"Go out with me tonight."

At the welcome sound of the world's sexiest voice, Garcia spun around in her desk chair to see a gorgeous FBI agent standing in her office doorway. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, but he still wanted to spend time with her?

Aww.

"Hey, lover; when did you guys get back?" She asked as she shut off her monitor and hurried towards Derek.

"Few minutes ago," he answered shortly, but he refused to be deterred, and so he said again, "Go out with me tonight."

Penelope raised her perfect eyebrows at his demanding tone and shot back, "Is that an order, Supervisory Special Agent Morgan?"

"Sure is, Technical Goddess Garcia," he purred, flashing her a brilliant smile.

Penelope laughed as she crossed back towards her desk and grabbed her purse from one of its drawers. "D'you think you could them to put that on my credentials?" She joked as she reached for the light switch and followed Morgan into the hall. He put his strong arm around her shoulders, just like he always did after a rough case, and they walked slowly towards the bullpen.

"You said the team is going out for drinks, right?" Penelope asked as they approached the elevator. Much to her surprise, Derek stopped dead in his tracks and turned so he was looking her dead in the eyes.

"No, Penelope."

Flustered, she only just managed to stammer, "But you said-"

"I said, 'Go out with me tonight,'" he reminded her, and reached forward to rub her shoulders as he spoke. "As in, you and me. Tonight. Dinner."

Penelope's eyes went wide and her heart rate spiked exponentially. "Dinner," she repeated, her voice an octave too high. "That's, wow, Derek, that's, um, new for us."

"Well, it shouldn't be," Morgan said fiercely. The elevator dinged loudly to announce its arrival, and he fluidly moved from rubbing her shoulders to holding her hand and guiding her inside. "I'm only doing what I should've done ages ago," he whispered, leaning in closer than was really work appropriate until she could feel his hot, minty fresh breath on her neck.

"Um, Morgan, what're y-" her question was interrupted by a pair of lips slamming against hers while two familiar hands made their way to not-so-familiar body parts.

"Derek!" She exclaimed, pushing him away when he finally came up for air. "What are you doing?" She cried.

Her deer-in-the-headlights look shook Derek to the core. This was not going how he'd planned it at all; she was supposed to look turned on, not terrified!

"Shit," he murmured, and ran a hand across his head. He'd really screwed up.

After a moment, he looked back towards her. "I'm sorry, Penelope. I guess I just thought you wanted-"

"Once upon a time, maybe," she answered quietly, hurt and confusion radiating from her voice, "but I just can't risk losing you or losing what we have together! I despise change, Derek; you know that!

He nodded silently and pulled his girl into a safe, familiar hug as the elevator doors dinged open again on the ground floor. "See you in the morning, Baby Girl," he whispered, and with a final glance over her shoulder, she disappeared out the door.

He could do friends. He'd been doing friends for years, always thinking he still had to be more with her when he was ready.

Now he'd waited too long.