["Yeah, you happy now!"] he said is a somewhat pissed off voice.

"No, I'm not!" JJ answered in the same kind of tone.

["JJ, I don't want to her hurt her, she's way too important to me. What if it wouldn't work and by the way it's not allowed… FBI policy…"]

"Excuses, Morgan, you love her, she loves you, and that's the most important in life, she needs to learn to see herself through the eyes of someone who really loves her, Derek, do you have any idea how many times I caught her staring at herself in the mirror and end up crying? I'm sure you kind of know it even if you've never seen her. You're the profiler. I know you don't analyze her, but I'm sure you know it all better than I do…" She sighed.

Another long pause, then Morgan stood up and went behind the curtains, to take a drink. Morgan sighed as well.

["JJ I cannot possible head back to the BAU find Garcia and then just like that tell her: Hey, baby, I love you? Plus she would never believe me, seeing that we flirt all the time."]

"Try her… Morgan come on didn't you learn anything about life, yet? With all the horrible things we are confronted with every day, you both still don't get it? Its way too short, just take a chance before its too late…"

["JJ, you okay?"] Morgan suddenly asked concerned.

"I'm fine, Morgan, it's just…"

["JJ? It's just what?"] Morgan pressed gently for her to continue sensing that something wasn't quite right.

He could hear her take a deep intake of breath before releasing it slowly before she started to tell him:

"I haven't told this to anyone before Morgan, not even to Penelope, so you have to promise you won't tell anyone…"

["Promise."]

SSA Jennifer Jareau shifted a little bit uncomfortably in her seat. Then she started to tell Derek Morgan something she'd never told anyone before. Something she tried so hard, to forget, but couldn't because her heart wouldn't let her to.

*~*~*~*

A few years back, her best friend had died in a car accident; Alex and she were a bit like Morgan and Garcia now, totally inseparable. They did everything together, whenever a case was over she went to him no matter what, watching a movie together, snuggling together, flirting together. Then one day she realized that she had fallen in love with him, but she didn't want to tell him because she was afraid it might ruin their friendship, so she didn't take the jump…

A few days ago, his mom came ringing at her door, handing a letter Alex had written to JJ. The letter had never been posted, for the good reason that it was dated of the day before his car accident, as if he had known what would happen to him. JJ couldn't bring herself to read it, it hurt too much to even see his handwriting on that envelope. She carried the missive with her at all times, still sealed until last night.

Sitting at her desk, just like now, she had taken the envelope with trembling hands. She'd stared at it for a good five minutes before finally being able to open it. Pulling the paper slowly from the envelope JJ's eyes filled up with tears at the first words.

Hey, my little nightingale,

I'm writing you this letter because obviously I'm a coward, it's been a long time now that I realized that I fell in love with you, but for some stupid reason I can't bring myself to tell you how I feel, I love you, sweetheart I love you more than I ever thought possible. I didn't even someone like me would be able the feel something this intense for another person, but I do, I've never be able to love other woman but you, Jennifer.

If something should for some reason happen to me, don't cry on me, promise me. Just remember the best moments we had together, cherish them and move on, honey, find yourself a good man and have children, and make me smile from up there.

I'll always be with you no matter what and when you'll need me all you'll have to do is close your eyes and I'll be there with you

I would not change a thing in my life because it has been incredible 'cause you were in it. The only thing I would change though, would be to have to courage to tell you how much I love you in person.

Never be afraid to love, my little nightingale even if it hurts, because a life without love is worthless.

I love you.

Forever yours,

Your own stuffed teddy bear.

Now, JJ's voice was a broken whisper, as she finished reading the letter to Morgan.

"If you really do love her, Derek, tell her before it's too late, it's impossible to go back in time to undo what's been done. When someone you love is gone, that person's gone forever, there's no way to bring them back. Believe me I'd give anything to be able to bring Alex back and tell him that I loved him just as much as he loved me."

Morgan told Jennifer Jareau in a regretful voice. ["I'm so sorry..."]

"Don't make the same mistake we did, Derek, having regrets of what could have been. It's the worst pain there is and never goes away. Life is over before we know it. Our work is hard. Making murder and chaos normal in our eyes, and has the tendency to make us to grab at happiness when it shows up, so do me a favor, when you get back tell her how you feel about her." JJ said crying as she hung up the phone.

Derek Morgan slowly closed his cell and made his way back to where he had been sitting before he stood up to get himself something to drink, and to listen to what Jennifer Jareau had to tell him.

He definitely didn't want to lose his best friend. He didn't want his life to be over without telling Penelope how he felt about her. How for God's sake could they still forget how short life really is? After all life is all we have.

Morgan had decided to dedicate his life to putting bastards behind bars, but there was still something else in life than just a job. There was something in all their lives besides their job.

Garcia put color into their lives every single day, now he hoped that he would make a brightly colored rainbow appear in hers, and since he had to go to her apartment to get Clooney back he had a perfect excuse if he needed one.

Wait a minute, where is your head, Morgan, she'd still be at the BAU, she's never going home unless she knows that we are all safe and sound.

He had to tell her.

*~*~*~*

Garcia was still sitting at her desk, he eyes fixed on the computer screen in front of her, but she didn't do a thing, she was still so lost in her thoughts that she jumped slightly at the sound of her cell phone ringing, she didn't check the caller ID, and almost automatically responded: "Goddess of all knowledge what can I do for you?"

["Tell me how you are doing, girl."]

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs! How's my hottest Marine doing? How are things in DC?"

["I'm fine, same as always, catching bad guys. How are you?"]

"I'm fine, Gibbs, helping catching bad guys too." She said in a tired voice.

["Penelope, what aren't you telling me?"] Gibbs asked her gently but firmly.

Garcia sighed, it was impossible to hold something back from this man. She should have known better than not to tell him things immediately.

"It's nothing, Gibbs, it's just that we've finished a rough case and we could have lost the team…I…" he voice trailed off.

["And you could have lost Morgan before you were able to tell him that you love him."] He finished for her.

Penelope chuckled, "I forgot how perceptive you are, Gibbs."

["Tell him. Tell him before it's too late, Pen. Life is way too short to be lost in what ifs and be scared of might happen if you cross the line. I've lived for years in the fears of boundaries because I was scared that if I would love again I would be hurt, but the other day, I realized that it was better to have loved and lost someone than to have never loved at all, because being alone is still being alone, honey."]

"Gibbs, are you sure you're okay?" She asked concern evident in her voice.

["Better than okay, Garcia, the other day, I almost lost Abby forever because she worked on a mission for someone you know, and I swore to myself that if she came out it safe and sound I'd tell her how I feel and that's exactly what I did, and I have never been so happy in my entire life."] He said as he dragged Abby closer to him to kiss her.

"WHAT???? No way! You finally told her that you love her. WOW! I'm so happy for you Gibbs. Wait a minute, I know you, Gibbs, and you are not really what we can call a talking type of guy when it comes to telling people how you feel so how? And why exactly are you telling me this?" she asked him suspiciously

["Well, let's just said, Abby help me a little… ouch! Okay, okay you help a lot!"]

["Well it's not like I left you much choice, or have I? Tell her."] Penelope could hear Abby say to Gibbs.

["Alright..."] Gibbs sighed.

Garcia laughed as she heard, Gibbs. The first time she had seen him, he wasn't really what one could call a social person, but she had immediately known that Gibbs was a good man, she'd seen it hidden behind the immense sadness in his icy blue eyes. Garcia found out rapidly that NCIS Special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs wasn't the kind of talking guy. She also found out that he didn't judge someone by their appearance and so they became friends.

Penelope didn't ask him anything personal, but the tremendous sadness in his eyes bothered her and she wanted to know why it was there, so she decided to do a little research on him. She dug a bit and found out the reason for the hurt in his so beautiful blue eyes, reading, what caused it, made her cry, how could someone endure so much pain in his life and still be standing?

Penelope never told him she knew about his past, about the loss of his first wife Shannon and his daughter, Kelly. She'd seen a picture of Kelly; she was such a doll and had her father's eyes. After she had read everything she had been able to find, Penelope could understand what drove him to catch criminal after criminal, just like Morgan, it was their reason to live.

Garcia sometimes went for a drink with Gibbs, she'd never told anyone about it either. It was something she didn't want to share with anyone, not even Morgan. Jethro Gibbs was not a man of many words, but he what he said was always the right thing and he was wonderful listener.

She had told him everything about her friendship with Derek Morgan and he had told her several times she was in love with her best friend. She would deny it forcefully arguing that all they shared was a deep friendship and nothing more and then she would turn his words against him, telling him that if she was in love with Morgan he should take a better look at himself because he was head over heels with his lab tech.

The moment, she'd seen Gibbs and his forensic scientist interact she'd known it. The kiss on the cheek, the insistent flirting, and the way they looked at each other. It was all there, right in front of her nose, those two would end up together sooner or later. What she didn't realize though, was that what she was seeing between Gibbs and Abby was happening in her very own life with her best friend too.

"So what did, Abby, do to finally get the mighty Gibbs to realize that he's love with her?"

["She left me breathless"] Gibbs said simply.

The BAU computer genius chuckled "What? Don't tell me she kissed you senseless, Jethro."

["…"]

Now, Penelope was laughing fully "You are kidding me, right?"

["Now, Penny, that is exactly what I did, if I had to wait for him to realize what was really going on between the two of us, we wouldn't be together today."] Abby told her, her voice a little muffled by the distance there was between her and Gibbs's cell phone.

"Way to go, Abigail!"

Since Abby had entered his life, Penelope had seen the hurt gradually fade away. That's how she knew Gibbs had fallen in love with Abby.

["Awww, Penelope don't call me that, you know I hate it!"] Abby said in a fainted hurt voice before she could hear Gibbs's voice again.

["Apparently I was thinking too much, about what could happen if it didn't work out and after she kissed me, she pointed out what if it does work? And believe me it was all worth it. So promise me you'll tell him."]

"Gibbs, he doesn't see me as something more than his best friend." Penelope tried to argue.

["Right, come on Penny, I've seen the two of you together… "] Gibbs was cut off by Abby's shouting excitingly. ["He's totally in love with you!!!!"]

["She's right, Penelope. And you better tell him before I come pay you a visit at Quantico. I'll know if you told him or not, just like I know that you know about my past, Penelope…"]

Silence met Gibbs for a couple of seconds.

TBC…