The Dream That One Day

Morgan and Garcia

June 2011

The moment seemed to freeze, as his words caught in his throat, his casual conversation to his boss forgotten as his eyes glimpsed the paper on Hotch's desk.

"Garcia is transferring?" Derek Morgan asked, his eyebrow raised in confusion, his body stock still in shock.

Hotch gave him a steady look. "Apparently."

Derek could barely remember making the walk to her office- his thoughts and feelings incoherent even to himself. He could handle any unsub he came up against, getting into this zone in his head where he was calm and collected, but he couldn't handle stuff like this very well at all.

This kinda of stuff just left him feeling leveled- like a bulldozer had run him over.

(I could hardly believe it

when I heard the news today.

I had to come and get it straight from you.

-x-x

They said you were leaving.

Someone had swept your heart away.

From the look upon your face

I see its true.) (How Am I Supposed to Live Without You by Michael Bolton)

"You're leaving?"

Her lovely face lit up in the loveliest of smiles. "Kevin is my prince charming and he wants to take me away to live happily ever after. He asked me to marry him and move to a farm right outside of Kansas City." She showed off the a diamond engagement ring. "I always knew he was the one." A moment later she asked "What's the matter? Aren't you happy for me?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'm just surprised, that's all. This is coming out of nowhere."

"I've been with him for over three years. I can't believe all my dreams are finally coming true. I feel like I'm walking on air, handsome."

"That's great, Garcia. So when is the big day?"

(So tell me all about it.

Tell me about the plans you're making.

-x-x

Tell me one thing more before I go.

Tell me how am I supposed to live without you?)

"We want to do it right away. Kevin's mom is gonna help me plan the whole thing."

Derek stood there nodding his head and smiling at all the right moments, swallowing down the lump in his throat and the ignoring the pain in his chest. He couldn't let her see how this was killing him.

(No time for crying.

Didn't come here to break down.

Its just a dream of mine is coming to an end.

-x-x

How can I blame you

when I built my world around

the hope that one day we'd be so much more than friends?)

He listened to her babble on, as she walked around her office waving her arms, telling him all the things she wanted in her perfect wedding.

"And, of course, my handsome man, the day would not be complete without Derek Morgan in a tux standing up there with me. Every woman should be so lucky to have one of you on her wedding day to make sure the pictures have at least one handsome stud in them."

He chuckled, with tears stinging his eyes, while averting his gaze from her. It was too hard to look at her so happy and know that it was another man who she'd spend the rest of her life sleeping next to. That the second chance Derek had dreamed about just wasn't coming around.

(I don't wanna know the price

I'm gonna pay for dreaming.

Even now its more than I can take.

-x-x

Tell me how am I supposed to live without you?

Now that I've been loving you so long.

How am I supposed to live without you?

And how am I supposed to carry on

when all I've been living for is gone?)

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The alarm going off knocked Derek out of his sleep. He groaned, reaching for it he grabbed the offensive object and ripped it out of the wall, tossing it across the room.

His head was throbbing and his mouth felt like something had died in it. He was getting too old for going on a bender on a work night but yesterday he had needed it.

Pushing himself up on his elbows he squinted when the bright sunlight hit his eyes. Last night was a total blur and his dreams had all been nightmares filled with Garcia. Then it hit him- a foggy, half memory that he wasn't sure if it was from his dream or not. It felt like a dream but right at that moment, hung over and miserable, thinking of all her prattling on lately about Lynch, he really wasn't sure what was real and what was just his horrible nightmare.

Dragging himself out of bed he stumbled to the bathroom, feeling every bit his age, and even more depressed than when he was downing those drinks at the bar the night before. Garcia had been talking a lot lately about her and Lynch, about their future, about what he wanted for them.

Even if Derek had just dreamed that they were engaged (as his head cleared he realized that yes, that had just been a bad dream) it didn't matter. That nightmare was gonna be reality sooner or later. Sooner probably.

He groaned as the shower spray hit him. Today was gonna be another bad one, he could feel it already.

(Now I don't wanna know

the price I'm gonna pay for dreaming.

Now that your dream has come true.

-x-x-

Tell me how am I supposed to live without you

now that I've been loving you so long?

How am I supposed to live without you?

How am I supposed to carry on?

When all that I've been living for...is gone.)

A couple of hours later he strolled off the elevator and into the BAU. Garcia happened to be walking by, holding some files.

"Morning, princess," he said, before giving her a closer look and noticing she looked very weary. "Hey, everything okay?"

"No worries, my love. Mama just had a rough night last night. I broke up with Kevin. I realized we just want different things and he's never gonna be the one."

Derek swooped Penelope into his arms, hugging her tightly. She let out a strangled, surprised sound.

He moved back a little, keeping her in his arms, reaching up to stroke her hair away from her face.

"Sorry," Derek murmured, staring at her lovingly. "What can I say? I always thought you could do better."

"There's nothing wrong with Kevin!"

"Hey, hey, hey, I didn't mean it like that. I just mean...all I mean is...I'm glad he's not gonna talk you into transferring out west and living on a farm. I'd miss my girl around here."

She softened. "Derek Morgan, do you really think I'd ever deprive myself the pleasure of seeing you just as much as I can?" She stepped back then gave him a sexy once over, admiring his body as if she wanted to lick him from head to toe very, very slowly. "My mama didn't raise no fool."

As Penelope sashayed away Derek was left there with a little grin playing on his lips, knowing there was now at least a chance that his dreams would come true after all.

Maybe one day they would be so much more than friends.

THE END