A/N: I feel so loved! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and comments. As always, lets keep working to save AJ & Paget. . #SaveTheCMLadies
Onward with the story…
"Director Strauss, may I have a moment?" Rossi stuck his head in her office door.
"Of course, Agent Rossi. What can I do for you?" She straightened the piles of papers on her desk and looked at Dave.
"I am here to speak to you on behalf of two of our agents, Erin."
"Let me guess…SSA Morgan and Technical Analyst Garcia."
Dave couldn't hide his surprise. Strauss chuckled low in her throat. "Surely, you didn't think that I had not noticed the burgeoning relationship."
"As you know, the frat rules are against them being together, however, SSA Hotchner and I agree that breaking up the team is not the correct action to take in this case. They have been nothing but professional to each other on the job, and will continue to be."
"So asking for information 'hot and dirty' or threatening to spank each other is considered professional behavior?"
"For Garcia, yes, Erin, it is. She is an individual. On more than one occasion, she has been randomly drug tested due to her…idiosyncrasies. However, never once has she failed to come to our aid when we need her in the field, or need her to work her magic in a manner of seconds. She has saved our collective asses more times than I can count. The BAU needs her here, working her magic for us. There is only one Penelope, and we need to keep her."
"In that case, we could always give Agent Morgan his own team. As you know, he has more than proven himself."
"Yes, he has, however, he has no desire for his own team. He knows this team like the back of his hand, that is what made him such an effective interim leader of our team. He understands that sometimes Agent Reid's brain gets ahead of his mouth and he spits out statistics to help to cover up his own social inadequacies. He understands that unsolved business pulled me back to the BAU and that it is still what keeps me here. He knows that Jennifer Jareau is the heart of this team, the glue that keeps us all sane, and is the voice of calm to the victims and their families, yet that she still has a spine of iron that refuses to bend. He knows Agent Prentiss is often the face that victims need at their darkest hours, and that she has untapped talents and skills that we have not yet scraped the surface of. He understands Aaron Hotchner better than any of us on this team. He sees the vulnerability that lurks beneath the solid, reassuring and stalwart exterior. He gets that Aaron is scared that he will screw up his son, the same way he did his marriage, and Agent Morgan works to help take that load off his shoulders. Agent Morgan does not want or need a new team. He has our team, and believe me, we need him as well. His strength and bravery have been tested time and again, each time proving his worth."
"I believe you, Dave." Erin sighed. "I am willing to offer this compromise. I will allow SSA Morgan and TA Garcia to stay on the BAU team, keeping the current team intact. However, if at any time, I see that their personal relationship is affecting the solidarity of the team, or interfering with the job, I will separate them without a second's thought."
"Thank you, Erin."
"You're welcome, Dave." She paused. "You should know that I knew about their relationship via an anonymous email alleging inappropriate behavior between them. I don't take a lot of stock in anonymity. However, I am one of the few that feels as such."
"Exactly what type of inappropriate behavior was this email alleging to?"
"Among other things- sexual harassment and sexual misconduct during working hours."
"They were saying they had sex on company time?"
"Always so blunt, Dave. Yes, according to the email Morgan and Garcia had intercourse during a case in which they were working together on in Alaska."
"Bullshit. Penelope was terrified to be alone. They shared a room, not a bed. Neither of them are that unprofessional."
"I agree, but you and your team may want to keep an eye out. Someone does not like Morgan or Garcia."
Dave nodded, lost in thoughts. "Thank you again, Erin."
"You're welcome, Dave."
"Dave?" She added as he turned away. "Are we still on for dinner tonight?"
Dave grinned. "Of course, Erin. Did you think I would change my mind so easily?"
"Oh, Derek. This has been a fabulous night. I've never been so happy."
"Me either, Mama. I love you, darling. I just wish I knew what was going on with our reservations. First, the room got double booked, then my credit card got denied. It's weird."
"Things happen. Don't worry about it so much. Everything is perfect…because I have you, and now, this gorgeous ring."
"You like it then? Really, because if you want a diamond instead, I'll get you one. I just…saw the amethyst with the sapphires and it reminded me of you."
"If you touch my ring, I will send a virus to your computer that will make it useless for anything except being a paperweight."
"Okay, okay…you like the ring."
"So…would you be offended if I got out of bed to call JJ?"
Derek laughed. "I can't believe you waited this long. Go ahead…I'm going to call Hotch."
"Ooh… maybe I should conference call with Emily too."
"Hon…call anyone that you want to. I've still got to let Reid and Rossi know too. Let's just get the phone calls out of the way, then we can…enjoy ourselves some more."
Penelope chuckled. "Sounds good to me." She grabbed her phone and dialed her best friend.
"JJ, guess what?" Her voice was high pitched and excited. "Derek and I are getting married!"
She pulled the phone away from her ear as JJ's shouts of happiness rang through the line. "Hang on, hang on. Derek, the whole team is there. JJ is putting us on speaker."
"Congratulations! We're so happy for you!" JJ's voice came through clear, her happiness shining through.
"Nice job, Morgan. Guess you didn't mess up the proposal, huh?" Hotch's dry comment , made everyone chuckle. "Penelope, I really thought you could do better than him though."
"Eh…what can I say. I'm a sucker for a pretty face, and there's no face prettier than Derek's."
"Actually, he doesn't have the classically pretty face that most people think of. It's a bit too big and…"
"Reid, she was teasing."
"Geez, Emily, I know that. I was just making a joke!" Reid protested. "Garcia knows that. Anyway congratulations."
"Thanks, Reid."
"Listen, congratulations, you two. But unfortunately, we have some business we need to take care of here, so we need to go."
Derek sighed. "We'll be on the first flight home."
"No, it's okay. We'll let you know if we need you, but for now, we're only researching."
"Are you sure? As much as we were teasing before, we'll come back if you need us."
"Penelope, enjoy your vacation. That's an order. We'll let you know if we cannot do without you."
"Alright…thanks, Hotch."
"And again, congratulations. No one deserves to be happy more than the two of you."
"Aw…thanks, sir." Penelope sighed as they hung up.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Penelope…" Derek said warningly.
"It's just that I know they're hiding something, I'm just not sure what it is."
"Thought you weren't a profiler, baby."
"Oh, zip it and tell me I'm wrong."
"You're not wrong. They were definitely acting off. Hopefully, it's something good and not something that will bite us in the ass later."
"Someone is trying to get Morgan and Garcia fired. They want to hurt them. I want to figure out who that is, and I want to know now." David Rossi stared around the table at the team. "If we have a prayer of keeping this team together, we need to know now."