"I missed you, too," Penelope managed to choke out through her sobs. She was horrified by her display. She knew what she looked like when she was crying, and it wasn't pretty.

He laughed softly. "Then why are you crying?" he asked as he looked down at her.

"I don't know," she wailed.

Derek let one arm fall to the hem of his shirt and lifted it to wipe at the tears falling down her cheeks.

She wrinkled her nose distastefully. "You don't smell very good," she informed him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "If I'd known you were gonna be here, I would have dressed for the occasion."

She lifted her face to his, and he kissed her softly. He could taste the salt from her tears and tightened his hold on her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he pulled away.

"I've been looking for a change for a while," she said. "Quantico was at the top of my list…when I was ready."

Why not Chicago? he almost asked, but kept the thought to himself.

"And after the Boston conference, Aaron Hotchner kept in contact with me. When the Technical Analyst for the BAU left, he called and offered me the job on the spot."

"You're working in the BAU?" Derek asked in surprise.

She nodded.

"I work in the BAU," he informed her.

Penelope grinned weakly. "I kind of figured that out."

Derek winced. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding," he said softly.

Penelope shook her head. "I'm sorry for getting upset," she said. "It wouldn't be any of my business even if you were expecting a baby with another woman. I mean…It's not like you owe me anything."

He frowned at her statement.

"Derek?" she said. "Are you OK?"

"No," he said quietly. "I'm just thinking about how little you really know me," he told her. Her statement had proven that.

"I'm sorry," she said.

He shook his head slowly. "Don't be sorry," he said as he smiled at her. But it wasn't a happy smile; it was more of a sad one. Wistful, really. But it was only a moment before it turned genuine. "We have all the time in the world to get to know each other now," he said, leaning down to give her a quick peck on the lips.

The sound of a clearing throat caused them to jump apart. "So I see you've met SSA Derek Morgan," JJ said with an amused grin.

Penelope nodded slowly. "I have," she agreed.

"Are you gonna greet the rest of the team the same way?" she teased.

Derek practically growled. "No," he ground out. "She is not."

Penelope pursed her lips to keep from laughing. Amazing how she could go from sobbing to smiling in a matter of minutes.

___

"I'm gonna have company tonight," Derek said as he raced into his apartment. "The girly kind. Hey, Clooney," he said, giving his pooch a scratch behind the ears. He looked back up at his sister. "And you're more than welcome to stay, but I plan on making her scream."

Desiree wrinkled her nose. "Like I'm gonna stay for that."

"Exactly," Derek said with a curt nod.

"Can't you go to her place?" Desiree asked impatiently.

Derek shook his head. "Nope. I've had her in four different hotels in Boston. Tonight, I'm gonna have her in my bed."

Desiree's jaw dropped. "Ever heard of TMI?"

"Des, you know I love you," Derek told her, ignoring her comment.

"I know you do—"

"But you're acting like a spoiled brat right now. You're about to be a mother. It's time to get your shit together and go home."

"But—"

"No buts, Des. Get it together. Your ticket is waiting at the airport."

"What?"

"Your flight leaves in a few hours. If you want a ride to the airport, I'll give you one. But you're done using me to play your games."

"Derek—"

"Des, I've been letting you stay with me because I thought that it would eventually sink in that you're an adult and you'd go home to your husband. But it hasn't sunk in, and I'm tired of waiting."

"You're being kind of a jerk," she muttered.

"And you're being kind of a baby," he shot back.

"I can't believe you're doing all of this for a roll in the hay," she said.

"She's not just a roll in the hay," Derek said, pulling his vacuum cleaner out of the hall closet. He plugged it in and looked at his sister. "What are you gonna do, Des?" he asked.

She sighed. "First of all, I'm gonna grill you about the girl. What do you mean, 'she's not just another roll in the hay?' Everyone has been a roll in the hay since Justine broke off your engagement."

"This one's different," he said.

"Well, what's different about her?"

"She doesn't ask a lot of questions, for one," he said with annoyance.

Desiree laughed. "Yes, well, she's not your sister."

"Thank God," Derek agreed.

"I'll go pack my things," she said. "But I am not going back to Chad!"

"Are, too!" he yelled as she started up the stairs.

"Derek, he's being a jerk!" she insisted.

"Des, if you run away when he tries to be honest with you, how is he ever gonna be able to be honest with you? The guy has cold feet about becoming a father. So what? He's a twenty-three year old man. Of course he's got cold feet. I bet you do, too."

Desiree straightened. "This conversation is over," she said, heading up the stairs again.

"Yes, well, it usually is when someone else is right," Derek muttered.

"I heard that!" she yelled.

"Of course you did," he yelled back.

___

Derek looked around his living room and nodded in appreciation. Not bad for a rushed job. Bringing Desiree to the airport had taken a big chunk of his time, but she was gone, and all was well with his world once again. Extraordinary, in fact.

He'd left the office a little early, but every ounce of exhaustion he'd been feeling had disappeared when he'd seen Penelope Garcia—replaced instead with anticipation. He could hardly believe his eyes when he'd finally seen her. And the way his body had reacted—it was like it knew that satisfaction was on the way.

He'd seen her before he'd left work, and given her directions to his place. He wasn't sure what time to expect her—he'd been hoping she'd come over straight from the office—but he wanted her to get there now.

When the doorbell rang, he had to force himself not to sprint to answer it. He walked slowly, instead, but even with the forced composure, he pulled the door open harder than he'd needed to. Penelope grinned. "That excited to see me, huh cowboy?"

He smirked back at her. "I'll put on a ten-gallon hat and boots and spurs if you want me to."

She tilted her head to the side. "Some other time," she said quietly. "No sense in putting them on now when I'm just gonna tear 'em off ya anyway."

Derek chuckled. "Where to for dinner?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No," she said firmly. "I don't want to go to dinner…or a movie…or anything else."

"What do you want?" he asked.

Her eyes locked onto his. "Tonight…you're the main course," she whispered.

Derek grabbed one of her wrists and pulled until she came smashing into his chest. "I've always wanted to be on the menu," he teased, lowering his lips to hers.