[Two Weeks Later]

---

She had managed to get through the past two weeks and it hadn't been as difficult as she had thought, and though what she referenced as 'Morgan's rejection' had initially stung it was something she knew she could and would deal with. Morgan hadn't mentioned their baby since she told him of its existence. He hadn't outright avoided her as she had done him in the previous weeks, and he had even been attentive towards her more so than usual; making sure she was eating and checking to make sure she was ok whenever she made an excuse to leave the room in the middle of a meeting to go vomit. Yet still, there was a strain between them but she didn't press the issue, she put the ball in Morgan's court for whenever he decided to play, and tell her one way or the other what he wanted to do. Whether he wanted to be a part of his child's life or not wouldn't deter Garcia from raising his child and loving it with all she had. She made a promise to herself that she would no longer wait around on things that were out of her control she couldn't afford to waste her energy on that anymore or be stressed out by it. She had her baby to think of. So she decided that she would just come clean and tell Kevin about her indiscretion and her baby as soon as she saw him, which she knew would be mere minutes because he had just arrived in the building; he had been texting her of his movements since he got off his flight. So she had been preparing herself and trying to remain calm when heard the soft knock on her door.

"Come in," She spoke out as she stood from her seat and wrapped her arms around her middle in a protective manner. The door opened and as she expected Kevin's head popped through the crack. He smiled at seeing her there and opened the door further as he walked in and moved to her. Before she could speak he had her in his arm and was kissing her deeply and passionately, in the way that would normally have her weak in the knees with desire for him, but this day her knees were weak for another reason.

"Mmmmm, God I've missed you," He pulled back a bit but moved right back in for another kiss, but Garcia broke the kiss by moving her head to the side.

"Kevin we…"

"I know, I know you don't like us 'fraternizing' at work, but it's been two months Penny and I've missed my girl." He said around a goofy smile and tears instantly sprang to her eyes.

"Oh Kevin, I'm sorry, I'm so…so sorry," Garcia said as her tears fell and a scowl shadowed Kevin's face as he cupped her face in his hands.

"Penelope what's wrong, sweetie?" He asked worriedly and she took a cleansing breath before she began to tell him the truth.

---

[Elsewhere]

---

"Hey we're heading over to Harry O's to grab some lunch, you coming?" Prentiss asked as she grabbed her jacket and pulled it on as Reid stood at his desk with Seaver, waiting.

"Naw, I'm gonna go see Garcia,"

"Yeah, we didn't bother asking her because we knew that Kevin Lynch was coming in today, and we figured she'd want to spend time with her honey," Reid stated and then pursed his lips into a straight line, which was his trademark smile.

"Lynch is back?" Morgan asked as his brows bunched and he hurriedly made his way to the door that lead to the back staircase, which he often took to get to Garcia's office.

"Yeah…uh…hmm," Reid tried to reply but Morgan was already gone.

"What is going on with those two?" Prentiss asked as she stared at the closed door that Morgan had disappeared through. Reid simply shrugged as Seaver looked on totally lost, as she always was with her new 'teammates'.

---

Morgan had made it to Garcia's open door in time to hear Kevin's voice boom out into the corridor.

"How could you do this to me?"

"I'm sorry Kevin, it wasn't planned it just happened." He heard a weeping Garcia speak out in turn.

"How, how did it 'just' happen?" The only answer that he got in response to his question was a face full of the wall that Morgan had slammed him into after he entered the doorway and saw Kevin's vice grip on Garcia's arm.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?" Morgan roared as he continued to pin the startled man to the wall, by folding his arms up behind his back.

"Morgan, don't. Please let him go, he didn't hurt me." Garcia pleaded as she grasped Morgan's arm and pull with all her might, and he relinquished his grip on Kevin's back, who turned and stared at him with wide fright-filled eyes.

"You don't ever manhandle a woman, boy, and especially not a pregnant woman," Morgan said pointing at the Lynch his anger still simmering as his chest heaved up and down in sync with his breathing.

"He didn't know that I'm pregnant, I hadn't gotten that far into the conversation," Garcia said as she flopped down into her chair, deflated and defeated.

"You're pregnant?" Kevin asked with a slight smile at the thought but then it faded as quickly as it had come. "With Agent Morgan's baby," He made it sound like a statement rather than a question.

"Yeah it's mine," Morgan was the one to answer and despite his anger towards the man standing before him, he couldn't help but to feel sorry for him, because he could actually see his heart breaking.

"How…how far along are…"

"Six weeks," Garcia responded and Kevin's eyes clamped shut when she placed that final nail into his coffin. He knew for sure that there was no possible way that the baby could be his. "I'm sorry Kevin, I never meant for any of this to happen. I love you."

"You love me?" Kevin repeated his voice rose slightly but calmed quickly when Morgan took a defensive stance readying to protect Garcia. "You don't do what you've done to people you love, Penelope." He paused a few seconds as he placed his hand inside the back pocket of his pants and pulled out a small tiffany blue box and held it up. Garcia gasped her eyes locked onto the box as she placed a hand on her chest. "I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you." Morgan's guilt suddenly nagged at him for the part he had placed in this. "I just don't understand, I loved you so much and would have done anything you wanted you only had to ask, why wasn't that enough…why wasn't I enough?"

"You were, you are…it was just a…a…"

"Mistake?" Kevin offered but she shook her head no.

"No I refuse to think of it like that because my baby was conceived that night," She said as she lovingly stroked her belly. "And I love this baby more than anything, and I will not let him or her ever think that they were a mistake." She added with such conviction that Morgan stared at her in awe and then became filled with shame at the way he had been treating her since she told him about the baby, their baby. "What happened between Morgan and I happened and I am sorry that it hurt you, but that is the 'only' thing I regret about that night, the fact that you've been hurt by it. But I can't change what happened I can only try to make amends for it, that's really up to you though."

"What? You want me to tell you it's ok and that we can still get married and I'll even help you raise another man's child?" Kevin asked dumbfounded.

"You will not raise 'my' child," Morgan cut in and Garcia locked her eyes onto him at hearing him reference their child as 'his' for the first time. "That baby will know who its father is. I grew up without my father my kid will never know what that's like. They'll never be vulnerable like I was." He stated finally coming to a decision even as he wondered why he had ever even taken time to give it thought. "I want to be a part of my child's life." He said the last part as he stared directly at Garcia, whose tears were flowing freely now. She threw him a small smile and nodded her head.

"Well I guess I'm not needed here," Kevin spoke out as he stepped from the wall and made for the door, and Garcia bolted up from her seat.

"Kevin please I don't want us to end like this, I don't want us to end at all. I love you…please…can we at least sit down and talk things through?" He stopped just as he reached the doorway.

"I don't know…maybe…maybe," He let out a heavy sigh as he let his head hang a bit. "But not today or tomorrow…I don't know," He walked out closing the door behind him. Garcia stood staring after him for a moment before her grief overtook her and her legs gave out on her, it had been Morgan's quick reflexes that had prevented her from crumbling to the floor. He held her in his arms as they both sat comfortably on the carpeted floor.

"I'm sorry babygirl," He said against her temple as he kissed the side of her head and slowly rocked her, intending to hold onto her until she was all cried out. "I'm sorry."

[10 Weeks]

---

"At least he's speaking to me again, even if it's not face-to-face. Last night we talked on the phone for over an hour, but I got the impression that there's nothing to be done to fix our relationship," Garcia said with a sad sigh as she look out the passenger side window of Morgan's black SUV.

"But it's a start, right?" Morgan replied as he kept his darkly shaded eyes on the road. "It's been a month, are you still hoping for a reconciliation?" He asked as he gave her a sideway glance that allowed him to see her shrug, but she vocalized no response. "I don't know…you know….maybe it's better this way." He said casually as he carefully broached the conversation he had wanted to have with her for over a week now.

"Better…better for who Morgan? I loved him I had imagined that one day I would marry him and have 'his' children. Look at me now I'm 2 and ½ months pregnant and alone."

"You are not alone," He said as he turned and looked sternly at her, and she felt a little bit guilty and threw him an apologetic.

"I know, I'm sorry…it just feels that way sometimes." She said as she turned her face back towards the window and stared out at the passing scenery.

"Well that's part of the reason I wanted you to come over," Morgan stated just as they pulled up into his driveway.

"Why?" She asked her curiosity peaked. He only smiled and then exited the truck. She watched him as he jogged around the front of the vehicle and opened her door, and then helped her out of the truck. Once they were inside Morgan offered Garcia something to eat and drink, she only accepted some juice, and then she stood watching as he made a toasty fire in the living room's fireplace. She didn't bother mentioning that it was 70 degrees outside because she knew that he didn't make the fires for warmth, but just for the coziness, they provided to the house. "Where's Clooney?" She asked as she looked down the hallway that led to two of the downstairs bedrooms. It was unusual for her to come over to Morgan's and not get accosted by his very large dog.

"Uh, I put him in the garage, I knew you were coming over today and I just didn't want him jumping all over you. I thought he might hurt you or the baby." Morgan answered as he stood up and stared down at the crackling fire.

"Thanks," She said sincerely because she herself had been concerned about that very thing when Morgan had invited her over. "Now will you tell me what's going on? You said you brought me over for a reason…" Morgan nodded his head as he walked up to her and grasped the glass of juice from her hand, placing it on a nearby table. Then he grasped her hand and led her down the hallway past the staircase.

"I was stuck for a bit trying to decide which of the four rooms would work best," Morgan spoke as he pulled her behind him to the first of the two bedrooms on the first floor. "I rationalized that it would be better for you to have everything on the first floor, instead of going up and down the stairs." They stopped in front of the bedroom door.

"Morgan, what are you talking about?" Garcia asked in confusion as Morgan opened the door and the view of a beautifully decorated nursery filled her eyes. "Oh my God," She gasped out as one hand fell against her chest and the other against her belly, which didn't yet show any 'real' signs of the baby growing inside of it. She stepped into the room whose walls were painted in a neutral color of soft yellow and white. There was a large oak sleigh-shaped crib with a matching dresser and changing table, and also a rocking chair that looked to be made of the same wood as the other furnishing. There were plaques and pictures on the walls that went well with the color palette of the room, and toys and stuffed animals littered the room. "When did you do all of this?"

"Honestly I started the day you told me you were pregnant," He said as he moved to the dresser and picked up a large plush frog toy. "I know I ran off like a scared little punk but later after work, I drove to a baby store and bought this and a few other things," He wiggled the frog a bit. "I stood in that store for at least an hour trying to pick out the perfect toy. 'Course my mind immediately gravitated to the 'boy' toys and I snatched this up, but then I got to thinking well what if it's a girl? I was lost," He chuckled as he remembered and Garcia smiled sweetly at him. "One of the young female clerks came over to help me and she put it into perspective for me she said, 'we girls like frogs too'." Garcia nodded her head.

"This is true, in fact, I had three pet frogs when I was a kid."

"Yeah?"

"Yep."

"So I did good, do you like it?"

"Derek it's beautiful. Looks like you've got everything a baby will need. You definitely got a head start on me. Honestly, I didn't want to buy anything until I found a bigger place. As you well know I'm looking to buy a nice little bungalow for me and junior here, but so far I haven't 'loved' any of the houses I've looked at."

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that," He spoke as he grabbed her hand again and pulled her to a door in the nursery that was right across from the crib. He opened the door and she bunched her brow a bit and wondered why he was showing her one of the two closets in the bedroom. She was surprised when he opened the door and found an opening to the huge bedroom next door. "I didn't do much decorating in here, just put in the bare minimums; bed, nightstand, and a couple of dressers. And you already knew it had the master bath. I figured I'd let you decorate it how you wanted."

"Me…what? Morgan, I'm not moving in here, I can't."

"Yes you can, come on you know I own four properties, and when you told me you were looking for a bigger place so you can have room for the baby, this made the most sense. The best part is I happen to know the landlord and I worked out a sweet deal for you, so it's rent-free for life, which leaves you more money for the baby."

"Ok, now you've really lost your mind. I have been paying my own way since I was 17 years old, and that's not gonna change, and this," She waved her hand about. "Would not work, I can't kick you out of your home Derek, especially when you've put so much work into this place. No offense, but it was a dump when you brought it and I personally thought you were crazy, don't know if I ever told you that…"

"On more than one occasion," Morgan interjected with a grin.

"Well I stand corrected because you pretty much tore it down and build it up from scratch and it's beautiful, so I just wouldn't feel right having you move out just so the baby and I can have a bigger place. I have a great realtor and she'll find us a great place."

"Woman, it makes no sense to go out and purchase a house when there's plenty of room here, and I not moving out." He stated and she turned to him stunned. "We can both live here and raise our baby here…together."

"No!" She said flat out and then turned and left the nursery.

---

[Several days later]

---

"No, you just told him no, just like that?" Prentiss asked as she turned to where Garcia sat at one of the nearby tables with Reid and Seaver, sipping some herbal tea. Prentiss stood fixing herself some coffee as Reid and Seaver silently followed their conversation.

"Yeah just like that, I don't need Morgan to take care of me I just need him to help take care of this baby."

"Yeah I get that but I don't know…don't you think it would be beneficial for the baby to have both parents in the home?" Prentiss added as she stirred some Splenda sweetener into her coffee.

"Statistically speaking, children who grow up in a two-parent home generally do better in life than those in a single-parent home. They're more likely to graduate high school and college, and most have no criminal record." Reid stated.

"Didn't you grow up in a single-parent home, Mr. Brainiac?" Seaver asked in a teasing tone and Reid bunched his brow and pouted a bit before he replied.

"Yes, I did."

"Yeah and look how you turned out," Prentiss added as the three ladies stared at the younger man who sat grinning, full of pride.

"Uhnnn, ok so that's a point for the reasons why I should move in with Morgan," Garcia said as she focused back onto Prentiss who giggled as Seaver smirked, and Reid gave a baffled look, unsure if he had just been insulted or given a compliment. "But it's just not a good enough reason. This is the 21st century and women have come a long way. I'm perfectly capable of doing this by myself."

"But why do it by yourself when you have a man right here offering to do it with you." A voice spoke out and all eyes fell onto Morgan who had just entered the room but had heard the tail end of their conversation.

"And I plan to take you up on that offer, you can help even if we live in two different homes…we're doing it now," Garcia threw out teasingly as she smiled around the brim of her teacup, as she lifted it to her lips.

"Yeah, but we don't have a baby to look after 'now', but once he or she is here I want to be there every second, I don't want to miss a thing; the diaper changes, the two o'clock feeding, the first steps, the first word…nothing," Morgan said with such conviction the three ladies all ooohed and awwed a bit.

"C'mon, that has to be another mark on the pros side," Prentiss said as she looked at Garcia, who rolled her eyes and sipped her tea but didn't argue the point. Morgan flashed her with a wide smile, knowing he had won this round and was wearing her down just a bit.

---

[Sometime later that same day]

---

"Ok I think I've figured out why you've been so reluctant," Morgan said as he breezed into Garcia's office.

"C'mon in I'm not busy or anything," She tossed out casually and remained focused on the search she was in the middle of doing for Special Agent Cooper's BAU team. Before Morgan could continue her phone buzzed and she picked up one of the pencils on her desk and used the fuzzy-covered end to push the button to connect the call. "Talk to me."

"Good morning beautiful," A sultry voice with what Morgan detected was a British accent filled the room, and Garcia's face lit up with a saucy smile.

"Well good morning, Agent Rawson."

"Wow, why so 'formal' today?" He asked playfully.

"Sorry babydoll, momma's very busy multi-tasking right now, we can be casual later, so what can I do you for?" She asked her fingers still flying across the keys.

"Coop wanted me to check to see if you found those files of the missing person cases that coincided with the murders in this area."

"Yeah sending them to you now," She said as she struck the enter button.

"Damn, beautiful, sexy, smart, and efficient…you sure you won't take me up on my proposal and marry me?" Rawson teased and invoked a girly giggle from Garcia and a frown accompanied with an eye roll from Morgan, who was biting his tongue in order to keep from cursing the man on the other line out.

"I told you you'll have to wait your turn," She replied playfully and she could hear him laughing as she ended the call with another jab of her pencil. "Now how can I help you hot stuff?" She asked as she turned her seat to face him and give him her undivided attention. She was greeted with a scowl of disgust on Morgan's face.

"What the hell was that?" Morgan asked in a demanded tone and Garcia arched her brows and smirked at him.

"What?" She asked innocently though she was fully aware of what he meant.

"Beautiful, sexy, smart…" He mimicked in a pretty good British accent.

"What do you disagree with that assessment?"

"You know I don't but he should be more professional when he's talking to you," Morgan said his scowl still in place.

"Right like you are? Oh my…you're jealous." She teased as her smirk turned into a full-fledged smile.

"I am not jealous."

"Mmm…hmmm," Garcia hummed out as she leaned back more comfortably in her chair and crossed her legs enjoying the moment; she thought Morgan looked damned good when he was green with envy.

"I'm not, I don't have to be because I know something Agent Rawson apparently hasn't been made aware of."

"Which is what exactly?" She asked.

"You're carrying 'my' baby, and soon you'll be moving in with 'me', and hopefully taking 'my' last name." He said confidently.

"For your information, Agent Rawson does know that I'm pregnant with your child, in fact, he's even offered to go to Lamaze classes with me." Morgan responded with a 'hmph' and grumbled out a 'like hell' under his breath, but Garcia ignored him and continued speaking. "Also, I have not decided yet whether or not I want to move in with you, and I get that you want to be close to the baby when it comes, but I just don't think that's enough of a reason for us to shack u…" Her words stopped abruptly as her brain finally caught up to what her ears had heard. "Wait…'taking your last name'…Derek what…" Again her words stopped abruptly when she saw him pull a small black velvet ring box from behind his back.

"Before you say anything, just listen," Morgan spoke as he stepped forward and set the box on the desk before her and her eyes followed and remained locked onto the box. "I've been giving this thought ever since the night at my mom's when we made love on her living room floor. The second it was over it hit me that I didn't want it to be over, ever…and it wasn't even about the sex, although I'm man enough to admit to you that it was off the chain and I've never had it 'that' good before. It was something else, I can't explain it…it was like things clicked and when I came to your room later that night I wanted to tell you then, but you made it clear that you didn't want it to be more than comfort sex…"

"Morgan I…" He stilled her word by holding up one of his hands.

"It's ok I understood why, I know my reputation, I worked hard to create and maintain my player persona. I've never seen myself as the type to settle down and raise a family, at least I never saw myself that way, until 'that' night. I love you, you are my best friend, and 'before' I would never let my mind wander too far down a lustful path with you." She arched her brow at him a bit. "Oh yes sweetness I have had very nasty thoughts about you…and me…together long before we hooked up. Hey, I am a red-blooded man, and contrary to what you may have been told or may think, you are one hell of a woman. You are indeed very beautiful, oh so sexy, and smart, don't let any man fool you into believing that we don't like 'all' those traits in a woman, they're major turn-ons. Now… being with you is all I can think about…you and the baby. I realize I do want to settle down and have the house with the white picket fence, with 2.5 kids and a dog," He chuckled nervously and she giggled as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Your house doesn't have a white picket fence," She pointed out.

"So I'll build one," He replied as he kneeled down in front of her and grasped both of her hands in his. "I love you Penelope Garcia and I can't tell you exactly when it happened but I've fallen crazy in love with you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you if you'll have me." She closed her eyes freeing the rest of her unshed tears and pressed her lips together as if she were trying to contain a scream. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and graced him with a smile as she nodded her head at him. "Is that a, "Oh Morgan I love you too and yes, I'll marry you?" He asked in a girly voice as he rolled her neck and she threw her head back a bit and laughed outright as she sniffed back more tears.

"Oh Derek Morgan, I do love you too and have been in love with you for a while now, and yes…yes, I will marry you." She stated as she rolled her neck, mimicking his move.

"She said yes!" He bellowed out as he snatched up the box and opened it and then pulled out the 3.5-carat princess cut diamond ring he had purchased a couple of weeks prior. He began sliding it on her fingers just as the door opened and Rossi, Reid, Prentiss, and Hotchner all poured in.

"Congratulations," Rossi was the first to speak out.

"It's about time," Prentiss stated.

"Yes it is long overdue," Hotch concurred as he extended his hand to Morgan who grasped and shook it when he stood up, while Rossi kissed Garcia's cheek when she stood from her chair.

"So when is the big day?" Reid asked as he moved in to give Garcia a quick kiss on the cheek. Garcia shrugged as she threw her 'fiancée' a questioning look.

"Hey kid we just got engaged, but we can do it right now as far as I'm concerned," Morgan replied but Garcia quickly shook her head at that idea.

"No way, Garci is having a big 'traditional' wedding."

"I don't know about the 'traditional' part," Garcia interjected as she made a sour face at the idea.

"Fine untraditional just not some cheap justice of the peace 'shotgun wedding'," Prentiss said as several arched brows looked at her. "Oh no…no…not to say that that's what this is…I didn't mean that…no, no." The others chuckled at her expense.

"So you're volunteering to be my maid of honor?" Garcia asked and Prentiss' eyes grew large.

"Really, you want me…I would have thought you'd want JJ…wow, really?" Garcia nodded her head. "Ok, yeah I'd be…honored," Prentiss said with a smile.

"Of course, I'll ask JJ to be one of my bridesmaids, but she's just too busy nowadays with the Henry and the new job to handle the duties of the Maid of Honor, and there's a lot to do between now and June 10th," Garcia stated.

"June 10th?" Reid repeated as he looked at Garcia baffled. "You just picked that date just now…off the top of your head?" Garcia nodded her head vigorously and no one else, save Reid, seemed to find it odd. "Does the date have some special significance to you?"

"Not yet but it's going to be our wedding date and our anniversary date for many years to come. And I figure it's a little over a month away, so it gives Prentiss and I time to plan an uber slammin wedding, and most importantly, it's still early enough that I'll still have my girlish figure so I can fit into a wedding dress and not look like I'm hiding a beach ball underneath it."

"Wait…is that how all women set their wedding dates, basing it around whether they can fit into their wedding dress?" Reid asked still a bit confused, and everyone else in the room simply nodded their heads.

---

[13 weeks]

---

"And did you get the tux for little Jackie?" Garcia asked as she walked through the underground parking garage, and headed for Esther to go out and make some last-minute errands for her wedding which was in less than two weeks.

"Yes Princess I got all the tuxes rented and I've also rented the white limos for our wedding party," Morgan confirmed as he spoke into his cell while making his way into the back of the jet to get some coffee.

"Good I'm headed out now to finalize the floral arrangements we picked and to pick up my dress from the seamstress. I had really hoped I would be able to fit the dress without having to have it altered."

"Hey you're full of my child right now, and if the kid's got a head like his old man he needs room," He joked and she giggled immediately feeling uplifted by his words.

"I miss you, when will you guys be home?" She asked as she continued on her trek to her car.

"Oh I miss you too baby, but we'll probably be in the air for another 4 hours or so," Morgan said as he sighed heavily at the thought of how long it had been since he saw his babygirl, it had definitely been a long week for him.

"Well, that'll give me plenty of time to make sure I have a hot home cook meal waiting for you when you get home." She said as her caddy finally came into view.

"Oh, I just want a hot Penelope Garcia, naked when I get home." He replied in a hushed tone so the others wouldn't overhear him.

"If you be a good boy and eat all of your vegetables, you can have that for dessert."

"Mmmm…yes ma'am. See you in a few, I love you…"

"I wuuuuuv you to Garcia…*Smack*…oww," Reid's voice came over the phone and Garcia laughed as she heard Morgan and Reid bickering over the line just before the call disconnected.

"Penelope," A voice called out from behind her and Garcia jumped in fright.

"Oh my God!" She squealed out as she quickly turned to face the man that had scared her. "Kevin, don't sneak up on me like that."

"I'm so sorry…are…are you ok," He asked as he reached out as if wanting to hold her up but back far enough as if he were scared to touch her. "I didn't hurt the baby did I?" He asked with genuine concern.

"No, I'm fine and the baby is fine too."

"Good." He smiled bashfully. "You look great, it really is true what they say about pregnant women, you do glow." She smiled at his kind words. "I've been meaning to stop by and say I'm sorry about the way I've been acting…"

"No, no apologies are necessary…you're totally entitled to treat me like crap I cheat on you and…"

"It's ok, really I forgive you. I want you to be happy Penny even if it's not with me which leads me to my congratulations to you and Agent Morgan. I heard about the upcoming wedding, haven't gotten my invitation yet though." He stated as he frowned up a bit.

"Oh, I didn't invite you. I'm sorry I…I just assumed that you wouldn't want to come, It wasn't because I don't think of you as a friend because I still do…I totally do," She babbled out embarrassed.

"I was joking, I am really happy for you but I'm not ready to watch you walk down the aisle to another man."

"Oh…ok," She sighed in relief, and then they stood quietly for several long seconds.

"You headed out to lunch, me too," Kevin spoke out, interrupting the quietness. "You want to go grab something…its Wednesday so Nate is running his meatloaf special today, your favorite." He offered but noticed her hesitation and quickly tried to recant his offer. "But if you're busy then we can take a rain check. I just want you to know that I too still think of you as my friend."

"Thank you, Kevin, for still wanting to be my friend…and you know what I have been craving some of Nate's meatloaf, in fact, I've been craving just about everything these days." She said as she patted her belly, and Kevin smiled kindly at her as he stared longingly at her stomach. "Would you mind if we take your car though, mine is full of wedding stuff and there's barely any room for me? You can just drop me back off here after lunch."

"Sure, I'm parked just over here." Kevin agreed as he led the way to his lime green Ford Prius.

---

[1 hour and 10 minutes later]

---

"Well that wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be," Kevin said casually as he stopped the car at a traffic light that had turned red as they journeyed back to work. They had had a nice lunch at Nate's dinner which was just around the corner from their job and had become their favorite place to eat for the past three years. They had very nice, amicable conversations.

"Nope it wasn't, and that's a good thing because I meant what I said before I want us to remain friends," Garcia said as she reached out and briefly placed her hand atop his but moved it just as he shifted gears and moved through the intersection. He turned to give her a smile and to tell her he wanted the same but was greeted with a terrifying sight of a red truck just as it struck the passenger side of his car. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, and he watched in horror as the force of the impact snapped Garcia's body forward and sideways towards him and sent glass everywhere, all before blackness and quiet engulfed him.

They had been informed of the accident as soon as they arrived at their desks, Section Chief Erin Strauss had been waiting in Hotchner's office and gave him the news first and allowed him to pass it on to the others. Morgan had been laughing at something Prentiss had said to Reid when Hotch approached them.

"Morgan, there's been an accident." Those had been the last coherent words Morgan's brain had let filter through before it shut down that region. He had been able to rush from the room with the others following closely behind him, and they had been able to keep him from driving himself to the hospital, so his body was 'functioning' but he wasn't speaking or responding to the conversations going on around him. Even after they had arrived at the hospital Garcia and Lynch had been rushed to, Morgan was just going through the motions. Hotchner took the lead and questioned the doctors and nurses about Garcia's prognosis as Morgan sat stoically in the waiting area with the others.

"They said that Garcia and Kevin Lynch are both in surgery right now," Hotch stated as he returned to the group and took a seat in the empty chair across from Morgan, and watched him with worry in his eyes.

"Well did they give you any details about what happened, where they were when it happened?" Prentiss asked still stunned by the whole ordeal.

"No but Strauss was able to fill in the details apparently Garcia and Lynch were involved in a car accident. Some poor kid, who just got his license, was out joyriding, ran a red light at the intersection Lynch was driving through. The truck the teenager was driving struck the passenger side of Lynch's car. The teenager was killed instantly."

"But why was Garcia even with Lynch, last she told me he wasn't speaking to her." Prentiss continued to question.

"Witnesses at the scene said that they had just had lunch at Nate's diner right before the accident happened, so maybe they've made amends or at least was trying to," Hotch replied.

"Did they say how bad Garcia is, and the…baby?" Reid asked hesitantly as he eyed Morgan, the same as everyone else did at his question. Hotch simply shook his head no. Morgan swiftly stood and stalked from the room and out the exit, Prentiss stood to follow him but Hotchner stopped her.

"I'll go," Was all he said as he followed Morgan's trek outside. He found Morgan near the corner of the building, to the right of the entryway. He could tell by the way his head was bowed against the brick wall and how his shoulders shook that Morgan was sobbing. He also knew how Morgan never liked to have anyone, except maybe Garcia, to see him so vulnerable. "Morgan," Hotchner call out gently to the younger man, but if Morgan heard him he made no outward indications that he had. "Morgan," He called to him again but this time he placed his hand upon Morgan's back, which caused Morgan to snap his head up and lock his red, wet eye onto his boss.

"She can't die Hotch," He said through his sobs, not caring to wipe the tears that wet his face or the snot that dribbled from his nose. "Not after everything we've gone through, not when we're so close…If she dies I'll be lost…" He turned his body completely around and rested his back upon the brick building and let his head fall back against it as his eyes looked heavenward. "And I will never forgive you…not like I forgave you for taking my father and my mother, and I only forgave you that because of 'her'." He shook his head as he sneered at the sky. "Don't take her from me, don't you fucking dare…please, please don't," His angry words to God dissolved into pitiful pleas for mercy. "Don't take her from me, please God." He wailed and Hotch did something completely out of character for him, he wrapped his arms around the broken man before him, and in turn, Morgan did something out of character for him he welcomed the embrace and clung to Hotchner.

"Morgan, listen to me Penelope is a fighter, we all know this. She's gonna pull through this, you have to believe that." At that moment Prentiss rushed up behind them.

"Garcia just made it out of surgery," She said in a huff and Morgan pulled from Hotch's arms and all three raced back inside.

---

[Four hours later]

---

Morgan had stayed glued in the seat he had moved close to Garcia's bedside, watching her chest rise and fall. The doctor said that given the extent of the damage to both cars and the injuries to the teenage driver who had died and Lynch, who was in a coma and on a ventilator, Garcia's surviving with superficial scrapes and bruises and some internal bleeding, was nothing short of a miracle. Even still Morgan kept vigil at her bedside too afraid to leave or close his eyes, even though they burn for sleep. He was just so scared that if he closed his eyes for anything longer than a blink she would slip away from him, in his mind's eye the only thing that was keeping her anchored to this earth was his eye, watching her every breath.

"Hey, how's our girl?" A familiar feminine voice filled the room and he turned to where JJ stood near the foot of the bed.

"The doctor says she's fine, there was some internal bleeding and hemorrhaging, that they fixed in surgery, but that was hours ago and she still hasn't woken up or moved at all," Morgan answered as he locked his eyes back onto Garcia's chest.

"Just the body's way of healing, she'll wake up soon I'm sure. Here I brought you some coffee." She held out the steaming cup.

"Thanks," He said as he grasped the cup and then placed it on the bedside table beside the other two cups that had been brought to him, which were both full of coffee that were now cold.

"If you need to take a break, I'll sit with her." JJ offered even though she already knew what the answer was going to be. He only shook his head no as one of the night shift nurses, a black woman in her mid to late 50s, entered the room to check Garcia's vitals as they did every hour. "The baby, did the baby survive?" JJ asked Morgan but it was the nurse who replied.

"No, that precious little angel is in heaven now, with God." RN Jackson said as she wrote some stats onto Garcia's chart, and both Morgan and JJ locked their eyes on her. "But Ms. Garcia is young though and Lord knows she's strong given what she survived, so she can have more children someday."

"Wha…" A low scratchy voice startled them all, and they looked at Garcia who was staring up at the nurse standing over her, with one clear eye and one eye that had black and blue bruises on the skin surrounding her right eye socket, which housed a bloody red eye due to broken blood vessel in the eye.

"Hey, sleeping beauty has finally decided to join us," Morgan spoke out as he leaned closer and grasped her hand, which he was already holding, more firmly within both of his.

"Wha…what is she saying about the baby," Garcia asked as her eyes locked onto Morgan. "What happened…is the baby ok?" She became frantic causing her blood pressure to spike.

"I'll go get the doctor," Nurse Jackson said as she hurried from the room shamefaced.

"Shh…shh, calm down baby, it's ok…it's all gonna be ok," Morgan spoke softly trying to calm her down as JJ moved to the other side of the bed and grasped her other hand, knowing that she would need the support when she learned the truth about her baby.

"Is the baby ok?" She asked as she pulled her hands free from their grasp, and ignored Morgan's coddling which would usually work. Morgan was at a loss for words. He hadn't allowed himself to think about the baby they had lost, and now he found that he couldn't speak about the baby either.

"Penelope," JJ stepped in seeing Morgan's struggle. "You were in a car accident."

"No…no….no, no, no," Garcia began to sob out as her face crumbled and tears sprang to her eyes while she shook her head from side to side.

"I am so sorry, sweetie," JJ added as she placed a hand on Garcia's right shoulder.

"No!" Garcia screamed shrugging off both their touches as she bolted up a bit from where she lay against the pillows and pulled at the wire and tubes she was hooked up to. Morgan jumped from his seat to calm her down and stop her actions, just as the doctor and two nurses entered the room. "I want my baby!"

"What happened?" The doctor asked as he moved to her IV line and injected a sedative from the needle he held in his hand.

"One of your nurses got her upset," Morgan stated as he cast a hard glare at Nurse Jackson who silently stood to the side avoiding his gaze.

"Please, please don't take my baby," Garcia continued to sob as she reached out and grabbed the other nurse's hand. "Please don't take my baby." She continued to cry as she fell back against the pillows, the sedative quickly taking effect. "Please…please…ple…"

---

[Sometime later]

---

"Hey, how's she doing?" Prentiss asked as she stood from her seat in the waiting area, upon seeing Morgan walk in. Reid and JJ who were also there waiting, both stood from their seats as well.

"She's still out of it," Morgan said with a tired sigh as he moved to the vending machine in the corner, to look for something packed with sugar to help restore his energy.

"Why don't we go down to the cafeteria for some real food?" JJ said.

"You obviously haven't eaten any of this hospital's food," Morgan said as the candy bar he had selected fell from its station. He bent and retrieved the 'PayDay' bar.

"It is rather bad," Reid agreed.

"Ok, then why don't you can I go out and pick up something for everyone, my treat." JJ directed to Reid. "What are you guys in the mood for, Chinese, Mexican, Indian food?"

"I don't care," Morgan said as his shoulders slumped. He realized he didn't have much of an appetite, not even for the candy bar he still held unopened in his hands.

"Me either, whatever you pick is fine, you guys go ahead and I'll stay and Morgan can keep me company," Prentiss announced and with a nod, JJ and Reid left out. "You don't mind keeping me company for a bit do you?" She asked as she retook her seat.

"Naw," Morgan answered as he moved and flopped down in the seat beside Prentiss'. He slouched back and let his head fall back against the wall and allowed his eyes to drift shut. "They've got babygirl so drugged she'll probably be out for a while."

"JJ said that she took the miscarriage hard."

"She was devastated, I have never seen her like that, and I didn't know what to do, I felt so fucking helpless," Morgan said as he turned his head towards Prentiss and stared at her.

"And how about you, are you ok?"

"I'm just worried about her. Honestly, I haven't thought about the baby. All the praying I've been doing has all been for 'her'. I guess that shows what kind of father I would have been, right." He asked he gave a laugh in disgust.

"You would have been and someday will be a wonderful father Derek. You've just been so focused on making sure that Garcia is ok that your mind hasn't allowed room for anything else."

"No, that wasn't it, I just don't care." He said around a sad smile and Prentiss tilted her head and opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. "I really don't care. I don't care that our baby died, I didn't care that that kid driving the other car died, I don't care if Lynch dies, so long as she's ok," He noticed the peculiar look that she was giving him. "What?"

"Kevin died about a half hour ago from his injuries, that's why Hotch and Rossi aren't here right now they're back at the office trying to track down family members so they can be notified."

"I'm one heartless, selfish bastard," He said bowing his head a bit. "You're sitting here telling me that one of our co-workers has died. A man we both were very acquainted with, a man that 'I' did dirty by cheating him out of his ladylove, and all I can think is, 'better him than her."

"C'mon Morgan you know what this is, how this goes," She spoke as she leaned forward some to be at eye level with her friend. "This is just grief and probably a little shock too. Your life has been turned upside down, no one is going to fault you for feeling outta of it for a while."

"Agent Morgan," A voice called from the doorway capturing both their attention. "You wanted to know when your fiancée woke up." The young nurse spoke softly and both Morgan and Prentiss hurriedly stood from their seats. Morgan moved to leave but stopped when he realized Prentiss wasn't moving.

"You go ahead, get some one-on-one time with Garci, I'll wait here and let JJ and Reid know what's going on. We'll all stop by later." Prentiss said convincingly, but the truth was that she was nervous about seeing Garcia, afraid she'd say the wrong thing or do something that might upset her more. "But give her my love." Morgan nodded and then made his way back to Garcia's room.

---

[Moments later]

---

He stood in the corridor just outside the room a moment and watched her through the opened blinds of her room window. She sat mostly upright with several pillows supporting her back. The TV had been turned on, but she wasn't watching it, she just sat staring straight forward at the beige wall across the way. There was a new nurse in the room with her, at her bedside charting her vitals. Morgan could hear the pretty young brunette trying to engage Garcia in small talk but Garcia only cut her eyes at the girl briefly, looking at her from head to toe before returning her gaze back to some unknown spot on the wall. He waited until the nurse exited the room, flashing him a bright smile as she passed him, before he entered, cautiously.

When she noticed him in the doorway she shot him the same look she had just given the nurse, almost as if she were sizing him up, but she wouldn't allow her eye to stay on him for long, they soon moved back to take up vigil on the wall.

"Hey," He spoke in a hushed tone as if speaking louder would set her off again. Not that it mattered because she didn't reply. "How are you feeling?" He asked and regretted it the second it was out of his mouth, and wanted to strangle his own neck when he saw the look on her face as she stared directly at him with an, 'are you fucking serious' expression. "I'm sorry that was a very stupid question…I…I just don't know what I'm supposed to say how I'm supposed to act," He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he remained rooted near the door. "I know I don't want to upset you so maybe I should just go." He suggested but took no steps towards the door.

"I don't want you to go," She finally spoke and her voice was a couple of decibels louder than his. "I'm sorry I spazzed out before,"

"No baby, no," He swiftly moved to her and fell to his knees at her bedside where he gripped her hands. "You have nothing to feel sorry for, none of this is your fault."

"Yes, it is," She argued as fresh tears sprang forth in her eyes. "If I had just taken the rain check that Kevin offered and had lunch with him another day…and I still had so much to do before the wedding…but he wanted to mend our fences, and I really wanted that too. I just felt like I had to take the olive branch he was offering me, especially after what I did to him…"

"What we did to him," Morgan quickly corrected her. "Baby no one blames you for the accident. And the kid who was at fault, well he lost his life too." Garcia clamped her right hand to her mouth and her left hand instinctually squeezed his a bit tighter.

"Oh no…and Kevin?" She asked hopefully but Morgan could only shake his head at the question. "Oh God…no." She sobbed quietly and this time Morgan didn't attempt to calm her he just held her hand in his and let her know that he was there offering her his shoulder to cry on and anything else she needed to help her get through.

The drive home had been a somber one; he had tried to engage her in conversation along the way but found that although she did respond he couldn't hold her attention for long. Getting inside their home had taken several minutes due to her battered and sore body.

"OK, let's go nice and slow," Morgan said as they crossed the threshold. He dropped her bag just inside the door and steered her further into the foyer. "Are you hungry…are you tired, you want to lie down?" He rambled off never taking his arms from around her, feeling that she needed the support.

"I think I need to lie down for a while," Garcia answered honestly. She found that even the slightest activity drained her.

"Ok," He maneuvered her towards the downstairs bedroom they had taken as their own, but she stopped him.

"I'm gonna need more pillows than what we have on our bed, could you go grab more from the bedrooms upstairs?"

"Sure, you want to rest on the couch, or…"

"I'll just wait here for you."

"Are you sure?" She nodded in reply. "OK, you stay put." He commanded as he pointed a finger at her, and then bounded up the stairs. She only waited long enough for him to round the corner before she moved, and headed for the room that she had had fantasies and nightmares about throughout her two-week stay in the hospital. When she finally reached the door she rested her hand on the doorknob for a brief moment to prepare herself mentally and emotionally. From the second Morgan had brought her into the room she had started imagining a sweet homecoming, that wondrous day when they would bring their baby home from the hospital. In a split second, that dream had been shattered. She clamped her eyes shut to try and banish that thought from her mind. She tried to calm down by reminding herself that Kevin as well as a 17-year-old boy had died, and she wasn't the only one to have lost in this situation. One of the nurses had even said to her that 'technically' her 'fetus' her son as the doctor had informed her, was not considered 'viable', but it just made her scream inside, 'He was viable to me, God Dammit!'. She opened the door to the nursery and once again her world crumbled around her. She slowly stepped inside the bare room. Gone were all the furnishings and toys, and the walls had been stripped of their pictures and even the paint. This time she didn't even try to contain her tears as she had been doing all day.

"Hey, I thought I told you to stay put," Morgan stood just behind her in the doorway with a frown on his face, which vanished from his face the instant she turned and looked at him.

"What did you do…why…where…" She could barely get the words out over her sobs. He quickly moved to her with the intent of wrapping her inside his hands, but she just as quickly stepped back away from him. He stopped his advances seeing that they were not welcome. "How could you. You took away all of his things like he never existed?"

"Naw baby that's not why I cleared everything out I just thought it would be better for you if…"

"Better for me, better for me," She repeated as she turned a bit and let her eyes scan the room some more. "Do I look better to you Derek?" She asked as she stared directly at him now with red, wet eyes.

"I'm sorry baby I thought…I was just trying to help make this transition easier for you."

"I lost my baby Derek, 'our' baby that's never going to be an easy thing for me and I'm never, ever going to feel 'better' about it." She spat the last part out at him as her face twisted up in disgust that he had even said such a thing to her. "Do me a favor please just stop trying to make things better and easy, and stop trying to fix this because you can't, you can't" She sobbed out and then moved through the open door that adjoined what was the nursery to their bedroom, and slammed it closed behind her.

---

[An hour later]

---

He stood in the opened door staring at her still frame which was curled up on their bed. He knew she wasn't sleeping just like she knew he was standing there, at her back watching her. She hadn't heard him move, didn't know he had until the CD player started up with a song, and then she felt the dip in the bed. They lay there quietly as the crooning of John Legend filled the room.

(Oh) Hush my baby, don't you cry.
I'll dry your eyes. Fulfill your heart's desire.
Let's go in. Try again.
Careful this time. Broken promises linger in our mind.

I'll give in completely. Hearts break so easy.
I know. Believe me. Oh, I've tried.
But my arms can hold you. My kiss console you.
I'll come and Love you tonight.

[Chorus:]
And I...
I love, I love, I love
Love hurts sometimes
But this feels right.

You...
You love, you love, you love
Though you've been burned
You still return.

Her eyes fell closed when she felt his fingers brush her hair back from her face and his lips brush against her cheek. When she didn't pull away or tell him to leave her alone, Morgan molded his body with hers and draped his arm across her waist. Garcia's eyes immediately zoomed in on his hand which held the frog that he had brought for their baby, and the corners of her mouth tugged upward as she reached out and took the stuffed animal from his hands.

Come and share my house, my home, and all I own.
I'd love to give to you.
Aren't you tired of going along this lonely road'
It takes it's toll on you.

Give me your emotion, your heart's devotion.
Give anything you like.
And I'll give understanding. Life's so demanding.
I'm all you need to get by.

[Chorus:]
And I...
I love, I love, I love
Love hurts sometimes
But this feels right.

And You...
You love, you love, you love
Though you've been burned
You still return.

"I didn't get rid of his things, I just moved them into one of the upstairs bedroom," Morgan announced speaking in a hushed tone his lips brushing her earlobe as he spoke. "I figured we could always use everything…later…you know if…if you wanted to try again." Garcia turned in his arms and lay in a prone position as she stared up at him in surprise, her eyes holding hope. "I mean if you wanted to, whenever…" She smiled and clutched the toy to her chest with one hand and reached up and cupped his face lovingly with the other.

"I do want to," She said as she nodded her head. "As soon as the doctor gives the ok I want to try and get pregnant again." Morgan leaned over and kissed her forehead and then smiled down at her.

"OK, but only when the doctor says it's ok." He said in an authoritative tone and she hurriedly nodded her head again in agreement.

"Thank you," She said as she moved in and captured his lips in a chaste kiss. She pulled back but he grasped her face and pulled her back to his mouth for a more sensual kiss that was slower and softer. And there they lay until the sun disappeared behind the horizon and the stars graced the sky; holding on to each other and talking about their future wedding and the big family they both wanted a conversation with interludes of stolen kisses.

I love, I love, I love
Love hurts sometimes
But this feels right.

And You...
You love you love you love
Though you've been burned
You still return.

Still return
Still return to love (Oh)
Keep coming back to love (Ah oh)

['I Love You, Love' From John Legend's new album, 'Evolver']

---

[The End]