A/N Thank you for all the wonderful reviews I've gotten. I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but RL got in the way. I hope you like this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own CM, they belong to CBS.

Chapter 3: I'll be there

Derek was lying on the couch contemplating. His head was spinning a little from this evening's events. He was very glad that Penelope was sound asleep in het bedroom; he had checked that a couple of minutes ago. She was tucked snuggly under the comforter, making soft snoring noises. It surprised Derek a little that he didn't find that sound annoying, on the contrary he thought it sounded kinda cute and it kept him standing at the beaded curtain staring at his Baby Girl for a couple of minutes, before returning to the couch. With a sigh he got under the blanket and tried to find the most comfortable spot for him to fall asleep. Unfortunately his mind had other plans; it kept playing back everything that had happened tonight and it kept insisting that Derek should think about the thing Derek really didn't want to think about right now. But it was no use, so Derek gave up and started to think about his feelings for Penelope. There was no denying the fact that she was his best friend, his angel and his God given solace and had been that for the past six years. He loved her, no doubt about that either, but was he really in love… and I mean IN LOVE with his princess?

Thinking back on all those years of friendship, their flirty phone calls, the long nights talking to each other in the comfort of his house or her apartment, her ability to make him smile even when a case was threatening to get to him, his devastation when he found out she had been shot by Battle, his… well what to call it… his jealousy when he found out that Lynch was dating his Baby Girl, the way he feels when he sees her and how his heart always seems to beat a little bit faster when he speaks to her, when all those things were put together there was no denying it anymore: he was deeply in love with Penelope Garcia.

So what was he supposed to do now? As he had never been in love with somebody his whole life, granted he was a player and had experienced numerous short-lived flings with the opposite sex, he was quite clueless as to what his next step should be. Should he start dating her? Or should he just tell her how he felt? But then he realised, right now there was only one thing to do. He needed to put his feelings for Penelope aside and continue to be her best friend instead of her lover, like he really wanted to be, because she needed her best friend… she needed him. When Derek realised this, he finally was able to relax and slowly he drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later he woke again with a start. It took him two seconds to realise where he was and another two seconds to identify the reason why he woke up in the middle of the night to begin with. Quickly he got up from the couch and went into Penelope's bedroom. Apparently she was having some sort of nightmare, because she was whimpering just a bit. Derek didn't want to wake her, so he did the next best thing. He slid under the comforter, wrapped his arm around her and snuggled close to her. Penelope's stiffened a bit, but when she felt the strong and protective arms around her, she relaxed and fell into a deep sleep.

The following morning Penelope reluctantly woke up feeling all warm and cosy. She hadn't felt that good in quite some time and really didn't want to wake up just now. She liked the way she was snuggled up to this nice source of comfort and warmth and she liked the way she was held protectively by some strong and reassuring arms. Slowly though the memories of what happened last night crept into her mind; her break-up with Kevin and how Derek had come over when she needed him the most. He had been such a good friend last night; listening to her rambling, holding here when she was crying, reassuring her when she felt she would never find a man who would love her and spending the night at the couch, because he thought she needed his protection. Penelope vaguely remembered the bad dream she had and how the same strong arms that held her now, had held her then and made her feel loved and protected.

"Good morning princess," Derek suddenly said, his voice sounding husky with sleep. "How are you feeling today?"

"Good morning, my chocolate God. I'm feeling fine, thank you." Penelope answered his question without hesitation. She actually did feel fine. Sure she was still heartbroken, but she felt so much better than last night. "And I have you to thank for," she continued. "You'll never know how thankful I am for having you here last night Derek. I don't know how I would have dealt with last night if you hadn't been there. You really are the best friend a girl could ever ask for." And with those words she kissed him on the cheek, missing the look of pain that crossed his face. It took Derek a couple of seconds to regain himself and then he gave Penelope a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

"You really don't have to thank me, silly girl," he said. "You know whenever you need me I'll be there." This brought tears to Penelope's eyes, but she was determined not to cry again. She had shed enough tears last night to last a lifetime.

At that same moment Derek's stomach gave a loud growl, causing Penelope to start giggling.

"Hungry, Hot Stuff?" she managed to say, before she started to laugh again.

"Starving," Derek answered with a wide grin.

"Come on, let's get you fed." And with those words Penelope untangled herself from his arms and went to the kitchen to make some breakfast.

After they had eaten a hearty breakfast, Derek convinced Penelope that they needed to spent the day together and they ended up going over to Derek's house to get Clooney and take him for al long walk in the park. They talked about anything and anyone for what seemed like hours. They laughed and Penelope cried some more. They played with Clooney and Derek bought them an ice cream before they decided it was time to go home. Slowly they walked back to where Derek's car was parked. Derek had his arm protectively around Penelope's shoulders and Penelope thought about how much she had missed this. Hanging out with her best friend, talking, laughing and having fun. She sighed and that got Derek's attention.

"What's up, Baby Girl," he asked as he stopped walking.

"Oh I was just thinking," Penelope answered. "I can't believe how much I've missed this. Us hanging out together like this. Thank you my love for being there for me, even though I haven't been the best of friends lately. You really and truly are an angel D. I love you and I am so glad you are my best friend." And then she hugged him.

"I love you to Princess." Derek hugged her back, but couldn't help to think: 'If only you knew how much I love you.'