Chapter One: The End and the Beginning

"So, uh…" he hurries to take a drink of cold water, then takes a quick breath, his other hand consciously in his jeans pocket, hoping for a casual, not-at-all-nervous look. He'd been trying to approach her for weeks now. "I was thinking since we not gonna be working together anymore, that uh…maybe I could take you to dinner."

Garcia's eyes widen. Was the hot newbie seriously asking her out?! I must be imagining things. C'mon Penelope…why wouldn't he be asking you out? Well, he's not really my type…and we're always working a case, so we probably would get interrupted by a call from Emily and- Hey! That inner voice shouted. We already gave our notice, remember. And you are the self proclaimed Oracle of all things known and not known…who wouldn't want to take you out to dinner? ANSWER the man!

"Yeah." She nodded in case he suddenly couldn't understand her.

"Yeah?" His smile deepened, showing off that dimple that she always loved to see.

"Yeah." C'mon Garcia...you can do better than that. "We'll eat. Yeah." Well, obviously not. We'll work on it. The inner voice rolled their imaginary eyes.

Luke nodded, "Cool."

Penelope hurriedly took a drink of her water. "Um…so, I guess you'll have your new computer tech later on in the week."

Luke nodded. "Yeah, yeah." He nodded towards the lawn where their friends and co workers were dancing like fools. He gave her a quick side glance and grin before bumping her hip with his own slightly. "Guess I won't be the rookie anymore, huh?"

Garcia laughed out loud. "True." She stopped walking and turned towards Luke. "I have to admit, you've put up with that long enough. You've proven yourself to the team…and me…more times than I can count."

Luke gave her a warm smile and stepped just a little closer. "Well, I admit, it was nice knowing you were at least thinking about me."

Penelope felt her cheeks start to get warm. "Of course I do-did-still do. I mean, I think about the entire team when there's a case."

"Yeah, but admit it…you like calling me and trading verbal spars."

"Whatever Newbie." She stepped back just a little to get some air…why was it so hot in here…wait. They were outside and the cool spring air was all around them.

Luke laughed and grabbed her hand, leading her back onto the dance floor. "C'mon Ms. Garcia…Let's see some more of those dance moves."

"…So instead of a toast, I want to make a promise. Can we please promise that no matter where we go after this, that we keep this feeling in our hearts? Cheers!"

The crowd cheered and a chorus of "Salut!" rang out. Luke raised his glass. He caught Penelope's gaze and smiled while lifting his glass to her in his own silent toast.

Prentiss stood up from the table. "Wheels up."

"Wait, we got a new one?" Matt asked.

"Yep, and this will be her maiden voyage," answered Prentiss.

Rossi smiled. "I love the smell of new jet in the morning. Garcia blinked a few times as all her friends stood and hurried out of the room. This was it. Her team had a case and she would be starting her new job by the time they returned. Everyone stopped to give her a hug. Luke smiled and whispered in her ear quietly: "I'll call you as soon as I can." He gave her a squeeze and stepped away so the rest of the team could say goodbye.

She followed everyone through the bullpen, the team grabbing their go bags and heading towards the elevator. The doors opened and everyone except for Penelope filed into the elevator. She gave a little wave as the doors started to close. Luke flashed her a brief smile and head nod.

Then, they were gone. She walked back to her lair. The only thing left on her desk was a stack of pink post-it notes and her trusty unicorn pen. She thought for a second, then smiled. The next person to take over this room and help her friends would have a day when they would need a little encouragement. She jotted down a note, then folded the note and tucked it between the desks, where it would be found one day. She left the pen on the desk…they would need a little magic to start this job. She took a breath and turned to leave, a smile on her face.

She walked back to the conference room and started to clean up from the tea and pastries. A knock sounded on the door. "Ms Garcia? There's a video conference for you."

"Me? But I'm not supposed to be working anymore cases."

The FBI agent shrugged. "It wasn't a private line, so you should be able to view in here."

Penelope walked over to a monitor and pulled up the call. Kevin's face filled the monitor.

"Kevin?"

"Hey Penelope! How are you?"

"I…I'm fine. I thought you were in Seattle now."

He nodded. "I am…but I heard you were leaving the FBI."

"Yeah… I'm going to be working nearby, but without all the horror and gory pictures."

Kevin nodded, his face suddenly serious. "Yeah, I can understand that. I'm surprise the team let you go."

She shrugged. "Their family. They want what's best for me."

"Yeah, they always looked out for you, that's for sure."

She looked around the room briefly. "So, uh, how did you find out?"

"Eh, you were always the best, but even I have a few tricks up my cyber sleeves. Plus Gina in accounting let me know."

"You're still talking to Gina? I thought you met someone out there."

"Um…Yeah, but Gina knew how close you and I are—were."

Penelope smiled. "Well thank you for checking up on me. It's good to see you."

Kevin nodded. "Yeah, well, maybe after you get settled in, you might want to catch a flight and come visit. We don't always have rainy days, you know."

Penelope laughed a little at the slight joke. "Maybe. I think I'll have my hands full with this new position, but I'll let you know."

"Okay. Well, good luck. Keep in touch, yeah?"

"Definitely. Thanks Kevin. Take care."

She closed the video window.

She walked out to the bull pen, looking around. Others still worked busily, but four desks were obviously empty. The first two office doors upstairs closed. Such a long way from that first interview with Hotch, she thought. Who knew how far that homemade pink stationary would take me?

She walked back into the lobby, waiting for the elevator.