Heartfelt thanks for your comments on the creepy unsub conversation, and your continuing support. After that dark and creepy vibe on the last one, I felt the need to lighten the mood a bit, and who better to do that with than the one and only Penelope Garcia (and on a ladies' night, no less!).

And so, without any further babbling from me, happy reading! (=

"But some secrets are too delicious not to share." – Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay

"Hey gumdrop, you ready to roll?" I ask as I tuck my purse further under my arm and finish buttoning my jacket.

"Yup. Paperwork's all submitted and Henry's been sorted for this evening," JJ says cheerfully as she shoves some loose papers back into a file and throws it in her drawer.

"Oh? I thought Will was out of town this week. Who's watching the little prince?"

"Yeah, Will's visiting his brother, but Morgan was kind enough to offer to take Henry for the evening after his meeting is done."

"Lucky little man. A night with my Chocolate Adonis? I'm jealous. It's bound to be an experience out of this world."

She chuckles. "I'll say. He's taking him to the planetarium."

I snigger and shake my head. "I always forget that deep down that gorgeous, stunning, and completely dazzling sculpted hunk of chocolate is a nerd."

"Careful now, PG. I think Em might take exception with that particular description of her husband."

I grin and laugh. "Nonsense. I loved him long before the sparks between those two finally ignited into the fully blazing bonfire it is today. Besides, she knows how Morgan and I operate. Speaking of our raven-haired beauty, are we picking her up on the way?"

"No, she's meeting us at the restaurant. She mentioned an appointment. Or maybe it was a meeting… I can't remember which. Anyway, she mentioned she had something and she'd meet us there."

"It's a bit late for an appointment isn't it?" I ask, the beginnings of suspicion building in my mind.

She shrugs and grabs her jacket, shoving her arms into the sleeves. "With our schedules I think you take what you can get."

"Ah," I say, wagging a finger. "But she doesn't have our schedule anymore. She's an instructor now!"

"True, but she still has to consult on cases with the BAU teams as needed, as well as teach and do some recruiting for the Bureau as well. She keeps pretty busy herself."

"Well that's certainly her style. She wouldn't have it any other way. Shall we get going?"

"Sounds good."

"Jayje, Pen! Hey. Sorry I'm late. I've been running 20 minutes behind all day," Emily says as pulls off her coat and hangs her purse on the chair.

"Oooohhh. Couldn't resist a quickie before work, eh?" I tease as I wrap my arms around her in a hug.

She blushes ever so slightly and laughs. "I wish it were that scandalous. I overslept," she says with a coy smile and a shake of her head.

JJ and I share a look. "Suuuuuure you did," I say with a smirk.

"Guys, I swear, as wonderful a start as that would have been to my day, I really did just sleep in."

"He must have kept you up all night then," I quip back, shooting her a wink.

She groans in frustration. "You've already decided that's why I'm tired, haven't you?"

JJ and I grin widely. "Yup," JJ says.

"You know, for supposedly being exhausted you look pretty darn good, E," I say, taking in her appearance.

She smiles warmly, "Thanks, PG. What can I say? That extra sleep this morning seems to have done the trick. Did you guys order yet?"

"Yeah, a couple apps. But no drinks yet. Did you want to order a round of drinks to have with the apps before we head out on the town?"

"Sounds good to me," I say with a nod.

"Sorry ladies, none for me," Em says with an apologetic expression.

I raise an eyebrow and open my mouth to protest, but JJ beats me to the punch. "What d'you mean none for you? We can't have a night out on the town without alcohol!"

"I've got a class tomorrow bright and early."

"So? You could teach those FBI babies in your sleep, a little hangover isn't gonna kill you," I say with a frown.

"Uhh- " she stutters, words seeming to fail her for a moment before she recovers quickly. "You know as well as I do there's no such thing as a "little hangover" with us. Do I need to remind you of the effects of the infamous Green Fairy?"

JJ and I share another look before turning our gazes back onto her.

"Then why agree to come out tonight? Surely you must have known our plans… we're not exactly original with our nights out," JJ asks with her scrutinizing gaze fixed on Em's face, no doubt trying to read her micro expressions and any facial cues. I doubt she'll see anything – our Em is far too good, even if her time away from us while hiding from Doyle had softened her tough exterior significantly.

"Because I haven't seen either of you in almost a month," she says. "I figured a sober night on the town was better than no night on the town."

"That's true, I guess. Must you keep so busy?" I tease.

"Must I keep so busy?! Look at you guys. I've barely seen Derek this past month thanks to your crazy schedule, and I'm married to him."

JJ frowns as a thought occurs to her. "Then why come out at all? Why wouldn't you stay home with your husband?"

"Yeah," I say, definitely agreeing with JJ's suspicion. "How can you justify coming out with us tonight when you have the wonderfully scrumptious Derek Morgan on tap at home?"

"The three of us were friends before I married him," she says, gesturing with her hand to make her point.

"And…." I prompt, motioning with my own hand for her to continue.

"And that should count for something. Besides, Pen, I seem to recall you making Derek promise to not keep me all to himself when we got married."

We're interrupted by the waiter bringing our appetizers and setting them down on the table. The mouthwatering aroma permeates the air and I feel myself breathing in deeply to appreciate the flavours, but my eyes shoot up to scrutinize Emily once more when I hear a small cough. I watch as she closes her eyes briefly and swallows. She seems to focus on avoiding looking at the food, instead keeping her gaze on the table directly in front of her.

"You okay, Em?" JJ asks, clearly having also noticed the odd behaviour.

She turns her head to one side, closing her eyes once more. "Yeah…" She lets out a shaky breath before swallowing again, and then bringing her gaze back forward. "I'm good."

My brow furrows in skepticism. There is no way she's okay. I turn to gauge JJ's analysis, and find a similar skeptical expression on her face.

"You sure?" I ask.

She nods and offers a small smile. "Yep."

Not a minute passes before I hear JJ exclaim "OH MY GOD!" as her eyes widen in recognition of something.

I frown in confusion, and look at JJ, hoping to elicit an explanation of some kind, but her focus is entirely on Emily. I swing my gaze over to Emily and find her shifting in her seat and biting her lip. I open my mouth to ask what the hell is going on, but I can't quite verbalize it. Instead, my lips form a small "o" as my eyes shift back and forth between my two friends.

"Really?" JJ asks, looking for confirmation of an unspoken question. An unspoken question that I'd really like to know.

Em offers a sheepish grin in reply.

JJ squeals in excitement and jumps up, quickly making her way around the table to hug her tightly. I'm left sitting in my seat, thoroughly confused, and wondering just what the hell is going on. My mind races, trying to put together these puzzle pieces that apparently fit together. Suddenly, it hits me. She's queasy, she's tired, she had a mysterious appointment…

"OH MY GOD!" I yell, echoing JJ's earlier statement. "You!" I say, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You weren't gonna tell us, were you?"

"I-" she starts, but before she can say anything I interrupt her.

"Does Derek know?"

A goofy smile spreads on her face, and her eyes twinkle. "Yeah."

"When were you planning on telling us?" I ask.

"Uhh-"

"How far along are you?"

"I'm-"

"What did Derek say when you told him?"

"He-"

"When did you find out?"

"Um-"

"When are you due?

"Ju-"

"Does anyone else know?"

"We-"

"PG! Slow down and let her answer, would you?" JJ scolds, still grinning with giddiness.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just so exciting. Two of my favourite crime-fighters procreating! Oh goodness. That baby is going to be oh-so-amazing. Crappers. I've gotta start shopping!"

"Pen, relax. You've got a bit of time before the kid makes an appearance in this world," JJ says with a chuckle.

"But see, there are so many more things I can buy this kid since both Derek and Em are nerds!"

"Uh, I don't know whether to be offended by that or not."

"Oh hush you, Henry's precious. We all know that. But just imagine it: a little Star Trek onesie! Oooh! Or a little Chewbacca costume, or maybe Yoda instead. No! I've got it. Superhero onesies, cape and all!"

"This poor kid isn't gonna know what hit 'em."

"And think of the shoes I can buy this little one!"

"You never bought Henry any shoes."

"I didn't? I'll have to fix that!"

JJ groans and smacks her forehead with her hand. "I shouldn't have said anything. At least you'll be focused on this little one for a bit."

"Uhh, actually-" Emily interrupts, her voice recapturing both JJ's and my attention. Our heads both turn quickly to face her. "It's, uhh, twins," she finishes while continuing to fidget.

JJ's jaw drops and her eyes widen. I take a more vocal approach, squealing in excitement. "Twins! A mini-Emily and a mini-Derek! I can totally see it. Good god, your children are going to be gorgeous."

She smiles again, and I notice just how happy she looks. I remember all too vividly the small and broken Emily we'd gotten back after Doyle, and how scared I was that she'd never really be happy again. And then she and Derek had gotten together and it was like pieces were falling into place for her. I'd never seen her smile so wide, her face so radiant, her happiness so apparent. That is, until now. If it's possible, her smile is wider, her face more radiant, and her happiness is even clearer.

I feel moisture form in my eyes and I blink quickly to stem the tears. Damn these two.

"PG?" Em says, an expression of concern on her face.

"I'm good, Em. I'm good. I'm just so happy for you. Congrats!"

"Thanks, Pen," she says, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug.

"Ooohh. Garcia what are you gonna do if they have a girl?" JJ asks, interrupting our moment.

My brow furrows in confusion. "Spoil her rotten and teach her everything I know… Why do you ask?"

"Well, you won't be Morgan's Baby Girl anymore."

"I'm sure he could come up with another nickname," Emily offers.

"No, no, sweetcheeks. I'll always be his original Baby Girl, but I'm more than happy to pass on that name, so long as I get the chance to spoil her rotten."

"I'm not sure I really get a choice in that, do I?" Emily says with a smirk.

I grin. "Definitely not."

"You look relieved, Em," JJ says, noting her now relaxed form.

"I am. As much as I wanted to keep this a secret until I was a little more certain that everything was okay, I also desperately wanted to tell you guys. I guess my paranoia got the better of me, but I'm so glad you know now. This secret was just… too wonderful to keep to just myself and Derek. I have no idea how he managed not to say anything to any of you. I know I would've spilled the beans for sure if I saw you every day."

My eyes widen. "How long has he known?" I demand.

"Don't be angry with him, Pen. I made him promise not to tell anyone. He wanted to tell the entire world when I told him."

I sigh dramatically and shoot her a reassuring smile. "Well, we know now, and that's what matters. Now come on, missy. We're leaving."

She frowns. "But our food just came and-"

"Psssshh. Food that's making you queasy. We're going for tea, or ice cream, or something else instead. Can't have our resident baby mama sick."

She smiles gratefully. "Tea sounds good."

JJ disappears to pay our bill, leaving just the two of us. I watch her intently as she pulls on her coat and grabs her purse. I don't know how I didn't piece this together sooner. She's freaking glowing. I used to thing that whole thing was complete hogwash, but I saw it with JJ, and I can see it with Em. And of course I could smack myself for not noticing the baby bump.

I smile widely as I realize this is her happy ending. Knowing her as I do, I can safely say that she never felt worthy of having such happiness in her life. We'd all done our best to remind her that she does deserve that happily-ever-after, but it wasn't until Derek really convinced her he loved her that I saw that stubborn resolve falter. And now I can see that she's embracing the second chance she'd been handed when she walked back into our lives.

She shoots me a questioning glance, tilting her head to the side. I shake my head and throw my arms around her once more, engulfing her in a very distinctly Penelope Garcia hug. When we break apart I swear I can see tears glistening.

"Are those tears I spy, Emily?"

She laughs gently, shakes her head, and wipes the tears away. "Not my fault. Hormones."

Thoughts? I'd love to hear 'em if you have some...

To those jonesing for another Morgan conversation - I hope this will hold you over until I can finish the one I'm working on.

And a thanks to Shadpup who feels the need to continue enabling my addiction and badgering me into writing more and more conversations ;)