Chapter 5

AN: Thank you for the reviews! The site is kind of crazy yesterday and today- things keep disappearing on me. (Should I call in the BAU? tee hee)... As for the story... There is a question that lurks after all this started... I figured I had to put it out there...Here's my answer to it...and for those who don't know text-speak- a "3" denotes a heart.

Penelope continued to go on little dates with Reid for the next two weeks, most of the time planning and learning more about each other. She was having a blast, and Reid seemed really happy, too. They did all sorts of fun things together. They went to the zoo, they took these long drives just yapping in the car, they bowled, they played PS3.

As they sat in Reid's living room on the couch, watching Star Wars: Episode One side by side, Penelope realized she could really date Reid. She let the shock roll over her. He would be a very fun boyfriend.

"I hate Jar Jar Binks," Reid mused, putting a piece of popcorn in his mouth. "Why Lucas chose that accent for that character, I have no idea."

Penelope let the shock continue to roll over her. She was still overwhelmed at what she just thought. This was Reid, for Pete's sake. She glanced at him, at his handsome profile while he watched the movie. He was obviously studying the movie like a film student would. His brows were knit in concentration and his full lips were slightly pursed.

"Reid," she began, bringing up the essential reason for her being there again. "We need to move the plan forward."

He looked at her questioningly. "Plan?"

She gave him a half smile, and watched as he began to blush.

"Oh! The plan!" He looked sheepishly at her. "God, Garcia, I forget completely about it!"

She did, too. They never mentioned the plan, never did anything but have fun. She looked over at him, at the warm smile he had on his face, and her heart started to pound. "Reid, I'm sorry. I should've reminded you."

"Hey," he said, shrugging. "Same thing with me. I'm having too much fun with you to worry about it. I'm the one who should be sorry."

She looked up at him, at his sweet, kind, apologetic face and felt the love she had for him wash over her.

"It's easy to get swept up with someone as sweet as you are." She smiled and held his hand. "You're a good time, Spencer Reid."

"Thanks," he murmured. "So are you."

For a moment, they looked at each other, each questioning what life was throwing their way. For that second in time, there seemed to be a connection between Penelope Garcia and Spencer Reid, one that said, What if?

Propelled by those thoughts, he leaned over, she closed her eyes, and he gave her the softest of kisses.

It was pleasant, and sweet... and it had absolutely no chemistry behind it at all.

Penelope nearly cringed. It was like kissing her brother. Exactly like kissing her brother.

She highly doubted kissing Morgan would feel like that.

He looked at her, she looked at him, and they both laughed. It was obvious Reid thought the same thing, too, but he wasn't going to say anything about it, either. However, they were so comfortable with each other; it wasn't an awkward situation, when it really could have been.

"So," she said, beaming at him, changing the subject back to where it should have always been. "About the plan..."

As nicely as things were going with Reid, things with Derek were miserable. There was no doubt D was mad at her. He didn't do the call ins from the field, he growled an awful lot, and he didn't stop by her office.

After he didn't call her for three nights straight, and he always called her at night, she decided to talk to him about it. He really didn't have a reason to be mad at her; she was quite miffed with him. However, because she told a half truth to him (She was dating Reid; however, only platonically), she felt the need to reach out to him.

He didn't answer her calls, so she sent him a text later that evening.

HS, what is wrong with u?

Nothing a good fuck won't fix, he sent back in a heartbeat.

That made her blink. OK

About five minutes later, she got a new message. Sorry BG. In a mood. I 3 u.

Her heart panged at what he replied, but she dismissed that feeling and sent a text back. 3 u 2. Feel better. C u 2morrow.

That little text conversation changed everything. At work, he was the same flirty, wonderful person he always was the next day. Over his lunch break, he called her like he usually did.

Things were going really well, when the tide shifted, and hell started breaking loose. About ten minutes in to the conversation, he started asking about Reid. "Tell me the truth, Baby Girl. You really like that kid?"

"Kid! He's only six years younger," she said, rather defensively. Reid was twenty-seven last month, and pretty soon, she'd be thirty-three. Reid teased that she was a "cougar."

She didn't feel like one.

"Momma likes her baby, huh?" he teased, like she was dating an infant.

"Okay, big shot. How old is Crystal ?"

"Same age as Reid," he said, laughing.

"Oh, for Pete's sake," she said, rolling her eyes. He couldn't see her, but she still did it. "You should talk, cradle robber!"

"It's not the same at all. Men mature a lot slower than women do."

"Oh, please. What's the diff?" She couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

"Baby girl," he said with a low rumble over the phone. " Are you telling me you can't tell the difference between a thirty-something man and a twenty-something boy? There's miles of experience missing between the two of us. I know what I am saying, sweetheart; I've been both."

She flushed. He had a point; there were things she could talk to Derek about forever that Reid wouldn't be able to understand, even with his intelligence. She tried not to sound sulky. "He's a lot of fun."

"I'm sure he is," he said condescendingly. She could hear the snicker behind the words.

She was starting to get really, really angry. She wanted to shut him up. He didn't have the right to say anything about her relationships if he wasn't going to do anything about them. Then it hit her, a rather nasty thought, but she said it anyway.

"Ah, but Derek? He's closer to his sexual peak. A lot more energy, boundless, wonderful sexual energy. Tons," she purred.

It was a bald faced lie. She never slept with Reid, nor was she going to. She shuddered... hell, no.

"He's that good, huh?"

She couldn't tell what he meant by that. It was a flat statement, one that needed clarification. Sometimes, communication over the phone sucked. Still, she answered, not giving an inch to him. "Oh, yes."

"Well, I'm glad for you, then," he said softly. "You never seemed really happy with Lynch."

"Thank you," she said. For some reason, winning that conversation didn't feel like winning. She realized then she was hoping for jealousy from him, and she didn't get it. What she got instead was exactly what he'd always given to her.

Sincere friendship.

She was fighting back tears when she talked to him again about the case. "Okay, Morgan, enough of that. What did you need…?