Chapter 4

"Uh…um…" Garcia stuttered, trying to compose herself for the moment. "Thanks, Hot Stuff! Singing is just something we do for fun… you know, to blow off some steam." She said as she tried to step back from his tight embrace and remain calm.

Kate grabbed JJ's arm trying to extract them from the situation, "Hey… come with me to get a drink!"

"Yeah…sure…" JJ trailed off, her wide eyes trying to keep her face neutral as she took in the scene with Morgan and Garcia. Did Morgan really just kiss Garcia… on the lips? They walked away quickly, trying to give them some space, but she glanced at the table to see Rossi, Reid and Hotch all staring at the scene unfolding in front of them.

As Derek's brain began to put together what he'd just done in his excitement, he tried his best to keep his outward appearance the same. They touched all the time. They even kissed quite often, but cheeks, foreheads, hair… never lips. It was an unspoken rule that they knew they could not explain away as simple contact between friends.

Derek didn't regret the action, quite the contrary. He wanted to do it again. The spark that shot through his body at just that contact was not nearly enough for him in his lifetime. However, that idea crossed the very blurry lines that he and Penelope had around their friendship. Now he just hoped that he hadn't messed up. Maybe the tequila wasn't such a good idea after all.

Derek pulled away from his embrace with Penelope and grabbed her hand, "Alright Miss Thang, do you want another drink? I'm sure dancing around like that has you thirsty." Derek decided ignoring the kiss was the best way to move forward as he pulled her in the direction of the bar.

The sparks that shot through Penelope's body at their brief contact with Derek's lips shocked her. What would a real kiss feel like, she thought? Shaking her head in an attempt to clear her mind, she let Derek lead her through the crowd towards the bar. She willed those thoughts out of her head. He is obviously just buzzed and got caught up in the moment. Even more importantly, he has a girlfriend… a serious girlfriend… that is a doctor…and could be a model.

Penelope also reminded herself that she had a boyfriend, although she really wondered how much longer she and Sam would be together. Truthfully, they seemed to live separate lives and get together when they could. That really was nothing more than a 'friends with benefits' situation. Derek handed her a drink, bringing her back to reality, "How long have y'all been singing? That was so great! I love seeing you let loose like that."

Penelope picked her head up and smiled at him. Her smile lit up her face. His approval and excitement of anything she did always made her enjoy it more. She is glad that he's not upset about her keeping it a secret, like she did with her acting. At least he understood now.

"I guess we started about 8 months or so ago. We actually went out for a rare girl's night and just let loose. The karaoke just happened. The group name can obviously be attributed to drinking…lots of drinking." she giggled. "But we had so much fun that we'd get together and just chill out at someone's house and either do karaoke or Rock Band or something like that. We were just having fun with it. And really, the more you sing any one song, the better you get at it."

The more Morgan and Garcia talked, the more normal things became. She told him stories from previous nights out singing, while occasionally getting a 'congratulations' from other patrons. They stayed at the bar for a while just chatting like their usual selves, and as they continued to drink and relax, their usual flirtatious habits returned.

The group sat there, slightly shocked, looking around at each other. Reid started "So did Morgan just kiss Garcia?"

"Yep."

"On the lips?"

"Yep."

"Are we going to pretend we didn't see that?"

"Yep."

"Ok, glad we are all on the same page."

After Aaron's Angels blew the roof off of karaoke, no one wanted to attempt it after them. As the dance music filled the bar, Hotch looked around the group with a slight smirk. "Alright. I believe it's the mandated dancing portion of the evening. On your feet!"

Penelope looked up from the bar to see the entire team on the dance floor. She let out at laugh watching Rossi dance around to Shake It Off. "Ok, sweetness, I think it's time we show them how it's done before Rossi pulls out 'the twist'!"

"Am I going to actually get to dance with you, Baby Girl?" Derek asked.

She looked at him with a coy smile, "You'll get to dance near me, just like everyone else on the team." She trailed a finger along his chest as she strutted away, completely forgetting the fire she was playing with earlier.

Derek had not forgotten, even if he had relaxed. He stood there momentarily, watching her walk away. Boy did he enjoy the view!

The team danced together, having fun and letting loose. Uptown Funk seemed to bring out the wildness in everyone. Before they knew it, Hotch was wearing Wayfarers and doing the moon walk, and Derek was doing his best James Brown impression. The kept their group closed off, making it obvious they weren't interested in outsiders joining them. The few that did try to join in were quickly ushered away by one of the men and not many attempted after that.

Mateo Cruz stepped into the bar and stood at the back, away from the dance floor but with a line of sight to it. Their weekend wasn't actually mandated, but Aaron Hotchner's idea to allow them to let off a little steam seemed solid in Cruz's book. He looked at the smiles and laughs and grinned to himself. Aaron Hotchner did know his team. He knew when they could push forward. He knew when they were on the brink. He knew when they needed to walk away, even if for just a weekend. Cruz slipped out of the bar, not having been noticed.

"Ok, pleather is not a breathable fabric! I'm sweating like…uh…uh...gross, crazy, sweaty people!" Penelope bemoaned once they reached the restroom.

"That's quite a simile, Garcie." JJ laughed at her friend.

"Well, I'm hot and I'm drunk. It's the best I've got right now." She retorted while reapplying her lipstick.

JJ and Kate just laughed at her. Kate glanced at JJ silently prodding her to ask the question they both want to ask. JJ got the message.

"Garcie, um… what's up with Derek?" she questioned lightly.

Penelope never even turned around, "What are you talking about?"

JJ rolled her eyes at that, "uh… he kissed you! So what's up with that?"

Still looking in the mirror to reapply some of her missing makeup, "Oh that? That's just Derek being Derek. There's nothing up with him." She had decided that it wasn't a big deal because he wasn't making it one. It was a caught up in the moment thing and nothing that changed them. At least, that's what she decided after at least 4 more drinks.

JJ and Kate both scoffed at that. Hearing their disagreement, she turned to look at them with a furrowed brow. "What? What was that for?"

"Jayje, correct me if I'm wrong, but all 3 of us sang, right?" Kate started.

"Yep."

"Did Derek hug you?"

"Nope."

"Did Derek kiss you?"

"Nuh uh."

"Did Derek pull you away from everyone towards the bar to have you all to himself?"

"Negatory. But Kate, did he do any of those things to you, you know, in case Garcie is ruling me out because I'm married?"

"He most certainly did not. Although Reid did ask me if I had any vocal training. I thought that was nice." Kate trailed off with a grin on her face.

They both looked at Garcia with self-satisfied smirks on their faces, while she raised her eyebrows at them. "Ok you two, I get it. It's not normal Derek, but there's no point in thinking about it at all. He's got a great girlfriend and I've got a boyfriend and he was just excited. And we're just friends. You both know this, so why are you trying to start something?" Penelope had started as an animated ramble but ended with a sad look on her face.

The girls felt somewhat guilty at her change of mood, so they relented. JJ grabbed her into a hug, "You're right. I'm sorry. I just didn't know if things had changed and we were out of the loop. You know we just want you to be happy."

"Oh sug! You know I am happy the way things are!" Penelope smiled at them, even if deep down she might not be sure if she was as happy as she claimed. Ten years is a long time to have boundaries in place. At this point, they were obviously meant to stay there.

Penelope and JJ linked arms and strolled out of the restroom. Once they were a few feet ahead of her, Kate pulled out her phone.

Text from Callahan to Rossi 12:53 am
First kiss confirmed. Says doesn't matter.

Text from Rossi to Callahan 12:55 am
She's obviously lying

Text from Callahan to Rossi 12:57 am
Obviously

Text from Rossi to Anderson 12:58 am
First kiss, no tongue – 11:30 pm tonight, witnessed & confirmed

Text from Anderson to Rossi 1:02 am
Thx.

The girls hit the dance floor again after they finished their drink. No point in wasting a good buzz or good DJ. Penelope's personal theme song, All About That Bass, started playing and she jumped up with a squeal. Losing herself to the music, she danced without care or notice of those watching her, namely Derek.

Derek watched Penelope dance. The kiss from earlier was still nagging at him. He wanted more. He wanted everything. His brain kept reminding him that Savannah was his girlfriend, but he wasn't sure that she was it for him anymore. The Penelope that showed up tonight was the complete package. Not only was she his best friend, but she was sexy and confident, bold and carefree. She was the best of everything that he had ever wanted. They just knew each other without having to use words. She just knew what he needed, when he needed it. Now, all he had to do was make her see that he needed her.

Derek walked over the DJ booth. After talking to the guy for a minute, he made his way on to the dance floor with the girls. The current song transitioned into the most appropriate song he could think of to dance to with his Baby Girl.

"Everybody get up
Everybody get up
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey

If you can't hear what I'm trying to say
If you can't read from the same page
Maybe I'm going deaf,
Maybe I'm going blind
Maybe I'm out of my mind
Everybody get up"

Penelope heard the opening lines to Blurred Lines and raised an eyebrow at him with a smirk. He looked at her with hunger in his eyes, "Baby Girl, tell me this song wasn't written about us." He stepped closer as they started to dance together. They fit and moved perfectly together. Derek's hands ghosted over her hips, trying to keep their dance as PG as possible. They maintained distance between their bodies, even if it was small.

"OK now he was close, tried to domesticate you
But you're an animal, baby, it's in your nature
Just let me liberate you
Hey, hey, hey
You don't need no papers
Hey, hey, hey
That man is not your maker"

Penelope couldn't help herself. She was in a trance, completely wrapped up in Derek. Looking into his eyes as they moved together, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Did he really want her this way? It had to just be the liquor. They'd kept their lines in place so long, even if they were blurry at times. She turned as she continued to dance, attempting to break the spell. Mistake! Derek took that opportunity to step up behind her, bringing his body close to hers. As the refrain started, Derek lowered his head towards her started to sing in her ear.

"And that's why I'm gon' take a good girl
I know you want it
I know you want it
I know you want it
You're a good girl
Can't let it get past me
You're far from plastic
Talk about getting blasted
I hate these blurred lines
I know you want it
I know you want it
I know you want it
But you're a good girl
The way you grab me
Must wanna get nasty
Go ahead, get at me
Everybody get up"

Derek almost couldn't breathe. The way she looked. The way she moved. Everything about Penelope Garcia was overwhelming him and in the best possible way.

"No more pretending
Hey, hey, hey
Cause now you winning
Hey, hey, hey
Here's our beginning"

Penelope turned back around and looked in Derek's eyes. It was no longer just heat, but now it was love. She couldn't help but move closer to him as they continued to dance, forgetting about everyone else around them. Penelope wrapped her arms around Derek's neck as he moved his hands to her hips, pulling her even tighter to him. They were slowly moving way beyond PG-13.

"I'm sure this doesn't mean anything either," Rossi smirked at Kate, as the team sat at their table watching the dance unfolding before them.

"Obviously not, just a couple of friends dancing." Kate replied, the sarcasm dripping off of every word.

As the song finished, Penelope took a step back from Derek. "I think I need a breather. Sweetness, you've got my blood boiling like always." She winked at him trying to remain as normal as possible. As she stepped away, Derek grabbed her hand. She led him towards the table, not daring to turn around and look at him.

She may be trying to act normal; however, she felt anything but normal. Did Derek really want to be with her? Her insides were in knots, and it had nothing to do with the alcohol. They would need to talk, but it couldn't be tonight. Tonight there was too much electricity, too much tension, too much alcohol. Tonight would only lead to poor decisions.

"Jayje, what time is it? It's got to be late." Penelope asked.

"Uh oh... you know the time." She replied after quickly looking at her watch.

"How could she know the time? She just asked you." Reid questioned.

Before anyone could so anything, Derek answered for her, "The 'uh oh' indicates it's 1:45. Time to go! Can't get caught when the lights come on. Nobody looks good when the lights come on, including yourself." He said pointing at himself. "Come on, Baby Girl. Let's get you a cab."

The group started to break up and head their different directions. Hotch reminded everyone "Don't forget - 1 o'clock at Rossi's. And let's double up on cabs. I want to make sure everyone gets home safe."

Derek slung his arm over Penelope's shoulders and whispered in her ear, "Come on, momma. I think Hotch just ordered me to take you home." Derek's words sent shivers down her body. Seeing the goose bumps on her arms, Derek pulled her close. "You okay? Are you cold?" he questioned her.

"Uh... just a chill. I'm fine. Probably just tired." she tried to reason away her reaction.

"Well, then let's get you home and tucked into bed." he replied as he pressed a kiss into her hair.

The cab ride was relatively quiet. Leaning into Derek's chest with his arms wrapped around her, she found herself drifting off to sleep. She'd had a lot more to drink than she realized as the car moved through the streets towards her apartment.

When the cab stopped, Derek quietly paid the driver and started to lift Penelope out of the car when she woke up. "I'm up. I got it." she said through sleepy, drunk words. He wrapped his arms around her waist to help prop her up as they walked up the steps. She leaned into his body for support. They didn't talk, just leaned on each other as they worked together as one.

Derek opened the door with his key and led them through the apartment to the bedroom. Penelope sat down on the bed and the full extent of the night finally hit her as she kicked off her shoes. She looked up at Derek with love in her glassy, bloodshot eyes. Without thinking, she pulled her sweater off and unzipped her skirt. Standing she slid it to the floor and kicked it off her foot to the corner of the room.

"I feel like we need to talk, Hot Stuff, but not tonight. Tonight will you stay with me?" she asked him quietly.

Derek was pulling his shirt over his head, throwing it in the corner near her clothes, before she even started asking him to stay. Nodding, he walked over to the bed and pulled the covers back for her. As soon as she climbed in the bed, he tossed his pants aside and crawled in bed behind her.

Tomorrow they would talk. Tomorrow it would make more sense. Tonight they just curled into each other, fitting together perfectly, enjoying the feel of their bodies up against each other. They both were asleep without another word.

A/N: I do not own any song or lyrics. I do not own Criminal Minds. I only own a house (in 25 more years) and a car and a bunch of junk in said house and car.