Penelope Garcia; 2015
There were very few things in life that Penelope Garcia could say with full certainty that she hated.
The many serial killers that her job exposed her to obviously topped that list, followed by broccoli and the colour beige. She never expected, however, to hate the BAU’s kitchenette microwave so much.
All of her meals from the past week came from microwaveable food, and she felt like she was 19 and living alone for the first time again; surviving on mac and cheese and pure spite. Living in lockdown in the BAU until the Dirty Dozen are caught got pretty tiring very quickly, and she knew she would give anything for just one night’s sleep in her own bed.
“Umm, Agent Garcia?”
The spoon that Penelope was twiddling with went flying across the room due to her shock at the voice that snuck up on her and hit Agent Grant Anderson dead centre on his face.
“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!” she squeaked, bending down to pick up the utensil. “I thought everyone had gone home, did something come up?”
Anderson looked slightly overwhelmed by her question and general frantic demeanour but answered promptly anyway. “No. No, everything’s fine. I just wanted to ask if you’d help me with my laptop? It’s not working, and I would go to the IT department but it’s late and pretty much everyone’s left.”
Penelope could barely conceal her excitement. Finally! Something to take her mind off the soul-crushing boredom and simultaneous anxiety of being holed up in here all day and all night.
“Of course! They don’t call me a Tech Whiz for nothing, let’s go! Wait, where are we going?”
Anderson huffed out a laugh. “My car. It’s still within the building, don’t worry.”
Penelope was a little confused as to why his laptop wasn’t just at his desk but decided not to push it. They made their way down the underground parking lot with minimal small talk, mainly focused on random TV shows or movies, avoiding work talk altogether. Despite working in the same building as Anderson for the last 11 years, Penelope was slightly ashamed that she was completely devoid of any knowledge as to what his job description entailed. He definitely wasn’t BAU, and yet seemed to be a permanent fixture over the last decade.
His laptop took mere minutes to fix, a simple matter of re-setting the anti-virus security system. In fact, the repair job took a suspiciously short amount of time, and Anderson currently seemed to be sweating slightly.
“Hey, I was wondering if you could maybe help me change my… my screensaver as well?”
“That’s pretty simple to do.”
Anderson gave a nervous laugh. “I’m useless with technology.”
“Aren’t you friends with Gina Sharp? You know, IT Technician? Currently dating my ex-boyfriend? Ask her.”
She didn’t mean to be so sharp with him, but it was late, and she was tired and so, so sick of being in this goddamn building.
“Agent Garcia-“
“Listen, I just want to go home. Well, upstairs. I guess that’s my home for the foreseeable future.”
Anderson looked at her with something akin to sadness with a mix of guilt, and Penelope felt her eyes narrow in suspicion. Why did he lure her down here, to a practically abandoned parking lot, late in the evening when everyone else had gone home? With the Dirty Dozen after her, there was no such thing as being too careful.
“Please, Penelope-“
“I have a panic button in my pocket, and I am not afraid to use it. What the hell do you want?”
She decided she must have come across as suitably aggressive, because Anderson visibly flinched back and raised his hands in a gesture of non-aggression.
“Woah! Woah, okay. Nothing, its nothing, really. I- Oh what the hell,” he muttered, before looking up at the ceiling in exasperation. “Morgan is gonna kill me.”
“What? Why?”
“You’re gonna have to act surprised. Pretend that I never told you anything.”
“You haven’t told me anything!”
He sighed deeply. “I was sent by Morgan to distract you. Your whole team, they’re setting up the conference room for an early-birthday celebration for you. Everyone’s noticed that you’ve been a bit down lately and-”
Penelope cut him off with a loud gasp, which she belatedly realised Anderson may have interpreted as a cry of pain but was actually one of pure surprise and joy. The tears that filled her eyes were happy ones, and she quickly stepped over to engulf him in one of her trademark bear hugs.
“That is, absolutely without a doubt, the sweetest thing I have ever heard, oh my goodness. Are they up there now? Oh wow, I just love them all so much. Can we go up now? You’re coming with me, by the way.”
Anderson had a small smile on his face but shook his head. “I don’t want to intrude. I’m not a member of the BAU…”
Penelope resisted the urge to grab his shoulders and ask What the hell is your actual job?, but she figured that might be slightly counter-productive.
“You wouldn’t be intruding, hush. You still like Star Trek, right? My boy wonder would love to chat to you about it! Have you met Tara Lewis yet? She’s a doctor too. I don’t know if she likes Star Trek but maybe she does – you can ask! Oh please come along, this is gonna be amazing, incredible, stupid levels of fun. And I can absolutely act surprised! Not to toot my own horn, but I am a decent enough actress. Never fear, now let’s go!”
She then grabbed him by his jacket sleeve and dragged him back to the elevators, a wide smile plastered on her face. Her family never failed to cheer her up, no matter how low she felt. Anderson beside her looked significantly more relaxed than he did a mere few minutes ago, and for that she was thankful as well.
When they reached the bullpen, she could hear her team before she saw them. More specifically, she could hear Tara and JJ laughing together as Rossi complained that wrapping presents was impossible, and that the cello tape obviously hated him. A quip about three failed marriages from Morgan and a fact on the inventor of cello tape, Richard Drew, from Reid later and Rossi could be heard throwing the package at Hotch to finish wrapping. It was such a simple interaction, and although Penelope couldn’t yet see their faces, she could picture each of their expressions perfectly.
Hotch would be smiling softly. He always tended to do so on occasions like this; more relaxed ones, especially when Rossi was the butt of a joke. Rossi, alternatively, would be scowling. Not in anger or in frustration at anyone, but at the cello tape, purely because he would have wanted the present to be perfect. JJ and Derek would be openly beaming; they always had an extra spring in their steps when these little celebrations happened. Spencer would have a slightly smaller smile on his face, that would transform into a massive one when he saw her. She can’t quite get as specific a reading on Tara yet, but she figures from the laugh she heard a few minutes ago that she would also look suitably happy.
“Well, this is so unexpected! I am truly, honestly, staggeringly astonished! Never would I have foreseen this, not in a thousand, million years.”
Penelope's (purposefully) terrible imitation of a surprised party guest served to make Anderson’s face turn a shade of red so deep he looked like a sentient tomato. Absolutely mortified, he attempted to explain the situation, but his words got caught in his throat, and all that came out was a squeaked ‘sorry!’
“Baby Girl!” Morgan whined. “You could have at least waited until we had all your gifts wrapped. Also, hey, Anderson, what the hell man?”
“Don’t blame him, sweet cheeks, I threatened him until he broke. I’d be an incredible interrogator. Anyways, Anderson and I here are getting the first slice of this gorgeous looking cake.”
Within minutes the party was in full swing, with party poppers and hats and some of JJ’s signature trick candles that can’t be extinguished. Penelope thought back to all the very many birthday parties they’d hosted here at the BAU, and how even though so much has changed this year, so much has stayed the same.
JJ, now a profiler with two beautiful baby boys, was still the same girl that found out everyone’s birthday when she joined the BAU and planned accordingly.
Her very own Derek Morgan, ten years older and with a simply stunning girlfriend, was still her go-to person for flirting and/or emotional breakdowns. Through thick and thin and everything in between.
Her baby boy wonder, Dr 187 himself, who was looking slightly more stressed than usual lately, but nevertheless still filled any room he entered with a cascade of facts and a heart of gold.
Rossi, who begrudgingly at first, but utterly voluntarily later on, ended up being whittled down by this wonderful group of people. Now, he would be the very first one to proclaim them a family.
Hotch. Over the past decade and a bit, he has been beaten down and bruised, but never cruel nor vengeful. He smiled back when Garcia smiled at him, a smile that she wishes appeared more often, but made sure she treasured whenever it did.
And Tara Lewis. She was new, and brilliant, and witty, and an outsider. Penelope didn’t let the last adjective bother her. Everyone was an outsider in the BAU until you experience one of these parties, and truly witness the dynamic that is shared. But Tara is also smiling, and it makes her so happy.
God, she loves these people.