While poor Penelope was working her fingers to the bone at Quantico, President Gideon was being harassed by his most trusted advisor, Alex Blake.
"It's just completely absurd to have a vice president who isn't married! It opens the media to all sorts of speculation, especially since your wife passed. It's too late to pick another running mate; campaign season starts in a little under a month. He needs someone. That would go a long way to solidify your second term."
"I can't force the man into a relationship," Gideon replied, slightly exasperated. "He's a grown man, for crying out loud! He can make his own choices. I'm not his father."
"No, but you're the closest thing he has to one. He values your opinion. Talk to him." Blake urged. "I'm not saying force him. I'm saying suggest it to him."
"How do you purpose I 'suggest' it to him?"
"Everybody loves a party," she replied, sauntering out of the room.~
Garcia groaned as she picked up the seemingly never ending pile of paper work on her desk. She felt like she'd be at this for the rest of her life. Then she realized—she would be! This was her job, her career, she was stuck in it. Unless she could find something better, which wasn't even an option until her contract expired.
Settling in for more work, Garcia noticed a very official looking piece of mail that had gotten mixed in with her paperwork. The return address was the White House! Garcia wondered what it could be and if she should open it.
"Eh," she said as she picked up her letter opener. Inside the cream colored envelope, a matching cream colored invitation was nestled in ribbon and tissue paper. Pulling it out, Garcia saw a personal note thrown inside:
"Make sure the whole team attends! It's sure to be a splendid event!"- Blake
There was going to be a ball at the White House, to honor the vice President's birthday. How fun! Garcia needed some fun and wanted to go very badly.
She knew, however, that the invitation had not been intended for her. Carrying the envelope and all its contents upstairs to her boss, she worried how much trouble she would be in when Strauss realized she had opened the letter. She knocked on the door, and was told to enter.
"This somehow ended up in the general BAU mail. Since it wasn't addressed specifically to you, I opened it with the other mail. My apologies, ma'am," Garcia apologized before Strauss even had a chance to look at the invitation.
"I've come to expect incompetence from you, anyways. Was there something else you wanted?"
"It's just..well, ma'am, the letter inside. I read it, too. It says the whole team should attend."
"So it does."
"Doesn't that include me?"
Strauss glared at Penelope like her head had just burst into flames. "I suppose it does. But you have a lot of work to catch up on. And I'm sure you have nothing suitable to wear. You'd just embarrass yourself, as well as me."
Garcia couldn't help the little waves of excitement bubbling up inside of her. "I promise I won't. I'll find something you'd approve of, ma'am. And I'll finish all of my work today."
"Very well. You'd better get busy, then."
"Yes ma'am," Garcia said, rushing out of the office. She hurried back to her basement office, practically floating on air. It had been so long since she had done anything fun! Tomorrow night was going to be magical. She was sure of it!