AN: Didn't I say one of these days you'll get two chapters? And... if you're really good, there will be even a third one by teh end of the week. :) With this and teh next few chaoters we return back to the funnier side of this story. At least I like to think so. And it has Morgan... meeting people from Pen's life and searching her appartment. :)

Morgan was on his way to Penelope Garcia's apartment for the second time that day. He had the warrant he had gotten issued earlier today at hand, not that he really would need it. In his experience the landlords usually didn't want to see the piece of paper, they assumed the badge and general 'cop-look' was sufficient enough.

When he got to her place, after almost half an hour thanks to bad traffic, he was pleased to see at least the landlord already there, waiting. The man looked a bit like a typical granddad – a thought that made Morgan smile for whatever reason.

"Mr. Dunigan?" Morgan asked, retrieving his badge already and showing it.

The older man just nodded. "You care to tell me what this is about?"

"All I'll let you know is that this is about apartment 4D."

"Penelope Garcia? What trouble did she get herself in?" the landlord asked, looking astonished.

"Ongoing investigation, so I won't be able to comment on anything," Morgan said and motioned for them to get going.

"You know, I am sure whatever it is…it is nothing bad, right? I mean… she is such a lovely girl. Always on time with the rent and such a quiet person. Never had a single complaint about her. Although I think she could do with a man in her life. You know, someone who looks after her, makes sure she is okay," the landlord said while climbing the stairs to Penelope's floor.

"You ever met Kevin Lynch? She was seeing him for a while," Morgan asked, following a hunch.

"Of course I have," Mr. Dunigan said. "Have to say… if he was the only option, then maybe she would after all be better off without a man. He was … not the kind of man she should have in her life. I think she was more looking after him, than he was after her. You know, a man should protect what is his, make sure she is taken care of and not in need of anything. But him… it was a helpless case."

"Did she need anything?" Morgan asked curiously.

"Of course she did. She needed what every woman needs," the landlord said, reaching Penelope's apartment.

Morgan looked at the older man expectantly, waiting for the answer of what Penelope Garcia needed.

"Love, she needed love," the older man finally smiled at Morgan, opening the door a moment later.

"I guess I'll leave you to it. Let me know when you need anything else," Mr. Dunigan said and was gone a moment later, leaving Morgan alone in Penelope Garcia's apartment.

He made his way slowly through her apartment. Taking a good look around, taking everything in. Morgan had to admit she had good taste. The apartment was small and rather sparsely furnished – but it wasn't as if it was empty either. The walls were bright – somehow fitting her personality, Morgan thought and there were little, quirky touches everywhere, shown by cushions, blinds or curtains. It were the details that gave it a rather homey feel.

Morgan knew it was not really what he came for, but he couldn't help sneaking a peek in her kitchen. And her refrigerator while he was at it. He had learned a long time ago that you could learn most about a woman by looking at her fridge. He found milk – the good one, full fat and none of these half or none fat ones -, steaks - he was a meat man -, several fruits that looked rather exotic to him and half a dozen of other things he actually really liked himself. Browsing through her cupboards he noticed quickly that she was as addicted to coffee as he was himself. He really started liking that woman, if only she wouldn't be his number one murder suspect right now.

So he left her kitchen and continued with the tour through her apartment. And all of a sudden he found himself standing in her bedroom - a room that somehow was completely different to the rest of her apartment. Whereas the other part was bright and colorful, her bedroom was not. It had soft, white walls, a lot of space and relatively few furniture. Other than her bed and a chest of drawers and bedside table, there was only a plush-looking armchair, against one of the walls. But that was it. There was relatively few color, and if there was it was light, giving the whole room a feeling of serenity.

There was a large door on one of the walls, which Morgan assumed was the closet, his actual goal of this inspection. Crossing the room and her bed, for a moment he couldn't help but stop, looking at the piece of furniture and its soft and plush looking covers on top. He couldn't help thinking about her for a moment, laying there, looking like when she had opened the door for him a few hours ago. For a moment he felt bad again for having her locked up. On her birthday. She should have been celebrating, with friends, a boyfriend, anyone really, but instead he put her behind bars. She should have had a good time, get maybe drunk, or at least tipsy and then come home, fall into bed and have someone who'd make sure her birthday got a very special ending, by making love to her all night – until the sun came up. Instead she got a pillow, a hard bench to lie on, no one around other than Prentiss who kept an eye on her. For a moment he really felt bad again. But then again – this was his job.

Walking further, he opened the door to her closet and walked in, past clothes and handbags, until he stood in front of a shoe rack.

He knew women loved shoes, but he never actually assumed a woman would need several hundred pairs of that love. Penelope Garcia owned all sort of high and flat shoes in all colors, and patters, with strings and buckles and ribbons and lace. And she owned them by the dozen each. There even were a few that made him wonder how someone actually would manage to walk in them.

He didn't know how long he was in her closet, inspecting every pair of shoes and finally realizing that none fit- either by size or style. And he should have really known, maybe instinctively he did.

Getting all her shoes back in order, he slowly made his way back outside her apartment. He stopped once more in front of her bed, when he all of a sudden heard a male voice in the apartment.

"Penelope? Are you anywhere here?" he heard someone asking over and over again, and a moment later he came face to face with whom this voice belonged to.

"Who the hell are you?" a blonde man asked him, looking angry.

"I guess I could ask the same question," Morgan remarked, not entirely sure how to assess the situation. "I'm Detective Derek Morgan, Homicide Washington DC PD. And you are?"

"So you are the guy who arrested my sister," the blonde guy said accusingly, made a few long strides towards Morgan and almost poked his index finger into Morgan's chest.

"Your sister?" Morgan asked surprised for a moment, seeing the other man nod.

"Yes, my sister. Why the hell did you arrest her?"

"How do you know she was arrested?" Morgan asked in a questioning tone.

"Her neighbor, Mr. Henderson from across the hall, saw it. And called me. Good thing he did, otherwise I'd probably never found out," he said, looking more enraged than a moment ago. "Do you know it is her birthday? Who arrests people on their birthday?"

Morgan wasn't exactly sure whether he was supposed to actually laugh about that. Was this guy for real? "Usually the PD doesn't make any difference between whether it is someone's birthday or not. If we have questions, we want answers, regardless of the date."

"On what charges did you… take her?" Parker asked, still sounding angry.

"That is between her and the PD," Morgan informed him. "But it has… to do with an ex-boyfriend."

"Don't tell me it is Kevin freakin' Lynch? What did he do? I swear to god, if he hurt her… I'll kill him," Penelope's brother was saying quickly, and Morgan's head shot up just as quick.

"How exactly would you… classify him hurting her? Physical? Emotional?"

"Any which way," Penelope's brother said, clearly not aware what he had just talked himself into.

"So… if he cheated on your sister, that would be enough reason?" Morgan asked. This whole family seemed to have issues with Kevin Lynch. Not that Morgan could blame them much – not from what he had learned so far about his victim.

"Of course it would be. No one hurts Penelope and gets away with it," he answered, slowly realizing that maybe he said too much in his anger.

"What is going on?" he asked confused.

"Kevin Lynch was found dead last night," Morgan explained. "And I think we should have a conversation. Downtown. Police station," Morgan said and was already having his hands on Parker's arms. "And no worry, I'll give you a lift."