A/N: Thanks to everyone who took time to review the first chapter. I hope this lives up to your expectations!

Pen's heart was in her mouth as she drove over to Derek's. Should she be doing this? Was she ready to admit how she felt? Would Derek listen? Her mind held a thousand questions, but her heart had no answers.

She parked outside his building and took several breaths to calm herself. Why was she freaking out so badly? It was only Derek; he'd been her best friend for years. Hadn't she talked with him about her dating problems in the past? Didn't he ask for her advice on a few women back in the day?

But that was someone else, and this is you and him, a voice whispered inside her head. Of course. This was the most personal Pen planned on going with Derek so far. For her, talking about the death of her parents or estranged brothers was nothing. Confessing her hidden love was everything. His reaction would determine whether her heart would break or be super glued together.

The memory of the night she was shot came to the front of her mind then. Why didn't she take him seriously when he told her he loved her? Didn't he realize she was serious about the way she felt too?

The 'kinda' love in Alaska was bogus. Their feelings ran deeper than that. They both thought they knew the other well, but did they? Pen and Derek couldn't see they were in love with one another all these years. How could they claim to be best friends, when it'd taken Kevin to point it out?

She wondered if he could hear her heart pounding as she knocked on his door. She could hear Clooney barking, and saw the front blinds move as he checked to see who it was.

He opened the door with a big smile. "Baby Girl! I didn't know you were coming over!"

"I know its short notice, but can we talk? I need to tell you something," Pen quickly spit out. She could not lose her nerve. She'd come this far, and she was telling him. It was a now or never situation.

He motioned for her to come in and sit with him on the couch. "What's up?"

"I've decided not to marry Kevin," Pen started. "To be honest, I don't think marriage is the way to go in our relationship. It just wouldn't work out."

"Oh," Derek said. "Was Lynch okay with it?"

"Not at first. He's been really upset for the last few days. I went to talk to him today though, and we smoothed things out nicely. It's all water under the bridge now."

"That's good to know. Are the two of you still together?"

"No. We mutually decided to go our separate ways.

Derek seemed to be at a loss for words. "If that's what you wanted then I'm happy for you," he said.

"With Kevin, it was exactly what I wanted. But I don't plan on keeping my single status for long." Pen said, avoiding his eyes.

"Oh really? Crushing on someone new?" Derek teased.

"You could say that," Pen replied, a sudden boost in confidence surprising her. "But I think I passed the 'crush' stage long ago."

Pen could almost see the color drain from his face. Was Kevin right? Did Derek have feelings for her?

"Who's the lucky man? Do I know him?" Derek asked. He was trying to keep emotion out of his voice.

Pen gave him a small smile. "I'd say you know him well."

His eyebrows shot up. "It's not Hotch, Rossi, or Reid, is it?"

Pen laughed. "No, they're all like brothers to me. This guy could never consider me a sisterly figure to him."

Derek seemed to be thinking hard. Pen wanted to say: Hot Stuff it's so obvious who it is. Can't you tell I love you?

She kept silent and Derek finally said: "Can you tell me now? I'd really like to know who he is."

"Well," Pen said. "He likes to call me Baby Girl all the time."

A/N: Ooh, a cliffhanger! What will happen next? You'll have to show me how much you wanna know by pressing the review button! Thanks for reading! : )