Don't Want To Live Without

Chapter Two

Mid-July 2010

Five weeks down. Eleven more to go.

Derek was getting through his time in New York okay but only because Penelope checked in with him everyday. She would call him or set up video conferencing.

They got into a routine of talking all during their lunch hours, when he wasn't in the field, and also late at night when he was doing paperwork in his office. Her voice would soothe away the aches inside of him and ease the memories of the brutality he saw each day.

He needed those chats with her to keep him sane. But just speaking to her over the phone, or seeing her on a computer screen, was not enough.

Everyday that passed he became more determined to find a way to make her his woman when he went back to Virginia. To really woo her. She loved him as a friend and she was attracted to him. Certainly he had all the reason in the world to hope he could win her heart.

Now he was living on that hope as much as he was living on air, water and food.

He walked into the field office in the middle of the day, with his team trailing behind him, after they had been out on a case. Derek headed straight for his office.

As he approached the door he could look through the glass and see Penelope sitting on the couch in there, reading a magazine. Half thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him he jogged across the bullpen and into the office. "Baby girl."

She looked up and smiled, nervously. "Oh, hey, Hot Stuff! I was hoping you'd get back soon. I could have went back to the hotel but I didn't come all this way to sit in a hotel. I came to see the most gorgeous acting unit chief in the whole world."

"Get over here, girl."

She stood up and walked near him, until his arms wrapped around her, and they shared a long hug.

XXXXXX

Being in his arms felt so right. Penelope had fretted over if she should make this trip but, now that she was here, she had no more doubts. She needed to be near him again.

The last five weeks were harder than she let on to him over the phone. She missed seeing him. It was different than when he was on a case because she always knew he'd be back a lot sooner than four months when he was working at the BAU. The nearly three months Derek had left on this assignment stretched in front of her like a punishment and she needed to find a way to make them bearable.

Visiting him was her solution.

He looked down at her. "Did you think you had to surprise me? Like I wouldn't want you to come see me? I miss you every second, silly girl. I would have tried to free up my schedule if I knew you planned to come up here."

"I always teased you that I would show up here out of the blue and ravish you."

He chuckled. Reaching behind him he pushed close the door. "You tease a lot of things, pretty mama."

"Very true and you love my teasing. But sometimes what I don't say is what you need to hear most....so what I haven't been saying since you left is....it sucks to be back there without you. Hotch gave us some time off at the last minute and there was just one place I wanted be. So voila! One train ride later and I'm in front of the gorgeous dream boat who has had me drooling over his fine body since the day we met."

He swallowed hard. "I'm very happy to have you here. How long can you stay?"

"Just three days."

He nodded and then SA Lena Hernandez knocked on the door. She was in her thirties and very sexy. But on the job she was all professional, for which Derek was glad because he certainly didn't need anyone hitting on him at work. This was not the BAU, where all the women learned pretty quick after Garcia joined that Derek was not going to hook up with any of them. He didn't want that kind of drama in his life. The only person at work he would ever flirt with would be his baby girl.

"Come in," Derek said

SA Hernandez said "Sorry to interrupt, sir, but I wanted to let you know that I just called the hospital and Kellerman is ready to be released. Can I go pick him up?"

"That's fine. Take the rest of the day. Get him home and fed."

"Yes, sir."

"Hernandez, I'd like you to meet Penelope Garcia. Penelope this is one of the members of my team: SA Lena Hernandez."

They exchanged hellos and Lena said "You're the one in all his pictures."

Penelope smiled and looked at his desk. Sure enough there with several photos of her there. One of his mom and sisters, all together, and one of his nephews.

Penelope answered "Guilty as charged."

Hernandez smiled at her as if she knew that Penelope and Derek were sleeping together.

Derek said "Kellerman is waiting. Take off, Hernandez. And, this time, try not to destroy any vehicle that doesn't belong to you. I don't feel like spending anymore hours on the phone explaining how you've crashed another SUV."

"I'll drive the limit and obey all traffic laws," she promised, dutifully, as she left.

Derek closed the door and told Penelope "That will be the day."

"One of your team was injured today?"

Derek rubbed the back of his neck. "Last week. He's on the mend now."

"A bad day, huh?"

"They're all bad when my baby girl is hundreds of miles away."

"Aw, such a sweet talker. I missed you too."

"So what was that you said about a hotel?" He walked behind his desk and sat down. "Forget about it, woman. You're staying with me, hard head, and I don't want to hear another word about it."

She smiled. "Okay."

He grinned widely and then picked up his phone. He said "I'll get you a car service to take you to my place. Order us some dinner. I'll be home around eight, paperwork done or not, cause nothing is making me miss out on having dinner with my baby."

She kept smiling from ear-to-ear as he called for the car and then walked her downstairs. He gave her another long hug before they parted. She had his keys and the code for the alarm so she could get into his place.

XXXXXX

For once Derek was happy to come home to his apartment in NYC. He walked in to find Penelope on the couch, dressed in some jogging pants and a pink t-shirt with her hair in pigtails, playing his game system.

She grinned. "Hey, sweetness, I'm so uber awesome at this that you do not stand a chance of beating me. You shouldn't even bother to try cause you'll just be embarrassed."

He kicked off his shoes, pulled off his tie, and then joined her on the couch. Wrapping one arm around her back he nuzzled her neck.

She kept playing but let out a happy sigh. "Clooney greets me the same way every night when I come home."

Derek tickled her until she dropped the controller. She ended up on her back as he hovered over her on the couch. Looking down, with his hands on either side of her, he said "God, I have missed you, baby girl- very, very much." He gave her a kiss on the forehead and then sat up. "All right. I'm starving. Lets chow down."

She pouted. "Loving up on me is forgotten in favor of food? I see how you are, buddy."

He smirked at her. "I need my strength to properly love up on you."

They ended up eating the take out on his couch and then watching some TV. Derek had his head on Penelope's lap. He fell asleep before the first commercial.

She started to talk to him and then looked down, realizing his was out already. She caressed his head. "Sweet dreams, handsome."

After a few more hours of watching TV she was exhausted so she slipped his head onto the couch, found a sheet to cover him up with, and went to the guest room to sleep.

XXXXXX

Derek woke in the middle of the night. For a moment he thought it was any other night when he crashed on his couch from exhaustion, not even making it to his bedroom because it suddenly seemed too far away to bother, but then he turned his head and saw a ponytail clip on the coffee table.

A grin curved his lips. His baby girl was there.

Groaning, from his aching body that he put through hell at work the day before, he got up and headed to the bathroom, where he showered and changed into some pajama pants. Then he walked to the guest room to check on his girl.

The door was open. He looked in and saw her asleep on the bed. For a long moment he just stared at her. What they had was so complicated but, when it all came down to it, what kept them connected was simple: they loved each other crazy amounts.

Sometimes that love caused them to hurt and sometimes it caused them joy. It had been a romantic kind of love all along, but never a physical one. That was something he hoped would change when he went back to Virginia.

For now he was glad that she missed him enough to come and visit him. He just prayed that meant there was no one else who had a chance at winning his girl's heart now but him.

He headed off to his bedroom with a small grin on his lips.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day was a Friday and Derek had to work. The morning flew by, because he knew he could meet Penelope for lunch, but the afternoon dragged and dragged, all the paperwork getting on his last nerves till it was finally time to head home for the weekend.

Penelope had asked him to have his team go to a bar that night so she could meet them all but Derek told her that would have to wait till her next trip because he wanted to have her all to himself this weekend.

She had teased "My next trip? You are getting ahead of yourself, aren't you, my love?"

"Those last two words, silly girl, are all the proof I need that you will bring your cute behind back up here again before the summer is over."

She had smiled sweetly at him as her only answer.

He walked into his apartment with a smile on his lips. "Baby, I'm home. Come give your man some love."

When she walked out of the bedroom she had on a sexy green dress that was low cut. Derek whistled.

She came over and did a little turn in front of him. "You approve?"

"Woman, you are making my knees weak."

She kissed his cheek. "Then my plan is working."

Derek asked "Are we going out for dinner then? Did you make reservations? Cause its hard to get a table in this city."

"I thought you didn't want to share me with the world, Hot Stuff?"

"I don't, baby, but if my girl wants to go out then we'll go out."

"We're eating in. I just thought that tonight I might make one of your long held fantasies come true, after dinner that is."

He raised an eyebrow.

She went on "Dancing with me, of course. What did you think I meant?"

Penelope chuckled as she walked to the kitchen while Derek stood there smiling.