Derek's POV
You ever get the feeling that your life is standing still, but everything else is just passing you by as you stand there? Ahh, what the hell am I saying? I haven't been making sense for weeks, months even. I guess it all started when my best friend Penelope got engaged a few months back to her longtime boyfriend Kevin. I know your best friend getting engaged is suppose to be a joyous and happy time, but that's not me. Honestly, right now I'm so close to popping a blood vessel it's not even funny.
Kevin's not right for her, ok?! There, I SAID IT! I mean sure he's treated her well, which is all anyone should accept for their best friend but trust me when I say he's scum. He came into her life a few years back after she got shot and she's been in love with the guy ever since. That's when I realized I was in love with my best friend.
I know a lot of you are probably thinking, 'Well why didn't you tell her you loved her? Then if you did she wouldn't be with this Kevin guy!' Well trust me, I've tried that. Shortly after she got shot, I asked her out. She turned me down, said I had only asked her out over pity. After that night, I never tried again.
Anyways, she's set to get married in two days, and it's driving me absolutely insane. I know that she's about to spend the rest of her life with the wrong guy, but it's not like I can just go up to her and say, 'Hey sweetheart, I've been meaning to tell you something. Instead of marrying Kevin in a few days, why don't you spend the rest of your life with me?' Yeah, that will go over SOOOO well.
All of this was going through my head as I stood in the break room of the BAU, grabbing yet another cup of coffee to hopefully get me through the pile of paperwork on my desk. All of us around here are pushing ourselves to be free for Garcia's wedding.
As I stood there putting cream in my coffee, I heard the sound of someone entering the break room. Turning my head slightly, I saw Rossi entering the room with his coffee cup in his hand.
"Had the same idea I did, huh?' I asked him with a hint of a smile on my face.
"I think everyone has the same idea as you kid. Besides, I need this more than all of you do." What Rossi means by that because Garcia's father died when she was 18, she asked him to walk her down the aisle.
"Not arguing with you on that one." I finished putting the creamer in my coffee, then set it back into the fridge.
"What about you Morgan, how are you feeling about all of this? Your best friend is getting married to your mortal enemy two days from now."
"Enemy's a strong word, don't you think?"
"Don't fucking kid yourself Derek. We've all seen the glares and the looks you've given the guy. You look at him like he's this mass murderer. What did he ever do to you, huh?" He asked me, his Italian accent thick. I stared down at the counter for a few moments, thinking of what to tell him. I can't exactly just come out and say I'm in love with the girl he's supposed to walk down the aisle in less than 48 hours.
I didn't have to answer as David opened his mouth before I could. "You're in love with her, aren't you?" I whipped around to stare at him, completely caught off guard by his response.
"What are you talking about-"
"Oh come, Derek, it's been way too obvious for too long. You can't call her baby girl and expect none of us to think your in love with her." I stayed silent for a few moments before responding.
"And if I am?"
"No one can blame you, Morgan. Maybe if Garcia found out about her best friend being in love with her, someone wouldn't be getting Married in a few days." In record timing, Rossi had poured a cup of coffee and started walking out of the room. At the last minute, he turned around and looked at me.
"To tell you the truth, nobody here likes Kevin, we all just put up with him for Penelope's sake." With a quick smile in my direction, Rossi turns his body and leaves the room.
Well, I wasn't expecting that conversation that's for sure. The more I think about it now though, the more I think that maybe Rossi's right. I mean what's the worst that could happen, she says she doesn't feel the same way and ends up marrying Lynch anyways. Sure the rejection would sting for a while, but I'd eventually get over it. I just want Penelope to be happy, and I know for a fact that if she marries Kevin, a few years down the road she's not going to be happy anymore, but because of the fact that she's got a heart of gold, she won't break it off with Kevin and she'll stay with him for the rest of her life.
With my head on semi-straight, I sauntered out of the break room, the coffee was forgotten about and made my way towards Garcia's office. I thought about whether she'd be there for a second, then brushed that thought to the side. The woman practically lives there. As much as she tells me she hates looking at the gruesome images and videos every day, Garcia wouldn't give this job up for nothing. She loves the fact that she's a part of the group that puts these sickos behind bars. God that's just one of the many things I love about her, the selflessness that just seems to seep from the pores of her porcelain skin.
It took a few minutes, but I finally found myself outside the bright, cheery room that is her domain. I didn't make my presence known right away. I stood, frozen in the doorway for a few moments just watching her do what she does best. With a microphone clipped to her ear, she chatted to someone about 'technical support not knowing what they're doing' as she switched from screen to screen, breaking into who knows how many databases to find the information she needed.
With a smile plastered on my face, I brought my knuckles up to the door and knocked. She turned in her chair to face me, her brown eyes filled with a certain sparkle. Garcia quickly told the person she was talking to that 'she'd call them back', then hung up on them.
"What can I help you with handsome?" The smile on her face made the entire room light up.
"I'm just here to see my baby girl, is that a crime?" The smile on her face faltered slightly when she heard 'baby girl', but she quickly fixed it.
"No, it's certainly isn't. I'm just currently getting everything set for the next few days, but when you're dealing with people that aren't as tech savvy as yours truly, that seems like a miracle all on its own."
"Well, I'm sure a goddess such as yourself should be able to use that genius mind and figure out some sort of solution." I sat down in one of the chairs she had up against the wall and looked at her. The next few moments, I found myself just staring at her and began to notice some of the many things I loved about her. The way her blonde hair cascaded over her face, highlighting her cheeks bones. Her brown eyes, however plain, contrasted against the skin of her face, somehow making it more beautiful than it already was.
Come on Morgan, now's the time to tell her! Surely an FBI agent such as yourself can tell his best friend that he's in love with her. This is a walk in the park compared to hunting down serial killers!
I cleared my throat as I adjusted my position in the chair. 'There's uh- something I want to tell you, Penelope." Garcia must have noticed the seriousness in my voice because she fully turned towards me, worry now written all over her face.
"What's going on Derek? You know you can tell me anything."
"The thing is, look I know your wedding's only a few days away and I'm happy for you, but I thought you deserved to know this."
"What are you talking about, Morgan you're scaring me." I looked into her eyes, and when I saw the sadness and concern that was quickly taking over her eyes, it somehow gave me the courage to say what I needed to say.
"I know this may come as a shock to you, but there's something I've been keeping from you for quite some time, and I feel terrible about lying to you and not telling you-"
"What are you talking about? What is it that you haven't told me?" I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, preparing for the worst.
"I haven't told you that I'm in love with you Penelope, have been for years now. I know you're getting married to Kevin in a few days, and you have no idea how sorry I am for just dropping this into your lap days before the biggest moment of your life. I just- I couldn't let you get married to a guy I knew wasn't right for you, a guy I knew you weren't going to be happy with later down the road." I stopped talking and stared at Garcia, who was now sitting there as her mouth hung open with a shocked look on her face. Then again, if she told me she was in love with me days before I was supposed to get married, I'd be the same way.
A few minutes passed and she had the same shocked expression on her face, which was scaring me. Why wasn't she saying anything? Did she not feeling the same way about me?
"Sweetheart, you're starting to scare me here. Please say something- anything." I asked, adding a nervous chuckle at the end of the sentence. It took a few moments, but Penelope swallowed and spoke up.
"I don't- Morgan, I wasn't expecting this to ever fucking happen, much less two days before my wedding."
"I know, and I'm incredibly sorry for holding off for this long," I spoke as I got out of the chair and kneeled down in front of her. "I can't help the way I feel Penelope, I can't help the fact that I'm in love with you." I raised my right hand up toward her cheek, forcing her to look at me. Before I knew what was happening, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against hers. God, it was like a dream, me kissing the woman I was in love with. Everything seemed to just fall into place, except you know, the fact that the woman I'm more than happy spending the rest of my life with is getting married.
After a few moments, I pulled away to look into her eyes and see them darting back and forth with confusion. I leaned forward once again, this time to gently place them against her forehead. After a second, I suddenly pulled away and then stood up.
"Well baby girl, it's all out in the open now. Now it's up to you." I whispered quietly into the room before turning my back on her and walking out of the room.
As I made my way down the hall, I thought about what just fucking happened. Never would I have thought in a million years that I would ever admit to Penelope that I love her, but now that I did, it's like this weight has been lifted off my shoulders, but instead placed on my heart. It was all in Garcia's hands now. I no longer had any control over this situation, all I could do was pray that she would make the right choice and decide to spend her life with me by her side.
2 days later, Garcia's POV
Well, I wish I could say everything's been right as rain for the past two days, BUT ID BE LYING! Ever since Morgan told me that he loved me and kissed me before walking out, I've been a fucking wreck. I mean not only did my best friend of god knows how many years tell me that he was in love with me, but he also did it two days before my god damn wedding, like who does it?
I haven't told Kevin about all this, I mean how would I even bring something like that? "Hey, you know the best friend that I've had for years and that you are insanely jealous over, yeah he admitted his undying love for me." That would go over SOO WELL. So, as hard as it's been, I've kept it a secret from Kevin, which surprisingly hasn't been too hard. I've just been giving him the excuse of 'I'm trying to finish all of this work before the wedding so I won't have to anything for a few days afterward.' Thankfully, he's bought it every time.
I've always been avoiding Morgan since I didn't want to cause more tension as I thought all of this over. Yes, Derek has always been my best friend and he always will be, but does that mean I'm in love with the guy? Sure, I've always loved him the way you love a best friend, but is there something underneath it all?
Sadly, I'm out of time to think about all of this as I'm currently in the 'Bride Holding Room'. That's right, I'm getting married in less than fifteen minutes and I'm a nervous fucking wreck. I wonder if it has ANYTHING to do with the fact that Morgan told me he was in love with me, hmm.
I'm currently standing in front of a window that overlooked the crowded streets below as I ran my hands over my dress. As uncertain as I was about today, I'm in fucking love with my dress. It's more of a casual dress that goes to just above my knee. The sleeves that go to my elbows are made entirely of white lace and it looks absolutely gorgeous.
I was brought out of my thought process when there was a hesitant knock at the door, followed by Rossi sticking his head through.
"It's time Garcia.." I looked at him, and there must have been some sort of look on my face because he instantly started speaking again. "I'm sure you'll do what's right in the end.." He very cryptically said. What the hell? He doesn't know about the whole Morgan thing, does he? No, there's no way he could ever possibly know.
I didn't have any more time to think about the situation before I was ushered out of the room by Rossi. Everything that happened next passed in an intense blur of white and maroon; my wedding colors.
I don't remember even getting up on the altar next to Kevin. I must have blacked out or something because the next thing I know, I hear the pastor go, "If anyone objects to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace." Time seemed to drag by as I looked out onto the crowd with a panicked look on my face. That was the time when I realized I couldn't marry Lynch, I just physically couldn't do it.
As if God had been listening to my prayers, the doors to the church swung open, hitting the wall next to them with a bang. "I object.. Again!" My eyes turned towards who was standing at the entrance, and it was a suit-clad Derek as an equally panicked looked appeared on his face. Everyone in the church gasped, including Kevin who took in a sharp breath before whispering "What does he mean by again Garcia?"
Morgan seemed to finally be brought out of his trance as he stepped further into the church, his face now set with determination. "Penelope, I still stand by what I told you two days ago. I'm in love with you and I can't let you marry the excuse of a man next to you when I know you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with me." The entire church gasped yet again. A guilty look appeared on my face as I looked into the crowd in front of me.
Kevin carefully, yet quickly grabbed my arm and turned me towards him. "Morgan told you he loved you? And you didn't tell me?" I didn't know where it came from, but suddenly I had this courage rising up within me quickly.
"Yes, he told me he loved me. And you know what, HE KISSED ME TOO!" I shouted to make sure the everyone in the church heard. Once again, everyone gasped. I looked out in the crowd and saw that a few people had the biggest smiles on their faces; those few people being everyone from the BAU. When I looked back at Morgan, he still stood there with an almost vacant stare in his eyes.
"Kevin, I think we know what this means." I gave him the bouquet of flowers I had in my hand. "I'm sure you'll find the woman you're going to marry, but it sure as hell ain't me." Then, leaving everyone in attendance stunned, I stepped down the altar and darted to the back exit, needing to get away from it all. I wasn't sure if I was going to end up with Morgan or not, but in the meantime, I just needed to think things over.
A few hours later
So remember when I said I just needed to think things over? I ended up doing that, at a bar. Coincidentally it's the bar that Morgan and I go to all the time. Not that we're raging alcoholics or anything but with how tense the job is, we come here to unwind. That's what I'm doing as of the moment. With a glass of Jack Daniel's in my hand, I'm telling my problems to the bartender, who honestly looks scared shitless.
"I mean, my best friend that I've known for ten years tells me he loves me two days before my wedding. Which I was ok with, not really but that's not the point. Then as I'm up there on the altar, BAM! He bursts into the church and tells me not to marry the guy that I was supposed to marry. Oooh, I just realized I forgot to tell you he kissed me two days before my wedding. I don't know after the whole thing, I honestly don't know what to do. Sure I have feelings for my best friend that I realized like 2 hours ago, but what the hell do I do?!" I gazed at the bartender who didn't look a day over 21 as he stared wide-eyed at me.
"Um... I just started here like 4 hours ago. This is my first gig as a bartender. I don't know what to tell you." He told me, the 'deer in headlights' look still in his eyes. Before I could respond, someone else did.
"Baby girl, I think you've terrorized the poor kid enough with what happened today." I turned my head slightly, and sure enough, Morgan was standing only a few feet away.
"Yeah, well he could join the rest of us," I muttered before draining the rest of what was in the glass. "I think you're a little overdressed for a bar Derek."
"As gorgeous as you look, I could say the same thing to you, sweetness." I was going to speak, music started playing over the bar's intercom speakers. I instantly recognized the song as Save the Last Dance for Me by Michael Buble, who by the way is a musical genius.
As I currently was spacing off into nothingness, I was shocked when I felt Morgan suddenly pull me towards the middle of the room. Suddenly, he jerked me up against him and before I knew it the two of us were dancing together in the bar. Derek laughed when he saw the surprised look that was still on my face.
"Don't act so surprised Penelope. You always told me that you'd save the last dance for me, and I would like to collect that dance-" He paused as he leaned towards me slightly.
"Right-" Now our noses were touching.
"Now." He finally learned the rest of the distance and pressed his lips against mine. They always said that you were supposed to save the last dance for the one you loved.