Chapter Four: Dancing with Danger
Derek found it extremely hard to keep his brain focused on the case. His kiss with Penelope had been everything he'd ever dreamed of. All he wanted to do was recreate that moment between them. He knew Penelope was right though. If he wanted to get this case closed, he couldn't be kissing her. He just needed to concentrate for a little longer. Which was easier said than done when Penelope was wearing a fake wedding ring.
The idea of her flirting with men at this party was making him nauseous. He hated the thought of anyone touching her. Watching her dance with Chad had been torture. He had no claim over Penelope, and yet, he felt like she was his. She wasn't a possession, he'd never see her that way, it was her heart. He felt like their hearts belonged together.
"You'll both be wearing mics, they'll be discreet, but be mindful." Hotch told them over a video call.
"Make sure you don't lose each other at the party, keep eyes on your partner at all times," Prentiss added. "Anyone there could be our guy."
"Garcia, are you feeling okay with this?" Reid asked his friend. She nodded.
"As okay as I can be." She replied.
"We'll be listening for the first sign of trouble." Rossi assured her.
The pair said goodbye to the team and started to get ready for the party. Penelope was wearing a microphone in her bra, and Derek's was hidden under his shirt. They would need to be careful, if anyone noticed it would blow their cover.
Penelope was wearing leather pants and a crimson red top. She had paired it with red heels and her favorite red glitter glasses. Red was her color, Derek had always known that. He had opted for khakis and a button down, and he felt like he paled in comparison to her. He knew the point was for her to get noticed, and she would definitely succeed. Anyone would be crazy not to approach Penelope, and Derek had to push the jealousy away.
"Ready, angel fish?" Penelope asked. Derek swallowed.
"Let's go, sweetness."
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Penelope felt a little safer knowing that the team would be able to step in quickly. Still, she was knowingly putting herself out there to reel in the unsub. She wished this case was over. Her mind had been unfocused since her kiss with Derek. She wanted so badly to ask him what it had meant, and to repeat it over and over. But, one of them had to be rational.
"Penelope, Derek! You made it." Chad greeted them when the pair entered. Amanda was at his side, as usual. And for the first time, she spoke directly to them.
"It's so nice to see you both." She said with a smile.
"Come, meet our friends." Chad said, leading them into the large house.
It was then that it hit her, Chad was the ringleader. He was the one who hosted the parties. No wonder his wife was so quiet in public. He must be pretty controlling, Penelope imagined. Still, she couldn't let it show that this bothered her. She was certain now that they were on the right path to catching their guy, and Chad was going to lead them right to him.
Chad introduced them to just about everyone at the party. He made sure everyone said hello to the new couple. Penelope and Derek played the part, conversing with each person they were introduced to. After he was sure they were settled, Chad left them to explore.
"No one is giving me a bad vibe yet. I mean other than Chad. That man just exudes nastiness." Penelope said. Derek nodded in agreement.
"Well, let's grab a drink and mingle. If nothing comes up in an hour, we'll call it a deadend and leave," Derek decided. "Sound good?"
Penelope nodded. She followed Derek to the beer cooler. He grabbed them each a bottle as they examined the room. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Penelope had never been to a swing party before, it just wasn't her style. She had no problem with people that did partake, if it made them happy she didn't pass judgment. Still, she felt out of place. These people were confident in what they wanted, and weren't afraid to go for it. She wasn't sure she could say the same about herself.
"Hey, wanna dance?" A woman with long dark hair approached them, giving Derek a suggestive smile. She was not at what the unsub was profiled to be, but still they needed to keep up the charade. Derek turned to Penelope and she waved him on.
Penelope watched as Derek danced with the blonde girl. He looked very uncomfortable, which was not like Derek at all. She sent him a thumbs up for encouragement while she sipped on her beer.
She continued looking around the room. They had originally profiled their guy as a white male, single, in his early thirties. She tried to keep in mind that the profile could be wrong, but still, no one was sticking out to her as a killer.
"Are you new?" Penelope turned when she heard a man talking to her.
"Uhm, yeah, my husband and I were invited by Chad." She replied. The man was handsome. Not as good looking as Derek, but still. He was about six feet tall with light sandy colored hair and light gray eyes.
"I knew it. There's no way I would have missed you if you had been here before," The man smiled at her. "I'm Walter, but my friends call me Walt."
"As in Disney?" Penelope teased with a smirk. Walter chuckled. "Do you get that a lot?"
"Everytime I introduce myself to someone." He replied, though it didn't seem to bother him. Penelope thought this man came across as rather charming, and she knew very well how dangerous that could be.
"I'm Penelope," She told him. "You must come here often, if you knew right away I was new here."
"I always come to Chad and Mandy's parties." Walter replied.
Penelope looked for Derek in the sea of people. She'd managed to lose him in the few minutes she'd been talking to Walter. She needed to get Derek's opinion on this guy, but he'd disappeared into the crowd with that woman he'd been dancing with. Penelope had an idea.
"Well, my husband found a lucky lady, and I'm all by lonesome. Want to do me an honor and dance with me?" She asked him. Walter grinned.
"It'd be my honor, Penelope." He replied, taking her hand.
Walter led Penelope right to the middle of the dance floor. This was the most Penelope had danced in her entire life. She preferred to be on the sidelines, but this role she was playing required a more active role. She continued to scan the crowd for her pretend husband. Where on Earth had Derek gone?
"So, your husband left you all alone at a place like this?" Walter asked as he held Penelope's body close to his.
"Well that's kind of the point of these parties, isn't it?" She said back.
"That's a good point. I suppose I'm just lucky your husband is crazy enough to share you." Walter said.
The pair continue dancing and making small talk. Penelope was doing her best to get him to talk to her. She knew the team was listening, waiting for any clues on whether or not this guy was there unsub. Penelope really wished Derek was with her, because she wasn't a profiler and she wasn't sure what she was doing.
"Are you from around here?" Penelope asked him. He nodded. "We're new to the area."
"I grew up here, met my wife here, started a career here, I know Boston like the back of my hand." Walter informed her.
"And you like the city?" Penelope asked. Walter nodded. "We do too. We never felt this safe in Chicago."
"Stick with me and you'll be extra safe." Walter winked at her. Penelope felt a chill run down her spine. "As a matter of fact, you should leave with me."
"Uhm, right now?" She asked, trying not to panic. Walter laughed.
"Of course, you said it yourself, that's the point of these parties."
"Right, I did say that," Penelope said, forcing a smile. "But, I should probably find Derek first."
"Your husband who abandoned you?" Walter replied. "Come on, come home with me and you won't even remember that silly husband of yours."
"Okay, I just need to get my purse." Penelope said. She needed a reason to get away from him and look for Derek.
"I'll come with you, and then we can leave straight away." Walter insisted. He started to pull her toward the door.
"I think that's enough." Penelope had never been so relieved to hear Derek's voice.
"Derek!" She exclaimed. He reached out for her and she gratefully melted into his embrace. "I couldn't find you anywhere."
"She was in good hands." Walter told Derek. Penelope could see him sizing up her noir hero. "And if you don't mind, I think we're going to continue our lovely conversation at my place."
"Like hell you are." Derek sneered, stepping closer to the man while still keeping a grip on Penelope. Walter didn't even flinch. "We're leaving."
"Penelope wants to stay with me, right?" Walter asked her. A shiver ran down Penelope's spine. She gripped Derek tighter, wanting nothing more than to get away from the man. "Come on, Derek, it would be selfish to keep her all for yourself."
"Derek, don't." Penelope stopped Derek from knocking Walter out with his fist. She gently pushed Derek toward the door. "Let's go home, please."
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The ride back to the condo was silent. Derek had helped Penelope into the taxi, but after that he ignored her. She could feel anger radiating from his body. She knew when they got home, he'd tell her what was on his mind, though she had a pretty good idea.
Derek ripped off his microphone as soon as they got inside. She knew the team was probably calling both their phones, but she couldn't bring herself to look. Derek was mad at her, and her priority was talking to him first. They could catch the team up later. She carefully pulled the microphone from inside her shirt. Once it was removed, she turned to face Derek.
"Derek I-"
"Were you seriously going to leave with that man?" Derek asked, stepping toe to toe with her. Penelope scoffed.
"Of course not!"
"Was he aware of that?" Derek replied. She stepped away from him, her own anger beginning to bubble. "I come to find you and your off with some creepy man who couldn't keep his hands off you."
"Oh I'm sorry. Did it suck to see me with someone else? You were MIA, literally! I turned to get you and you were gone!" Penelope exclaimed back at him. Derek looked a little guilty at this. "Did you forget we were looking for a potential killer? Or were you too busy with that leggy brunette?"
"P, I got lost in the crowd of people. We danced to one song, and then I couldn't find you."
"I was dancing with Walt! He approached me, and I thought maybe I could get some information from him. But I'm not a profiler, which is why I needed you." Penelope sighed.
"What did Walt say? Aside from trying to get you into his bed."
"Shut up, Derek. He found me attractive, so what? We were at a swingers party and I was all alone. He didn't come out and say he was responsible for killing a bunch of people, but I got some weird vibes, okay?" Penelope replied.
"And you were going to leave with him?" Derek shook his head.
"Are you listening to me? No. I wasn't going to leave with him. I was trying to lose him. He wasn't giving me much of a choice, and I was a little afraid." Penelope admitted.
"I'm sorry, baby." Derek told her. He stepped closer, pulling her back toward him. She let her guard back down and sunk against his chest. "Are you alright?"
"I am now." She said.
Derek kissed the top of her head. They were both so angry about the party, they hadn't stopped to think about what had happened. Penelope could have been in danger if Walt was the unsub. She was safe now, but they had lost their lead. They likely weren't getting invited to another party.
"What are we going to tell the team?" Penelope asked.
"We got nervous and pulled out." Derek said with a smirk. Penelope rolled her eyes at his innuendo.
"You shouldn't have come at Walt like that. We lost our one lead." Penelope told him. Derek huffed in response.
"So I should have let him try and force you out the door?"
"No, but if you had been calmer we could have come up with a plan," Penelope replied. "Plus, the team would have stepped in if it got to that point. Now, we're not any closer to catching the unsub than we were this morning."
"I'm not sorry." Derek stated.
"Derek you can't just-"
"Yes, I can." Derek said before she could finish her thought. He knew what she was going to say. "I will always come between you and sketchy men."
"You acted like a jealous husband."
"I was a jealous husband."
"You know what I mean, hot stuff." Penelope looked at Derek with seriousness in her eyes.
"You know what I mean, Pen. I never want to see another man look at you, let alone touch you. The only person who should get to run their hands along your curves, or play with your curls, or kiss your lips is me."
"That's a lot to say, honey. I think this fake marriage is getting to your head. When we get back to Quantico, it'll go back to how it's always been." Penelope insisted.
"And how has it always been?" Derek asked inquisitively.
"We're buddies. Pals. The best of friends. But don't pretend you look twice at me."
"The kiss we shared the other night says otherwise." Derek responded. He took her hands. "Can I tell you how I see it?" She nodded a little nervously. "It's always been like this, P. I have always loved you. As my best friend, of course, but also as the person I can't live without. I stood by and watched you date Lynch because I thought it made you happy, but inside it killed me. I've tried so many times to tell you that I am crazy about you, and that I want to be with you. I never seem to get the words right, but I can't pretend anymore. I love you, and that won't change when we take off these fake rings."
"Wow."
"Give me a chance, baby girl. You know we would be great together." He moved to cup her cheeks in his hands. Tears were pooled in her brown eyes. "Give me a chance and someday this marriage will be anything but pretend."
"I don't want to lose you, Derek. I couldn't survive without you."
"I'm not going anywhere, princess. Just let me love you."
"Okay." She sniffled.
Derek didn't waste another moment. He gently pulled her face to his. Their second kiss was nothing short of magic. Just like before, sparks were flying everywhere. It was like they were meant to do this for the rest of their lives.
They were so lost in the kiss, they didn't notice someone watching them. Outside the window of their condo stood Walter Tinfold. And he was planning his next move.