More than a Feeling.

A/N Seeing as this is a follow up to 'Tyre Tracks and Broken Hearts' I thought I'd give it a song title also. Although 'More than a Feeling' was in Criminal Minds, I always see it as a Scrubs song, but it felt a little fitting for this.)

I just wanted to briefly thank everyone who reviewed 'Tyre Tracks', it was a wonderful welcome to the fandom. I've been watching Criminal Minds for five years, but getting a Criminal Minds fic right is tough. (Seriously, I've tried MANY times.) You guys really gave me hope that I'm not a lost cause when it comes to writing for Criminal Minds. So thank you. :)

"Tamara?" Derek asked, coming out from the bathroom, a towel around his waist. "Who was that?" Tamara looked at the phone. "Oh, just work. I asked if it could wait until tomorrow and it could, so-"

"Was it Penelope?" He interrupted walking toward her.

"Well, if that's who 'Baby Girl' is, then yes." Tamara narrowed her eyes.

Derek took the phone. "Tamara, you should know by now that-"

"I do, Derek. I do know that she's your 'Baby Girl' and I do know that you love to talk to her and I know this because every second sentence you say has something to do with her. But I was hoping that maybe tonight could be about us. So I asked her to call back tomorrow."

"You're sure it wasn't a case?" He asked, his finger hovering over the Call button.

"Would she have let me hang up if it was?" Tamara asked, arching an eyebrow.

"You hung up on her?" Derek arched an eyebrow back. "Couldn't you have waited the two seconds it would have taken me to get out of the shower? She makes for-"

"Hilarious and interesting conversation, yeah I know. Derek, I've heard this all before and I made the decision to hang up. I made a choice, Derek, and now it's your turn."

"Tamara, listen. I'm in the BAU. You can't just screen my calls like that. You have to understand that my job-"

"Oh please, Derek. She's not your job. This phone call wouldn't have been for your job. It would have been for you." She looked at his hand, his finger still hovering over the Call button. "You call her and I'll leave." She told him, sternly.

"Tamara-"

"I mean it Derek."

His voice softened. "Look, we talk everyday and we didn't get to today. The call will take five minutes. I promise."

Tamara shut her eyes and sighed. "I better go." She told him, grabbing her bag from the sofa.

"No, Tamara-"

"You know," She said, walking to the door. "You say she's your best friend and nothing more. But for a profiler," She gave him the once over as she opened the door. "You're either lying to yourself or you suck at your job." And with that she slammed the door shut.

Derek closed his eyes and brought his fist to his forehead. "Damnit, Penelope Garcia." He muttered. "Why do I have to love you so damn much?"

"Tamara?" Penelope asked through gritted teeth as she answered the phone.

"No, Baby Girl." Came Derek's husky voice on the line. "It's just me. Sorry."

Suddenly, Penelope wished it had been Tamara. She hadn't really thought about what she was going to do about her realisation just yet.

"Don't be sorry, Angel-Fish." She tried to sound like her usual self, but her voice wavered slightly. Knowing that, as a profiler, Derek would probably catch on that she wasn't quite being herself, she tried to change the subject. "I almost thought we were going to break our record." She told him.

"Ye of little faith." Derek said. Even his voice was making her breathing rate increase.

"So, where's the woman I was hoping to talk to?" Penelope asked, smirking slightly in hopes that it would distract from her heavy breathing. Derek seemed to know by now when she was smirking or smiling or flirting over the phone. Maybe it was a profiler thing. Or maybe it was just a Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia thing. She could never be sure.

"Actually," He started, his voice becoming serious. "She left."

"Oh." Penelope's heart skipped a beat. "Why?"

"Because she's a better profiler than I am." She could tell he was smiling as he said this.

"Oh no, my hunk of burnin' love." She said, her usual 'flirt with Derek' tone beginning to find its way back into her voice box. "No one's a better profiler than you." She heard Derek catch his breath at this and her heart skipped another beat.

"I don't know." He said, his voice thoughtful. "She profiled me pretty well."

"What?" Penelope started in a brush-off tone. "Hot, sexy, crime fighting tiger. I could profile you."

"I bet that's not all you could do to me." He laughed, suggestively.

"You have no idea." She smirked.

"Now woman." He said, his voice stern but playful. "You know how I get when you go all 'Sex Goddess' on me."

Penelope laughed, flirtatiously. "Oh Derek Morgan." She said, lowing her voice. "You don't even know how 'Sex Goddess' I can get."

"Don't toy with me, woman." He laughed.

"Thanks for calling, Derek." Penelope said, her tone more serious but a smile still etched on her face.

"Thanks for answering, Penelope." His tone reflected hers. "I'll see you tomorrow, Baby Girl."

"See you then, Hot Stuff." She replied. As she was about to snap her phone shut his voice stopped her.

"I love you, Penelope Garcia." He told her. "More than my own life."

"I love you too, Derek Morgan." She smiled. "More than you'll ever know."

Penelope shut the phone and Derek held his breath. She hadn't understood what he meant. He had to find some way to make his feelings for her clear. She had to know that he had been seriously in love with her from the second he met her. That she was the first person he thought of in the morning and the last person before he went to sleep. Derek Morgan knew he was in love with Penelope Garcia. But there was Kevin and there were rules. So…

What now?

Thanks for the warm welcome, you guys! :D Oh, and just on a side note... TEAM AJ AND PAGET FOR THE WIN. I'm SO angry with CBS. Like, you wouldn't believe.