"Hey, Baby Girl, what you thinking about?" questioned Derek. He had noticed Penelope Garcia sitting at the table in the break area just staring off into space. When she didn't respond immediately, he pulled out a chair and sat beside her. "Baby Girl?" he said sweetly. She suddenly realized he was sitting and there and it startled her. "What? What are you doing here? You about gave me a heart attack!" She playfully punched him on the arm.
"Whoa! Just calm down there, sweetness. I saw you sitting here and thought I would join you for lunch."
"Oh, okay." She responded still in a dreamy kind of state. I hope he doesn't ask any questions. I have never been able to lie to him.
"What were you thinking about so hard?"
"Oh, nothing," she nervously said as she smiled shyly. She couldn't help it. He was just as charming as ever. "Come on, I know you better than that." Derek replied. "Trying to figure out how to hack into the CIA's computer system again?"
"No," she said in a shocked voice that was more playful than anything.
"Then what had my sweetheart in such a trance?" "Well, if you must know it was a special person."
"Let me guess. Tall, dark and handsome." Derek said as he stood and twirled around.
"Nice guess. Very fine in fact, but not quite right."
"She is tall, and has beautiful dark brown eyes and quite lovely."
"Do I know this woman who has captured your heart?"
"As a matter of fact, you do. Remember that case in Las Vegas about three months ago? One of the crime scene investigators and I struck up a conversation and that has evolved into an online friendship."
"Oh, yeah, I remember. Her name was Caroline?"
"No, there was Catherine, but she is not the one I mean. She seemed so uptight. The person I am referring to is Sara. I just think that is the sweetest name."
"Ahh, yes, but if I remember correctly, she was with someone wasn't she?"
"Yes, but it didn't seem like she was too happy with them."
"So, what are you going to do?"
"That is what I was in such deep thought about before I was interrupted."
Flashback to three months before in Las Vegas"This is Penelope Garcia. She is our computer genius."
"We could certainly use the help. Someone is contacting our victims through website dating services. I would like you to meet Sara Sidle. She is in charge of this case." Catherine replied. "She can show Ms. Garcia where to set up." Sara extended her hand in a greeting and Penelope took it and shook it. She immediately noticed the softness and strength in Sara's hands. They made eye contact and Garcia felt sparks right then.
Once Sara had gotten Penelope set up, she went to work. In the end, Penelope had tracked down the unsub. She had lured him into meeting her. Before the 'date', she and Sara were alone. When everything was set up, they just sat looking at each other nervously. "So, Sara, what do you like to do for fun?" Penelope asked as she tried to break the ice.
"Funny you should ask!" Sara responded as she smiled one of her 'Sara smiles'. "My friends use to say that I would just go home and listen to the police scanners and read forensic textbooks."
"And now?"
"Now, I actually do have a life outside of work. I am with someone, but it is not easy in our line of work."
"Our line of work? He is a CSI also?" Penelope Garcia wanted to know more about who this someone was.
"Yes, she is a CSI as well." Penelope caught the change in pronouns. She is involved with a woman. "But to answer your question, I like to play video games actually. I also have taken up writing as well."
"Writing? That sounds interesting!"
"Nothing much, just something called fan fiction." Sara replied, feeling somewhat shocked that she felt so comfortable with this person. She got the sense that Garcia was a good person who could be trusted.
"Do you have a particular genre?"
"Yes, I write stories about Star Wars."
Garcia looked around, still nervous about being the unsub's next possible victim. "That's cool. Oh my, I think that is him! He said he would show up in a red sports car and be wearing a blue suit."
Sara reached for Penelope's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Now, remember what we talked about."
Garcia nodded and confidently walked toward the man who called himself 'Mr. Angel Eyes" online.
"And you must be, Beauty Belle." He said as he took her hand and kissed her on the cheek. She almost bolted because she had seen the pictures of what he had done to the victims. All throughout the meal, Garcia wondered when the team would come to her aid. When the dessert had been eaten, Charles (a.k.a. Mr. Angel Eyes) suggested that they go back to his place. Garcia was trying not to show her fear when she heard a soothing female voice in her ear. "We're not going to let anything happen to you, Penelope."
As Charles led her out of the restaurant, she did not fail to notice the black Explorers waiting to follow them. Charles opened the door and she got in. As the door closed, she heard Derek's voice in her hear, "We're right behind you, Baby Girl. You're safe."
The car pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the strip. They were coming closer to the edge of town. "Wow, I thought you said you lived in Las Vegas." She had a momentary bit of panic when she realized the SUVs were nowhere to be seen. "I do. I have an apartment in the city, just makes it easier. But, I am taking you to my house. I like the peace and quiet that you can only get in the desert, not in the middle of the city.""Yes, cities can be noisy places." Her tension only mounted when they pulled off the main road. Where is Derek? Where are the LVPD people?!
Once they were out of the car, Charles led Garcia into the house and had her sit down in the living room which was quite welcoming. She noticed the rug on the floor was a bit uneven. Penelope gasped when she realized what the significance of it meant. Just at that moment, Charles came back with a cup of tea. "Here is some tea for you. I picked it up on a trip to London. It is what the Queen drinks, I have been told. I remember that you mentioned you loved all things concerning the royal family."
"Umm, you know what, Charles? I think I am going to pass on it. I just realized the time. I am beginning to have second thoughts about this." At that point, he stood and picked up the tea cup, throwing it against the wall, shattering it into numerous tiny bits.
"You are not going to waste my time like that!" He lunged at Penelope and she ran. He fell in the floor and that only made him angrier. He reached for a gun that seem to appear from nowhere. Charles stood and hit Penelope on the temple, causing her to collapse into unconsciousness.
When Penelope came to, Sara was beside her in the ambulance. "How you feeling? You got a pretty good bump on the head."
"I'm… I'm okay." Penelope said as she sat up on the stretcher. "Just let me out of here."
"You should go get that knot checked out." Sara said, sounding very concerned.
Just then, Derek came up. "How you feeling, Baby Girl?" A sharp pain went through Penelope's head. "Your Mistress of Merriment is okay. I just want to get out of here."
"Let them to take you to the hospital and get checked out there. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you. You know that, right?"
"Okay, I'll go." Penelope responded.
"That's my girl. Where are y'all going?"
"Desert Palms hospital."
As the doors closed, Penelope laid down once again and closed her eyes. She felt a hand holding hers and thought she must be dreaming. She opened her eyes and saw that Sara was holding it. "We're almost there."
After being checked out thoroughly at the hospital, everyone said their good-byes and went their own ways.