“I want you to take it super easy,” Penelope instructed Luke as he continued to smile while he stared down at her, though she hadn’t noticed because her eyes were focused on their surroundings to make sure they didn’t bump into anyone or anything that might cause more damaged to his fractured ribs. “Remember what the doctor said, you can’t be moving around a lot if you want your ribs to heal. So, light desk duty for you for the next month. And I will come down here every hour to check on you and I’ll be here at 1 pm sharp with your lunch,” She finished as she helped ease him into his seat. “Until you’re all healed up you can consider me your very own Florence Nightingale.”
“Ms. Penelope Nightingale,” He replied with a kind smile and she also smiled and nodded in agreement to the name.
“Uhn-huh … Oh, and I put snacks and some bottled water in your mini fridge in case you get hungry before lunch,” She continued as she pointed to said fridge. Luke had initially frowned in confusion at the words but then his eyes widened in glee when he noticed the mini fridge that sat on the floor right on the side of his desk, and it was easily accessible.
“Thank you, Penelope, you didn’t have to do that,” Luke said gratefully as he reached over and opened the fridge. His smile grew when he saw that it was stocked with all of his favorite snacks. He quickly grabbed the pack of Twizzlers and began opening them.
“Oh, it was nothing, and you are most welcome,” She replied with an accomplished smile happy to see he was so happy but then she shot a stern look to her other friends. “And those snacks are exclusively for Luke. And I don’t want to catch anyone with their grubby little paws in that fridge,” She squinted a little as she looked directly at Tara. “And I am talking to you, Tara,” Tara lifted her hands in surrender and quickly removed the thought she had about sneaking things from the fridge.
“I promise I won’t touch, Luke’s snacks,” Tara declared and then sneered at Luke when she noticed him gloating and laughing at her behind Penelope’s back, while he munched on his Twizzlers and sipped on the bottle of Gatorade he had also gotten from his fridge. JJ just sat giggling at her friends. JJ had experienced some of Penelope’s coddling once she had returned to the BAU. But her injuries had only been very superficial abrasions. Luke had taken the brunt of the explosion and had to stay in the hospital a couple of days for observation, with Penelope glued to his side virtually the entire time. This experience had definitely changed Penelope and she had promised a very surprised Luke in front of everyone that she would never say anything nasty to him again. He had chuckled and told her that wasn’t really necessary. The truth was he enjoyed her abrasiveness with him for the most part. But he hurriedly relented to her when he saw the scary look on her face that told him not to argue with her. “Are you comfortable, do you need a pillow for your back? Your chair looks so uncomfortable.”
“No, I don’t need a pillow, Penelope,” Luke said with a chuckle. “I’m fine really.”
“And we’re all glad to see it, Agent Alvez,” It was Deputy Director Bailey who spoke this as he entered the bullpen along with a very somber looking Prentiss and Rossi, having just finished a meeting with them in Prentiss’s office. “I was just discussing with Prentiss and Rossi about how we would pay for the equipment that you were wearing that was damaged. I suggested that docking your pay in small increments until it’s fully reimbursed would be the most efficient way to do it,” He concluded.
“Wait, what?” Luke was the one to replied disbelievingly while his stunned and confused looked matched that of Tara’s and JJ’s, but Penelope’s face held outrage.
“And as I explained to Deputy Director Bailey, no agent has ever been expected to pay for equipment damaged during the line of duty. Department funding has always covered those kinds of expenses,” Prentiss stated.
“Yes, but as I also explained to Prentiss, that’s because budgeting was there to cover it before. Unfortunately, for the BAU, funds have been cut significantly in the last couple of years. The little budget there is here is barely keeping the doors open. I’m sorry but the options are Agent Alvez helps to pay for the new camera or, we will likely have to reassign him as we had to with Dr. Reid and Agent Simmons.”
“Oh, I have another option for you,” Garcia spoke out as she stared stone faced at the Deputy Director and everyone looked at her in surprised, eager to hear what the idea might be that could resolve this issue. “You have five seconds to apologize to Luke and find the funds to replace the equipment elsewhere, or I will stick my size eight-and-a-half-inch heel up your ass?” Luke’s eyes enlarged from shock, his mouth fell open and as he now looked at Garcia, he knew without a shadow of a doubt he was in love with her. JJ, and Tara both had identical reactions with smirky smiles and an ‘Oh snap’ look on their faces. While Prentiss and Rossi both had very proud and pleased looks on both of their faces. And none of them said a thing, except Bailey.
“Ex-excuse me, what did you say to me Ms. Garcia?” He stammered out indignant.
“I’m sorry, Sir, I didn’t know you had a hearing problem,” Garcia spat out at him venomously while she rolled her neck. “I said if you don’t apologize to Agent Alvez in the next five seconds, and find the funding somewhere else, I will stick my foot so far up your ass. And while you’re in the hospital recovering your life as you know it will experience some serious and very unfortunate events. For example, that perfect 820 credit score you have will go bye-bye,” She proclaimed as she nodded and poked out her bottom lip at him. Bailey stood staring at her in complete shock and gulped as he seemed to lose some color in his face. “And your career here at the FBI will be over after Director Wray gets a report about 1.3 million dollars of funding that was siphoned from several FBI departments and deposited into a Swiss bank account under your wife’s maiden name. But, wait, she doesn’t work for the FBI, does she? And only the highest-ranking directors have access to those funds, right, Emily?” She tossed a baffled guise at Prentiss, who tried not to laugh as she replied.
“That’s correct, only Director Wray and his second in command Deputy Director Bailey would have that kind of access.”
“Well, golly, I wonder how Mrs. Bailey could have gotten access to those funds then.”
“There are no such missing funds or any Swiss bank accounts under my wife’s maiden name, Ms. Garcia, and you know it,” Bailey rambled out in an agitated manner, clearly terrified by what she was threatening.
“No, there isn’t,” Garcia agreed. “But there could be in less than 60 seconds, if a boss bitch hacker who has some major skills wanted there to be,” She then held her hands out and flexed her fingers and the sound of knuckles popping filled the space. “And now you have three seconds,” She said and Bailey’s mouth fell open as he shot pleading eyes over to Prentiss who only shrugged her shoulders at him. “Two seconds,” Garcia went on counting as she pulled her phone from the pocket of the floral-patterned dress she wore, and started typing. Bailey’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head because he knew well what Garcia was capable of, as he had study the files of each team member past and present who had been in the BAU as soon as he was appointed as the Deputy Director of the FBI.
“I apologize!” Bailey quickly squeaked out in a high panicked tone. “Agent Alvez, I am certain I can find the funding to cover the damaged equipment elsewhere.”
“That’s great news, thank you, Sir,” Prentiss chimed in. “And maybe you could also find the funds to cover the budget cuts we’ve had in our department for the past two years, and get us back at full running capacity? Maybe even bring back Reid and Simmons to the team?” Garcia paused her typing and tilted her head to regard the small weaselly man awaiting his reply. Bailey swallowed nervously as he kept looking between Garcia’s poker face and the phone she held.
“I’m sure, that can also be arranged,” Bailey replied and JJ, Tara, and Luke’s faces all lit up with joy to the thought that the team would be getting back together. “It can take a couple of months to free Dr. Reid and Agent Simmons from their current posts.”
“I completely understand, Sir,” Prentiss spoke out as she saw that Garcia was about to say something more, and she didn’t want to rock the boat any further. Garcia got the hint and clamped her mouth closed. “Thank you, Sir.”
“Yes, thank you, Sir,” Garcia repeated and Bailey gave a nod and then turned and stalked out.
“I cannot believe you just did that,” Prentiss laughed out as she stepped to Penelope and hugged her.
“I can,” Rossi said as Prentiss released Penelope and stepped back. Then he himself moved to Penelope and kissed both of her cheeks and released her. “I just can’t believe it took you this long.”
“Well, he made me really, really mad threatening Luke like that after he was nearly killed, and in the line of duty. What an absolute ass!” She hissed out as she frowned up a little and then looked over at Luke, who sat staring at her in complete awe and gratitude. “Are you okay?” She directed to him as her face morphed to a look of concern.
“Yeah, but he did give me a little shock to the system for a moment there,” Luke admitted truthfully.
“Oh, you poor baby,” Penelope cooed out as she stepped closer to him and leaned down and enveloped him into a hug, that he swiftly and greedily reciprocated. He reluctantly let go when she started to pull from their hug. “I’m going to go make you some of my Ghirardelli double hot chocolate, that always makes me feel better. I’ll be right back,” She patted his shoulder and then walked out.
“You poor baby,” Tara mocked as she stood from her desk and walked around to lean on the side of Luke’s desk nearest the mini fridge. “You’re going to milk this for all it’s worth, aren’t you?” She asked as she folded her arms across her chest and smirked down at him.
“No, ma’am,” Luke protested as a huge smile crossed his lips. “I won’t be milking anything, but I will happily accept any kind words or gestures that Penelope chooses to give to me.”
“Well, I bet you won’t even make it to lunch before all of her attentiveness starts to get on your nerves,” Tara countered.
“Yeah, I’ll take that bet, but I think he’ll last until the end of the day,” JJ replied teasingly with a chuckle and Luke also chuckled while he shook his head.
“I’ll give him two days max, before he accepts the time off offered to him when he was released from the hospital, just to have the work hours away from Penelope’s coddling,” Prentiss added to the conversation. “You want in on this too, Dave?” She said as they all looked to Rossi.
“No, thank you, I never bet on a losing hand,” Rossi stated and they all frowned up at him in confusion. “We’ve all watched for years as he’s taken some harsh blows from our sweet Penelope and he did so with a smile on his face … And on occasion he even provoked her just to receive a tongue lashing from her,” He continued as he cast a knowing smile at Luke who in turn simply smiled back. “I think he’d enjoy ‘any’ attention she gave him, and he’d absolutely never tire of her,” Rossi then moved back to the stairs and headed up to his office. The others begrudgingly had to agree as they thought about it some more.
“Dave’s right, I take back my bet,” Prentiss spoke again. “You’re too in love with Penelope to ever be bothered by anything she might say or do,” She, JJ, and Tara all smiled knowingly at Luke and he didn’t confirm or deny her words, instead he just took another bite into the Twizzlers candy he held. Prentiss smiled, shook her head a little, and then made her way back to her office. The truth was that when Luke had survived the explosion, he had promised God he would stop wasting his life on being afraid to live his life to the fullest. And he would try to find love with someone and be happy for however long it may last. He had already found love, he just had to tell her how he felt. So, he planned to tell Penelope that he loved her, but he wanted to wait until after he was healed, because he did not want her to brush it off as him simply mistaking love for gratitude.
“I guess there’s no bet,” Tara said as she lifted from the side of Luke’s desk and moved back to her own, and plopped down into her seat. “Because when it comes to Penelope Garcia, you, Luke Alvez, are such a simp,” She teased Luke with a big toothy smile while JJ giggled along. Luke chuckled at her and then reached over, opened his mini fridge, and pulled out a pack of Oreos and made sure she saw them because they all knew they were also Tara’s favorite cookies. Tara’s eyes enlarged and her mouth dropped open.
“Are those double stuffed or mega stuffed?” Tara questioned longingly as her eyes locked onto his hand which pulled a cookie from the package and moved it to his mouth. Luke made a show as he bit into the cookie, closed his eyes, then looked blissfully happy to be eating the Oreo cookie.
“I don’t know, but they sure are delicious and they’re all mine,” Luke taunted as he popped the rest of the cookie into his mouth.
“C’mon Luke, let me have just one,” Tara begged.
“I can’t. I mean I would but then I’d have to tell Penelope,” He joked and none of them had noticed Penelope had returned with a piping hot mug of cocoa in hand.
“Tell me what?” She questioned as she placed the mug onto Luke’s desk. Tara looked at Luke with threatening eyes that clearly told him that snitches get stitches and so he decided it would be better to deflect.
“Oh, uhm, that I need to go to the bathroom,” Luke said this as he slowly began to stand from his chair. Garcia quickly moved beside him and dipped under his arm and gave him her full support.
“Well, okay, I can get you to the bathroom,” She stated nervously. She hadn’t actually considered what she would do if he needed to go to the little boy’s room. “And I can wait outside the bathroom for you … or … if you needed my help, I could go in with you and …”
“No!” Luke quickly interjected and objected to that idea, though not because he thought it to be an unpleasant one. He just didn’t want to embarrass her or make her feel uncomfortable. “If you could just help me to the bathroom, I think I can manage while you waited outside,” He ended with a smile and she gave him a smile and a nod in return. He then tightened his arms a little around her shoulders as they headed to the doors.
“Such a simp,” Tara repeated her earlier statement as she and JJ watched their friends walking away. JJ had to nod in agreement and then she turned to face Tara.
“I bet you fifty bucks, that he’ll finally confess his love to her by next week.”
“Bet!” Tara happily agreed.