A/N: sorry it took a while to get this up, but life had interferred with me and my beta's time. Sorry, but we made it.. Six chapters in total. Enjoy.
It had been a week since they told the others. Despite the initial shock and surprise, they now had the full support of the entire team, which was important to both of them. After all, they saw the BAU as their family.
Morgan had been planning on taking his Baby Girl out on a first official date for days, weeks really, but every time, a case had changed his plans. Penelope always got really excited at the prospect of a date, so Morgan always felt really bad letting her down, having to postpone yet another time. He hated causing her that sort of disappointment, although she understood perfectly well.
In fact, she was usually the one pushing him out the door so he could make his way to the airport to chase after yet another bad guy. If he'd had his way, he wouldn't have left quite that easily. But she had ways of convincing him and arguments as to why he had to go.
In the end, she was right. It was his job to chase after them.
They were just on their way back from another case. When the jet arrived back at the airport, he decided tonight was the night. It was Friday after all, there was no case pending for them to work on right away, and the paperwork could wait until Monday. He knew it was quite last minute, but this might be the best chance for that first date he would get. God only knew what case was waiting for them come Monday and how long it would keep him away from his goddess.
He had called his girl before they left Wyoming and told her about his plans so she wouldn't be completely unprepared, and after some discussion and worry on her side, she gave in to his idea.
After a short stop at his place to get changed, he made his way over to Penelope's.
He'd been on many dates in the past, but none ever made him feel as excited and giddy as this one. The fact that he actually already had the girl made it even stranger. He knew he didn't need to impress her or anything. There wasn't the usual 'first date pressure', but he still wanted to make sure she had a fabulous time. Okay, maybe he still wanted to impress her. After all, she had not seen all his tricks.
However, the moment she opened the door for him, all of that went out of the window. She stood there in all her perfection, wearing the dress he had seen last on her over four years ago. That dress. The one she wore the same night when Kevin Lynch forgot about their first anniversary and Morgan asked himself what kind a moron Kevin Lynch really was. He had never seen her wear the dress again, but the image of her in that piece of deep red cloth had been in his dreams for months.
Even after four years, it still looked amazing on her, displaying every one of her perfect curves neatly.
As if she could read his mind, she smiled sweetly and innocently at him. "I thought it would fit the occasion."
That's just plain mean, he thought to himself, knowing perfectly well that she was aware already that night four years ago what affect this dress had on him.
She got her coat, and Morgan knew at that moment, this would be a very long night.
Since it had been quite last minute, it hadn't been simple to make arrangements. For whatever reason, restaurants had all been booked tonight, and there was not one he could reserve a table at. Fortunately, he had a back-up plan. Maybe not as perfect as a real first date should be, but he had a feeling Penelope wouldn't mind.
It had not been as perfect as a restaurant, but after all, it was Friday and it had become somewhat of a tradition for them by now. Going for after work drinks to Murphy's was something Morgan and Penelope had done nearly every Friday for the last seven years. That's where they started their perfect bond, on that first day when they met, and Morgan called her 'Baby Girl' because he didn't know her name.
Afterwards, he had invited her for drinks, still feeling slightly sorry for the whole incident. That's when it all somehow started. From that day on, they met every week for drinks, and then added to the Friday Night Drinks were the Saturday Movie Night and Wednesday Junk Food Night.
So he brought her there tonight, to Murphy's. After all, they did serve food, although not many knew, since it was more known for its cheap drinks than for the 'haute cuisine' – that is, if you want to call homemade burgers, fish and chips or steak 'haute cuisine'.
Just as Derek had predicted, Penelope didn't seem to mind at all that, instead of being taken to an overpriced, overcrowded and overrated restaurant downtown, Derek took her to their favorite bar.
He knew she wasn't much of a fan of dancing, especially not in public, and most definitely not in one of the clubs, which were frequented by young and pretty girls that were probably just half her size.
He knew the discussion would start the moment she found out where they were heading next, so he tried to keep it a secret as long as possible. He should have known she was better than he gave her credit for. They were still more than five minutes by car away from the place, and she knew.
"You know I'm not much a fan of these places," he heard her whining, and barely managed to not laugh. She had that cute little tone in her voice that usually made him do anything she wanted. But not tonight.
"That's just because you haven't been there with the right company, Goddess. Trust me, we'll have a great night, I'll show you some 'Derek Morgan' moves and then we'll leave. How does that sound?"
"Apart from the 'Derek Morgan' moves, I am not too excited," she laughed, wondering what else he had in store for them.
The moment they entered the club, she wanted to leave. The beat of the music could be felt through the floor, and the dance floor wasn't even anywhere close in sight. The girls around them gave her looks that made her want to run right back out, but Morgan, who was right behind her, pushed her further into the place. She wasn't insecure about herself. Well, not really, at least. It also wasn't that she didn't trust Morgan. She trusted him blindfolded and with her life, if necessary, but she didn't trust them. How they threw themselves at him, all desperate and oh-so-innocent. With their perfect size zero bodies and hair extensions and the general surgical enhancement. Derek Morgan, after all, was just a guy as well. He wouldn't be invincible or immune against their techniques forever.
As if reading her mind, she felt him bend down and whisper in her ear. "Trust me, they don't do anything for me. Anything at all. The only person I want to take home with me tonight, or any other night, is you, Baby Girl."
"You want a drink?" he asked her when they finally made it to the bar, after what seemed like hours.
"No, thanks, I'm good," she assured him.
"Why are you so nervous than?"
"I just … don't like places like this," she explained. "The music, the amount of people. The type of people. It's just not my scene, to be honest."
"It's alright, sugar. How about we show them how it's done?" he asked, smiling at her and nodding at the dance floor.
"Hot Stuff, how am I supposed to show them how it's done, when I, myself, don't even know?"
"Well, I guess I have to show you then…" he said, taking her hand and pulling her slowly towards the very crowded center of the club.
When the up-tempo beat started filling the floor and Derek turned around, pulling her into his arms, she started thinking that maybe this wasn't that bad of an idea after all. When people started moving and bumping into her, pushing her even further into Morgan's arms, she actually started enjoying it. She just didn't know what to do when it came to moving herself.
Her parents made her take up some dance classes when she was fourteen, but that clearly wouldn't help her here, since she couldn't really imagine how classical dancing would work to music like this.
She felt Morgan's arm suddenly wrap around her waist, settling the hand on her lower back. He pulled her slightly towards him, and indicated to follow his lead. Not that she really knew what to do. She was definitely too slow to mimic his moves, and didn't know how else she could follow his lead.
He increased the pressure of his hand on her lower back and pulled her even closer, forcing her so that when he moved down, she had to move with him and when he came up, so did she.
A few songs into their routine, he felt her grow more confident and start trying out some moves all by herself. He could see that she was suddenly way more relaxed and something definitely had changed. He'd known she would get into it if he just showed her a few things. Swaying over the floor, spinning and turning her around, he noticed how perfect she looked, now, after she relaxed and started to really have fun.
He also noticed the looks she got from people around them. Not just the girls who seemed to not be as happy as she was, but also the guys surrounding them, looking at her with more than just casual interest. And who could blame them, especially in a dress like that, which barely left anything to imagination and hugged exactly all the perfect spots on her.
Spinning her around again and turning around from her for a moment, he suddenly was met by one of the girls he had seen several times around him since they entered the place. She was trying to make a move, ignoring the fact that he clearly hadn't come alone. She moved in, rested her hands around his waist and started moving with him when the first few beats of a new song filled the room.
He danced for a moment, not wanting to seem rude, abut not really paying any attention to her. He was more focused what had happened to his blonde goddess.
After a minute or less, when he detached himself from the girl that was plastered against him, and turned around, he saw Penelope being surrounded by several guys. One in particular was close to her, moving to her moves, matching every single one of them. She didn't have the same pleasurable expression on her face as when she danced with him, but didn't seem as if she was uncomfortable either. And he couldn't blame these guys, she was on fire tonight. She was usually hot and sexy, but tonight, she was beyond that.
He saw the guy who seemed to be so perfectly able to match her moves dance in closer, and his hands going to places they definitely shouldn't be going.
Derek knew it was all innocent and she would never do anything that would lead him to mistrust her, but he still didn't like the idea of her with one of these guys closer than really necessary. He moved quickly, making sure to not waste any time, and reached for her wrist, pulling her playfully away from these guys and making it look like a move, so she wouldn't become suspicious and no one around them would start wondering. He wasn't a guy who would cause scenes, especially not if his Baby Girl seemed to be enjoying herself that much. He preferred a less confronting, more pleasurably physical and horizontal way to clear things like that anyway.
"I hope you won't stray from me again tonight," he teased her, knowing she would understand he wasn't mad or angry.
"Oh, handsome, you should know, no matter how often I stray, I will always return to you and only you," she laughed, giving him a kiss.
"That's all I need to hear, Sweetness," he replied, smiling slightly at her. "You know, all these people around us? They seem to enjoy the view of you much more than the music," he commented laughing.
She moved closer to him, bringing her lips to his ear. "You know, I also do private shows," she laughed softly, and when he turned his head slightly, looking at her with lifted eyebrows, she just looked at him mischievously.
"Well, who am I to turn down an offer like that?" he asked, pulling her slowly away from the dance floor and the gazes of the bystanders.
