A/N: I don't know what's up with all the one shots lately, but hey … Thanks for reading. Also ... set in Season 5, so be aware of spoilers.
As soon as Derek became acting unit Chief Penelope knew something would change in their year long relationship. Not necessarily in a bad way, but not in a good way either. They would just change and adjustments would have to be made for that.
But she knew it was not the kind of opportunity to let pass. Morgan was ambitious, that was one of the things she loved so much about him, but seeing him – or rather not seeing him – coming home for the last couple of weeks was a painful experience for her.
When he finally did make it home from work at night it was hours after she already had gone to bed. When she woke up in the morning he was usually already out of the house and on his way to the office - way before anyone of the team even would thinking of getting up. And then there were the nights when he didn't even make it pulled all nighters, staying in his office and going over files, reports and other things Penelope didn't even want to ask about.
He never used to sleep much before, but now it seemed like he never slept at all anymore. He seemed stressed and tired, worried and also a bit withdrawn. Like the whole world's problems rested on his shoulders alone. Which probably was not too far from the truth. She had seen it with Hotch, how he changed over the years, smiled less every week. She didn't want to see the same happen to Morgan.
Penelope was glad this was only a temporary position, because it meant she would get her flirty, bantering, happy boyfriend back soon. It wasn't as if he wasn't any of those things any longer, just with him moving up the ladder they both decided to cut back on the flirting and the chatty telephone conversations for a while.
It was Friday and she hadn't seen him the whole week, rarely spoke to him either. The team had to leave last minute on a case in Nebraska. They had called before they left for their way home and Penelope was now waiting at home, patiently, making plans and waiting for her hero noir to return to her.
She had seen how down he was these last few weeks, and was trying to find ways of taking his mind of work, making him feel better, but with him rarely at home it was hard to come up with anything. Now with the team on their way back and them assuring her they would make sure he would get home she knew she might have an opportunity she had been waiting for.
Penelope knew she wasn't as good as a chef as Morgan was but she did okay. There were a handful of dishes she was good at preparing and for tonight one of them was all she needed.
When she heard the key fall into the lock and a few minutes later Morgan appear in the kitchen, she could see in his face and demeanor that her timing was perfect. He looked spent, tired and somehow beat, nevertheless handsome, but it worried her seeing him like he wasn't able to let go.
She felt his hands coming around from behind and him pressing close to her back, kissing her neck softly.
"Welcome home, handsome," she greeted, turning around in his arms and placing a kiss on his lips, which he deepened quickly. Feeling how his hands left her waist and cupped her face, she noticed him withdrawing shortly after.
"No place like home," he smiled at her softly before letting go and moving back.
"I'll take a shower quickly," he announced before leaving her alone in the kitchen and going upstairs.
She looked after him for a moment, deciding that her original plan for tonight was good, but needed improvement, especially after she just had seen him. Did he really look that beaten down before Nebraska or had she just forgotten how truly worn down he looked now? Had he hit a new low?
She turned the stove down to let the sauce simmer, while she came up with additional plans and put them in action.
Moving into the bedroom, she waited until she heard the shower, sneaking quietly into the bathroom that was adjoined to their bedroom and picked up all his clothes quickly. She made sure there was not one piece of clothing left he could hide in. Leaving the bathroom as quietly as she came, she discarded his clothes in the nearby hamper, continuing her way onwards in search for candles and a few other things she would need.
She placed all she needed in close reach to the bed, lighting the candles and sat down on the edge of their soft and oversized bed, waiting for her Adonis of a boyfriend to exit the bathroom.
When the noise from the shower stopped, there was a long time nothing. Penelope imagined Morgan leaving the shower, confused as where his clothes would have gone to, before deciding to wrap himself up in a towel and then at some point leaving. A moment later he stepped out, looking good enough to eat. Penelope had to shake her head, that was not the goal and purpose of tonight, although the thought certainly sent heat coursing through her.
She had changed into a tank top and PJ bottoms, getting up from her position and walking towards Morgan. And how he stood there, clad in only a towel, which hung loosely on his waist. A few water drops clung to his well formed chest, slowly sliding down, disappearing under the towel. For a moment she forgot what she had planned for tonight and just admired him. Probably also drooled a little. She just couldn't help it, even after nearly a year of seeing his perfection in that sort of state, she still couldn't get enough.
"Have you seen my …" he started, but didn't get much further when Penelope moved in, placing a soft kiss on his lips and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"You don't need them tonight," she simply informed him, before taking his hand and guided him towards the bed.
"You know, you could just say the magic words and I would be all yours," he smiled at her hotly.
Penelope just shook her head with laughter. "Not my intentions, Hot Stuff. Now, if you could lay down on your stomach and we can get on with this."
"I don't understand," he answered, looking slightly confused at her.
And she should have known he would be. Her boyfriend was such a sexual tease, who was usually not able to keep his hands off her. Not that she was in any way different. But then again that was all before the temporary promotion. Seeing him like this tonight made her smile, knowing that when this whole 'Acting Unit Chief' would be over, they would just be back at how they used to be before this whole thing.
"You don't have to. Just … do it," she pleaded softly. She didn't want to sound bossy, or like she gave him an order. It was just Morgan's nature to question everything he couldn't make sense of. Not that he didn't trust her, or that there was anything he had to worry about to begin with, he just always did it, probably without even knowing or meaning to do it.
To stress her point she gave him a soft shove, at which he moved on the bed and did as told.
Penelope grinned to herself, satisfied that this took less effort and arguing than expected.
She joined him on the bed, pulled him a bit more to the center of their bed and straddled his hips, reaching around his waist and untying the towel. Next she leaned over to the nightstand, got the remote control for the stereo system and pressed the power button, waiting a few seconds before the first soft tunes filled the room.
She put the remote away again and reached for a little bottle, opening it and pouring some of its pear-scented liquid in her palms, rubbing them together to heat it up a bit, before bringing them down on Morgan's shoulders. Slowly she started to massage his strong shoulder blades, letting the liquid glister on his heated skin for a moment, before it disappeared. She got a low moan from him, feeling how he relaxed under her hands with every stroke.
She whispered, as her hands kept working his body, "Why don't you just let me take care of you tonight? You are usually always taking care of everything, why not change that for once and be at the receiving end?"
And she was right. Morgan was the kind of guy that always took care of everything. He had always been like that, from an early age on. With his father dying when Morgan was only ten, he was the only man left in the house, and therefore learned soon to take on responsibilities. He never really had changed over the years. From his family, to his girlfriends, to the job, he was the one who always wanted to take care of things, do things so others wouldn't have to do them, protect everyone. And so far there never had been anyone who had really a problem with it. Of course his mother told him all the time he didn't have to do things, but that never stopped him, and she was clever enough to know where arguing with her son would lead on most days. Nowhere. The team never mentioned anything either, unless he got again over his head and ended up in dangerous situations like driving an ambulance through New York with minutes left until a bomb in the back of said ambulance would go off. And his girlfriends? Neither of them had ever have a problem with him taking care of them ever. Penelope was the first who actually wanted to turn things around, not being too keen on the idea of him wanting to take care of her all the time.
Right now she did one hell of a job in taking care of him. Her hands softly slid down his body in soothing slow motions, taking her time with every patch of skin. She set a wonderful pace and rhythm, taking turns between her hands and her lips caressing his beat down body.
Her hands and lips danced slowly over every inch of his body, from his shoulders, to his back, the sides, his lower back, his ass, the thighs and the lower legs, until finally reaching his feet, which she spent long minutes kneading, only to move up his body again, with the same pace and the same way she had come down. She moved along his arms, spending an unhealthy amount of time with his upper arms and by the time she was finished he felt as good as he had in a very long time.
"That, my hunky hunk of a boyfriend," she started, nibbling softly at his lower neck, an area she knew he was extremely sensitive "was part one," she finished, getting up softly and making her way to leave the bedroom.
"Don't move," she threatened with a smile.
"How many parts are there?" Derek lifted his head curiously.
Instead of answering she just smiled at him, leaving the room for a moment.
With her gone, Morgan decided to at least get him in some boxer shorts, to not feel too exposed.
When Penelope came back, he saw her carrying a tray, with food on it, a bottle of wine, glasses, and a few other things, setting it down on the bed, before crawling back in bed with him, resting her back against his chest. She pulled the tray closer to them and opened the wine bottle, which took a bit of time since she got rather distracted when he started kissing her neck and nibbling her ear, whispering sweet nothings that made her smile. Eventually she handed him a glass of wine, leaning over him to get another remote control, shutting of the music, and turning on their home entertainment system, letting the DVD she had put in the player start.
"I love you," he murmured with his lips still attached to her neck. "I know I haven't said it as much as I probably should have over the last few weeks. But I really do, and … I know the last few weeks have been as hard on you as they have been on me, if not even harder …"
She turned around, forcing him to lose contact. "Just ... promise me one thing," she started, kissing his lips softly.
"Anything," he looked up at her.
"Let me take care of you more often," she smiled, before kissing him again, pressing him into the cushions. He smiled at her, making sure that he would deliver on this promise.