Hey there! I would like to say Gratzie for the reviews, I really hope you guys are enjoying yourselves while reading this fic. I will not give you excuses if I have factual errors in my stories, I'm only human and I hope to correct as many as I can; as I grow as a writer. I've been on fanfic for 6 solid years and it's been one of the most honorable and exciting things I have ever been a part of. So, thanks. -SweetAngelofMusic
Blissful Burdens
Chapter 4
"A couple have just been reported missing." J.J. whispered to Hotch the next morning at the police station. He turned to looked at her; immediately alarmed. "Jess and John Roberts. They were reported missing by John's mother; Bridget, after they failed to show up at the art gallery opening in the square last night."
"It's been less than 48 hours, maybe they just forgot. It happens to the best of us." he edified her under the faulty circumstances.
"Not when it's the grand opening of your "own mother's gallery." J.J. informed using air quotes via the woman in question. "His mother seems very paranoid, she's been watching the case on the news since the beginning, but she says that something's not right; her son wouldn't miss one of the most important days of her life; one she's been working on for twenty years. She called their cells, home, Jess' work, even stopped by the house. They're MIA."
"Get the team together in the conference room." Hotch instructed. "If this is our unsub's doing, this can't get any further."
XO
Morgan stirred his coffee and kept a good distance between him and Garcia. She was seated at the table in the conference room, next to Reid with Morgan standing over to the side. He tried talking to her earlier, but he got a solid snub as she casually pulled Prentiss into conversation before he had a chance to act. He would have to confront her in a private location so she wouldn't have any good reason not to talk to him.
"Actually." Garcia spoke pulling Morgan out of his stupor. "Morgan would probably be more useful investigating the two new missing person cases. He's really no good to me when I'm on the computers."
"That's not a bad idea." Hotch notified. "We've been missing your sharp eye on the battlefront Morgan."
"But, Sir." Derek interjected.
"Morgan can go with Reid and Prentiss and check out the missing couples home and Rossi and I can go to the last two crime scenes and look for clues." Hotch confirmed. "Garcia, you can analyze the laptops here at the station for precautionary matters. You never know if our unsub wants to return in bad taste."
"That's fine." Penelope confirmed feeling daggers coming from Morgan's direction.
"I have a meeting with the KRQE News 13 in an hour. We're giving a PSA to all locals on the newest security measures." J.J. told the team. " The unsub is a full throttle locomotive at this point. We're going to have to implode the tracks to catch this guy."
"All we have to go on is the unsub likes to eat sunflower seeds. We don't have nearly enough to go on here. Anyone and everyone is a suspect at this point and we can't even profile the unsub because we don't know what we're dealing with." Rossi stood up feeling just as frustrated as Hotch looked. "How is it, that no video surveillance; even in the recreational center, have caught a glimpse of the murderer. Or, the actual residence of our victims. Nobody noticed a straggler peeping through people's windows?"
A lightbulb went of in Reid's head as he analyzed what Rossi had just pointed out.
"Guys." Reid stood up, placing his hands down on the table. "The recreational center is the one place all of the vicims came together. It's the one place they all went to regularly."
"He's right." J.J. confirmed. "Jennifer Johnson volunteered at the same art class Tyler Mission taught."
"Caleb Michaels; little league coach, practiced at the baseball field on the park grounds right next to the recreational center." Prentiss added.
"Monica Kellar and Leann Edwards?" Rossi asked. The team couldn't figure that one out until Prentiss remembered seeing pompoms near the benches when she investigated the crime. It made her wonder.
"Cheerleading coaches?" Prentiss asked aloud. "Both beautiful, friendly, peppy young women in their mid 20's reliving their high school golden years through younger girls and pompoms."
"Possibly." J.J. replied. "I can confirm or deny it through the squad."
"What about Jessie Metzler?" Hotch asked.
"Concessions?" Reid asked. "A lot of the people who work concessions do it free of charge. It' goes along with being a part of the community and trying to make a difference through deliverance to children and reconnecting society as a whole." he talked with his hands as the other's started to realize the outcome. "It seems our unsub isn't too keen on trying to make a positive difference in the growing community. He's punishing those who do good."
XO
"We're looking for a male; ethnicity is undetermined at this point, who is targeting individuals who are trying to make a positive difference to children and the growing community. All the previous victims contributed to recreational activities, such as sports, cheerleading, crafts and other things that fall into aid and support through volunteering." J.J. press conference was going well, the point was too get the message to everyone. Nobody was safe and it was there job to show how delicate the case had become. While J.J. and Hotch handled the press, Morgan, Reid and Prentiss returned to the park.
"Our unsub first targets his victims by sending them viruses through their e-mails. If you receive any type of spam e-mail from a site called livefreeordiedotorg, please notify the police right away. It's a good chance that you could be the next victim. This murderer cares not of gender, race or size; he will attack whenever mood strikes; whenever he feels threatened by a "do-gooder."
The press went loco with questions and J.J. handled them very well. They were on the track of catching the killer. Good news struck when they found out the "missing" couple from earlier was no longer missing; just strategically eschewing.
The team hadn't taken a break and had actually gotten several tips since the conference; each sadly led nowhere. Reid had fallen asleep in his chair; resting perfectly still in an upright position. Prentiss sighed deeply as she tried to stay awake, reading through files.
Morgan grabbed two coffees and proceeded over to Penelope who was typing so fast she left a trail of smoke. She had that determined stare towards the screen, refusing to take a break like her team members. Garcia wouldn't quit till they were one inch closer to catching the fiend.
Suddenly, Morgan pulled up a chair next to her; placing her coffee a reachable; but safe distance from the laptop.
"Can't talk right now." She said coldly to him as she hacked through all e-mails on Leann Edwards computer.
"You can make time." Morgan said quietly trying not to disturb the other two.
"No." she stopped and turned to him; giving a stern and final look. "I really can't." Penelope swiftly turned back to the screen and continued what she was doing.
Morgan sighed, leaned back in his chair and took a long drink of coffee. He had pissed off the girl of his dreams and coincidentally enough; his best friend. She wanted nothing to do with him; then again, could he blame her?
"Garcie, please." He begged quietly, leaning forward.
"Morgan." Penelope stopped her typing summarily and looked down at the keys; anywhere but his pleading face. "I feel like a real idiot right now and I don't want to talk about it. It was my mistake, I was expecting too much. Can we please just forget it happened and move on? Please, Derek." She finally turned her gaze and looked at him with hurt eyes. "Please." The word came out as an almost inaudible whisper.
"It wasn't a mistake, for anybody." He argued.
She sighed, frustrated. Garcia hadn't slept at all last night and now she was on pins and needles. It was 11:15 at night and she was running on coffee and a pack of orange tic tacs she found at the bottom of her purse; future reference, not a good combination.
"I'm too tired to do this." She confessed.
"I'm sorry, let's talk about it later." He comforted.
"Not this-" she indicated the two of them talking. "I mean this." she waved at the computer. "I am just so tired, I have been looking at scripts and encryptions for hours and my head hurts. I feel so stressed out that we're not going to catch this guy and it's going to be on my head. I haven't found any sourcable clues for you guys to run on and now my names going to be on another victims headstone. I just can't do what you guys expect from me, I'm running in circles, looking for things that aren't there and now I see spots. Oh God, I see spots. I'm going blind!"
"Garcie, calm down!" Morgan said grabbing her and pulling her into a hug. "You're just overwhelmed, breathe. It'll be fine. Without you here, we wouldn't even be this far. You picked up on so many things that we overlooked and it's because of you that we're going to catch this guy. It'll be alright. Trust me." She looked up and got lost in his over charming and trusting eyes; her first mistake. "Let's get some air."
She nodded slowly and let him help her up. The two of them proceeded outside; where there was a light breeze. Leaning back against the rail, Morgan watched Penelope take a deep breath in and out. She felt calmer already and more relaxed. Morgan always made her feel better. She was worried that their misperception could change all that.
"Penelope, I never wanted to hurt you." Derek told her.
"I understand that when we kissed, we crossed many boundaries." She said carefully. "But, I was alright crossing those, I thought since you kissed me, that you'd be alright with it too."
"It was perfect." He reassured her. "I did want that—I do want that."
"Then why do I have such a hankering feeling in my gut that you despised it?" she asked him.
Morgan shook his head slowly, he didn't want to give her the wrong answer. Truth be told, even if he found the right answer, it would still be wrong.
"Guys, we're all returning to the hotel now. Hotch says we need our rest." J.J. stuck her head out of the door and was immediately alarmed when she saw the pained looked on both Morgan and Garcia's face. She hoped they would be able to sort out whatever was going on between the two of them. Love was a many-splendored thing, but also a very chaotic, stressful thing. J.J. knew that through experience.
"Thanks, J.J." Garcia said.
"Baby Girl, can we please finish this when we get back?" he asked.
"I'm still your baby girl?" she asked with happy sadness.
"Always." He smiled softly at her; hearteningly. She hesitated and then answered him.
"Fine, but don't make me cry this time or else." She punched his chest playfully as he took her under his arm and squeezed her to him, choking out a laugh.
When they all retired to their hotel rooms half an hour later, Garcia pulled off her scarf and threw it on the bed as Morgan shut the door behind him.
"Want some coffee?" she asked him as she plugged in the mini coffee pot that came with the room. If she didn't get caffeine in her, she would faint from exhaustion. The idea of Morgan carrying her to bed in his arms satisfied her for about a second, then she felt the heartache that she had been feeling all day long.
"Uh, sure." he agreed taking a seat on her bed.
As it brewed, Garcia looked for anything to make the awkward tension in the room disappear. She turned the TV on to a medium level and opened her window to the sound of a busy street below.
"Garcie?" he asked after she pretended to be looking for something in her travel case. "Garcie?" Morgan knew what was going on here. She didn't want to talk to him, he could tell by the way she busied herself with ineffectual tasks; anything to put off their discussion. He stood up and walked over to her, annoyed by her immaturity. "Penelope, relax." He gripped her shoulders and made her freeze instantly.
The memory of the movement that led to the kiss instantly flooded her brain and she felt weak and incompetent under his force; blissful but burdening.
"I need to explain something to you." He said slowly pulling her over to the bed. Gently forcing her to sit down, he took a seat on the mattress next to her. She was hesitant to look him in the eye; intimidated, scared of what she would confess to him in her gaze. "Damn it Garcia, look at me." He gently turned her head to look him in the eye and became spellbound with the softness of her skin against his hand. Penelope looked up at him; innocence in her eyes.
Morgan felt the need to protect her from all harm. He wanted to be her shield in the fight of good vs. evil. He counted himself as her biggest threat, but it didn't stop him from caving in. It didn't stop him from suddenly pushing his lips atop hers in a swift act of ardor. It didn't stop him from overcoming her body with his and pushing her down on the bed and condemning her every thought till they all led to one thing; desire.
It was as if the whole world flew away at that moment. It was just the two of them in the heat of the moment, in the heat of each other's arms. The room became the sanctuary both parties had been stinging for; a catacomb to relish in dark deeds.
It felt like a long-awaited dream had come true when he introduced himself to her; savoring every inch, every sound, it was all so illuminating. Garcia relinquished all rights to him. She would give him her soul if he had only asked. It became apparent that he was the only thing she ever needed; only thing she ever wanted. He was her everything; sun, moon, stars, breath. Without him, she did not live; merely existed.
Morgan had taken her by storm, leaving behind a trail of debris consisting of all her pain, worries and strife. Not only was he the storm, but also the rainbow.
It was when Morgan stared up at the ceiling a few hours later had realized the true mechanism of his actions. He had ultimately crossed the line. There was no undoing what he had done. It felt like a mistake; a beautiful mistake. But now, he had to take responsibility for their actions.
They had been safe, of course. But besides that, he had to stop what he was doing. He had to stop acting like a hormonal crazed teenager who stumbled into his dad's collection of Playboy's.
Turning his head to look at the clock that read 2:14am, Derek slowly and gently crept out of the bed. He got dressed as quickly as possible and wasn't sure if he should leave a note or just sneak out. He felt utter guilt in every aspect though.
"Where are you going?" he heard Garcia ask in a quiet and tired voice.
"Uh." He froze. "I was-heading back to my room." He told her honestly.
"Why don't you just stay here?" she asked shifting in bed.
He was hesitant to reply, she could see the remorse written on his face from the natural moon light that drifted into the room and that made a horrible feeling run through her.
"What wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing." He said it too nonchalantly to be just that.
"Morgan, please be honest with me." Garcia rose out of bed wrapping the sheet around her body.
Morgan didn't want to do this right now. But if he didn't, he would hate himself even more.
"Garcie, I took advantage of you." he told her. "I shouldn't have taken things so far without fully giving myself to you."
"What do you mean?" the tears started to swell in her eyes. "Did you regret it? Did you regret… everything?"
"No, no, no! Of course not." He told her walking over to her, but she pushed him away. "It was all perfect, I shouldn't have been so cavalier about it, though. I want you, Penelope." He told her outright. "I just can't have you." His words stung as he said them. Sadness flew out with the words, you could hear it, feel it; it surrounded.
"I'm right here!" she told him as a single tear rolled down her cheeks. "You can have all of me, take it all." She indicated herself as a few more tears streamed down her face. "I want to be with you, I want a life with you, Derek."
Morgan was so frustrated, hearing those words come from her mouth made his heart hurt. It weighed him down so he felt like the world was resting on his shoulders.
"I can't have you, Penelope!" he yelled to her definitively. "I can't protect you!" Those were the words that made him break down. It had finally come out of the shadows. He had confessed to her that he was not suitable to take care of her.
She looked at him with big eyes; stubborn eyes.
"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." she told him peacefully. Garcia wanted him to know it; believe it because it was true.
"No, you can't!" he told her. "Even the best, well-trained agents in the bureau can't be protected! If anything ever happened to you, I wouldn't be able to live with myself! You're the perfect target for someone getting back at me. There's nothing, no one I would try harder to protect, than you." Morgan's words were so solid, so concrete nothing could come between them and the truth. The pleading desperation in his eyes for her to understand was almost plagued by the isolation in his tone.
Garcia walked over to him and welcomed him in a heartwarming hug.
"If anyone tried to hurt you, I guarantee that I would take them out before they had a shot at getting you." she said quietly.
"Garcia, that's too much to ask for. I won't let your life be turned upside down for me."
"Would you please just stop?" she asked pulling away. "You act like I'm dying. I'm fine, you're fine. Every day is unpredictable." Garcia said with determination. "That doesn't mean we put off living because we're too scared to. We live each day to the fullest and make sure it counts. We need to live for the victims who never had a chance to live. We will do it in their honor and make it worth it." Penelope was a strong woman. "If something happens; God forbid, we need to remember all the wonderful memories and know that there are people out there who care about us and love us. No one is ever alone."
Morgan could clearly see what he failed to see before. Life is a scary, tricky place but it's also a beautiful, joyful place where you can live and love and cherish. Penelope Garcia saw the glass half full whilst he saw the glass half empty. From now on, they would both appreciate the substance in the glass instead of worrying about it overflowing or running out.
"Now, can we please go back to bed?" she asked him. Morgan smiled lightly as he squeezed Garcia. "I'm drained."
"Yeah." he said warmly. "Can I cuddle my baby girl?"
"Cuddle away." she replied crawling into bed.
A/N-Yowza! That was pretty intense, huh? This is not the end although it may seem like it. Keep reading cause there's a lot more coming in future chapters! Review time!