No money do I make, no money shall I ever make from this. As it all belongs to someone else. But I did put them back none the worse for wear.
The laughter from the woman could be heard as it fillered out into the yard. It was nice to hear them laughing. They had been working non-stop for a three weeks. They needed this break as a team, it was an adult only get together which was even better as they were able to enjoy the time without having to worry about the children getting to close to the barbeque pit.
Penelope thanks Jayje as she takes the offered bottle of water. "Penelope where's your date?" Spencer's date, Ashley asks.
" Out with his new girlfriend we didn't work out." Penelope answers.
"I always thought that you and Derek would end up together, no offence Savannah."
"I understand, Derek and Penelope are close, sometime creepily so."
"Now that is an understatement," Jayje says with a laugh.
Penelope looks at the newest member of their group. "Dereks loves me and protects me as a sister, nothing more."
"But you're white." Ashley says then quickly covers her mouth mumbling an apology.
"So's his mother." Penelope replies laughing. " It's simple really, I don't carry a weapon, I live alone and have no family, so he does his thing ."
"That doesn't bother you, Savannah?"
"No, Derek and Penelope come as a package deal like most families. Love me love my family but in his case he comes with two families the one in Chicago and his team."
"Do you all feel that way?" Ashley asks.
"Yes. Love them, love the team. They're a package." Beth answers.
Penelope got up to got the restroom within a few minutes Savannah followed her into the house saying she needed her sweater.
"Penelope can I talk to you privately?"
"Sure what do you need help with?"
"You know that case you went on a few weeks ago the one that you went on?" Savannah asks.
"I remember." she replies
"Derek got an text a couple of days later on his personal cell."
"What did it say?"
"Love her, love her enough for the both of us. She is special and make her happy. But don't hurt her. I'll be watching. Strange really there was no name just an unlisted number. Look Penelope I know he loves you and that you love him. I also know it is a special kind of love that only you two can understand. I also know that it will never be anymore than it is. But if who ever is sending these kind of messages is a danger to either of you, I think you should know about it."
"Thanks Savannah, I'll take care of it. Would you give my regrets, tell them I have a headache."
"I didn't tell you to make you leave, I like you, you're a good friend to Derek and you've become my friend as well."
"I know, but if I leave now I can put a stop once and for all to those kind texts."
"Where's Garcia?" Hotch asks as he comes up to join the ladies.
"She left about two minutes ago she said something about a headache, you might still be about to catch her." Savannah tells him.
He slips out the front door and goes down that path to where the cars are parked. When he sees her standing by her car with the trunk open. He can hear her talking the closer gets, but with Garcia one can never tell if it is a case from Red team of someone that needs help. He does know one thing though she never slips away unless she is going to do something that is not entirely kosher. So he waits and he listens.
"Please stop Shane."
"Stop what Penny?"
When Hotch hears her friends voice he is surprised until he realizes that she has the cell on speaker he can see in the dim light that she is changing into sweatpants once the pants are one he can see the skirt she is wearing fall to the ground only to be kicked into the air by one of her shoeless foot the caught with one hand,
"You know what? Texting Derek on his private cell."
"So you two are together?"
"No, I told you he is just my friend nothing more, his girlfriend told he that he got a cryptic message on his private cell. It didn't take a genius to figure out who sent it."
"Aren't you going to get into trouble for talking to me?" He ask taunting her.
"What are they going to do? Arrest me? They won't know, I'm using one of my private cells. I'll clear the data make it factory new when we're done talking."
"Why should I stop?"
"Because I'm asking you to."
"You love him, don't you?"
"Yes. He is my best friend he saved my life, I'll be forever in his debt for that. But do I love him as a lover? No."
"I'll stop."
"Thank you."
"Are you with anyone?"
"No. I've decided that I like being alone."
"You need someone in your life Penny. Don't you want that?"
"You know what I want Shane?"
"Tell me." she says softly knowing that she will tell him the truth.
" I want to see Paris at night just to see all the lights. I want to eat a bowl of pasta in Rome. In some mom and pop place that still makes their pasta by hand, covered with a rich marinara sauce that has been simmering on the back of the stove for hours."
"Is that all? To see the lights and a bowl of pasta?"
"No there is one more thing. I wish I could turn the clock back eleven years so that tomorrow morning I could wake up in your arms again. But we both know that is only a pipe dream"
"Penelope, you could come back." he tells her.
"No I can't, we both know it. You can do something for me?"
"What?"
"Marry her and have a few kids. You're not the only one that can keep tabs on people."
"You never let on."
"I know, I caused us both a lot of pain. It's time to move on and let the past stay in the past."
"Do they know, the FBI I mean, that you got caught on purpose by leaving a trail that a blind man could follow?"
"No, I never said. They would have caught me one day."
"Not hardly, you wanted to be caught. Can I asks you a question?"
"Yes."
"You lied didn't you? When you said you didn't miss me."
"Yes I lied. I loved you then, I love you now. And I'll love you till the day I die Shane. But it won't change a thing. At the time I wanted out, I wanted more."
"And now Penny?"
"Now I'm going home to my apartment I'm going to make a cup of hot chocolate and read a book I bought."
'What book?" He challenges.
"Notre-Dame de Paris. It is a first edition and it's in French. I read in English years ago but I've always wanted to read it in French."
"Why it's a sad and depressing book they die."
"Everyone dies but, Norta-Dame lives on. The book is about the Cathedral that's why Hugo wrote in the first place so that the powers that be would fix it."
"You keep telling yourself that Penelope."
"Please I don't want to fight with you."
"I loved fighting with you." He tells her honestly.
"You just loved making up with me."
"That too." He tells her through a soft laugh
" I have to go. You never know I just might show up on your facebook page, your real page, look for the name you used to call me. Remember what it was?"
"I remember, just so you know I never stopped loving you either."
"I know." she responds softly.
"Just one last thing, have you ever?"
"No. that was for us no one else, good-bye Shane."
He whispers good-bye to her then closes the call.
Hotch starts to move but he is stopped when he feels a hand on his elbow. He looks to into the face of his girlfriend. "Let her be, she needs to be alone right now." Beth tell him.
'"She shouldn't be alone, Penelope will . . ."
"Penelope will be fine, she is stronger than anyone of you realize. She just needs time."
Hotch tells Beth gentle turns him away before Penelope can see them, they walk back into the house just as they hear her start the her car.
No one says anything just a coy smile is exchanged among the team members.
"Where's Savannah?" Beth asks.
"In the house with Jayje. They went to whip up some margaritas." Ashley answers.
"Good, I was wondering which one of us had to do it. My bar tending days are far behind me." Beth shares with a them.
Hearing an incoming text on Savannah's cell, Morgan reaches over Spencer and gets it. "She is not on call tonight but there might be a problem with one of her patients." He explains as he looks as the text. He recognizes the number as Garcia's and is curious as to why she would be texting his girlfriend.
All taken care of Derek will not get anymore texts from him.
He looks at Hotch, he sees something there but it is gone in a blink of an eye. He only has to wait a few seconds before Savannah is sitting next to him again. "Did you say something to Garcia about that text I got?"
"Yes. I thought she should know about it. Why?"
"Your cell chirped I thought it might be the hospital it was her. Her text said, All taken care of Derek will not get anymore texts from him.'"
" That's good right?"
"Yes and no." Morgan answers.
"I don't understand." Savannah says softly as she looks at all them
Hotch sakes a sip of his beer before he takes over. "One of the conditions of Penelope's employment is that she can have no contact with any of her former friends in the hacking circle she was involved with, if she does and gets caught she can go to jail."
"My God what did I just do. I was just worried."
"You did nothing. Just like I didn't hear her talking to her male counterpart just little while ago."
"Shane?" Jayje asks.
"Yes."
"I'm sorry that the Bureau made her give up all contact with him and her friends they were a big part of her life." Jayje tells him.
"It was for the best out of all of them she was and still is the most dangerous." Hotch reminds them.
"I still say it sucks she could have had a life with him, she still loved him when she left, and love like that just doesn't die overnight." she tells them then leans into her husbands shoulder.
"For a bunch of profilers you guys really suck when it comes to reading a woman's feelings. She'll never stop loving him a woman never truly stops loving her first real love." Beth says enlightening the men while shaking her head as she looks at the women in the team.