Disclaimer: I don't, as ever, own a single thing =(
A/N: Here's the epilogue guys! Hope you enjoy!
I was only gonna write until 1,000 words and then go to bed! But I got caught up, so wrote it and now posting it! Enjoy!
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Derek woke in bliss. Not only did they have the day off because the day before had welcomed the end of a case but because Penelope was still snuggled into his side, her hand splayed out on his chest, her hair scattered messily and he'd never felt more comfortable in his whole entire life.
He ran a hand up her arm and felt the coldness, he just went to pull the sheet up higher but felt her breathe in deeply and stretch some.
"Morning Baby Girl," he whispered as he kissed the top of her head.
"I'll show you a good morning," Penelope told him naturally, her voice stick thick with sleep.
"Go on then," he urged her enthusiastically. "I've waited long enough."
Penelope moved to lie on her stomach and look at him easily, her breasts looking perfect as she lay there, her curves shown through the sheets. "I guess you don't need a warning at what to expect?" She teased a little warily.
"Last night was perfection, and I'm pretty sure that every time I make love to you is going to knock out the one before."
Penelope smirked at him, "Let's test that theory." She murmured seductively as she moved one of her hands onto his leg and proceeded to arouse him. "You wanted a good morning, I'm gonna try my hardest to give you one." She warned him before releasing ecstasy on his body.
Penelope watched Derek the entire time; she even remained watching him long after she'd finally shown him a good morning. She had never, in her whole existence, managed to feel this happy.
Derek lay with Penelope running her hand over his body, the feeling of perfection only growing between them.
It then hit him that he couldn't go another day without Penelope knowing what had led him to this, what had helped him finally become the man that Penelope wanted a date with. The man that needed help to unlock his inner romantic.
"Let me up." He murmured to her and she looked up at him shocked. "I wanna get some food on, it is after midday, and I think we need to talk." He told her and she allowed him to get up.
He got dressed and even he didn't miss the look of hurt on Penelope's face as his mood changed and become serious. He wasn't like that a moment ago, he was calm and collected, now he looked like he was about deliver a huge blow.
That scared Penelope.
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Derek could've kicked himself for what he'd just inflicted on Penelope, he needed out of his head space for a moment but in turn it'd just come out wrong. He knew one thing at that moment and that was that he'd sort this entire mess out by the time he had to go to his very last lesson later that day.
He looked up from the meal he was preparing as Penelope walked in and slid onto the breakfast bar opposite him. She had the dress she wore on the night before.
"Go and find some other clothes. I've got some tracksuits and tee's you can put on, Goddess."
"This is all I have that's mine, it's fine." She said quietly as she looked down at herself and then she shrugged. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Let me cook first."
"You're worrying me, Handsome." She said as she wrung her hands together as they sat on her lap. "I mean, if it's about last night, if it wasn't what you expected, I mean, if, I- I..." She started to doubt worrying and she averted eye contact and looked down.
Derek reacted fast; he moved to be in front of her and lifted her head gently. "Now, never, ever, think that, Baby Girl, my issue is with me, not with you."
"You?" Penelope asked confused and in utter disbelief. "But you were everything I wanted you to be and more, Hot Stuff. Absolute God given perfection."
"I wasn't meaning last night, everything last night was exactly how I wanted it to be." Derek assured her positively and with a smile.
"So why can't you just tell me?"
"Because it's embarrassing for me that's why." He muttered and went back to chopping up a pepper. "It's something I've been doing for the last couple of weeks, things that I shouldn't be."
"Now you're really worrying me." Penelope told him fearful. "It can't be that bad, Derek, it really can't." She told him understandingly, her face told him that she was ready to hear whatever he had to say. "C'mon, you never lie to me, or keep secrets for this long, so what's up?"
"I screwed up that night in that restaurant Penelope." He started to tell her. "I was meant to whisk you off your feet, show you, no, no, demand you know that you were the woman for me and yet I froze. I lost my cool so much that I forgot the basics to dating."
He looked at her helpless.
"I disappointed you that night and for that I'll be forever sorry. I saw the look in your eyes, and it killed me. So much so that I ended up getting help." He now dropped the knife and ran a hand over the back of his neck worriedly. "I started..." He froze again, embarrassment filling him.
"You... what?" She urged him to continue, she now leant forward. "C'mon Derek, you what?"
"I took dating lessons." He told her and went over to the sink, his back to her now, to wash his hands.
Penelope gawped at him, she was in shock. "You did that? For me?"
Now he turned back, he expected some sort of ridicule, not an impressed tone and awe.
"Yeah, Baby, I did." He said as he approached. "I screwed up and I wanted to make it right and it seemed that life helped. The lessons they gave, I was doing already."
"Like?" She asked intrigued to know more.
"Getting to know you more, we did that together after..."
"When you walked me home that night."
He nodded. "Being eager, finding the places to help the most."
"My time of the month." She filled in and again Derek nodded, Penelope's smile just grew. She would never forget how he looked after her that day, how he attended to her and kept her painless and afloat of her emotions.
"Lesson three, have a respect for her. My plan to take you to California was well in action long before that lesson, but it fit in so perfectly." He smiled at her as he looked at him in complete amazement. "Fourth lesson was all about romancing you, I'd started, I needed to finish."
Now Penelope's eyes welled up, "and the fifth?"
"The date was the fifth, it was all about putting it all together, but the thing was I was planning a perfect date the day I made the call about the lessons. I needed to prove to you that you weren't in the wrong."
Penelope jumped off the stall and went over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I think I've found my Prince Charming. No man has ever loved me enough to take lessons to love me right; no man has ever done that for me. You didn't need to do that for me, but the fact you did proves a lot to me, Handsome. I'll be forever grateful."
Derek kissed her, he was completely and utterly love drunk now. It was all working out well and he knew this was the beginning of his and Penelope's happily ever after. Now he was on the right track, he wasn't in doubt about loving Penelope.
"I have one more lesson." He told her as they drew apart. "It's today at 3, but I can skip."
"I'll drive you." Penelope said and pecked his lips again. "Then you and me are going for a drive to the beach for sunset." She told him and finally went to find some of his clothes to put.
She had a perfect plan for later that night.
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Derek knew Penelope was watching him as he walked into the building, she was going to wait, in her convertible, with the top down, she was out for freedom and time to revel in their new found love.
Derek walked in and sat down casually. He was just wanted to find out what this lesson was; he wanted to get back to his baby girl. He wanted as much out of the remaining day to be spent with her rather than anywhere else.
"So how did it go?" Gwen asked them all, she looked at Clive. "What's wrong?"
"I think I need more lessons." He admitted to her, "A lot more lessons, she's nearly there, but I'm at a lose end."
"That's fine, different people are different to crack." Gwen told them and looked at Alan. "How about you Alan?" She asked him politely.
"Nearly, not sure." He said and looked down.
Gwen knew not to push just yet, now she looked at Derek and smiled. "Well?" She asked almost knowingly.
"I gave her a date last night she wouldn't forget and I got my girl." Derek said happily, trying his hardest not to rub it in. "She's waiting for me downstairs."
"You told her you did this" Clive asked him rather loudly.
"Well yeah, I love her; of course I was going to. If she loved me she would under why I came to this lessons in the first place, and she did. She got it and she cried because no one's ever done anything this sweet for her." He looked at the two other men that had become alliances over the weeks. "If she loves you, then she'd understand the effort you're putting into loving her." He stood up. "Does that mean I'm done or passed or something?"
Gwen nodded. "You graduated Derek; now go get your girl." She told him almost proudly and watched him go for the door.
"Don't give up you two." He told them and left entirely, rushing to get back to his baby girl.
"You heard him." Was the last thing he heard from Gwen as he left, the moment he broke out into the sunlight he saw Penelope sitting in her old orange caddy, big sunglasses on, music on loud and she looked at him and shot him a smile.
He hurried over and jumped into the car without opening the door; he leant over and kissed her heatedly, catching her unaware. "God, I love you, Baby Girl." He told her as he parted for a moment, he then kissed her again.
Penelope looked at him with an almost drunk smile, her eyes full of lust and want. "Drive into the sunset now?"
"Let's go, Princess."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Needing Cupid's Help -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
A.N:That's the end!
Thanks for ALL support and reviews on this and thank you for hanging in there with my loooong breaks between chapters! Lol
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