CHAPTER 21 - Everything Happens for a Reason

Episode – Penelope

Dave's SUV

Dave guns the engine, running through the red light long after it has changed. Hands grip the wheel tightly as he rocks back and forth and mutters to himself.

"Please Lord," he says aloud. His eyes wet with tears. "I know I haven't been the best disciple –"

He swerves around a car that pulls out in front of him.

"- but hell, if you keep track of the good deeds and I've done enough to earn a spot in Heaven, I'll gladly give up my place if only you spare her."

He slows enough to slide his SUV around a corner.

"Please," he begs. He chokes back a sob. "You can't take her away from me now."

He's forced to stop at a red light as the cross-traffic blocks the intersection.

"Not now."

He swipes the tears away, his foot taps impatiently on the pedal. As soon as the traffic clears, he guns the engine propelling the SUV through another red light.

"I just found her," he mutters. "And I know we're not together, but we are meant to be. I'll give away all I have if you just say the word. Everything I have here for a little more time with her."

He slides the sleek black Cadillac into the emergency entrance of the hospital, parks in the first space he sees and races for the door.

"Rossi," a familiar voice calls out.

He slows, annoyed that someone has impeded his trek to get inside and find out what happened to Penelope. Emily hurries down the sidewalk to catch up to him.

"Aren't you worried about getting a ticket," she asks as she nods towards his car.

"That's the least of my worries," he grumbles.

The Emergency Room

They enter the hospital together; a wave of their badges and a nurse points the way. He rushes down the hallway. Emily's shoes tap loudly on the tile floor as she runs to keep up with him. He spots Hotch and a few of the others at the end of the corridor.

"What do we know," he asks. His voice surprisingly even, though his heart races.

Emily pulls up behind him and stops.

"Police think it was a botched robbery," Hotch replies. They share a look.

"Where's Morgan," Emily asks.

Dave glances around quickly, noting for the first time the absence of the younger agent.

"He's not answering his cell," JJ states.

Reid pulls out his phone and walks away. "I'll call him again."

Dave steps closer to Hotch as the two women enter the waiting area.

"What aren't you saying," he asks firmly.

"I spoke to one of the paramedics who brought her in," Hotch replies quietly. "It doesn't look good."

Dave's heart skips. He looks away to check his emotions. Standing in the hallway, he stares at the door to the surgery area. Less than two weeks ago, he was standing in another hospital. Losing his Father is inevitable, losing Penelope - unthinkable. His mind races back to his conversation with Morgan less than twenty-four hours ago. "You need to fix this, otherwise you may lose her for good."

He stares at the surgery room door and fights for control. It wouldn't do any of them any good if he broke down right now. He pulls out his phone, contemplates calling Reeni, thinks better of it and puts his phone back in his pocket. One call to his sister and the whole family would invade like ants on a picnic.

An hour goes by. An hour of pacing and praying, watching anxiously as nurses and doctors in scrubs come and go. He watches JJ and Reid call Morgan over and over to no avail. He looks at Hotch and catches his eye. They share a look. Did something happen to Morgan as well?

Hotch nods minutely and steps away to call another agent to look for the missing agent. Neither one of them want the rest of the team to worry more than they do now. Dave had a made a habit out of baiting the younger agent out of fun. He enjoyed their games of cat and mouse and wanted nothing bad to happen to the man. He was, after all, Penelope's best friend. And despite everything else, he wanted her to be happy.

Another hour passes by and none of them were able to sit for longer than a few minutes. They take turns pacing the halls, staring at the surgery room doors and glaring when someone comes out and walks away. They were doers, used to being in the thick of things tracking down bad guys, not waiting in hospital rooms. He wanted to do something, anything to end all of this but he couldn't do a thing until he knew if she was going to be alright.

He looks up as JJ walks back from the nurse's station. "They can't give me an update," she announces wearily.

To his right, Reid pushes off the wall and joins the group. "Morgan's phone just keeps going straight to voice mail."

Dave glances at Hotch again.

"Where the hell is he," Emily asks no one in particular. Her voice resonates with the frustration they are all feeling.

It was Dave's turn to pace the hallway. Not too far, five paces one way, five paces back. JJ and Emily sit next to one another hands clasped together in unity. Across from them, Reid keeps trying to contact Morgan. Dave admires the younger man's tenacity.

He glances up and sees Hotch watching him from the shadows. Dave stares at him with what he hopes is a neutral expression. After several seconds Hotch looks at his phone.

Dave turns away. He begins pacing again. Five strides, turn, five strides, turn. He stops and pulls the bracelet out of his pocket. His biggest regret from the past 20 years – his biggest regret until Penelope came along. He didn't regret meeting her, or dating her, or making love to her but he did regret hurting her. If he hadn't been an idiot. If he hadn't let his ego get in the way, this never would have happened to her. He told her that he was done living with regrets. He had no idea that regret wasn't done with him.

He turns to his left as a familiar stride comes closer. He and Morgan make eye contact. Morgan turns to the rest of the group.

"She's been in surgery a couple hours," JJ tells him.

"I was in church," Morgan explains. "My phone was off."

"There's nothing you could have been doing here," Reid says. The relief clear in his voice.

"The police got any leads," Morgan asks.

"I spoke to the lead detective," Hotch states. "He doesn't think we'll get anything from the scene."

Morgan turns away as the surgery doors open and a man in scrubs carrying a file walks out. He looks up. "Penelope Garcia?"

"Yes," Hotch and Emily reply at the same time.

"The bullet went into her chest and ricocheted into her abdomen. She lost a lot of blood. It was touch and go for a while, but we were able to repair the injuries," the Doctor explains.

"So, what are you saying," JJ asks.

The doctor shakes his head and offers a small smile. "One centimeter over and it would have torn right through her heart. Instead, she could actually walk out of here in a couple of days. And I'd say that's a minor miracle."

Relief courses through Dave's body. He looks up in time to see Emily look at him. She gives him a small smile before turning back to the doctor.

"She needs her rest. You can see her in the morning," the doctor states.

Hotch and JJ say thank you as the man walks away.

The team turns to each other.

Hotch speaks up. "David and I will go to the scene."

Dave stiffens at the sound of his given name. Hotch doesn't want him to stay at the hospital, is he afraid that Dave would do something stupid?

Hotch continues. "I think the rest of you should be here when she wakes up."

Dave and Hotch lock eyes for a moment.

"I don't care about protocol," Hotch says as they continue to stare at one another. "I don't care whether we're working officially on this or not. We don't touch any new cases until we find out who did this."

Dave nods in agreement. He takes one last look at the team before following Hotch to the elevator.

Outside the hospital

Dave and Hotch head for the black SUV. Dave notices that Morgan had parked next to him in the Emergency Room only parking. Emily's voice tickles his head causing him to stop mid-stride.

"Hey," Dave calls out.

Hotch stops and turns around.

"I need to move my car."

Hotch nods. "I'll follow you."

Dave moves his car to the far end of the parking lot, gets out, locks it, and strides over to the SUV. He climbs into the passenger seat and puts on his seatbelt as Hotch pulls out of the parking lot.

"How are you doing?" Hotch asks.

Dave looks at him sharply. "Fine."

"Are you?" Hotch presses.

Dave leans back in the seat and closes his eyes. "No. Not really."

His phone vibrates in his pocket. Frowning, he pulls it out and looks at the caller ID. Bren. He closes the phone and shoves it back in his pocket. She's the last person he wants to talk to right now.

Penelope's Apartment

Hotch parks at the curb in front of Penelope's apartment building. It's the same spot Dave had parked in the last time he was here, the first night he and Penelope had made love. Dave takes in the caution tape blocking the entrance to the courtyard. He gets out of the SUV and looks up and down the street. He hadn't paid much attention to the neighborhood the last time he had been here. Hotch comes around the SUV and joins him on the sidewalk.

"You ready for this," Hotch questions quietly.

"Do I look that fragile?"

Hotch gives him a smile and shakes his head. "Just making certain your head is in the right place."

"I'm good," Dave assures him. "Let's go."

They stride over to the officers guarding the entrance and flash their badges. One officer waves them through. A handsome black man in a suit walks over to them. "FBI?"

"Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner," Hotch says. He holds out his hand. "Detective Walker?"

The man nods and shakes hands with Hotch.

"This is SSA Rossi," Hotch introduces Dave.

Dave and the detective shake hands.

"You work directly with the victim," Walker asks.

"Garcia," Dave corrects. "Her name is Penelope Garcia."

Hotch gives him a warning look. "She's our technical analyst. She works with us and a few other teams, but mostly with us."

Walker nods. He gives Dave a wary look. "Do you want to look at the actual crime scene?"

"Yes, thank you," Dave replies less aggressively.

They move over to the steps and front door. Dave takes note of the amount of blood on the stairs. He hadn't seen anyone lose that much blood and survive.

Walker goes up the steps and into the building then turns around. He stands in the doorway, several uniformed officers work in the lobby. "Our guess is he saw her enter, then kicked the door in after her. He robs her, she tries to chase him, then he turns and shoots her as he's getting away."

"You have an estimate on how far away the gunshot was," Hotch questions.

Detective Walker reaches into his pocket and pulls out his notebook. "Approximately fifteen feet."

Dave points towards the broken door. "Any reason besides the door that you think it was a robbery?"

"He took her purse," Walker replies. "Dumped half of it before he took off."

Dave asks a follow-up question as Hotch walks over to the middle of the walkway next to a statue fifteen feet away. "Did you find a shell casing?"

Walker shakes his head.

"So, he hit her square from here," Hotch states.

"Hell of a shot on the run," Dave points out.

Hotch glances at the area. "Why does he risk coming into an enclosed courtyard to steal a purse?"

Dave walks over to him. "World's boldest purse snatcher," he muses.

Hotch's phone rings. He pulls it out of his pocket and answers. "Yeah. Good. We'll be right there."

He puts the phone away and looks at Dave. "She's up."

They head to the SUV. An officer holds the tape up for them to walk under.

"So, victimology," Hotch begins. "Why Garcia?"

"Look at her," Dave replies, not believing that Hotch can't see the answer.

"What are you saying," Hotch asks as he walks around the front of the SUV.

Dave stops and puts his hands on the hood. "You don't look like that by accident. She wears her individuality like a shield."

"Leading someone to be antagonistic," Hotch replies partially asking and partially making a statement.

Penelope's individuality is what attracted Dave to her. He yearns to hold her close to him and protect her from the world. He continues speaking, "She stands out. Single woman. Could be someone was watching her for a while."

"The sadist who gets off on gaining her trust and then trying to kill her?"

"Pretty common," Dave counters. "Kemper, Bundy, Robert Anderson – they all had an element of it."

Unsettled, Dave looks away and sighs.

"What's bugging you?"

Dave looks at him and frowns. "A sadist who just happens to choose an analyst for the FBI?"

Hotch half-nods in agreement. They move in unison and climb into the SUV. Time to head back to the hospital.

Dave's phone buzzes again. He pulls it out, hoping it's an update on Penelope. It's Bren again.

"Fucking…" he mutters to himself.

"What's wrong," Hotch asks as puts the SUV back into park.

Dave slams his phone closed. "It's nothing."

Hotch raises an eyebrow at him. "We don't need any other distractions, Dave. Is there a problem? Is your Dad okay?"

Dave looks at him sharply. His mind races, FUCK! He hadn't checked on his Dad for a few days. "As far as I know, Dad's fine," he answers keeping his voice even. He bounces the phone in his hand. "It's Bren – my manager. Ex-manager."

"Ex?"

Dave chuckles without humor. "I fired her last night."

He looks back at Hotch and sees the younger man staring at him.

Dave sighs and stuffs the phone in his pocket. "I guess I'm not as observant as I thought I was. She was… she was waiting for me in my hotel room when I got in last night. This is her fault, you know."

"This?"

"Penelope getting shot."

"You think your ex-manager shot Penelope," Hotch demands. Dave flinches at the anger biting the edge of Hotch's voice, the anger that is directed towards him.

"Oh, good God no," Dave retorts. "She's not – no!"

"Are you sure," Hotch presses.

Dave thinks for a minute. "Bren can be a shark, but there's no way she would have done something like this. Besides, she doesn't even know about me and Penelope."

"You're positive?

Dave nods. "On both counts."

"Then why did you fire her," Hotch questions his anger dissipating.

"I've decided that I'm not going to write anymore," Dave says with a sigh. "I'm an FBI agent, not an author."

"No reason you can't be both," Hotch counters. "You're good at it."

Dave snorts. "I'm starting to wonder about that."

"Don't. Have as much faith in yourself as I do," Hotch tells him.

"How much is that?"

Hotch smiles as he puts the SUV in gear. "A lot."

A few blocks away from the apartment building, both men receive a text from Emily. Suspect's name is James Colby Baylor.

"James Colby Baylor, sounds like a pretentious prick," Dave grumbles. "I already hate this guy."

Back at the Hospital

Hotch parks the SUV near the front entrance of the hospital and they both exit the vehicle. Hotch's phone rings, he stops to answer it.

"Agent Hotchner." He looks at Dave and frowns. "Yes, ma'am. I'm at the hospital now. Agent Rossi and I visited the crime scene and spoke to the lead detective."

He pauses and listens for a moment then rolls his eyes. "I understand. I'm on my way."

He hangs up the phone. "Chief Strauss wants me to brief her in person. Will you update the team?"

Dave nods. "Give the Ice Queen my regards."

"Behave yourself in there," Hotch warns. Dave frowns and Hotch continues. "I know you have feelings for her. We've all figured that out to some degree. Don't go getting yourself kicked out of the hospital."

Dave nods slowly. He turns and walks into the building.

In the ICU, he stops at the waiting room. Several people are there, but no one from the team. He wanders through the area, flashing his badge at the nurse's station and finds Penelope alone in her room and asleep.

He slips in quietly, slides the chair next to the bed, watching her the entire time. With one finger, he touches her hand lightly caressing the skin along the side of her thumb.

"Did you catch him," Penelope asks sleepily.

He slides his hand in hers. She squeezes tightly.

"Not yet. But I will," he promises. He spots a tear sliding down her cheek. "Hey, it's okay. You're safe now."

"Why do I keep finding guys like you," she cries softly.

"Guys like me?"

"Hot looking jerks," she explains. She squeezes his hand tighter. "I thought you were going to be the one – I really did."

"Penelope…"

"No! If you hadn't come along with your sweet talk and that damn smile, I never would have thought that I had a chance."

She pulls her hand out of his grasp and angrily swipes at the tears on her cheeks. "I was perfectly happy with who I was."

"I'm sorry. I – "

She cuts him off. "I was happy with the guys I dated and my friends and my life. You ruined it. You ruined my heart and my life, and I hate you for that."

He lowers his eyes staring at the spot where her hand had held his. "Please! Kitten. Let me make this up to you."

"No," she says tearily as she shakes her head. "No making up. I'm going back to being me and you can go on with your life and string other people along. I'm done with you."

"Kitten…"

"Get out," she yells. Her voice echoes off the walls "Get out, get out, get out!"

"Hey, what's going on in here," Morgan asks as he runs into the room.

"Nothing," Dave says as he stands up next to the bed. He faces Morgan and catches a look of surprise on the younger man's face that quickly changes to concern. "I was just leaving."

Dave gives Penelope one last look. Her head is turned away from him, but he can see her lip tremble. Her hands clutch at the sheets. His heart aches, she looks so fragile laying in the hospital bed. He turns, catching Morgan's glance once again. Morgan looks confused. Dave walks past Morgan and leaves the room.

BAU – Dave's Office

Dave sits behind his desk and stares at the thin file the DC police had sent over. Hotch had passed on the name Penelope had given them and now it was up to the local cops to catch the guy. For the first time he could remember he felt a burning in his gut. He wants to be the one to catch this guy – alone. Just the two of them.

Dave chased bad guys for more than half his life, between his work with the FBI and his time in Vietnam, he had seen the horrors inflicted on one human from another. His desire to inflict that horror on this one man was strong. His mind conjured images that Dave had never seen in real life, things that he hoped he never would see. He wasn't the kind of man to inflict pain like this on his fellow man, but as far as he was concerned, James Colby Baylor wasn't a man.

A knock at his door startles him out of his reverie.

"Enter," he calls out loudly.

The door opens, Agent Anderson pokes his head in. "Sir, there's a woman here to see you."

"A woman," he repeats. He frowns thinking of Bren and wondering if she had lied her way into the building again. "The same one as last time?"

Anderson shakes his head. "This one is kind of scary," he whispers.

Dave's frown deepens. What woman could scare an FBI agent. He stands and peers at the woman. "Oh," he says when he sees the woman. He looks at Anderson. "You have good reason to be scared."

Dave shoos the younger man out of the way and steps out of his office. He smiles wryly as he makes his way down the walkway to the steps.

"This is a surprise," he says in greeting as he bends to kiss the woman on the cheek.

"I've been sent to kick your ass," the woman replies.

"Can I help," Hotch asks as he approaches from the now closing glass doors. "Anyone who wants to kick Dave's ass is a friend of mine."

"Very funny," Dave murmurs. "Aaron Hotchner, my sister, Sophia. Soph, this is Aaron. A good friend, at least until thirty seconds ago, and the leader of the BAU."

"It's very nice to meet you, Agent Hotchner," Sophia smiles as she holds out her hand.

Hotch takes her hands in his and gives in a squeeze. "Aaron, please. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Any updates," Dave asks hopefully.

Hotch shakes his head. "I'm going to check in with JJ and see what's happening."

Dave nods.

Hotch smiles at Sophia. "Please excuse me. I hope we can get a chance to talk at a later date."

"Of course," Sophia replies. She links her arm through Dave's. "Davey, show me around."

"There's not much to see," he replies. He points at various spots around the room. "Break room, bullpen, briefing room, my office, Hotch's office. But you're not here for a tour. How's Poppa?"

She squeezes his arm. "Show me your office."

"It's finally finished. The painters are done, and my stuff has been hung up," he tells her. "I even got new furniture."

He leads her up the stairs and takes her into his office. She glances at the room and settles into a chair in front of his desk. "Very nice."

Dave closes the door and sits in the chair next to her. "What's going on?"

"That's what I'm here to find out," she tells him. "You came back to work and we haven't heard from you. Momma said Penelope called her once to check in on Poppa at your request, but since then we haven't heard a word. Momma even tried calling Penelope…"

"She's in the hospital," he tells her shortly. His voice raspy with emotion. He looks at his sister through blurry eyes. "She got shot last night."

"Oh Davey," she says as she leans forward and puts her hand on his leg. "Why didn't you call? I would have come."

"I know," he nods. He grasps her hand in his and holds it tightly. "You and the rest of the family. There's so much… so much has happened since I left Little Creek."

She watches him carefully. "How is she? Shouldn't you be at the hospital?"

He shakes his head. "She doesn't want me there. She's going to be okay, but this was all my fault."

She waits, not saying anything.

Dave takes a few shuddery breaths. "When I got back here… God I am such an idiot."

She raises an eyebrow.

He laughs sharply. "I should have listened to all of you. After three failed marriages, you would think that I would get better at relationships."

"What did you do," she prompts softly.

"Bren, my manager," he stresses using air quotes as well. "Was here waiting for me when I got back. I had been ignoring her and she was tired of that. She kissed me, on the mouth, in the bullpen, in front of the team and Penelope. I tried to explain, but Penelope wouldn't listen. She was upset."

"Rightfully so," Sophia cut in.

Dave looks at her unblinkingly for a moment then nods and lowers his eyes. "We ended up going out on a case, a harsh one with alligators and cannibalism."

"Okay, stop," Sophia commands.

He squeezes her hand. "I managed to get Penelope to call Momma for an update. I was hoping it would soften her up a little."

"Did it?"

"A little," he replies with a shrug. "But apparently not enough. She met some guy at a coffee shop. He asked her out and she said yes. At the end of the date, he shot her."

"Oh my God! Please tell me you've caught him," she growls.

He shakes his head. "That was the update Hotch and I were speaking of. We have a name, gave it to the locals, but so far they haven't found the guy."

He tilts his head back and breathes deep.

"What are you going to do about your manager? Have you talked to her?"

He smiles ruefully. "I fired her."

Sophia stares at him.

"I'm done writing. I'm an FBI agent. This is what I am meant to do."

She nods slowly. "Yes. Maybe you should pull back from a few things. Get yourself settled. Or as settled as an FBI agent can be. You do have a tendency to overextend yourself."

"Yeah," he agrees. "How is Poppa? And Momma?"

"They're good," she assures him. "Poppa is well enough to climb the stairs and insists on sleeping in his own bed."

Dave smiles for real. "Should I have the hospital beds removed?"

"Mmm, I'd wait a little longer. He finds it useful for afternoon naps."

"Thanks for coming to see me," He tells her. He raises her hand and kisses it.

"Oh, cut the charming crap," she says playfully. "I should go. You have bad guy to catch."

"Yes I do," he agrees as they both stand. "Tell Momma I will call when I can."

"I will." She wraps her arms around him and hugs him tight. "Be safe. Godspeed, fratellino."

"Grazie, sorella." He kisses her temple.

"I'll show myself out," she tells him. "You should bring DJ here, show him your office. He would be impressed."

Dave follows her out onto the walkway. "You're not impressed."

She grins at him and winks. "I'm always impressed, fratellino, always."

He watches her leave the BAU.

"Hey," Hotch calls out. Dave turns as the younger man approaches. "Get your ass kicked?"

Dave shrugs. "It was a soft kick. More like a nudge. They got used to having me accessible."

Hotch half-smiles and nods. "Go home, get some rest. We've all been up too long."

"What about you? You going home too?"

"In a little while," Hotch replies. "I'm waiting for a response from Walker."

Dave nods. "And in the meantime…"

"I'll nap on my couch," he acquiesces.

"Call me when he's in custody, I want to see what the bastard looks like."

Hotch nods and walks away.

END CHAPTER 21