Friends and Lovers

By

Mrsrossino4

This is part of challenge #9 where ilovetvalot gave me the assignment of Penelope/Morgan and the prompt is friends. Ironically I was making breakfast sandwiches at 2:30am when she asked me to write this, and instantly one of my favorite 1980's song Friends and Lovers popped into my head. I also thought about how I wish Pen had taken the opportunity during the Season 5 episode where she sets up Morgan's office as Acting Unit Chief to let him know how she feels about him. So, without further adieu, here is my very first assigned fanfic with two characters I've never written about before!

Penelope Garcia smiled as she put the finishing touches on Acting Unit Chief Derek Morgan's new office. She framed the silly picture of herself and put it in the 'official fun drawer'. Before closing it, she laid a music CD she had burned earlier in the middle of the clutter and shut the drawer. Now all she had to do was wait for him to discover it and put all the pieces together.

Yes, it was totally out of character for the technical analyst to make such a bold move, but after five years she knew either she needed to step up and define her relationship with Derek or lose him to the likes of Tamara Barnes. Knowing Derek's love of music, she hoped this CD would be the wakeup call necessary to spark Derek into action. Time will tell.

Derek Morgan walked into the bullpen at the BAU ready to check out and go home. Naturally his baby girl would ask him to help her move boxes at this ungodly hour, but there was no way he'd ever tell her no. As he ascended the stairs he noticed that Penelope was leading him to one of the senior agent's offices.

"Wait, baby girl, what are we doing here, I thought this was…"

Penelope held up her hand to shush her chocolate dream. "Yes, but he's standing down in an month and decided to work from home until then. And, Mister Acting Unit Chief, you need a proper office". She then opened the door and turned on the light. Derek saw all of his belongings had been brought up here. He sat down at the desk and was speechless.

"And, Derek, since I had to keep the decorating to Bureau standards, I created you a personal fun drawer so you won't have to stare at the boring white walls all the time".

Derek couldn't help but smile. Penelope Garcia was the best friend a guy could have. He had considered taking their friendship further, but he did not want to ruin their friendship or work environment if things did not work out. One of the first lessons he learned as a police officer on the streets was not to "shit where you eat". Once you get involved with a co-worker and things start to turn sour, it affects multiple aspects of life. He cared too much for the technical analyst to allow that to happen.

As Penelope left the building, she could not help but feel anxious about what she left for her friend. It was so out of her character to take a bold move like this. However, she was tired of waiting and wondering if she had any possibility of building a future with Derek Morgan. True, she was at the other end of the spectrum as far as the type of girl he usually went for, but there was something between them that could no longer be denied. She had to know once and for all if she needed to move on or pursue what could be a great relationship.

Derek was still sitting in his new office going through the contents of his "fun drawer". There was a variety of silly toys, pens and other knick knacks for him to enjoy. Penelope had also framed a silly picture of herself. His baby girl sure knew how to remind him there is still good in the world. After these last several cases and trying to track down Foyet, he needed that reminder more than ever.

He then noticed a CD in the drawer that had a note attached to it. How odd, he thought, Penelope must have forgotten something when setting up his office. Derek picked up the case and unfolded the note.

Hey my chocolate kiss, this is totally out of my realm but I know how much you love music and thought I could use some to get my message across to you. Just listen to it and think about things before we talk. Love your baby girl PG

What message could Garcia possibly need to express with music? This is indeed not in his friend's comfort zone, but it must be important if she went through all of this trouble. He opened the CD case and popped it into his computer and pressed play. The song Friends and Lovers by Carl Anderson and Gloria Loring came out of the speakers. As Derek listened, the message Penelope was trying to convey hit him like a ton of bricks.

Of course, recently he had noticed a subtle change in the technical analyst's behavior. She had become a bit distant, especially when Tamara Barnes had entered his life. At first Derek shrugged it off as her trying to remind him of proper protocol when dealing with families of victims, but now listening to the song perhaps she was trying to ask where exactly they stood, both personally and professionally. Is it possible to have a relationship with someone you have such a close friendship with?

Derek walked out of the building and headed for home. That song was still stuck in his head, though. Could it actually work out between him and his baby girl? It is something that he might be willing to explore, but there would be so many details to work out. Maybe it's time for him to stop thinking and just go with the flow. He suddenly found himself parked outside of Penelope's building wondering if he should take the chance.

Oh screw it, for once Derek decided to take a chance. He slowly walked to Penelope's door and knocked. Figuring she was most likely in bed, he turned to walk away when the door slowly opened. To his surprise, his baby girl was standing there in a baby blue bathrobe. "I take it you listened to the CD?"

"Yeah, I did".

Penelope fought back her tears. "And?"

Derek walked up and gave her a kiss. He could tell it took her by surprise, but it was still a wonderful beginning. "Why don't you let me in and you'll see what I think".

Finis

Alright, so ends my first Morgan/Garcia fanfic. I hope it wasn't too awful. Feel free to review and constructive criticism is welcome; however, flaming and rudeness is not.