Disclaimer: As ever I do not own Criminal Minds!

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There was nothing more than Penelope Garcia liked more than the wind in her hair, the feeling of a release as her hair played in the wind, the freedom it gave, her favourite car allowing it whenever she wanted it and after a hellish 4 days in California for the first time in over 13 years she needed the release, the calm. Now she was on her way back to the one place that she loved, to the place that held the man she loved, to the place that held her true family, Quantico.

She had to be only a mere 45 miles from entering Quantico, the road was straight, deserted, traffic free, quiet. There was no buildings, no urban life, all trees, forests, bush, the rural life. She had the music up loud, a fully charged cell phone, a bottle of water, cash, now all she needed was to pass the last thresholds of the journey and pull up into her and Derek's humble abode and fall into his arms.

It was only when the car juddered and spluttered and then slowed that she groaned, she wasn't getting home anytime soon.

'Stupid car!' She said as she hit the steering wheel before turning to get onto the hard shoulder of the highway. 'It's dark and you decide it's time to not allow Penelope to get home... great!' She pulled to a halt, looking for headlights, absolutely none. She grabbed her phone and rang for breakdown help, after a couple of minutes and a clear coherent understood conversation she was told she had just over an hour's wait, not too bad but bad enough. She then hit her favourite number on speed dial, it was late but he'd kill her for not letting him know.

'Hello?' His voice said all gravelly with early remnants of sleep.

'Hey handsome.' She said into the phone feeling guilty for waking him. 'I'm just calling to let you know I won't be home anytime soon.'

'Why what's up baby girl?'

'I broke down about 44 miles from the 'You are now entering Quantico' sign.' She joked as boredom of her situation settled in. 'I've got an hour's wait for a pick up.'

'Let me come out to you.'

'No you have work sugar I don't until Wednesday, I'll be fine, I can tell danger, I have maize remember.' She tried to reason with him but heard him sigh down the phone. 'Derek, I'll keep you updated, I'll call when the pickup gets here, I'll call when I'm entering Quantico, I'll call when I'm outside our place and just to be safe I'll call when I'm in front of you.'

He laughed tiredly. 'I just want you home goddess.' He said with so much yearning that she felt her heart leap at the tone of his voice.

'And you will but Esther gave up the fight, I think she's jealous of you.' She joked again, her sarcasm stepping up a notch for her own pure entertainment.

'You think?'

'It's clearly evident that she broke down to keep us apart.'

He couldn't help but laugh, but he was worried, he hated the thought of her being out there somewhere alone where he couldn't protect her. 'Baby where are you?'

'You aren't coming out to me.'

'No, I just want to know.' He said forcefully and she could tell he was writing it down as she told him where she was on the highway. 'Just ring me.'

'Just get back to sleep.'

'I love you P.'

'I love you too D.' She said smiling. 'Night night Adonis.'

'Give me a hug when you get in.'

'Like I wouldn't.' She said and put the phone down, she settled into her seat, this was going to go slow she knew it so she put the radio back on quietly, turned the little light on the ceiling and pulled the book and magazine out of her bag. When she closed the magazine she looked at the time only 9 minutes had passed and she had grown bored of it already, she threw it down, looked at the clock again, 11:56pm flashed she was cold, lonely, bored and all she wanted was her bed. She got out and paced knowing full well that highway codes told you not sit in your car if you were broke down but it was so cold she just wanted to get in and crank the heater up to the best of its ability.

After a bit she got back in the car, with the roof now up, she decided to put the heater on and get warm, she looked in her middle mirror for the sixth time when she saw headlights, she smiled but stopped, they were an SUV's not a pickup. She felt unnerved slightly as it pulled to a halt behind her, she grabbed her phone and put in her pocket and hid her purse to hide her valuables. A man swaggered up to the driver side window and smiled as he tapped.

'You need any help?' He asked, Penelope looked at him, he seemed nice and normal but she wouldn't accept help not when she was on her own literally in the middle of nowhere.

'No thanks, its okay my boyfriends just on his way up.' She replied sweetly. 'But thank you for the offer its kind of you.'

'No problems, are you sure? I mean its pretty cold out here, wouldn't want a lovely lady like yourself to get hurt.'

'I'll be fine, really my boyfriend left over 30 minutes ago he should be here within the next 10 minutes.'

'Okay.' He said and walked away, Penelope blew out a breath glad to have sorted that out, what she missed was the man go to the back of his SUV and walk back with something that in the dark could only be described as long, black and weighty. What she also missed was him approach the side of her car again. What she didn't miss though was the implosion of glass from her window.