Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

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'So Princess, you ready for your surprise?'

'You betcha handsome.'

'Come on then.' He took her hand and led her to the SUV parked outside. Once inside he couldn't help but smile. 'Do you know, I never thought I would be happy to go home to a woman waiting for me as much as I do?'

'Really? So I have that effect on you do I?'

'Most definitely baby girl!'

'Well I must admit two things, I love living with you and I most definitely love waking up to you in the morning.'

'Mm, mutual feeling there then.' He listened to her laugh and fell in love even more. He turned a corner and before he could react their car was hit head on.

Opening his eyes several minutes later, he shook his head and felt blood then he realised someone had been driving on the wrong side of the road and had hit them, then he realised the car was caved in and they were mounted on the pavement. He looked at Penelope whose head was slumped forward; he knew immediately that she was unconscious, which meant she had to be hurt as well.

'Pen, baby girl, you need to wake up. Come on open those eyes.' Nothing. He started to worry. 'Penelope please, I beg of you, please.' He twisted round and realised his legs were trapped under the steering wheel; after assessing that part he turned to assess Penelope. The whole front of the car was caved in and she too was trapped, he saw blood on her leg. He reached across and put her head back against the back of the seat, he then felt the blood on his hand and realised she had a head injury as well. 'Pen, please, gorgeous wake up.' Still no response came, he remembered his phone was in his pocket, he was about to ring for an ambulance when not only did he hear sirens but his phone rang.

'Yeah?' He said rushed.

'Morgan is everything okay? You sound really panicked.'

'Hotch me and Pen have been in a car accident, we're trapped I was about to ring for help when you rang.'

'Where are you? I'm going to come to you.'

Morgan told him the place just as the ambulances turned up. He put the phone down and focused on Penelope. 'Come on gorgeous just a little movement to show me you're okay.' He then heard her groan slightly. 'Pen, come on look at me, no time for sleeping.'

'Derek, what's happening?' She looked at him completely confused. The side of her face cut from the glass, and bleeding from a cut that ran along her head.

'We were in an accident, helps here so don't worry.'

'Derek?'

'Yeah baby girl.'

'I... I can't feel my legs.' She looked at him scared. 'Why can't I feel my legs?'

'Baby, your legs are trapped, sweetness you're fine okay. I promise you we are going to be fine.'

'We have two conscious causalities over here!' Yelled an EMT as he ran towards the SUV. 'Right we are going to get you out soon, can you tell me your full names please?' She asked as she assesses the inside of the car to see the visible injuries

'I'm Derek Morgan.' He didn't answer for Penelope, she had to do it and he knew it.

'Penelope Garcia.'

'Okay, I'll be right back and we will start to get you out.'

Once he had gone Penelope turned to face Derek, she was beginning to look unnaturally pale. 'Derek, I'm so cold.'

'I know you are baby girl, you just hang in there, we'll be out soon.' He watched her getting weaker; he looked at her legs and saw the blood again. He knew she was going to pass out soon if she didn't get help soon.

'Derek!' Hotch yelled, showing his badge when he reached tape, finally being allowed through he ran to car. 'They're going to get you out of here soon.' He looked at Penelope and then ran round to the other side of the car to be with her and take Derek's hand off her neck so he could do it. 'Hey, you better not be thinking of falling asleep on us here, missy.'

She smiled a weak smile. 'I'm trying not to promise.'

'Good girl.' Just as he finished it, he noticed her eyes closing slowing. 'Hey hey hey, open those eyes!'

'Yeah baby girl, it's no time to sleep.'

'Sorry, I'm just so tired.'

'We know you are. How about you promise to stay awake and I'll tell you what I had planned. Does that sound like a deal?'

'Go on then Handsome, I'm all yours.' She felt Derek take her hand.

'Well, we were going to have meal at this restaurant that Emily had recommended. After that we were going to go to the beach, where we would sit under the stars and then I was going to ask you something.'

'It sounds wonderful, trust some loony to ruin it all, don't we get enough loonies at work?' Derek and Hotch both laughed.

'Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.' The EMT from earlier said as he put a hand on Hotch's shoulder.

'No, I'm their boss and more importantly a friend.'

'Sir, you are not authorized to stay here.'

'Hang on.' He pulled his badge out and handed it her. 'These two here are two of my agents.

'Okay, you can stay, how about you get into the back and hold Ms Garcia's head still, she has a major head injury so we cannot risk any possible movement or injury to her neck that we do not know about, I'm going to grab my bag and start an IV. Mr Morgan someone will be over to attend you.'

'It doesn't matter, please, sort Penelope out first.'

'Handsome, you need help too.'

'Yeah but I want you to be safe.'

Hotch having got in the back held Penelope's head as still as possible and kept the conversation between them going so she wouldn't succumb to the sleep that her body was craving. The EMT's had started their job, Derek was clear of any other injury apart from his legs, that didn't seem to be bleeding but one was definitely severely broken. He had been given an IV and pain meds for his leg. Penelope, however, had oxygen, an IV and blood, the EMT's had kept Hotch close even once a collar was placed around her neck, they needed her to stay awake and calm and so far having a friend near was working for them.

'Right okay we are going to start cutting you two out, we'll place a cover over you but Agent Hotchner, I think this would be a good time to start an in depth conversation, try to take their mind off this.' He looked at Penelope and continued to connect her up to a heart monitor, there was the fear that once the pressure was removed from her legs then the blood would run to quickly from that part of the rest of body and over power her heart. 'Right okay we are going to cut the doors out first so we can get to you both easier.'

Derek reached out and took Penelope's hand in his. He was not going to lose her, not today. She weakly tightened her grip and Hotch started a new conversation as the fire department began to cut the pair out. Throughout the whole time, they laughed and joked and Garcia chucked in her odd comment but Derek could feel her grip loosening. The cover over them was removed after about 30 minutes and they realised the roof had been removed.

'Well done, Ms Garcia's heart monitor didn't jump at all, if anything it started to go back to normal, she seems to be stabilising.'

'That's a good thing isn't it?' Derek asked hopeful.

'Extremely.' The EMT said with a smile. She knelt down to find the bleed. Whilst the fire department worked on getting Derek out before continuing on anything with Garcia. When the steering wheel was removed, Derek's hand was removed from Penelope's.

'I can't leave her!' Derek exclaimed, panicking about her.

'Derek, I'm going to stay with her the whole time. Until we can get her back to you.' Hotch jumped in before Garcia started to get worried.

He reluctantly nodded as he was pulled from the wreckage and put on a stretcher and placed in the back of an ambulance.

'Hotch?' Garcia whispered with the oxygen mask still on.

'Yeah Garcia.'

'Promise not to leave me; I don't want to be alone.'

'I'm not going anywhere, here take my hand.' He used his other hand to pull his phone out. 'Emily, get to the hospital... I can't explain here but ask for Morgan and wait with him please... yeah tell the others... okay bye.' He placed the phone back in his pocket. 'So Garcia, your stubbornness is working in your advantage, you haven't fallen asleep.'

She raised her free hand and removed the oxygen mask. 'It has its good days, but if I had it my way I would sleep but you see I have my boss continually talking to me.' She laughed a bit. 'Is Derek going to be okay?'

'He's going to be fine, just like you are.' He shuffled a little forward so she could see him. 'There is no way we are getting rid of my best tech. You hear, no way.'

'Thanks but I don't think compliments are going to work here how somehow.'

'Well it's always good to have a try.'

'Hotch; can you do something for me?'

'Depends what it is.'

'Can you tell Derek that I love him, that he is the best thing to come into my life. He made me get up in the morning, made me love life again.'

'You will be telling him this Penelope, not me.'

'Just in case, please tell him.' She breathed in deeply. 'I just need him to know that he is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. I truly fell for him that day we met.'

'Garcia, listen to me, you can tell him all of this.' Hotch squeezed her hand tightly. 'Pen, you are going to live and see Derek again and when you do you are going to repeat all this to him.'

'I don't think that's an option.'

'Garcia stop this! I don't want to hear you talk like that.'

'I'm sorry. I'm just afraid.'

'Right Agent Hotchner, I must ask you to leave the car, we are ready to get Ms Garcia out.' They waited for him to be clear of the car before cutting the rest of the car, just as they removed the pieces that were trapping her, the heart monitor flat lined.