Chapter 2….As usual, I don't own Criminal Minds or these characters

As Morgan approached the door of Garcia's lair as she liked to call it, he heard something that stopped him short. What sounded like a soft sobbing was coming from behind the door. The sound of his baby girl crying tore at his heart like a knife. Garcia was the member of the team who always cheered everyone up when times were hard. No matter what, she always had a smile, a witty comment and a laugh for her colleagues…just what they needed when they needed it most. Now, here she was alone and crying, overcome with the emotions she had experienced and the fact that Derek hadn't thought to come to her sooner made him feel like such an insensitive jerk; where had he been when his "Goddess" had needed him? Some hero she would think he was now.

Realizing his feet had been planted outside Garcia's door, Derek finally came back to his senses and entered the office. Inside the room was dark, Penelope had even turned off all of her 'babies' and there she sat, with her head down on her desk, her body wracked with the sobs she could no longer hold back, her beautiful blond curls in a mess around her tear streaked face.

"Baby-girl, it's ok, I'm here" Derek said as he knelt beside her chair and pushed the tangle of curls away from her face. "Let me see that beautiful face of yours so I can talk to you." he said as he reached over to turn her desk lamp on.

"NO! Leave it off, leave them all off! I can't stand to see their faces anymore!" Penelope panicked as she pushed Derek's hand away from the light switch.

"Ok, ok…it's off, just talk to me baby girl. I can't stand to see you this way. At least come with me over to the couch…sit with me and we'll work through all of this, I promise". Derek gently guided Penelope over to the sofa in her office that she often used for cat naps when working long hours on a case. As he helped her out of her chair, he couldn't help but notice how she instantly buried her face in his chest and never allowed her self to look up as he led her to the couch. Together they sat, and Derek pulled her close and wrapped her as tightly as he could in his arms hoping, somehow, he was doing something to make her feel safe again.

After a few minutes, as her crying began to wane, he kissed her tenderly on the forehead and slowly lifted her chin with his finger so he could see her face.

"Ok gorgeous, it's time to talk to me. What is it that has you so distraught? You did an excellent job on this case, hell babygirl, you broke this case! I know Hotch told you how well you did and the rest of us know that without you, Sweetness, this psycho would have never been caught and more lives would have been lost. So what's going on in that beautiful head of yours?"

"Oh, Derek, what have I done? " Garcia's body began to tremble again as she thought of all of the bad things she had uncovered about 35, dead, innocent people. People who didn't' deserve to have their lives splayed open for the world to see, people who were no different from her or any member of the team, people who were just going about their daily lives, trying to lead good and productive lives.

"Done? You haven't done anything except help get a crazy, dangerous man off the streets, Penelope" Derek tried to explain to the clearly frightened woman next to him.

"No Derek! What I have done is taken 35 perfectly honest people's lives and torn them apart." Penelope quickly stood up and walked over to the light switch, turning it on and assaulting her office in harsh fluorescent lights. "Look at these faces, Derek. They should all be remembered for the good in their lives and instead, all of my digging and searching has done nothing but bring out all the bad! This is how they will be remembered and it's all because of me, what I found!" Suddenly, Garcia ran from the room, having to get away from the staring faces around her.

Hearing those words, Derek began to realize what had happened to his best friend that was causing her so much pain. Penelope was the one who, no matter what, who always saw the good in any situation. She was definitely the one who could always make lemonade out of the lemons life handed her. But this was different somehow…she had been asked to do something so opposite to her nature, so appalling to her, and she had done it and done it well. It was evidently scaring the hell out of her and Derek knew he had to do something to get his Princess back on track.

She needed help and the team needed back the Garcia they had come to know and love. Truth be told, Derek knew HE needed back the Garcia he LOVED and he was going to do everything in his power to make things right. He had ignored his feelings far too long and now was the time he needed to let her know and that she needed to hear them. She needed to be shown the good in life again…and know matter what, Derek was going to make sure that happened. Running out the door, he vowed to catch his beautiful baby girl and never let her go again….

TBC!

I hope you like. Please read and review, let me know what you think! I'm not sure how long this is going to be but I guess I will just write until I feel the story is done. I'm thinking a couple of more chapters, who knows?