Here is my entry for the Heat Wave Challenge Assignment. I picked Penelope for character and was lucky enough to get Derek Morgan as the other character. Enjoy! :)
-Ash
Penelope couldn't believe how hot it was today; it was one of those days that ice cream would be perfect if it would last long enough before melting into a sticky mess all over you. She sighed, she was already sticky, the humidity was killing her. She walked by the mirror and saw her reflection; her hair was all over the place, basically untamable. Today was definitely not the day she hoped for on her day off. That thought was interrupted by a knock. As she rushed to the front door, she remembered she wasn't made up.
"Oh, please be JJ. " She whispered as she opened the door to see her other best friend.
"Oh, Derek, I didn't expect to see you today."
He flashed the smile that stole her heart and said, " Well it is warm outside and I am making you go swimming with me."
"Derek, no, I'm not going swimming"
"Why not, Babygirl?"
"No reason, Derek, now lets go into the kitchen, I have some iced tea in the fridge and I may let you argue your point of why I should go swimming with you."
She walked towards her kitchen as Derek shut the door and took off his shoes. She laughed because of that one time he walked in here with his shoes on after she had just cleaned the floor. He tracked in mud and she can't remember exactly why she snapped that day. She got so mad at him, ever since then he always took his shoes off just in case she has cleaned, he didn't want to see that side of her again. Her best friend wasn't stupid, slow sometimes but never stupid. She poured him a glass then one for herself before she walked to the table.
"Now, what was this going swimming business you thought you could convince me to do with you?"
Derek smiled; by his look, he knew that he at least had her for the day.
"Well I'm house sitting for an old buddy of mine from college and he has a swimming pool. I thought that I could pick you up and have you stay the night with me."
" I don't know, Derek. I'm not a huge fan of swimming." She said hesitantly.
Penelope didn't want to admit that she was self-conscious of her body and didn't want him to see her in swimsuit. She debated in her head what to do. She saw Derek smile again before he said,
"Well you know Clooney is missing his mama."
"Missing me, the cute ball of fur and energy saw me just yesterday."
"He is just like his owner and needs to see you every damn day."
She laughed, " Fine, I will go swimming but don't expect me to be in a bikini top, Hot Stuff"
"That is fine by me, Babygirl, leaves more to the imagination. Just go get your stuff, I know you will need at least 5 bags"
"Don't mock me, you have no idea how hard it is to stay beautiful"
Derek stood up when she did, hugged her then walked to put his glass in the sink. She still didn't know why she said she'd go but she just wanted to spend more time with him. Ever since Kevin broke up with her, they had spent a lot of time together when he wasn't on a case. She walked in her room and packed up some stuff for the night. She just threw it all in a few bags and ran out to the living room.
"Alright, Hot Stuff, I'm all ready," He just smiled. Damn, she was so screwed.
When they reached his friend's house, she couldn't believe how beautiful it was. She looked around the brick house; she had always wanted a brick house with a swimming pool in the backyard. She wanted kids playing in that backyard and a husband to smile down at her and their family. She knew that it was a fantasy but a girl was allowed to dream, right? She noticed that Derek was staring at her and immediately blushed. He reached over and touched her cheek.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are when you blush? I bet Kevin told you all the time"
She shook her head slowly letting him know he never did. He leaned in and kissed her forehead before he continued,
"Well, then I'm sorry because you are so beautiful when that color pink comes across your cheeks. That color should be a Crayola color. Come on, Mama, let's get inside and change."
She had to get her head together and come up with some flirty comeback, why was she off her game today? She saw Derek get out of the car and head towards the beautiful house and she just silently followed him. When they were in the living room, she was still in awe about how beautiful this place was. Growing up, she had a modest home. Her parents were hippies; they'd never be into anything so elegant. Derek pointed to his right and said,
"Down the hall and to the left is the bathroom, you can get into your suit there and meet me out back, okay?"
"Of course, Hot Stuff, see you in a few minutes."
She said as she walked towards the bathroom, completely unaware that Derek stood back and watched her walk away. When she entered the bathroom with the bag that had her swimsuit, she paused and looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn't like the girls that Derek brought home; she was not beautiful like them. She just shook her head and pulled her black swimsuit out of the bag and dressed herself. She just had to be confident, she just had to be herself and then she'd get the man she wanted. She once again looked at herself in the mirror; she finally admitted to her that she wanted to be with Derek. She would always just brush it off, saying that she didn't have feelings for him other than him being her best friend. She brushed her hair and applied some lip gloss and gave herself a quick pep-talk as she put her towel around her waist.
"Penelope, go get your man. You have it all."
She walked towards the pool and saw him as he stood near the edge of the swimming pool. He was wearing a pair of sexy blue swim trunks; they were a checkered pattern with multiple shades of blue. She had the perfect chance to push him into the water. A cheeky grin came to her face just as he turned to see her as she walked towards him. He wasn't fast enough to realize what was about to happen. She, with a gentle shove, pushed Derek into the water. As Derek surfaced from underwater he said
"Oh, you are so going to pay for that, Babygirl."
"I am, am I? From where I'm standing, I think that I'm in no danger from you."
Derek laughed and put his fingers to his lips and whistled, before Penelope could get out of way, Clooney charged towards where she was standing. She became slightly off balanced and fell into the water. As she surfaced, she sent a glare to Derek.
"Oh, this means war, Hot Stuff."
"Bring it, Babygirl." Derek said as he winked at her.
The couple began to splash water at each other, after 10 minutes the two were in fits of laughter. She finally caught her breath.
"We just acted like teenagers."
"I know, it was fun, wasn't it?"
She smiled at him then looked down at the water. Derek swam in front of her and put his finger under her chin to make her look up at him.
"Penelope, what is going through your head? Sweetheart, you know you can tell me anything."
She inhaled sharply; her eyes began to tear up before she confessed,
"I just love you…"
"I love you too"
"I love you in a completely different way. I don't love you like a brother or a best friend. I want to be the one who is enough for you, to be your wife. I just want to know what I can do… to be enough, for you to love me, like I love you."
She didn't dare look up at him; she needed to leave this area. She started to swim towards the steps but before she could Derek reached for her arm and pulled her towards him. He looked down at her and cupped her face so she'd look at him.
"Do you mean that?"
She was shocked, was he surprised that she loved him?
"Of course, Derek, I wouldn't make that up. I think I've always loved you"
He pulled her so close to him that she subconsciously wrapped her legs around his waist and he ran his thumb over her bottom lip.
"Penelope, I knew you were the one when I listened to the voicemail that you had been shot. I knew you were the one when we were in Alaska and the terror I felt when I heard you screaming for help. I knew you were the one when Flynn had me in that room and I wasn't 100% sure I was going to get out alive. I knew you where the one when Prentiss died and I held you while you cried all night. I knew that no matter whatever happened to me in this world that you were the one I wanted and needed to survive."
As a tear fell down her cheek, he brushed it away and brought his lips to hers. The kiss was slow at first but full of passion. His left hand went into her hair and the other went around her waist. She took her arms and wrapped them around his neck and kept deepening the kiss. He had moved so her back was against the side of pool. He kept kissing her; she never wanted the moment to end. He pulled away for a second and put his forehead against hers.
"Penelope, not here in the pool. You deserve romance and at least dinner first."
She got out of the pool and reached for him as it began to rain. He wrapped his arms around her. She smiled at him.
"Hot Stuff, what is more romantic than kissing in the rain?"
She smiled as she leaned up and kissed him. They walked with their arms tightly around each other's waist and picked up their wet towels and motioned for Clooney to follow them inside. When they reached the door, the rain started to come down harder when they saw a bolt of lighting and then the roar of thunder. Derek smiled before saying,
"You know what is more romantic than kissing in the rain?"
"I just asked you that."
"Do you have an answer?"
She shook her head no. He smiled and leaned towards her and said before kissing her.
"Kissing in a thunderstorm"