A/N: Set Season 10. I might have tweeked the characters in the season a little bit to fit what I saw in my mind for this story. I just wanted to write something light and fluffy. No romance!
Garcia was spending her day off curled up on the couch in her favorite old t-shirt and silky hot pink pajama pants on. A steaming cup of hot cocoa topped with fluffy marshmallows was sitting next to her. The television was turned to an old re-run of Friends with her laptop placed on top of her lap so she could play computer games. This was her ideal day off, just relaxing and avoiding anything stressful, gruesome, or sad. Her phone buzzed next to her and she reached for it, smiling once she read the text message. Ice cream?
She quickly responded to Morgan's text asking for time and place as she shut down her laptop and headed to her closet to change. 30 minutes? Wherever you want. I'll come get you. Garcia's smile grew. Morgan always treated her like she was the Queen of England. I'll be ready! :) Garcia replied as she rushed into the bathroom to do her makeup.
A knock on the door sent Garcia scurrying to the door. She was just finishing getting ready but she didn't want Morgan to wait outside the door. She had decided to put on a very summery looking bright pink dress with white polka dots all over it. There was a thin gold belt around the waist and she was matching it with gold sandals with big white flowers. It was a warm day outside, so if Morgan decided he wanted to go for a walk after ice cream, she wouldn't get too hot. Morgan was prone to turning a small trip into a big adventure.
"Hey baby girl!" Morgan's brilliantly white smile lit up the whole room as Garcia swung the door open. He enveloped her with a huge hug before stepping into Garcia's small studio apartment. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans. He enjoyed being able to dress down when he wasn't at work. He had enjoyed being able to sleep in with his arms wrapped around his love, Savannah, and know he was not going to be called into work.
"You didn't have any plans with Savannah today?" She loved that Morgan had finally found a woman who understood his crazy schedule and treated him with love and kindness. Savannah and Morgan fit so well together and it was different than the normal 'date-and-drops' that Morgan normally did. He actually seemed to care about a future with this woman and that made Garcia happy. She was glad to see him starting to settle down a little bit and loved seeing Morgan hold Savannah's hand or the way he was always able to keep her laughing.
"She got called into work." Morgan made a sad face as he plopped down on the couch, reaching for the remote. "You finish getting ready and I'll catch the last of the game." He had grown up in a houseful of women and knew better than to rush them. He smiled as he thought about the times with his sisters and mother rushing to get ready in the mornings while he got to catch an extra thirty minutes of cartoons. He enjoyed considering himself a low maintenance man.
"You're the best." Garcia chirped as she hurried back into the bathroom to put on the final touches. It took her another ten minutes to finish and she was ready to go. She came back out and found Morgan completely engrossed in some soccer game. "I'm ready!" She announced as she walked closer to Morgan. She did not follow any sports so she had no idea what was going on the screen in front of her. All sports were all just some athletic men and women kicking or hitting a ball around on a field in her mind.
"Let's go!" He jumped up, turning the television off. He held out his arm and slung it casually around Garcia's shoulder as they walked to his car. He opened her car door before walking around to his side. It was that type of thing that made Garcia realize even more that Savannah was the luckiest woman in the world. Garcia adored her friendship with Morgan and seeing him grow through the years made her heart happy. "Where do you want to go?"
"It's a little bit of a drive, but what about Gumbo's?" Garcia named off her favorite ice cream spot. It wasn't just some chain, but a small, hole in the wall ice cream parlor that had some of the best ice cream Garcia had found. She had introduced Morgan to it a few years ago, but it was rare that they found the time to make it down there. Morgan nodded and headed for the interstate. They spent most of the drive with the radio going, not needing to talk to enjoy the other's company. That was one thing that had blossomed in their years of friendship, was the ability to just spend time together.
Morgan held the door open to the ice cream parlor as they walked in. Garcia felt her jaw drop when she realized that she knew over half of the people inside the shop. Savannah, Hotch, Beth, Jack, JJ, Will, Henry, Reid, Kate, Chris, Meg, and Rossi were huddled around one table. Hot pink balloons and a huge banner that said Happy Birthday was hung behind them along with a large bouquet of flowers in the center of the table.
"Surprise! Happy birthday!" They all exclaimed together with big grins on their faces. Henry and Jack jumped up and down as they yelled. They were holding signs that Garcia was sure they had made themselves. They were covered in colorful scribbles and drawings of things that Garcia did not recognize, but loved all the same. There was a huge pile of presents on one side of the table. Garcia felt her heart bursting with happiness as her brain comprehended why everyone was here.
"Did you suspect anything?" JJ asked as she broke out of the group first to hug Garcia. It was so rare that they had opportunities to assemble the entire group and their families for a happy occasion. "We know your birthday isn't until next week, but we won't be off, so this was the closest we could get." They had started planning this almost two weeks ago, but with their crazy and unpredictable schedule, they all were relieved that it had worked out.
"You guys!" Garcia couldn't stop a few tears from rolling down her cheeks in pure happiness. Her work family was so amazing. They never stopped showing her just how loved she was, even though she knew she got on their last nerve sometimes. She knew that Morgan had probably spearheaded this. She turned to him and wrapped her arms around him. "How did you know I'd come here?"
"I'm a profiler." Morgan replied cheekily. Garcia gave him a playful push as she laughed along with everyone else. "Let's eat some ice cream!" No one had any objections to that and they all made a line. Hotch and Beth had to talk Jack out of wanting to get a banana split, knowing it came with five scoops of ice cream. He finally settled for a scoop of chocolate ice cream with a cone settled on top. JJ and Will decided to get Henry a small milkshake with a lid instead of having him try to handle ice cream. He was in a stage of wanting to do everything by himself and JJ knew the huge messes that came with it. Kate and Will spent several minutes teasing each other on their 'disgusting' ice cream flavors. This was the side of the team that did not exist inside of the office.
"I can't believe none of you guys said anything!" Garcia said once they had all gotten their ice cream. She looked around, smiling at the wide variety of ice cream choices that her team had picked. There were cones and cups, an ice cream sandwich, and two milkshakes spread across the table.
"I almost broke yesterday." Reid volunteered, raising his hand sheepishly. While he could keep government sanctioned secrets under extreme duress, he had trouble hiding surprises like birthday parties. It was one of those things that she loved about the boy genius. Even with his high IQ and PhDs, he still had this boyish side that included loving practical jokes and a lack of ability to not blurt out secrets about pregnancies or new boyfriends. "You were talking about a game you were buying for yourself for your birthday." Garcia just nodded and smiled, knowing Reid all too well.
"I almost didn't tell you until today for that reason." Morgan laughed as he clapped her on the back. Hotch just shook his head. His team might look like misfits to the outside eye, but he knew they were perfect together. The group was completely relaxed as they joked with each other. There were no pictures of dead bodies or gunshots, or any talk of police or unsubs. Garcia smiled as she took in the group in front of her. They were finally getting to enjoy one day where everything had gone right and no one had been hurt. Days like this did not come often and they intended to spend every minute making happy memories.
Hope that wasn't too abrupt or bad? I like to take breaks from writing the dark and grim stuff every once in a while!