Broken Circle
Chapter 3: Reunion
Garcia walked back to her office, whistling the last song she had heard on the radio while driving into work. It had been stuck in her head ever since she received a 4:00 AM wake up call from Hotch saying that she had to come in. She was none too pleased about this arrangement, and armed herself with some rather strong coffee. As she neared her office, she heard the faint strains of jazz music emanating from her office. This will not do. Nobody plays in MY office while I'm away. Garcia sets a stern look on her face as she closes the distance to her office door. She flings open the door, fully prepared to bite the head off whoever is messing with her babies.
Upon seeing a pair of stiletto heels propped up on her computer desk she snaps, "Who the hell are you?"
The heels come down from the desk to click lightly on the floor. The chair spins about and its occupant says, "Is that any way to greet your baby sister?"
The coffee in Garcia's hand drops to the floor, splashing everywhere and leaves a rather large stain on Garcia's skirt. "RIA!" She dashes forward to embrace her little sister. "What are you doing here?"
Ria gives her sister a look, eyebrow gracefully arched, holding Garcia at arms length. "Before I answer that question, we have a tradition that must be upheld."
"Jeez, how could I forget?" Garcia slaps a hand to her forehead. The two sisters then proceed to perform their secret handshake which involves kissing both cheeks and bumping both hips. "Now speak!" Garcia commands once the beloved childhood ritual is upheld.
Ria casually leans against the desk as Garcia situates herself in the swivel chair. After slipping her sunglasses into her briefcase, Ria begins her explanation. "I had a meeting with the FBI Director this morning." She laughs in amusement as her sister's eyebrows fly up to disappear under blonde bangs. "It's not what you think, Penny. I am not becoming an agent."
Garcia eyes her sister carefully. "Are you going to stand there for the rest of the afternoon and tease me, or are you going to tell me what you're doing here? If not, I will tickle it out of you Ria!"
Ria lets out a laugh in her rich alto. "I wouldn't put it past you. I have a temporary consulting position. I'm supposed to meet with the BAU team later this afternoon. In fact, the Director will be giving you a call when the time comes so you can escort me to the BAU."
"Oh? You're going to be playing with my Fearless Leader and crew?" Garcia lets out a giggle of delight. "Oh the chaos you are going to cause! If they think I'm bad…"
"What have you done, Penny?"
Garcia turns an innocent face to her sister. "Absolutely nothing. I just make their rather dull lives a little more interesting. You'll see exactly what I mean when you meet them all. Do they know you're coming?"
Ria pulls a slip of paper from the pocket of her overcoat. "I'm supposed to report to a guy named Aaron Hotchner. He knows I'm coming."
"Ah, our Fearless Leader, Captain America! Does he have any clue who or what you are?"
"From what the Director, Mr. Caswell, told me, the BAU team knows nothing about me. The only one who knows I'm supposed to show up today is Hotchner."
"Then I know the perfect way to pass the time." Garcia gives her little sister a conspiratorial grin. "I'll introduce you to the team."
Ria looks at Penny quizzically. "How?"
"Simple. I am the Office of Supreme Genius. I have all the dirt that you could ever imagine having on these people." She pulls her chair close to the desk and her fingers start flying over the keyboard in front of her. "I'm going to pull up pics and explain who each one is." She flashes Ria a huge grin. "That way, you know exactly who they are, and you can confuse the hell out of them."
"Penny, there are days when I really love the fact that you are a complete computer geek. It reminds me of when we were young and how we would drive mum and dad crazy."
Penny laughs manically and points to a picture on her desk. It is a picture from when they were young on a family vacation to Disney World. They stand in front of Goofy, eyes glinting with mischief as they both pull on Goofy's ears. Ria smiles at the picture in its funky frame, in true Penny style, remembering her childhood.
The rest of the afternoon passes in laughter for the two sisters. Garcia pulls up pictures of all the team members and, using a fuzzy green pen as a pointer, she drills her younger sister about the BAU. By the time the phone call from the Director comes, Ria can identify each and every member.
"Ready to go meet a group of people who have no lives?"