The Way You Left Me
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters and situations. I am simply a vessel of imagination that uses said property.
Chapter Ten
Two days after Penelope Garcia's death, Derek Morgan finally left the apartment they lived in together for a year. He received a call from Hotch who reminded him that they had to have a funeral for Garcia. The rest of the team decided to meet at the park, one of Garcia's favorite places, and plan everything. Hotch had asked Derek to bring any paperwork he thought might help in the process. Derek was not given the option to have someone come by and pick up the documents. He needed to get out of the house.
Derek started packing up Penelope's belongings after Hotch left the day before. The two of them were nursing serious hangovers, Aaron from heavy drinking and Derek from heartbreak, and decided to hang around the house. Aaron stayed to make sure Derek was not a harm to himself and left once he realized that Derek was going to need some alone time.
Driving to the park was difficult but necessary. Derek wore a simple black t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. He was not surprised to see the rest of the team wearing the same type of outfit. As he got out of the car, he made sure to take Garcia's important documents with him; he had to turn back twice because he forgot them. When he reached the group, he sat down at a picnic table under a tree; Derek gave a weak smile and said nothing.
After a few minutes of silence, Derek unbound the documents and spread them out on the table. He was not surprised when he found the documents in an easy to find place next to the computer. Garcia arranged everything, like he assumed everyone else did, after the case in Tennessee. They all nearly died when the unsub's wife attached a bomb to their plane on the day they were headed back to the airport. The team survived because they decided to stop at a diner before boarding the plane. On the way home, everyone thought about what their loved ones would do if they suddenly died in the field. The insurance they all had covered a small portion of funeral costs and posthumous debts, but because they willingly put their lives in harm's way, they had to find other ways to ensure financial security for their loved ones. Derek had a folder full of instructions for after his untimely demise; he would have to change it now.
It was JJ's idea to meet up and separate the tasks for Garcia's funeral, instead of having Morgan do everything. Reid shuffled the documents and handed them out to everyone face down. He made sure that Morgan had the honor of acquiring her coffin. After Hotch made sure every aspect of the funeral was assigned, he suggested they all start to get to work. He treated the planning of Garcia's funeral like a case; he had to. While no one had plans of returning to work any time soon, he felt the need to turn this horrible event into something they could control.
The team chose a date, and after a round of hugs, they all left to do their assigned tasks.
The team could not have had a better funeral for Penelope Garcia.
Her dress was bright yellow with multicolored flowers along the top. Her shoes were a bright blue strappy number and her nails were painted bright red. She wore her favorite pair of purple glasses and matching jewelry. Her makeup was flawless with its natural tones and red lipstick. Her hair was its natural blonde and in curls. Her engagement ring stood out like a star on a clear night.
Emily Prentiss was in charge of Garcia's look. She wanted to make sure Garcia looked like Garcia even in death. She gave the makeup artist specific instructions along with a stack of photos. In Emily's mind, when people walked by her coffin, she wanted people to see the real Penelope Garcia and not someone's imitation.
Her coffin was bright red with silver trim on the outside and hot pink on the inside. The exterior was the most durable and the inside was the softest.
Derek Morgan was in charge of Garcia's body. He wanted the best for his love and was willing to pay top dollar to make sure Penelope was buried the way she deserved to be. Her outside insurance covered all of the funeral costs but that did not matter to Morgan. If he was to go bankrupt over her funeral, then that is what would happen. He made sure that his fiancée's body would remain as perfect and as safe and as comfortable as possible while resting six feet underground.
Everyone who knew Penelope Garcia enough to know why they were not allowed to wear black attended the funeral. Her four stepbrothers were there with their wives and children. Past employers were there with past co-workers and various acquaintances. Many FBI agents came. The BAU headquarters was a ghost town on that unusually warm afternoon. By the time the priest began, there was standing room only in the church.
Jennifer Jareau-LaMontagne was in charge of telling the world about the death of Penelope Garcia. She used the address book on Penelope's personal computer, which she asked the tech department to hack. The hardest part was rallying the media and setting the facts straight about the circumstances of her death. She used almost all of her favors to have Garcia's death erased from the televisions and websites and newspapers as a brutal murder in the FBI's backyard; she did not want her friend's death overshadowed by a statement on lax security. The second hardest part was making all of those phone calls. JJ needed to have an estimate of who would come to the funeral and it fluctuated. Garcia worked all over the nation and knew people all over the world. Some people did not know if they could get off work while others sounded too heartbroken to even think about coming. A couple of people thought JJ was playing a joke on them and simply hung up on her. Garcia's stepbrothers were not close to their little sister but they said they would drop everything to attend her funeral. When JJ called one of Garcia's associates from when she worked under the radar, she was not only surprised that they already knew but also amazed at their insistence to contact the rest of the underground group. After two days of calling, JJ was exhausted buy getting closer to accepting the situation. Penelope touched so many lives and in such a good way that the world stopped for them when they had to bury her.
The service itself was touching and beautiful and terribly sad. Garcia's team sat in the front row with their families. Behind them sat Garcia's four stepbrothers. The rest of the church was filled with the many people who came to pay their respect to Penelope Garcia.
Spencer Reid was in charge of the moment when the world would last see Penelope Garcia in person. The priest kept his words safely between religious and secular. There was no music, just the sound of the wind through the windows, the priest's voice, and various people crying. Spencer took into account the different views of all of the people Garcia knew in her life and planned accordingly. He made sure the priest said the obligatory text and also what Spencer provided. There were no obscure texts or too difficult of a vocabulary, only brightly colored words that encapsulated the spirit of Penelope Garcia.
The gravesite was under a beautiful, young, healthy oak tree. The sunrise and sunset was visible from that spot, and on a clear night, the stars sparkled. The ground itself was sturdy and soft and green with grass. Wildflowers grew along the base of the tree and around where Penelope's body would be.
David Rossi was in charge of Penelope Garcia's final resting place. He talked to the cemetery landscaper about adding flower seeds to the dirt Penelope was to be covered with so that later on flowers would grow. He wanted Penelope to be surrounded by beautiful things; it was how she lived her life.
Five days after her death, Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia was lowered into the ground.
Her headstone read:
Penelope Jean Garcia
1976-2011
Empress of Color
Queen of Our Hearts
Goddess of the Technical World
May your journey be filled with happy thoughts and pretty pictures
Aaron Hotchner was in charge of Penelope Garcia's immortal words. He wanted all those that walked by her grave to know that she was loved and appreciated. She deserved it.
The reception hall was filled with color. Most of the guests were instructed to not wear dark colors. The hall looked like the inside of a ninety-six color crayon box. In the main area was a wonderful spread of food beverages. The guests mingled and chatted and shared.
Ashley Seaver was in charge of Penelope Garcia's legacy. It meant a lot to her that she embody the spirit of Garcia as she took care of the many guests. Ashley talked with Garcia's stepbrothers and listened to stories from her underground friends. The guests were given mini photo albums filled with photos of Garcia and an extensive biography. The back of the album had extra space for the guests to add their own memories. It was her job to keep the spirit of Garcia alive once the reception hall cleared out and they were all left with one less friend in the world.
When the last guest departed, the entire team piled into Hotch's SUV and drove to Garcia's gravesite. The fresh dirt on top of her coffin stood out against the bright green grass. They all held hands as they each said a silent goodbye to their coworker and friend.
PG, it's Emily. I miss the hell out of you right now. Did you see my nails? I might make it a habit. Enjoy heaven because you deserve it.
Kitten, I don't know if you can hear me. It's Dave. You watch over everyone, okay? They need it. And if you have time, keep an eye out for me too, would you? Farewell, kitten.
Penelope? It's Ashley. I want you to know that I will be as strong as you said I was. But give me a couple of days, okay?
PG, Henry and Will miss you. I miss you… so much. You stood by me during my darkest days and I don't know if I am able to make it without you. I will try just don't hold it against me if I slip.
Penelope Garcia, you were amazing in so many ways. Whoever receives you as their guardian angel will be one of the luckiest people in the world. Say hello to Haley for me. And yes, after it is all said and done, I will smile.
I have to believe that you can hear me now. I have to believe that there is a heaven. I have to believe that you will continue to watch over me. If I don't believe, then it is like I don't believe in the good you brought into the world and into my life.
Baby Girl, you know I miss you. We had something so great. I know you won't want me to sulk but I can't help it. I love you, and this is not goodbye. I will talk to you again.
A/N: Feel free to give me any suggestions or ask any questions.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for your reviews. Thank you to all of you that added this to your favorites and alerts, and I hope this is meeting your expectations.
I wanted this chapter finished sooner but I just got a new kitten. I named her Dusty because she collects dust as she likes to hide under the couch and behind the reading chair.
The next chapter is Garcia's will.