Don't Own

Please R&R

Enjoy!

Penelope began to physically shake, her heart beating so fast that it felt like it would explode in her chest. Her breath with quick and her fingers trembled; she was really starting to panic. Her mind was running rampant with thoughts of how exactly someone had gotten her doll.

She lived alone and she was the only one with a key. How had, whoever it was, gotten into her apartment? Had she been home at the time? Why did they have a picture of her as a little girl? Were they watching her now? Was she in danger?

Penelope shook herself out of her thoughts, she shouldn't panic. She was, after all, in the middle of FBI headquarters, what place could be safer. No one could get in unless they had an ID or was escorted by someone with an ID.

"Calm down," Penelope said to herself out loud as she tried to figure out what she should do, "you should go to Hotch" she told herself.

Penelope looked down at the box that still sat in her lap. She knew she should try to touch it as little as possible because it might contain a finger print or other evidence, though that wasn't likely.

Penelope quickly grabbed the brown paper it had been wrapped in and used it to pick up the box without touching it. Then she jumped up from her chair and ran out of her office, her high heels clicking on the floor as she went.

She ran through the doors to the bullpen, almost knocking a woman over as she went. Penelope quickly apologized and then ran past the woman and up the stairs, tripping once but she quickly regained her balance.

When she got to Hotch's door she knocked three times, she had begun to sweat and her knees felt wobbly. She could feel everyone's eyes on her but she couldn't care less.

When she didn't hear a reply from Hotch to come in, she began knocking more frantically.

Finally she heard Hotch's voice, his tone harsh, calling for her to enter.

Penelope pushed the door open and practically stumbled into the room.

Hotch was sitting at his desk, his face stern, Penelope had just interrupted a very important phone call with the Director of the FBI.

Penelope moved to his desk, not noticing his tense demeanor at all. She practically dropped the package onto his desk, her panic was welling up in her again, her adrenaline was rushing and she was having trouble thinking straight.

Hotch frowned; the speech about not interrupting him while he was on the phone, that was on the tip of his tongue, left him after he took one look at her.

Her brow was damp with sweat and she looked shaken up.

"Garcia, what is it?" he asked "What's that?" he pointed to the package that now sat on his desk.

"It's…uh it's…" Penelope stuttered, before reaching out to steady herself on the chair in front of Hotch's desk, she was feeling light headed.

"Are you okay?" Hotch asked standing up.

It was all Penelope could do to shake her head.

"Here," Hotch said moving towards her "let's get you sitting down."

Hotch helped guide her into the seat.

As soon as she was sitting Penelope took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

Hotch turned to look at the package, he reached out to take it but Penelope quickly placed a hand on his arm "Don't," she said weakly "it might need to be analyzed."

Hotch raised a brow but drew his hand back.

Penelope ran a hand over her face, trying to get her breathing and shaky hands under control. She felt sick but she knew she had to stay calm. Hotch would know what to do, he always did.

"Okay," Hotch said gently shifting so that he was crouched down beside her "just take it easy, and tell me what happened."

Penelope nodded, she bit her lip and then began to explain "I was in my office when Chad, the kid from the mailroom, came by and gave me a package that he said arrived for me this morning."

Hotch gave her a reassuring look that told her silently that he was listening intently and that she should continue.

"I thanked him and then opened the package once he had left…" Penelope took a deep breath "Inside it was a box with my initials on it and inside that there was a doll, my doll to be specific. My childhood doll that normally sits on a shelf inside my apartment, I haven't moved it in years."

Hotch frowned and his look became more intense "Are you sure that it's the same doll, not a copy perhaps?"

"No it's the same one, there's a scratch on her back that she acquired when I was playing with her outside when I was five. It's identical Hotch" Penelope stated, her voice quiet as a shiver ran down her spine.

Hotch tensed "Wait here a moment" he said.

Penelope nodded, she hoped the unit chief didn't go far because although she knew she had nothing to be afraid of while she sat in Hotch's office, she was still on edge.

Hotch walked to his still open door and walked out of his office, he noticed that as soon as he stepped out most of the eyes in the bullpen hastily looked away, expect for those belonging to the team; they looked at him worriedly.

Hotch gave them a curt nod and gestured that they make their way to his office.

They quickly complied, walking swiftly up the steps. When they got to him Hotch shook his head "We have a problem," he said "Prentiss can you go and find Rossi and then come back to my office?"

"Yes Sir," Prentiss said and then disappeared to find the older profiler.

To the rest of the group he gave them a look and then led the way into his office.

Derek was the first to break the silence "What happened Hotch?"

Hotch sighed and made his way back to Penelope "It's bad," he said.

Penelope had unconsciously curled herself into a makeshift ball in her chair.

Derek rushed to her side "Baby Girl, are you okay?" he asked as he placed a hand on her knee.

Penelope looked up at him; she bit her lip and then shook her head. Now that Derek was there she had the overwhelming urge to cry, she always got that way around him and hated it, but she knew she yearned for his comfort.

Penelope looked away from him; she looked down at her hands instead.

"Oh Penelope" he said comfortingly and folded her into his embrace. Penelope sighed and wrapped her arms around Derek too, burrowing her face into the crook of his neck.

The others just watched their display until they heard Prentiss and Rossi enter the office and close the door behind them.

Rossi quickly made his way to the group "What happened?" he asked.

Hotch pointed to the package that was still on his desk "Garcia received a disturbing package."

Derek's head shot up "What?" he asked "What is it?"

"Garcia told me that inside it she found her childhood doll that should be sitting in her apartment on a shelf but somehow ended up in that package instead" Hotch explained.

Derek detangled himself from Penelope and rose from his spot, standing up straight he asked harshly "Are you sure it's the same doll?"

"Yes" Penelope answered, her voice still a little shaky.

Derek was shaking his head "So somehow whoever sent it was able to get into her apartment without her knowing."

"It would seem so" Hotch said.

Derek clenched his fists "Was there anything else in the package?"

Hotch looked at Penelope in question.

"Yes," Penelope answered "There was a picture of me; it looks like I was around three or four in it."

"Could it have been a picture that they took from your apartment when they snatched the doll?" Reid offered.

"No," Penelope said "I've never seen the picture before in my life but I know from the pictures I do have, which are very few, that it is me."

"You're positive?" Rossi asked.

"Yes" Penelope answered.

"When's the last time you know for sure that you saw your doll on the shelf it was supposed to be on?" Rossi asked.

"Umm…I don't know" Penelope answered.

Rossi stalked over to her and stood in front of her, his hand came down to land on her shoulder "Think really hard Garcia…when's the last time you saw the doll?"

"I…" Penelope said thinking out loud, she squeezed her eyes shut as tight as she could and rifled through her memories. When was the last time she had seen the doll? A memory hit her and she held onto it, then she snapped her eyes open.

"It was two weeks ago," she said "remember how we went to that baseball game Derek?"

Derek nodded.

"Well before you came to pick me up I couldn't find my baseball hat so I searched the whole apartment for it, I found it sitting next to the doll on the shelf. That's the last time I remember for sure seeing it."

Rossi shook his head "So the Unsub had to have entered your house in the last two weeks."

Penelope shivered at the thought.

"This isn't good Hotch" Rossi said quietly "We need to get Garcia somewhere safe."

"I know," Hotch said and Penelope didn't like the edge to his voice that she could hear "I'll get right on it and in the meantime the rest of you should begin work on a profile."

Rossi nodded.

"Take Garcia with you and don't let her out of your sight, I don't know what we're dealing with yet but whatever it is, I'm not willing to take any chances" Hotch stated before sending them on their way.