ferell's depravity. "For what? You don't have to apologize... I should."

"No, it's my fault." Garcia turned her head, "I got angry with Derek..."

JJ looked down the hall and could see Morgan talking with Reid. She could see his anger and winced as he slammed his fist against the wall. "It wasn't your fault Sweetheart," she replied quietly as she turned around and looked at Penelope, brushing strands of hair from her face.

"Yes, it was," she stressed. "I got caught up in the moment," Garcia whispered. "I wasn't thinking..."

JJ couldn't stand it any longer and bent down and kissed Penelope's forehead. "I'll talk to Derek later, I promise," she said gazing deeply into Penelope's eyes before pulling back slightly.

"Do you think we'll be okay?" Garcia asked as she stared into JJ's face.

JJ laughed, "Just promise you'll never to this again," she said as she wiped at the stray tears on her cheeks. "I don't think I could take it."

"The goddess will take it under consideration," Garcia quipped.

JJ smiled. "Well your lady in waiting must speak with your consort."

"You may both worship me later."

"Count on it," JJ smiled brightly.

"One, two, three..."

JJ bent down and kissed Penelope briefly – lingering long enough to get her point across, not caring who might walk in. They had been involved for almost a year now and she wanted to stake her claim on the woman who'd snuck into her heart and dug in.

Garcia laughed, wincing slightly as her stitches pulled.

"Be careful and what's so funny?" JJ asked.

"Make my pulse jump like that again and the nurses will rush in wondering what's going on."

JJ looked at the heart monitor and blushed as Penelope's heart rate began to drop. "I got to go... I'll come back later."

"All right," Garcia nodded.

JJ had made it to the threshold of the door when Penelope called her back.

"What did she say?" JJ was asked as the rest of the team was waiting for her as she left Penelope's hospital room.

"She doesn't want to be treated like a victim."

JJ was checking on Penelope's progress when Morgan walked up to her. "Hey."

"Hi," she said smiling.

"When are they going to release her?" he asked.

JJ gestured toward the nurse's station. "Her nurse said the doctor won't discharge her until the end of the week. They want to make sure she's fine before letting her go." Of course it took her flashing her badge before they told her that, she wasn't family and they'd only give the information to family members.

"Good, good." Derek nodded relief flooding his body. "Did she tell you what happened?" he asked, knowing Penelope would have probably told JJ.

"Some. Not all."

Derek ran his hand over the back of his neck. "Does she hate me?" he asked quietly.

JJ frowned, shaking her head, "No. She's doesn't hate you Derek," she told him, reaching out and placing her hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze. "If anything, she loves you."

JJ knew that Penelope loved her – but part of her heart also belonged to Derek Morgan. At first JJ had been jealous of the flirty nature of Derek and Penelope's bantering, the innuendos, the downright sexiness each time they spoke on the phone or in person.

Now she actually relished listening to them, wanting to see how Penelope could get under Morgan's skin and vise versa. Of course Penelope had set her straight, so to speak. "I flirt with him because I know it's the closest I'd ever get."

"Do you love him?" JJ asked panic stricken.

"Yes."

JJ swallowed. "Oh."

"Hey," Garcia had touched her face, her thumb tracing her lips. "Nothing's ever going to happen. Derek sees me as a close friend, that's all," she said trying to reassure JJ.

"And if he didn't, see you as a close friend?"

Garcia had a far away look on her face and a downright sexy smile graced her features. After a few seconds she shook herself out of her thoughts.

"I guess that answers my question."

Garcia shrugged, "JJ, my feelings for him have nothing to do with us. He's a dream, you're my reality."

"Well you're dream seemed pretty good." JJ said.

Garcia grinned wickedly, "You have no idea."

JJ couldn't help but smile along. Penelope was a unique character and she wouldn't want to change her for anything or anyone. It didn't hurt when later that night Penelope showed her exactly what her dream entailed.

Derek blew out a breath he'd been holding. "I don't know what I was thinking," he said more to himself than to JJ.

JJ could see how much Penelope's shooting was affecting Morgan. "Why don't we take a walk," she suggested.

"Okay."

They walked to the elevator in silence and rode down to the first floor. Derek put his sunglasses on as they stepped outside.

They strolled around the hospital grounds.

"We're going to find him," Derek said.

"I know we will."

"I keep going over it in my head," Derek paused. "I keep thinking if I hadn't..."

"Morgan..." JJ interrupted. She couldn't allow him to continue to believe he caused this. "Derek, it's not your fault."

"You don't understand," he told her looking off across the hospital campus. "I... was jealous."

JJ looked at him in shock. "Jealous?"

He turned to look at her. "When she told me she blew him off. I was relieved."

"...blew him off."

"Oh, umm, well, good. Smart move – something was definitely wrong with him." Thank you God. She's not going out with him, Derek thought. When she'd told him earlier about this "smoking hot guy" she'd met at the coffee shop, he'd been worried. It seemed to smooth – too fast for him. It was in fact a wake-up call. Someone else was interested in his Baby girl and he wanted her to be safe.

"Wow – you are some profiler – you could tell how wrong he was from what little I told you."

"Garcia, I didn't mean..." Okay, I've obviously said something wrong and from the tone of her voice, its not good.

"I wonder was it that he was too handsome or too interested in me that tipped you off on how wrong he was?"

"Garica..." No... that is not what I meant. Penelope, goddess, any man would be a fool not to see what I do everyday.

"Just because you wouldn't cross a crowed room to hit on me that doesn't mean that a more perceptive less superficial guy wouldn't. Hey Derek? You want snappy? You suck!"

Shit.

JJ winced as she heard Derek repeat the conversation he'd had with Penelope. She could see where he thought his actions had spurred Penelope on. "She got caught up in the moment."

"There wouldn't have been a moment if I'd..."

"Derek, you and Pen have got to talk. This is eating you both up inside," she told him. "And until you do," she shook her head. "You'll never get over this. You guys will be walking on egg shells, afraid of saying anything wrong," she said, knowing it was true. She smiled. "The way you two talk to each other on the phone – the innuendos, the teasing back and forth – gone. You don't want that do you?"

Derek looked inside himself. Out of all the people he'd worked with over the years Penelope Garcia was the one person who stood out head and shoulders above the rest.

She was the one who could always put a smile on his face. She was the one he could count on to be there not only for the team, but for him as well. He knew she cared about him – she loved him.

Not simply as a friend, Penelope Garcia was in love with him. She said it with every glance, every smile, smirk, the tone of her voice. Her concern for his well-being.

And he took it for granted.

He thought he'd be able to work up the courage to tell her he felt the same. He'd asked her out last night and she turned him down. Had he lost her? Was he too late?

"I think it too late JJ," he said softly.

"Why do you say that?"

"I asked her out last night and she turned me down."

"She didn't say anything." JJ would have to ask Penelope later on, it wasn't like her to keep things like this a secret. Penelope had sought her out after she'd spoken with Morgan when she first arrived at the office.

Penelope had told her about the "Smoking Hot" guy at the coffee shop and she'd had a wonderful time teasing her about it. JJ understood that Penelope found men attractive, one in particular, she herself had had crushes on guys at school and had been involved with a few men in her life.

So she wasn't worried about him. Of course the case in Florida pushed "Smoking Hot" to the back of her mind – just one of those things – nothing of importance, until he tried to kill Penelope.

Now JJ couldn't wait to meet him.

"She thinks I pity her."

"Of course she doesn't..."

Morgan stopped and took off his glasses. "JJ," he said quietly. "I love her."

She smiled. "I think everyone in the office knows that Derek."

He stared at her silently.

"Oh."

He slipped his glasses back on. "I'm going to head back to the office, see what they've come up with so far. See you later."

JJ watched as he quickly headed for the parking lot. She went back inside and took the elevator back to the ICU.

She walked back to Penelope's room and quietly opened her door, she stepped toward the bed and took Penelope's hand in hers, gazing into her sleeping face.

"What are we going to do?"

The End.