Chapter 2
Penelope stares back at him, mouth agape. She looks around at the others who are frozen in time. "Well, this is unexpected."
He chuckles and shakes his head. "Yes, it is."
She looks around again. "And actually rather creepy. I had no idea it would be this creepy."
"Let's go in the kitchen and talk," Dave suggests.
She nods and slips off the couch. Dave takes her hand and leads her into the other room.
"Are you disappointed?" she asks quickly.
He looks at her as he continues to hold her hand. "Disappointed? That my soul mate is a beautiful, intelligent, caring woman? Absolutely not. Are you?"
She slowly moves her head from side to side. "Surprised, yes. But disappointed? Hell no."
"To be honest I really didn't think this would work."
She nods. "I kind of gathered that."
He squints at her. "How do I know that you didn't arrange all of this?"
She frowns in confusion. "But I did…"
"I know you arranged the party, but what if you gave everyone a sleeping pill or something in that magic cake," he points out.
She laughs heartily. "You think I gave everyone drugs except you and me? Don't you think if I thought I was your soulmate I would have found an easier way to tell you?"
He thinks on this. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But you are known for doing things the hard way."
"Agreed. However, you and I ate the cake too."
"Yes, we did," he nods slowly. He stares at a spot across the room, his face a conglomeration of emotions. "I really don't know what to think right now."
"That makes two of us." She reaches up and caresses his cheek. "My heart is beating like a million beats a second right now."
"Mine too," he smiles softly. He guides her hand from his cheek to his chest. His other hand squeezes hers gently. Dave leans over and presses his mouth to hers. She kisses him back, opening her lips and allowing their tongues to play. Dave breaks the kiss.
"I'm sorry," he apologizes.
"For what?"
He smiles. "For kissing you. You do have a boyfriend."
"True," she agrees. She glances at the front room. "But it's okay."
"If I were your boyfriend and you kissed someone else, I would not be okay with it."
"Good to know," she says. "He's going to find out though eventually. I guess I don't have to tell him we kissed though. You won't tell him, will you?"
"I never kiss and tell, sweetheart."
"Good." She nods. She rubs her hand on his chest for a moment, then looks up at him with a look of horror. "I just remembered… I'm not going to remember."
"I'm not following you."
"At the end of the twenty-four hours, I won't remember what happened," she explains. "Only you will remember this night."
"Really?" he questions.
She squeezes his hand hard. "You have to tell me! Promise me. Promise, David. You'll tell me later that we're soulmates."
He lifts her hand and kisses her knuckles. "Of course, I will Cara."
She relaxes and lessens the pressure on his hand.
"Let's sit down," he suggests. He leads her to the kitchen table. They sit together still holding hands. "How much do you remember now? Do you remember the events up to midnight?"
"Yes. We had the cake. Then we cleaned up and went to the front room. Father Jimmy told us to close our eyes, the clock started to chime and then you said to open our eyes."
"That sounds right," he murmurs.
She frowns. "I think I might have nodded off for a moment. Did the clock strike twelve times?"
"It was midnight, so yes."
"I only heard the first one," she says. They sit quietly for a minute. "So, what are we going to do first? Ghost tour?" she smiles widely.
"How about we just go somewhere and talk?"
"Okay," she agrees. "Better than hanging out with the creepy people in the other room."
They go to an all-night diner and slip into a booth towards the back. Penelope slides in first and Dave sits next to her. They order two coffees and a large order of fries to share.
"I'm still kind of in shock out about this," she admits.
"Oh?"
"I had no idea I was going to be your soulmate."
"We both know how I feel about soulmates," he chuckles.
"Are you still a non-believer," she asks as she worriedly frets with her hands.
He smirks, leans over, and kisses her. "I'm becoming a believer."
"Oh! We should take a picture – our first date."
"Okay," he agrees. He pulls out his phone. "I'll take it and send it to you."
"I can take it. I am the tech Goddess."
"Yes, but I have the brand new I-phone," he tells her.
"Money bags," she grumbles. She snuggles into him and smiles as he holds up the phone and takes a few pictures of them. "Send them to me."
"I will," he tells her.
She reaches into her pocket and freezes. "Oh, I left my phone at your place."
"Some tech Goddess," he teases. He pauses momentarily, then sends her a picture.
The server arrives with their coffee. They take a moment to get things set the way they want. Dave slides his arm around her shoulder and holds her close. She snuggles into him again.
Penelope starts to laugh. "I never imagined myself sitting in an all-night diner, snuggled next to you."
"I honestly thought that one of two things were going to happen – absolutely nothing. You guys would not be frozen, and we would all laugh, and people would go home. Or you would all be frozen, and I would spend the day by myself surrounded by statues. Either way, I thought I would be alone."
"That's so sad," Penelope whispers.
"I've gotten used to being alone."
"You're not alone anymore," she promises. "Tomorrow I will sit down with Kevin and explain the situation. He'll understand. We've talked about soulmates and we both agree that if given the chance we want to be with our soulmate."
"What if Kevin is your soulmate?"
"What are you talking about? I'm here with you," she points out.
"Yes. But that just means that you are my soulmate, that doesn't necessarily mean that I am your soulmate, does it?"
Her face scrunches as she thinks about it. "Huh. That's a really good point that I obviously didn't think about. I guess I wouldn't know for certain until I turn fifty-five."
"That's a long time from now," he reminds her. "You're what thirty-two?"
"Thirty-three," she says absently.
"That's twenty-two years from now." He lets those words sink in. "Jesus! I was married to Carolyn when you were born."
"Does our age difference bother you?"
"Does it bother you?!" he counters.
"No and you're deflecting."
He sighs. "It does and doesn't. It doesn't bother me because in many ways age is just a number to mark the passage of time. Two people regardless of their ages, can and should fall in love. But in this case, when I look at you and I see someone who deserves a partner with whom she can raise a family and grow old with."
"You just described yourself."
Shaking his head, he squeezes her shoulder and kisses her temple. "I'm past the point of raising a family, Kitten."
She lowers her eyes and pouts for a mere second before looking up at him. "You still could, men older than you have become fathers."
"It's not the making babies part that I'm too old for," he chides gently. "Kids are a lot of time and responsibility. I just mentally don't want either of those things."
"I'm okay with that," she says softly.
"Are you? Because it's not something you should make a split decision about. This isn't a negotiable for me, Kitten."
"I understand," she nods.
Their order of fries arrive and they take a moment to dig in.
"You should know that this is a sign that I really like you," she begins. "I don't share fries with just anybody."
"Me either."
An hour later, they drank their fill of coffee and finished off the plate of fries.
"We should probably do something," Dave suggests. "You want to hit some balls at the golf place?"
"I don't know how to play golf."
"We'll go to the driving range. I'll teach you how swing the club."
"Okay."
They spend more time laughing at and with each other and flirting outrageously than they do hitting golf balls. After an hour and a half, they give up and leave.
"What should we do now?" Dave asks. He leads her across the parking lot to his car.
"Something else from the list?" she suggests.
He shrugs noncommittedly holding the passenger door open for her.
"We could go to my place and hang out."
"Are you sure you want me in your apartment? Just the two of us?" he wiggles his eyebrows and leers at her.
She laughs because his actions are more comical than sexual. She slides into the seat and puts on her seatbelt as he closes the door before going around to the driver's side. The atmosphere in the car is relaxing. Penelope serenades Dave as she sings along with Frank Sinatra on the radio.
"I'm impressed," he tells her. "Not many people under forty know who the Rat Pack are let alone know their songs."
She smiles flirty-like and leans against the passenger door as she looks at him. "I'm not like other people."
"Oh, trust me, Kitten. I know that. I knew it the minute I first saw you."
"Not my best first impression," she says. She scrunches her face.
"Eh, it could have been worse," he says reassuringly.
"I don't even want to think about that."
"If it's any consolation, I like the pink streaks you had in your hair," he tells her.
"You do?"
He glances at her and nods, making note of her confused look. "I like your uniqueness, Penelope. Others may try but none will ever be as special as you."
"Ugh! Special? Really? You may as well just say fat."
"You're not fat," he argues.
She raises an eyebrow at him. "Please. I'm not skinny. Not like JJ… well pre-baby JJ. Or Emily."
"Honey, not every man wants a twig in his bed," he tells her. "You have a perfect body. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
"Oh David," she whispers huskily.
"What?"
"Can we have sex?"
He slams on the brakes and slides the car to the side of the road. "What?!"
"Let's see if we are sexually compatible," she continues.
He blinks and shakes his head. "I…uh…"
"We are going to my place," she tells him.
"Kitten, technically you still have a boyfriend, and that would be cheating," he reminds her.
"It's okay, you're my free pass."
"I'm your what?" he asks as he stares at her in disbelief.
"My free pass. You know, the one person your partner says you can be with if the opportunity ever arose," she explains. "Kevin chose Michelle Obama, as If he would ever have a chance. And I chose you."
He continues to stare at her. "Why me?"
"Why not you?" she counters. "You're sexy, good-looking, smart, funny, rich and… I know you."
"How long have you been thinking about this?" he asks.
"About what?"
"Having sex with me."
"All day, every day," she breathes. "Honestly, David since we met… I felt an attachment to you. I don't know how to explain it."
"You don't have to explain it, Kitten. I know exactly what you are talking about."
She purses her lips at him. "So… sex at my place?"
"I never imagined you would be so bold, Kitten."
"Just wait until you get me naked," she promises.
Dave blinks at her then pulls back out on the street and heads to her apartment.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Penelope unlocks the door and slowly pushes it open. Dave follows her inside and closes the door.
"You going to turn on a light so we can see?" he asks.
"Uh, no," she replies. Her feels her hand grope his chest then trail down and grab his belt. She tugs him across the room.
He laughs. "Easy Honey. We've got time."
"Yes, but my apartment is a mess and I'm hoping you pass out and I can clean up a bit before the sunlight shines through," she says hurriedly.
He winces as a string of beads hits him in the face while she drags him through the beaded curtain into her bedroom. She clicks on a light revealing her bed covered in discarded clothes.
"Fuck!" she swears.
Dave grabs her hips and pulls her against him. He kisses her as she gasps in surprise. His fingers dig into the soft flesh on her hips. Penelope wraps her arms around his neck and holds on tight.
Dave kisses her with an urgency that surprises him. There's an electricity between them that he's never felt with anyone before. They undress each other and fall on the bed, not caring about the pile of clothes that falls to the floor or the other clothes that lay strewn upon the bed.
The sex is unhurried. Each taking time to touch and kiss and learn what their partner likes and dislikes.
Afterwards, they lay together catching their breath.
"That was amazing," Penelope praises. She lays with her head on his chest, her fingers caressing the sparse hairs in the middle of his torso.
"It was," Dave murmurs. He kisses her temple and holds her close.
"So, what happens now?" Penelope asks.
"What do you mean?"
"Now that you know I'm your soulmate… do we date? Do we just skip forward and move in together?"
"That's a good question." Dave stares at the ceiling, pondering the possibilities. "There's a lot to think about, Kitten."
"Such as?"
"Well, we work together," he reminds her. "How will that work? And you are still dating Kevin. Is it safe to assume you have feelings for him?"
"Yes, but…"
"But?" he cuts her off. "No buts. You can't just turn your feelings off."
She sits up and glares at him. "You sound like you don't want to be with me."
"Just because we're soulmates it doesn't mean we are meant to be together," he tells her softly.
"That's exactly what being soulmates means, David! That we are meant to be together. We just had sex, was I not good for you?"
"You were perfect, Kitten. You are perfect!"
"Then we'll figure out everything else," she tells him. "You have to believe in us. I promise, I will do everything to make you happy."
He stares up at her. Her face is full of honesty and love. "I know you will, Kitten. And I will do the same for you. I promise."
"You better," she threatens jokingly. She settles back in his arms. "Now I'm cold."
He looks around searching for the end of a blanket but all he sees are clothes. "I'd cover us with a blanket but I can't see one under all the clothes. How many outfits do you own?"
"One can never have enough clothes," she chuckles.
"Hmm." He reaches over and grabs a handful of clothes to drape over them.
"Those are clean!"
"Good, I don't want to sleep under your dirty clothes," he laughs. He holds her tight.
A few hours later, Penelope slips out of the bed.
"Where are you going?" Dave asks sleepily.
"Bathroom," she replies as she disappears into the other room.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
They spend the rest of their time together hanging out at her apartment. Together they cook food, watch movies, talk and have sex again. Dave helps her fold clothes or hang clothes in the closet.
"I'm not usually this messy," she explains as Dave picks up the pile of clothes that fell of the bed during their first sexual encounter. "I was just extra busy this week and then I needed something to wear for the party and I threw all my clothes on the bed."
"I've been in your house before, sweetheart. I know you're not a messy person," he smiles. "I've seen the care you take with your knick-knacks at work."
She turns away from him and fusses with the dress she has on the hanger. "Do you think…"
"What, sweetheart?"
She shrugs and hangs the dress in the closet. She smooths out the wrinkles and speaks to him as she stares at her clothes. "Do you think I am childish for keeping my toys and gadgets at the office?"
Dave sits on the edge of the bed and patiently waits for her to turn around. After an extended silence, she looks over her shoulder.
He smiles lovingly at her. "I think you are childlike at times. It used to upset me; I'll be honest. But as I've gotten to know you, I've come to appreciate the things that you do for us… and for yourself. We often get caught up in the everyday adultness and takes ourselves too seriously. I absolutely adore you and the way you can make us all feel young again, especially after a hard case. So, to answer your question, no I don't think you are childish. I think you are brilliant."
She smiles shyly and walks over to him. She places one hand on his shoulder as she cards the fingers of her other hand through his hair. "I think you're adorable too." She leans down and kisses him.
Dave grasps her waist and holds her tightly as they kiss for a long time.
With a moan, she finally pulls away. "I can definitely get used to kisses like that."
"Is Kevin not a good kisser?"
She shrugs. "He's alright." She bends down to kiss him again.
"We should get going, Kitten," he tells her as he gently pushes her away.
"Do we have to?"
"It would be kind of awkward for everyone to wake up and we're not there," he chuckles.
"I suppose," she agrees with a sigh. "Or we could get naked and climb into bed. Then when I woke, I would know for certain that I was your soulmate."
"I definitely would hope that you would come to that conclusion right away," Dave grins. "Otherwise, it would get pretty awkward."
She grins back. "So, nakey time?"
He looks at her wistfully. "Do you really want Kevin to find out like that?"
This time she groans. "No. You're right. We should go back to your place."
She steps out of his grasp, allowing him to stand as he looks for his shoes. She grabs his arm and holds him fast.
"You're still going to tell me, right?" she presses worriedly.
Dave smiles softly. "I promise, Kitten. I will tell you. Okay?"
She nods and lets him go. Dave goes into the livingroom and puts his shoes on then gathers his coat.
"Oh! Give me a minute. I should probably wear the same clothes," she yells from the other room.
"That's a wise idea," he replies. He perches on the edge of the couch and looks around. Penelope's apartment was unique, just like her. He thought about how their lives would intertwine, her knick-knacks and his books. Her color and his gray. Their lives would be a mish-mash. He wasn't sure if he could handle all of that.
He took this time to reflect on the past 23 hours. It felt like a dream. Maybe it is a dream? Maybe all of this is a hallucination brought on by that damn magic cake. He sighs. No, the sex was real. Very real. He had imagined what it might be like to have Penelope Garcia in his bed. Granted, it was her bed and not his, but the reality was much better than his fantasy.
"Whatcha thinking about?" Penelope asks snapping him out of his thoughts.
He blinks for a moment. "Sex. With you."
She grins. "Changed your mind?"
"Let's go," he says. He leads her to the door. "Got everything?"
"Yes," she nods.
They leave, locking the door behind them.
They arrive at Dave's house with three minutes to spare. Rushing back inside, they take their coats off. All the guests are exactly where they were before Dave and Penelope left.
"Still creepy," Penelope mutters. She settles on the couch next to Kevin. She looks up to Dave. "Kiss me?"
He crosses the room swiftly and presses his lips to hers just as the first gong rings out from the clock. He can feel her body stiffen so he pulls back. She has frozen like the others. Dave stares at her for a moment. "Forgive me, Kitten."
He moves away from her to the spot he had been standing twenty-four hours prior. The last gong echoes through the house. A collective breath fills the air and everyone looks around. There is some confusion, checking of watches and laughter.
"Oh wow! It's Sunday," Emily exclaims.
"It really worked," Kevin says loudly.
"David!" Penelope exclaims. Her eyes lock on his. "Well? What happened?"
He looks at her and smiles softly. "It was a very nice twenty-four hours. Very quiet."
"Come on," she groans. "Did you find your soulmate?"
"Yeah, Dave," Aaron chimes in. "Did you find your soulmate?"
Dave looks around the room to find all eyes on him. "That's for me to know and you all to wonder about. Now, I love you all… but it's been creepy having you in my livingroom and not moving."
"Tell us how you really feel, Dave," Aaron laughs as he smacks the older man on his shoulder. "See you tomorrow."
"Yeah," Dave nods. "See you tomorrow."
Everybody leaves except Penelope and Kevin. Dave finds them in the kitchen packing up the last of the party supplies.
"You need some help?" Dave asks.
"No," Penelope says quickly. She thrusts a bag at Kevin. "Kevin is just taking the last of it out to the car. I'll be out in a minute."
"Have a good night," Kevin mumbles as he walks past. Dave watches him go out the front door before turning back to Penelope.
"Thank you, Kitten," he says softly. "For everything."
"You're really not going to tell me," she asks sadly. "You don't have to name names; just tell me you didn't spend your birthday alone."
He takes a deep breath and studies her hopeful face. "I had a good time with all of you. Thank you, Kitten."
She sighs. Her whole body screams disappointment. "I'm sorry. I really thought she, or he, would be here."
"It's okay, Penelope. Like I told you, I'm okay with being alone."
She shakes her head. "I just… I better not leave Kevin out there too long. He'll fall asleep in the car and I won't be able to wake him until morning."
Dave grins. He leans over and kisses her on the temple. "Good night, Kitten."
"Good night."
Dave watches as she climbs into her car then backs the Cadillac out of the driveway. He closes the door, locks it, and sets the alarm. There was time to change his mind, but not telling her now was for the best – for both of them.
