Disclaimer: I don't own 'Criminal Minds', and I don't own the characters. I only own my plot and the characters I have created.

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'A Force of Nature'

Chapter Four

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At six pm Daniel opened his front door to Morgan and Reid. "Come in you guys," he said, opening the door wide.

Morgan held up a bag from a nearby restaurant. "We brought food."

Daniel took the bag and set it down on the kitchen table, along with a tray of soft drinks Reid handed him. "You can put your stuff in the guest bedroom down the hall on the right."

"Well, one of us can," Reid commented. "I get the couch tonight. Same as last time we did this type thing."

"What, did you lose the coin toss or something?"

"Yes."

Daniel laughed. "That's funny!"

"Hilarious."

"You know, as long as I'm stuck doing this, I'm sure glad it's you guys and not someone else. I think we can get along with each other."

"Sure," Morgan commented.

"Can I call you guys Derek and Spencer instead of Agent Morgan and Dr. Reid?"

"I don't have a problem with that," Reid said. Morgan nodded. "Can I ask you something?" he continued as the three sat down at the table and reached for their food.

"Sure."

"Rossi and Prentiss are coming in the morning, and they'll be going with you to the rink. Is it okay if Morgan and I bring Garcia by? She really wants to meet you."

"Sure, why not?"

"You're saying that now," Morgan laughed. "But will you still be saying that after?"

Daniel looked from Morgan to Reid and back. "You're starting to scare me, Derek."

"Don't listen to him, Daniel. Garcia is really okay. She's simply...enthusiastic."

"Well, that sounds okay. Derek, do I have to stay in the house or can I go out?"

"You just need to have one of us with you when you go out. You're not under house arrest, you're under federal protection. We can't force you to stay home."

"I'm not running out tonight. I didn't mean that. I was just asking for future reference. It's just that I used to have a life at one point in the past. I'm not sure exactly when; sometime before the Olympics, I think." He thought for a minute. "Some time in 2009, maybe? Yeah...that was it! Sometime in 2009 I briefly had a life, until I decided to try for the Olympics again and I no longer had one."

Morgan laughed out loud. "Sorry man. It just sounded funny the way you said it."

"The Olympics are over, though," Reid commented.

"Yes, well, I haven't decided yet whether I still want to hang around or not."

"So until you decide, you're just like Reid. You have no life," Morgan laughed.

"Very funny, Morgan. Ha, ha!"

The three men slipped into an easy banter as they ate. They decided to watch DVDs when they were finished. The question they could not agree on the answer to was what DVD to watch. Morgan groaned when Daniel suggested they watch 'Titanic' after Reid revealed he had never seen it. Morgan couldn't help laughing when Daniel stared at Reid when he started spouting statistics on the size of the actual ship, the engines, the number of crew people, and how the movie was wrong about how many survivors had been pulled from the water after the ship sank.** Then he went on about how the movie was right about the ship breaking into two pieces before it sank, and that the actual ship's baker had survived the same way he had in the movie.++ As the movie's credits ran while Celine Dion sang My Heart Will Go On, Daniel asked, "Is he always like this?"

"Pretty much," Morgan laughed.

"Ha, ha," Reid inserted, "You pick a movie this time about a subject I have no statistics for."

"Any suggestions, Daniel?"

"I have hundreds of DVDs, Derek. I don't know. How about a comedy?"

"You have 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'?"

"Of course!"

"I've seen that!" Reid complained as Daniel and Morgan enthusiastically took 'Titanic' out and put 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' in.

"Tough," Morgan laughed.

"You pick the next one, Spencer."

"It'll be like two in the morning. You may not even be awake," Reid complained.

"Great, I won't have to watch it then."

"That's not nice, Derek," Daniel laughed. "If he's not awake you can watch it tomorrow night, Spencer."

"Great," Morgan said, tossing a handful of popcorn at Reid. In response Reid dumped the rest of the bowl over his head.

"Too bad Garcia wasn't here to see that," Reid said. "She'd have laughed her head off."

"You guys are too much," Daniel commented as the movie started.

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"Do I look okay?" Garcia asked as they walked toward the building.

"Baby girl, you always look okay!" Morgan commented.

"Are you sure? I'm finally meeting Daniel Meier today. I want to look good!"

"You look fine, Penelope," Reid said. "That dress is very attractive on you," he added, looking down at the flower print dress his friend was wearing.

"Really?"

"Let's not embarrass ourselves, okay?"

"Morgan, when have I ever embarrassed you?" She thought for a moment then added, "Don't answer that!"

Morgan chuckled as the trio walked inside the building where Daniel's training rink was located. As they approached the ice they could see Prentiss sitting in a chair watching a black clad Daniel out on the ice. Rossi was sitting a few feet away reading a book. Prentiss looked up at them as they approached. Garcia sighed. "He looks really good in that outfit," she commented.

"You should see him when he's wearing jeans," Prentiss responded. She blushed almost immediately. "Uh, I mean... Uh, never mind!"

"I don't believe this," Rossi commented from his chair as Morgan shook his head. "We thought Garcia was the one we had to worry about."

"Hey, Daniel!" Morgan called. "Come meet Garcia!"

Daniel immediately skated over to where the group was standing. "Hi, guys." He looked at Garcia. "You must be Penelope. I understand you're a fan of mine."

"Uh, yes..." she squeaked. "Thanks for the picture."

"Penelope Garcia, meet Daniel Meier. Daniel, meet Penelope Garcia," Morgan said. Daniel extended his hand to her, and she shook it. She then stood looking at her hand as if she'd never seen it before. Reid and Morgan looked as if they were both close to losing a battle to not laugh.

"You're outfit is great, Penelope," Daniel commented. "Where do you buy your clothes?"

"Oh, uh, all over!"

"Well I like your taste in fashion. I think you must be a completely unique person." Garcia blushed.

"Dan-yel!"

Daniel sighed as he heard his coach's voice call his name followed by a rapid stream of Russian. "I have to go. She's still mad at me over missing practice yesterday," he said, rolling his eyes. He smiled widely at Garcia. "I'm sure we'll see each other again. Maybe we can go skating sometime?" He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before smiling at her again and turning away.

"Uh, uh... Okay. Yeah. Great idea. Skating together. Wonderful idea," Garcia said, touching her cheek.

"Boy, he's good!" Reid commented to a chuckling Morgan as Daniel skated back out to the middle of the ice.

Garcia was alternately looking at her hand and touching her check. "I'll never wash this hand or this cheek again," she sighed.

"Baby girl, that was not cool!" Morgan laughed.

"Did I act stupid?" Garcia asked.

"Penelope, you acted like a teenage groupie," Rossi commented.

"I certainly did not," Garcia said in a huff. "I don't act like that!" She turned and started to walk away. "Humph!"

"Wait, aren't you going to watch Daniel skate?" Reid asked.

She started to turn back around and then said, "No. I can take it or leave it."

"Oh, sure!"

"Okay, well, maybe I'll just sit here with Emily and watch," she said plopping down in a chair next to Prentiss.

Prentiss leaned over to her and said, "You do realize, of course, that Morgan is never going to let you live this down?"

Garcia looked at her and then over at Morgan, who was grinning at her. 'Boy am I in for it,' she thought to herself.

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** In 'Titanic' Rose indicates she and six others were rescued from the water after the ship sank. In reality fourteen people were pulled out of the water.

++ The ship's baker was the man dressed in white who was next to Jack and Rose on the back end of the ship when it went into the water. He survived in reality the same way he survived in the movie.

A/N: I made Penelope Garcia a secondary character in this story because how she and Daniel interact is important to me. I didn't realize it would take me four chapters to get to this point, and I really hope it comes out the way I want it to in the future. It doesn't seem that complicated when it's all written in your head already. :- ) The story is really more about the characters as opposed to the action, but more does happen later in the story to both Daniel and Reid.