Disclaimer I hate you so much for making me keep saying this: I do not own Criminal Minds.

It'd been over 5 months since the Kevin Lynch disaster of her life and Penelope had found herself moving on, she was happy again, he was hers and the feeling in the pit of her stomach had dispersed and she was ready for whatever Derek threw at her.

Derek couldn't have been happier. In cases he was more focused, he was more into getting the details out so he could get home and be with Penelope quicker than ever. Him and Penelope were taking things slowly, he wanted her over Kevin entirely before he progressed things and he knew that time was looming ever closer.

The idea made him almost giddy, excited to claim Penelope Garcia as his. His next port of call was to ask her to move in but he wasn't going to rush her, he wanted this transition to go smoothly and he wanted her all to him even if it took him a lifetime, he'd wait.

However, he was left to mull with his thoughts, after a series of short cases that lasted at the most a couple of days they were on the biggest case of the month. So far they'd been here 5 days and they were nowhere near an end. Far from it really.

Penelope had been sitting in her office, she was typing at her usual sonic speed trying to divulge what she could and she was determined to get the team a step or 2 ahead of where they were right now. So she held her breath and got on with her duties. After a prolonged time with her baited breath she breathed out and found herself breathless. Not her normal breathless she was when she concentrated, this was severe but she breathed in through her nose, out through her mouth until she'd recovered. Then she dialled the team and got on with her work. This time she'd gotten them 3 steps ahead and she couldn't help but smile as they thanked her and they sounded somewhat freer.

She ploughed on through her work, while they ploughed through theirs and the end seemed to loom closer than ever. It only took them another 2 days to crack it and be able to head home. So with orders, Penelope was closing up for the night, collecting her things together, closing down her computers and getting ready to head home when she smelt a familiar smell. Turning around she saw the one person she nearly loathed and she could've sworn a familiar pulling out of her heart occurred.

Kevin stood in her doorway, silhouetted by the light from the corridor, a sheepish grin on his lips. 'Hey Penelope.'

'What are you doing here?' She shot back; she was far too tired for this. She was going to go home, get a quick nap in before being back in work to meet the guys and go out for a relaxing drink and a chat. Not come face to face with Kevin Lynch. If she had to admit it, he had a different flare about and as much as she didn't want to have homophobic thoughts, all she could think was that he screamed GAY, from head to toe.

'I wanted to come and apologise.' He said stepping, his grin loosening slightly. 'I really didn't want to blurt it out like I did that night but I did and I need to apologise for it.' Penelope crossed her arms over her chest and just watched him, she couldn't find words. 'I was in love with you, still am to a point but with Luke, it's different. He's my age, he's my better half. I just want you to know that'll I'll always love you Penelope, forever and with that I want to see you happy and I'll continually look out for you even if it means you don't listen. I'll always have your back.'

'What is this about Kevin?'

'Morgan.' Penelope's arms tensed around her and she just stared at him. 'He's a player, always was, always will be, he's destined for a bachelor life forever. I don't want you to follow your dreams of being with him to end up heartbroken.'

'Like you left me you mean?'

'Penny...' Kevin warned her.

'It's Penelope.' Penelope corrected him quickly. 'For your information, Morgan isn't a player, Morgan isn't going to break my heart and Morgan isn't going to be a bachelor forever.'

'You went there.' Kevin stated, again the feeling arose in him and he didn't know why he was being angered by it all, he'd left Penelope high and dry, gone off without her but yet as he stood here with this beautiful curvaceous woman, he knew full well he would always love her, he shared something with her and he had broken it and in turn broken her.

'It's none of your business Kevin.'

'Well don't come running to me when he breaks your heart and it's irreparable.' With that Kevin left the office with a huge amount of unwarranted drama and Penelope sunk into her seat.

As Penelope sat there her heart hammered in its boned cage and she felt slightly light headed, when she adhered to her surroundings she was noticed she noticed that shockingly she'd been there nearly an hour. Her thoughts were immense. She kept thinking about how delicate Derek was, how kind he was to her, how pleased he was to see her naked form, how he groaned to have it close to him and she wondered just how long it'd be until she was dropped for the next floozy.

She shook her head, that idea was sickening, this was Derek, the man that had laid on the bed with her the day after Kevin had smashed her idea of happiness and made her sleep, this was the man that had since she could remember graced her life with pure happiness since her parents had died, this was the man that had been her best friend since their first meeting and she wasn't about to let that go, she was going to hold onto him with all her mite, she was going to dig her nails in and let him know how she wanted him, how she needed him and how she'd strive to keep him.

Sucking in a deep breath she stood up, grabbed her things and left her office, as she went into the parking garage she saw the team turn up, she smiled gratefully but tiredly, the drawn out case was over and as they each got out with their own exhaustion playing on their features she knew they knew it too. The wait was on for the next one to creep up because at the end of the day evil didn't lie still for long.

She threw her things into Esther and then stood at the front of her car as Derek slung his bag over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of her, his mouth curled into a big grin and he rushed towards to her, taking her in his arms to feel her close to his body, get some instalment that life was still there and that the Earth was still spinning fine, they'd gotten out alive once again.

'You look tired.' Penelope observed worried.

'Could say the same about you too Baby Girl.' He told her in response and she knew she wasn't winning this side of it all so she relented and then Derek gave in and kissed her, their kisses were like their first, with all those elements in it but getting ever stronger, ever better. 'I've missed you so much.'

'I could say the thing.' She told him and then reached up and kissed him back. 'C'mon Handsome, let's get you to yours and we can have a sleep.'

'Yeah, drinks are on hold, we all want sleep.'

'Sounds a good plan to me.'

'Well then pretty lady, bed it is.' He said and waited for her to get into Esther before he got into his SUV and drove after her, meeting her at his, he took her inside and did as he wanted. He once again fell asleep with his baby girl in his arms, the safest place that Derek Morgan could be in the world.

Only for an hour later the bombardment of texts started arriving to Penelope's phone.