Disclaimer: I absolutely, positively do not own Criminal Minds.
Just a little something while I'm working on 'Nightmares'. I'm not sure yet if this is going to be a one shot or if there will be more chapters. And thanks to MrsPenelopeMorgan for beta reading!
Morgan leaned back in his chair and watched as she talked happily to Emily on the other side of the bullpen. Her soft blonde curls cascaded around her shoulders forming a golden halo, which made her look even more like the angel he knew she was. Her luscious red lips were curled up into a smile and he wanted nothing more than to capture them with his own. A contented smile appeared on his face when he heard her laugh. Her laugh was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard and it always made him smile. No matter the situation the sound of her voice or her angelic laugh seemed to calm him and his worries would soon melt away.
He continued to watch her with a smile on his face and a glint in his eyes. She must have felt him staring at her because she looked over at him. She raised her eyebrow at him and he just grinned mischievously at her. She winked at him and blew him a kiss before turning her attention back to an amused Emily.
Morgan smiled even wider and shifted in his seat. Just her simple smile made his heart skip a beat.
Rossi stood leaning back against the railing not far from Morgan's desk with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. He'd seen Morgan staring at Garcia and had watched the exchange that had just taken place. It seems Morgan had finally realized what the rest of them had known for years. And by the looks of it, he was thinking about doing something about it. 'It damn well took him long enough.' Rossi thought to himself with a smirk. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Hotch's number.
"Hotch, it looks like Agent Morgan has finally discovered something having to do with our favorite tech." Rossi said quietly so Morgan wouldn't hear, though he doubted Morgan even noticed he was there since he was still staring at Penelope lost in his only little world. There was a short pause and then Rossi laughed before talking.
"I figured it was time to have a little chat with him." Rossi stated with a glint in his eyes. Once again there was a pause before he continued. "Alright we'll take care of him and Strauss." Rossi said. There was a pause before he laughed again, said goodbye to Hotch and ended the call.
Rossi smirked before walking over to Morgan who was watching as Penelope, Emily, and JJ walked across the bullpen toward Garcia's office. Rossi stopped at Morgan's desk just as the three ladies were passing by. Morgan smiled at them making Emily and JJ roll their eyes with a knowing look while Penelope smiled back sweetly. Morgan turned and watched until they were out of sight. He then turned back around and looked up with a raised eyebrow when he noticed Rossi standing over him.
"What's up?" He asked nonchalantly.
"We need to talk." Rossi stated seriously before motioning for him to follow. Morgan got up and followed with a confused look on his face.
Penelope rolled her eyes as she sat down in her chair and JJ sat in the chair opposite her while Emily sat on the edge of her desk. "Will you two ever give it up?" Penelope asked with a slight laugh, though she secretly wished that they were right.
"Penelope, don't tell me you didn't notice the fact that he was staring at you the whole time you were in the bullpen, not to mention watched you as we were walking to your office." Emily stated. "And he does stuff like that all the time."
"He's just protective." Penelope replied. "He watches after me, just like you guys do. We're a team and a family; that's what we do."
"Hotch, the rest of us, and even Rossi are protective, but Morgan's more than protective of you." JJ told her with smile.
"Face it Pen, it's because he's madly in love with you." Emily said grinning. Penelope smiled and shook her head, but before anymore could be said there was a knock on the door and Reid quietly stepped in.
"Oh, hey guys." Reid said and stuck his hands in his pockets.
"Hey sweetie pie, what's up?" Garcia asked thankful for the distraction.
"I finished all my reports and I was kind of bored." Reid answered with a shrug of his shoulders.
"You're already finished?" Emily asked sounding slightly surprised. "I don't know why that surprises me anymore." She mumbled under her breath when he nodded his head making JJ and Penelope snicker.
"Well Dr. Reid, come on over and have a seat." Penelope said smiling happily.
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"What's this about Rossi?" Morgan asked after Rossi had led him to his office and closed the door.
"Have a seat Morgan." Rossi said motioning to the chair next to the window. Morgan hesitated, but went ahead and sat down as Rossi folded his arms across his chest.
"So what exactly do you plan to do?" Rossi asked him seriously.
"Do about what?" Morgan replied just as seriously.
"Garcia." Rossi answered as he sat on the edge of his desk with his arms still crossed. "What do you plan on doing about your feelings for Garcia?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Morgan answered, though his heart wanted to scream that he was in love with Penelope.
"Cut the crap Morgan. You and I both know that you're in love with her."
"How did you…" Morgan started to ask before Rossi interrupted him.
"It doesn't take a profiler to see it. You may think you hide it well, but whenever she's in the room it's written all over your face." Rossi explained. "Now answer the question." He ordered and stood up straight, his arms remaining crossed over his chest.
"I'm not sure." He answered and looked away.
"You're not sure?" Rossi said disbelievingly. "Morgan…"
"I wanted to ask her out." Morgan stated and looked back up at Rossi.
Rossi nodded before continuing. "You know, when I first met Garcia I knew she was…unique; special." He began. "And as time's gone by I've grown quite fond of her." Rossi said and paused to look Morgan straight in the eye. "You're a very good agent and it'd be a shame to loose you, but if anything were to happen to Garcia because of you…"
"I think I got the point Rossi." Morgan said. "But for the record, I would never do anything I thought might hurt Penelope."
"Well that's good to hear, but let me just remind you that I wouldn't be the only one you'd have to deal with. Hotch wanted to have this talk with you himself, and still might; especially considering how protective he is of his prize technical analyst." Rossi stated with a slight smile on his face. "And then of course there's JJ and Emily who by themselves can be frightening. Not to mention Reid who I'm sure would know how to dispose of a body without leaving any evidence." He said his smile growing at the look on Morgan's face. "And that's just the members of the team, I'm sure there's others out there who would be more than willing to kick you ass if you hurt her." Rossi added.
"Well it's a good thing we'll never have to find out." Morgan stated seriously. "Penelope ismy life Rossi. I love her more than I ever thought I could possibly love anyone. "
"Why are you telling me?" Rossi asked. "I'm not the one you need to say it to, she is"
Morgan nodded before standing and walking towards the door "Oh and Morgan." Rossi said just as Morgan opened the door. He waited until Morgan turned toward him before continuing. "What the hell took you so long?" He said. Morgan smiled and laughed slightly as he turned and left the office.
Rossi followed him out onto the landing and watched as he jogged down the stairs. Hotch came up and stood by the railing next to him. "You two have a good talk?" Hotch asked as they watched Morgan hurry toward Garcia's office.
"I think it went pretty well." Rossi answered with a smirk. "How did it go over with Strauss?"
"She deflated as soon as I mentioned Garcia. She knows that the higher ups wouldn't be too happy if Garcia left." Hotch answered. "You know I'm still going to have a talk with him."
"Yeah, I told him you probably would." Rossi said with a knowing smile. The two glanced at each other and laughed before heading back to their respective offices.
Morgan walked toward Garcia's office with a determined look on his face. When he got to her door he stopped and took a deep breath. He'd been thinking about this for awhile now and this was his chance. He was going to talk to her before his insecurities took over again. He knocked before opening the boor and stepping in. It was then he noticed JJ, Emily, and Reid sitting around her office. JJ and Emily exchanged an amused look and snickered under their breath.
"I think Hotch wanted to see you three." Morgan said looking pointedly at JJ and Emily.
"Yeah, I'm sure Morgan." Emily said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes and stood up.
"You could have just asked us to leave." JJ said rolling her eyes with Emily.
"Why would he want us to leave?" Reid asked as he too stood up.
"Because Reid he wants to have some alone time with Penelope." Emily answered as she and JJ shot Penelope a satisfied look that clearly said 'I told you so'. Penelope just shook her head as if to say they'd lost their minds, before turning her attention to Morgan who was standing by the door watching her.
"What do you need handsome?" She asked as Emily, JJ, and Reid walked passed Morgan on their way out the door. Emily and JJ smirked at Morgan as they passed as JJ closed the door behind them.
After watching them leave Morgan turned back toward Penelope and walked closer to her. "I need to tell you something Penelope" He said and a worried look formed on Garcia's face at the urgency in his voice and the use of her first name.
"Of course Derek, you know you can tell me anything." Penelope said her voice laced with worry and confusion.
Morgan let out a breath of air before kneeling down in front of her and covering her hands with his. "Penelope, baby girl, you mean so much to me and I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't hear your voice everyday. Hold on Penelope, let me say this." He said when it looked as if she was about to say something. He took another deep breath, looked her straight in the eye, and continued.
"You're my lifeline, my sanity, the spark of light that keeps me going. Sometimes I don't know why I bother getting up in the morning, but then I think of you. You give my life purpose;you're that voice in the back of my head that keeps me going in the right direction. Baby Girl, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone or anything in my life. My heart aches for you. I feel so empty whenever you're not around and the thought of not having you in my life scares the hell out of me. You are my life Penelope." Morgan told his voice filled with love and pent up emotion. He reached up and wiped away some of the tears that were running down her face. He could see the love and joy in her eyes, though he could see uncertainty and insecurity there as well, which he knew she could see mirrored in his eyes as well, but he knew they would work through it all together.
"Princess, will you please give me the chance to prove how much I love you?" He asked his eyes full of hope and apprehension as he cupped her cheek using his thumb to wipe away a few more tears that had fallen while his other hand held hers tightly. Penelope nodded, threw her arms around his neck and held on to him tightly as he slipped his arms around her waist pulling them both up so they were standing.
"I love you Penelope." He whispered in her ear as he buried his face in her soft wavy hair, his senses overwhelmed by a scent that was uniquely his Baby Girl's.
"I love you too Derek. I love you so much." She said with tears in her eyes as he nuzzled her neck. Morgan pulled back slightly placing a gentle, yet passionate kiss on her lips. He then leaned his forehead against hers and tightened his hold on her.
"So how does tonight sound for our first official date?" He asked with a grin spreading across his face.
"You don't waste anytime do you Hot Stuff." Penelope stated and laughed.
"I've already wasted time enough Baby Girl."
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"He's been in there for like twenty minutes." Emily said looking toward Garcia's office.
"Twenty-two minutes and thirty four seconds actually." Reid stated looking over a file.
"Not that he's counting or anything." JJ added with a knowing look as she sat on the edge of a desk.
"Okay that's it, I'm going to go see what they're up to." Emily relented and started to stand up.
"Don't you have reports that need to be done?" Hotch stated more than asked as he and Rossi walked into the bullpen nonchalantly reading a file.
"You two know something don't you?" JJ said and stood with her arms crossed.
"We know a lot of things." Rossi replied with a smirk.
"Is it about Morgan and Garcia?" Reid asked. Hotch looked up from his file and raised an eyebrow before walking back to his office with a slight smile.
"Rossi?" Emily asked looking over at the still smirking agent.
"Morgan and I may or may not have had a 'man to man talk' earlier." He replied. "You might want to get started on those reports Emily before Hotch gets back." Rossi said then walked away to his own office.
JJ, Emily, and Reid smiled at each other before reluctantly going back to their work.
So did you guys like it? Should I do another chapter or just leave it as is? Let me know what you think!!