[a/n: this is it. the last one. a little gift from me to you. much love. peace.]

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS OR ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL HERE IN.. the towel made me do it, i swear...

Derek could hear the faint sound of music flowing down the corridor as he approached her office door.

'..You can't get back,
What you gave away
I'm wasted and lost in the crowd
And you can't fake what you never feel
You just let the scene fall down..'

Derek watched her in the doorway for a few minutes as she swayed along to the music and went about sorting her paperwork.

'..Ooooo, every day is a last time
Just another life passing by
I know it's cruel, the times that we lose
Blame it on my misplaced heart

Lessons never learned
With every mile that you burn
In only a moment you're alone
You're lost without a way home..'

Derek rapped lightly on her door frame, causing her to spin towards him.

"Hey, baby boy!", she was quick to smile as she hit the space bar on her keyboard to mute her depressing music. Colin James was for healing personal hurts, not suited for cheering up special agents.

"Hey, baby girl", he smiled sweetly, heaving himself off of her door frame and stepping gratefully into her waiting arms. "Did you miss me?"

"Derek Morgan!", Penelope scoffed, holding him reproachfully at arms length. "What a question! Of course I missed you!"

"I was just teasin', momma", Derek chuckled, tugging her closer and smiling down on her.

"Well.. good", Penelope huffed with her chin jutting defiantly, "You had me worried for a minute."

"Listen, sugar", Derek soothed, "You should never have to worry about me. I'm the one that should be worrying about you."

"Me?", Penelope scoffed again, "Hot stuff, the most dangerous part of my job is the looming threat of carpal tunnel. Meanwhile, you're out there in the field, breaking down doors and getting shot at! One of these things is not like the other."

"I can take care of myself, pretty girl", Derek defended, kissing the top of her head. "Now hurry up. Rossi's taking us all out to dinner."

"Oh..", Penelope hesitated, biting her lip slightly.

"What?", Derek asked in a concerned tone. He'd noticed a strange air about her when he had entered her office, but had dismissed it as his mind playing tricks, now he sensed it again.

"I kinda wanted to-", but then she shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important. Let's go." she grabbed her bag and her coat and went to reach for the door handle, but Derek beat her there.

"Uh uh, you are not getting away that easily", he scolded because she should have known better. "What is it?"

"It's just something silly I was thinking about earlier, but it can wait", Penelope insisted, trying for the handle again, but Derek moved in front of it, folding his arms across his chest.

"Not a chance, honey cakes", Derek shook his head, staring her down. "Spit it out."

"Derek!", Penelope pleaded.

"Penelope..", Derek warned.

She sighed in frustration. Blast all these damned profilers in this whole damned effing building.. she tossed her purse back on her desk and threw her coat down beside it, plopping down in her desk chair and running her fingers through her hair. "I kinda wanted to ask you something.."

Derek shifted uncomfortably. "Okay, shoot."

She peered up at him with her golden brown eyes, so fragile and frightened, and wordlessly reached for his hands.

He unfolded his arms and knelt down in front of her, placing his hands gently in hers, and staring up at her.

"If I ask you, you have to promise me you won't get all weird", Penelope demanded, daring him to argue with a glare.

"Promise", Derek nodded, feeling that this was a time for begin absolutely serious.

"Okay", Penelope nodded, staring intently at her fingers which were intertwined with Derek's. "You know the..? J.J. made a point.. I was thinking earlier about.. the, um, other night-"

Derek closed his eyes and shook his head as if he were trying to shake out the memories. "Penelope, just forget about it."

"oh", Penelope muttered in a small broken kind of voice, tears threatening to form in he corners of her eyes. She unthreaded their fingers and went to stand and leave quickly.

Derek, only realizing in hindsight how harsh he sounded, moved to stop her. "Wait, baby girl. I didn't mean it like that-"

Penelope only sat back down because she had lost the will to fight. When she met his gaze, the wounds in her soul were reflected back at him and it stung.

"Listen, sweet heart", Derek attempted to explain. "You know there is nothing in this whole wide that I wouldn't do to protect you, right? Nothing I wouldn't say?"

Penelope thought she could see where he was going with this, but she wasn't entirely sure just yet.

"Well, sometimes that means hurting you a little in order to protect you from yourself", he continued, drawing on all the strength and courage he could muster. "I wasn't about to let you kiss me and make your life complicated and painful. What kind of a friend would I be if I let that happen? What kind of a man? How could I look you in the eye everyday knowing I could have saved you so many regrets?" Derek shook hid head sadly. "I couldn't. I couldn't live with the guilt. I couldn't live with the shame. I couldn't. I'd rather die." Derek stroked her cheek softly and gave her a small smile. "I love you."

There was a pause as she just stared into his eyes for what seemed like an eternity, then she grabbed his head in both of her hands and kissed him rather passionately.

"Garcia!", Derek sputtered when she finally loosened her grip on him. "What the hell? Did you care to listen to anything I just told you?"

"Yep", she grinned happily as he just started at her, utterly floored. "I heard every word that you said, and, while extremely beautiful and heart-melting, it's still the sorriest excuse I've ever had the misfortune to be on the receiving end of. You can take your nobility and shove it! Which is what I was going to say before you rudely interrupted the speech I had planned for you. After J.J., Emily and I had a chat, I started really thinking about my life and my relationships, and I came to realize something- I have nothing without you. I realized that if Kevin left me, I could survive. I could move on and continue to live and be happy.. but... if anything ever happened to you, there wouldn't be anything in the entire universe that could fill the void in my heart, because I love you. I do. I can't help it or fight it or change it. So.. there."

"But what about-?", Derek asked.

"I broke up with him an hour ago", Penelope bubbled joyfully. She knew she probably shouldn't feel so giddy. After all, she had been with Kevin a long time and he had been nothing but kind to her, but the amazing feeling of finally having everything out in the open instead of on the inside, rotting the walls of her heart, overshadowed everything else at the moment.

"You know you sound insane right now, right?", Derek asked, eyeing her warily.

Penelope shrugged. "You've always known I was a little 'off', and besides.. I'm in love. Love is foolish."

"I don't know, sweetness..", Derek hesitated.

"Oh my god!", Penelope snapped, rolling her eyes, "Derek Morgan, do not make me smack you!"

Derek laughed and shook his head, lifting her from her desk chair so he could embrace her properly. "Woman, you know, if you weren't so cute, I would be running screaming in the other direction."

"Oh, but that's why you love me, isn't it?", she teased, eyeing him like she was ready to devour him. "Because you know I can make you scream?"

Derek raised one eyebrow. "Baby girl, behave!"

"Why?", she sauced back, twisting free of his grasp and shoving him back into one of her office walls. "Now hold still. Momma wants kisses.."

Derek didn't even put up a resistance. He knew it was futile. He would just be lucky if he got to ride along.

"Wait!", Penelope panicked suddenly, prying herself away from Derek with a hand on his heaving chest. "When you said you loved me, you actually meant you loved me, right? Sort of a more then friends deal?"

Derek eyed her suspiciously. "well, ye-"

"Okay, good. Just checking", Penelope cut him off hurriedly, eager for more of his steamy kisses.

"You're insatiable", Derek growled playfully.

"Less talk, more make out", she demanded, pulling him down to meet her lips again and again.

{xoxoxoxoxoxo}

"What's taking those two so long?", Rossi wondered aloud checking his watch and glancing up at the headquarters building. "Don't they know we're starving down here?"

"And I've gotta pick Jack up from Jessica's soon", Hotch worried anxiously.

"I'll go check on them", Emily volunteered, tired of standing around uselessly. "Won't take a minute."

"Yell at them for us, would you?" J.J. asked, rather irritably hungry herself.

Emily laughed and waved her acknowledgement as she entered the building.

{oxoxoxoxoxoxo}

Ten minutes later, Emily came speed-walking back towards the group, looking extremely embarrassed.

"What happened?", J.J. asked in concern.

"What has been heard... cannot be unheard", she whispered in undertone when she finally reached the blonde, causing J.J.'s mouth to hang open. "Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia will definitely not be joining us for dinner", she said louder for the benefit of the group.

"Why not?", Reid asked, innocently unaware.

When Emily looked across to Hotch, he turned on his heels and walked towards his suv. "I know nothing", he threw over his shoulder as he entered the driver's side and shut the door.

Rossi barked out a laugh and cursed in Italian, shaking his head.

"What?". Reid asked as the rest of the team started to head to their vehicles. "Come on, guys! What did I say?"

[a/n: something i'd like to mention as a parting note; garcia didn't break up with kevin because she was planning on making out with morgan. she broke up with him so they could eventually maybe possibly be together. when morgan gave her that lovely speech, she forgot about waiting ;) also, i'd like to shout out to my reviewers- LoveforPenandDerek, jenny crum, Lenika08, {anonymous}, Kimd33, Monnie32, sweetlilfighter, inuyasharbd15fan09, jevans47403, Garmor. keep spreading the love~*]