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It was a Saturday evening, she had been enjoying sipping her tea while she obsessively watched a new show she had just discovered existed, when she got the call. Penelope now rushed off the elevator stopping to readjust one foot in her low heels before ambling towards the glass doors and straight to the room that held the rest of her team. "What, what is it? What is the emergency?" Her frightened eyes were taking in the faces scattered about the room.
"Sit down." Emily was somber as Penelope took a seat, "I just got confirmation from a friend of mine that Hotch reentered witness protection with Jack."
"What? What! Why?" Penelope looked around to the others for answers but most of them only had partial answers themselves. Emily had been waiting for Penelope to arrive, before running down the whole account.
"Apparently, he received an envelope containing pictures of him and Jack but also some of Hayley's sister."
"But Mr. Scratch is gone, he - he's gone, you were there, he's gone." Penelope glanced to Luke who gave her a sympathetic smile and a nod.
She swallowed before speaking again, "Okay so we figure out who is doing this, just so that we, we have to-" Penelope was already making a plan.
Emily held her hands up, "Actually, there's a bigger issue than just Hotch. After I was made aware of this, I made courtesy calls to other former members of our team, no one had anything to report. Then not even twenty minutes later Blake called me back, she was left an envelope at her classroom door. She only uses the back entrance so it could've been there for awhile. It contained pictures of her and her husband various places."
"Derek?" Penelope's scared face was already questioning.
"Right here, Baby Girl." Derek smiled as he entered the conference room.
Penelope turned around, "My Love!" She got up to hug him.
He kissed the top of her head as he rubbed her arm. "It's okay Sweetness, we'll figure this out." He quickly greeted the others before turning his attention to Prentiss.
"Savannah and Hank are going to stay here in protective custody, Blake opted for protective detail. Some of us haven't gotten any threats yet, but Hayden or your daughter, Will and the boys, your Mom, anyone you think may need it right now, I will set that up while we find this guy." She spoke to the various members of her team.
"Some of us haven't gotten threats yet? Why did you say some?" Penelope was letting Derek's arm around her shoulders comfort her like a warm blanket helping to keep the bone chilling terror at bay.
Emily took a deep breath, "This afternoon, Luke's grandmother found pictures of herself in her mailbox as well. She called Luke immediately."
"Smart lady." Derek tipped his head at Luke. Penelope now noticed that Luke's normally cool behavior was belied by his concerned eyes. Her heart going out to him she felt the telling wetness form in the corner of her eye.
"I want you to reach out to any family you think might have received something maybe they haven't found it yet or maybe they don't know that it's a threat."
"So what's the plan then?" Rossi inquired.
"Once everyone's loved ones are safe, we get on this immediately. We are not going to let another Mr. Scratch happen. We aren't going to let the people we love live in fear just because of our jobs." Emily's tenacity was palpable. "With Hotch and Blake safe, I think we need to focus on Luke. The pictures of his grandmother were taken over the course of more than two weeks, so we know this guy was there for a long time, long enough to leave a breadcrumb somewhere." Prentiss informed.
"It's clear they know who we all are, past and present, Luke was most likely just the first of us targeted." Reid announced, even though no one wanted to hear it, he was right.
"We're going to New York, whoever left that for her was there just a few hours ago, it's our best lead. Derek, don't worry we aren't going to let this guy come close to your family." Prentiss wanted him to know that she wasn't going to let this happen to any of them.
"Oh I know, because I'm coming with you." He crossed his arms.
"Derek, you don't have to do that, you made a promise to your family and we understand that." Emily breathed deeply.
"I did. I told them I would keep them safe and I will, if this guy already knows who we are then I need to do this."
Prentiss nodded, "Okay, everyone, give me names of anyone you need to keep safe, I'll have Anderson coordinate it. Wheels up in thirty."
The team was filing out of the room, some of them began making phone calls and preparing to leave. Penelope glanced over to Luke who was the last to stand up from the table, she left Derek's embrace and took a few steps towards Emily to speak to her quietly. "Emily, can I come?"
Prentiss had a few papers in her hand she let her arm fall to her side looking at the woman in front of her with concern, "Garcia, you don't have to do that, you'll be safe here."
Penelope's eyes dropped, glancing to the side where Luke was gathering his stuff to follow the others. "I know, I just, I think I - New York is one of the most watched cities in the world, there are cameras everywhere, it might be easier to hack those kinds of things being nearby and all." She blinked knowing that it sounded flimsy at best.
Emily's eyes travelled to Luke who was leaving the room, "Okay, if you think that it would be important to come with us then, I'll allow it, but if I think there is any unnecessary danger you're coming back here."
Penelope nodded, Emily peered over her head at Derek before turning to exit through the back door of the room. "Penelope," Derek sing-songed her name, "What's this really about?" His arms were crossed as he moved into her space his head tilted as he awaited her answer.
"I just - I just-" She gazed out of the window of the conference room, her eyes finding Luke's stride as he moved through the bull pen. "I need to help just like you do, I don't want to live in fear again and I don't want anyone else to either."
Derek swiveled, following the path of her sight, he narrowed his eyes before turning back to her. "Okay, I understand, but silly girl, your safety is number one out there. Don't make me spank you."
"Don't threaten me with a good time." She raised her eyebrows at him before sauntering away.
He laughed, the lines near his eyes crinkling as he watched her exit, "What am I going to do with you?" He asked himself quietly as he set out to find Savannah to say a goodbye before heading out to the field to do what he secretly missed.
….
With nine people on the jet it felt more crowded than it ever had before. After they had their initial brainstorm that seemed almost useless considering they had less than nothing to go on, Luke had gone to the back row where he had been staring out of a window for the last twenty minutes. The group was gathered around the four-seater table chatting about other cases where they became targets. Penelope was standing near them but her eyes kept darting to where Luke was quietly contemplating. She looked at the others who were all occupied, jumping off of each other's ideas. She decided she wanted to comfort her friend. She ambled towards him pausing when she got next to him, scanning his profile. "Garcia, just sit down." A small smile formed on his face.
She pursed her lips, before taking the seat next to him. "I just wanted to check on you."
"I know. Are you going to start calling me Newbie again since Morgan is here? Because I thought we were moving past that." There was a smile still on his lips as he kept his eyes trained on the clouds passing by.
"I only do that sometimes now," she let her eyes drop to her lap where she had brought her hands, "I promise not to let all the strides you've made be in vain." She tried to joke.
He let his eyes fall to the wing of the plane taking a deep breath, "I'm really okay, it's just a little weird. I'm used to being in danger but I'm not used to putting other people in danger because of me. It's disconcerting."
"Yeah. We'll find this guy, he won't hurt any of us. He won't hurt you, I won't let him." Her eyes were examining her hands as she started wringing them.
"I'd hate to be him, I already know what it's like to be on your bad side." He'd turned to her, observing her hands moving in her lap.
"We're friends now though, at least most days." She raised her eyes, surprised that he'd been watching her, their eyes connecting. Her breath hitched.
"We are." He glanced at her lips before meeting her eyes again, "You don't regret letting me off the hook do you? I mean are you even entertained anymore, without someone to haze?" His eyes got bright as he asked the question a smile slipping over his lips again.
She rolled her eyes, "Well you're making me regret it a little now." But she smiled at him anyway.
He put his hand out, palm up, sliding it over her lap, she put her hand in his, he gripped her fingers, "Thanks Garcia. You seem to be there for me when I've needed it lately."
"We're family, right?" She smiled at their hands moving over each other.
"We are, I'm glad I'm here or should I say I'm glad you allow me to be here, Your Majesty." He gave her one of his wide smiles.
"Don't cross me, I could transfer you to a post in Alaska from my tablet." They were both chuckling when Derek appeared next to them.
"Just checking on everything, you feeling okay Doll Face?" Derek put his hand on her shoulder noticing their hands touching.
"Yeah I'm okay, just making sure the Newb knows we're a team."
"Hey, what did we just talk about?" Luke tried to give her a stern look but the glee in his eyes betrayed him.
"I said I wouldn't call you that often, I still reserve the right to use it." She stuck her neck out, daring him to tell her otherwise.
"Well you're here now, so you're family." Derek assured him.
"This isn't the Olive Garden, Derek." Penelope's face lit up at her own jest.
Derek furrowed his eyebrows but she conspiratorially elbowed Luke who was laughing at her joke. "What is happening here?" JJ appeared in the aisle glancing between the three.
"Morgan set himself up for a fairly good joke, I'd say." Luke explained.
JJ quirked her head towards Derek and then back at the two laughing with each other. Derek shook his head at them as he walked away to refill his coffee cup, JJ following behind him. He over her head, observing Luke and Penelope chatting happily. "What is happening here?"
JJ glanced over her shoulder before reaching for a cup as well, "So far? Nothing."
"So far?" Derek raised his eyebrows in question.
"They're, I don't know they just sort of get each other in this, weird simple way." She had put one hand in the pocket of her blazer, gesturing with it as she thought of the words to describe the situation, "It's like she - like her friend who can tease her but also be there for her, but it's still more than that, it's hard to describe."
"Wow, I guess I've been missing out."
"You don't text your Baby Girl everyday to check on her?" JJ had tried to imitate his voice when she'd repeated the well-worn nickname.
Derek grinned, shaking his head, "I try to keep up with her but I don't think she's mentioned this."
"She mentions him though." JJ took a sip of her coffee.
"Yeah, don't get me wrong, I figured she resented him and then maybe had a little tiny bit of a crush on him but I didn't know they were really friends. It sort of seems more, I don't know, serious, than if she just said he was hot." Derek peered over her shoulder again.
"Yeah, it sort of does." JJ took a deep breath as she scrutinized the two people now whispering to each other. "I just hope that whatever it is, they both figure it out soon because I don't want to see either one of them get hurt." She tipped her head at Derek before bringing the hot coffee to her lips as she moved down the aisle and back to the group. Derek took one more look at his best friend before following JJ's actions.