Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and am in no way affiliated with the show or CBS. I do not profit from the story and all creative rights belong to their original creators.
Garcia opened the door to her apartment and stepped in, the multicoloured array of familiar objects immediately soothing her worn nerves. She quietly navigated through the knick-knacks that were the souvenirs of her life and plopped down on the couch, discarding her bag and keys on the coffee table. A soft yellow blanket was draped over the side of the couch and she grabbed it, sliding the warm, furry fabric over her legs.
The words she had spoken to Morgan echoed through her head as she laid there, a constant reminder that their friendship –or whatever they had had– was over. Absolutely nothing remained. Zilch, nada. This surprised her more than it should have.
Garcia wondered how this arrangement would work out. Would he try and revive their friendship, or completely ignore her? The possibilities whirled around in her head. Of course, Morgan saying he loved her as well was out of the question. She was surprised that he had even kissed her in the first place. Yes, Morgan could never, in a million years, love someone like her. It was out of the question. Of that, she was certain.
She sat up and nestled against the curve of the seat, staring at the blank television screen. 'Why did I ever tell him I loved him?' she sighed, biting her lip in annoyance. Her previous breakdown in the office yesterday had frustrated her to no end, and today she had done all she could to avoid him. Penelope Garcia was not one to cry, and her previous loss of demeanour bothered her. Damn him.
She sat there for a while, pondering each and every alternative to avoiding work, but stay clear of Morgan. She felt as if she had reached it, a point of equilibrium and was hanging onto the edge, gripping, slipping, but at the same time, thinking what if, what if…
A knock at the door interrupted her tumultuous train of thought, and she groaned, heaving herself of the comfortable couch and padding to the door. She glanced through the peephole and clenched her teeth. Today was so not the day for this. Derek Morgan was standing on the other side of the hall, parallel to her, waiting for the door to swing open.
Garcia quickly ran through the possibilities. She could a) ignore him and stay in her bedroom until he left; b) allow him to come in (which, to her, was not an option), or c) open the door, tell him she never wanted to see him again, and slam the door in his face (yes, borderline immature).
He interrupted her inner dilemma by calling out. "Garcia, I know you're in there. Open the door for me, mama."
His nickname for her infuriated her even more. She leaned against the door and bit her lip again, smearing the red gloss.
"Garcia, I will stand here all night if I have to. You're gonna have to come out sometime. It's just a matter of me starving or not." She could hear the nervous amusement in his voice, and through the peephole, she saw him grimace outwardly at the thought. She berated herself at still thinking he was adorable after everything that happened and, opening the door, stared at him. "What are you doing here?"
Slowly, each step carefully placed, he made his way toward her, and she moved away, stalking back towards the couch. Morgan followed and stood over her, unsure whether to perch on the edge of the seat or continue to stand. Sighing yet again, she moved over so he had a place to sit. She might be pissed as hell, but she could never say no to Derek.
Morgan gave her a small smile and sat down next to her, immediately reaching for her hand. "Sweetness-"
Garcia drew her hand away slowly, an icy calm skirting over her features. Despite the voices in her head telling her to jump him already! she was still upset. Allowing him the right to touch her wouldn't come across very well. "If we're going to do this, refrain from touching, please."
The words hit Morgan. Usually, the words would have been funny, had they been directed at anyone else. "You know I never wanted to hurt you, mama."
She glanced away. "I don't think it's anyone's intention to go and hurt someone willingly, for the most part. And yet, here we are." She knew her words were biting, but she couldn't help herself.
Morgan sighed and leaned back against the seat, running a hand over his head, trying another tactic. "When you left, I-I didn't know what to do. JJ was there, and… we talked."
A pair of inquiring eyes led him on, and he continued. "She said— she said that you've loved me for a while now."
Garcia frowned, her thoughts travelling a mile a minute. How could JJ know that? And, the more important question: was it that obvious? "Derek, I don't know what you want me to say."
Morgan leaned forward and cupped her face in his large hands, their faces only inches, centimetres, apart. Garcia's breath caught in her throat, and she completely forgot the no touching rule. Her fingers reached up and trailed his collarbone, the closeness they once had restored. Him, this, is what she wanted. What she yearned for.
Morgan desperately wanted to kiss her lips, her neck, her everywhere, He wanted to hold her, touch her, tell her everything was going to be okay. The three words he wanted to say so badly were stuck in his throat, not daring to come out, no matter how hard he tried.
He whispered to her, "I don't want you to say anything, just listen." Her eyes rose up from his chin to his eyes, and he continued. "Everything about you makes me feel peaceful. I know that doesn't sound like much, but… everyday we go after people who want nothing more than personal satisfaction, and they get that through murder and rape and at the end of the day, when I hear your voice on the other end of the line… you bring me peace, Penelope." He traced a finger across her jawline, his jaw tightening. Garcia had never seen so much emotion out of him in all the time she'd known him and she knew this was important. "And that means more to me than you'll ever know."
Garcia looked at him, eyes searching his face. He wasn't looking at her now, instead his eyes were downcast, looking down at their hands that had become clasped together. She had never felt so close to him in all the time she'd known him. Slowly, she drew her hands away and placed one under his chin, slowly raising his head so that he was looking at her. She gave him a tiny smile. "I'm glad I can do that for you, babe. And I'm sorry I was so emotional yesterday and dramatic. I know this is tough on you."
Morgan looked at her while she spoke, eyes never leaving her face. "It's just that sometimes it's hard for me to know what I am to you, you know? And moments like…" she blushed, letting her hair fall over her face as she looked down. "Moments like the one in my office don't really clarify it all that much."
A mischievous sparkle lit up in Morgan's eyes, all serious talk now aside. "I don't know, I think that they're pretty self-explanatory. Care for an example?"
Garcia barely had time to register what was happening before his lips were upon her, and she almost felt were heart stop.
It was soft at first, loving, a hint of things to come. Morgan playfully bit her bottom lip and leaned back, until Garcia was nestled comfortably on top of him, his hands tracing invisible patterns on the small of her back, her arms flung around his neck.
This was different from their first kiss. The intensity, the hurried groping, was gone and the slow and gentle caressing of the other was, quiet simply, perfect.
Derek pressed a little harder against her lips, his firm body moulding with hers. Penelope couldn't help but let out a little gasp, but just as quickly, Morgan drew back, his hands sliding off her body in concern. "Baby girl, did I hurt you?"
Garcia blinked, confused. Hurt her? "On, no, never. It's just… that was… wow." she breathed, grinning.
He chuckled, smoothing a tendril of blond hair back behind her ear. "Yeah. Who knew you could kiss like that, sweetness?"
She winked at him playfully. "Well, I might just have a few more tricks up my sleeve, if you're—" Her words were cut off by his lips upon hers once again, and all train of thought was lost as she slid closer to him, hands framing his face.
The only things on her mind were his hands, his lips, and the words wow, I could get used to this.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating, but it seems that the second I decide to focus on more than one thing at a time, everyone suddenly scrambles for my attention. If only I was so special all of the time… Anyways, for the most part, the lead-in angst is over! (Note how I said lead-in…) We're just about to get to the good stuff, the romance (yes, with insecurities and worry mixed in, don't worry)! Thanks for the support, and remember, read, review and enjoy!