I found Penelope's room fairly easily, my heart breaking as I saw her through the window. She looked so small and fragile hooked up to all those machines. It was such a contrast to the huge personality she usually filled rooms with. Checking around quickly to make sure no one was watching, I snuck inside, closing the door behind me, but leaving the curtains open so it wouldn't look too suspicious if anyone glanced over.

Moving to the far side of the bed, I sat in the chair that had been left there and reached out for Penelope's hand.

"Oh, Pen," I said softly. "What have you gotten yourself into now?"

I felt my eyes well up with tears, but I desperately blinked them away.

"I hear you're going to be okay," I continued. "But you scared the shit out of me. I don't think I've ever been that terrified in my life. I know it sounds dramatic, but it's true. I don't know what I'd do without you. Even when I was in Europe and you were mad at me, I knew in the back of my mind that if I ever needed something, you would be there. You always have been. You've always protected me."

I took in a shaky breath, the tears now flowing freely down my cheeks.

"It's like when we were kids and I was scared to go to kindergarten and you spent hours telling me about all the fun things I'd get to do at school so that I wouldn't be as scared and then in the middle of my first day you snuck out of class to come check on me or when I was learning how to ride a bike without training wheels and I fell off and scraped my knee, you were right there with a band-aid and an ice pack to save the day. Then of course there's the bigger things as we got older. I don't think I ever properly thanked you for everything you did to me after what happened. I was such a mess and all I ever did was take it out on you when you were the only person who believed me," I choked back a sob as I spoke. "I've been so horrible to you over the years and so thoughtless. You never deserved it. You're the best person I know, Penny and I swear to God if you don't wake up soon there will be serious consequences."

I was rambling and anyone who heard me would probably think I was insane, but I needed to be here. I needed to be close to her, talking to her to get her through like she'd done for me over the years throughout the many struggles I'd faced.

I reminisced about all the things we'd done and all the trouble we'd caused together, like accidentally setting my dad's backyard on fire or when we thought it would be hilarious to shave her mom's cat to make him look like a lion. I laughed and cried as I spoke, hoping she could hear me and that one of these stories would catch her attention and make her wake up, but after the stress of the day she was out cold.

I was so engrossed in my tales that I hadn't even noticed Spencer and Derek appear at the window.

"They both just look so small," Spencer observed to his friend as he watched me laugh through my tears at something I was telling Penelope. "I've never seen Mickey this upset before. She seemed so broken when we first arrived."

"They've been through a lot together," Derek pointed out. "They're like sisters, even if they've had their issues they still love each other. I don't know all the details, but from what Garcia's told me, Mickey's been through some tough stuff and with Garcia losing her parents, they've gotten each other through some big things. Losing a support system like that would be a scary thing to face."

Spencer nodded, but still looked apprehensive.

"I just didn't know to help her," He confessed. "She was so distraught, all I could do was give her a hug and hold her until she calmed down. I didn't know what to say."

Derek smiled and put a hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Sometimes a hug is all you need," He assured him. "You were feeling that pain too, would any words have made you worry any less?"

"No, I suppose you're right," Spencer sighed. "I just worry sometimes. I know I miss a lot of social cues and I find comfort in statistics and facts, but I know that doesn't help everyone. I feel like sometimes I just don't know how to be the boyfriend that she needs me to be."

Derek shook his head, staring at Spencer like he had two heads.

"Have you seen the way that girl looks at you?" He asked, incredulously. "She adores you, statistics and all. It's been a long night for everyone, kid, don't overthink things. We're all angry, sad and scared for Garcia right now."

Spencer nodded again, his eyes trained on me as I reached up to tuck Penelope's hair behind her ear to keep it out of her eyes.

"We should probably get her out of there though before she gets us all kicked out of the hospital," He smiled before carefully opening the door. I didn't notice them so I jumped when I heard his voice. "You're not supposed to be in here, Mickey."

"Sorry!" I mumbled sheepishly, looking over at the two men. "I just had to see her and I lost track of time."

"You just can't resist sneaking into places you're not authorised to be, can you?" Derek teased, but I felt Penelope gently squeeze my hand as he spoke.

"She's fine," She croaked, her eyes slowly blinking open. "As long as she stops crying because if she sets me off, I'm scared I'll come unstapled."

"Oh my god," I whimpered, fighting off a new wave of tears. "It's so good to hear your voice!"

The larger number of people in the room had obviously caught the attention of a few of the nurses as a doctor poked his head in the room.

"Oh good, she's awake!" He smiled at us. "Just give me a few minutes to check her over then you can all come back in and check on her yourselves, alright?"

I was about to protest when Spencer held out his hand for me to take.

"C'mon, Mickey," He insisted. "We can come back in just a few minutes."

I sighed and leaned over to give Penelope a kiss on the cheek before interlacing my finger's with Spencer's and following him and Derek out the room.


When we went back in about twenty minutes later, Penelope seemed a bit more awake than she had before.

"How're you feeling?" Derek asked as the entire team surrounded her bed.

"Confused, stupid and in pain."

"Are you up for a few questions?" JJ asked, but Penelope kept talking.

"I never saw it coming," She told us. "He seemed deliciously normal."

"You know him?" Spencer asked with his brow furrowed in an adorable way that usually made my heart flutter, but this time his words made it sink to my stomach.

"You were right," Penelope said to Derek. "I shouldn't have trusted it."

"Your date," I whispered, feeling my stomach clench.

I'd convinced her to go. I'd convinced her that her worries were just insecurity and that she had nothing to worry about. I'd convinced her to ignore the FBI agent who told her to trust her gut. This was my fault. I led her to the shooter like a lamb to slaughter.

My grip on Spencer's hand was so tight I'm surprised I wasn't breaking his fingers as more tears filled my eyes and Penelope nodded.

"That guy I told you about, the one I met at the coffee shop," She explained, her voice strained. "I wanted to believe he was interested in me. I let my guard down."

Only because I forced you to, I thought to myself, desperately blinking back tears as the guilt ate away at me. The team asked a few more questions, but as Penelope got more upset, they stopped. Emily asked her for his name before we all left the room, except JJ who Penny asked to stay behind.

Once we were out of her sight, everyone seemed to crumble. Derek practically put his fist through the wall and as Spencer went to try to keep him calm, I collapsed onto a chair, letting out more floods of tears. I went unnoticed at first as they discussed some details they'd found out, but moments later I felt someone's hand on my back.

"Whoa, hey, Mickey," Emily said softly. "What's wrong? She's okay, she's going to be fine and we'll catch this guy."

Spencer and Derek watched from the other side of the hallway, Spencer with a particularly pained look on his face.

"It's my fault," I choked out. "I told her to go. She was upset that Derek had warned her not to and I said that he was wrong, that she deserved a date with a hot guy. I told her to ignore whatever her gut was telling her because apparently my instincts are better than the instincts of people who chase serial killers every day!"

My last sentence was dripping with sarcasm, but everyone around me was shaking their heads.

"You were being a good friend," Derek assured me. "There was no way to know what this guy was going to do. I was wrong for how I reacted when she told me."

"But you were right," I whimpered.

"This guy probably would've found another way to get to her if she hadn't agreed to go on the date," Emily insisted, stroking my hair in a very motherly way. "But did she say anything about him? Other than his name?"

I wiped my eyes, trying to get myself under control and shook my head.

"Just that he was 'smoking hot' and they'd met at the coffee shop. His laptop froze and she fixed it for him."

"That's all she told me too," Derek agreed. "I don't think she knew much more about him."

"Alright," Emily sighed. "Well I'm gonna call Hotch."

"And I'm gonna grab a coffee," JJ piped in. "Would anyone like one?"

"I'll come with you," Derek mumbled and soon everyone was gone except Spencer and I.

He held out his arms for me as soon as we were alone and I peeled myself out of the chair to run into his embrace.

"It's not your fault," He mumbled into my hair. "You did the right thing, you were a good friend."

"I don't know why I ever thought I knew what I was talking about," I sniffled into his chest. "I have absolutely horrible instincts when it comes to men."

"Hey now," Spencer chuckled. "You chose me, didn't you?"

"The best decision I ever made," I smiled up at him, squeezing him tightly. "I love you, Spencer, thank you for being here for me. I'm sorry I'm such an emotional mess."

"I love you too," He kissed the tip of my nose. "And you don't have to thank me. I know how you're feeling, you're allowed to be emotional."

"How're you feeling?" I asked. "I know she's your friend too."

"I'm glad she's okay," He sighed. "But I'll feel better when we catch the man responsible."

"If anyone can do it, you guys can," I assured him. "This guy messed with the wrong team."

"Absolutely," Spencer nodded. "Now, do you want to go join JJ and Derek for a coffee? I could use one."

I bit my lip, pondering his offer for a moment before shaking my head.

"I think I'm gonna go sit with her a bit longer," I decided, looking back towards Penelope's room. "You go though. Maybe bring me one back?"

"Alright," Spencer leaned down to place a soft kiss on my lips before we reluctantly pulled away from each other and went our separate ways.


Penelope was in hospital for five days and I stayed with her almost the entire time. I didn't leave at all for the first two, cancelling all my classes, but after that Spencer managed to lure me home for a shower with the promise of a cuddle afterwards. He claimed he was feeling neglected with me giving Penelope all my attention, but his mind was one hundred percent focused on the case anyway so I knew Penny must've asked him to take me away and take care of me.

It was a nice break from the stress of what was happening though. We showered together, but it wasn't a sexual affair, we just washed each other and held each other as the water fell over us. After we were clean, we practically collapsed onto Spencer's bed, taking a much needed nap all wrapped up together, but when we woke up it was back to business.

The team had basically no leads on who had hurt Penny and I could tell it was wearing them all down. As Spencer said, she was always there for them, finding out valuable information that sometimes kept them from walking into a potentially deadly situation so the fact that they couldn't help her now was driving them all a bit mad. I was still riddled with guilt for convincing her to go on the date in the first place despite Penelope's insistence that I was not responsible. I was still determined to stay with her in hospital as much as I could though. I knew she would get bored and lonely if she was by herself all day and I also knew she was still scared that her attacker was still out there

We were all relieved when she was cleared to go home, knowing that she would be more comfortable recovering there, but she was also apprehensive about going back to the place where it all unfolded. Which was why Derek and I insisted we accompany her. She didn't protest too much until she realized we planned to stay the night.

"I've got my goon squad right outside!" She argued, not wanting to inconvenience either of us.

"Goon squad or no goon squad, that couch will be my best friend until we catch this guy," Derek teased.

"And what if you need help with things like showering?" I asked, crossing my arms sternly. "Do you really want Derek to help with that?"

"Well..." She cocked her head to the side with a smirk on her face, but I laughed and shook my head.

"You are in no shape to be a perv, Pen!" I scolded her playfully, pleased she was still able to laugh about things. "You have two couches, there's plenty of space for both of us. Now go and get some rest."

"Alright," She smiled before wandering off to her bedroom until Derek stopped her.

"Hey, silly girl," He started before pausing for a moment. "I love you, you know that right?"

Penny smiled.

"I love you too."

"Awwwwwe," I cooed at the dramatically, ruining what was probably a very touching moment for them. Without missing a beat, Derek grabbed a cushion from the couch and swatted me in the head.

"You be quiet or I'll call pretty boy to come and pick you up," He warned, but I simply stuck out my tongue as Penelope shook her head at us and went to bed.


We hadn't been asleep long when a loud sound from outside woke us up.

"Garcia!" Derek shouted as we leapt off the couches. "Stay there, stay right there!"

Penny was standing in the doorway, holding her stomach, pale as a ghost so I rushed to her side as Derek looked out the window. Whatever he saw obviously wasn't good as he ran back to us, grabbing us both by the hand.

"Come with me," He said dragging us into a corner. He pushed Penelope in first then me in front of her. Pulling a second gun from a holster he apparently had on his ankle he
thrust it towards me. "Take this gun!"

"I don't believe in guns," Penelope protested from behind me, but swallowing hard I took it from him.

"You keep your finger on that trigger, Mickey," He told me firmly. "If someone comes in that door you grab a hold of it and you squeeze, alright?"

I nodded, feeling my hands shake as Derek raced out the door before I could question him.

"We're gonna be okay," I assured Penny as I felt her quivering behind me. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

"I'm scared," She whimpered. "Why is this happening?"

"I don't know, babe," I whispered. "But we'll get through this. We're in it together, right? Just like we've always been."

I felt her head rest on my shoulder and prayed she couldn't hear how fast my heart was racing as the sound of gunshots echoed from the hallway.

"Morgan," She sobbed as he shouted once again for us to stay where we were.

My mind was racing as my stomach turned. I'd never fired a gun before, I was probably a horrible shot and much more likely to hurt myself than whoever I was aiming at, but I was going to do anything I could to keep Penelope safe. She'd always been there for me and I was going to defend her to the death if I had to.

We waited in silence for any sign of the man who'd shot her, but there hadn't been anymore gunshots so I was hopeful that Derek had got him. A few minutes later though the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs had me on edge again. I lifted the gun, my heart pounding in my chest as I saw a shadow in the door frame.

"Hello?" I called out, but when there was no answer I took a deep breath, ready for the worst. "I will shoot you if you come any closer!"

My threat caused another sob from Penelope, but I kept my gaze strong on the door as Derek burst through, gun raised.

"It's me!" He announced, causing me to let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding as I lowered the gun. "Don't shoot, Mickey, it's just me."

I nodded and moved to put down the gun before I could do any damage to myself or anyone else as Penelope rushed into Derek's arms. I watched as he held her, rocking her gently as he sobbed into her chest.

"Call Reid, he should be here for you," He told me quietly as I pulled out my phone, my mind still spinning. "And Mickey? Thank you for protecting her."

I nodded and whispered a 'you're welcome', blinking back the tears that were filling my eyes as the adrenaline wore off and the reality of the situation set in.


I managed to keep it together until Spencer walked in the door followed closely by JJ. He looked around frantically until his eyes settled on me and his face flooded with relief.

"Mickey," He breathed out as I ran into his arms so fast I almost tackled him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," I assured him despite the tears that were rolling down my cheeks, squeezing him tightly. "We're all fine. Derek gave me his gun, but I didn't need to use it."

"You gave her a gun?" Spencer asked Derek, his eyebrow raised in surprise. "She can barely cook without setting her hair on fire and you trusted her with a gun?"

A quiet chuckle echoed through the group and even I managed a smile, but my heart was still heavy and my hands still shaking.

"It was so scary, Spencer," I sniffled, fighting back more tears as JJ checked on Penelope. "I thought I was going to have to actually kill someone."

"Shhh, it's okay," He assured me, kissing the top of my head. "It's over now, you're safe."

And I did feel safe with his arms around me. I could feel the stress slowly seeping out of me with every kiss he gave me and every word of comfort he whispered in my ear. I stayed there in his arms as they discussed the case and tried to get any more details out of Penelope, but as the rest of the team arrived, I decided to try to make myself useful. Penelope always used to make me tea when I was sad and I was sure the team could all use the caffeine boost so I figured it could be a small way I could help. However, my still shaky hands got in the way and the first mug I picked up went crashing to the floor.

"Damn it!" I swore as Penelope shrieked and I bent down to pick it up, slicing my hand in the process. "Fuck's sake!"

I felt the tears bubbling up again as the blood sprung from my finger, but I soon felt someone's arm around my waist. I looked up to see Spencer, his eyes full of sympathy as he led me to the bathroom, closing the door behind us. I lost it as soon as we were alone, leaning on the counter as my blood dripped into the sink, sobs wracking my body.

"Hey, hey, hey," Spencer said quietly. "It's okay, Mickey. It's just a little cut, you'll be okay."

I couldn't help, but smile through my tears at Spencer's obvious misinterpretation of my sadness.

"It's not that," I hiccuped. "It's this whole situation. I'm useless, I can't do anything to help, I practically caused this mess by forcing her on that date and now I'm just getting in the way and now, I'm distracting you when you should be out there finding whoever did this to her!"

"You're not distracting me, there's enough other people out there with her for now, I'm right where I need to be," He insisted. "And you're not useless, you just took a gun with no hesitation to defend your friend. That's the opposite of useless."

He opened a cupboard and found some antibacterial wipes before taking my hand in his. I hissed as he wiped at the cut, but took some deep breaths to get myself together.

"I was so scared," I told him. "I don't like this, having my best friend hunted by some maniac. This isn't normal day to day life for me like it is for you guys, I don't know how to handle it."

"It's not normal for me either," He told me as he returned to the cupboard for a bandage. "It's very rare one of the team is in danger like this and even more rare that it's someone I'm in love with. Do you not think I was scared when you called me and told me what happened?"

I wiped my eyes with my not bleeding hand as Spencer wiped the wound again before carefully placing a band-aid over it.

"You were?"

"Of course! I was terrified," He informed me. "Even though I knew you were okay, just thinking about what could've happened scared me to death. I don't know what I would do without you, Mick."

I teared up again, but pulled Spencer into a hug now that my wound was covered.

"Now you know how I feel every time you go into the field," I mumbled against his neck. "So remember that the next time you're chasing after some maniac, okay?"
"Okay," He chucked, holding me close to him. "And the next time Morgan hands you a gun, don't take it. It's probably safer for everyone that way."

I giggled and swatted him playfully before stretching up to kiss his lips gently. I pulled away a moment later and turned to the mirror, wiping my eyes one last time so I wouldn't look too horrible when we went back out to face the team.


The rest of the night was spent grilling poor Penelope for any information she could provide. After I'd gathered myself in the bathroom with Spencer, I went back out determined to be strong for my friend. I sat next to her, holding her hand when things got tough and making sure they didn't push her too hard. They were her friends, but they were also FBI agents who wanted to solve a case and sometimes they seemed to forget what a fragile state she was in.

I sat on the sidelines as the team split up when Hotch, Rossi and JJ went back to their offices, but I did the best I could to provide moral support for everyone who needed it. There wasn't much I could do though so eventually I ended up drifting off on the couch only to be woken up by Spencer, shaking me a tad rougher than necessary.

"We've gotta get back to the BAU," He told me as everyone else was rushing out the door. "You stay here, I'll come get you later, okay?"

"What?!" I protested, leaping off the couch. "I'm not staying here where some man just tried to murder me!"

Spencer opened his mouth to protest, but as Derek called his name he didn't have time to argue.

By the time we got to the BAU, it was all over. JJ had shot the man who tried to kill Penelope and everyone else was okay. The whole night felt like a dream, like I would wake up and still be in the hospital with Penelope waiting for her to be released, but it was my reality now. Being friends with and the lover of FBI agents made life a bit wilder than running a yoga studio in France.

But as I held Spencer's hand while he watched his team discuss the days events, it appeared Penelope and some man who looked like he worked for IT were hitting it off in a corner and it seemed like Penelope's theory that everything happens for a reason was right afterall.


Note: I hope it didn't get too boring as it mostly followed the plot of the show which I'm sure we've all seen...I tried to pad it out with some Spencer + Mickey love though! I was going to skip over this part and make it brief, but I feel like with Mickey and Penelope's history, this would have been an important time for them.