AN: Sorry I am so late in updating this! My computer broke down and I was waiting a bit to replace. Now I am typing from my new HP! Woot! I hope you enjoy the chapter-I went a little M/G crazy!

Chapter 11

After a long time of staring at Spencer like he'd grown two heads, Dave started to recover. Reid had been in contact with Garcia. That was going to make things a lot easier, and it lightened his heart to know that yet another team member was alive and doing fine. It brought up a lot of other questions, too, that he'd get to in a bit.

"No, Reid, you failed to mention that little detail," Rossi said with a shake of his head and a chuckle.

Reid stopped searching for whatever he was looking for and scratched his chin in thought. "Really? I thought I'd mentioned it..."

Reid turned back to the piles he was looking through, intensely hunting for something.

Like most exceptionally brilliant people, Reid could be a touch absent-minded. Rossi knew he hadn't intentionally tried to shock them. Most likely, it had simply slipped Spencer's brain, or skipped ahead. Reid had a tendency to think he'd already discussed something important and that everyone was on the same path he was on. Unfortunately, that wasn't usually the truth.

And just as unfortunately, other people were likely to take affront and be upset.

Dave looked over at the "other person" in question. Morgan, who had been standing statue-like since the news, was scowling fiercely and was about to erupt.

"No, you didn't mention it!" he shouted.

Reid stood up, holding a bunch of wires in his hand like drooping daisies. He was sincerely upset at his omission. "Gee, I'm sorry, guys. I meant to say something. I really thought I did."

"How is Garcia?" Dave asked, getting to the more important things than Reid's unfortunate slip.

Spencer smiled. "Garcia is doing well, really well. She's in Sunnyville, Kansas. They all seem to love her there. She makes cookies for the kids and does manicures for the older people."

Dave chuckled. "That sounds like Garcia."

"Is she safe?" Morgan asked, his voice husky with emotion.

"Why don't you ask her?" Reid replied with a smile. He plugged in the radio to an antenna leading out of his window and then adjusted some dials. "She's not expected on for another half hour, but she might be early. She really likes talking over the air."

Derek chuckled. "Now that sounds like my Baby Girl!"

Penelope had never been the kind of girl to sit at home, waiting by a phone. She had tons of friends, lots of activities, and an active internet social life, along with a job that could devour sixteen hours of her day in one chomp.

Of course, that was before the pale-faced brain eaters came to town.

Now, in Sunnyville, Kansas—population 2324, give or take a baby or two—she had a far less active calendar. Not that she minded the town. If she had to choose a place to wait out an infestation, Sunnydale was it. Everyone was kind, with good senses of humor, great work ethics, and patent desires to stay alive.

It wasn't always that way. In the beginning, she'd stuck out like a sore thumb, with her bright clothing, outspokenness, and technophiles' ways. That didn't surprise her, either. Even at the BAU, it took a while for her to warm up and be the Garcia they knew. Now, the people of Sunnyville embraced her as one of their own, too. Grandma Ethel, who ran the pharmacy, invited her frequently to lunch, Anika the teacher had asked her to give lessons on technology that was pretty obsolete in this time frame, and Hugo, the town mayor, had a massive crush on her and played a mean game of checkers. And she ran the local library, which was pretty sizable and had good, hot romance novels.

She sighed. Sunnyville was nice...but it wasn't home.

So, instead of being the mayor's date at the church social, she was sitting by the phone. Well, by the ham radio, but it was basically the same thing. She was even early. Reid wasn't scheduled to call her for nearly an hour, but she had a feeling it was going to ring. Most of the time, she didn't have vibes with Boy Wonder; that was reserved for only one other person. Penelope started to become retrospective, as she did sometimes when she had time on her hands. Maybe her soul was craving the contact from her chocolate thunder? Maybe fate knew something huge was missing from her life, and was allowing her to—

The light on the radio flashed, as well as the beeping sound that preceded any calls. Reid's familiar voice came over the speaker.

"Hello? Calling the Displaced Diva..."

"Breaker one-nine, This is the Displaced Diva! Come in, breaker!" she chirped out in trucker-speak over the airwaves.

That was Reid's key to start talking, but there was no answer.

"Calling Dr. Big Brain. Are you there, Biggy?"

"Biggy, woman? Should I be getting jealous?" a familiar, low, melodious, wonderful voice answered, shocking her so much that she dropped the handset.

"Hello? Baby Girl? Hello?"

Quickly, she scooped it up. "Derek?"

"In the flesh," he said and then chuckled, adding, "Or I guess in the voice. Will that do?"

Penelope wiped tears from her cheeks and answered back, "Of course it will. I know you give good phone."

"That's my sweet momma..."

"Speaking of mommas... I have to chastise you like one! Where have you been? Have you been in Chicago that whole time? I haven't a heard a word from you. Derek Morgan, that is not a kind thing to do to this girl's heart. I need my daily dosage of Hot Chocolate! How do you expect me to keep this sweet chassis running smooth as silk without it? Oh! You said momma! Did you find Fran? How about your sisters? Have you seen anyone else from the team? How does Reid look? Is he eating? Are you eating? Are you safe and gorgeous and wonderful and safe and...why don't you..."

Oh. He couldn't answer. She was holding the button, doing all the talking. She released the button and almost immediately heard him chuckling.

"Damn, girl, I missed you!"

She sniffled, but her face hurt from smiling. "I missed you, too. Sooo much."

"Are you safe there, sugar?" he asked. "I found my momma, Sarah, and Desi. They're all safe."

Tears filled her eyes again. "Oh, Derek! I am so happy for you."

"Thanks, baby. Someone else found me," he said.

"Who? Reid?" He was the most logical, since they were using his radio.

"Rossi. He's here, too."

"Rossi?" Penelope squeaked. "Papa Bear is there?"

"In the flesh...err, 'voice,' too, kitten," Dave answered with a warm chuckle.

Penelope's heart skipped a beat. "Oh, Rossi! It's so wonderful to hear you, too!"

"Garcia," Dave drawled in his distinctive voice. "You're not too attached to Sunnyville, are you? Because we have some work to do, and we'd like you to come with."

She giggled and then answered, "I don't know... I'm a hit at the socials, and I have a boyfriend named Hugo, who is the mayor."

"That does sound like a lot—"

Dave had started to talk, but Derek was grousing loudly in the background. "Boyfriend? You found a boyfriend? In a damned apocalypse?"

Penelope couldn't stop grinning. "Will you please tell my competitive darling that he has nothing to worry about?"

Rossi was chucking, "I'm thinking he won't believe me, Garcia."

She laughed and sighed. "Would it help if I mentioned Hugo is eighty-two?"

"I think it mig—wait a damned..." The line was disconnected for a moment, and then Dave was on again. "Garcia, Morgan is asking for the line again. Would you like to speak to him?"

Penelope laughed. "If I must."

"Woman, when I get to that town, all other men better step aside. I'm staking my claim," Derek drawled.

"Ooh," she purred teasingly. "Am I getting mint chocolate...a touch green with jealousy?"

"Hell, yes, I'm jealous."

That threw Penelope off her game a little bit, surprising her. He sounded completely serious. Although she'd always sensed he was a touch jealous at times of her paramours, he'd never admitted to it or said it so plainly before.

Before she could respond, he was talking again. "I'm jealous of every man, every person, who gets to be with you," he said softly. He paused for a moment, drawing a breath, and murmured, "Anyone who holds you in their arms instead of me."

The words, the moment became suspended in time, and it was like nothing had changed at all. All time had dissolved, and it was just the two of them again—talking about their wants and needs and desires, their hopes and dreams that they shared only with each other. Slowly, surely, the ice from fear and pain that had been surrounding Penelope's loving heart began to melt, and warm to such capacities, it felt as if it was filling her entire being.

"Oh, Hot Stuff," she whispered unsteadily.

Sounding much more sure of himself than she did, he said, "I love you, you know that?"

Penelope nodded to herself, wiping tears again, and then answered, "Yes. I love you, too."

"Baby, I've never asked this before, and I know it's not fair to ask when there's so much out there...but I'm asking you now. Wait for me. I'll be there soon. Just...wait for me this time."

Penelope smiled and wiped her cheeks again. "I will."

"That's my girl," he replied. "I have to hand this over to Reid again. Talk to you later, sweetness."

"Soon!" she called out.

"Finally!" Reid groused, which made Penelope giggle again.

"Yes, Biggy. What can I do you for?"

"Garcia, will you look up anything you can find at your library on anaphylactic side effects?" he asked. "Especially related to Melax."

"Roger, good buddy." Her radio flashed, showing the charge on her battery was going low. "Reid, I'm losing energy."

"Okay, Garcia. Same time tomorrow?"

"Ten-four, good buddy!" she called out just before the radio shut down.