Chapter 7

Penelope pulled into the driveway at David Rossi's house. It appeared that she was once again the last person there.

Text from Penelope Garcia to Hot Stuff, 1:12 pm.
Can you give me a hand out front?

Text from Hot Stuff to Penelope Garcia, 1:12 pm.
omw

As she is leaning into the backseat of the car to retrieve the contents of a small bakery, Penelope feels Derek's arms wrap around her. He whispers in her ear, "Hey, momma!"

"Hey, Hot Stuff! Can you help me carry this stuff?" she replies cheerfully, handing him dishes as she turns around.

"Damn, woman! Did you rob a bakery on your way here?" he laughed at all the sweets she brought with her.

"No, silly. I just had some time on my hands and thought I'd whip up a few favorites." She smiled at him, but he noticed it didn't reach her eyes. He looked at her with concern and before he could say anything, she stopped him. "Look Angelfish, I know at some point we have to talk, but I don't think today is a good idea."

"I think I'm having déjà vu. All that's missing are some red, lacy bits." He smiled at her in response, waggling his eyebrows at her.

She rolled her eyes at his response. "Really? You're making a joke about this?"

"No, of course not! This is everything to me…" the truth clearly evident in his voice as he searched her eyes for understanding. When he saw that understanding in her eyes, a small smile appeared on his face, "…but I do like the red, lacy bits very much."

She took a deep breath, trying to absorb what Derek was telling her. He wanted her. He wanted her in every way. He said it so easily, standing in Rossi's driveway holding a tray of brownies in one hand and a peach cobbler in the other. The whole situation almost made her laugh at how ridiculous it seemed. Sure they joked about these things before, but this was different. She knew he actually meant what he said this time. Wait! Does that mean he's possibly meant it before?

"Well, then let's get this day over with so we can have our talk…. And maybe you'll see some black, lacy bits. I guess we'll have to see if you like those too." She smiled at him as his eyebrows raised in surprise at her insinuation. "Act normal. I don't want 10,000 questions from everyone."

"Normal? Regular normal or normal for us?" he wondered out loud.

"Normal for us, sug. If we acted regular normal, they'd know something was up. They are profilers." Using her hip to close the car door, she started up the driveway with Derek right behind her. It seemed as if the slamming of the car door was what her heart needed to finally jump start again. They certainly weren't back to normal, but maybe they were finally on their way to a new normal. Now, all she had to do was survive the next 10 hours with a group of profilers.

Noticing Derek seemed to be gone an awfully long time, supposedly "helping" Garcia, he pondered out loud "Do you think they are continuing their show from last night in my driveway?"

Before anyone could answer, Penelope gasped, "David Rossi! Just for that, you are not allowed anything I've brought with me, including your favorite chocolate mousse pie that I made especially for you!"

Smirking to the group and trying to save a little face, "Come on, Kitten! You know I was just joking! How was I supposed to know that after a night of heavy drinking, you'd turn into Betty Crocker?"

She narrowed her eyes at him playfully as if she was pondering his fate. "We'll see if you can regain your position in my good graces. We. Shall. See." She strolled into the kitchen with Derek on her heels laughing at the situation and shaking his head at Rossi.

Hotch followed them into the kitchen to see everything she'd spread out on the counter. "Garcia, you do remember that I said you didn't need to worry about food, right?"

"Of course, sir. I just woke up early this morning, and when are extra sweets at a barbecue a bad idea?" She smiled at him.

He couldn't help but smile at her. He had no idea how she wasn't hung over like everyone else seemed to be. "That is an excellent point. I just hope you didn't go to too much trouble."

"When is putting smiles on the faces of my family too much trouble?" she asked him honestly. Even if her baking started out as a means to distract her guilty heart, she knew the team would love the things she was bringing. The thought of their happiness helped assuage her guilt.

Hotch honestly didn't know what to say. Garcia's thoughtfulness and pure heart always put him in awe. He just nodded his head as his smile softened, "Thank you, Penelope."

Sitting around the large table on Rossi's deck, the team enjoyed their lunch and all bemoaned their hangovers.

"Seriously, Hotch? The Moon Walk?" Morgan laughed recalling last night's dancing.

"What can I say? I'm a man of many hidden talents." Hotch shrugged in response, earing a good laugh from the rest of the group.

The afternoon continued in much the same manner, everyone laughing, talking and slowly feeling better from the night before. Of course Garcia did give in and let Rossi have as much of the pie as he wanted, which turned out to be 2 pieces.

Mateo Cruz joined the group for their meal and enjoyed getting to know everyone a little better. He didn't let on that he'd stopped in the night before. He enjoyed seeing them in a stress free environment. Who knew that Aaron Hotchner had a wicked sense of humor or that David Rossi was a gossip? What was evident more than ever was that Derek Morgan was totally in love with Penelope Garcia. He wondered how the rest of the team didn't see it. Or if they did see it, where they so used to it that they ignored it?

What he wasn't certain about was how Penelope Garcia felt about Derek Morgan. Sure she flirted with him and had pet names for him, but it appeared she did that with everyone, including much to his dismay, Mateo Cruz himself. He wasn't a profiler himself, but if he had to guess, she used it as a shield to protect herself.

Confident in the knowledge that Aaron Hotchner had this team on the road to being whole again, he left not long after their lunch was over.

"I wasn't expecting Cruz to be so normal." Garcia stated.

JJ laughed at her friend's statement. "Did you expect him to be some sort of unsub?"

Garcia eyes widened with surprise, "Jennifer Jareau LaMontagne, of course not! I just... well... he wasn't pretentious like some of the FBI's higher ups can be." Still searching for the right words, Garcia added thoughtfully, "He wasn't judgmental of us... of our family. Not everyone gets us."

Hotch nodded at her wise words. "You're right, Garcia. Not everyone gets us, but I think that he understands that it takes a special group of people to do what we do and apparently we make sense to him."

Rossi added, "He's got field experience. He knows how you have to be a team and successful teams are families."

"And every family has a crazy, eccentric aunt who shows up with too many baked goods." Reid added with a smirk on his face.

Penelope gasped at Reid's joke and threw her napkin at him laughing. "No more cookies for you, Spencer Reid!"

At that, the whole group erupted in laughter.

Penelope looked in the mirror in one of David Rossi's guest bathrooms. Was her guilt showing? Did they know how she'd practically thrown herself at her best friend... her in-a-long-term-relationship best friend? She hadn't really talked to Derek about anything. Their day was too long and involved too many other people, but she hoped no one noticed. She had done her best to continue to flirt with him. Hell, she'd even flirted with the Section Chief in order to appear normal.

A quiet knock on the door startled her. "Momma, you ok in there?" she heard Derek ask from the other side of the door. Before she could answer, she felt him try and turn the knob.

"Derek, what are you doing?!" unlocking the door and flinging it open. "Why are you trying to come in the bathroom?"

Derek pushed her back into the bathroom and closed the door behind himself with his foot while wrapping her up in his arms. "I just missed you."

"Angelfish, we've been together all day." she retorted.

"Yeah, but I haven't been able to do this!" he said as he ran his hands down her back, grabbing her ass and pulling her into him closer. A low growl seemed to come from deep in his throat as he nuzzled his face in her neck.

Penelope gasped as his breath on her neck sent shivers down her spine. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, letting her fingers gently stroke the back of his head and neck.

"You would wear jeans today. You never wear jeans." He said incredulously.

"Well, I figured it was better than having a skirt on that you could possibly put your hands under." she whispered breathlessly. Trying to regain her composure, she put her hands on his chest and tried to push away from him. "Derek..."

"Don't." he stopped her. "Don't tell me we can't do this because we can." He leaned back from her slightly so he could look into her eyes. "I did not want to do this in Rossi's bathroom but I can't wait. I need you to know. I ended things with Savannah. She's moving out. I do feel bad for hurting her, but I can't pretend anymore than you aren't the most important person in my life."

Penelope could feel Derek's heart beating frantically under her hands. It matched the pace of her own. Was this it? Was this everything she'd ever wanted? She was thankful that she was in Derek's arms because she thought she might pass out. She smiled at him sweetly, "ok."

"Ok?"

"Yes, ok."

Derek was totally confused. "Ok, what?"

"Ok to anything and everything you want. As long as I'm in your life, I'll make it work." She replied not sure what he really wanted.

"Penelope Garcia, you are my life." He placed his forehead on hers. "All I need is you."

"Are you ready now?"

"Yes"

Penelope didn't hesitate as she titled to her head up to catch his lips. She's been longing to do it for so long, but she had no idea that it would shift the entire axis of her world.