Novelty
Liquid Courage
By: Paramour Party
There were moments when Derek just looked upon Hermione in awe of how much passion and dedication the tiny woman put into everything she did. He couldn't doubt that it had to be tiring but she just kept going, pushing limits beyond boundaries any normal person seemed to have.
Sometimes, Derek thought Hermione reminded him of fire. Mesmerizing. Powerful. Stubborn with a touch of ruthlessness that she held on to (with a ferocity that sometimes scared him) when she needed it. She was intelligent and confident in herself and her abilities and she always knew when she shouldn't, couldn't, back down.
He figured she was a fighter, not necessarily in the physical sense, but in the way she stuck to her loyalties and her beliefs with a drive that at times left him breathless. And while she was a fighter, that fact couldn't be denied (the old faint scars that marked her skin clarified these thoughts), Derek realized that at the core of "What Made Hermione" was also a survivor.
After the initial first impressions at that book shop a year and some months ago, he first thought she was a bit of a troublemaker (still was one if her sexy mischievous smirk or scheming glint in her eyes was any indication). He'd noticed that while she tended to follow the protocols at her job more often than not, she seemed to get away with blowing those same protocols aside to do things her way if she knew she was right.
It was after that Derek noticed the fighter in her. It wasn't only the scars that pointed to that glaringly obvious point, but really from Hermione's person; the way she guarded herself and her friends around her; the way she stood tall and ready to beat down anyone brave enough to challenge her; and even from the way she didn't back down from a verbal debate… Hermione was a fighter, one who'd seen the both the winning and losing side of a battle but still held herself up with pride.
The survivor named Hermione on the other hand was hidden further down in her core and it took a little longer for Derek to see. But when he did… it only made him wonder what shaped her into who she was today. The survivor Hermione hid well was a world-weary woman; she was the glimpse into the exhaustion of all that fighting but she was also the determination that still pushed forward through all obstacles because that was what survivors did. And yet, it was also this side of Hermione that guarded all her secrets and insecurities. It was the side that flinched if something or someone managed to surprise her; it was the side that would at times, when worry or stress took over, leave Hermione hunched over herself a hand rubbing at her forearm or her sternum. It was this side of Hermione that brought out an aspect of Derek's personality he had previously only reserved for his family and his team. The Protector. He wanted to keep her safe but not like a shield or the knight in shining armour, because he knew she could fight her own battles, but he wanted to be at her side, every step of the way. A partner.
He pursed his lips together. The dynamic in their relationship was changing; going down a path that both excited him and made him wary. What if it ruined everything he didn't know he needed and wanted in his life?
"Derek?"
The man blinked at the expectant stare Penelope was giving him and realized he'd been staring at the same page on his file for at least ten minutes.
"You okay?" The colourful Tech Analyst asked with concern written all over her face, "You looked a little upset for a moment there."
Derek nodded and gave her his usual easy-going-grin. "I'm fine, Baby Girl. Did you need something?"
Penelope gave him a skeptical look. "It's just about break time, I called in some Chinese for the team and I was about to pick it up if that interests you?"
With a grin and a stretch of his arms Derek nodded and stood from his seat. "Sounds good," he replied as he followed her out of the pen and to the parking lot.
"You sure everything is okay?" Penelope asked as Derek drove them back to headquarters from the Chinese take-out joint several blocks down, the warm containers of food on her lap.
Derek spared her a glance and reached a hand over to pat her arm reassuringly. "Don't worry, Baby Girl. Just tired."
He couldn't see Penelope's frown but from the corner of his eye he noticed she'd crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance. "Hmm. Right… Tired. Listen, Derek, I know you want privacy and whatever, but you don't have to keep everything bottled up inside, didn't work so well with JJ now did it? I won't tell anyone if you had a fight with your girlfriend or need advice on grovelling for her forgiveness or something."
Derek nearly slammed on the breaks in surprise. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on just a minute here and rewind, will you? There's no girlfriend or fight or grovelling for forgiveness. Where is this all coming from?"
She blinked in surprised. "Huh. We all thought you'd gotten into an argument with your girlfriend at some point last week. You've been pouting," she replied with a light laugh, "It was kind of cute but the sulking puppy eyes got old after day two."
"Where is this girlfriend nonsense coming from? And who is 'we all'? The team? The whole team thinks I'm dating someone? You've has been gossiping behind my back about my non-exsistent girlfriend?" He pulled into the parking lot as quickly as he could so he could face his friend for this conversation. When he did turn to face her, he found only amusement gleaming in her eyes and a cocky smirk on her red painted lips. "And I haven't been sulking."
"You can't honestly tell me you're not dating someone right now," Penelope said, "And you have so been pouting. All week."
"I'm not."
Derek's Baby Girl stared him down and scoffed. "Okay. Fine. Tell me about this girl friend then."
"I don't have one," Derek insisted.
Penelope rolled her eyes. "Don't be stupid. I'm asking you to tell me about this friend of yours, who happens to be of the opposite gender. Whether or not you're dating, we all know you have a new woman in your life and I want to know about her." She levelled another stare at her friend. "You're lucky I'm even asking you. I could just pull up your phone records for the number you've messaged the most in the last month. I can have the name, the address, and everything else even you don't know about her in my hands in less than two minutes. Don't test me."
The stare down was intense and he knew Penelope wasn't joking. He pulled the key from the ignition and leaned back in the driver's seat. "We're honestly not dating," he finally said.
"I'm sensing a but here."
Derek shrugged. "I'm just worried something more will ruin everything we already have. Working for the BAU is stressful enough on its own—"
"Are you really going to let your job, or even your co-workers failed relationships as an excuse not to have a potentially amazing relationship with a woman you're half-way in love with?" Penelope interrupted, "You miss all the shots you don't take Derek and that's more of a tragedy than actually trying and finding out it wasn't meant to be."
He didn't say anything but a silent understanding passed between them as they exited the car.
"Is that why you've been pouting all week?" She suddenly asked as they entered the elevator.
Derek rolled his eyes this time. "I haven't been pouting…"
Silence rang between them.
"…She's been out of town on a work assignment for a week."
Penelope let out a loud laugh.
"Oh how the mighty have fallen. Ladies' Man, Derek Morgan pulling out the puppy eyes for his not-girlfriend because she's away."
It was two days later after long hours of contemplation, an intense workout with some old friends from the bomb squad, and some winding down at his favourite bar, that Derek came to a decision. The liquid courage (two shots of Jack Daniels) his old team handed him, might have also helped some in way.
"Never thought I'd see the day, Derek Morgan, needed a shot or two to be able to charm his woman." His old team-mate, John, said as he ordered another round of drinks for their table.
"I don't need alcohol to charm my woman."
John laughed. "And you're supposed to be a profiler."
There was a round of laughter around him and it took everything he had to refrain from rolling his eyes or sulking. Apparently ever since he met Hermione everyday became "Tease Derek Morgan Whenever You Can" Day.
"You invite her out tonight while with us instead of your precious BAU team because you don't want them to profile her before you can even ask her to go steady or whatever; and you've already had two shots." A man named Daniel said.
"Shut up."
His phone buzzed in his pocket and a quick glance at his screen had him grinning.
Hermione G 12:24am
Almost there. My co-workers decided they wanted to pass by for some drinks as well. Although, you didn't hear it from me but it's more like they wanted to meet some fit FBI boys (their words not mine).
"I don't know whether to be amused by this side of Derek or jealous that he's managed to find himself a steady broad who understands the hectic hours," another man, Marko, said.
It was only moments later when three women made their way towards their table that Derek stood with nerves settling at the sight of her. Hermione was in his arms giving him the hug he's missed for the passed week and a half. "God, I've missed that." He told her and she laughed lightly and gave a gentle pat on his arm.
"I've missed that too," she admitted.
Introductions were quickly conducted across the table and more rounds of drinks ordered. The night passed with not-so-secret glances as they sat next to each other, or even from across the room during the brief moments they were separated. There were gentle lingering touches on the arm or the leg when they moved to stand or sit. The growing crowd and the rising volume of chatter and music had them leaning into each other to be able to speak and hear.
Once their table slowly started to branch out into the night, Derek and Hermione hung back a little longer, comfortable in their little nook moving to the music in a dance slightly away from the crowd. A bolder touch of Derek's hand pulling Hermione closer. A returned gesture came from Hermione as her own hand went up and around his neck to steady herself.
His heart pounded in his chest as he brushed back a curl from her face and he wondered if she could feel it. He leaned down pressing a soft kiss to her cheek and traced a light line with his nose across her own before kissing the corner of her lips. He felt her smiling.
"Are you just going to tease me, Derek Morgan?" she asked.
He pulled away watching her with dark eyes as she licked her lips. He grinned at her smirk and his hands went from their firm grip on her sides to the small of her back pulling her even closer. "Haven't you been teasing me?" he asked.
She looked up at him, eyes light with mischief and dark all the same with desire. Her other arm wrapped around his neck and she pulled him down as she leaned up to meet her lips with his. A hum of pleasure rippled through them and everything was right. His hold on her tightened ever so slightly as he ran his tongue along the bottom of her lip. He could feel her smile against his own lips before their kiss deepened with a sense of fire that only felt right with Hermione.
When they parted, Hermione had to steady herself with a strong hold on his shoulders. "Wanna get out of here?" she asked. They were out of the bar moments later hailing down a cab. The ride consisted of bold exploring touches and exchanging light kisses across each others lips and cheeks and jaws and necks. And soon they were fumbling their way into Hermione's apartment where the moment the door was locked behind them Derek had her pressed against the wall of her hallway kissing her in the way he'd only fantasized about for months.
The quiet apartment was suddenly filled with soft surprised gasps, light laughs and mischievous chuckles, and the whispers of the outer layers of clothes dropping to the floor. Hermione, her lips still pressed against Derek's, tried to pull him towards her bedroom but he'd suddenly pulled away, arms gripping the door-frame of her room.
"Wait," he said. Hermione stepped away quickly, worry written all over her flushed face.
Derek stared down at her, drinking in the sight of her heaving chest and flushed skin, the darker mark he'd left next to her collarbone. She was perfection.
"What's wrong?" she asked and he can hear her trying to keep the disappointment from her voice.
He shook his head and pulled her close to reassure her nothing was wrong. "Nothing. God. Hermione, nothing is wrong. Don't think I don't want this," he said as his hands travelled down to her backside gripping her bum tightly for a moment as he pressed close to her again. "Because I do. I really do. But not like this. With too much alcohol in our systems. With too much risk of regret in the morning."
He kissed her cheek as he hands travelled up to the middle of her back. "But I won't regret it in the morning," she insisted as she tried to tug him forward. "Unless you're implying you will?"
Derek chuckled. "Trust me, I wouldn't regret taking this step with you, Hermione," he said following her tug but he didn't let her pull him down onto her bed. "But I want our first memory of this to be more than just a drunken haze."
Hermione smiled up at him. "I'd have never pegged you as a romantic."
"I'm trying to be a gentleman," he replied, "If you were any other woman, Hermione, I might have continued on tonight, but I respect you and care for you too much to ruin this with hasty decisions."
She pouted slightly before leaning up to press a kiss, this one softer and sweeter than all the other ones they'd shared earlier in the night. "Will you at least stay the night? I washed some of your workout clothes you'd left behind a few weeks ago."
Derek nodded as he pressed another kiss to her lips and then her forehead. "I can do that." But eyed her suddenly playful smirk warily as she pulled away to get his clothes.
"And how about a bit of pretend playing randy teenagers making out on my bed after I've snuck you into my bedroom."
"Don't tempt me."
"But I am."
And she did. When he'd emerged from her washroom changed in a pair of sweatpants, Hermione was wearing probably the shortest sleeping shorts she own and a baggy tee-shirt that allowed easy access for warm wandering hands.
The next morning, Derek woke with a sudden nervous drop in his stomach when he found the bed empty and the spot Hermione had curled up next to him cooling. When he walked into the kitchen where Hermione was making coffee, he rubbed the back of his neck to ease the tension; but the anxiety fell away when she turned to him with a bright smile. She had a shy expression on her face as she leaned towards him and kissed him, a light blush dusted across her cheeks.
"Good morning," he said against the shell of her ear before taking the mug of coffee she offered with an appreciative hum.
"Good morning."
They sat in a moment of comfortable silence, but Derek watched as Hermione's shy smile turned into that playful smirk she'd given him last night. She stood put her mug in the sink before facing him, leaning back against her counter.
"Is the morning after too close to the realm of 'drunken haze' to continue where we've left off last night?"
Derek stared, taking in her dishevelled appearance and the two marks he'd left on her neck. He stood, the last of his coffee forgotten on the table as he smirked down at her. "No, I don't think it is."
Laughter rang through Hermione's apartment as Derek grabbed her around her middle to pull her against him for a deep kiss. This time he willingly let her tug him towards her bed and let her bedroom door slam shut.
I apologize for the late update! This piece didn't want to cooperate and while I'm still not fully satisfied with how this came out I am happy I've finally reached this stage in their relationship! THANK YOU for all the love I've recieved on the last update~ I really wish I can be more frequent but life doesn't work that way for me unfortunately.
I hope you enjoyed this! I know there's no smut (but technically that isn't allowed on here), and I hope this is even allowed under the T rating? If you want an M-rated version, I can be tempted to write one~
Someone asked if Hermione is a werewolf because of the Alpha nickname from Teddy, but don't worry she isn't one, and Alpha will remain just a nickname! :)
And while Hermione's job has the aspect of research, it's not the only thing involved! It'll come up eventually~
I've recently joined twitter if that interests you! And I've become a lurker on tumblr on those rare moments of procrastination. If you want to friend/chat with me on those platforms links are in my bio or you can find me under ParamourParty!
Until next time!