Title: Dark Side of the Coin
Description of story:
AU - Penelope's life seemed like an open book –she was the one everyone assumed had no secrets. What you see is what you get – that's the definition of Penelope Garcia. However, when the team is called to San Francisco's tenderloin, aka Gotham, to solve a case involving Wayne Enterprises - they discover their beloved hacker's dark past… and to save Alfred… Penelope is in the field, Bruce can't wear the cape, and the Joker has to solve a riddle.
Author's Note:
So this fanfic—is a crossover and I will designate it as such once we meet a few Gotham characters in a chapter or two (so if you're into the story please follow because it will disappear).
In this AU world—there was a Blake but she left after the Replicator case and Emily returned upon Blake's departure. Strauss never died. Shane Wyeth never existed… and everything else that happened has happened in a more compressed time. In my world Penelope is 33-35 and about as slim as she is these days (size 8-10).
This story will be half case and half romance and the romantic parties are Bruce Wayne and Penelope Garcia... (Before my M/G people go all WTF?) My BF has me immersed in Nolan-verse (I think I can quote Dark Knight in it's entirety) and I've read so many comics that this story made sense to me instantly and I could see Penelope with a scruffy Christian Bale/Bruce Wayne.
Once again, if you like it please follow because soon it will go into the abyss of crossover fics where people don't check that often and reviews keep me going … so please follow after chapter 2 or 3 because the story won't be in this category after that.
Oh and Theo's face claim is Chris Hemsworth (I thought it would be weird to call him Sam and say but he looks like Thor—) and since they gave Derek such a hottie on the show and Penelope … Kevin (ick) – I've decided until they give her an uber hot guy… all of her men in this story will be show stoppers… #IJS.
I hope you enjoy it.
PS. If you would like to be my beta for this story please PM me… 12 chapters are written so far but it needs a grammar check.
Chapter 1
Hotch tiptoes into the bedroom and closes the door, in his hands - a white bag and 2 spoons. He passes a clock that reads, 10:30pm.
"You didn't," Beth whispers, and Hotch arches his eyebrow quizzically– expressing false naivety.
She pouts, "Are we turning into that couple?" Beth wonders aloud as he sits on the bed Indian style.
"What couple?" he replies as he passes her a spoon.
"Its our turn with the boys, while Will and JJ enjoy a salsa night and we," she said gesturing with the spoon, "are sneaking froyo into the bedroom."
She takes a bit of her nut and chocolate covered treat, "I remember when a visit from me would end in a different way."
She places a small scoop on her spoon, "I remember when a froyo picnic was the last thing we wanted to have – don't you?" she asks, as she licks her spoon seductively.
"Do you think we're getting boring?" he pontificates, "I mean when you go back to New York," he said moving closer to her, "and they ask what did you do—you could say I ate Mexican from my favorite place in DC proper and then they opened up this cute gourmet frozen yogurt place and with all natural fruit toppings." He places a spoon of his froyo in her mouth.
"Kind of exciting," he added.
She gives him an incredulous look, "exciting?"
"Extremely! let me show you," he took her cup placed it on the nightstand as he went underneath the covers with his container.
Seconds later, she felt raspberries fall on her belly as he licked chocolate from her thigh.
XXXXX
"Gravity was amazing!" Emily exclaimed as she tossed the rest of the popcorn in the trashcan under a digital clock that read 10:52pm.
"Did you know that Alfonzo Cuaron shot all of Sandra Bullocks scenes i light box?" Reid queried.
"What?" she asked as she linked arms with him.
"A light box with all of the pieces manipulated by puppeteers—it was more like a choreographed dance in space—that's how he achieved that fluidity," he said gesturing with his hands, "He wrote the script in 2008 with his son…" he informed her as they arrived to the car.
She leans in and kisses him in mid-sentence, "how about you give me the shot by shot … play by play in bed. I am thoroughly intrigued by this filming process."
Reid becomes stiff and spouts regretfully, "Maeve really wanted to see this movie—she thought it would be this generation's 2001. I think she would've liked it," he added solemnly.
"Spencer, I'm," Emily somberly said as the playfulness departed from their evening. This always happens at some point, she thought, Maeve would come up and she felt completely inadequate and dumb… well not a dumb… but not a genius. Maeve was like Reid's soul mate—a smart, beautiful, and an actual genius. Emily never told Reid that she came back to DC for him. When things started between them, she couldn't have been happier. But then she realized that there would always be three - Spencer, Maeve, and her. When was her heart going to give up and realize she was meant for someone too… besides Sergio.
"I'm having a good time with you Emily and I really like whatever this is but I feel –" he began but then loss the words to complete his thought.
"Guilty," she offered, "Because she was the one."
"Something like that," he admitted not realizing that by calling Maeve the one made Emily second or third.
"I'm not trying to force anything," she said opening up the door, "I thought if," she began.
She took her seat and looked over at him, "when I came back from London, that we could," she tried again.
She looked at her keys, "I can drop you off at home—No biggie, Reid."
She sighed heavily which was her tell that she wasn't all right but she was about to pretend and Reid didn't know how to fix it. They sat in the car and put on their seat belts, when they both looked up, Reid tried again.
"I'm glad you are here – that you came back," he stuttered and his voice fluttered between soprano and alto intonations, "that we are together – I've wanted that for a while—I just don't want to forget about her – because you make me happy and sometimes – I forget."
He kisses her gingerly, which quickly turns in to something hot and palpable.
XXXXX
Penelope shimmied as Derek spins her under the twirling disco ball at La Cantina. She wore a white body-con dress that was hugged by leather; from her under arms to above her knee… the black leather in the dressed matched her leather gladiator heeled sandals. A mist of sweat hugged their skin as their bodies swayed to the merengue tunes that wafted through the air. Her once tight curls were now a messy cluster of bed head meets curly sue.
"Drinks?" Derek said over the music
"Dying of thirst," she replied.
Derek places his hand on her waist and guides her to the bar, where JJ and Will are making out like teenagers at the other end.
"Look at those two—why do they pretend that they want to be out of the house," Derek said shaking his head and then he turned to the bartender, "Two rum and cokes please."
"Easy on the coke," Penelope adds.
Derek chuckles, "do you want to tell me now?"
"Should we break them up - make them come up for air?"
"Avoidance," Derek replied officially wearing his profiler hat.
"Nothing to tell," she took a sip of the water the bartender gave her, "I have to thank Savannah for letting me borrow your dancing feet."
"Really now," Derek said annoyed that his baby girl thought she had to ask his girlfriend for permission to hang out.
"Come on sugar plum—in the beginning she treated me like I escaped from Guantanamo."
"She wasn't that bad," he said slightly defensively.
"She sure was …until Theo… I do prefer movie nights without them… though. She talks too much and Theo always finishes the freakin' popcorn…" she bit her lip and corrected herself, "I meant, did"
"They do talk to much," Derek agreed. "What happened to Theo?" he asked not beating around the bush.
The bartender delivered their drinks and she took a big long dramatic sip, "Nothing really – we just weren't on the same page. I mean we're friends – like he will call me tomorrow and see how tonight was but I don't want the whole enchilada yet. And he wants the whole enchilada… like a tray of them."
He looked at her, "the whole enchilada isn't bad you know." He caressed her cheek supportively.
"I know, angel fish, but I've had it and it never ends right or well – maybe, I'm whole-enchilada-bad-luck. Like even when I've had it –it broke apart before I could even hold it," she said so quickly that she had to replay the statement in her head to see if it made sense.
"Kevin wanted the whole enchilada," he said reminding her that a good guy loved her.
"I wasn't talking about Kevin," left her lips before she knew what happened. She hadn't thought about him in a while—she couldn't lie to herself she thought about him often and wished, like Reid, that the end of a craziest, saddest, frackin-most-awful night of her life ended with their lovers safely in their arms instead of their remains splattered all over the a brick wall. When Reid lost Maeve it brought up or triggered all of her feelings that she buried the day she decided to join the BAU… well get caught by the feebs.
Since their deaths- she tried to put them both in a box and live her life in a way that would've made them proud – helping the good guys, wearing bright colors, and her eclectic looks was how she kept their memories alive. But what she would give for one more day with them. To go shopping with her again… to have manis and pancakes once more. And to kiss him, to feel his strong arms around her, protect her, to hear his laugh and see that smile, or the eyes that loved her no matter what and before his brain knew… before her brain knew. More than she liked to admit… she cuddled with a book her parents read to her on thunderous nights…. The Missing Piece… when she read it aloud after several glasses of wine... sometimes… when the moon and the stars aligned …she could hear his voice reading with her.
Oh I'm lookin' for my missin' piece
I'm lookin' for my missin' piece
Hi-dee-ho, here I go,
Lookin' for my missin' piece.
The sadness washed over her soul and Derek watched her whole emotional state change through her eyes.
Shake it off she told herself, knowing that she opened herself up to a bushel of questions, "this metaphor is making me hungry," she said passing him his drink.
"Come on Derek, let's slam and go."
"Hey," Derek said stopping her.
"You deserve to be happy… you know that, right?"
"Yes," she said rolling her eyes like a teenager.
"I get Lynch wasn't the right guy for you… but this guy is like the anti-Lynch. He's smart, funny, fit, he teaches, and saves the world one community at a time—he loves you."
"Are you guys in a bromance together?" she teased, "Should Savannah be worried?"
"No, I just—"
"He's just like you but without the crazy job, and you like running with him and doing boy things – I get that and you don't have to stop." She placed her empty drink on the bar, "I just don't think I want to move in and it all starts with one drawer… then he'll start talking about rings – and I can't," she sighed, "no matter how fabulous his abs are or that he has thighs like a soccer player—yum."
"Ok, you can continue the rest of this convo with JJ," he said placing his drink down next to hers.
"Seriously, I do care about him – tremendously, and if he was happy with the way things were – we would be together right now—but he wants the whole enchilada, D." she sighed "and he deserves it. I'm just not the woman to give it to him," she stepped closer to him, "and he would wait for lightening to strike and for me to be different and then resent me when I was still just Penelope."
As the music changed from merengue to salsa, she said, "The music of my people," as she took Derek's hand and dragged him to the floor.
She turned and smiled, that beautiful Penelope smile, "This so is amazing!" she gushed and he almost forgot in that moment the sadness he saw before. He wanted to tell her how he ran into Theo and how Theo was miserable without her. That he suggested that Theo come. Maybe, Derek thought, they could patch things up. Theo interrupted their decent to the dance floor… to Penelope's surprise.
The interruption was awkward to say the least and Derek was glad that JJ and Will gave him the exit he need.
He, JJ, and Will returned to the bar.
"What's he doing here?" JJ asked. "This so isn't the space they agreed they needed."
"Well, she needed," Derek corrected. He did the right thing inviting Theo down- he tried to remind himself.
"Jameson neat," Derek ordered.
"I ran into him in the park and he was just miserable. He thought she was with someone else or something," Derek took a sip, "I just felt sorry for him and I might've reminded him about tonight."
"But she's your baby girl—how could you sell her out?"
"I want her to be happy JJ," he sighed, "and these great guys keep on coming into her life and as soon as they want to something more solid -she runs -then she's sad. How can we have the ultimate trifecta if she keeps on running"
"Ultimate trifecta?"
"Her kids and my kids born around the same time, go to the same schools, live in the same hood, and then married and we are the best grandparents ever!" he said while doing an uncanny impersonation of Penelope.
"But she does run," JJ added dismally, "Then she thinks the next time it will be different but she does the same thing," JJ added.
"I was just trying to help. I mean, I'm happy with Savannah and I want her to be happy too," he looked back at them and spoke in a loud whisper, "I mean he wants to marry her and he so scared that she'll run that he asked her to move in and she broke up with him… same thing she did to Lynch and Sam."
"She reminds me of my mom," Will said with a hint of sadness in his Nawlins twang.
"When my dad died, my mom eventually started dating again, but she could never really commit. She could date them for years but as soon as they wanted to get officially committed she would squirm and end it."
Will paused for a moment and then continued, "She subconsciously felt like she needed to preserve his memory no matter what we said – she wouldn't try love again."
Whose memory is she preserving, Derek thought, as he reflected on Will's story.
"Who," he began when JJ poked him, "here they come—new topic."
A few moments before…
As soon as Derek walked away, they both said,
"I've been meaning to call you,"
"I miss you,"
She looked up at him and saw his messy sandy blond hair fighting to be on his shoulder, while his blue eyes sparkled drops of sadness on to her.
"I've missed you too," she said quietly.
"You don't have to say it," he said running his fingers through his hair throwing off the flow again. He wore a navy blazer that accentuated his broad shoulders and a white t-shirt. He was an inch or two taller than Derek and she often teased slightly buffer. He's a professor at George Washington University in DC and they met online… kinda. He found an old college research paper that she did on local farmers in college like a decade and a half ago and thought she was brilliant and also thought she was an urban planner or something like that.
He kept on asking her out, she kept on saying yes, and a year later she uttered the first no when he asked her to move in. Well he cleared out a few drawers for her—see, she had stuff there already – thrown around – but the fact that he was giving it a home would mean that he would eventually want a home with her and she just had to nip it in the butt. Hence, the reason why they are the only two people on the dance floor not dancing.
"Can we," he said scanning the place looking for a quiet corner.
She nodded, "I mean it, I do," she said taking his hand as he led her to the corner.
She looked down at his shoes, "I do miss you, but," she forced herself to look into his eyes, "you deserve, I mean you want more than I'm capable of… more than I can give, Theo."
He looked at her flabbergasted that she couldn't see that she wasn't doing him any favors. When he first met her to discuss her research he expected her to be an academic and to his surprise this perky voluptuous woman with a pinky kitty headband, matching knitted tights, and purple rain boots arrived instead. She ordered a dirty soy vanilla chai tea latte with an extra shot and a vegan oatmeal raisin cookie. She was so bright and cute he was convinced his brother put him on candid camera.
Then she walked him through her research and he fell even harder for her. He remembers distinctly that he didn't want to seem sleazy and ask her out after their meeting. He was also certain that she must be married but she wore so many rings he found it hard to decipher her status without asking. So he just came back to the coffee shop—almost everyday waiting to accidently run into her. Two weeks later he did bump into her, his heart ran away to be with hers, and he hasn't seen it since.
He knew what he wanted—her.
She kissed him back hesitantly at first and then she let her heart lead. Baby fireworks exploded throughout her body and when he stepped closer – she was surrounded by him, which caused excitement and sexual heat to flow though her.
"Penelope, I-" she kissed him again knowing the words that would follow would jinx this moment. The last person who said he loved her died in warehouse fire and ever since then she avoid it all together. Kevin was easy and safe – she loved him but not like love-love. More like a Hotch, Derek, or Reid love with sex. I mean he ate bacon wrapped donuts. But Theo was the closest thing to love-love she experiences since Gotham and she was scared. She is scared
She broke away from the kiss, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to confuse things." She bit her lip, "I can't do this, Theo. I" she began.
"How about – I take back the ask—" he said trying to smile, "I don't want you to move in with me and I don't want to give you a drawer"
"Two drawers," she corrected
"Two drawers and 3 hangers"
"But you already know that you want more. More than I can give and believe me there are like thousands of women who want to give you that and a tribe of babies, but that isn't me—I mean I want a tribe of babies eventually – I would want your tribe of babies, I think... but the whole living in the same house and being a unit—I don't know – take the tribe of babies thing out – because it doesn't work."
He interrupted her jumbled thought with certainty, "there's only one woman I want to be with and that's you—so you don't want to move-in … fine," he said shrugging as if it was nothing.
"Really?" she asked not full understanding why he would just rescinded on something... "But we argued about this for 2 or 3 weeks—and we ended things. This is your deal breaker and I get that," she said touching is face gently, "but us getting back together will just prolong the inevitable."
"I knew when I met you that we would be an unconventional couple and yet I keep on trying to fit you into a box." He raised her chin so he could look into her eyes, "My mistake."
Penelope looked down at her gladiator shoes feeling more like Frodo then like one of the 300 vixens… and he continued-"I just don't work without you – so if you don't need a drawer and three hangers – so be it. If you love things the way they are then so do I. I mean there isn't anyone else is there? You're happy with me right?"
"I'm extremely happy with you and there isn't—"
Her phone went off and she saw it was work.
"Avengers need to assemble?" he asked playing in her curls.
"Yes, at 11 freakin 37pm" she said as they headed towards the group, "We will finish this when I come back." She leaned in to kiss him and he returned the volley a bit more eagerly than she expected.
"I promise," she added.
XXXXX
Across town, Rossi and Erin were lying on a blanket looking at the stars.
"Who knew we would be here," Rossi said taking a pull from his cigar.
"I know," dreamily Erin replies, "The stars are amazing."
"You are amazing," Rossi replies taking her hand firmly in his.
"So yesterday was you last case with us – we can officially come out of the closet."
"Yes, I agree with the director being your boss and lover was a conflict of interest and bringing in Cruz will ease the work load a bit."
"Who is this Cruz guy?"
"Romance is waning because of the work talk," she said kissing the corner of his hand.
Her phone vibrates.
She sits up and sees it's the director—she sits taller, "Good Evening, Sir"
She listens for 2 minutes as he explains the case.
"Yes," she says in the Strauss robotic voice that means we've landed a tough one.
"I understand, we haven't told the team yet—we'll wait until we close this case."
He looked over at her; she is travelling with us, it's a really bad one he thought as he put out his cigar.
She listens again for additional directions, "Yes sir. We'll bring her."
"Will you be flying with us?"
The director is heading out there too, Rossi thought as he put the pieces together. He didn't even come out for the case in NY. He tried to remember a case when the director was there and he realized that it must've been in the 90's.
"You are already there?" she asked perplexed.
"We will be in the air less than an hour."
She hangs up the phone.
"We have a high level interdepartmental case, CIA, Homeland, BAU, Top Brass at San Francisco PD – they've already called in the team."
"He's already there," Rossi asked knowing the importance of this case just tripled, "argh, Gotham is worse than Florida!"
XXXX
"Doesn't it seem like we were just here," Derek says as he, JJ and Penelope join Reid, Emily, and Hotch in the conference room.
"There we were," he said grabbing Penelope's hand, "getting our groove thing on," as they did a quick salsa step to the coffee and tea machine, "and boom, I see the FBI on my caller id."
"How does Savannah feel about you getting your groovy thing on with TA Garcia?" Emily teased.
"Stop it!" Penelope said taking the seat next to Hotch leaving the seat to her right open for Derek, "Do you know how long it took for her to like me after I lived with Derek for 2 months?"
"Actually it was 3 months and 12 days,"
"Can it, boy genius," she teased, "you should see her face when I call Derek a nickname by accident," Garcia face palms herself.
"I understand 100%. I wouldn't want you calling Will Hot Stuff or Cajun Adonis."
Derek passes Garcia a coffee, "leave it alone," he told the room, "she'll always be my baby girl and..."
Garcia looked up adoringly, "and you will always be my ab-tastic chocolate Adonis with moves I only see on the dance floor," she turned to the room and held the pregnant pause for a beat and then added, "regretfully."
The room erupted with laughter as Rossi and Strauss walked in.
"Ma'am," Penelope said as she stopped molesting Derek's right bicep.
"This is what we have so far," Strauss began, "20 minutes ago the White house called the Head of the FBI, Director Clancy, CIA –Richard Tracy, and Homeland Security – Megan Lampert. We were supposed to be debriefed here but due to the sensitivity of the case they just informed us that we will get the details there."
"What do we know so far," Hotch asked.
"That we are heading to San Francisco and will be debriefed onsite."
"I guess that means wheels up… now," Emily said, beating Hotch to his signature line.
As the each team member rose and headed to the door, Penelope toyed with her pendant fretfully, "Ok, Conference me in on the plane."
"You're coming," Aaron informed her.
"But I don't do San Francisco," she said reminding them of her contract.
"That wasn't a question, Technical Analysis Garcia," Strauss tersely replied.
She continued in her curt tone, "Get your go bag and computers and we will meet in the lobby in 10."
"With all due respect ma'am in my agreement," Penelope began.
"They asked for you specifically, kitten," Rossi revealed allowing for the tension in the room to return to normal BAU levels.
"Oh," she replied as the gravity of that hit her—the folks in the White House requested her – was she that good she wondered as the wheels in her head began to churn.
"Ok," she said wondering if 4 years was enough time—to truly let go of the past—and the family she lost on that spring evening. Maybe she could, she thought as her mind went back to the encouraging words Alfred said as she cried at their grave.
He would want you to be happy. To have a life.
She realized today after talking to Theo—Maybe she could be happy with him. She had to let the past go and as she looked over at Reid and Emily she thought—I should try harder.
Derek recognized that look on her face again as she played with the pendant. She played with the pendant whenever she visited her parents or when she was scared, like level 10 scared, he thought.
"Is everything ok," he asked as they headed to get their go bags.
"I'm fine."
"I thought you were going to duke it out with Strauss," he teased.
"I just realized that - I hate change. But that's just because I've been -" she couldn't find the words "they would want me to be happy and Theo makes me happy" she shook her head now wasn't the time, "I should get my bags." She headed to the lair and then turned to him, "Maybe when the case is over we can visit my parents."
He nodded and made his way to his office.
He should've known she was thinking of her parents. They went to this mansion every thanksgiving weekend to visit her parents. They were buried in a plot next to the garden furthest from the house. Sometimes she was sad and he felt like he held her for hours and other visits they had a picnic and ate his mom's peach cobbler.
She walked back on her cellphone with her computer bags in hand.
"It was great seeing you tonight," she said as she placed her bags by the elevator button. She cleared the throat and said, smiled "We'll start slow - one shoe rack at a time. I'm kidding..."
"What made you change your mind?" Theo asked
"Your willingness to take a step back to be with me made me want to take a step forward- with you. "
"I love you," he said.
" Ditto, I'll call you after I check into the hotel."
"Bye"
As she placed the phone in her purse, Reid asked, "What was that about?"
"That was me dipping my foot into the lake of commitment."
Reid looked confused, "I saw Theo tonight and I'm going to try - to make this thing work. I should embrace happiness boy genius. I'm going to San Fran for a case—I'm doing things I never do – so why not add one more thing to the list," she said, as the rest of the team walked over.
He smiled a small but honest smile— "yes, letting go of the past and grabbing the future."
"Exactly."
One more chapter and it goes to crossover-ville, please like or follow for updates.
Random Question- Do you like the idea of Penelope's past taking place in Gotham, I wonder which bad guy the team will profile there? I will post once a week