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A/N: Again we'd like to thank everyone that read, reviewed, alerted and we hope you continue to enjoy!
'Do we tell him?' Emily said to JJ as they entered her office, Derek hadn't once looked up. 'I mean, something's eating him away.'
'I think he's realised he loves Penelope.' JJ said with a smile. 'Hmm.... let's tell him.' They stepped out of the office and tapped on Derek's shoulder, he looked up. 'Can we borrow you?'
'What for?'
'It's about Garcia.' They said and walked away. Derek got up and followed immediately into JJ's office.
He spun around when the door was closed. 'What's this really about?'
'Penelope's forgiven you.'
'But you need to be careful with her Morgan, you dare hurt her and you'll have us to answer to.'
'What are you going on about?'
'You love her?'
'Of course I do.'
'In loved with her?' There a pause. 'Knew it!' JJ exclaimed. 'Now you listen here, Penelope's pretty cut up about Kevin, and well she will hate me for saying this but she loves you Morgan.'
'She loves me?'
'She won't admit it, heck she won't love anyone easily after Kevin, I wouldn't.'
'What are you going about? He left for a job.'
'That's what she told you.'
'She wanted you to believe that because it was easier for you to pity her for that than the truth.'
'So what is the truth?'
'He just fell out of love with her.' JJ said sadly. 'Now Penelope's going to be a commitment phobic for it and she's hell as not going to let you in to love her Morgan, not after years of watching you dance with women like you do. She doesn't want to do that with you.'
'Well I guess it's time to pull out the big guns then.' Derek said with a smirk. 'I might need your help on some of it.'
'What's your plan?'
'I'll woo her... however long it takes I'll do it.'
'You are serious right? Being wooed by Derek Morgan is any girls dream.'
'Yours?'
'Once upon a time.' They both said with a smile on their faces and watched as he left the office no longer a defeated man. They watched him pick up his phone on his desk, find a card, punch in the digits he was evidently reading out, speak for a couple of minutes, he then sat back and put two thumbs up at him.
They fell into JJ's office. 'Systems are go it seems.'
'I can't help but wonder just how long Morgan's going to wait this out.' Emily questioned allowed. 'I mean okay he loves her but what happens if he does just fall out of this, like it's all swings and roundabouts to him.'
'Not when it's his baby girl... I have a good feeling about this.' JJ mused with a smile. 'Now go and get some work done, and keep an eye on him.'
Later that day Emily and JJ couldn't help but smile as a large bouquet of expensive flowers arrived. Derek looked amused but hid that they were from him, until his phone rang off and he looked down and left.
He tapped 3 times on the door and entered Penelope's office. 'Everything okay baby girl?'
Penelope looked up teary eyed and smiled. 'I'm sorry for last night for going off on one at you, I didn't mean to honest, it's just I'm still a little raw about Kevin and doubtful and selfish and stupid.'
'Hey no worries goddess.' He looked to the side at the bunch of artificial flowers, they looked better than he remembered. 'So... flowers huh? Who's the sender?'
'Don't play with me handsome.' Penelope joked back. 'They're beautiful, thank you.'
'Anything to cheer you up.' He said with a smile. 'I'm going to get back to work now, you be okay?'
'Yeah, now everything's okay with us.'
'Everything's always been okay with us two baby girl.' He left with a smile on his face and knew that as he left Penelope looked down at the card, his mind retracing the words he had written out.
To my technical goddess, these flowers mark my apologises from last night.
I didn't mean to put you in a tight predicament like I did.
I'll make it up to you. Promise
D.M. x
2 weeks couldn't have flown by, Penelope found herself receiving gift after gift from Derek and she couldn't help but feel bad but the day she played her attack to make him stop she ended up staying in bed.
Derek worked nonstop and by the time he raised his head from writing his report from the last case his mind caught up that no surprise visits from Penelope had occurred, he went to her office and found another tech sitting in her chair, he didn't ask questions, just went to Hotch.
'Where's Garcia?'
'I don't know why?'
'She's not in.'
'Go to her, I'll ring Strauss.' Hotch said and Derek bolted from the room, panic unmistakeable as he darted for his SUV. When he arrived at Penelope's building he didn't know whether to be relieved that Esther was still parked up or worry even more.
He went to her door and walked in, it was eerily quiet, he heard cars going past and knew the bedroom window was open. He walked in more and found the bed empty, sheets ruffled, the quilt missing, the bedside table covered in medicine pots, he then noticed the light on in the bathroom.
He pushed the door open and found Penelope curled up on the cold tile floor, the quilt draped loosely around her. He got on the floor and found her asleep.
'Penelope...' He said and ran his hand over her face immediately feeling the high levels of heat on her and he knew she had the flu in an instance. 'Come on baby girl you're burning up.'
'Shit!' Penelope said shooting up instantly regretting the movement as her head spun. 'I didn't ring into work.' She panicked unconvincingly as her voice rang out sore, harsh and a near whisper.
'It doesn't matter... how long you been down here?'
She grabbed his watch. 'About 2 hours. I can't cool down but if I lay here without the quilt I get way to cold.'
'I have an idea.' He stepped over her and put the bath on, when it was run to high enough level and at the right heat he looked back at Penelope, who was asleep all over again. 'Come on baby girl... in you get.'
'Don't move me... I barely made it in here.'
'Okay... fine.' He picked her up into his arms with ease and placed her into the bath fully dressed; when he felt her again she was cooler. 'Worked.'
'But now I'm all wet.' Penelope groaned.
'I'll get you clean PJ's don't worry and I'm not leaving you.'
'Work?'
'I'm sure they'll cope, but you're too ill to be left for a couple of days.' He watched her look up at him with her eyes so filled with illness that all he wanted to do was hug her. 'Now come on let's get you out.' He helped her stand while he wrapped a towel around her. 'How long you been feeling like this?'
'Since yesterday evening, just after talking to you.'
'And you didn't call me back.'
She coughed a harsh chesty cough. 'I didn't want you to do this.'
'Penelope Garcia! You are the biggest hard head I've known.'
'Which is exactly how you want me to stay!' She defended but not with the right pitch to her voice.
'Don't exert too much force yeah?' He told her with a small smile. 'But you just sit there and I'll find something dry.'
'Which I am changing into myself.'
'Deal.' He told her. 'You can do that while I ring work and get making mama Morgan's secret soup.'
'What's so secret about it?'
'That'd be telling now, wouldn't it?' He told her. 'There you go baby girl. Leave the wet clothes on the floor and I'll wash them for you.'
'Thanks.' She said back with a groggy tired smile.
'Get into them and climb into bed.' He told her sternly and left the room, digging his phone out and dialled Hotch's number.
'Morgan, tell me you've found her?'
'Yeah I have. I don't think she'll be in for a while. She's pretty ill with the flu.' Derek told him. 'Hotch I want to take some time off, she's not going to get any better on her own.'
'Did you get that last report done?'
'I did.'
'Well it'll have to come out of your annual leave but just get her better yeah? This replacement tech is a screw up. A disgrace to the occupation.'
'That's only 'cause Pen's put the standards up too high for anyone to match.'
'Too right... just tell her we're all thinking of her. We'll pop round in a couple of days.'
'Thanks Hotch.'
'No problems Morgan.' The line went dead and Derek went back into the room. He found Penelope asleep on top of the bed nad he then remembered the quilt was still in bathroom. He grabbed it, luckily it had stayed dried and put it over Penelope's body, making sure she was covered. He then got to work on his ploy of getting her better.
He was going to be there throughout it all and when she was better, her first night out was a date, just her and him.
