Note- The song Penelope references in this chapter is Single Ladies by Beyonce.

Morgan and Garcia

Part Two

Two and half years later

June 2010

Penelope was having an amazing time at Derek's birthday party. He liked to have a bar-be-cue every year and invite a ton of friends over to his house to play games of pick up basketball, eat good food, drink and socialize.

The parties usually went late into the night.

The best part was that Derek never had a date for any of these parties. Though he would hit on women in bars he didn't usually bring dates around the team, and especially not around Penelope, which was just fine with her. Like she needed to see some thin waif thing hanging all over her Hot Stuff, knowing he was taking that lucky woman home to give her the night of her life.

No thank you.

This year especially though Penelope didn't want to see anything like that. She had spent the last few weeks seriously thinking about her life- her job, her romantic relationship, her future. Trying to figure out what worked and what didn't.

She even considered leaving the BAU but, even if the job was gruesome at times, they were her family and she loved spending her days near them. So she wasn't going to go anywhere.

Still there was something off in her life and she knew it.

Today really drove that point home. She had told Kevin about the party but they were fighting a lot lately- he didn't believe Morgan slept on the floor in Alaska- and so Kevin had bailed on joining her. And she didn't miss him one bit.

Morgan kept her by his side all day. Soaking up the attention he gave her Penelope felt her heart opening even more to him. This is what she wanted her life to always be like. To look up into dark eyes that were warm with sweet, tender, soulful love for her.

Yes, Kevin had dark eyes and yes he loved her. But it just wasn't the soul to soul connection she had with Morgan. The last few weeks she had been replaying the events of that case in Alaska in her mind over and over and each time she came to the conclusion that when Derek had said "I'm gonna stay on the job a little while longer...everyday of the rest of my life," he had meant it in a deeper way than just friends.

A man like him didn't vow that if he didn't want more. For months now she felt a change in him. A deepening of emotion. His frayed nerves faded and it seemed like he was now being Mr. Perfect, for the first time ever.

No more random hoochies all over him. No more holding back of his emotions. No more playing off his feelings as jokes. Everyday he poured out more and more affection on her. What woman could resist all that?

She felt like she could be his woman now. Like he really did want that. Like she wasn't a crazy chick with a silly crush anymore. Like he was finally falling for her.

Penelope Garcia felt like a miracle had come into her life. Derek Morgan had woke the hell up finally and stopped playing games with her. Now it was up to her to be the brave one who called him on it.

But first she planned to flirt with him just a little more. Get him nice and worked up. Primed for her.

When it was time to serve his birthday cake she took the first slice and fed it to him.

Before putting it up to his mouth, as a crowd was gathered around because they had sang Happy Birthday to him, she cooed, like Marilyn Monroe singing to JFK, "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, SSA Morgan. Haaaaaaaaappppppy birthday day...to you." She fed him a bite and he moaned as he chewed it.

Using her thumb she wiped some frosting off the corner of his lips.

His eyes held hers, as if no one else was there, while he captured her hand and licked off the frosting. Shivers raced down her spine. She bit down on her bottom lip.

JJ cleared her throat. "Who needs cable when I know you two?" she joked as she moved close to the cake and took over cutting slices and passing them out.

One of Derek's buddies from the ATF, who he met when he taught them hand to hand combat techniques, joked "Where can I find me one of her? You are one damn lucky SOB. Happy birthday, man," then to Penelope he said "When you get tired of his old ass you look me up. My birthday is in November."

Derek glared at him and took his beer away. "Charlie, yeah, you're cut off."

Penelope gave the poor guy his beer back. "He doesn't mean it."

"Uh, yeah, I do," Derek joked, wrapping his arm around her waist and leaning close to her ear. "I gotta stay on my job of protecting you, don't I?"

She flushed from all the attention he was pouring on her. "Well you know how the song goes..."

He arched an eyebrow.

Reid asked "I don't know how the song goes. What song? You have to be more specific."

Rossi slapped him on the back. "I don't think she's talking to you."

Derek look at his friends. "No, Garcia, I don't know. What song?"

The women gave him knowing looks but he really didn't get what they were driving at. His eyes settled on Penelope again.

She smirked and held her hand up to him, as if he was supposed to kiss it. "If you like it then you better put a ring on it."

He stood there, thunderstruck for a moment. She could get him like that sometimes. Then he chuckled and pulled her close. "You're a crazy woman." He stared down into her eyes. "Thank you for being here today."

"I would never miss your birthday. What kind of baby girl would that make me?"

The way she was looking at him in that moment Derek could almost believe he wouldn't have to keep fighting his own heart on a daily basis. Trying to forget he had fallen in love with her. Trying to pretend he had gotten over those feelings. Trying to be just the good friend. Trying to love her in a different, less soulful and romantic, way.

He could almost think they were really on the edge of something today. Something that could change the rest of their lives.

(Can we last forever?

Will we fall apart?

At times its so confusing,

the questions of the heart.

-x-x

You followed me through changes.

Impatiently, you'd wait

till I came to my senses through some miracle of fate.) (The Search is Over by Survivor)