My Heart
Intro: Set after Season 3 Episode 14 (Damaged), in which Rossi finally closes his 21 year old cold case about three now-grown children whose parents were murdered.
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Just love the show.
The team exited the elevators and gathered around their desks in the bullpen. JJ was heckling Prentiss about not getting out there and dating, but Prentiss protested that she was actually waiting to start seeing someone in particular, though she refused to cough up any details. Rossi and Hotch were discussing Rossi's 21 year old cold case they had just solved. Reid rattled off statistics about germs and viruses that could survive extreme temperatures. Upon spotting Garcia waiting by Reid's desk, Morgan rolled his eyes. He walked to his adjacent desk, Reid close behind.
Defeated, Morgan explained, "I just asked why he carried straws in his bag. Apparently, it's to counteract all of the bacteria still located on clean glasses in restaurants."
Reid opened his mouth to continue his lecture on the topic, but Garcia cut him off. "I bet with enough alcohol in the glass, the bacteria doesn't stand a chance."
"Did I hear someone mention alcohol?" Prentiss perked up.
"Count me in," JJ added.
"Yeah, let's get something to eat, too. I'm starving," Reid joined the conversation.
Garcia smirked at Morgan. "What about you, Hotstuff? You up for a night on the town?"
Morgan smirked back. "I could be persuaded to join the crowd." Looking over his shoulder at the team leaders, he asked, "Rossi, Hotch, are you in?"
Rossi answered, "I could go for a drink."
Hotch, having just signed for a package, nodded. "I could use a few."
"What's that?" Prentiss inquired.
Hotch sighed. "Haley's filing for divorce. I've just been served."
Rossi patted him on the shoulder. "Then tonight, your drinks are on me." Pointing to the padded envelope, he added, "Those can wait til tomorrow."
Shoving the envelope in his briefcase, Hotch nodded. "Then let's go. I could use a good distraction."
The team rallied behind their leaders, filing back into the elevator. They split up in the parking garage, agreeing to meet at The Benjamin, their favorite local bar and grill. Garcia had parked two cars down from Morgan that morning, so he walked her to her car. Or so she thought. When she stopped by her trunk to say goodbye for now, he stopped too.
"Meet ya there, Hotstuff?" she asked playfully. They'd been technically dating for about two weeks now, ever since the comic book artist case in California, but cases had kept them apart since then. The team would be home for less than a day before they were heading back out to fight crime and save lives.
Of course, Morgan had spent those brief moments with Garcia, making sure she knew how much he valued their new status as a couple as well as their time together. However, neither of them had told the team about their dating. He took her hands in his before he spoke. "Do you maybe wanna ride with me to The Benjamin?" he asked.
She tilted her head at the question. "I mean, I'd love to, but won't that mean that the team would notice and ask questions?" She assumed that since he hadn't brought it up that they weren't sharing this part of their life with the team just yet. She was ok with that. She just hated keeping secrets from her work family. They were her only family, after all.
"That's partly why I want you to come with me." He smiled down at her, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "I think it's time we told them. Don't you?"
She grinned with excitement. "Absolutely!" He was really making things official now, and she could feel her smile taking over her face. "What's the other reason?"
He stepped forward, pinning Garcia between her car's trunk and his solid form. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers, softly at first, but soon with more force as his feelings for her grew to a pressing desire. When she pulled back to breathe, they rested their foreheads against each other. "I just want you close, always," he admitted. "I love you, Penelope, and I want you by my side. I hate having to be apart for work even though I have you in my ear at all times, but I want to make it up to you any chance I get when we are both home."
She smiled up at him. "I love you too," she stated. "You know you are like the sweetest man in the world, right?"
He smiled back at her. "Well, I like to think I'm a bit of a catch," he joked. "Sweetness is just part of it." His voice grew husky with that last part, and Garcia felt like her skin might catch fire with the heat rising all over her. He wanted her, and she could tell, and damn that made it hard to think.
"You planning to show me some of those other parts any time soon?" she asked, returning the playful banter they usually shared, though her voice wavered a bit. This was real, and not just flirting anymore.
He kissed her nose and pulled her close for a hug. "Most definitely, but right now, we have a dinner to get to." He stepped back, took her hand in his, and gestured for her to follow him to his car. "The final reason I want you to ride with me," he explained as he held open the passenger door for her, "is that I've seen you out with the group. I plan on being your DD tonight, sweet thing. I want you to enjoy yourself, worry-free."
Shutting her door and walking around to his side of the car, Derek slid into the driver's seat. Garcia was practically beaming with love for this man, her man. "You certainly think of everything. Though, you have to admit, I'm not that bad."
They made it to the bar, a little bit after the rest of the team. The others were inside collected around a large circular table, their usual spot, but no one had drinks yet, so their conversation in the parking garage hadn't held them up too much. Morgan took Garcia's hand in his and met her gaze. "Are you ready for this, Goddess?"
She just kept grinning, something she couldn't seem to stop around this far-too-sweet man. "Born ready, Angelfish." She squeezed his hand for emphasis.
Morgan tilted their joined hands up and placed a kiss to the back of hers. "Then let's go tell the team." He cherished every time he could make her smile. He was grinning too, and Garcia was happy to be able to make him so happy.
They approached the team's table hand-in-hand. Before either part of the couple could say anything, Rossi announced rather loudly, "It's about damn time!" That drew the rest of the team's attention to the table's newest arrivals.
Prentiss stood up to hug Garcia, who had been pulling out the seat next to her to sit but stopped as she was hugged. "Oh my God, Penelope! Since when?"
Garcia blushed heavily. "Ummm… about two weeks," she answered honestly.
Morgan stood behind the seat next to Garcia's, and Reid stood up on his right to do their brotherly clasp-hands and half-hug thing. "Congrats, man. I always thought you two would make a great pair."
"Thanks, pretty boy," Morgan replied.
The team all shared congratulations and well wishes. Rossi even threatened Morgan's life if he hurt his kitten. He had made it clear that Garcia was the closest thing to a daughter he had. Tears in her eyes, she promised Rossi that he was like a dad to her too, and Morgan promised to always protect her and treat her like the goddess she is.
"You still have to keep it professional on the job," Hotch reminded them, ever the buzzkill. Morgan and Garcia nodded in agreement. "But since you both flirt so much anyways, I doubt any of us will notice much of a difference." He laughed at his own joke. Hotch actually laughed, and soon the rest of the table did too.
"Well, it seems like what started out as a gloomy, drown-our-sorrows type night is turning into a celebration," Rossi began. The waitress came up then with a tray of mixed drinks, beers, and a round of shots. When she left, he continued, raising his shot. "The first round is on me. To resolutions and peace of mind, to fresh starts and new beginnings, to young love and happiness, to being human and triumphing over that universal struggle." The rest of the team raised their shots as well. "We see a lot in our line of work, both good and bad, but we can always rely on each other, on this family of a team, to lift us up when we are down, to support us when we stumble, to encourage us when we doubt, and to celebrate with us when life is good. To our family."
The team repeated. "To our family." Then everyone took their first shot. Reid coughed, ever the light-weight. Morgan patted him on the pack in good humor. The night progressed with more drinking, though Morgan only had the one shot and a beer. Rossi and Reid started a game of pool against Hotch and Prentiss. Team Hottiss won. JJ and Reid, Hotch and Prentiss, and Morgan and Garcia danced at various times. Near the end, someone dared Rossi to sing a karaoke song, and the rest of the team joined him.
Either riding with designated drivers or taking taxis home, the team said their goodbyes and goodnights, heading to their respective homes. Morgan drove Garcia to her apartment and walked her inside. He danced her across the threshold, and she giggled at the gesture. "I had so much fun tonight!" she laughed. "I'm glad the team is so chill about us."
Morgan nodded, locking the door behind him. "Me too, Baby Girl. Having them on board definitely makes this easier." A grin snuck across his face as he watched Garcia struggle to get her jacket off.
When she officially got stuck, she sighed and made a pouty face at Morgan. "Sugar shack? Could you help me please?"
She looked so darn cute like that. Morgan continued to grin at her as he walked behind her, helping remove her jacket. "Is that better, sweetness?"
She nodded. "Much better. Thank you." She placed a quick kiss on his cheek.
Morgan wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her close. She wasn't trying to be cute. She was a little drunk, and therefore more animated and less witty than normal. Her adorableness was driving him crazy though. He kissed her deeply, tasting the lime, salt, and tequila from her margaritas.
She leaned her body into his, each pressing as much of themselves against the other as possible. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close and holding herself upright. Unfortunately, all of the blood rushing to her head right then was making her dizzy. She pulled back to breathe.
Morgan smiled knowingly. "How's that head of yours, little mama?" He knew she'd enjoyed herself tonight.
She shook her head slowly. "Not so great, Hotstuff. I'm gonna need like a gallon of water and a truckload of aspirin in the morning." She stumbled back, but Morgan caught her.
"Let's get you to bed," he encouraged, steering her towards her room.
"But I'm not tired," she protested. "I wanna spend more time with you."
"I'll stay over tonight," he promised. "You can spend time with me until you fall asleep, but I at least want you to get ready for bed and lay down before you hurt yourself, alright?"
Begrudgingly she agreed and got ready for bed. Once in her sleep pants and t-shirt, she crawled into bed. Morgan noted that she didn't wince in pain, a good sign that she was healing well internally. "Alright, I'm in bed as promised." She looked into her living room towards the last place she'd seen Morgan.
He had changed in the living room while she'd changed in her room. He now wore pajama pants and no shirt. She ate him up with her eyes. His shoulder muscles rippled into his arm muscles. His pecks glistened down to his yummy abs, which further drew her attention down to his happy trail. She was salivating. He was built like a statue, and he was all hers.
He walked to the edge of the bed, handing her a tall glass of water and a few aspirins. "Take those, and drink some of that, please. I don't want you too out of commission on our day off tomorrow."
Garcia smiled bashfully. "You do think of everything." She gladly took the offerings, downing the pills with half of the glass of water.
Morgan cleared his throat. "I'm thinking we need to call my mama tomorrow."
Garcia set the rest of the glass on the table on her side of the bed and turned to look back at Morgan. "Why's that?" She raised a quizzical eyebrow at him. He chuckled, and realization hit her. "Oh! You haven't told Fran yet?" she asked.
"Not yet," he explained. "I wanted us to tell her together, but we've barely had a few hours together recently. That's why I want to call her tomorrow."
Garcia eagerly nodded. "The sooner, the better. She's gonna tan your hide for not telling her sooner. You know that, right?"
Morgan nodded. "Yeah, I know." He stood by the edge of the bed, looking down at Garcia, worry drawing tight lines around his face. Garcia scrunched her eyes, which created creases on her forehead. Why was he still standing on the side of her bed, and why did he look so worried? Fran wasn't really gonna kill him, just probably chew him out.
"Ummm.. This is gonna sound really silly," he started, "but do you mind if I lay beside you tonight?" he asked. "I promise I won't try anything with you in this state, but I just want to be closer to you than the couch."
It took a second for her drunkenly fuzzy brain to process what he was asking. He was asking permission to share her bed. Who does that? Super-unrealistic sweethearts in sappy chick-flicks, that's who. No one did that shit in real life. Except her Morgan. He really was a perfect gentleman. "Of course, please. You just have to promise me one thing."
Morgan nodded, seriously. "Of course. What's that?"
She grinned wickedly. "Promise me you'll only ever sleep with a shirt on if it is absolutely freezing. I think I'm gonna quickly get used to sleeping next to you all half-naked like this."
Morgan smiled at her. "As you wish, silly girl." He scooted into the bed by his woman. Sitting up against some of her pillows, he pulled her close to lay against his shoulder. "So, are you still not sleepy?"
Before she could answer, a yawn silenced her. She shrugged, cutely defeated. "I guess I'm more tired that I thought," she admitted.
Scooting down, Morgan smiled up at his Baby Girl laying on his back. Garcia copied him, but laid on her side, resting her head on his perfect chocolate chest and wrapping an arm around his chiseled stomach. "God, you are perfect," Morgan whispered into her hair after placing a kiss on top of her blonde head.
She tilted her head up to look at him. "I was just thinking the same thing about you, handsome." They tilted towards each other to share one last kiss. "Good night, my love," she sleepily whispered against her man's chest.
"Good night, my heart," Morgan whispered into the growing quiet of the room. "Sweet dreams." He happily fell asleep to the soft breathing of the woman who held his heart.