"Just a minute," Morgan moved Garcia off his lap and stood up. "Before we go to lunch, I need to give both of you something."
He reached down on the floor next to the chair he had been sharing with Garcia, and picked up a canvas bag. Reaching inside, he took out two flat boxes and handed one each to Christine and Garcia.
"Thank you, Derek!" Christine hesitated a moment before opening the box. "Maple sugar candy!" she gasped. "Derek, how did you know I absolutely love it? And, these designs are beautiful. Thank You!"
"Sweet things always like sweet things! That's how I knew," Derek bantered back. He switched his attention to Garcia.
"Baby Girl, aren't you going to open yours?" he asked.
"It's the same thing, isn't it?" Garcia asked.
"Maybe, maybe not," was the canny reply. "Maybe you had better check!"
After sitting back down, Garcia carefully took the top off her box. "See," she began. Then, she took a second look. The cellophane covering the candies had been carefully slit open over the center crème and, buried in the candy, was a ring.
"Derek?" she looked questioningly at him.
"I know this probably isn't the romantic proposal you have been dreaming about all your life," Morgan sounded slightly shaky as he got down on his knees and took her hand. "But, when Christine disappeared I started thinking. What if it had been you? What if my Baby Girl disappeared, and I never had the opportunity to tell her how I really feel about her and that I want to spend the rest of my life with her? I couldn't live with that!"
"Now, if your answer is 'Yes' we will go out right now and buy you any ring you want. That one in there is just one I picked up at the truck stop when I bought the candy and isn't meant to be permanent. If your answer is 'Maybe', well, we'll start thinking about a ring and, when the time is right, we'll go out and get one for you. And if, heaven forbid, your answer is 'No' – Well, at least I told you how I feel about you."
"Morgan? Derek?" Garcia was trying not to cry. "You idiot! Of course my answer is YES!"
As Morgan bent down to kiss his fiancé, he took a moment to smile at Christine.
After the applause and congratulations had died down, the team headed into the kitchen to see what Sonia had prepared for their lunch. As Christine started to stand up, Hotch put his hand out to stop her.
"You stay here," he told her authoritatively. "Sit back down and put your feet up. I'll bring you something."
"Aaron, you don't have to," she objected.
"I know that, I want to," he countered. "Now, what would you like?"
Christine smiled at him. "Anything Sonia makes is good," she told him. "You decide."
Reid stood by uneasily watching the exchange. There was an undercurrent there, and he wasn't quite sure what was going on.
As Hotch left to go into the kitchen, JJ leaned close to Reid and whispered in his ear. "Ask her what she would like to drink. Then, you get it for her. And, when the time comes, be sure to check if she wants desert."
Reid shot JJ a grateful look before walking over to speak with Christine.
As everyone was finishing their lunch, Chief Cruz stood up and cleared his throat to get their attention.
"It's no secret that I accompanied you on this case in order to get a better picture of your team and how it operates," he began. "And, I must say, I was impressed. Despite the personal problem which arose during the course of working this case, you still managed to stay professional and handle the situation. The case was solved in record time, and I have no doubt lives were saved because of you. My congratulations to all of you!"
"Agent Hotchner," he concluded. "I would like a word with you." With Chief Cruz leading the way, the two agents left the room.
Later, as Christine was walking with the team out to their SUVs, Garcia turned to her. "I need to apologize to you," she began.
"Penelope, what for?" Christine asked.
"For not being there for you," Garcia told her. "I should have been here for you during the past few months. You were out here all by yourself, and I never even called. We used to be friends, and that's not what friends do!"
Christine looked over and saw that JJ was already getting into one of the vehicles. She then turned back to Garcia. "Penelope, I understand that you are in a difficult position," she told the tech. "JJ has been your best friend for years. I don't expect you to take sides."
"Still, I should have done something," the tech insisted. She hesitated for a moment. "Do you want to go for lunch on Saturday?" she suggested. "I don't know if you have your drivers' license yet, but I'll drive out and pick you up."
"I'd like that," Christine assured her.