Chapter 21: Saturday
Penelope's POV

The alarm woke me up, and when Derek didn't budge, I poked him gently. When I got no response, I poked him a bit harder and mumbled, "Derek. The alarm."

His hand reached out to slap at the blaring alarm, and then he rolled over to hover above me. A few kisses later, I shoved him back and grinned.

"Good morning, princess," he whispered, nuzzling my neck.

I turned my head and kissed his cheek softly. "I'll show you a good morning," I teased.

He bit gently on my shoulder and rocked his hips against mine. "Mmm, no doubt, Baby Girl. I'm always up for one of your good mornings."

When he rocked his hips again, I moaned and then shoved at his chest. I shook my head and said, "Hot Stuff, I gotta get moving. The girls will be here in just under an hour."

"Okay," he grumbled before brightening considerably. "But we're showering together."

I laughed and nodded, giggling when he hopped out of bed impatiently. "For someone who didn't want to wake up, you sure are chipper!"

A wicked gleam came into his eyes moments before he scooped me out of the bed and into his arms. "Hello? Wet, naked Penelope in the shower with me? Come on, silly girl. I think you are very, very dirty..."

I kissed his neck as he quickly walked us into the bathroom. He left me to get ready for the shower while he turned on the water. When I came back to stand by the curtain, he poked his head out and said, "Well? You coming?"

"I wish," I mumbled as I stepped inside and pulled the curtain closed.

"I could grant that wish, baby," Derek teased.

"No, no, no! Get your insatiable paws off me, you horny devil." I grinned. "If I'm not ready when the girls get here, I'll tell them it was your fault!"

He held up his hands in surrender. "All right, all right! No threatening the love of your life, baby."

My heart skipped a beat at his words. I slid my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek against his muscled chest. For a moment, I held him, feeling overcome by emotion.

"I love you, Derek," I whispered over the sudden lump in my throat.

He moved a hand to my chin and tilted my head up so he could look into my eyes. "I love you more, sweetheart."

His lips met mine, and his arms slid around me to hold me upright. The kiss was a slow, easy caress of lips and tongue, with a promise of heat simmering just below the surface. I pulled back, breathing raggedly, when it became too much.

"Wash my hair?" I asked, turning in his arms.

I could almost feel him shake himself to bring his mind back to the task at hand. He reached for my strawberry shampoo as I wet my hair under the running water of the shower.

"Turn and rinse, baby," he said a few minutes later.

When we'd thoroughly cleaned ourselves and each other, Derek stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist. When I followed him out of the shower, he handed me a towel, his eyes dark as they swept the length of my body.

I laughed and wrapped the towel around myself before holding my hand out for the second towel he had in his hands. Once that was secured around my hair, I followed him into the bedroom. It was only when he sat down on the bed and patted the spot beside him that I noticed my comb and brush in his hand.

"Come on and sit, Pen. Let me brush out those gorgeous curls so you can get dressed."

I smiled and took the spot he'd indicated, turning so he could reach me easily. He unwound my hair and used the towel to dry it as much as possible.

"What are your plans today?" I asked as he began to carefully comb through my wet curls.

"Not sure yet. I'll probably take Clooney to the park later. I haven't been out on my bike in a while, so I may ride out to look at the house I'm in the middle of redoing. The roofers were supposed to finish while we were gone, so I wanna make sure that was done."

I shivered at the thought of Derek, me, and the purr of his motorcycle underneath us.

"It's been a long time since I've ridden on that with you. Maybe we could go riding tomorrow?"

He handed the brush and comb over my shoulder to me and stroked my cheek softly with a finger.

"Anytime, Baby Girl." He chuckled, and I turned around to look at him with one eyebrow raised. "Any excuse to have you wrapped around me."

He winked, stole a quick kiss, and then stood from the bed and held a hand out.

I was still deep in thought about the two of us and what fun we could have on his Harley. I looked down at his hand stupidly. "Huh? What?"

I blushed when he laughed. "Soon, silly girl, I promise. For now, though, you have about fifteen minutes before the girls get here, and I highly doubt you want either of us answering the door in a towel."

"Oh! Crap! No, of course not." I laughed, shaking my head. "Get dressed before you distract me with sexy thoughts again, Agent Morgan," I teased.

I walked to the closet, where I'd unpacked my bag, and pulled out a skirt and blouse before going over to pick out a bra and panties.

When I pulled out a deep red set, Derek growled behind me.

"Are you trying to torture me?" he asked, his voice husky. "I'm not gonna be able to think of anything more today than stripping you of that skirt and blouse to get at those...things!" He pointed at the bra and panties I was holding.

I nodded. "Good," I teased back. When he took a slow, deliberate step toward me, I shook my head. "Not now. Company in ten minutes, remember?"

He stilled, taking a deep breath, and then turned to the closet and pulled out jeans and a maroon Henley. "Boxers, please." He smiled, holding out his hand.

I laughed, pulling open his top drawer, and then tossed the boxers to him before moving toward the bed. I set my clothes down, unwrapped the towel, and dressed as quickly as possible. I wanted to pull my hair up and grab an apple before my friends arrived. I also knew that the less time Derek had to see me naked, the less chance I had of making the girls wait.

When we were dressed, Derek went to the kitchen to get his breakfast and my apple while I fixed my hair. Pulling it up into two pigtails took little time, and then I joined him at the table with a cup of coffee and the fruit. He pulled me down onto his lap and wrapped an arm around my waist to hold me still.

He slid a black credit card in front of me and gestured for me to take it.

"Use this to buy your outfit for tonight, baby." I started to protest, but he put a finger to my lips. "Please," he said so sincerely that I could only nod.

I finished eating the apple, enjoying the feel of his arms around me and his lips on the back of my neck. The doorbell rang just as I finished my coffee, and Derek took the cup from my hands. He helped me to my feet and then moved away so I could grab my bag and slip on my shoes.

"Have fun today, sweetness," Derek murmured as he pulled me into his arms.

I kissed him softly and smiled. "I will. You, too. What time are you picking me up tonight?"

"I'll be over at six." He walked me to the door and pulled it open. "Morning, Emily."

"Morning, guys. You ready, Garcie?" Emily's smile brightened the doorway.

"I am!" I held up Derek's card before slipping it into my bag. "Someone's paying me to shop, so let's go to it," I teased.

Derek laughed and cupped my face to brush my lips with his. "Get out, woman. Go make use of that thing and bring home something good."

I looked into his eyes and whispered against his lips, "I love you, Agent Morgan."

"Love you, too, baby. Now scoot!"

Emily took my arm and pulled me out of the house, laughing. "Come on, Pen. There'll be plenty of time later for kissy-face."

I gave one last look at Derek lounging in the doorway and then grinned and followed Emily out to the waiting SUV. I climbed into the back seat beside Austin, leaving Emily to climb in the front beside JJ, who was driving.

"Hey!" I smiled at Austin. "How are you, Magic Girl?"

She grinned. "I'm good, thanks. Oh, and thank you for the puzzles! They're huge, Penelope!"

I smirked, nodding. "I figured with your love of puzzles and Boy Genius's big brain, you'd finish them too quickly if I didn't get the biggest ones they had."

She grinned. "So I hear from Spencer that you and Agent Morgan..." Her voice trailed off.

I nodded. "Oh, yeah...me and Agent Morgan."

"Finally," came the echo of two voices from the front seats.

"Oh, hush up, you two!" I rolled my eyes and grinned when they just laughed.

~*~PC ~*~

Twenty minutes later, JJ pulled into a parking spot at the mall, and the four of us piled out of the SUV.

"Where to first?" Emily asked.

"Nordstrom's," JJ and I said together.

We looked at each other and laughed.

"I take it that's the place for you guys," Austin guessed with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah, they drag me there every time we come here." Emily sighed, but the twinkle in her eyes gave away her amusement.

"Hey, I can find the perfect dress and shoes there for tonight."

"Where's he taking you?" JJ asked.

I shook my head. "No idea. But he said someplace nice, so I need a cute dress."

We walked into Nordstrom's and went straight to the women's department. After browsing the racks, my friends each had a dress for me to try on. I took them from the girls, left my bag with JJ, and headed to the dressing room.

First, I tried on Emily's pick of a dark blue wrap dress. When I pulled it on, I liked it, but it wasn't quite right. I walked out to the group and turned to show it off.

"Oh, no, it just doesn't fit right on top, does it?" Emily asked, shaking her head. "The color's pretty on you, but the fit doesn't work."

"That's what I thought, but I wanted another opinion," I said, looking into the mirror one more time. "Okay, next!"

I walked quickly back into the dressing room, carefully pulled the blue dress off, and ran a hand over Austin's choice. I was almost positive the olive green color wouldn't look good against my complexion, but the dress itself was cute. It was loose layers of chiffon with an Empire waist and sheer flutter sleeves.

Once the dress was on, I walked out and over to the group.

"Oh, that's cute, Pen," JJ murmured softly.

"I love the dress, but is the color okay? I think it makes me look a bit sickly," I replied as I turned a slow circle in front of the mirror.

"No, you're right, Penelope." Austin nodded. "Unfortunately, that was the only color they had. Sorry!"

"No worries. I still have JJ's, and I think it might be the one," I said, smiling.

I handed out the dress and then quickly pulled on the red dress JJ had chosen. It had cap sleeves and a crossover V-neckline style, and the matte jersey dress had a paneled A-line skirt. It slid fluidly over my head and settled gently around my knees.

I twirled once, and the flowing skirt lifted slightly. The cap sleeves hugged my shoulders and the bodice cupped my breasts and hugged every curve perfectly. The red, one of my favorite colors, was pretty against my skin.

This was it. The one.

The moment I walked out of the dressing area, three heads began nodding.

"That's the one," JJ breathed.

I nodded. "I love it. I'm gonna change back, and then let's go find some matching shoes!"

Once I was back in my own clothes, we walked across the store to the shoe department. Everyone wanted to get their own pairs of shoes, so we spread out, searching for the perfect pair.

Five minutes into my search, I found the most adorable pair of pumps. The slingback was made from a mix of leathers, including snake-embossed, floral, and leopard-printed. There was a red flower on the top side of the peep-toe. The heel and bottom of the shoe itself matched the red of the flower.

I slipped them on and tried walking on the almost three-inch heel. It was a comfortable height, and when I held the dress up, it went well with the shoes.

After putting the shoes back into their box, I told the girls I was going to look at the purses, which were right next to the shoes.

"Mind if I come with you?" Austin asked, holding her own choice of shoes.

"Of course not! Are you looking for a new one?"

"Yeah. Reid's taking me out before I start classes again, and I don't have a great dressy purse."

We began looking through the purses, and my eye was immediately drawn to a shiny gold, sequined, shimmery clutch. There was a small rose in one upper corner, and it came with an optional chain. It was just big enough to fit my cell phone, wallet, FBI identification, and pepper spray.

"What do you think of this one?" Austin asked, holding up a dark blue and black clutch.

"That's pretty! What color is your dress?"

"It's black with a blue pattern on the skirt. It should match this perfectly."

We walked back to the shoe department and met Emily and JJ as they headed our way.

"You guys ready to check out?" Emily asked.

We nodded, and I replied, "Yeah, and I want to go to Victoria's Secret before we leave. Anyone up for some lingerie shopping?"

There was a chorus of "yes" and "hell yeah," which made me laugh. I paid for the dress with Derek's card, since he'd asked me to, but I put the shoes and clutch on my own card.

We walked into the lingerie store with bags hanging over our arms. There was something for everyone there, so we all went different directions. Emily headed over to the teddies, while JJ went to the babydolls and Austin to the camisoles.

I started to go toward the bras and panties, but my feet took me to the corsets instead. I rifled through a few black, white, and purple ones, but I finally found one that just screamed my name. I knew from past purchases which size would fit perfectly, so I found it, grabbed some white, lace-top stockings, and checked out.

Within ten minutes, the rest of the girls made their way one by one out to the little bench I'd claimed.

JJ looked at her watch. "Perfect timing! We have about twenty minutes until we need to be at the spa."

We talked and laughed the entire way to the SUV, gossiping a little about the men in our lives. Austin admitted that she was nervous because she and Reid would be going to Las Vegas to see his mom soon, and she hadn't met her yet. JJ quietly said that she and Will were trying to have another baby so Henry would have a sibling close in age. Emily asked us to keep it to ourselves and said that John had asked her to marry him.

"I told him I'd think about it. It's such a huge step, and...well, marriage is kind of a big step, especially with our jobs. I mean, look at Hotch and Haley. Rossi and all three of his ex-wives. I just don't know if I wanna go that route."

"Do you love him?" JJ asked calmly.

"Of course," Emily said, shooting her a look.

"You've known each other for years. You aren't going blindly into the relationship. No, you don't have to get married. Will and I aren't married, and we have a solid relationship. But just because Hotch and Haley didn't work out—or Dave and all his exes—doesn't mean marriage doesn't work."

"Just keep your heart open to the possibility, pumpkin," I said, bumping her hip with mine gently.

Emily said she'd seriously think about John's proposal, and we urged her to talk to us if she needed to. The mood had lightened considerably by the time we reached the SUV. We piled all the bags into the back and then headed over to the spa.

~*~PC ~*~

The first thing we got to do when we reached the spa was eat a wonderfully catered lunch. Emily and I chose the same sandwich, while the other two different ones. The selection was beyond amazing. We all had a cup of soup and an iced green tea as we sat around the small table.

While we ate, we filled out the little papers that told the spa exactly what services we wanted. All of us signed up for the ninety-minute full body massage and the basic facial. We were each getting a manicure and pedicure, as well. Emily and I were the only two who chose to get waxed.

"Don't even come near me with that stuff." JJ cringed as she thought about it. Austin nodded in agreement.

"Jayje," I said, laughing, "you had a baby! That's gotta be more painful than a wax!"

"Don't care. I got Henry out of the deal. I'll shave myself, thank you very much."

We laughed at the derision in her voice.

"Well, I'm getting not only my legs and underarms done, but I'm gonna shock the hell out of Derek and get a bikini wax, too," I said proudly. I wasn't ashamed or embarrassed. I wanted to try it out, and I knew Derek would love it.

"Oh, ouch, not me," Emily said. "I'll stick to my legs, underarms, and uh—" she paused before continuing "—eyebrows."

We laughed when she reached up to smooth her fingers over her thick brows.

When we finished lunch, one of the ladies from the spa came in and asked us to follow her. She led us to a small room that looked very similar to a gym's locker room. There were toilets, sinks with plenty of mirrors, and even a few hair dryers built in to the wall near the mirrors. Near the lockers were a few benches and chairs.

"There are robes just over here," the woman said, pointing off to the side. "Please undress, to either your panties or nude if you're comfortable, and put on a robe, and then come out to the main sitting area of the locker room. We'll go from there to your massages."

When we'd all robed up, we filed out to the bigger room on the other side of the curtain. Another spa lady was waiting, and she led us to a large room filled with tables. Curtains were pulled back around four of the tables, turning it into its own little "room" for the four of us.

"Please choose a table and lie down on your stomachs. You can set your robes on the chairs behind the tables. Your massage therapists will be right in. We have two men and two women working today. If any of you would prefer to have a woman, please just let them know. Dustin and Ulysses won't be offended." The woman smiled and close the curtain around the tables.

JJ whispered, "Who doesn't care that they get a man?"

Emily and Austin shrugged. "I don't care," Em said, looking at Austin. "You, either?"

"Nope, not a bit," Austin replied, smiling.

"Well, not me," I said with a grimace. "I'm still shy around Derek, let alone a stranger!"

The four of us chose our tables, laid the robes on the chairs behind them, and then climbed up on our stomachs. I pulled the sheet over me and then turned both ways to look at Emily and JJ to my left and Austin to my right. All of them were settled on the tables under their sheets already, too.

"Everyone ready?"

The woman's voice from behind the curtain startled us, and we laughed.

"Yes, we're ready," JJ answered.

When the four people walked into our curtained off area, the same woman said, "Hi, ladies. I'm Sarah. This is Crystal, Dustin, and Ulysses. Did Tori let you know you had a choice of who you could get to do your massage?"

"I don't mind Dustin or Ulysses," Emily said, raising her hand slightly. "Austin, on the end, doesn't mind, either."

Austin raised her hand and nodded.

"Okay, great. Just take a moment and relax, and then we'll begin."

I laid my head down on the table and closed my eyes, really ready to relax completely. I heard some soft music begin playing and footfalls as they chose a table. Soon, I heard a new voice in front of me, and I opened my eyes to see the young, dark-haired woman Sarah had introduced as Crystal.

"Hi, I'm Crystal. I just wanted to introduce myself and ask if you had any questions before I began."

"Oh, hi! I'm Penelope. This is my first massage. I don't think I have any questions, though."

She smiled. "Okay, then, just relax, and you'll feel boneless in no time."

She was right. An hour and a half later, my entire body was more loose and relaxed than it had been in a long time. The only sounds for the previous ninety minutes had been the quiet music in the background and the soft voices of the massage therapists directing us to turn and move when needed.

"All right, ladies. We hope you enjoyed your massages. Someone will be in to do your facials in ten minutes."

As soon as they left, I sat up, the sheet gathered around me, and looked around at my friends. They looked as happy and relaxed as I felt.

"Wow, we have got to do this again sometime," I said with a sigh. "That was amazing!"

"I knew you'd love it," JJ said, grinning. "Really, with work, this should be something the FBI pays for. Think we can talk Hotch and Dave into taking on Strauss for us?"

We all laughed and then snuggled back down on our backs to wait for the next treatment.

~*~PC ~*~

An hour later, the four women who had come in to do our facials smiled and gave us our next instructions before leaving the room. Our faces had been deep cleaned, exfoliated, rubbed with a toning solution, given a botanical refining masque, and moisturized thoroughly. I felt amazingly fresh and wondered how my skin looked.

"So you guys are gonna get started on your manicure and pedicure while Emily and I stay here to get waxed, right?" I asked JJ and Austin.

"Yep, and then as you finish, you'll come join us in the other room for your own mani and pedi," JJ replied. "Once we're done with that, it'll be time to get you home so you can get ready for your big date."

"Okay, you guys get out of here so we can get started. Don't wanna run late," Emily scolded JJ, who just smirked as she and Austin left the room. Once they were gone, Em turned to me. "Do you want them to pull the curtain between our beds for privacy, or are you okay leaving it like this?"

I shrugged. "I'm all right with it like this. You'll be too busy getting your face done to look at me, I'm sure," I teased with a grin.

"Oh, shit, don't remind me!" She laughed. "I hate getting this done, but with all this dark hair, it's a necessity."

For the next hour, I bit my lip to hold in the tears as I was covered with the warm wax and then plucked within an inch of my life. The bikini wax was the most painful thing I'd ever gone through, aside from being shot. When she finished, though, I looked in the mirror and was incredibly happy with how it had turned out. Plus, I knew Derek would be so turned on that really, any pain was almost immediately forgotten.

Emily and I finished at about the same time, so we padded out to the other room together. JJ and Austin were almost finished, so we took the seats beside them and waited for their technicians to finish.

"Can we stay in here and talk with our friends while you do theirs?" JJ asked the woman working on her fingernails.

"Oh, yes, please feel free." She smiled at all of us before looking back down to swipe the light pink polish across JJ's last nail.

~*~PC ~*~

I moaned my way through the foot massage after the soak in the warm water. I tended to take good care of my feet, so she didn't have to do much in the way of maintenance. She trimmed a few nails and then polished them with the same red polish I'd chosen for my fingers.

After the same warm soak of my hands that I'd gotten for my feet, she used jojoba oil to massage and gave them a bamboo exfoliation scrub treatment. Apparently, those two things worked in combination to soften the skin and make it look young and renewed. Once she'd trimmed my cuticles and shaped my nails, she painted them the deep red that would match my toes and my new dress perfectly before proclaiming me finished.

Emily finished with her clear polish just after I finished mine. Once we were dry, we were led back to the locker room so we could change back into our clothes. When we finished dressing, we went out to the reception desk and got in line to pay.

Austin paid first, and then JJ stepped to the desk. "Hi. If you could put the other three on one bill, I'd appreciate it. I'll be using this to pay." She held out a credit card for the woman behind the counter to swipe through the machine.

"Jayje, wait, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to stop her from handing over her card.

Emily said, "Garcie, this is from us to you, as a thank you for letting Will and John know that we could use a phone call. You do so much for us, as a team and as our friends, that we thought it was high time we did something for you."

I started to protest. I certainly hadn't had the team called because I wanted something in return. They were my family, and they'd had a long case and needed the comfort, so I'd given it the best way I knew how.

JJ must have seen the look on my face, because she carefully took my hand, avoiding smudging any of the fresh polish. "Please, Pen, let us do this. It would mean a lot."

I swallowed hard to hold back my tears and finally nodded. "Thanks, guys."

"It's our pleasure, sweetie," JJ said happily before turning back to the receptionist.

I was quiet the entire way back to my apartment. It had been a fun day with my best girlfriends, and I was incredibly touched with their gift of the spa treatments. When Emily pulled up at the curb in front of my building, I smiled.

"Thanks again, you guys. I had a lot of fun today with all of you. Em, JJ, I'll see you Monday. Austin, don't study too hard. Give us a call when you need a break, and we'll all get together for a movie at Derek's house or something, okay?"

"I will, Penelope. I'm glad I was able to go with you guys today. It was a lot fun!"

"See you later, Pen," JJ and Emily called as I grabbed my bags and got out of the SUV.

I turned and waved as I headed up the sidewalk, and it was only after I entered the building that I heard the SUV pull away.

When I got into the apartment, I looked at my clock and realized I had an hour until Derek was supposed to pick me up. I still needed to fix my hair, put on my makeup, and get dressed in the hot little dress I'd bought earlier. I needed to hurry because my Prince Charming would be arriving soon, and I didn't want to make him wait!