I was watching my Season 3 of Criminal minds, and I got inspired to write a fanfic that shows Penelope Garcia's life before the BAU... please read, REVIEW and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Criminal Minds... CBS does.

(The episode that inspired me was Season 3 episode 19 Tabula Rasa)

Oh, and Garcia's thoughts are in italics.

-warehouseluver13

April 20, 2004…

I woke up to my alarm clock annoyingly buzzing at 7 am just like I usually do. I sat up and yawned. I did my daily morning stretch, making sure all my bones and muscles unlocked themselves from the result of yesterday's activities. I snatched my iPod from its place on the floor and walked towards my small bathroom to freshen up for the day. 25 minutes later, I finished straightening my hair and applying my makeup. I was about to make my morning cup of Joe, when I heard a knock on my door.

"Coming!" I yelled.

As I made my way to the door, the mysterious, impatient person knocked once again.

"Yes?" I asked, as I opened the door.

There were two middle-aged men standing in the doorway. They both wore black suits with matching black sunglasses. Great. The last thing I need are the men in black. (aka, FBI agents)

"Ms. Penelope Garcia, I'm SSA Jackson Winchester, and this is my partner SSA Matthew Summers," said the man as he and his partner flashed their badges," we need you to come with us,"

I hesitated, wondering what the FBI would want with a small town hacker myself.

"Am I being arrested?" I inquired.

"No," SSA Winchester replied.

"Then why should I come with you?"

"Ma'am, we've been instructed to bring you back to the Quantico field office, no matter the cost. I would prefer not to arrest you for cyber terrorism if I don't have to," the SSA countered.

I absentmindedly shivered and let out a sigh of defeat. If the FBI arrested me, I'm pretty sure the CIA would swoop in, only to force the FBI to release me into their custody, and I would spend the rest of my days being a CIA asset or imprisoned a jail cell God-only- knows-where. The choice to willingly go with the FBI instantly became clear.

"Can I at least grab a cup of coffee before we leave?"

The agents nodded in agreement.

SSA Winchester pulled the federal black SUV up in front of the Quantico field office, and SSA Summers exited the vehicle, only to open my door. He said that he was to escort me into the building while his partner parked the car. I got out of the SUV, and followed SSA Summers into the FBI field office.

After receiving a visitor's pass, we took the elevator to the top floor of the building, and I could only guess that the Section Chief of the FBI Quantico field office wanted to talk to me.

This better not be about the power outage that caused the whole state of Virginia to not have power for a month. That was just an accident on my part- and playing with the power grid wasn't even a challenge. I wasn't looking to intentionally hurt anyone. I thought as the FBI agent escorted me to a pair of double doors at the end of the hallway.

The FBI agent opened one of the doors, and silently gestured me to walk through first. I gave a small nod to the agent, and stepped into the office, which had a breathtaking view of the city below.

"Ma'am, I have brought Ms. Penelope Garcia here as you have ordered," said SSA Summers.

"Thank you special agent Summers. Please wait outside my office until I finish talking with Ms. Garcia here," said the FBI Section Chief, spinning her fancy leather chair around to face us.

"Yes ma'am,"

And with that, I was left alone in the room with the Section Chief, who looked to be in her late forties.

"I apologize for any inconveniences, Ms. Garcia. I'm Section Chief Erin Strauss. Please, sit. There is much to talk about," said the cryptic woman.

Eying the woman who looked old enough to be my mother, I slowly sat in one of the two chairs in front of her desk.

The section chief cleared her throat before she pulled out a personnel file, and read it aloud. "Penelope Holly Garcia, only child, born to parents Walter and Sally Garcia in July of 1972 at San Francisco Memorial Hospital. You lost your parents in a car accident at the age of 18. After their passing, you dropped out of Caltech and went underground. However, you continued to teach yourself computer coding. Two years ago, you moved to your current apartment in Quantico... It is remarkable how fast you made a reputation in the world of hacking, Ms. Garcia. Which is why you are here today. I would like to offer you a job as a technical analysist here at the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit,"

"Do I have a choice?" I asked.

The section chief raised an eyebrow at me, suggesting that I give her a different answer.

"I mean... thank you for the job offer, ma'am. Do I need to apply for it?" I revised my answer.

The section chief laughed. "If you drop off your resume later this afternoon, I can pull some strings on my end, and you can start tomorrow,"

I widened my eyes, which were filled to the brim in surprise. "Thank you ma'am!"

The section chief laughed once again. "After all, you are the best in your field, aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am! My resume will be on your desk by time you get back from your meeting with the President," I said.

"Ms. Garcia, I'm only the section chief for the Quantico field office. I'm not the one who meets with the President,"

I nervously laughed, as I stood up to make my way to the door. "I knew that. Thanks again for this job opportunity,"

"It's more like a get out of..." I heard Section Chief Strauss mutter, before she caught herself, "Have a good day, Ms. Garcia! I am expecting to see that resume really soon!"

"I know ma'am. Thank you ma'am," I replied graciously, before closing her office door.

I looked to my right, and noticed my escort patiently waiting on a small couch conveniently placed next to the office doors.

I smiled in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

"I take it that you do this a lot?" I asked.

"You have no idea," SSA Summers remarked.

As soon as the nice federal agents dropped me off in front of my apartment building, I raced up the nearby staircase to head back to my apartment. Outside of my apartment door, I fumbled for the keys. It took me a few minutes to jam the right key into the lock. I raced over to my worn out couch and grabbed my laptop from its resting place to print out my resume. With a few clicks, I quickly brought up my resume on the screen. Wasting no time, I hit the print button in the upper left hand corner of the document. I snagged my resume off the printer, which I printed on pink paper, (one of my favorite colors) I grabbed my car keys, and hastily locked my apartment door. I plan to drop my resume off immediately at the Quantico FBI field office, but city traffic can be unpredictable.

After being miserably stuck in traffic for over an hour, I managed to pull into parking lot of the FBI field office, and luckily found a decent spot in the parking garage. I stopped on the main floor once again to get a visitor's pass to see the section chief. I pressed the up button on the elevator panel, and patiently waited for the elevator to land on my floor. I was about to get in the empty elevator, when a voice called out.

"Hey! You there! Can you hold the elevator?"

I turned around to see who exactly was asking, and I saw an African American man in his early thirties, trying to weave a path to the elevator. Like all of the federal agents in this building, he was wearing a standard issue black business suit with a tie roped around his neck. Also, the reason why I probably held the elevator is that I couldn't stop staring at him. It was like he was sculpted from clay, and my eyes couldn't seem to process the fact that he was a real human being.

"Thanks," he said.

The young FBI agent was about to enter the elevator when he paused and turned around to look at me. He raised an eyebrow, and a smirk crept onto his face. "After you," he insisted.

I blinked twice, snapping back into reality, and I noticed that the young agent was still standing there, now holding the elevator for me. I felt my face burning as I blushed with embarrassment. With a small polite nod, I stepped into the elevator, and the young FBI agent followed me in. He pressed the button for floor six, while I pressed the button for floor twelve.

"Floor twelve huh? Are you going to see Strauss?" He asked.

"Yup," I managed to reply.

"Uh-huh. I take it you are applying for the technical analyst position available in the BAU?"

"That's the job," I said.

The elevator dings, as it finally settles on his floor.

"My name is Derek Morgan. I'm a profiler who works out of the Behavioral Analysis Unit, commonly known as BAU for short. What's your name?"

Gosh, I feel like I am in kindergarten, and the cutest boy in the class is asking for my name.

"My name is Penelope Garcia," I replied.

"Penelope Garcia- a beautiful name, for a beautiful lady. Well Garcia, welcome to the FBI and good luck with your job interview. I hope you get the position, so we can get to know each other better," He smiled and winked at me as he got off on his floor. I saw him return to his desk in the bullpen, before the elevator doors automatically closed.

Boy, Derek Morgan knows how to make a girl feel good about herself.

My thoughts were interrupted by the dinging of the elevator, letting me know that I finally arrived on the Section Chief's floor. As the doors opened, I let out a long sigh. As I walked towards Section Chief Strauss' office I became increasingly nervous, but I fought those feelings down. My gut was telling me that my future was here at the FBI, serving as a technical analyst for the BAU. I chose to believe in my gut, not because of Derek Morgan, but because I believe I can make a difference in the world by putting my hacking skills to good use, which may not only have the abilities to saves lives, but to serve justice to those who need it.

Garcia is meeting Derek earlier than usual, but don't worry, I have big plans for the next chapter.

DON'T FORGET TO TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Positive and Constructive reviews are well appreciated!

-warehouseluver13

A/N: Thank you buddyboots & Nimue68 for pointing out a few errors, because without you guys, I wouldn't have spell checked and edited for spelling mishaps.