Learning Curve Part Four
Penelope let herself back into her apartment and face to face with Lola, who was bleary-eyed, naked, and holding a cup of coffee. "Where did you go?" Lola asked. "I worried and you didn't take your phone -"
"I had a nightmare," Penelope sighed, moving to the coffee pot. "I didn't want to wake you up - I know today's a big day for you."
"So you sleepwalk when you have nightmares? Is that what I am learning?"
"Oh god no!" Penelope groaned. "I don't sleep walk."
"So then where did you go?"
Penelope was silent.
"Is it that bad you can't tell me, like really?"
"I went to Derek."
Lola was silent for a moment. Then she cocked her head and said, "Did it help?"
"I went back to sleep," Penelope said, "so I guess it did."
"So I should just expect you to bolt when you have a nightmare?"
"No - most of the time, when I have a nightmare, I lie awake in bed and cry," Penelope admitted. "It's just... the bad ones, the ones where I relive getting shot... those, I need Derek to cope with. He was with me every day after I was shot - he helped me every step of the way and he promised to be there if I need him."
"So I just get to play second fiddle to Derek?"
"No, nothing like that at all."
"That's what it is sounding like to me."
"I promised him I would never stop talking to him and he promised me he would protect me every day of my life."
"I don't get it." Lola said with her hands in the air, "Maybe I just don't get men?"
"What do you mean?"
"The man is head over fucking heels in love with you, but he won't make a damn move," Lola said. "He's just sitting there, being miserably jealous because I happened to scoop you up."
"No, it's not like that," Penelope protested. "He's just my best friend."
"Really?" Lola asked.
"Really, really," Penelope said firmly.
"You don't fantasize about him fucking you?"
Penelope blanched. "Not as much as I used to," she mumbled. "I wouldn't be with you if I didn't want you, Lola - I want you and I need you."
"No more sneaking out in the middle of the night to see him," Lola warned. "Seriously - "
"No more," Penelope promised.
Lola gave her a warm, passionate kiss that tasted like coffee and honey. Penelope moaned, deepening the kiss, loving the feel of Lola's tongue stroking against hers, arousing feelings that had been dormant for a lifetime. "We have time before we have to go to work," Lola murmured suggestively, leading Penelope back to bed.
They were a frenzy of touching, thrusting, kissing, fingers and lips, pressure and feather-light strokes. But there was something missing - and not exactly talking about the lack of penis, either. It was almost like the zing was gone already.
Penelope sighed when she crawled out of bed to hit the shower, she hated to admit it but she missed Derek. She could still smell his cologne on her shirt; it wasn't that he bathed in it, but he always smelled so good. It made her shiver. Her mind drifted to him, touching, feeling, kissing and caressing. She began to touch herself whilst in the shower, before too long another orgasm rocked her body.
What the hell was she going to do now?
XXXX
She didn't have to worry too much about it. The team was gone for six weeks, and in that six weeks, almost all she did was work. She was too tired to do anything but fuck Lola and collapse into bed. And at the end of the case, she was so tired of seeing sick images and horrifying videos that she didn't even want to welcome her heroes home.
"We're going out," she announced to Lola on the phone. "Just you and me - we're going out tonight and I reserved a hotel room and I just don't give a damn. I'm so tired of work."
"What about the team, don't you always welcome them home - do your thing with them?"
"I want this to be about me and you - only me and you."
"I don't want to come between you and your job," Lola announced. "I thought you would be doing stuff with them; so when we decided to go celebrate the bill, I thought you'd be with them at work."
"Oh - "
"I could call and cancel - "
"No, don't bother, I don't want to come between you and your peeps either."
"Babycakes, if you want me to -"
"I'll just go by myself," Penelope said hollowly. "It's just... we haven't really had much time together lately and I don't want you to think you need to go hunting for new pussy already."
"I wouldn't think that," Lola interjected.
"I'd hope not, but these jobs really get in the way of relationships; I saw it with Kevin and the rest of them."
"I want you, how about I meet you after? We can compromise?"
"Sounds good."
XXXX
Penelope was all settled in watching TV when her phone went off. She assumed it was Lola, looking at the caller display she realized it was not.
"Derek."
"Where are you?" he asked brusquely.
"Does it matter where I am?" she inquired.
"You always come with us after a case - and I stopped at your place to pick you up and you aren't there." His voice was clipped and angry.
"No, you're right - I'm not," she said with a sigh. "I'm not coming tonight. Sunny and I have plans."
"Sunny? I thought you were with Lola -"
"Oh, shut up," she muttered. "Stop acting like a jealous fool, Derek - Lola and I have plans. What is your problem, anyway? You never talk to me anymore."
"I don't like being a third-wheel."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think your girlfriend is comfortable with me? Do you think she would want me to come over, cuddle with you on the sofa while she sits there munching on popcorn."
"You used to come around when I was dating Kevin."
"Lynch was different."
"How so?"
"He wasn't a chick."
"So Lola's a girl - what does that have to do with anything?" she challenged.
"I like to fuck girls, Penelope, in case you hadn't noticed -"
"Well, you know what? So do I," she said firmly. "You've changed how you treat me ever since you found out I was seeing her."
"Is it serious?" he asked. "You're not just using her to get laid?"
"It's very serious," Penelope ground out through clenched teeth. "Why do you think I'm not out with the team? Because I'm making my relationship work - unlike everyone else."
"Well, I hope it works for you, I really do - you deserve happiness." His voice was full of sadness.
"Well go out and have some fun, Mr Player. Get yourself laid," she joked.
"Naw, I'm just not into it."
"Suit yourself. I am awaiting my girl and we're gonna have us some fun."
"I'll let you go."
Penelope drifted off to sleep and woke up alone.
She checked her phone with blurry eyes (despite her glasses), and read Lola's text. x Ran into your team at the bar - Morgan had some interesting things to say. I'm on my way now. x Penelope didn't know whether to cry or call Derek and yell at him for accosting Lola.
Five minutes later, Lola was slipping into the hotel room and taking off her shoes. "Hey, babycakes," she murmured. "Sorry I'm late - the guys insisted on changing bars and we ran into your team. Did I wake you up?" she asked, taking in Penelope's disheveled appearance and the blaring TV on the news station.
"I was here all by myself, what did you think I'd be doing?"
"I don't know Penelope, you should have gone out with your friends."
"I was more interested in having 'us' time, apparently I was the only one!"
"Penelope, I like ya and all, but a needy woman is not something I can handle now or ever."
"I'm not needy," Penelope snapped. "I just thought that -"
"You just thought that you and I were going to be able to push past the obvious?" Lola shot back. "That I'm a lesbian and you would rather have some dick?"
"Why are you doing this?" Penelope asked. "Two days ago, we were happy -"
"Yeah, well, your friend Morgan? Ask him. I love you to death, Penelope Garcia, but I am not playing second fiddle to that man anymore - period. I'm done, I'm out." Lola threw her hands up in the air.
"Lola, wait." Penelope called after her. She slammed the door and kept walking.
Penelope growled, "Derek Morgan when I get my hands on you - you will rue the day you opened that mouth of yours."
She packed her things up and headed to his house, she was not going to sleep until she got some answers.
Every light in his house was blazing when she arrived and his front door was wide open - something quite unusual. She heard off-key singing somewhere and then a female giggle.
That's when she walked away and closed the door behind her.