AN: It's like I'm addicted to writing this story. I've never even considered putting up three chapters in under 24 hours before. Things just keep popping into my head.
MN: What she said. Shhhhh, writing!
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Derek had been awake for five minutes, just enjoying himself. Penelope was still snuggled into him, one of her legs hooked over his. She really was his solace. The place he felt safe and warm and…
Whole.
It wasn't the first time he'd allowed to admit to himself that "whole" was exactly how Penelope Garcia made him feel, but it was something he tried desperately to ignore most of the time. He couldn't go there with her. She deserved better than an emotionally damaged profiler. Which is why he had relegated himself to the title of best friend years ago.
It had broken his heart to watch her waste so many years on Lynch when she deserved so much better. But it had broken his heart when she'd told him they'd split up. She wouldn't even tell him what had happened, so it must have hurt, despite her insistence that she was still friends with the dweeb.
It had been three weeks since he'd gotten back from Phoenix. And for three weeks they had been doing this several nights a week when he was in town. It was always the same thing. One or both of them would have a bad day. Or just be feeling off. And definitely after he got back in from working a case out of town.
They'd get dinner, or pick up take out, or order a pizza, or cook. Then they'd watch a movie or TV. Or just talk. Or just sit together. Then they'd curl up in bed together. His or hers, it didn't matter. Once they'd even fallen asleep on his couch. But that didn't matter. What mattered is, they were sleeping.
They were the two of the team that had traditionally had the hardest time sleeping. He because he couldn't get to sleep; she because the nightmares and images from cases would rip sleep from her. Now, he was regularly getting eight or more hours of sleep when he used to average three or four.
Even when he'd been gone on cases things had been better. The nights he had managed to make it back to the hotels he would curl up in bed and call her. And they would leave the line between them open as they drifted off to sleep. For the first time since joining the BAU, he had slept 6 straight hours while on a case.
The only problem he had with the entire arrangement was that sleep was all it was. The more he got to hold her in his arms in bed, the harder it got not to tell her how he felt about her. But that was pointless. He'd told her before and she'd almost immediately started dating Lynch. Obviously she didn't feel the same way.
She stirred against him and slowly raised a sleepy head. "Good morning, Hot Stuff."
An automatic grin curled its way onto his lips. "I'll show you a good morning, Angel."
"Promises, promises." She rolled off of him and stretched lazily then glanced at the clock. "We better get moving. You have absolutely nothing for breakfast in your kitchen. We're going to have to stop."
Derek shook his head as he swung himself into a sitting position. "You're on your own for that one Babydoll. I have a breakfast meeting with the Wicked Witch."
She giggled at his use of her nickname for the section chief. "I hope Hotch isn't going too. She's likely to poison his apple."
He stared at her for a moment then they both burst out laughing. By the time they regained control of themselves he had a stitch in his side and there were tears rolling down her cheeks. Catching his breath, he stood. "I'll go start coffee. You need to get your ass in the shower, Woman."
He grabbed the t-shirt from where he'd tossed it on a chair the night before and slipped it on as he left the room. He knew she would have set up the coffee maker the night before as she always did, so he only had to hit a button. He let Clooney out the door to go for his morning romp in the yard, then went into the living room and flipped on the TV, tuning it in to his favorite news channel as he heard the shower turn on.
He wandered back to the kitchen to fix his cup of coffee before returning with it to sit on the couch. As he leaned back and enjoyed the aroma of the steam coming out of his mug, his mind was far from paying attention to the news.
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"Earth to Agent Morgan."
The sound of Rossi's voice snapped him from his thoughts. "What?"
He had snapped the word, mostly out of embarrassment from tuning out his teammates. Rossi just shook his head.
"Reid just asked you if you were up for going out tonight."
The younger man cocked an eyebrow inquisitively. "Right. Guys night out. JJ said that she and Blake and Garcia are taking Beth Clemmons for dinner and shopping tonight. I thought it might be a good opportunity for the four of us to do some bonding."
Even Hotch was smiling. Obviously, every one of them thought the night out was a good idea. They hadn't had a bro night since Maeve… Actually, it sounded like it could be the distraction he needed. "Sounds good. Everybody ready to go?"
The four of them had walked to a place near the office. They had been there regularly over the years. It had decent food and great drink specials and tended to be a mellow atmosphere. They took a booth in the back and ordered meals and beers. Even Rossi had skipped his usual wine with dinner.
Derek had to admit to himself, he was having a great time. Except for the ever responsible Hotch, they had switched from beer to liquor after dinner. They were talking, laughing, joking. It was almost as though the past couple of years hadn't seen all of them hurt and depressed.
It was shortly after they'd finished eating that the first text had come through.
Having fun with the boys, HS?
He'd texted her back, agreeing that he was and asking how her evening was. They'd casually texted back and forth since.
"Alright, what's her name?"
Derek sent the message then looked up at Reid. "What's whose name, Boy Wonder?"
Reid made a show of rolling his eyes. "You've had your phone in your hand for the last 52 minutes. Every time it vibrates, you check it and smile. Then reply. The obvious reason for this is that you are exchanging messages with a woman."
He prayed his wasn't blushing. Sometimes his friend's habit of bluntly stating observations and inferences was annoying. "You're wrong, Kid. Just texting Garcia."
That peaked Hotch's interest. "Oh? Getting any good dirt on Ladies Night? Like what they are doing to poor Beth?"
Derek shook his head. "Sorry. All I know is that they're having fun. And Will is going to scream when he opens JJ's credit card bill next month."
Once again the four shared a laugh. As they quieted back down, the young man who had been serving them delivered another round of drinks and they all remained quiet for a few minutes, until Reid popped to his feet. "I read a book last week on the rules of playing darts. I've wanted to try them out. Anyone want to play with me?"
Derek shook his hands and put up his hands, looking at Hotch and Rossi. "Oh no. Not it. I was the poor sucker who played with him after he read three books on shooting pool. It's someone else's turn."
To his surprise it was Hotch who stood. "I'm game." The pair walked off toward the dart boards on the other side of the bar.
Instead of relaxing, Derek suddenly found himself bristling under the evaluating stare of David Rossi. He knew that look. "Are you profiling me?"
Rossi smiled his cocky, half smile. It annoyed Derek. "No. I'm just trying to figure out exactly what is going on between you and our Kitten. Something has changed. And you keep showing up to work together. And leaving together."
"We're friends. We meet for coffee or have dinner together quite frequently you know."
Rossi's smile grew. "Oh I know, but you don't show up for work in the same car if you met for coffee. You live in different parts of town. Same reason you wouldn't leave for dinner in one car. No, I'm fairly certain that the two of you are sleeping together."
Derek choked on his drink. "I…we…" He sighed. He'd been played. "It's not what you think, Dave."
"Then what is it?"
He was torn. He had been wanting to talk to someone about the whole damned situation. But Rossi was likely to tease him mercilessly about it. Hell, he was already going to tease him. Why not get things off his chest. "Okay, we're sleeping together. But that's it. I literally mean sleeping together."
Rossi cocked an eyebrow at him. "You mean you're not having sex?"
Derek dragged a hand down his face. "Exactly. It started after that case in Phoenix. When I went to leave the office, my car was dead. She was leaving too, offered me a ride home. We grabbed dinner on the way. She made me talk out how I was feeling about the case. It was late, so she stayed."
The older man's confusion was written all over his face. "In your bed?"
"Yes. I mean no. I mean, not at first." He swallowed a gulp of his drink. "I couldn't sleep. Not unusual. But I guess she had a nightmare. Came to check on me. And she looked so terrified that I told her to stay. But then, I actually slept. Like really slept. For ten hours. And she did too. So two nights later when I couldn't sleep, I ended up at her place. And we just slept. And now…"
"And now it's a regular occurrence?"
Derek couldn't meet his eyes. "Consistently. Probably five nights a week if we're in town."
"And?"
"And what?" Derek fiddled with his glass.
"And what's the problem? Other than the fact that you're head over heels in love with her, that is."
Derek's head shot up in shock, his jaw slackening. Rossi had the audacity to laugh at him.
"Oh come on. Don't tell me you are the only one who doesn't see it. Hell, a week after she started, Blake asked me how long you two had been together. She thought I was lying when I said you weren't."
Derek slammed back his drink in one smooth movement. Luckily, he was saved from any further discussion of the matter when Reid and Hotch returned. He needed to distract himself from the conversation, and fast. "Alright. It's shot time."
He immediately slid out of his seat and headed for the bar.
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"You called them?" Reid sounded as indignant as Derek felt, but Hotch just smiled.
"We are all drunk. We need rides home. So, yes, I called them. And for the record, I have dibs on Beth. The three of you can duke it out over JJ, Garcia, and Blake."
Derek and Rossi answered at almost the same time.
"Garcia."
"Blake."
Reid blanched. "Please guys. You can't make me ride home alone with JJ. She's gonna be mad at me!"
Derek laughed. Reid was drunk enough to use slang. "Come on, Kid. She isn't going to be mad. She's more likely to fawn over you. Ask you if you're 'okay'. Ask you why you felt the need to get drunk."
Reid waggled a finger at him. "I didn't feel the need. You felt the need to keep giving me shots. Lots of shots." If he'd had more to say, he didn't get to it.
Four cars pulled up at the curb in succession. The drivers got out and walked toward them. They didn't look mad. He couldn't be sure with Blake though. She was hard to read, especially when he was so thoroughly inebriated.
Garcia was the first to speak. "Alright, Hot Stuff. Come on."
No longer feeling indignant in the least, he took one very crooked step in her direction before she was at his side, arm around his waist. He laid an arm around her shoulders and pressed a noisy kill on the top of her head. "Whatever you say, Baby Girl."
Once he was belted in to her passenger seat, he looked out the window at his friends. The normally stoic Hotch was grinning wildly as Beth led him to her car. By his tie. Rossi was already climbing in Blake's passenger seat. And Reid was shuffling along behind JJ, looking like a scolded child.
"What were you four drinking?" He turned toward her voice and grinned sheepishly.
"Everything."
She rolled her eyes as she put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb. "You are going to regret that in the morning, Derek Morgan."
"I'm sure I'll live. So, Gorgeous, your place or mine?"
"Mine's closer."
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AN: Okay, seriously, did anyone else laugh out loud at Beth leading Hotch by his tie? Cause when Sebby suggested that, I about died. I am going to try to get the Garcia version of this up tonight.
