Perfect, Simple Kind of Loving

"Can you please do something?!" Penelope ranted as she paced her living room.

"Like what, baby girl?"

"Something! Something more than just sit there."

Derek stood up. "Better?"

"Ugh! How can you be so calm? You do remember what is going on here right now, right? It hasn't slipped out of that gorgeous mind of yours, has it?"

She could tell he was trying hard not to laugh which only frustrated her more. Penelope went on, as she paced and her arms failed, "This was not in the game plan!"

"Face it, we had no game plan."

"Fine. You're right about that much, baby, we didn't but I did and this is just not the way this was supposed to happen to me, if it ever happened. I wanted to be-" She struggled for the right word. "In a different place in my life."

"You proposing to me, Garcia?"

She picked up a cushion off the couch and flung it at him. He ducked and chuckled.

"Settled," she found the word. "I wanted to be settled first."

"Oops." He smirked at her.

She gave him a glare that was only half serious. "Can you at least try not to seem so damn happy right now?"

"Sorry, sweetheart, but I am happy."

She shook her head and glared some more until he wiped the smile off his lips. Derek asked "You saying you're not even a little bit happy to think that-?"

"I don't know yet! I haven't decided what I feel and it would be helpful if you could freak out with me."

He thought about that for a moment and then asked "Does it help you any if I say that I would have freaked out if this happened five years ago?"

"No, Derek, that doesn't help at all."

With a small grin on his lips he walked close to her and placed his hands on her arms. "We don't know anything yet so freaking out now is premature anyway."

"But you want this. Now I'm going to feel bad if I'm not-"

"Shhh, hush, woman. Don't worry about me being disappointed. I'll just take this as a sign we need to do a lot more practicing."

The slightest ghost of a smile curved her lips and then the egg timer dinged, signaling it was time to check the home pregnancy test. Penelope nearly jumped out of her skin. "OH! Its ready! You go check it. I can't look. I can't believe that condom broke. I really can't. I knew I should have gotten back on the pill the second we got together. Everything is still so new and now this. You know how hard it is to make it through a pregnancy without fighting and then through having a baby in our home...I mean my home and your home since we don't share a home...Go look at the test, Derek! What are you waiting for?"

He led her to the couch and encouraged her to sit down. "You need to sit down right here and take some deep breaths. Relax." He crouched in front of her. "We can handle anything, baby girl, just as long as we stick tight to each other. We handled going from just best friends to best friends who are lovers, right?"

She nodded.

He went on "So we can handle being best friends who are lovers and have a gorgeous baby they share, right?"

"I....would like to believe so but I don't know. I'm scared that this is just bad timing and somehow this will be more than I can deal with....and I'll lose you along the way."

He cupped her cheek. "Never, sweetness. You're my girl and that's not changing. I won't let it. I love you too much to walk away or let you walk away, not when you love me too. We can do this." He gave her a big grin. "You know you wanna have my baby, mama."

A small smile came on her lips. "I didn't ever say I don't want that, handsome. I just don't know if I want it a few months after we became lovers."

He shrugged slightly. "You should have thought of that before you showed me such a good night, baby girl."

She playfully slapped his chest. "You were right there doing your part to make that night go down in the annuals as the best sex ever between a hunky Adonis and his Goddess."

Derek grinned and stood up. "Best sex so far. Don't sell us short, babe." He studied her for a minute and then held out his hand. "Wanna come with me to see if our first child is on the way?"

"You do it. I think I might pass out if I stand up right now."

His eyes filled with concern. "You're dizzy?"

"Just nervous as hell, baby. Please, go see what it says."

"Okay, here goes, Garcia." Derek was smiling as he walked to her bathroom. A minute passed and then he came back, carrying the test, and his smile was even bigger.

Penelope's hands covered her mouth.

Derek came over and sat next to her on the couch. He showed her the test. "Congratulations," he said softly, his voice filled with love.

Letting out a long breath, Penelope looped one arm around the back of his neck and leaned her forehead against his, looking down at the test in his hand as she did. "Wowza!"

He chuckled tearfully. "Hey, silly girl, its gonna be okay, I promise you that."

"So much is going to change."

"For the better. I know this will just make us closer. Don't push me away because I couldn't stand to be on the outside looking in as the woman I love carries our baby. I wanna be next to you for every bit of this....and every bit of our kid's life."

Raising her hand she cupped his face and asked, hesitantly, "That sounds like we are kind of...settled, doesn't it?"

He smiled. "Bet your sexy ass we are, baby girl. I'm settled on having you as mine from now on."

She gave him a short, sensual kiss. "Congratulations, Papi."

He wrapped her in his arms, letting the test fall to his lap, "I love you, baby girl, and there's no fear in me about this. I'm not who I was five years ago when I told you that I'd never be like Hotch.....with a wife and kid at home tying me down...I should have never said that. I was lying to you and a part of me knew it then but I said it because I wasn't ready for us yet. I'm ready, willing and able now." He pulled back and looked at her stomach. His voice got thick with emotion as he said "We made a baby, baby girl, and its, by far, the best surprise of my life."

She hugged him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad you're so happy, baby, but I still don't know how we're gonna pull this off."

"Together, that's how."

Penelope smiled sweetly. Her lips found his and they made love as the afternoon sunlight drifted in her window.

There was a time when Derek would have flipped out over the idea of an unexpected pregnancy, and been sure he just couldn't be enough for any woman or any child, but now he knew better. The love and devotion that Penelope had given him over the years healed parts of him he used to believe were forever damaged. And the way he learned to be patient and see past his own fears and doubts so he could believe they would one day get their chance- back when it seemed like they never would- had made him more of a man than anything else in his life ever had.

Now he was the man he used to think he couldn't be. The man who was ready to be a husband and a father and a lifetime partner to his baby girl and to their babies....the first one which was on the way and all the ones he hoped Penelope would agree to having as the years went by.

Derek had always been an overachiever. Just having the most perfect wife and first born would not be the end of his longing. In the future, he already knew, he would definitely be making love to his sweetheart and begging for another chance to hear "Congratulations, Papi!"

THE END

Inspired by Do I? Song by Luke Bryan. Mvid by sweet09kisses. The title of this comes from the song lyrics.