Chapter 2

AN: Thanks for the reviews, everyone. This originally was going to be a one shot, but my friend and fellow writer, JenRar, said I couldn't leave it there. It's a three shot now. The video of Shemar singing to Kirsten while smoking is on facebook, on the Kirsten Vangsness Fanpage. Click "more posts" a couple of times...you'll find it. PS. I am on week two of being completely smoke free!...

"Garcia! Wait!"

Penelope heard the voice of Emily Prentiss calling after her. She knew that JJ would be right with her, but Emily was the one with the loudest mouth—and the biggest opinions. She didn't want anyone else's thoughts right now; her own were not straight in her head yet. She continued running to her car, although that wasn't exactly easy in her super high heels.

She'd almost made it to Esther, when her right heel twisted under her and she stumbled, nearly falling.

"Shit!" she cried, uncharacteristically swearing, hobbling and hopping on her one foot. The little dance she was doing allowed the other girls to catch up.

"Garcie, come on," JJ said, coming closer to her. "What's wrong?"

"I can't watch him do it anymore," she said, wiping the tears from her face. "I would rather watch him put a gun in his mouth and pull the trigger. That would be a freaking lot faster."

"What?" Emily asked, sounding incredulous. "Who? Watch what?"

"Derek!" she yelled, glaring at Emily.

"Ah," JJ remarked, understanding coming to her slowly but surely. "His smoking."

Emily frowned. "He's smoked for as long as I have known him, and you've known him longer. Why are you so upset now? What gives?"

Penelope tried to slide her fancy stiletto off, but the straps got stuck on her foot. She glanced at the ground, looking for a place to sit that was dry and suitable, before finally giving up and plopping on the dirty curb.

"I know I seemed okay with it before," she growled, unfastening the strap that was giving her trouble. "I'd whine at him and fuss about it, quoting negative cigarette facts...but it's not good enough, now."

"Why?" Em asked again, obviously still confused.

Penelope sighed heavily. "Because that was before I was in love with him."

JJ, good friend that she was, sat on the dirty curb next to her, even though she was wearing white linen pants. "Penelope, you've loved him for ever."

She glared at JJ. "I didn't say just love, did I?"

JJ put both hands up. "Okay. I'll stop."

Now Penelope felt like a total ass. "I'm sorry, Jayje."

Prentiss kicked a few dirt clumps out of the way, and then squatted beside them. "When did you decide you were in love with him?"

Penelope sighed. It was time to come clean, completely clean, with her other best friends. Clear the smoke, she thought with irony.

"I have loved Derek always, have been in love with him for about two years, and knew he was in love with me two months ago."

"Whoa," Prentiss said with a low whistle. She looked over at JJ. "You knew already, didn't you?"

JJ nodded.

Cringing, Penelope added quickly, "Em, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hide anything from you."

Emily's mouth twisted into a guilty, rather uncomfortable looking smile. "Well, don't feel bad about not telling me. I've known Morgan was in love with you for the past four years."

Penelope stared at her. "What?"

Em nodded. "At least."

"How'd...how..."

"You can't be a partner with someone for as long...oh, hell," Emily grumbled, finally taking a seat on the curb next to Penelope.

"You'd better talk, Em," JJ coached gently.

Penelope was still sputtering.

"It's not a huge surprise," Emily groused. "Everyone knows."

"Em," JJ warned.

"Fine." Prentiss sighed, getting the hint. "He's never outright said it, but every time we were away, he talked nonstop about you. What you were doing, what your plans were, and how he fit into those plans. He didn't care that you had someone else; he was content to fit his life in wherever you had room for him." She caught Penelope's eyes with her steely brown ones and held them. "I've always thought he deserved a lot better than that."

Penelope could feel her face crumpling as she wiped the tears away. "I do, too."

"He didn't think so. He was fine just waiting for you, PG," Emily commented, raising an eyebrow at her, exactly like Derek would. "That says something about how the man feels about you, doesn't it?"

P sniffled. "It does."

"So give him a chance," Emily remarked. "I know he's trying. He told me he finally made a move, and you didn't make a move back."

Penelope gasped. "He told you that?"

"Yeah, he did," she said, shaking her head disappointingly. "I went out on a ledge, gave him such hell, too, Garcia. I told him that you loved him like he loved you, and to man up, grow a pair, and ask you, for fuck's sake."

"And you turned him down," JJ added, giving her a chastising look.

"I had to!" Penelope cried, feeling cornered. "He smokes. He promised me he'd quit, and he hasn't. He chose to light up, rather than throw them away and kiss me again."

"You kissed?" Emily asked, her voice rising in excitement as the disappointed look left her face. "Now we're getting somewhere!"

"Garcie," JJ said, patting her knee. "You both deserve the chance to be happy. You'd be good together."

"Don't you know I would give anything to be with him?" Penelope wailed, looking at both of them. "I love him so much, it hurts. He's everything I have ever wanted, all that I have ever needed."

"So take him, faults and all," Emily said. "Garcia, all men have some faults. No man is perfect."

"Not all have one that will kill them," she quipped.

Emily bit her lip, before responding, "True...but not all love you to distraction like he does."

"He is trying to quit," JJ said, her blue eyes so sad, echoing the hurt Penelope felt in her heart. "That means a lot, Garcie."

Emily chuckled. "Yeah. He pops that gum like it's tasty, and it's not. I took a piece because I needed something to wet my whistle, and it tasted like shit." She shuddered—most likely an exaggeration, but a well meaning one.

JJ added, "Penelope, Morgan cares for you, very, very much. As much as you care for him. The whole team know how in love the two of you are. It was destiny from day one with you two."

Pen sniffled again and wiped her nose. "Yeah...he loves me so much, he lit another cigarette as I was leaving."

JJ frowned. "I don't know why he did that, but I do know—"

"If she wants to know," a deep voice sounded from behind them, causing them all to jump, "she should ask me."