Author's Note: Once again, thank you guys for all of the reviews! Your words warm my heart! Cheesy, I know, but they do! ~ Angie

So far she'd been on three dates this week, and every single one of them had said the same thing: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. OK, maybe that wasn't fair. They hadn't all said the same thing, but that was what she'd heard. Her friend's reaction to her plight was to put her on as many dates as possible until she forgot about 'that guy.' If he hadn't called yet, then he wasn't worthy of her. So she'd gone just to pacify them…and to pass the time. No sense in staying home pining over a man who wasn't going to call. Not when you could do it while on a date!

Her friends had also agreed that she should hop into bed with someone else the first chance she got. Well, that wasn't likely. Any man who touched her now was going to be the sorry encore for Derek's expert lovemaking.

But deep down, Penelope knew that it wasn't true; Derek was worthy of her. Her friends were just fiercely loyal to her. So loyal, apparently, that they'd lie to her to try and make her feel better. But it hadn't worked. She felt horrible. She knew that no matter what she'd written in that note, it couldn't convey what was in her heart. It didn't have any tone…it didn't have her pleading eyes!

All she wanted was to see Derek—to tell him that she was absolutely crazy about him. And then, if he ran screaming in the other direction at the thought of commitment, at least she'd know that he'd run away with the knowledge of how she felt about him—she wouldn't be able to blame herself for not being honest. And that was what was really killing her.

Was it him keeping them apart…or was it her?

Either way, he wasn't here. So Penelope pasted her best fake smile on her face, crossed her legs and swung the top one back and forth as she listened to everything Travis Dildorf (seriously…people had last names like that?) had to say, and the she waited for this damn night to be over!

Derek sighed as he walked into JJ's office. She'd asked for his advice. The last time they'd left, she'd narrowed it down to two cases and wanted to know if he thought she'd picked the right one. So she'd had him check out the file for the case they hadn't taken now that they'd been back for a few days, and he'd agreed with her choice. It was a hard job she had—something he knew he'd never be able to do. He knew she saw way more cases than any of them did. It was a wonder she didn't cave under all of that information.

"I would've done the same," he said, dropping the file on her desk. "I—" He stopped midsentence, spying the familiar chocolates in the clear glass bowl on her desk. He quickly snagged one up, opened it, and promptly tossed the dark confection into her trashcan. Without wasting any time, he flattened the foil wrapper in his hands:

Don't be afraid to shoot for the moon.

He scoffed. He was going to need a bigger sign that that if the universe expected him to believe that he and Penelope belonged together. So he reached for another chocolate, but JJ was too quick for him. She pulled the bowl away before he could grab one and gave him a pointed look.

"Uh-uh," she said, shaking her head.

"What?" Derek asked in higher than normal pitched tone.

"You didn't even eat the chocolate!" she scolded him.

"So?"

She rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows it's the first one that counts."

"The first what?" he asked.

"Wrapper," she said impatiently. "Whatever the first one says…that's what goes. You can't just open them all up until you get what you want!"

Derek gave her a confused look. "Everyone knows this?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, most women know," she clarified. "Obviously the men need to be told."

Derek sighed as he started to walk out of JJ's office, and then turned around with a growl. "You know what? It is just like a woman to hog the chocolate!"

Twelve hours later, Derek Morgan got exactly what he'd been waiting for. At two in the a.m., he returned to his hotel room bone tired. The team had arrived late the previous afternoon for a case in Las Vegas and had just called it a day. All he wanted was to fall into bed, but as he ran his tongue over his teeth, he could practically feel the sugar coating them. He'd been drinking coffee all day long. So with heavy lidded eyes, he grabbed his toiletry case from his go bag (he hadn't forgotten it this time!) and headed into the bathroom. He reached in blindly for his toothpaste as he yawned.

"What the hell?"

He looked down at the envelope he'd just pulled out of his travel bag. He knew it was from Penelope before he even opened it—he could smell the soft scent of her perfume. He didn't waste any time—instead ripped into it much like he had the Dove chocolate in JJ's office. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he read the note:

All ten digits...just because. 617.555.0372.

I missed you! Save me a dance, handsome.

Love,

Penelope

"Now that is a fuckin' sign," he said aloud…just in case the universe was listening.