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A/n this is something that has been going around in my head for awhile. It takes place right after "Minimal Loss."

"You've reached the Oracle of all things electronic. Speak, mere mortal!"

"Yeah, this is Joe at Carter's Place. Your friend Emily is here and she's really hitting the bottle."

"Are you sure it's her?"

"There's only one smokin' hot brunette with big dark eyes and a badge from the Bureau that comes in here on a regular basis."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

Garcia pulled off her headset and threw down her pen. She groaned at the clock which read twelve past midnight.

You just had to finish that Tetris tournament.

I couldn't let him beat me.

You could've gone home and beat him.

I was on a roll.

She picked up her jacket and threw it over her shoulder. The late October air would wake her up enough to drive to Carter's Place.

She left the top down on Esther and pulled out into traffic five minutes later. It was easy sailing all the way to the bar that was frequented by cops, not by the feds.

Why is she getting smashed in a cop bar?

Now that was the sixty-four thousand dollar question. She's been acting really weird for the last week...

Garcia was brought back to the present by someone laying on a horn. She pulled into a parking space and shut off the engine. The parking lot was about half full. It was midnight on a Friday night and her friend should be on a date instead of drinking alone in a bar.

"Hey Penelope!"

"Joe… Where is she?"

"In the booth in the back. I took her keys away. She almost got into a fight with Detective Hathaway over there."

Garcia looked where he was pointing and thanked God that Joe was a friend. Detective Hathaway was at least three inches taller than Dr Reid. She had short black hair that stood up in spikes all over her head. Her forearms were bigger than Garcia's thighs. She wore a black tee shirt and leather pants.

"She just came off some kind of deep cover." Joe whispered as the large cop arm wrestled a good sized man at her table.

"Right! I'll just go get Emily."

She made her way to the back of the bar, ignoring the calculating looks of the local PD. Emily was sitting or rather half lying on the table. Her head was in her arms and there were several empty shot glasses littering the surface.

"Emily!"

"What d' ya want?"

Her querulous voice might have made Garcia laugh at one time, but she had a splitting headache from too much time playing games.

"I want to know what you think you're doing."

"Jus' havin' a drink or two."

"It looks like more than two to me."

"Hey, is this idiot a friend of yours."

The big detective was standing over both the women. One of her eyes was bright blue and the other one was hazel. She wore Goth make-up and a sour expression.

"You're lucky I didn't break that pretty face, but it looks like someone beat me to it."

"Look, Joe called me and told me what happened. I'm sorry if my friend here overstepped her bounds."

Garcia pulled a twenty dollar bill out of her bag and gave it to the big detective. "Here's a round for your friends on me and my friend."

"Just make sure I don't see her face in here again. Feds aren't welcome in this bar!"

"No problem, I'll take her home."

"Are we goin home?"

"Yes Emily, we're goin' home."

"Good, time for beddy-bye."

Emily staggered to her feet and nearly knocked Garcia to the wooden floor of the bar. "Where's my keys." She slurred as Garcia half dragged and half carried the older woman out of the bar.

"Don't worry… Your car's safe. We'll come back and get it tomorrow."

"Kay. It's good to see ya Penelpoly. I missed ya."

Garcia opened her door and pushed the swaying agent down in to the front seat. She went around the car and got in the other side.

"Hey, you've got a convertible. Cool!" Emily said with a big grin. "Did ya know I always wanted a convertible? Mama never wanted me to have one."

"I'll let you take this one for a spin when you sober up."

Emily passed out half a mile down the road, so Penelope took her to her place. Getting her to wake up and on the elevator was a chore that took half an hour. By the time they got to Emily's door and opened it with Garcia's key that Emily had given her after the incident with Battle, Emily was swaying on her feet again.

"Come on…" Garcia grunted under the weight of her friend and nearly fell when they stepped into the room.

Garcia pushed the door shut with her foot and deposited Emily on the couch. "Stay there," she pushed her down again when Emily tried to rise.

"You're mean, Nelpoly."

"I know, but you'll forgive me in the morning."

She went to the kitchen and then to Emily's bedroom and the ensuite. When she returned, Emily was staring at the remote for the television like she'd never seen it before.

"I don't like the news."

"Neither do I."

"I don't like it because the news' guys say mean things."

"Drink this," Garcia handed her a glass of water.

"Don't want water, it's icky."

"Drink it and take the pill. You'll thank me in the morning."

"It's night time."

"Yeah…"

"Time for bed?"

"Yeah…"

"Kay," Emily took the pill and drank down the water, spilling some of it on the dark blue blouse she was wearing. "Pendlopy!'

"What."

"Did ya get that 'porter?"

"What?"

Garcia sat on the couch next to her friend. Emily's eyelids were drooping and she had a big grin on her face.

"That man that said Reid and I were in that church with that Cyrus guy."

"Yes!"

"Did you get him?"

"Yes Emily I got him. He'll be digging out of credit hell for the rest of his life."

"Good…"

Garcia reached over and put a hand on Emily's shoulder. "Don't worry about him."

"Had to say I was the FBI."

"Why?!"

"Had to say it… He wouldda hurt Reid. Can't let them hurt Reid again. He's my friend."

"I know. He's my friend too."

"Can't let him get hurt again. He's too um… what's that big word? He's to fra… Ah… fragile."

"Naw, Reid is pretty strong.

"He's like a china doll."

Garcia laughed and Emily pouted. "Don't laugh at my friend!"

"I'm not laughing at Reid. I'm laughing at you."

"Don't laugh at me. I have a gun."

"Oh that's scary. I have my babies."

Emily appeared to ponder this for a long while. "Yeah, that's scarier. I'm gonna sleep now."

Garcia got up from that couch. "Nelly…"

"Yeah."

"Is 'pence really okay?"

"He's okay!"

"Good!"

"Go to sleep Em!"

"Kay!"

Garcia pulled her phone out of the purse. "Hey Sweet boy! Did I wake you up? No, nothing's wrong. I just called to see how you're doing…