Tara sipped on her glass of wine while Rossi and Emily made their way over to the table. She shook her head at their unspoken question. All three team members signed and stared anxiously at the door.
"What time were Matt and Reid picking Luke up?" Rossi already knew the answer, but he asked anyway. He wanted to do something, anything. Despite all his failed marriages, he was still a hopeless romantic and truly wanted things to work out for two of his favourite people. The sound of Emily's voice brought him back to focus on the two women sitting with him.
"If all went well, they should be arriving any minute." As if on cue, Matt and Reid stepped through the door as the last word left Emily's lips. A moment later, all five team members were sitting around the table, drinks in hand. They all stared expectantly at each other, no one quite sure what to say. Ultimately it was Reid who broke the silence with a nervous chuckle.
"Who knew five adults could find themselves so invested in the happiness of others. I wonder if this is what watching reality television is like." Reid looked to his friends and noticed they were all struggling to hold in their laughter. Matt was the first to fail to do so.
"Well even though she would kill me for letting her secret guilty pleasure out, Kristy never misses an episode of The Bachelor or Bachelorette. I tease her for getting so into it, but I feel like I am doing the same thing. Here I am, waiting on pins and needles, hoping for two people to get together. All that's missing is the rose." And with that, all five burst into laughter. Things had been so awful late and it felt good to share in a moment of levity. All they needed was the last piece of their plan to fall into place, and that responsibility was resting solely on one agent's shoulders.
xxxx
Penelope slowly swallowed the last of her veggie burger. She wanted to savor the last of her lunch date with JJ. She knew how lucky she was to have the blonde agent for a bear friend, but JJ had really outdone herself today. After being dragged out of her apartment, the two blondes spent all morning shopping at their favourite stores. Garcia had even found herself laughing every so often. It was hard to be heartbroken when your best friend was trying so hard to put a smile on your face.
"Thanks for the lunch Garcia, but you didn't have to do that." JJ wiped the last crumbs of her BLT off her lips with her napkin. Washing it down with her iced tea, she knew the real work lay ahead of her. She still wasn't sure how she was going to manage it. JJ was just about to suggest dessert when a flash of brilliance hit her.
"It's the least I can do. Thank you for today, it really meant a lot to me." Garcia paused when she noticed the giant grin on her friend's face. "Ok, out with it. What is going on in that evil mind of yours?" JJ crossed her fingers under the table and hoped for the best.
"Well, I am glad you had a good day, but it isn't over yet. I have one more surprise for you, but I am going to have to blindfold you." Seeing the skeptical look on Garcia's face, JJ hurried to explain herself. "It's actually Henry's surprise and I promised I would keep it a secret. Trust me, it will be worth it." At least I hope so, she thought. She swallowed the guilt she felt at using Henry's name I her lie, but knew it was for the greater good. Besides, if this worked, Henry would be excited to see his godmother happy once again.
As soon as they got to the car and the makeshift blindfold was in place, JJ sent off a quick text. She knew if she could just get through the next fifteen minutes and the planets aligned just right, it would be worth it. Smiling, even though she knew Garcia couldn't see it, JJ spoke with more confidence than she felt. "And we're off. Let's do this!"
xxxx
Emily read the text from JJ with a slight smirk. She knew JJ would figure something out. She looked up to realize the rest of the team were staring at her expectantly. All conversation had ceased, none of them wanting to miss out on the update. Emily could not keep from chuckling. They really were living a reality TV moment.
"JJ is on route. She has the package ready for delivery, so we are back in waiting mode." There was a collective sigh from the table and Rossi made a signal for another round of drinks. They were all used to being in control and on the go. Sitting and waiting was not anyone's forte. Tara was the first to speak.
"We've been so concentrated on everything else, but I admit to being curious about the other side of this story. Has anyone heard from Morgan?" Tara hadn't worked with Morgan that long, so she had never expected to stay in touch. But surely he had reached out to someone in the month since. She heard a slight clearing of a throat. She looked up to see all eyes on the young doctor.
Reid shifted uncomfortably under the team's gaze. He had been anticipating this moment for a while, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to it. He took a slow swallow of his sweet tea and sighed. There was no getting around it, so he might as well just get it over with.
Morgan had in fact been in touch with Reid. Over the years and throughout the whole Garcia debacle, they had remained close. They still saw each other as brothers and Reid knew nothing would ever change that.
When Garcia had made it clear where her heart lay, Morgan had left the FBI building and headed straight to the airport. He hasn't been ready to return home yet, but he knew he couldn't stay where he was. Instead, he hopped on a plane and went straight to one of the rental properties he was renovating. He shut down all communication and took a few days to take stock of his life.
When he turned his cellphone back on, it lit up with dozens of missed calls and messages. Morgan was shocked to hear about Luke's accident. More than anything he wanted to reach out and comfort Garcia, but knew it was not the time. Instead, he contacted Reid to get the story. Once he knew the details, the bits and pieces of Morgan's heart shattered further and guilt settled in. He might not have been driving the car that hit Alvez, but he still felt responsible.
After giving Reid explicit instructions to call him as soon as Alvez got discharged from the hospital, Morgan headed home. He was unsure of where he stood with Savannah, but Hank needed his daddy.
Pulling into the drive, Morgan took a deep breath and slowly made his way to the front door. Just as he reached for the handle, the door was flung open and there stood his family. Hank threw himself at his father and Savannah offered him a small smile.
"Welcome home." It was more of a question than a statement, but Morgan couldn't fault her for that. If he was still unsure of everything, how could he expect her to be. He simply picked up his son, wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and walked into the house. His heart had been broken, but knew he had hurt Savannah as well. Maybe together they could help heal each other and find their way back together.
"So, it might be a while before we hear from Morgan again." Reid spoke in a soft voice, the rest of the team silently taking in what he has told them. They would all miss his visits, but if Morgan was going to save his family, it would require all his focus. Not one of them could blame him for that.
All they could do now was wait and that was something none of them excelled at. Unfortunately they had no choice. Tipping back the last of his drink, Rossi waved over their server to order another round. It was turning out to be a very long day.
xxxx
Penelope felt as if they had been driving forever. JJ kept up a steady stream of chatter, but Penelope had let her mind wander. Although the day had been fun, she missed Luke. There was a huge part of her heart missing and she was beginning to truly believe her heart would never be whole again. She was saved from sinking further into despair by the sound of JJ cutting the engine.
"We're here." JJ was aiming for cheerful, but she heard the uncertainty in her voice. Making sure the blindfold was still secure, she went to Garcia's side to help her out of the car. They slowly made their way up a short path and then came to a complete stop. Tilting her head to the left, Garcia thought she heard soft whining, like that of a dog. A dog! Will and JJ must have finally given in to Henry's pleading and gotten him a pet. Garcia found herself smiling and prepared to put on a show for her godson.
"I'm going to open the door," Penelope started at the sound of JJ's whisper in her ear. "Take two steps in and when you hear the door close again, you can remove your blindfold." Garcia nodded and stepped forward with a nudge from JJ. Garcia could hardly hear anything over the excited barking coming from the dog desperately weaving its way around her. She could feel its tail thumping against her legs. Her heart stopped at the same moment she heard the door click. She knew the sounds of those barks and Garcia found herself sinking to her knees as she undid the covering from her eyes.
"Roxie," she murmured. The pup could barely contain her excitement, barking and yipping, begging for attention. Muscle memory took over and Garcia found herself scratching behind Roxie's ear. Briefly content, Roxie took off down the hall, barking the whole way.
Garcia heard the water turn off in the bathroom, followed by the slow sound of crutches hitting the hardwood floors. Her eyes darted around the room in panic, but found she was glued to the spot. Her heart begun to pound back to life the moment she heard his voice.
"Roxie, relax. I just don't feel like playing with the mop right now." Luke sighed to himself. He felt bad, but he just didnt have the energy to play tug of war. Roxie bounded ahead of him, mop head firmly clenched in her mouth. Luke had his head down as he navigated his way around the corner to his living room. "Roxie, I…" His words died in his throat as he caught sight of movement by the door. Roxie had dropped the mop and waited patiently, her head turning back and forth between the two humans she loved most.
xxxx
A/N I cant believe it has taken me so long to come back to this story. I can only hope there are still people interested to find out what happens. There is one more chapter and an epilogue. They are both written and will be posted soon.