Chapter 4

AN: Thank you for the reviews. With the crappy week I've had (Such weird working hours- I can barely type!), they've made me feel better. Finally, P and D are alone! Now, we're cooking, and we're going to have so much fun. Can you guess what's gonna happen? *wink*...

They were on the road again, cruising down the highway on the way home. Penelope felt wasted; so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. She seriously could lay down and nap for hours if she had the chance. That was one thing about partying she hated; she felt exhausted after even just a few drinks. It was probably a combination of dancing and the depressant effect of alcohol that did it. No matter what the reason, she was simply wiped.

Glancing over at her best friend behind the wheel, she jumped a little. He was watching her, too, with the beginnings of an adorable crooked grin.

"Had a great night, huh?"

"Yeah, it wasn't bad." She gave him a tentative smile. "I bet you have a headache from all of us desperate, screaming women."

The corner of his mouth went up slowly. "Comes with the territory. I'm used to screaming women."

She snorted. "Scratch my first thought. Your head probably aches because it is so inflated."

"Hey, it's only vain if it isn't true, and what you've heard about me, momma," he said, his voice a low purr, "it's true."

A shiver ran up her spine as she looked away from him back out the window. "Watch the road, Morgan."

She heard his low laugh, full of wicked promises. She didn't doubt that he could fulfill those promises. She had a few she wanted to fulfill for him, too. She smiled to herself and melted more into the seat.

They rode in silence again for a moment, before she started talking. "Thank you, again, Derek."

"No problem," he said, before glancing back at her."So, baby, did you have fun tonight? You seemed a little more subdued than the other girls."

"Yeah, I did have fun."

She paused, wondering if now as a good time to talk to him about Kevin and what happened. She wanted the time to be right, where she could pour her heart out and make a move.

Then she thought about it a little more. She'd always seemed to wait for a perfect time to be with Derek, and it never really came.

She thought after she was shot he'd make a move. He'd told her he'd loved her and she'd told him she'd loved him, too. She'd waited… waited after she'd went back to work, waited until they were alone in her office, waited, waited, waited. When he didn't make a move, she'd went out with Kevin Lynch, because Kevin wasn't waiting- he'd been asking doggedly.

She was done waiting. If he wasn't going to make a move, dang it, she was!

She began again, baiting him, testing the waters. "I did, but I didn't think that I would."

She looked over; it worked. He was interested. His eyebrows were up, in the way that they arched when he was really listening. She knew his facial expressions so well.

"Really?" he asked. "Why not?"

"Well," she started, searching for the best way to say it. "I wasn't even sure I was going to go. Friday afternoon when I asked you to drive, I'd just broken up with Kevin."

"You did?"

She had to suppress a giggle. He sounded rather gleeful and his eyebrows were up even more. Derek never liked Kevin, but gleeful was kind of an odd response! She took it as very positive.

"Yeah, I did."

"Well… I'm sorry."

That wasn't much better, she thought, as far as his intonation went. She held in a smile; this was going swimmingly!

"Thank you," she said with a sigh. "You know; it was a long time coming."

"Hell, yes," he muttered under his breath, but she'd heard it anyway and tried not to laugh.

"I thought I wouldn't be in the mood to party, seeing how I just broke up, but my mood changed. I had a great time. I figure it shows I am so, so, so ready to move on." She knew she was throwing an extremely blatant hint at him, but she thought she'd have to. He was a man, after all. They didn't take subtle too well!

"That's great, momma," he said as he exited off the freeway. He was quiet for only a second while he checked his blind spot, changed lanes, and headed towards her apartment. "So, did any of those LA Boys make you want to move on even faster?"

He had a silly leer on his face. It was kind of disappointing to her. She started wondering if he didn't get what she was trying to say.

"No, not really," she replied.

"Why not?"

She sighed. Damn. She was going to have to spell it out even more. "None of those guys are my type."

He was quiet again, staring out the window. Like he was absorbing everything she was saying. It was unnerving. She couldn't tell if he understood what she was trying to say or not. He should get it. Derek was smart; he should know. She couldn't read him like a book. He always said he could read her; after all, he was a profiler, but she didn't have those skills.

A moment later, he asked, "What is your type, Baby Girl?"

She almost cried in frustration. "Damn it, Derek, do you- hey, you missed my turn!" She turned to look at him and frowned.

His voice was low, seductive, when he said, "I wasn't planning on taking that turn."

"W-why not?" she questioned, the alarm bells just starting to go off in her head.

His wolfish grin took her breath away. "That's because we're heading to my place."

Oh, he got her hints. He obviously got her hints!

She was a little beyond flustered. "Why are we g-going there?"

With his perfect white teeth still showing, he replied, "Because I've got a show to put on."