The Bet Chapter 1

I am going to kill them all.

Garcia thought to herself, as she stomped back to her lair in frustration. Just a few moments earlier she'd noticed most of the team gathered and found it weird since they didn't have a case, and nobody told her about it. So she eavesdropped in and eventually realized, the entire team, minus Luke and herself were placing bets on when she and Luke would officially become a couple or start dating. The nerve!

She couldn't believe that they were betting on her personal life, worse than that her love life. She knew that they often did place bets, and she'd been the brunt of them before, the whole how long can Garcia keep a private conversation private one, and she was still pissed about that one too! It was really not cool.

She needed a plan to get them back and make them pay. But who could she talk to? her entire world pretty much was in on the bet. The only person who wasn't, was Luke but I can't talk to him about this she thought. On the other hand, if he knew about such a bet I would want him to tell me she thought, deciding to talk to Luke and the two of them would come up with a plan to make the team regret this.

"Hey, can I talk to you?" Penelope asked Luke later that afternoon as he was sitting at his desk finishing a report. "Sure" he replied.

"Come back to my office with me" He stood up and he followed her back to her lair. She locked the door behind him.

"Um, what's going on?" he asked, confused as to what could possibly warrant locking the door, which he'd never known her to do, but not exactly complaining about being locked in her office with her.

"Our team sucks, that's what's going on" she said, taking him by surprise. Usually that venom was saved for him alone. "What's going on?"

"So I overheard our entire team, minus you and me, making bets on when we were going to get together" she said indignantly.

"We as in you and me?" he asked, "and what do you mean by together?"

"Yes, you and me, and they were placing bets on the date that we would become a couple or start dating!"

Luke chuckled, amused that this had her that upset. He was not surprised by this, they liked to bet, particularly Rossi, Prentiss and JJ. He was more surprised that they were just doing this now, if he was honest.

"So? why does that make you upset?"

"They are betting money on our personal lives!" she exclaimed, "not to mention the idea of the two of us together is so beyond ridiculous"

"Why is it ridiculous?" he smirked at her, enjoying every minute of this.

"Oh, come on. As if someone like you would ever actually date someone like me"

"Garcia, I don't understand what you mean. To me that isn't such a crazy idea. Not saying it's going to happen, but it's not beyond plausible like you seem to think it is. Nor do I really care if they are making bets on my personal life." he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well I do!"

"Ok, so what do you want to do about it?"

"I want to make them regret making this bet. I want to make them all lose money."

"Hmm, how do you suggest we do that?"

"I don't know, that's why I am talking to you!"

"Well, I don't know how you can make them regret it. Other than to actually start dating me"

"You mean like pretend dating?"

"No, I meant like actual dating"

She looked at him confused. "How would that make them regret the bet! Rossi said that anything before today didn't count, I think JJ claimed today, and Matt tomorrow…" she was thinking out loud trying to remember who had picked what dates.

"Hmm, I have an idea"

"Yes?" she looked at him impatiently

"We could act all couple-y in front of them, kissing, holding hands, going to and from work together, etc. but deny that we were dating, or a couple or involved in any way. That would drive them nuts because they wouldn't be able to figure out who won" he offered

"That's a good idea actually newbie"

"I have them occasionally" he winked at her

"Except for the whole fact that that I'd have to do all that stuff with you" she said, more to herself than to him

"Hey, I'm hurt" he pouted as he looked at her "is the idea of kissing me really that awful?" he moved towards her till he was standing right in front of her, his face only a couple inches away from hers.

"Um, well, no" she sputtered, "but what if you fall in love with me?" she asked jokingly

"I'm willing to risk it"

"OK, let's do it"

"Seriously?" Luke couldn't believe she'd agreed to this ridiculous plan so easily. He only suggested it because he really liked Penelope and it seemed like it might help him break through her ice-queen shell.

"Yes, but we need to come up with a plan." she said, completely serious.

"OK, why don't we start by leaving together today, and tomorrow we'll hold hands somewhere that at least some of the team can see. And then the next day we should let someone catch you sitting on my lap he said, smirking."

This was going to be fun

"Ok, and then?"

"We maybe we start coming and going to work together, or we should organize a night out, somewhere where we can go dancing" he said, noticing how she blushed at the thought of that.

"And then we should have one of those times we get drug back into the office, I'll be wearing one of your shirts" she suggested, he couldn't help but laugh, "good idea"

"but the important thing is that if anybody asks, we both flatly deny there is anything going on. We're just flirty like you and Morgan used to be."

He wasn't sure if that was a bad idea to compare with Morgan, but it seemed like it could help their case.

"Yes, good idea"

"I think that we should go get dinner and come up with a specific plan, do you have time tonight?"

"Actually I'm busy tonight, volunteer stuff, but I could do that tomorrow"

"Ok, that works. We'll still leave together today, so what time do you want to leave?"

"Why don't we leave a little on the early side, so they can notice, you think you can be ready by 4:45pm? You walk into the bullpen with your stuff, and I'll get up and head out then, without saying anything, but it'll be obvious we're leaving together."

"Good, and tomorrow is holding hands?"

"Yes, I'll try to keep an eye out for a good opportunity but I'm sure we can find one" he said, grabbing her hand now, wondering if she could feel the electricity between them like he could.

"Um, ok I better get back to work, see you later Chica"

Oh boy am I in trouble.

Garcia was not sure why she agreed to this plan. I mean she wanted to get her team mates back, but if she was honest with herself she liked the idea getting to touch him, to kiss him, without it having to address her feelings or get rejected because it of course was fake. Plus there was a part of her that was hopeful, that if he's suggesting this plan that he doesn't find dating her to be a completely crazy idea.

At 4:44pm Penelope walked into the bullpen with her stuff, her jacket on, clearly heading home. She paused for a second to look around, noting everyone still at their desks working, JJ was on the phone and she couldn't see if Rossi was in his office, but the light was still on. Then she saw Luke get up, put some files in his backpack, grab his jacket and head over to her. As he reached her, she let him go a step ahead and hold the door open for her, smiling as he did so automatically, and they then waited for the elevators. Which was where she often saw him, at the end of a day, but walking into the bullpen was highly unusual unless she was meeting up with the team for happy hour or something like that.

After they got out of the elevator, Luke started walking next to her, "aren't you going to your car?" she didn't see his car anywhere near hers. "I thought it was only appropriate to walk to you to your car first", he said with a conspiratorial smile. She couldn't help smiling back at him.

This is fun Penelope was looking forward to tomorrow.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow lover boy"

"Hey, I like that label better than newbie" he said shrugging his shoulders.

"Well I can't very well call you newbie if we were dating, can I?"

"I never understood how you could call me new guy when there are two newer team members, so I clearly don't understand your logic" he teased her, saying good bye and heading to his car.

"Look at that!" JJ said, pointing to Luke walking with Penelope to her car, and then going to his. JJ had noticed Penelope come into the bullpen and Luke leave with her, so soon after she went into Prentiss's office which had a window to see if they could see them leaving, as her window looked out over quite a bit of the parking lot.

"I see that" Prentiss said, amused by how invested JJ was in this bet. "But he didn't kiss her, and they aren't leaving in the same car, so I don't know if that really means anything. Luke is a gentleman after all"

"Well, you have a point, but I wasn't saying that confirmed today is the day, just that it seems possible they might already be dating"

"Maybe, I think not quite yet, probably on Friday she said, remembering that was the day she'd picked"

"Yeah, you always win these things, so you are probably right"