Disclaimer: See my profile.
A/n this is set between "True Night and Birthright. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this short one-shot.
Penelope Garcia stared at her beloved computer monitors with eyes that didn't see the never-ending flow she lovingly called "The Information Superhighway." Instead, her mind's eye turned inward to the face of the man who'd tried to kill her.
The man who'd wanted to end her life because she interfered with his Hero Homicide activities insisted on dominating her thoughts and causing her heart to race in her chest and her stomach to twist into knots.
"Go back to hell where you belong," Garcia whispered as she tried to play catch-up after medical leave.
Tears fell onto her black keyboard, and Garcia wiped them away impatiently with an unsteady hand. Damn him; she cursed in her head. Why couldn't he leave her alone? Why did his memory have to haunt her after three months away?
Garcia sighed and picked up her favorite coffee mug. It featured a unicorn with a mane every color of the rainbow and a golden horn sprouting from its head. Maybe if she made a cup of tea, she'd find the energy to get back to work for another hour.
She stood, stretched, and groaned at the lingering ache in her gut from the gunshot wound. Instead of going for tea, she put down the cup, picked up her pink faux leather bag, and strode from her office and into the hallway leading to the bullpen.
Darkness held sway over the area, except for a light over Reid's desk. Garcia stopped in surprise at seeing her best friend. She contemplated attempting to sneak past him, but then he rose to his feet and turned to her as if he felt her eyes on his back. He met her stare before she could move or speak, and a strange look crossed his face.
"Garcia, I thought you were gone."
"Hey, Sweet Cheeks," Garcia forced good cheer into her tone. "I assumed you took off hours ago."
Reid sighed, and concern filled his chocolate eyes. "I'm worried about you. We haven't conversed since – and I'm worried," he repeated.
The kindness and anxiety in Reid's eyes pricked at her fragile self-control, and her heart began to thump. Pain radiated through the wound track in her abdomen, and she flinched.
"Penelope," Reid said, and the use of her first name jabbed again at her emotional shield. "You're in pain. I'm sorry if I upset you."
Garcia couldn't hold back the tears that welled in her eyes. She swiped them away and turned from Reid. Garcia hurried to the elevator and stabbed the down button. Of course, the stupid machine refused to move when she wanted to get away in a hurry.
"Garcia," said a breathless voice behind her.
Garcia looked at Reid because regret and unhappiness radiated from him so strongly that she nearly stumbled back into the elevator's doors. "Reid, I –"
"No," Reid said as he tried to get his breath back. "I ran after you because I wanted to apologize. I'm sorry – "
"Stop," Garcia held up a hand and winced again. "Damn gunshot wound," she said and wiped away tears of pain. "It's not your fault. I was sitting in my office and thinking. Then I couldn't sit there anymore and –"
The elevator finally arrived, and they stepped aboard the car. Reid pushed the button for the garage level, and they rode down in silence.
"So?" Reid asked as they exited. "Where are we going?"
"What?"
"You were saying that you were thinking. I want to hear about it. Where are we going to talk?"
Garcia stood in silence for a moment. "You up for pie at "Sherrie's? She always puts out fresh peach cobblers for the late-night business."
Reid's eyes lit up, and he grinned at her. "I am if you are?"
"Then let's go find Esther and get out of here."
CMCMCMCMCMCMCM
Reid surveyed the people around them as they waited for their server to pour coffee. He'd seen Sherrie behind the counter, she'd said as they walked by. "June, I'll see to them. Just pour coffee for now."
June, a tall, heavy-set woman of forty with dark hair in a bun on her head, and a twinkle in her blue eyes, had led them to a booth at the back.
"How're my favorite customers?" Sherrie had asked when she'd approached five minutes later.
"We're good," Garcia answered. "How are you, Sherrie?"
Sherrie sighed, but her brown eyes told the story of her life. Sherrie stood five seven and was thin enough to make Reid look fat. She also had dark hair, but it was cut short and styled back from her angular face.
"I'm great. Michelle had her baby last week. A little boy."
"Congratulations," Reid said as Garcia cooed excitedly.
"Michelle and David are over the moon. They've named him Justin Craig."
"Ah, that's so cute," Garcia said, and then she asked for pictures.
"Let me get your order in, and I'll show you when it's up," Sherrie said.
"We're here for the first peach cobbler of the evening," Garica said with a wink to Reid, who nodded in agreement. "With a ton of vanilla ice cream."
"Yes, that would be acceptable," Reid said, and the women smirked.
"Alright," Sherrie said. "Two cobblers are coming right up."
After Sherrie left, Reid turned back to Garcia. "Tell me."
Garcia sighed and looked out the huge window next to them. It was dark, but she could see people on the street and some light in the distance. The shadows of buildings and some trees around them gave the vista an eerie aspect. She shivered and sighed again.
"I was thinking about Battle, and – sweet cheeks, how do you stop thinking about someone so evil?"
Reid almost choked on a sip of coffee. "You're asking me?" He squeaked.
"Yes."
Reid took his turn to stare out the window at the night beyond. "I don't know. There are days when all I can think about is men like Tobias Henkel and Phillip Dowd. I wish we'd never encountered them, but – I don't know."
Garcia stayed quiet until Sherrie returned with their cobbler, ice cream, fresh coffee, and several pictures on her phone.
"Oh, he's adorable."
Reid agreed, and after Sherrie left them, he said. "I think you have your answer."
"I do," Garica said and stared at him like he'd grown two heads.
"Yes," Reid said. "Maybe we concentrate on the good, like children playing in a park or a Star Trek marathon on the Sci-Fi channel."
Garcia continued to stare at him and then burst out laughing. A couple next to them turned and gave them a stern look, but they ignored it. "Oh, Gorgeous G-Man, you got me there."
Reid smirked at her and then sighed. "I mean that I think about all the terrible things I've seen. It's not something I can forget. I curse my eidetic memory -sometimes."
Garcia reached out and squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry."
"Why? I didn't tell you my troubles for sympathy. As I've heard many people say, it is what it is."
"True," Garcia let go of his hand and smiled.
The two of them ate in silence for a bit, then Reid said. "I'm glad you're okay, Garcia. I was frightened."
Garcia nodded her head and gave him a wry little smile. "I know, babycakes. I'm glad I have a best friend like you."
"Me too."
"So, what do you want to talk about now?"
Reid shook his head. "I don't know."
"Why don't we talk about the next Who-Con. Do you have tickets yet?"
Reid laughed, and they began to talk about their favorite show, and as the time passed, they both forgot their troubles and instead thought of tomorrow and every moment not filled with pain, blood, or loss.
THE END