Work is a bit much at the moment, so not every day an update. Thank you all for your feedback. I really appreciate it.

If you're never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances. ~Julia Sorel (Rosalyn Drexler), See How She Runs, 1978

Am I actually running? When was the last time you ran for a women? Never, you answer to yourself. Please, please let her be there.

Luke was right through the glass doors when the elevator doors closed. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Fuck! He pressed the button for the elevator at least a dozen time, but of course it was too late. What do I do? What do I do? Luke froze for a moment and then started running for the staircase. Maybe, just maybe, I get to the parking deck in time. He was running as fast as he could, almost tripping twice on the way down. Come on you idiot. Run, faster! Finally the last stairs, he could see the door to the garage. With his speed he wanted to throw the door open, too bad he forgot that the door wasn't one to push. So he collided painfully with the steel before him, almost falling down on the floor.

"Ouch, for Christ sake." He pulled the door open, cursing loudly, he then started to ran again to Penelope's parking spot.

"Penelope, wait! Penelope!" He shouted just as she started to pull out of her parking lot. Come on Luke, just a few feet more. But it was too late, he tried to run after the car but he was out of breath. Normally he had a very good constitution but colliding with this door, it punched all of his breath out. Think Luke, think. You need to talk to her. Think. Her address. You need her address. As quickly as he could he pulled out his phone, starting to write JJ a message.

"JJ, I need Penelope's Home address, quickly. Its an emergency. Luke."

While he was writing the message he was going towards his own car. As soon as he had sent the message to JJ, he started to text Penelope.

"Pen, please we need to talk. I need to talk to you. Please."

Luke was not the begging type of man, but he knew, if he couldn't clear everything out with Penelope now, there would be no chance for whatever the future may be holding out for them. He knew that Penelope would not read his message until she was home. There would be no way she would look on her phone while driving.

As soon he was seated in his SUV he started to drive after Penelope. He didn't knew her exact address, but at least he knew in which part of town she lived. He forced himself not to go over the speed limit, but it was hard not to do.

A few minutes later his phone vibrated. With one hand on the steering wheel, he grabbed with his other hand his phone, JJ was calling. Good that his car had a hands-free car kit , so he picked up.

"JJ? Hi, I really need Garcia's Address now."

"Luke what the hell is going on? Is Penelope hurt? Is she in danger?" JJ's voice was fearful.

"Damn, no sorry. Its not that kind of an emergency, so sorry, I didn't wanted to frighten you." Luke again cursed at him silently.

"For all what is holy, Luke. You scared the shit out of me. Whats going on? Why do you need Penny's address in the middle of the night?" JJ was obviously not happy with him.

"JJ, I promise I will tell you later or tomorrow, but please, just give me the address. It's really important. And if you can't wait for an explanation, then call Emily. But please, just give me Penelope's Address before."

JJ paused for a moment as if she tried to figure out what was going on.

"Fine, I send it to you ASAP. But when it's not important, or Penelope will be angry that you showed up at her home, we will have a problem, we two. Understood?"

"Yes, understood. Thank you." With that the call was through. A few seconds later his phone gave out the tone for a new message. He opened the message, finally he got Penelope's address, and also a reminder from JJ that he should be better having a very good explanation for all of this if he wanted to live another day.

Luke chuckled. The thought of JJ all furious and angry, this fragile looking women, threatening him. He stopped soon enough, remembering how strong JJ was inside and outside, and that she meant every word. Penelope was one of her best friends, all hell would break loose if she thought that Penelope was hurting. You better figure out a good explanation Luke, or you are even in more trouble than now.

Are you kidding me? Every damn signal was turning red. Good, that you don't believe in signs Luke. Or else you would think that fate is trying to show you something. Stop with that nonsense. Better you think about what you are going to do when you reach Penelope's. What will you tell her? How will she react? Luke's mind was full of doubts.

After another ten minute drive, he pulled in the street where Penelope was living. Looking for the right number, not seeing much in the dark, he then saw Penelope's car. Finally, a little luck tonight. He spotted a parking spot just a few feet away. He pulled over and got out of the car.

He began walking towards the entrance of Penelope's Apartment complex, with each step slowing down, with each step he got more nervous. When he reached the door, he let out a long, heavy breath. His fingers rubbing over his neck. Pull it together, man. What are you afraid of? Maybe that I could loose her before even getting a chance?! With that thought he pulled the door open, looked at his phone, for the number of Penelope's Apartment JJ sent him.

As he reached her door, he statied himself one last time. Then he knocked. He waited a few seconds, and knocked again. No reaction. A third time he knocked. Still nothing. But then he heard a small noise.

"Penelope? Please open the door." Again, no reaction. "Chica, I'm going to stand here all night until you open that door so we can talk." Luke waited for a response. "I mean it, I'm not going away. Not this time. I made that mistake the last time, not doing it again."

With this last sentence he realized that he already knew where Penelope was living before JJ send him the address. He was here before. Where all the confusion started, when he had kissed her. My god, how could I forget that. Am I going crazy? Luke couldn't believe himself.

He had no idea how this memory could have been erased from his mind. Not the memory of the kiss. Of course not. How could he ever forget that? The feelings he had. The comfort he felt. As if he would finally be there where he belonged. It must have been the stress, the shock or maybe the adrenaline. He tried to reason with himself.

"Penelope, come on. Its not very cozy out here." Luke tried again after a few minutes, knocking again at the door.

"Go away, just go away" he could hear her through the door. Penelope's voice low and trembling.

"No Pen, I'm not going away. Not until we talked." Luke felt a longing in his heart, hearing Penelope's voice. He just wanted to pull her in his arms, comfort her, be the man she wanted.

"I will not open this door, go away. Go back to Em..." The sentence abruptly stopped.

"Go back where? There's no place I'd rather want to be, Penelope. Except in your living room, talking with you."
Again no reaction. Luke let out a loud sigh, and sat down, leaning his back against the wall opposite from the door. He meant it, he would not go away.

He pulled his phone out and tried to figure out what to write JJ, how to explain something he didn't fully understood himself.

A few minutes later he started typing.
"Sorry, JJ for all the trouble. To be honest, I can't explain truthfully what's going on. I'm not sure myself. It's something personal between her and me. Don't worry. I am really sorry for scaring you."

There was no reply. Great, now all of them ignore me. Luke sat there for half an hour, knocking at least another dozen times.

After 40 minutes of pondering what to do, he could finally see that Penelope was opening the door, quickly he stood up.

"You're still here. Why?" Penelope looked at him with wide, red eyes, wearing a black bathrobe with flowers in various colors on it.

"I told you, I'm not going away. But I must admit I was getting a little worried that one of your neighbors might call the police." Luke said with a little smile and walking a bit closer to the door.

"What do you want Luke?"

He reached out for one of her hands, giving it a little squeeze. "Just talking Penelope. Explain myself. Clear up all the misunderstanding."

Penelope let out a heavy sigh, but not pulling her hand away from his. "Then come on in."

She led the way into her living room. Her home was even more colorful that he could have imagined. The atmosphere felt warm and cozy, every detail screaming out Penelope's character.

"So then talk" Penelope sat down on her couch, waiting for him to start speaking. Luke sat down beside her, again taking her hand.

"I wanted to talk to you the next morning, the morning after I kissed you. I shouldn't have walked away that night, I realize that now. Then we got a new case, and I wanted to talk to you personally, not on the phone. I wanted to tell you, how I feel. What that kiss meant to me. Then you flirted with me, you remember that call? I was so relieved that you were not mad at me, and was hoping that you maybe would feel the same way I do. But when I wrote you, and asked you out for drinks and you responded that way, I was devastated. Penelope, I'm not good with words, and even less showing my feelings to someone. This last case, it was... ruff. And all I wanted to do tonight was to see you, maybe going out for dinner, talking. Your presence always lightens me up, you let me forget all the pain. When I am with you, I am happy, I have no sorrows. I didn't write you this evening, not wanting to get another no. When I came to your office tonight, you were already gone, or so I thought. This case brought memories back, I didn't wanted to have. So when I saw that Emily was still in the office, I got out and bought food. It was a spontaneous idea. I wanted some company. Wanted to talk to someone, not be alone with my memory. And with Emily I always could talk easily. There are no feelings other then friendship. I had not other place to go to. Please, believe me, when I tell you, there was nothing more to what you saw at the office, just two colleagues eating together."

Luke and Penelope looked at each other, his expression serious with a lot of feelings underneath, hers puzzled, then hopefully. Her cheeks lightly flushed, a smile starting to spread.

"So, you like me?" Penelope asked, still a bit of a doubt in her voice.

Luke raised a hand, resting it on her cheek, his thumb lightly caressing her skin.

"That would be the understatement of the year. It's much more then just liking you. I never felt this way before. I will not speak of love, just yet, because love is the strongest of all feelings and I don't say something like that easy. But I guess, if I'll be honest, I'd say I am falling in love with you Penelope Garcia. From the first time I ever saw you, heard you talk and laughing, I had no chance at all. My heart was yours from the very beginning, and it still is."

Penelope's mouth wide open, her eyes blinking, trying to let all of that sink in.

"Phew, for a man who says he is not good with words, you know exactly what to say to a women to make her heat beat faster and forgetting everything else." His smile turning into a little grin, but Penelope could see that he also began to flash a little at her words.

"After you laid your heart out before me, I will do the same." Luke was afraid, she could break his heart easily. He swallowed hard and gave her a little nod that she should continue.

"First, I would have never let you in here, if I hadn't talked to Emily. She told me that there was nothing between you too, and she also told me how startled you were when you saw my reaction in her office. That said, I want to explain my behavior of the last days and weeks to you after that kiss." She paused for a moment, trying to gather her courage. "When you kissed me that night, I was so happy. For the first moments. Then my head started to spin around, why you would do that. Believe me when I say, that I had my fair share of men who just wanted one thing. My head said that a man, good looking as you, would be the same as so many other guys, my heart was saying something different. That you are a good man, that I should be happy, that you liked me. And then there was the thought of work in my mind. We work together. How should it work out between us, either way? That day, with the phone call, I was brave, but when you asked me to go out on some drinks, I got cold feet again. And today, well I tried to get enough courage together, for going to you and asking you out. And when I finally was ready, I saw you eating, talking, flirting and laughing with Emily. It was like a kick in my guts. I thought that my first apprehension was right, and that you just kissed me for, you know, getting in my bed. I am sorry, I thought so bad of you. Deep in my heart, I knew you weren't that kind of guy but I was so afraid to get hurt. I still am. But Luke, I also have feelings for you. Deep feelings, I must say, that's why I am so afraid, you could hurt me so much. And I still don't know how it will work out with us working together. What if it doesn't work out?"

Luke's heart felt so released as he heard her talking. Everything will be okay now. She has feelings for me. I am so damn fortunate.

"Pen, I am so happy. You can't imagine how happy I am. You made me the happiest man alive. And I know, we have much to figure out. But we will figure it out together. Just answer me one question, do you want to be with me as much I want to be with you?" Penelope's heart was beating so fast, her belly turning up and down, she needed to clear hear voice. "Yes Luke. Of course I want to" and as soon as she spoke her last word, Luke reached for her, put his arms around her and held her tight. Both of them felt in this moment only happiness, warmth and were full of joy. To soon Luke backed away a bit, laying one hand on the side of Penelope's face again.

"I should have asked you that the last time, but would it be okay if I would kiss you now?" Penelope didn't bother with an answer, she just pulled him closer to her and kissed him.

All of her doubts vanished in the same moment as their lips touched. All she could feel was her fast beating heart, the butterflies in her belly flying like crazy, Luke's body pressed against her own and a desire growing inside of her, spreading out to every inch of her body.

Then I did the simplest thing in the world. I leaned down... and kissed him. And the world cracked open. ~Agnes de Mille

I hope you guys liked it. I wish you all a very good day. xo Winkey02