Here we go again with the sweet stuff :)

Be warned this story will soon be getting very exciting, so enjoy the current fluff.

Thanks again for all the reviews and follows.

Still as always, own nothing.

Now on with the story

Once her consciousness came to the forefront of her mind, she was instantly aware of a pounding sound, one in her head, and the torrential downpour outside. Penelope was slowly coming out of her groggy state, but still hadn't found the courage to open her eyes.

"Why is the side of my face wet?" Groaning aloud, she realized drool had saturated the side of her face... "Yuck!"

The first thing Penelope registered, was blinding light. It was violating her pupils through her closed eyelids.

Rolling over, she laid face down into the pillow, and mumbled, "where is that coming from?" Squinting through her blinding headache, Penelope turned her face to the side, attempting to decipher the culprit of her discomfort. Cursing, she realized the overhead light was on in the bathroom, and the door was standing ajar, "ughhhh".

Turning she slowly attempted to sit up. The pain started at the back of her neck, and spread across her forehead. Both of her temples were throbbing. This was no mere hangover, this was hell.

Once she managed to sit herself up, she began squinting her eyes in an attempt to adjust to the light. With her eyes only slightly opened, she could not take in the full view of her room, but there was enough focus to confirm she was still wearing the dress from last night. "Oh god". She was fully aware nothing good ever came from that...

Penelope attempted to back track over the past 24 hours, but last night seemed to be nothing more than a jumble of memory flashes. Thank god nothing she remembered was bad, but there was most definitely alcohol, and an abundance of it.

When she reached out to retrieve her glasses, all she could locate was a small sheet of paper. Her blurred vision was doing nothing to alleviate the killer hangover attacking her brain at the moment. Frantically she began searching. Then she felt the metal rims on her finger tips, "Bingo!"

Once positioned on her face, she immediately felt a little better. Now she could clearly see the contents sitting on her nightstand... She knew exactly who, and how they had gotten there.

Picking up the note she quickly read Derek's words aloud... "Frack!" She was in BIG trouble.

The smile gracing her lips at the moment was unavoidable. D was so cute when he played big brother. There was little doubt in Penelope's mind he would have something to say. However, there would be no argument about the pills. She tossed both of them into her mouth, and greedily drank down every last drop of water. Her mouth was so dry, she had a terrible case of cottonmouth.

Slinging her feet over the side of the bed she spied her clock confirming it was 6:45 am. She let out a sigh of relief, thankful she was not late for work, twice in one week. "Why did I drink so much? On a work day no less... Bad idea!"

Hurrying to the kitchen she turned on her coffee pot, her mouth salivating at the mere thought. Penelope then stumbled back to her closet to select an outfit for the day. "Hmmm, definitely a day for flats", so she retrieved her favorite woven red slides. Even though she prefered high heels, she did not trust her balance at the moment. Next she selected a white, and red patterned dress. It was warm, and still cute enough to work with her bright personality.

Fleeing the bedroom she found solace in her overly purple bathroom, where she proceeded to take the hottest shower possible. Only after scrubbing herself from head to toe with her peach scented body wash, did she begin to feel human again. Penelope felt truly reborn once she was wrapped in the warmth of her terry clothed bath robe.

Since she was way ahead of the game she decided to enjoy her cup of coffee, with a bagel on on her balcony. It was a beautiful stormy fall morning, and soon it would be bitterly cold.

Relaxing, she let her mind wander to the previous night. Even though she was more than a little upset about her memory loss, there was still happiness. Her entire goal was to do something very, unPenelope like, and to actually for once let go and enjoy herself. "Mission accomplished", or at least from what she could remember.

She knew she was beautiful, but it had been a long time since she truly felt wanted. Kevin had loved her, but she could never tell that he really WANTED her.

Penelope might have been out of the game for a long time, but she was no fool. She was well aware of what the men at the bar were after, and that was just not her style. The flirtation gave her a high, but that would not land them in her bed.

The sight of Derek last night, flashed into her mind. He looked so handsome, and it did give her a thrill. From what she could recall, he was totally focused on her. It was nice to see his reaction to her newfound confidence, even if it was from his overprotective brother standpoint.

Penelope knew she was attracted to him, but that long ago dream had been relinquished. Despite the years of undisputed tension, she knew it was just a game between two close friends. She was always careful to keep her heart in-check when it came to her sexy, player, best friend.

Suddenly she became keenly aware of a slight tug deep inside her chest, it always seem to appear once she allowed her mind to wander down that forbidden path.

Letting out a deep sigh, she mumbled "never going to happen Garcie"... With a sad smile appearing, she had little doubt there would always be something bittersweet between them, but she wouldn't trade it for the world.

Deciding she had dallied long enough, she took her dirty dishes to the kitchen.

Penelope usually took her time fixing her hair, makeup, and clothes. This morning was no different. Once she was done dressing, she decided she looked amazing for a woman whom less than an hour ago looked like an extra from a zombie flick.

Grabbing her large coat, and massive multi-toned umbrella she let herself out into the dark, stormy Virgina morning.

Entering the BAU Penelope held her head high. She was determined to show them all she was no withering lily. They would all be expecting a half dead version of herself.

Walking briskly through the office she had a perfect smile painted on, and offered a vivacious, "good morning" to all her friends as she passed by. Everyone responded with shock, and then smiled, "good morning Garcia".

They were all impressed, and Morgan was on his feet trailing behind her, all the way to her office.

Once she was sequestered in her lair there was a span of 10 seconds before he passed through her doorway. He found Penelope already seated, and starting up her babies.

"Cut the act baby girl, I know you feel like crap." She didn't even turn around, "well good morning to you too hot stuff. And just for the record, I would be feeling much better if I were watching your sexy self bringing me my coffee". Smiling, she slowly turned in her chair until she was staring into the dark brown eyes, of her currently amused best friend.

His laughter was booming in the small area, "well clearly you feel good enough to be a smart ass, huh?" Her smile broadened further, "always."

Derek shook his head, "guess I should have learned by now". She just nooded in agreement.

His smile faded into a smirk, as he finally spoke the words she knew were coming. "What were you thinking drinking, so much last night? You know you cannot handle your liqour." She began to laugh, "D I am a big girl, and I am obviously old enough to drink." "Baby you know that is not the point."

Penelope rolled her eyes, "you know I would not have been drinking so much, if I were by myself... Oh, and by the way, thank you for my surprise first aid kit this morning."

He was struck by the gleam in her eyes. It gave a true testament to how happy she currently was, compared to the mere days ago. Morgan was overjoyed to see her full feistiness return. He prayed it was here to stay. The mischievous, glossy pink smile was making his week, at the moment.

All he did was shrug nonchalantly, "that was nothing, you know I have to take care of my girl." Penelope flushed pink from the remark, and giggled joyfully, "always the flatterer hot stuff."

"Now I have work to do, and so do you."

When he turned and left her office, she was still smiling, and so was he.