A/N: So I've been trying to post this chapter all day like I promised but the site wasn't co-operating. But finally I prevailed! WOOT! This chapter is almost twice as long as normal, but I just didn't want to stop the flow of the scene.

I dedicate this chapter to all my MG shippers who have stuck it out with me so far. This one is for you. xoxo

Best Friends.

For some strange reason, those two words coming from Derek's lips caused a brief, but sharp pain, to radiate throughout her body. It made absolutely no sense and she certainly couldn't explain it, so she just pushed it to the back of her mind to deal with later. Right now, she had far more pressing matters to attend to, including the one standing in front of her. He might have accepted her identity as a given the moment his head connected the dots, but she just accepted the very real probability herself only minutes ago. She was still reeling and having him here wasn't helping regain her equilibrium one iota. Turning her head, Angel glanced nervously over to J.J. looking to her for some answers, but all she got was a shrugging of small shoulders in response to her unspoken questions. Taking a deep breath, she squared her own shoulders and turned back to face Derek. Fully prepared to take the proverbial bull by the horns, her words came out far sharper than she originally intended.

"Agent Morgan. Why are you here?"

She caught his slight wince and could see how her demanding tone stung him, but only for a second before he managed to carefully smooth out his features. Hurting him was never her intention and she felt bad about that, but at the same time she couldn't help feeling wary of his unexpected appearance. They didn't exactly part on amicable terms upstairs and the blow-up between them was still very fresh in her mind. And so was his reaction. Having him show up after the hateful things she practically screamed at him, left her feeling somewhat exposed and more than a little confused. She honestly didn't know whether his coming here was selfless act or a self-serving one. Perhaps it wasn't one or the other, but a combination of the two. Either way, it was obvious he was trying to make some kind of amendment and she knew she didn't deserve his olive branch.

"Please... call me Derek. Hell, go ahead and call me an ass if you need to, but don't use my job title as a shield between us. Not here and not right now. I'm here because I want to be. Nothing more, nothing less. Everything else can wait. Besides as the saying goes, if the Mountain won't come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the Mountain, right?" He could see the wariness in her eyes and as unrealistic as it was, it pained him to know she didn't trust him enough to accept his offering of help without looking for an ulterior motive.

"Fair enough. But no matter what I call you, I still don't see why would you even want to be here. Not that I don't appreciate the offer, but to be honest, you're absolutely the last person I'd expect to be standing in front of me right now. Why are you being so nice to me? I don't deserve it. I was so horrible to you..." Angel's voice trailed off and she forced herself to look into his eyes, not knowing what to expect.

Derek sighed and offered up a ghost of a smile, but his eyes remained sad. "Look Angel..."

"Penelope. My name is Penelope. I may not remember anything else, but we both know that's exactly who I am, don't we?" The name felt so foreign on her lips, but at the same time looking into his eyes, she couldn't deny there was a rightness about it too.

Before he could say anything in response, J.J.'s phone rang, drawing their attention away from each other and directly on to her. Picking up the call, she quietly walked away from the pair, with a quick look of apology. With a gentleness she'd forever associate with him and him alone, Derek reached for her hand and linked their fingers, effectively bringing her attention back to him before he spoke.

"You haven't seen your results yet. What changed your mind?" He asked softly, the tightness around his heart easing just a bit when she didn't pull her hand away.

"Truthfully? You. And what you said. I guess it caused a memory, a real one, to finally surface long enough and clear enough to see you by my side. Seeing you here now, I kinda get the feeling my side is a place you frequent more often than not. That said, I've just decided I'm going to take full advantage of that fact right now and find out my fate for once and for all."

With a small squeeze of silent support from his fingers he released her hand, allowing her to open the envelope. Her hands shook so badly she was having a hard time unwinding the string that held the envelope closed. With a gentle touch he stilled her fumbling fingers, causing her to look up at him once more.

"I need you to listen to me. No matter what these papers say, no matter if you're Penelope or whether you're Angel, I'll still be here for you either way for as long as you need me to be. You know that right?"

When she nodded, relief evident in her eyes, he released her fingers and let her try to open the envelope again. His words had the desired effect and she calmed down enough to make short work of the task. Carefully, she slid out and then scanned the paper inside. When she looked up at him, he reached up to cup her face and ran his thumb back and forth across her check in a light sweeping motion, wordlessly giving her the strength she needed to speak.

"It says.. it says you were right. My fingerprints are a match. I'm Penelope Garcia," She whispered with a touch of awe in her voice. With their faces so close, she could see her words and lack of disappointment removed all the shadows of sadness from his eyes, leaving them suspiciously bright. But the one thing she was looking for was nowhere in sight.

"You're relieved, but not surprised, not even a little. I can see it in your face. Somehow, you always knew. Just like you knew I'd need you here with me. How is that even possible?" She wondered aloud.

"I didn't... at least not consciously anyway. My head just kept getting in the way by constantly telling me it wasn't possible. But I think my heart knew right from the start. If not from the start, at least from the moment we kissed. That kiss had the power to shut my head down long enough for my heart to take over the wheel. In fact, I wasn't even aware I called you Penelope until you pointed it out. And I guess once my head was finally on the same page, there was no going back. As for me being here for you, I honestly tried to stay away because you made it perfectly clear that was what you wanted, but I made a promise to you once. I promised you that I'd be there for you everyday, for the rest of my life. I never break my promises, especially not to you. And believe me when I say, there's no place on earth I'd rather be." Unable to resist any longer, he brought his other hand up to her face and placed butterfly kisses on her forehead, her cheeks and lips before releasing her only long enough to pull her tightly into his arms. He just had to take a moment to thank God and prove to himself that this wasn't just a dream. To prove that he got his Baby Girl back.

Both his genuinely sincere declaration and reaffirming actions brought tears to her eyes and a lump in her throat, but they were happy tears, relieved tears. And as terrified as she still was, it was an incredible feeling to know that there was someone who would be there to help her make it through it all and would be at her side every step of the way. He'd even been willing to do so if she'd turned out to be Angel and not Penelope, a fact that meant so much more to her than she could ever say. If anyone had told her yesterday she would lose her life as she knew it, but gain the most incredible and perfect man as a best friend in the span of less than twenty four hours, she would have undoubtedly had them committed. But even so, that wouldn't change the fact that they were right and that what they said was true.

Only one thing marred her new found happiness. It was the part of her that niggled and poked at her every time the words Best Friend and Derek came within spitting distance of each other in her mind. Then the answer came to her in a flash of clarity. The term bothered her because they were obviously more than that... they had to be. If he was just her best friend, they wouldn't have shared the kind of kiss they shared in the break room. If he was just her best friend, she wouldn't be standing here wanting him to give her a repeat performance right now. No, there was definitely more to all this than he was letting on and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. But for now she willingly snuggled deeper into his strong embrace, where for the first time in a long time, she felt like she was finally where she belonged. She felt like she was home.