Don't Ever Let It End

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas

This story is inspired by the Nickleback song "Don't Ever Let It End" – if you haven't heard it search it out and I dare you not to think Morgan/Garcia. From the first time I heard it all I could do was think of them. Lyrics come from the song.

Thanks to my FB friends and their football themed advice, I never meant to start a war of words! And my Beta for the special little details she added.

I have finished the story and it is going through the editing process - so I am currently hoping to update weekly.

. . .

We can laugh as we both pretend

That we're not in love and that we're just good friends

. . .

Derek shook his head and smiled as he realised he had spent more of the last half hour watching Penelope Garcia then he had the game. It was rare he caught a live game and when two tickets fell into his hands he bypassed the obvious choices of his buddy Pete or even Rossi and went for Penelope Garcia. The last time his home team had come this close to Quantico he had been three states away tracking down a child killer and had sold his tickets at the last minute. This was karma.

Admittedly, watching her now, it was a bizarre choice. Pen and football were not two words that were usually found side by side in a sentence, but Derek just saw it as another excuse to spent time with her. And trust him, by the time the weekend came he could come up with a long list of such excuses.

As she griped his knee, screaming as another touchdown was imminent he laughed, her enthusiasm was contagious. So were the odd looks they kept getting from those around them as they took in Pen's Redskins cap. He had tried to convince her to take it off the minute he had seen it. After all the game was the Chicago Bears versus the Baltimore Ravens. However she had so innocently explained that JJ only had Redskins stuff and she had no-one else to borrow from and wanted to look the part. Derek had offered his instead, but Little Miss Stubborn had stuck to her guns – 'Red is much more my colour'. God you had to love her.

And love her he did. Without exception!

As the crowd erupted, Derek and Pen got washed up in the celebrations, pulling her into a tight hug as he cheered. Holding slightly longer than necessary, he looked down at her smiling eyes.

"Think you're bringing us good luck," Derek said as he tapped her on the nose playfully, "Next game is a trip home – Mom would love to see you again, and then maybe I can get you kitted out in the right colours."

Pen pouted, "Could always lend me one of your shirts next time, if you must. Sure I could squeeze these bad boys into them."

Derek didn't need the little jiggle to understand the reference to her generous cleavage.

. . .

Leaving the ground, her arm looped lazily through his, they nattered about nothing and everything. How the Bears had run all over the Ravens, though Derek inwardly admitted that he no longer cared who won, watching Pen was far more entertaining.

"Coffee?" Derek asked as they finally found his dark SUV.

"That would be lovely," she smiled sweetly, wrapping her arms around him as she looked up through her long lashes.

"On one condition," Derek said, helping Pen in and resting on the door frame beside her. "You take that cap off . . . now!"

"What and suffer the indigence of hat hair, I don't think so Honey," Pen wagged her finger playfully.

In one swift move he swiped the cap and shut the door. Jumping round to the driver's side he tossed the cap in the back before facing Penelope, flashing her a million watt smile.

"What?" he shrugged so innocently.

"My hair, Hot stuff, all squished and urgh!" frustration evident in her voice at his lack of feminine understanding, and this man thought he knew women!

Leaning closely into her space, Derek reached around her; he couldn't help but notice how she swallowed slightly as he closed the gap. Tenderly he removed the band holding her hair up, as he kept direct eye contact. Running his fingers through her soft blonde curls, he ruffled it slightly.

"There you go, it's all good."

"Really," Pen answered, grabbing the visor to look in the mirror, "Oh yeah, it's not all flat now, that's for sure."

Derek smiled as he started the engine, "Just the way I imagine you would look the morning after you spend the night with me."

"Angelfish, if I spent the night with you we wouldn't see the morning. You would be worn out and sleep through 'til noon."

They both laughed, neither willing to acknowledge the feelings behind their seemingly harmless flirting. Both of them knowing in their hearts that they loved the other, but neither willing to share the intensity of the emotion.

. . .

Sat in the little coffee shop just around the corner from Pen's apartment, Pen listened patiently as Derek talked about the stats behind the game.

"You carry on quoting those figures and I may start calling you Reid," she jested.

"There is a different figure we could concentrate on," he winked at her.

"Oh shucks Hun," Pen blushed slightly. Changing the subject rapidly she added; "Do you still wish you could have gone pro?"

Derek looked down at the crisp paper napkin by his cup and started fiddling with the corner.

Pen hoped she hadn't over stepped the mark, reaching her hand over she entwined her fingers in his; "Sorry."

"Don't be," he spoke a little too defensively as he sat upright, pulling his hand from hers, "It's just not something I haven't thought about for a long time," he shrugged. "At the time I played it was everything to me, my way out. My future relied on that scholarship, but was my head truly in the game? I don't know? It was a means to an end, and in the end I got what I wanted. Besides if I'd had gone pro, I'd have never met you."

"Oh you say the 'bestest' things, Angelfish," Pen smiled widely at her friend's compliment, "but I mean it. It was your dream and now you spend you days tackling UnSubs and paperwork. Besides I can just picture your butt in those tight shorts."

Derek laughed out loud. "Dressing me up? Only if you get out the cheerleader outfit for me."

"I was never a cheerleader!" Pen exclaimed, "that's for the skinny girls. I was way too geeky at school to spend my days playing with my pom-poms."

Derek winked playfully, and Pen cringed before he even came out with the comment she knew he was itching to make.

"How about we head back to your place and I'll play with your pom-poms for you," he added a wiggle of his eyebrows just for added cheek.

"How about we head back to mine and I order the take out while you pick the movie?" she returned calming his racing labido.

"Anything you say Mama, show me the way."

Taking his hand in hers, they walked to the car.