Penelope Garcia tugged on the hem of her ancient Cal Tech sweatshirt and wiped her clammy hands across the too-tight denim of a pair of jeans that hadn't seen the light of day in a few years and, apparently, more than a few pounds. Another nervous glance around told her that the other shoppers were paying her no mind, despite the overwhelming feeling that everyone was staring at her.

She took another deep breath and continued thumbing through the clearance rack of whatever random Virginia department store she'd wandered into. New clothes were a necessity before she started her new job next week; she rather doubted her Black Queen garb was appropriate for the FBI. Unfortunately, it had been ages since she'd done any mainstream shopping, and the size she remembered wearing was now much too small.

Great, she thought grumpily, I'm going to look boring and fat.

Her foul mood was interrupted, however, when she suddenly came across a blouse that caught her eye. It was low-cut, bright pink, and covered in flowers, it was in her new size, and it was 60% off. For what felt like the first time since she'd left Shane's house in California, she genuinely grinned.


This could totally work, Penelope decided as she inspected her outfit in the dressing room mirror. A navy pencil skirt went perfectly with the blouse, which showed off her girls beautifully and played down her other, less desirable curves. Her face was washed completely clean today and her hair was still that God-awful black she'd convinced herself she liked, but with some girly makeup and a new dye job (she was thinking blonde, or maybe a funky red), this was definitely a look she could get behind.

Her mind wandered to that gorgeous chocolate specimen who'd unlocked her cuffs during her interrogation - eyebrows, she'd called him. She couldn't wait for him to see her new look.