Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing!
A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews, and thank you for those that said how disappointed you would if I were to give up writing – it's still a little bit of an idea, but I'm hoping it's just the stress I'm under at the moment! So hang in tight, and we'll see where we go!
For now enjoy!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Everyone Loves Derek Morgan -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Rolling onto his back, Derek waited for the thud of his dog to hit the mattress. He had woken up to the sound of Clooney smacking into the door enough to open it for his grand entrance and now as the big puppy jumped onto the bed, he waited for the normal routine. Clooney would lick his face enough to make his master get up to feed him and then he would go back to living a good dog life.
As the dog whimpered a hello, Derek realised that this life was tiring him. He didn't want this wake up for the rest of his life. He was fed up of this loneliness, and even one night stands weren't making wake ups decent. He didn't want different women in his bed anymore – Christ, he was getting way too old for that old routine and he knew the name he was giving himself as a result.
Derek liked to be respected and he worried that that was happening for the wrong reason and from only the female population.
He needed to get serious and seek out the life he was begging his inner self for!
Getting up, he donned some tracksuit bottoms and headed down to feed Clooney, and then quickly grabbed a top and his iPod, before slipping his keys into his pocket so he could get his sneakers on so he could go for a run. He needed out of this mood before he went to work.
Penelope would pick up immediately and quiz him on his downright horrible mood and he couldn't have that. He didn't want her to hear his sob story because the Derek Morgan should never have an issue in the romance department in her eyes.
Going into the morning air, he felt like this run was going to do him the world of good. Yet as he ran along the road, Derek was consciously aware of the eyes watching him, and he ignored it and continued to run. He was only remotely aware of the woman on the other side of the road, crossing and turning back in the direction she had come from to jog next to him.
"Hey," A woman said as she joined him in his pace. "I've not seen you run here before."
Pulling his head phone out, Derek slowed his pace and looked at her, "Sorry, what did you say?" He asked her politely, "I had my music on pretty loud."
"I said," She started as she slowed into a jog, "I haven't seen you run here before."
"Oh no and you won't after today," Derek told her, after all, he changed his running route daily because he didn't want to become predictable. Being in his line of duty taught you to not make yourself a target to possible dangers.
She pouted at that, "Shame." She told him before running off, looking over his shoulder at her.
Pulling to halt at that, Derek looked around and saw multiple women – and men! – staring at him with the same hungry stare and his nerves got the better of him. Putting his headphone back in, he gave up running his extra long jog and turned back towards his house.
It was long before he bolted for the shower and just stood trying to make out what was wrong with the world. Was there a pandemic that had hit Quantico that no one was reporting of? It happened in films all the time, why not reality too? Looking up at the shower, he allowed the water to cascade over his face and wash that concern away. This was real life, zombie apocalypses didn't happen and people didn't get brainwashed from watching too much TV – well not an entire neighbourhood at least! He must have imagined it, after all he always felt like the world was his enemy when he over thought too much.
Stepping out of the shower, he realised he was running late and quickly dressed and grabbed his things together. He shot for the front door, sorting Clooney as he went and then made a mad dash for his car. As he pulled out of his drive, he noticed again all the people around were standing still, watching him and it did nothing but make him want to put his foot to the gas and disappear.
The more he drove and the closer he got to work, the more he realised that people weren't just staring at him around his home. Everyone was staring at him! His nerves were getting completely shot as a result and he was struggling to concentrate as much as he should have been. Pulling into the bureau's car park, he had to smile as the only available parking space around was next to Penelope's old orange Cadillac. Just knowing she was in work already ignited a sense of solace in him as it always did.
Walking through to the lobby, he had to smile; he needed her so bad right now. This world seemed more upside down than ever and he wanted someone to tell him that he was suffering from lack of sleep or the oncoming symptoms of a really bad bout of flu. Anything, but to tell him that he was going completely bonkers.
The stares were too much and Derek ran for the stairs. Everyone seemed to be staring at him and he felt like he was some part of a freak show for everyone to watch. He hated this type of attention! He felt himself feel like he had grown a second head, or had some disgusting growth. Derek Morgan admittedly felt uncomfortable and ugly for the first time in his life! This was not how it was supposed to feel.
Everyone had said hello like normal, all of the security guards, the reception staff, the other workers in the building, but this time it was worse than ever. There were awkward touches of the hands, weird smiles, careful eying up and downs. It was becoming the most uncomfortable day of his life, but he pushed it aside to be down to his mood. It had to be!
As he stepped out on the sixth floor, he found he wasn't safe from anyone, anywhere today.
"Handsome, why are you so out of breath?" Penelope asked as she walked towards him, her smile bright, her eyes questioning. "Not getting old on me now are you?"
Derek chuckled, "Never, Baby Girl, never." He replied and realised that talking to her took away the world around them. His concentration fell directly onto her and only her.
"Good," Penelope chimed back, "Can't be having my favourite action man getting old."
"I'll never get old me," Derek told her back confidently. "I'll be forever young because I have a baby girl to keep me on my toes."
She winked at him, "And don't you forget it either, Sugar."
"Baby, you wouldn't let me if I even tried and plus, I run the risk of being deleted from one world or another by a certain tech Goddess," Derek joked back and watched her nod at him.
"But hey, then I could keep you locked up in my sex cave and claim to be the only one who knows who you are!" She said with a slight shrug, "Things wouldn't be all that bad, Hot Stuff."
He couldn't help but laugh at that idea. He certainly wouldn't complain, but he didn't get the opportunity to tell Penelope that easily as someone walked right towards them.
"Hi, Agent Morgan," Drooled the vixen redhead as she went past, her hand running over his shoulder as she went. The touch intimate and sexual and all she wanted was for him to remember her and want her. Heck, he could follow her and she would take him right there in that very same corridor.
"Er, hi," He responded confused at the unknown woman. He looked to Penelope who was watching the woman and realised that she had a darkened look in her eyes. "Pen?" He said as he reached out to her, "You okay?" He asked as his touch forced her to look at him.
Penelope smiled at him, "Always, Handsome!" She chirped and acted like the moment hadn't happened. "Always got your suitors, ehh?"
"Yeah," Derek chuckled nervously, running a hand over his neck he looked back at the redhead. "Always" He responded and looked back at Penelope.
"Don't get so bashful. Everyone's literally checking you out this morning," Penelope told him teasingly, "Must be that cologne you're wearing." She smelt the air around him and smirked, "Delicious as always."
Trying his hardest not to look around at every set of eyes on him, "You noticed too, huh?"
"The looks or the cologne?" She quizzed him in her normal playful tone.
"The looks," Derek replied lowly, "God, they're everywhere."
"Come on," Penelope put her hand out as she noted his distress at the moment, "Let's get you safely tucked away in your office away from all prying eyes and you can get some peace." She put her hand out for him take, and offered him a calm smile, it brightening as he accepted the simply offer of respite.
After all, with Penelope he didn't feel like he was some form of prey.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Everyone Loves Derek Morgan -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Later that night, the team stood around in a bar, each of them had their own drink and their own banter ready to flow. The team were the only people that weren't watching him intently and with such blood lust. They treated him normal and when people had swamped and mirrored Derek's every more they were there for his protection.
"I didn't get to tell you how beautiful you looked today, Baby," Derek told Penelope as he pushed a curl back behind her ear and watched her blush.
"I make myself so beautiful that you don't even look at me," Penelope teased back. "I make you so mesmerised you just spend all day in a trance."
"Couldn't think of a better trance than that," Derek replied honestly and then felt his hand get snatched and pull her away from Penelope to face towards the door. He was met with a grossly obese woman, someone that had greasy lank hair, her face greasy with it and spotty showing her unhealthy diet. Her breath heavy with exertion.
"Hi Handsome," She breathed all over him. "I saw you from over the other side of the bar. I was wondering if you'd like a dance and a bit of fun."
"I'm sorry," Derek told her and put his hands up, "I'm really not interested." It wasn't that he wasn't interested in women, but she wasn't his type at all. There was no physical attraction or shot of electricity to make him say he was attracted.
"You, my man, do not know what you just threw away," The overweight woman spat at him, huffed and left his side with a stomp.
"Not your type eh, Morgan?" Emily joked with him, still highly amused at seeing Derek Morgan act awkward and scared by the mere presence of a woman.
"I like curves, but that, no," Derek stuttered and then looked at Penelope guiltily. "I have nothing against that woman. Sh- she's just too - She's probably lovely and very sensual, but sh-she's not my type and, God, I sound awful now!" He hung his head in shame.
"It's fine, Handsome. You're not evil for not being attracted to every type of woman," Penelope calmed his woes. "I know what your type is and us curvy girls and above don't fit the bill. It's fine, we're not girls that every man's attracted to."
"Oh you, Sweet Thing, are exactly what I'm attracted too," Derek almost growled sexually as he pulled her close to his side.
"Of course I am," She giggled back at him as she watched him.
Penelope was mid laughter when she was shoved backwards as a bombardment of women took over and surrounded Derek cutting her out entirely. She looked at the team and back at the women and felt a part of her sadden at Derek's ignorance of her sudden mistreatment from all of these random women. However, this was just standard! She was used to this outcome at the end of the night.
She watched Derek lap up the attention after a day of trying to avoid it. He was in his comfort zone in a bar after all. This was his hunting ground and the fact that people were throwing themselves at him upped the ante and gave him every possible type of woman available. Even some of the men were trying and getting turned away! Yet Derek was in heaven now and even Penelope couldn't deny that he was happy after being miserable all day.
He was especially happy when the skinniest girl of them all practically sat on his lap and his attention sat firmly on her. He eyed her up with intent and spoke into her ear making her giggle at whatever was said. Her following response was to kiss his cheek and whisper back.
This was how life was always going to be – she was never going to be the hot girl that Derek took home – But God was she going to fight for him this time. She deserved at least one chance!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Everyone Loves Derek Morgan -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-