A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!! They really mean so much to me! (Muse thanks you too!) I'd like to wish you all a very happy 4th!!!! I hope you enjoy this update!!!

An hour after leaving the dock, the yacht slowed down to almost a crawl. Just as promised the waiter came out with dinner for two. Derek and Penelope walked over to the table and Derek pulled out her chair so she could sit. Pushing the chair back in, he kissed the top of her head and then sat down. The night was perfect. There was just enough breeze to keep them cool and the colors in the sky were so radiant. They finished dinner just in time to watch the sunset.

"My god it's so beautiful." Penelope said in awe of the colors.

"Yes it is." Derek replied never taking his eyes off of her.

Penelope noticed that Derek was staring at her and she felt herself begin to blush. She had caught him staring at her several times that day and each time she simply chalked it off to his being a little out of sorts. Truth was she wanted to believe that something was changing between them but she knew better. Things like that only happened in her fantasy world not the real world.

"Baby care to share what's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" Derek said.

"Huh? Oh I was just thinking about today and how amazing it was." She said. There was no way she was going to share her thoughts right now.

Derek stood up and grabbed her hand, music could be heard playing in the background and there was no way he was going to pass up the opportunity of holding her in his arms close to him. "Dance with me." He said.

Penelope followed his lead and as they neared the center he wrapped his arm around her pulling her close to him. Placing his hand on the small of her back he wrapped his other hand around hers and brought it close to his heart. Penelope closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. It was all so perfect. The sun had set and the only light they had was now moonlight. Penelope wasn't sure if it was the fact that their bodies were so close or the fact that his face was snuggled up against her neck and he was singing the words to Barry White's The Secret Garden in her ear but whatever it was she was having a hard time keeping it together. She had played this scene out in her head so many times that she wasn't even sure if she was living it or this was simply a dream she would soon be woken up from.

They danced for a while neither of them wanting to let go. Derek had been waiting for the right moment to open up to her and let her know how much she meant to him. He wanted everything to be perfect and right now it was. Holding her felt so right. He had never felt anything like this before. His heart felt as if It was about to jump out of his chest. Just then the engines revved up and the yacht began to turn slowly as it headed back towards land.

Derek pulled back a little and looked into her eyes. "It's now or never Morgan. This is your chance." He thought to himself.

"Everything ok?" Penelope asked as he continued to look at her without speaking.

"Better than ok baby. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to say what I want to say." He said as he reached up with his hand and gently caressed her cheek.

Penelope looked up at him slightly confused. "Why don't you start at the beginning?" She said timidly. She wasn't sure what was happening. Part of her could feel that something had changed between them but her more sensible side kept telling her that he was simply being swept up by the ambiance of the night.

Derek took a deep breath and thought about the words he wanted to say. "When we first met I knew there was something different about you. I had this uncontrollable need to get to you know you better. As time went by we became friends, best friends even but deep down I knew there was more to us than that, I was just too scared to pursue it." He said.

Penelope pulled away from Derek and started to walk back towards the rail. Her mind swirling with so many thoughts it was confusing. Derek was determined to finish telling her. He knew if he didn't say it now he never would. He walked over to her and stood behind her. Placing a hand on either side of her he held on to the rails as he leaned in towards her and continued his confession.

"Do you remember that morning you told me about meeting Battle in the coffee shop?" He asked.

Penelope simply nodded.

"It wasn't about profiling that morning. It was fear. I realized as you told me the story that there was a distinct possibly that I was going to lose you to someone else. When you were shot my whole world came tumbling down. I thought I was going to lose you and I wanted to make things right once and for all. I wanted to tell you how I felt but the time just wasn't right. I thought you needed time to heal and I was going to give that to you. But then Lynch came into the picture and my fears were realized. Do you have any idea what it was like to sit back and watch someone else call you baby? To stand by and watch him kiss you or worst yet take you home? I'd lay in bed at nights and all I could think about was the fact that someone other than me was holding you, that I had lost my window of opportunity and it damn near killed me." He said.

Penelope now had tears in her eyes and as she slowly turned in his arms to look at him. She could see the emotion and angst in his face and all she wanted to do was make it go away. "Derek." She said but was quickly interrupted by him as he placed a finger against her lips.

"Please Pen, let me finish. I have so much I want to say. I've been miserable. Your relationship with Lynch was pulling us apart and for the first time in my life I was jealous. I didn't know how to handle it. There was an edge to everything I said and did. I threw myself into the work but my head didn't follow. I became aggressive and in turn that made me reckless. NY was the final straw. When I pulled that ambulance out of the garage I didn't think I'd make it. In fact I was sure I wouldn't. It didn't matter though because your voice was in my head. Your voice would be the last thing I heard and that was enough for me. But coming out of that and realizing that in the process I alienated you even more was enough to drive me into this dark place that I didn't recognize. Not seeing you at the hospital was my undoing. I was angry and I was hurt. I just didn't care anymore because everything that meant anything to me was gone." Derek said. He had to stop and gain control of his emotions before he continued. Opening up to her was so much harder than he had imagined because it meant tearing down those final walls he had around him and leaving himself completely vulnerable to her.

Penelope had stopped trying to wipe her tears away. It was almost as if someone had just opened the flood gates and she had no control of what was happening. She had fantasized about them getting together for more years then she cared to count but never in those fantasies had Derek said anything close to what he was saying now. Penelope placed her hands on Derek's face and felt him lean in to her touch. "I was there Baby. I sat in the waiting room until I knew you were ok. I was afraid you were mad at me and didn't have the courage to walk in. I left as soon as I knew you were being released." She said through tears.

He leaned his forehead against hers placing his hands over hers he entwined their fingers together and continued. "I thought you were happy and I didn't want to ruin that. I walked away thinking that it was for the best. Had I known that you were going through all of that pain I would never have left you alone. Please believe that." He said.

"Shhhh you had no way of knowing. I guess we're both guilty of not being honest and upfront with each other." She said.

"Baby girl I love you. I want tonight to be the first of many memories we make together." Derek said and placed his finger under chin to lift her face. "I want to be the man that can make you think about that wedding you planned years ago and make it happen. Please tell me I still stand a chance." He said as he looked straight into her eyes.

Penelope wrapped her arms around Derek's neck and smiled. He was the love of her life. The one and only man that she had given her heart to completely and unconditionally. "Derek I have loved you for a very long time. I gave you my heart a very long time ago and I never took it back. I couldn't. I just never thought that this would really happen. I wished it and I dreamed about it but I always felt that it was beyond my reach. "Penelope said with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I need to hear it baby, I need for you to make it real." Derek pleaded.

"I'm in love with you Derek Morgan, heart, mind, body and soul." Penelope said.

Derek smiled at her and pulled her close to him. He leaned towards her and kissed her gently at first but the passion that had been pent up between them soon exploded and the kiss deepened. When they finally came up for air they noticed they were minutes from the slip. Derek pulled her close to him again and held her close. "I'm not letting go this time." He said.

"Derek?" Penelope said.

"Yea baby?" He replied.

"If I wake up and find this was all a dream, I'm going to be really pissed!" she said and smiled.

"It is a dream sweetheart. It's my dream come true." He said as he leaned in to kiss her again.