A/N: This was written for Melting Pot Fanfiction during Tropes & Fandoms. This story filled my trope, Co-Workers. I decided to branch out into a new fandom and I hope that I did these two co-workers who happen to be my favorites from this show. I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you enjoy reading!
Beta work was done by Grammarly and the only thing I own in this little tale is the plot.
Be sure to let me know what you think!
Love always,
~starr
Penelope Garcia had always been a person of habit. She liked to be surrounded by things that brought her comfort and reminded her that there was still good in the world. She also thrived on knowing that the people she cared about were safe, and in her line of work, that wasn't always something she could guarantee—all the more reason to be surrounded by things that brought her comfort.
Her job wasn't an easy one, and it also wasn't a low-stress job. Being the technological analyst for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI sounded like an ideal job for her. She could sit behind her computer screens and run searches on whatever the team needed or connect them with outside sources that they couldn't get a hold of in the field. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined the things she has seen plastered across her computer screens since her first day.
Regardless of the unimaginable things that were plastered across her screen, Penelope loved the work that she did. Although the more she thought about it, she began to realize that it wasn't just the work she was doing that brought her joy every time she entered the doors of the FBI. The reason that she loved her job was that she loved the members of her team.
As she walked into the building and made her way to the elevator, Penelope took a deep breath to center herself. She knew what awaited her when the elevator reached her floor, and that was why she had something special hidden away in her purse. She reached down and patted the side of the bag as she painted a smile on her face. This would be the perfect addition to her collection, and he would fit right in. She leaned back against the wall in the elevator and waited for it to arrive at her floor.
The team was getting ready to load up on the jet and head into the field to investigate something horrible. Penelope knew that JJ would fill them all in at the round table meeting. She refused to look at the crime scene photos from the local police station until she was hidden away in her lair with all of her screens. At least then, she could put the pictures up on a screen that she would have to turn her head to see.
Penelope's entire body shivered as just the thought of looking at the crime scene photos played through her mind. Once more, she took a deep breath to center herself, and just as her eyes flickered open, the door of the elevator opened to reveal the BAU.
She noticed Reid, Morgan, and Emily hanging out at their desks through the glass door. With a big smile on her face, she made her way into the bullpen towards her friends.
"Good morning, my loves," she announced cheerfully, arriving at Emily's desk and placing her bag down. "How are you all doing?"
"Morning, baby girl," Derek said with a wink as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a soft kiss to the side of her head.
"Hey Garcia," Reid replied, glancing up from the book he was reading momentarily to smile at her before focusing his attention back to his book.
"Morning Garcia," Emily said, looking up from the files on her desk. "Have you looked at the file JJ sent out?"
Penelope shook her head furiously. "Nope, I was planning to once I got into my office and could set out my new friend." She reached down and patted her purse gently.
"New friend?" Derek asked, raising his brow slightly as he glanced down at Penelope's bag.
Picking up her bag from the desk, Penelope smiled and tucked it in her armpit. "A new edition for my desk. Now, if you'll excuse me."
Leaving her friends with curiosity piqued, Penelope walked down to her office and slowly opened the door. Her heart was heavy as she sat down at her desk and started firing up her systems. As she waited for the computers to load, she reached into her purse and extracted the newest edition for her office.
"Welcome home, Wall-E," she mumbled as she cleared a small space on the desk for him to sit. She decided that it would be best to prop him up against the bottom corner of her main screen. That way, she could see him every single day.
The screen flashed for her password, and she exhaled sharply. "Here goes nothing," Penelope groaned, typing her password into the machine and then opened her email.
Sitting right at the top was the email that she had no desire to open, just like every other time the team got called for a case. She wasn't ready to feel that tightness in her chest that she felt every time they were gone. That feeling didn't go away until they walked back into the BAU, and she could give each of them a hug.
There was a knock at her door that pulled her out of her thoughts. "Come in," she called, staring intently at the text of the email with the crime scene photos.
"Hotch and JJ are ready to brief us. You ready, baby girl?"
Penelope spun around in her chair and smiled. "I'm ready for anything with you, hot stuff."
Derek tossed his head back with a laugh as a smirk pulled at the corners of his lips. "Be careful what you wish for Garcia."
"Don't be such a tease," Penelope teased, pushing herself up from the chair and grabbing her case folders.
Derek glanced her desk out of the corner of his eye and noticed the newest edition to her collection. "Why the heck do you have a stuffed animal on your desk?"
"He's not a stuffed animal," Penelope demanded, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at him. "He's Wall-e, and he keeps me from losing my mind while you are all out in the field."
"Glad to know you've got someone here to keep you safe when I'm busy protecting you out there," Derek said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.
"Well, someone has to," Penelope teased, wrapping an arm around his waist and squeezing tightly.