Chapter 13

AN: Thanks so much for the reviews, you guys. I really love writing kisses-and getting kisses LOL!...There's a few little questions left here; I hope they get answered sufficiently for you... :) Kricket

Derek had more emotions rolling through him than he thought possible. The sense of rightness rolled over him. He wasn't an emo sort of man, the kind that wore black and moped when he was down. He liked to take action, get things done, not pussyfoot around about things he could control. However, when it came to Penelope, that all went out the window.

For four excruciating years, he'd watched her with Kevin Lynch, a man that was completely unworthy of her in every aspect. At first, he'd been completely shocked. He hadn't taken the rumors about his Penelope and the geek from the tech sector as truth. She hadn't mentioned it to him, and they'd already had a close bond when it happened. Then he'd arrived back home from a case with the rest of the team, and saw Lynch on the balcony, waiting to discuss Penelope with Rossi.

It hit home, rock solid, then. And Derek had realized he'd lost.

He'd moved on, dated woman after woman, he'd even thanked his lucky stars for saving him for bachelorhood. He'd had a near miss—he'd told Penelope he loved her, and planned on so much more at that point.

But then, he'd couldn't walk away from her completely. She'd been his best friend—she still was his best friend—he couldn't abandon her for something as stupid as his heart misunderstanding what she'd wanted. The more time he spent with her, the more he realized what a lucky bastard Lynch was, and how very much he was still in love with her.

It still irked him, even now, kissing the woman that made all of the waiting so worth it. He thought about something she'd said, something that really bothered him, and had to act on it, even as his lips still gently touched hers.

He lowered his hands, wrapping his arms around her again in a protective embrace, as he began to resurface from their kiss. He reigned light kisses on her face, pressed his cheek against her cold, damp one, just holding her, before he began to speak.

"Baby," he whispered against the shell of her ear.

When he raised his head to look at her, her eyes were still closed.

She murmured languidly, obviously still immersed in the feelings from their kiss, "Hmmm?"

"You said you needed to get me to think differently about you. I don't understand that...or why you'd think that."

She lay there for a moment in the crook of his arm, and then her eyes fluttered slowly open. Undeniably, there was passion in those honey brown depths, but there was also some sadness there. He didn't want that; he didn't want any doubts or any sadness between them. She needed to know exactly how much he wanted her, how much he'd always wanted her.

"Derek," she murmured hesitantly.

"No, baby," he said, standing her back up, brushing the dampness of the rain from her face. "I need to know...Why didn't you just ask me?"

She sighed, and said quickly, "Because I thought if I'd simply asked you, you'd have turned me down."

"Are you crazy?" He laughed at the absurdity of that thought, and then cupped her face in his hands. "Woman, I have wanted you for years."

She pulled away a little bit and looked into his eyes. "No, D, you haven't...Well, not anywhere near as long as I've wanted you."

He frowned a touch. " I don't understand."

The rain started falling in sheets now, and Penelope grinned at him. "Come on. We're going to melt if we stay out here," she said, dragging his arm to lead him inside the parking garage.

Once inside, under the lights, Derek noticed the fog coming from their mouths as they breathed. He hadn't realized it was that cold.

"Baby, you okay?" he asked, worried about the temperature.

She rubbed her hands on her arms and tucked his jacket closer. "I'm fine. You?"

He nodded.

She looked back at him, somewhat sheepishly. "I suppose I should continue..."

"That would be nice," he said, smiling, somewhat challenging her. "I want to hear how you think you have me beat, because, woman, I have wanted you since just before you were shot."

"Derek, I had the biggest crush on you from the moment you first called me Baby Girl."

He stared at her. Nearly seven years.

"I didn't know," he whispered.

"I was free back then, and I was desperate for you. Everyone knew it. Penelope Garcia, trailing after Derek Morgan," she stated, looking directly at him. "And yes, angelfish; you knew it, too."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but not in that way. I was young and dumb."

"You were," she answered with a crooked grin, "but I wasn't. I was twenty-seven years old and hopelessly in love with the hottest agent in the FBI."

"I didn't know it was that much," he answered, his voice soft, low. "I thought it was just a crush. Baby, if I had known—"

"If you had known back then, Derek, you still wouldn't have moved on it," she interrupted gently. "Baby Boy, you weren't ready then for what I was going to give you. I wanted to give you no hold's barred, flat out, til death do us part love...and back then, you wanted next Thursday through Sunday."

He shook his head dejectedly. "You're right. I was an immature shit, and I'm so sorry."

"Oh, good heavens! This isn't confession, sweet cheeks," she said with a smile. "This is us, realizing that now is the right time..."

Her voice trailed off, and then she added, "And to tell you the truth, even before I broke up with Kevin, I knew you weren't that same guy as six years ago. I knew it, and I still didn't ask you."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because, love, I thought you'd never see me as anything more than your friend." She smiled up at him, somewhat self-deprecatingly. "I may be a tech goddess, but I don't always see myself as a goddess in other arenas."

"Well, I do," he whispered. His eyes darkened immeasurably as he swept her into his arms again. "And I hope you know I don't kiss my friends like I just kissed you."

"I didn't think so, Hot Stuff." She flattened her palms against his wet shirt, and added, "Or should I say Cold Stuff?"

He grinned at her. "I'd better go home and take this stuff off."

She grinned back. "I'd better go with and watch you..."

His eyebrows rose, and then his grin grew even bigger. He placed his hand on her lower back and started hustling her towards his SUV. "Sounds like a plan."

Their combined laughter echoed through the parking garage as they hurried towards a new life together.