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“Please don’t look at me like that. I already apologized.”
Penelope doesn’t glance up from preparing the tea she had promised her team as she speaks nor does she stop when she fall underneath the scrutinizing stare Luke was currently burning into her neck.
“I didn’t say anything.” He defends.
A dry laugh escapes her. “You don’t have too. I can feel it.”
Luke sighs. “We’re just confused. Spencer, especially.”
That makes her stop. “He is?”
Taking that as his cue, Luke pushes off the wall with one foot and advances into the room coming up beside her to help prepare the treats she had mentioned a few minutes ago. “Penelope, you’re one of his best friends. It’s safe to say he’s taking it a little hard.” A beat. “We all are.”
“I know it was a bad idea,” Penelope admits. “But I just...” she drifts off slowly, her words hanging heavily in the air yet it takes Luke a second to register the quiet sniffles coming from his left. “Hey,” abandoning the task at hand, he lays one hand over hers, his attention now solely hers. “Talk to me.”
"I’m scared.”
“You think we’re not?” He counters. “Did you hear what JJ said last night? You, Penelope Garcia, are the clue that holds us together. We’re all a little scared of what this looks like without you.”
She sucks in a breath. Having not yet dared to meet his gaze, she instead focuses on their hands and how his touch makes her feel. Smiling, she intertwines their fingers and finally, glances up. “I don’t know if I’m ready.” she says softly.
“You are, Chica. It’s time.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“But if you wanted to come back, I don’t think Emily would object.”
Penelope snorts, taking the tea pot off the hot element and switching it off. “She offered to triple my pay last night if I stayed.”
Luke opens and closes his mouth. “And you said no?”
---
“And she still said no?”
Emily puts her hands up. “I tried. I really, really tried.”
“What if I gave her my oldest bottle of scotch, do you think she’ll stay then?”
A gasp from the door attracts everyones attention. “You’re oldest bottle?” Penelope places a hand over her heart while placing all that was in her hands on the table. “Sir, you do love me.”
Rossi hums under his breath.
“I do not want you to fret, this week, either my fearless leaders because,” she pauses as Luke who has quietly entered the room pulls out the chair next to JJ and motions for her to sit before taking the seat beside Spencer. “Thanks, Newbie. Because I have called Monty and until I can find the perfect candidate to take care of you, he will be helping out.”
“I’m sorry, is your new job in HR?” Tara smirks.
“What, you think I’m going to let just anyone move into my lair? No.” She risks a glance at Spencer who has not yet looked at her and nudges his shoulder with hers pushing one of the pink boxes closer to him. “I got your favourite.”
Spencer's face lights up immediately.
--
He purposely waits until everyone has filtered out of the room and they’re the last remaining; knowing he has all of fifteen seconds before the elevator dings, as soon as he hears Spencer’s foot hit the other side of the threshold, he reaches for Penelope’s wrist, tugs and places a steady hand on the small of her back when she stumbles in surprise. “What are you -”
“Shh.” Luke whispers. “We only have ten seconds and you don’t work here anymore so I can do this -” His words die in his throat as he leans in and covers her mouth with his own. A silent countdown begins as they kiss slowly. It’s soft, a hint of what’s to come and a promise of something more.
“Alvez!”
They spring apart like teenagers being caught making out by their parents and considering Rossi’s tone, they may as well have. “Time to fight crime.”
She follows him to the elevator and waves them all goodbye. Change is good, she reminds herself.
But damn, she really hates it.