A/N: We get there, slowly. And no worries, there will be definitely a happy ending. You know me. I could never not write a happy ending for our two favorite lovers.

Later that day Penelope had lunch with Emily and JJ, but somehow wasn't able to concentrate on much of what her friends told her. Her mind was still kind of hung up on Morgan's blackmailing. And it was blackmailing in her mind, no matter how he argued it. Although there probably were worse situations to be blackmailed with than her one.

She wasn't paying much attention to her friends or her food in front of her and just snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a nudge. Looking up she saw JJ looking slightly worried at her.

"Are you okay, Penelope?" she asked. "You have been rather quiet and haven't even touched your lunch at all. Everything alright?"

"Yeah, nothing's wrong. Just .. a bit sidetracked, that is all."

"You sure? You don't really look like it-" Emily pushed, but before she could finish Penelope interrupted her already.

"I've been sleeping with Morgan," Penelope all of a sudden blurted out.

JJ and Emily just looked at her, not sure what to say or do. That certainly no one had seen coming.

"I …. Is it something …. seri-" JJ started, but interrupted by Penelope right away.

"No, it's just … casual, string-less sex, no questions asked, no commitment, nothing. We meet, have a go at each other and then I leave. That's it…" Penelope explained, and could see her friends looking at her rather shocked. Or surprised. She wasn't entirely sure.

"And since … when have you been doing this?" JJ asked carefully, not entirely sure of things were as casual as Penelope tried to make them sound.

"A few months now. When I split up with Kevin it kind of happened. We both needed the release and … that's it. Friends with benefits."

"Oh, that's not good," Emily remarked, making both Penelope and JJ look at her. "I mean someone always gets hurt, or things turn complicated. It's never just sex. There is always something more."

"Are you okay?" JJ was quick in asking, having one of these sympathetic looks on her face.

"I'm great. And no … it is not complicated," Penelope started to explain.

"Then why do you look like someone shot your puppy?" Emily asked. And seriously, she needed friends that were no profilers.

"Because Morgan doesn't want to keep this up," Penelope admitted quietly.

"He got bored?" Emily blurted out and let out a yelp a few moments later, when JJ kicked her in the shin under the table.

"He … wants a date."

At her answer JJ and Emily just looked at Penelope surprised once more. Neither of the two women had seen that one coming.

"He said he won't sleep with me anymore unless I agree to a date. A proper date, whatever that means," she went on, throwing her hands up in the air at the last part. Was there any other form of a date other than proper?

JJ just grinned at Penelope widely, whereas Emily had some sort of an admiring look on her face,

"I don't understand why he wants a date. I mean … Derek Morgan is a notorious womanizer, who beds girls left and right and never looks back. From all the guys out there I was sure this would stay just that. Sex. And now he wants a date. With me. Talk about backstabbing," she whined, seeing the smiles on JJ's and Emily's face grew with each passing word.

"You consider that as backstabbing? Because he wants a date and doesn't just want to sleep around any longer?" JJ asked astonished. Sometimes Penelope's definition of things tended to be rather entertaining.

"Don't you want anything else? I mean … all these years? " Emily asked, and saw Penelope to open her mouth to answer. "And don't even start denying it, you wanted him, and not just sexual for a long time. Ever since you two met it was 'Baby Girl' and 'Hot Stuff', 'Goddess' and 'God of God knows what'. There have been more inappropriate conversations between you two than appropriate. "

"I just got out of a relationship that didn't really have the general fairytale ending," Penelope started.

"Six months ago," Emily corrected.

"Anyway, I don't need to have that all over again. I just … wanted some stringless, no commitment thing, and look where that got me now."

"Why are you so opposed to the idea of him wanting something more serious? That somehow doesn't really seem like you. Okay sure, you never said you wanted him – as in more than just sex – but, come on, everyone with a working pair of eyes, oh what am I saying? Even a blind person could see that you two are basically meant to be with each other. As in Dating. As in serious. As in committed relationship. You can't possibly deny that," Emily argued, seeing Penelope looking slightly confused.

Okay, so her friend was right. But that wasn't reason for agreeing with her officially, correct?

"I just … after Kevin my desire for a new relationship is kind of … non-existing," Penelope admitted somewhat softly. "I just don't want to, or don't feel like that sort of commitment, or responsibility. I want just some fun, without having to worry about tomorrow or next week. At least not in regards of the relationship. And that's what I have with Morgan…"

"Had," Emily corrected. "That's what you had with Morgan. And … you already make it sound like the next thing he will do is force you into marriage and make you have his eight children. It is a date. A harmless date. And think about it, for every right guy you date, you date at least five morons. So Morgan is the right guy and Lynch was … a moron, like four of them combined in one"

"Didn't you just say it's 'Just a date'? And who made you captain of the cheer team 'Morgan'?"

"I just think you two would be great with each other, because you are just … you."

"How is it that a guy can have as many stringless encounters as he wants without ever hearing once 'You should get serious about this one', but a girl can't if she is doing the same?" Penelope asked frustrated.

"Sure you can, just look at me," Emily answered, a smile on her lips. "It's not about girls can't do what guys do…" she went on, but got interrupted by JJ.

"It's just that you picked the wrong guy. You and Morgan are just … not made for that kind of agreement. There is so much passion, love and desire for each other that it was supposed to happen sooner or later that one of you wanted more."

With that lunch was over and Penelope was more confused now than she was before.