Hey, all! Sorry for the delay in other uploads, but here is another Morgan/Garcia one-shot for y'all. You think you know what's happening at first, but you have no idea. :p Please review!
A few weeks after the events of "Penelope."
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Derek Morgan asked quietly, his hands on her stomach. His eyes were boring into hers, ready and easily able to search out any signs of dishonesty.
Penelope Garcia nodded slightly. "Just do it," she breathed, her two front teeth darting out to bite her lip before retreating back behind her lips. She scrunched her eyes shut as Derek's hands moved just a little bit lower… and then the bandages began to come off. She leaned her head back as the layers slowly came away, Derek's hands never pressing down or causing any pain at all.
It was unfathomable to her to think that the shooting had been weeks ago. At first, she'd thought she'd never get over it, but Derek hadn't left her side ever since it had happened. He'd spent every single night in her apartment, even after they had caught him, because even though Jason Clark Battle had died physically, he lived on in Penelope's mind. For weeks, the nightmares had tormented her, but before she was even aware that she was awake and screaming, Derek already had her in his arms, careful enough not to aggravate the bullet and surgery wounds, but enough to bring her back to reality as he whispered, "Shhh, Babygirl, it's alright. He's gone. I'm the only one here. It's only me, baby. It's only me."
The nightmares had mostly faded, and now they were focusing on the physical healing. The bullet had ravaged her abdomen, and Penelope had developed a habit of holding her arm across her stomach, almost as if to keep it together. Now, she was forcing herself to grip the edge of the bed as Derek reached the bottom two layers. He reached for her hand, prying it off the bed and holding it in his. "Babygirl, I don't know if you want to look-"
"Just do it." Her voice shook, but Derek obeyed, a little concern playing on his forehead. She gently slid her hand out of his to return it to the bed post, shaking. The bandages came away, and Penelope looked down at her stomach, not sure what to expect.
It was a map of purple bruises and surgery incisions, with stitches thrown in like confetti. Searching her stomach, she found the original bullet hole, and a little pride was born within the sadness. She had survived. She'd won. Changing her gaze to meet Derek's, she was alarmed to find his eyes filling. Her hand flew to his face, her thumb resting on his cheek. "Hey. I'm still here." She couldn't get him to meet her eyes. They were trained on her stomach, horror completely obscuring the previous concern.
"Babygirl, I'm so sorry," he whispered, unable to take his gaze off the ruined skin of her stomach. He took a rattling breath in, finally obeying her gentle tugs at his chin to tip his face up to hers. There was now strong resolve in his eyes. "This will never happen to you again, Penelope. Never. I will never let anyone hurt you, ever again." He was eye level with her from his one-knee crouch on the floor, and she leaned her forehead forward to meet his, letting only the one stray tear fall. There was no need to cry anymore; she was safe, and she was okay.
He caught her attention again. "You know… when I say that I love you, silly girl, you know that I mean it, right?"
"Right," she nodded slightly, barely tightening her hand on his cheek before dropping it back into his. They both knew what he meant, fully understanding the enormity of the words and the meaning he was putting behind them. They had been tested, and they had triumphed. That was enough for Penelope to understand that with Derek Morgan, she could be more than just Penelope Garcia, Goddess of All Things Technology, not that that wasn't enough. With Derek Morgan, she could be someone bigger than herself; she could mean more to him than ever, and there wasn't anything unappealing about it to her. The way they completed each other was unique and special in any way that either of them could think of.
The next hour found them asleep on Penelope's bed, in the usual position they had created so she could stay comfortable, but close to him. His arm was slung across her shoulders, his right hand reaching across his body to lay on top of hers, which was resting on her hip. Her left arm was strung across her stomach lightly to gently hook onto Derek's side. They fit together like puzzle pieces, perfectly complementing one another; there were no other pieces to suit them as properly as the ones they had now.