Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Thank you all so much for the reviews on this story. Thank you for reading it. It's very fluffy so it's different from what I usually write. I hope you'll like this new chapter :)

JJ knocked on the door to Penelope's office, the bag of sushi takeout she had bought for lunch for them in one hand. She rehearsed her idea over and over in her head that she was going to bring up to her friend in just a few moments. It had been several weeks since the speed dating event, and so far Penelope had only gone out on a few dates with two different men who had called her. She seemed to be fairly disinterested in both men, though, and that did not bode well for her soulmate search.

Dave and JJ had very different plans for her, though. They were committed to reuniting Derek and Penelope, and that was going to happen one way or another.

Morgan's one hundred percent match card was all the proof JJ needed. Instead of finding Penelope just any soulmate, she just had to find a way to reunite her with her ex boyfriend.

"I come bearing sushi," JJ said with a grin as soon as Penelope opened the door.

Penelope grinned cheekily back. "You got me my California rolls?" she asked with a glimmer of joy in her eye.

JJ nodded, following Penelope into her office. "Yup," she said. "I've got it all." They plopped themselves down in the chairs at her desk, careful to keep things away from the computers. She handed Penelope's food over to her, along with a pair of chopsticks.

"Oh, you are my favorite person on the planet right now!" Penelope cooed, opening her container of California rolls. She skipped the chopsticks and plucked her first roll out with her fingers. She popped it in her mouth and closed her eyes, savoring the taste. "This is so good, it's orgasmic!"

Laughing, JJ used her chopsticks to pick up her first salmon roll. She observed her friend's behavior and body language as she excitedly prattled on about what her plans were for the weekend. But all JJ could think about was how she planned to get Penelope interested in Derek once again. Penelope prattled on, with JJ nodding along even though she wasn't truly listening.

"And I also started looking around online again for a different sperm bank," Penelope's voice broke through her daze. She took a sip from her mug of tea before pulling out a stack of papers that had the logo for a sperm bank on it. "I was wondering if you could come with me this weekend to help me figure out –"

JJ's eyes went wide. "Wait, you're still going through with this?" she asked. She couldn't believe the search for a baby daddy was still on when she hadn't heard about it since before they went speed dating.

Penelope's mouth fell open as JJ's statement hung in the air. She was too shocked to speak.

"Oh, no!" JJ said, realizing what her statement had sounded like. "Garcie, I didn't mean it like that. I misspoke. I didn't mean anything about wanting you to give up on the baby. I just meant –"

"You just meant why would I still be looking for sperm donors when I am dating people?" Penelope suggested.

Shrugging, JJ nodded. "I mean, I guess so," she said. "It just seems like –"

"Like something that will scare a guy off," Penelope concluded.

Seeing the look of downtrodden dismay on her friend's face, JJ immediately felt bad. She set her chopsticks down and folded her hands in front of her. It was now or never. She needed to plant her seeds of an idea while her friend was still speechless.

"I guess part of the reason I'm saying that is because I've been doing some thinking," JJ said. She observed Penelope's face, choosing her words carefully so as not to upset her. But how on earth was she going to push her in Derek's direction when she seemed intent on not getting back together with Morgan? She balked for a moment, trying to find the words.

Penelope blinked at her expectantly. "Anytime now, Jayje," she pressed.

"I think – I think you should try asking someone you know to be a donor," JJ finally blurted out. "Or at least consider it."

Silence blanketed the room while Penelope thought about what JJ had just said. She seemed like she was seriously thinking about it, at least as far as JJ could tell.

"You think I should ask someone I know," Penelope repeated.

JJ nodded, trying to appear as though she had been thinking about this from the start. "Yeah," she said. "I think that would make your search a lot easier, and you would be able to breathe knowing it isn't some stranger's bun you've got cookin' in the oven." She tried to keep her voice light.

Penelope giggled nervously at the idea. "Well," she said. "I guess I could give that a thought. I have no idea who I would ask, though."

"You never know," JJ said, pensively. She had just the person in mind for Penelope to ask. But she couldn't imagine Penelope thinking of many men whose sperm she would want anywhere near her other than Derek Morgan.

XXXXX

Penelope stood at the coffeepot later in the afternoon. She huffed at the now-empty pot, bemoaning the fact she had no coffee. This was not what she needed on a day like today. After her conversation at lunch with JJ, she felt an overwhelming sense of added pressure to find the perfect sperm donor.

After the past few weeks of going on dates with men who ended up boring her, she was itching to get back to searching for a donor. She didn't care any longer that JJ wanted her to find a man; she wanted a baby because right now there was no one she could think of she wanted to be with.

There was still time to find someone to grow old with. Having a baby had a timeline on it, though. Sure, women were having babies older and older, but it still wasn't indefinite.

With a sigh, she started work on getting a new pot brewing. As she waited for the coffee to get going, she caught sight of Morgan in the hall. He looked stressed beyond belief. Smiling to herself, she headed toward his office. Coffee could wait. Knocking on the door, she poked her head in and waved.

"You're looking stressed, Baby Boy," she remarked, plopping down in the chair in front of his desk.

He smiled back at her. "Don't I always?"

She laughed. "Maybe a little bit," she said, lifting her fingers to show a small distance.

Derek leaned back in his chair. "What's up?" he asked. He glanced at the clock. "You're here later than you should be." He swallowed hard. "No hot date tonight?"

Shrugging, she shook her head. "No," she said. "I'm not feeling into it. I don't think any of those men are the ones for me." She chuckled. "Makes me wonder if I'm ever going to find someone."

Derek looked her in the eye, his face going completely serious. "Penelope, if there's one thing I know about you, it's that you're going to find a guy someday. The question will be if he deserves you. You'll be the greatest thing to happen to that guy when you find him. And you wanna know why? Because you're the best person I know. You're beautiful and kind and funny. The best thing that will ever happen to him."

As the words reached Penelope's ears, she felt something stir inside her. Her belly filled with a warm fire that refused to burn out. Tears burned behind her eyes, but she forced herself not to cry. That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her.

It was things like this that made him her best friend. He may have had a tough shell, but underneath it was the kindest man she had ever met.

It was then she remembered something JJ had said to her earlier.

You would be able to breathe knowing it isn't some stranger's bun you've got cookin' in the oven.

Taking a deep breath, Penelope sat up straighter. JJ was right. She could trust Derek, and she knew he had damn good genes. Maybe she could ask this question without tripping over her own words. If she didn't ask now, she would never be able to gain the courage to do it again.

It was now or never.

"You okay in there, Baby Girl?" he laughed, waving his hand in her face. "You disappeared for a second."

"I – I want to ask you something," she murmured.