Disclaimer: We sadly do not own Criminal Minds.
Once she had him settled she knew he was going to start prodding her, he'd been after the talk with her for days now, but he was never alone with her long enough. Now, after Hotch taking his mom out and the other's staying away he had his baby girl to himself.
'Pen!' He called out and heard her shuffle around in the kitchen before appearing quickly, and looking worried. 'Come here baby girl, we need to talk.'
'I have one thing to ask first.'
'What's that?'
'Well more a promise.'
'Right... what is it?'
'Never get shot again, I can't handle it.'
'Well, how about, I won't if you won't.'
'I promise you it's a life experience I won't be going for again.' She said and settled next to him. 'So come on, I'm here, you're here, talk.'
'I...when I was...' He began before pausing, looking up at her inquisitive eyes.
'Spit it out handsome.' She said with a smile.
'When I felt that bullet hit me all I could see was you in that hospital bed when you were shot and I knew just how deep my feelings for you were and as much as I am glad me being in that same situation meant you admitted the same thing I never, ever, want you to feel like that again.'
'Hot Stuff, don't make promises you can't kee-' She was stopped by his finger softly touching to her lips.
'Lemme finish Garcia?' She nodded upon seeing the determination in his eyes. 'I don't want you to ever think you are going to lose me, not in any capacity or any way. I hate seeing that look in your eyes like you've lost everything.'
'I seriously thought I had.' Penelope now took over, she had so much to tell him and yet she felt like she had such limited time to tell him when in fact she had all the time in the world. 'I had a room surrounded of things you'd given me, to make me see that you loved me and I had been ignorant to it and I had chosen to disbelieve you because it was easier than going through a whole other Lynch story.' Derek took her hand in his and squeezed it, he knew that that moment in her life would always shadow everything. 'Remember the Gomez moment?'
He laughed. 'How the hell could I forget? It was probably the start of us.'
'It was Derek, well for me, I literally fell head over heels in love with you from that moment but why would someone like you go for someone like me? I've always doubted it, never made a move, so I left it but you've spent months helping me, loving me, making me see that you are in love with me and I stepped all over it and then Hotch called.' Penelope looked at their hands as they sat in one another. 'To hear, Morgan took a bullet, everything in my life felt insignificant, everything except that I loved you and that I needed you to know before I lost you. Then I panicked that I'd lost my chance.'
'But you do realise you haven't right?' He said with a slight grin. 'Like I had to realise that I hadn't lost my baby girl that day?' He saw Penelope hesitate at that moment, her eyes gleam with a fresh covering of tears. 'Come here a moment.' Penelope freely took to his outstretched arm and cuddled in. 'I love you silly girl, I'm safe, you're safe and I love you so much that I want nothing more than for you to just reciprocate.'
'I do Derek, I really do, I've just been scared, I've loved you for too long that I'm scared to be scared now.'
'Isn't that a bit hypocritical P?'
She shook her head. 'I'm scared that if I continue to be scared I'll keep missing my opportunities.' With that she sat up and looked at him. 'I love you Derek.'
'Come and give me some sugar then mamma.' He said and just like that she kissed him like he'd been waiting years for her to kiss him, the chemistry brew even more at that moment, the kiss picking up as volts of electricity passed through them both. 'That was well waited for.'
'Definitely.' She replied and smiled her first genuine smile that had no hidden undertones of negative feelings. Penelope found herself being pulled back towards Derek as he wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her close to his body. They had to separate as the doorbell went.
'I'll get it.'
'Like hell you are sugar, I'm not the hurt one here.' Penelope teased and she saw Derek go to complain. 'No Derek, no way... you aren't going to win.' She disappeared and he watched her come back in with a small brown box. 'Here you go handsome.' She said and passed him the box, he opened it and handed it back, frowning she took it back. 'Derek...'
'Just look at it princess.'
'I told you to stop with the gifts; I am officially wooed Handsome. You can stop now.' She said with a somewhat nervous smile at the velvet box in her hand.
'Just open it silly girl.' He said softly.
Her heart rate accelerated as she popped open the box, drawing her lip between her teeth as her nerves bubbled, could this be what she thought it was?
She gasped as she saw the beautiful diamond ring nestled in the box. Her smile only grew as she looked up at him in wonder, was he really asking what she thought he was?
'Derek...' she said softly, looking up to find him staring at her with love, expectation and a hint of nervousness in his gaze. Their eyes locked.
'Are you gonna make me beg Baby Girl?' He asked softly, moving so that he was leaning forward, perched on the edge of the seat.
'Come any further off that seat Derek Morgan and I won't make you beg, I'll just spank you.' She teased although her voice was soft and her smile wide as her eyes glittered.
'Promises, promises Baby. Now, how about you make me another and promise to be mine forever? What d'you say, think you can deal with me for that long?' He asked, looking up at her with a smile.
Instead of voicing a reply she moved forward, the ring box still in her hand as she kissed him softly, before the need and want escalated and she was straddling his hips as his hands sat on her hips.
She pulled away, looking down into his eyes as she spoke: 'The real question is: can you handle me for that long?'
In reply he took the box out of her hand, placing the ring on her finger as he spoke: 'Hell yeah mamma, bring it on.' He replied with a smile and fire in his eyes as he lunged up to kiss her again, his injury not even registering in his mind. His Baby Girl eclipsed it all.
Penelope reciprocated the kiss, no fear rose in her, no elements of hurt, or regret, or loss. All she felt was love, complete unadulterated love, a love Kevin had never given her, a love that only Derek would be able to offer her. He'd taught her to love again and using the lost art of love she'd regained a sense of herself, a part that Derek always held.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The End!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
A/N: Thanks for reading folks! This one's been a great story to write, and we may have more stories to come yet! We have the fortunate issue that we seem to find some crazy ass plot emus! You never know what's gonna happen when muses get together and this one's been as fun to write as the others :))
Thanks for reading and reviewing! It's a sad moment for us...one more "baby" has flown the coop ;) Thanks for staying with us!
P.S. and thanks to klcm for putting up with my totally screwed up muse!
