Summary: Emily confronts Penelope about her relationship with Derek; the team goes out for lunch together.
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Penelope Garcia sat alone yet content in her office, fiddling with her toys and humming to herself, when her phone rang. Daydreaming, she didn't notice it until the third ring.
"Speak!" she exclaimed, not necessarily knowing, nor caring, who was on the other line.
"Hey, Garcia," it was Emily. "You didn't pick up until the third ring... is everything alright?"
"Yes, sorry, I forget that stuff like that freaks you out. I was just daydreaming, that's all. What can I do for you?"
Emily opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it shut.
"Uhhh..." she double-checked that she was out of earshot of the rest of the team. "Penelope, you've been acting a little... unusual, lately... is there something you're not telling me?"
"What do you have in mind, my friend?"
"Well... when Hotch called us in to the police station a month ago, you were with Derek. When you call him, he almost always leaves the group to talk to you. Your conversations are longer, and Derek is always anxious on the plane rides back home. And..." she paused.
"I saw him kiss you last week."
"Hmmm..." she was quiet for a moment.
"I hate profilers, you know that?" Emily could hear the smile in her voice.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she said excitedly.
"I knew that I didn't have to, because I knew that you'd figure it out soon enough. Which you did."
She paused, "Did you guys catch the un-sub yet?"
"Yeah, that's why I was calling... We're just finishing up here. We'll be back there in about an hour."
"Alrighty, Em. See you soon."
"Bye," Emily clicked the phone shut with a small smile.
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As Emily had predicted, the team was back at the BAU about an hour later.
"Hey, baby girl," Derek strolled into her office to give her a quick peck on the cheek.
"Hey," she smiled.
"You ready to go? We're all gonna go out for lunch."
"Sure am." she shut down her computers and grabbed her coat and purse. They walked into the bullpen to meet Reid and Prentiss.
"Hey, Rossi," Derek called out. "You coming out for lunch with us?"
"Sure, why not." he smiled.
"How about you, Hotch?"
"Sorry, but I have reports to finish..." he mumbled with a slight frown on his face.
"Come on, man! Live a little." Derek whined. Hotch eyed his coworkers warily.
"Well, alright... I suppose I could finish them later." he grabbed his coat and joined the rest of the group.
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The team all got sandwiches and sat around a large table at a small deli in D.C.
"So," Hotch said casually. "How long have you two been dating?"
Derek, who was just about to take a bite of his sandwich, froze. He put it back down and ran a hand over his head. Reid nearly spit out his drink. Penelope suddenly realized that her mouth was hanging wide open, and closed it shut immediately.
She swallowed, "Sir?"
Everyone had suddenly forgotten about their lunches.
"What? Do you think I'm joking?" a smile spread across his usually stern face.
Prentiss, Reid, and Rossi all exchanged looks. Penelope and Derek fidgeted in their seats.
"Come on guys, spit it out..." Prentiss egged them on playfully.
Penelope bit her lip and looked at Derek. He met her gaze for a moment, and then looked down at the table.
"It'll be a month on Friday." he mumbled, still looking at the table, without making any eye contact.
"Awww, you remembered!" Penelope squeaked adoringly. What was there not to love about this man.
Emily could not suppress the huge grin on her face. "Looks like Derek Morgan's getting soft in his old age," she teased. The team laughed.
"Hey, you better watch yourself, Prentiss!"
"Ooh, I'm so scared," she laughed. Derek rolled his eyes.
"Well it's about time," Rossi interjected. "How long have you two known each other? 5 years? Six?" he teased.
"He's actually right," Reid spoke up. "I thought you guys were going to start dating a long time ago!"
Everyone laughed. "If the genius says so," Emily joked.
Hotch was smiling. "I'm happy for you," he said.
"Thank you," Penelope smiled at him. "But what about the frat rules?"
"I'll clear it with Strauss, as long as you keep it professional while we're on a case."
"Really? Thank you so much!" she exclaimed.
"It's really not a problem." he smiled. "Okay let's eat, I'm starving!" they all murmured sounds of agreement, and dug into their sandwiches.