Bill tied Garcia to a pillar in the chapel and Cyrus begins to preach to his lieutenants.
In the basement, Reid and Anna are getting everyone through the tunnel as they see Morgan and Rossi.
"Where is Garcia?" Morgan asks over the commotion.
"She is in the chapel with three guards and Cyrus. We have to get her." Reid answers as he starts to join them.
"No," Derek said, "You and Prentiss make sure these people get out. We've got Garcia"
Derek and Rossi raced up with the stairs with the SWAT team and identified themselves to the four armed men. As guards raised their guns - SWAT shot and killed the guards and Cyrus. Cyrus and the detonator fall to the ground and the SWAT team leader recovered it as, Derek runs to Penelope.
"Untie me," she said frantically as Bill gasped for his last breath in front of her. She closed her eyes because she could not watch.
"Untie me please," she says, as she finally started to cry the tears that should have fallen two days ago. As she was released from the rope, Derek grabbed her and held her tightly. He kissed her forehead repeatedly, while rubbing the back of her head. He kept on saying, "I got you, baby girl, you're safe now." He repeated that to her over and over again until she returned the hug and her crying stopped. She looked up at him and said, "I prayed that you'd come get me" in her next breath she asked "is Reid ok?"
"Reid is fine, baby girl. He's probably getting checked out by a medic, like you should."
When she heard him call her baby girl, she broke the hug. That endearment always tugged at her heartstrings and she was filled with so many thoughts, feelings, and shit- She felt ugly and dirty - she needed to be out of this church.
"I'm fine," she said looking at her wrist "I need some air."
She ran out the church door.
Derek followed her with tears in his eyes.
He called over the walkie, "Hotch can you send up a medic. She has cuts and bruises."
She put her hands behind her head and looked towards the sky.
"Hey" he called as he caught up with her.
"Hey, there baby girl" he said as he looked at her, "We're going to have a medic look at you."
He turned and called for Medic like a quarterback calling a play, as she stands in front of the chapel.
He looks at her face, she has bruises all over her left check, dried blood and bruising around her nose, a deep cut on her bottom lip, a black eye, and gash on her hair line. When he saw the bruises on her clavicle bone—he wondered about the rest of her body. As he took in her face, he was in a state of disbelief. He touched her face making sure to avoid the bruises. His thumb grazed her lips.
"I'm fine," she said stepping away from him "it looks worse than it is. I'm fine."
She sat on the chapel steps and began to cry. He hugged her tightly patting her head "its okay baby girl." He said comforting her.
"I'm so sorry that this happened to you—I truly am," he continued to say "I wish I was with you to keep you safe"
Derek never wanted to let her go again. When the medic came, he hovered over him like an overprotective father, making sure he didn't miss a thing.
"Garcia" Reid called from the distance.
"Can you give me one minute?" She asked the medic.
She walked over to Reid and Hotch. Derek followed
She gave Reid a big hug and put on a brave front.
"How are you? Are you ok?" She asked
"Yes, I'm fine" he said awkwardly "you?"
"Not as bad as it looks darling." She tried to smile.
"I love you, Reid." and she looked over at Hotch "I know, I shouldn't have jumped in like that but I when he put the gun to your head all I could think was –Stop him. Plus, I didn't think he would really hit a girl" she smiled.
"This is not your fault," she said to Reid "—promise me that you understand that."
He nodded "good" she said and she kissed him on the cheek
"Baby Girl, please get back there and let the medic finish," Derek ordered like he was in charge.
"Garcia," she corrected him.
"Thank you," she said to Reid as she started to head back to the medic.
"For what?" he asked
"The dark-side tutorials." She responded with a smile.
He laughs and shakes his head.
Hotch and Derek look at him.
He smiles and nods "too long to explain- I'm going to make sure everything is ok and I'll bring her down," Reid said catching up to her.
They watched them walk back to the medic. Derek felt officially jealous of Reid, he wanted to knock his lights out – irrational he knew but he still felt his blood boiling.
She not yours anymore, he reminded himself.
"You did good today, Morgan—you kept your emotions in check, for the most part. And trusted the team—which is great new development," Hotch said.
"I know how important she is to all of us and I had faith that nothing would happen to her." He replied glaring at the happy twosome in the distance.
Hotch took a moment to decide his next words—"I don't want to cross boundaries, since, I don't know what transpired between you two, but maybe if you had a bit more faith in her you could see that, maybe like Reid, she was just trying to protect everyone involved."
"Hotch, you are totally out of bounds—I am with Jordan now and—"
Hotch continued as if Morgan wasn't talking "Maybe she had enough faith, trust, and love in you to know that you would stand by her. Maybe that's why she gave you time and space to cool off. Maybe she couldn't imagine how you could walk away from her so easily - But, like, I said I don't have the details of"
"Then you shouldn't speak on it—are we done here?" Morgan asked as he departed.
Morgan he called after him "remember you can never meet in the middle if you refuse to leave your corner."
As they headed back down to the SUV's she asked Reid
"Can I use your phone?"
Sure, he said as he passed it to her.
"Hey Jax- I am fine."
"Hey, you don't have to do that - I'm a big girl."
"Thank you – that means a lot to me. See you tonight."
As they boarded the plane, the she sat next to Reid and fell asleep on his shoulder before the plane took off. Derek sat directly across from them and pretended to listen to music. Jordan sat next to JJ and Emily watching Derek. Jordan knew at that moment, he would never get over Penelope.
When the plane touched down, Hotch asked Garcia if he could give her a ride home. Before the team parted, she turned to Derek and said "Thank you so much for tonight" and she gave him a hug.
As they drove off in the SUV, Hotch asked, "how are you feeling?"
"Icky" she replied
"Take as much time as you need. You may have nightmares the first couple of days. Seeing someone die in front of you is a traumatic experience."
"All I need is a day or two—my face is too tender for concealer."
"If you find that you need more—take them please." He replied.
The continued you drive and she told him about the compound and the dark side tutorials. When they were a couple of blocks from her house, Hotch asked pensively-
"Can I share something with you?"
"Sure."
"Since the first day you arrived, something change in Derek."
She took a quick inhale and let him continue.
"He was brighter, happier, and hopeful. He was in love regardless of what you called it. However, he is used to not trusting and relying on people - he protects himself at all cost. I often wished that he would stop identifying with the victims—but then, I'm reminded that he was once a victim too and his protective shield is all he knows, in some cases. When Jackson came – he just responded as best as he knew how – which was to protect himself. I am sharing this because watching you and Derek in love - inspired me to find Beth and I'm happy. I want that for the both of you."
"Hotch I don't know what to say. I'm truly happy, y'know- so you don't have to worry about me and no matter what it looked like – he didn't love me in the way you think. Jordan Todd is an amazing woman – a mama bear. She will love and protect him ferociously—you'll see."
"I doubt that, you probably don't notice because you never see him—but in our 10 o'clock meeting, the one you are always 2 minutes late for - he sits and stares at you—I think there is more there, maybe you sho-.
"Hotch," she interrupted "I appreciate your advice but I am here for 4 or 5 more months. Regardless of his reasons, he didn't want me, because he didn't love me. He can watch me all day, sir, for all I care."
"I didn't mean to upset you" he laughed at her feistiness "– you and Morgan are a lot alike, stubborn. But remember you can never meet in the middle if you are stuck in your corners."