Thanks so much for the positive feedback everyone. I'm definitely looking forward to finishing this story up in the next little while. As I stated in a previous chapter, I don't want to drag this one out, I'd ideally like to have the finished story be less than 10 chapters long.
Also, just in case some of you aren't aware of the formatting options available while reading fanfiction (I didn't up until a few months ago, shame on me for not paying attention!) there are options for page size, spacing, font size, etc. in the upper right corner of the page. I find it easier to read with the page set at ¾ or ½ instead of full. Check the settings out if you haven't already.
Please feel free to send me any ideas you've got about where this story should go, I love to hear and incorporate them if I can :)
For a brief moment, Penelope could do nothing but stare at him. Dread coiled in her stomach, and she wasn't quite sure what to do. Part of her wanted to hug him; another wanted to slap him as memories of how he treated her resurfaced in her mind. Above all else, she wanted to shelter her daughter from him for as long as possible.
When she didn't move forward, or verbally acknowledge him, Derek took a few steps closer and tilted his head at her in confusion. "Garcia, are you sick?" he questioned as the profiler in him analyzed her pale, sweaty face and trembling hands. He reached out to take the car seat from her, not looking down at the child inside because he was so focused on Penelope's horror-stricken face.
Seeing him reach out for the car seat, Penelope took a step back and turned her body so it was further away from him. "N-no, it's okay, I'll hold this. Can you, uh, maybe help with my luggage instead?" She stuttered out, forcing an awkward smile on her face. Seeing him nod and move to take her suitcases instead, she let out a deep breath and bolted for the back seat of the SUV.
"Thank god for rear-facing car seats and tinted windows." she muttered as she buckled Chloe's seat into place. As an extra measure, she pulled the cover of the car seat over Chloe to give some extra concealment if Derek happened to look into the backseat while driving. She was suddenly grateful for the three-rows of seating in the SUV, it kept Derek from seeing Chloe as he loaded the trunk up with their luggage.
She knew she should tell him. Penelope Garcia never considered herself to be a woman who would keep a child from her father, but she was still terrified of what his reaction would be. Chances are, he would be mad no matter what. The question still remained on whether he would be angry because she didn't tell him, or because she had his child in the first place. Derek had made it perfectly clear what he thought of their one-night stand. She couldn't stand the thought of subjecting her daughter to the same rejection she had faced.
She heard him shutting the trunk, and she quickly shut the door to the back seat, wincing at the loud noise and praying Chloe wouldn't wake up. As she got in the front seat she glanced back quickly to assess how effective her concealment measures had been, and was satisfied that Derek wouldn't get a glimpse of Chloe during the drive.
She buckled her seatbelt when she heard him get in beside her, desperately trying to find a distraction that would prolong the moment she had to look over at him. After taking a considerable amount of time to deal with her belt, she finally sighed and looked over at him.
"I thought Emily and JJ were coming to get me? I didn't even realize you were in Virginia." She said rather suddenly.
Relieved that she was finally speaking to him, Derek quickly replied "They got called on a case a few hours ago. Since they knew I came back from New York last night, they asked if I could pick you up. They sent me your address, and told me a time to be here."
"Oh, so I guess you're just down to visit. How is the job in New York?" she asked, trying to make small talk as he pulled out of the airport. She only had to make it last for twenty minutes, just twenty minutes and she'd be home.
"No, I'm here to stay. I thought Hotch would have told you that my transfer to New York was only temporary, a three month assignment. I'm back with the BAU full-time now." He glanced at her when he heard a sharp intake of breath. He wanted to take a few minutes to profile her, but it was almost impossible to do while driving.
"N-no, uh, Hotch never mentioned that." She quickly stuttered, trying to control her breathing. She had to get a hold of herself; he was a profiler, and a damn good one at that. One sign of her not acting right and he would go into overdrive and start analyzing her actions.
Derek stared at her hard for a second, noticing how she stared out the window instead of looking at him. She was wringing her hands, and seemed to be forcing herself to take even breathes. It was all rather confusing. "So, a baby huh? I didn't even know you were pregnant when you left. Found out from JJ a month after you transferred." He tried to keep the accusation out of his voice, but wasn't sure if he succeeded. He had been quite astonished to hear of her pregnancy, and how she and Lynch packed up and transferred to Toronto.
Penelope clenched fists, and closed her eyes. "Yeah, well, I figured it wouldn't matter all that much to you. We hadn't been talking for almost three months by the time I left." She fought to keep the bitterness out of her statement, it still hurt to know that he had so easily cut her out of his life. Seeing him shift a bit beside her, knowing he was uncomfortable, she quickly changed the subject. "JJ and Emily knew because I accidently told them when we all went out for lunch one day, they decided to throw me a baby shower before I left. Reid also knew because he's just smart like that, you can't get anything past that kid." She smiled at the memory of the baby shower, and Reid timidly asking her when she was due.
Derek was relieved at the change in subject, he felt a pang in his chest when he heard the bitterness and hurt in her voice as she spoke about his treatment to her. He cleared his throat, and quickly asked "How was Toronto?"
"It was nice, really nice. Lots of diversity, plenty of things to do, not that I could do a whole lot with a newborn baby to take care of." She smiled at the thought of how beautiful the city had been to her. It had been a haven for her at a time when she needed refuge, and a place to escape to. "The work was also really good for my, uh, situation. I did almost everything from home, and I got a lot of freedom. That's something I don't get in Virginia, being property of the government and all…" she trailed off.
"So why didn't you stay?" he asked her, glancing over.
"Aside from the fact that I'm the property of Uncle Sam?" she raised an eyebrow at him. "It wasn't home. Virginia is where my friends are, and I want my daughter to know her family out here." She spoke quietly.
"And what about Lynch? Where's he? He's the kids father, he should have been travelling with you and helping you set up your apartment." He grit the words out, still disliking Lynch who had taken Penelope away from Virginia.
"Kevin still has work to do in Toronto." She lied quickly, no need for Derek to find out about Lynch's true orientation this soon. Information like that would just open up a whole new can of worms. "And my apartment is already set up. I'm living in a condo, and I already picked everything out for it online. I called ahead, and had the building manager let in the delivery people. Hotch and Rossi went ahead and set up all my furniture earlier in the week, and Reid picked up my groceries a few days ago. It's all ready to be lived in." she smiled happily at the thought of her new home, and how helpful her friends had been in getting her situated.
"Oh, I see…" he was unsure of what else to say. It seems like he had been the only one on the team unaware that Penelope was coming back to Virginia. All the others had been in the loop, and helping her for the better part of a week. He wasn't sure what to make of it.
They both stiffened when they heard a soft gurgling noise from the backseat. Penelope waited for a minute, praying Chloe wouldn't start to cry. She let out a deep breath of relief when no noise followed the gurgle. "False alarm, she makes noises in her sleep sometimes. We probably hit a bump that jarred her for a second, that's all." She couldn't keep the soft smile off her face when she thought of her daughter.
Derek relaxed as well, glancing into the backseat but unable to see the baby because of the cover on the car seat. "I never even asked her name, I'm sorry, she's been so quiet I kind of forgot she was there to be honest…" he murmured quietly.
"Her name is Chloe. She's six months old now." Penelope answered, kind of relieved that he hadn't been spending a lot of time in the car thinking of Chloe in the backseat.
"Chloe, huh? That's a nice name. Did you come up with it, or did Lynch?"
"I did. Took me a long time to narrow it down too. You don't realize just how hard it is to choose a name until you actually sit down and attempt it" she laughed, remembering all the time she'd spent scouring through baby books, and looking online for the best possible name.
"I can imagine, it's a lot of pressure, trying to name someone. So much of our identity is in our name. So, does her name match what she looks like? I bet she looks like you, Chloe is a name that would suit you, so I'm willing to bet it suits her."
"Uh, well the name suits her well I think. But she doesn't look like me, she actually looks a lot like her daddy. Almost a spitting image except for her eyes, she's got my eyes." Penelope answered him awkwardly.
Derek grimaced, imagining a miniature version of Lynch. "Er, that's good I guess…"
"Mmhmm," Penelope smiled, noting that they were pulling up to her building now. The SUV came to a stop in front. "Well, thanks for the ride. I can handle it from here, the doorman will help me with my stuff." She motioned to the man at the door, who came down and immediately greeted her warmly.
Derek nodded and got out of the car, moving to open the trunk for the man. As soon as he was unloading the trunk, Penelope scrambled out of the car and hastily unbuckled the car seat, trying not to jar it too much. She kept the hood of it up, and glanced around at Morgan before stepping back with it, making sure to face the opening away from him.
"Well, thanks again Der-Morgan. I appreciate that you came to get us. Hailing a cab at the airport is almost impossible." She smiled, watching as the doorman quickly carried her luggage inside.
Derek nodded, and moved to the driver's side, opening the door. "Not a problem Garcia. I'm assuming I'll see you on Monday in the bullpen?"
"Yep, I'll be there. Any idea on when the team is coming back from this case? I know it's hard to know, but-" she was cut off by a loud wail. She looked down at the car seat, and grimaced. "Well, someone's up. I've gotta go Morgan, she's probably hungry. I'll see you on Monday!" Penelope waved, and quickly took off into the building.
Derek stared after her, his eyebrow raised. For a second, he saw into the carseat, and could have sworn he saw a small caramel coloured face, much too dark to match Penelope or Kevin's light skin. He shook his head, writing it off as the shadow that the car seat hood had cast, and started the car.
He still couldn't shake the feeling that something strange was happening when he drove away from the building and towards his own place.
So, what did you think? Not too much action, but within the next two chapters we're looking at Derek figuring things out. Give me some suggestions on how you want this story to unfold from this point!