Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. Damn.
Here's chapter 3! The happy couple is getting there :)
Penelope and Michael ordered their appetizers - vegetable dumplings and lettuce wraps - and were making small talk throughout the evening. With every word they spoke, it became clearer and clearer that he was planning on proposing. And the thought of it scared her half to death. When Kevin had proposed, she had done the exact same thing. It was happening all over again, the panic, the suffocating thoughts of getting married to a man she did not truly love. They were in the middle of the restaurant and it was reasonably packed. The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass Michael. He was a nice person, a kind person. She couldn't stand the thought of hurting him with a negative answer to his proposal.
"So, where do you see yourself in ten years?" he asked, taking her hand. "Married, kids, still working at the FBI?" He had a hopeful smile on his face.
She balked at the question. A lump formed in her throat and she did not know if she could get past it. But she swallowed past it and answered hoarsely, "Er, well...I don't really know. I do want kids. But..."
"Kids are wonderful, aren't they?" he said, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. "I would love to have kids in the future. I can just imagine coaching Little League for a boy or going to dance recitals for a little girl. I've always liked the name Zoey for a a baby girl. What about you? Any names that have struck you as keepers for a little, mini Penelope?"
Her eyes went wide and she picked up her glass of wine and took a long swallow, hoping maybe the question would just disappear into thin air and she wouldn't have to answer it. "I -"
"Here are your appetizers," Wah said as he returned to the table. "And of course, your fortune cookies."
Penelope could have grabbed him and kissed him at that moment. She smiled up at him and nodded gratefully. "Oh, thank you," she said. "God, everything looks so delicious!" That part was true; the food smelled divine.
Wah nodded. "Your choices were good," he said with a smile. He picked up the plates and set them before her and Michael. Then he set their fortune cookies down. Penelope could almost swear she saw a twinkle in his eye as he did. That made her brows form together in curiosity. What the hell was that about?
"Please enjoy," Wah said. "You entrees will be out soon."
He walked away and Penelope and Michael opened their fortune cookies before starting in on their appetizers. Michael sighed as he read his, dropping it on the table cloth carelessly. "Once again, mine is lame. It says 'You will receive some high prize or award.'" He looked up and met her eyes, laughing softly. "Yeah. That's real inspiring and wise."
She shook her head and smiled before looking down at hers. Her hear stopped while reading it.
It doesn't matter if the guy is perfect or the girl is perfect, as long as they are perfect for each other.
Her favorite quote from...Good Will Hunting? What in God's name was going on? Movie quotes didn't end up in fortune cookies.
"Your face looks interested," Michael laughed. "What does your's say?"
"It says..." Should she tell him? She decided against it almost immediately. He might very well notice the oddity of both the cookies. "Oh..." she stammered. "Oh, well, I'm just hungry." She pointed to the food. "Let's eat!" Her voice was almost too enthusiastic and she prayed he wouldn't notice.
Thankfully, he didn't.
"You're right. Let's eat."
They started digging into the appetizers and continued the small talk. But soon the small talk turned into more. "So, he asked. "You never answered me about working for the FBI still. What are your plans for that?"
"Well, I plan on doing it until the circumstances change to where I want to do something else," she explained with a smile. She took a bite of her food and nodded her head. "This is so good!" she exclaimed.
He nodded. "How can you stand all that death though?" he asked. "It just seems like it would be awful to be around all the time."
"I like to focus on the positives of it," she said. "Like, the fact that we are helping people who can't fight for themselves, or are dead and need justice."
"Well, it's good you can focus on the positive of it," he said softly. "You are a pretty brave woman to deal with all of that."
She smiled. "Thank you," she said appreciatively. "It's nice of you to say." She used her chopsticks to put another bite of dumpling into her mouth, letting the rich flavor spread across her tongue.
Michael swallowed his food before asking, "Now, what about your buddy? Derek, is his name? You two are awfully close, if I remember correctly. I've only met him once."
A dreamy smile covered her face and she leaned her elbow on the table. "Oh, Derek? Well, we've been best friends for years. We met when he and part of my current team needed help working on a case. They took me on and I've been with them ever since. But back to Derek...he's just amazing. He's got a little bit of a temper when he's not being a brooding hunk, but he puts everything he's got into cases to help the people we fight for."
"So, he's like a superhero?"
She nodded and met his eyes again. "Precisely," she said with a grin. Derek's face filed her mind and she found herself shuddering with all she felt for him. He was so much more than the simple explanation she was giving of him. He was an extremely loving and compassionate man. He was quiet about it, collected unless he got pissed. Even though one didn't want to cross him and earn themselves a place in the way of his wrath, he would stop at nothing until the person he set out to save was just that: safe and sound.
Michael nodded and smiled again. "It sounds like you have an incredible friend in this guy," he said.
He's so much more, she added to herself in her head.
Just then, Wah appeared again, this time with the entrees. He set their plates down in front of them and then placed the third fortune cookies next to the plates. "Enjoy," he said, nodding his head and walking off.
Before taking a single bite of her food, Penelope ripped open the package and cracked the cookie in half. She was more than just a little curious as to what it would say. And with good reason she was curious. This most recent message was just like the other two; all about love. True love, by the sound of it.
Your love's dreams are within you.
Something was definitely going on here that wasn't normal.
XXXXX
"Dammit, man!" Derek hissed. "Look at her! She's smiling at him and he's holding her hand! And she looks happy about it!"
Rossi and Reid rolled their eyes at him at the same time. "Morgan, have you not noticed her behavior when she gets the cookies?" Reid asked. "Her cheeks gain color, her eyes get wide, she looks almost panicked. The signs all point to her wondering what the cookies are all about. If I were you, I would settle down."
"Easy for you to say," Derek snorted. "I don't think I'll be able to do anything other than freak out right now."
Rossi smirked. "For having a reputation as a notorious ladies' man and player, you sure do act like a nervous wreck around this woman."
Derek glared at him. "Yeah, well the situations are different here," he snapped, shooting him a look. "I love Penelope. She's not a one night stand I'm trying to seduce into my bed. She's the woman I love and care about more than any other woman I've ever met. Hell, she's the woman I want to have little mini us's with."
"Well, it's damn good thing you're fighting for her," Reid commented. "It shows you've finally gotten your head out of your ass. And the fact that this day falls on Fortune Cookie Day just makes this day even more perfect to confess your feelings. Can you think of a better way to do it?"
"Er, wine and chocolate and flowers?" Rossi suggested. He took a sip of the wine they had ordered. "Nah, I'm just kidding. This really is the best way to do it. It's unique, just like her."
"They're eating their entrees, which means we've got two more cookies coming out for her," Reid said. "We'll get her. Don't you worry, Morgan."
Morgan just clenched and unclenched his fists. He was a nervous wreck and both Rossi and Reid could easily tell. They had never seen him this way, and though they felt sorry that he was so anxious, it was also highly amusing to them. Calm, cool, collected Derek Morgan, usually so smooth with women, was losing his nerve rapidly over someone who knew him better than anyone. His best friend, and he was afraid of looking like an idiot.
It was definitely worth a laugh.
"What are you two smirking about?" Derek growled. "Is there something you find particularly hilarious?"
Reid and Rossi exchanged glances and started snickering. "You are," Rossi said.
"You go from a calm and collected man to bumbling idiot in two seconds flat," Reid interjected. "It's very funny."
Morgan glared at them both and returned to watching Penelope over the top of his menu. He just needed to ignore his snickering buddies, and focus on the real reason he was there: her.
Penelope.
XXXXX
"And here are your deserts," Wah said, setting the plates down in front of them. The table had been cleared moments ago and Penelope was tapping her fingers anxiously on the table. She had to force herself not to grab the fortune cookie and smash it in order to see the paper inside. She had to see what it said.
Love is friendship set on fire.
Her head snapped up and she frowned. This sounded exactly like -
"Penelope?"
Her eyes shot to Michael and she shook her head, blinking several times. He was looking at her expectantly. "I'm sorry," she said breathlessly. "What did you say?"
He grinned sheepishly. "May I ask you a question?"
Oh, dear God, she thought anxiously. Here we go... All she did was nod. Her throat and mouth dried up and she watched as he rose to his feet and dropped to one knee in front of her. She couldn't stop her eyes from going wide. At the moment, she was scared shitless.
He took her limp hand in his. "Penelope, I know we haven't known each other for very long," he began. "But...but I feel as though we have a lifelong connection. And that makes me think that we could date for three months or three years, and either way, I would want to ask you this."
"Oh, Michael -" She glanced around frantically. The majority of the restaurant quieted down as they watched Michael go through a beautiful proposal. This could not possibly end well.
He shook his head. "No, no," he said. "Don't speak. Just let me finish." He smiled softly. "Anyway, because of this connection, I want to ask you if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Her mouth fell open and after a moment she closed it. She knew the question had been coming, she just didn't realize her fear would hit her in the raging form of a hurricane. This was much worse than she expected it would be. As Michael patiently waited for an answer, Wah slipped the check and the final two cookies on the table. Instantaneously, her eyes flicked to the cookie he had set in front of her. Her eyes met his and it was almost like he was trying to tell her something.
What, she had no idea, though.
But now was not a time for thinking. She had a restaurant full of people staring at her and the man kneeling in front of her asking for her to marry him. "Ah..." she began nervously. Her eyes flicked to her final fortune cookie and a slow smile spread across her face. For added effect, she batted her eyelashes. "Why don't we see what fate has to say?" she asked, reaching across the table for the cookie.
Hope you liked it :)
