Title: Faith
By: Slashylassy
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Morgan and Garcia
Rating: completely work-safe
Warnings: MAJOR spoilers for "Lucky" and speculation about "Penelope".

***

When the rest of the team arrived Derek updated them and when they weren't looking he slipped out into the corridor. He couldn't handle being around anyone right now. He wandered down the hall and found himself outside the non-denominational Chapel. Derek hesitated, biting the inside of his cheek as he wrestled with himself and his demons. Until last night he hadn't set foot inside a church for 15 years. He found it ironic that last night, after processing that cannabalistic monster, he had gone to Father Marks church and while he was there, thinking and maybe even trying to pray a little, someone was deliberately taking aim and shooting Penelope.

He actually had his hand on the door when he pulled back. This wasn't something he could do on his own. Pulling his cell phone from his pocket he bypassed speed-dial one (Penelope) for speed-dial two. Exiting the hospital he pushed the two-digit numbers and waiting until a sleepy voice answered on the second ring.

"Momma?"

"Derek?" The voice came across much stronger now. "Baby, are you okay?" Derek let his mother's voice wash over him, the tears he'd been holding back leaked from his eyes. His mother's voice was louder now.

"Derek? Derek!"

"Momma," he whispered. "Momma, it's okay. I'm alright. I just needed to talk to you."

"Baby, you sound far from alright. What is going on?"

"Momma, I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything my baby boy, anything."

"I need you to pray."

Whatever Sarah Morgan had been expecting, it wasn't that.

"Pray! Derek James Morgan, you are NOT alright. Where are you, I'm going to--"

"I'm at the hospital here in DC. I'm fine, Momma. Its--its a friend of mine. She was shot and--" Derek's voice cracked. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Momma, she's in a bad way and --and I guess I never realized how much she meant to me until yesterday."

"Oh, baby. I'm so sorry. Of course we'll pray for her. Tell me about her, honey."

And Derek did. he told her about their ongoing flirt-fest, about how intelligent Penelope was, how witty, and fun-loving. How she drove that boat of a Cadillac convertible circa 1975, he told her about Penelope's quirky pens and quirkier sense of humor. He told her how he looked forward to seeing Penelope everyday and sweet-talking her. He told her how valuable Penelope was to the team and how she'd more than once found the missing puzzle piece that would lead to an arrest.

"I was stupid and blind, Momma. She met this guy and I said the wrong thing and she went out with him just to be contrary. And he shot her, Momma. It's my fault."

"It is no such thing, Derek," his mother's voice was sharp and angry. "No such thing! That man shot her, not you. You are not responsible for his actions."

"Okay, Momma," Derek sighed and rubbed his tear-stained face. He didn't agree with her, but he'd learned from an early age not to contradict his momma.

"Good. Now you get back into that hospital room and you pray and we'll pray, and God willing, Penelope will pull through and you can bring her for Christmas.

"God willing," Derek whispered. "I love you, Momma. Thank you." And Derek Morgan closed his phone and returned to that hallway and this time he didn't hesitate. He pushed opened the chapel door and took a seat and bent his head. It may have been 15 years, but Derek hoped that love and a little bit of faith on his part might do the trick. Maybe this time God would give him the answer he was praying for.

***