Chapter Fifeen

"My home is yours too now, baby girl, so don't ask for anything." Derek smiled as he took her jacket and placed it in his closet. The reason for his happy disposition came from Penelope's discharge from the hospital. Physically, the rest of her healing could continue at home. However, it was advised that she continue to see a therapist for a while until she was able to come to terms with what had happened.

"Thank you, Derek," Penelope whispered, grateful tears in her eyes. Seeing her cry pushed Derek to action. He wrapped her in his arms, feeling her shoulders shake with her emotions as he cocooned her in an unbreakable hug.

"Hey now, no thanks needed. I want you here," Derek soothed. "I need you here. I can't imagine life without you. The time you were in a coma was too much." After a few minutes, her sobs subsided.

"I was so scared, so alone. But then I saw you—well it was more like a shadowed figure, but I knew deep down it was you." Derek gasped at this revelation, as it was the first time Penelope had shared anything with him about that horrible day.

"You should never doubt that I would come for you, Baby. But enough talk of this. I should get you settled in the guest bedroom. You need some rest." Penelope nodded, following him into a well-kept, spacious room. The bed was neatly made, and the sheets smelled especially fresh.

"This is beautiful, handsome," Penelope sighed, sitting down on the mattress as Derek placed her things on the desktop in the room.

"Nothing less for my beautiful girl," he responded, striding over to place a kiss on her forehead. "Now how about you rest for a bit?"

"Can I ask you something first? Are you 'in love' with me for real, or is this just because of what happened to me?" It was a question she'd wanted an answer to for days now, ever since he confessed his love to her when she woke up.

"No, sweetheart, I've been in love with you for years now. I realized it when we had that lunch date all those months ago, right before this whole thing even started. I fell in love with your beauty, intelligence, kindness, humor, caring, and personality way before you ended up in that hospital and I thought I was going to lose you." Penelope felt her eyes welling with tears as he finished. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her in her entire life.

"And I, handsome, fell in love with you way before you saved my life. Way before I got together with Kevin. It was the minute you called me 'baby girl' the first time that I knew I would always love you. That I would love every part of you, from your strength, biceps, and smoky hotness to your empathy, determination, and loyalty. It will never change, Derek Morgan."

"Neither will my love for you, Penelope Garcia." He embraced her then, enjoying the feeling of her soft body against his rock hard frame. Slowly, he leaned down and placed his lips on hers. She opened her mouth in response to his demanding tongue, already feeling prickly with pleasure. As his tongue ran along her teeth and explored every crevice, she moaned slightly, a sound almost too much for Derek to take. His hands roamed along her back as they kissed, and Penelope made no move to remove them. Her own palms were sliding along his abs, tracing every muscle line.

Finally, the need for oxygen caused them to break apart. Panting heavily, neither of them could deny the chemistry they felt.

"How the hell am I supposed to sleep after that?" Penelope asked teasingly. However, deep down, it was a real question. Ever since she'd woken up, she had been plagued by nightmares of Kevin standing over her bloodsoaked body. She hadn't told Derek about them yet, and she couldn't now, so she hid behind this disguise.

"I have a good idea," Derek responded. He climbed into the bed, motioning her to join him. He placed the covers over the both of them.

"Derek…..no. Not yet." She wasn't strong enough for this, not mentally nor physically.

"Baby, I didn't mean that, at least not now. I would never force myself on you like that. I meant I could just hold you. Just in case you need me." Although Derek had no idea that she was suffering nightmares, he seemed to have just the remedy she needed.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Hey, this isn't much of a favor if there's nothing else in the world I'd rather be doing," he replied, kissing her hair. She snuggled next to him, placing her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist.

For one night, there would be peace.

I managed to update 2 days in a row….yay! And a fluff update, no less! Hope you liked!