Chapter Five:
Penelope was certain that she needed a good old fashioned girls night. The team was on their way back, and she had gotten JJ to agree to come over. She needed to discuss things with her girls, and not have Derek or Luke around for the night. Emily was looking forward to hanging out with JJ and Penelope, and quickly agreed. The girls gathered at Penelope's, ordered pizza, and poured some wine. They had been waiting for Penelope to fill them in on her love life.
"My date with Luke was nothing short of perfect." She told them as they ate their pizza. "He was so much fun, and even when he was losing at mini golf, he was still making jokes. Then, get this, he cooked me enchiladas. He remembered an off hand comment I'd made about missing my dad's cooking, and he took it upon himself to make me some authentic Mexican food."
"It sounds like Luke is a great guy." JJ commented. She smiled. "And he's cute."
"He is." Emily confirmed. "But, he's not the only guy chasing PG's heart."
"Ugh." Penelope groaned, thinking about how she had somehow become the meeting point of a love triangle.
"So, Derek is trying to win you over now?" JJ asked. Penelope nodded. "That seems so random, I mean why now?"
"Well, let's be real, he's always loved her." Emily pointed out.
"So tell us, was Derek Morgan as good at wooing women as they say?" JJ asked, sipping her wine. Penelope laughed.
"Actually, no." She then told them about the near disastrous date, and how flustered he had been. "But, at the end of it, we ended up on his sofa, making out like highschoolers."
"I can't believe the great womanizer that is agent Morgan bombed a date." Prentiss chuckled. She looked at Penelope seriously after a second. "So, where's your head at with all of this?"
"I don't know." Penelope admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "I feel very conflicted."
"Clearly, Luke is the better choice, I mean I've only heard about him through you guys, but it seems like he really cares about you." JJ stated. "I mean, Derek is your best friend, and after all these years, risking that friendship for something that might not work seems a little crazy. Plus, we all know that Derek gets jealous, and when he does he acts a little irrational."
"But, Derek and Penelope are clearly meant for each other." Emily argued. "Haven't we all just been waiting for them to get together?"
"Sure, at first." JJ admitted. "Eventually, though, it became obvious that they were better off as friends."
Penelope thought about that for a second. There was a time, not too long ago, after she broke up with Kevin, that she waited for Derek to make a move. When he started dating again, she realized it was never going to happen. Derek didn't see her as anything more than his lovable, dorky, best friend. And she accepted that. Or at least she thought she had. She had convinced herself she'd moved on, but now, she wasn't so sure. But, she knew JJ had a point. Derek was her best friend. That relationship in and of itself was so important to her. Was it really worth the risk?
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"Wait, so let me get this straight, you actually went streaking?" Luke laughed, as he and Penelope sat on his couch, enjoying some drinks. They had made dinner together after work, and were relaxing now. "Like buck naked?"
"Au naturale, baby." Penelope confirmed. "What happens at band camp, stays at band camp. At least, until the band director found out."
"Man, you're high school experience and mine were much different." Luke replied. "I played hockey, and volunteered at a soup kitchen, meanwhile you played truth or dare with a bunch of flutes?"
"Actually, I was in the clarinet section." She said with a smile. "The fingering technique has come in handy."
Luke choked on his scotch. Penelope let out a giggle, and he knew she had been baiting him with that comment. Penelope loved to tease. She was an expert at it, and it was so much more fun when the person on the other end of it didn't see it coming.
"So, I've been meaning to ask, how did your date with Derek go?" Luke asked.
"He took me to a strip club." She said. Luke nearly choked for the second time.
"He what!?"
"It was an accident." She replied, handing Luke a napkin. "He thought he was taking me to dinner and a show, and well he did, just not the show he was expecting. We ended up going back to his place and watching a movie."
"Is that what you were doing when we got the call for the case?" Luke asked.
Penelope could feel heat rising to her cheeks. She didn't want to tell Luke exactly what her and Derek had been up to when the call came. She hadn't had much of a chance to talk to Derek since the team had returned two days ago, but she was looking forward to their next date. Still, she didn't want Luke to feel like this meant he didn't stand a chance, so she decided it was best to leave some details out.
"Penelope?"
"Oh, uh, yeah we were watching The Sound of Music." She replied.
"I wish I liked musicals." Luke replied. He shrugged. "Just not my thing, I suppose. I get why people like theater, but it bores the shit out of me."
Penelope figured now was a bad time to mention her hobby. He'd feel like an ass if she told him that she loved doing plays, and that musicals were her favorite. Everyone was entitled to their own opinion. They'd just have to find some other way to enjoy their time together.
"Luke?" She asked, suddenly curious about something.
"Yes?" He asked her.
"Do you like video games?" She asked. "Like old school?"
"Not my first choice to use my time." He admitted with a shrug. "Kind of makes me think of my teenage boy days, ya know?"
"Oh, uh, yeah that makes sense." She said with a forced smile. She wondered if they had less in common than she thought.
"Penelope, just because we have some different interests doesn't mean I'm not willing to try your hobbies out." Luke said, as if reading her mind. She smiled. "Who knows, maybe you can make a gaming musical lover out of me."
She laughed. She hoped that was the case. She wanted them to be able to enjoy all of the things they liked together. Still, even if he was willing to try, she knew there was someone else in her life who never had to try. It was natural, and she wasn't convinced that could happen with Luke.
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"Hey, beautiful." Penelope looked up to see Derek walking into her office the next morning. "What are you doing for lunch?"
"I was planning on working through it." She admitted with a sigh. He pulled up the extra chair in her office and sat next to her. "I have a bunch of research Hotch asked me to do for an old case he's following up on."
"Can I join you?" Derek asked. "I'll bring vegan pad thai."
"That's like a 30 minute drive." Penelope replied, raising an eyebrow. "And my cave isn't exactly the place I'd pick for our next date."
"It doesn't have to be a date, P." Derek replied. He reached out and booped her nose. "Just two buds having lunch together. I finished my paperwork, and I have to go that way to check out something with Reid."
"Okay, fine." She gave in. "You know what's next door…"
"Of course, your favorite bakery. I'll bring you a red velvet cupcake, sound good?"
"Thanks, hot stuff." She grinned.
Penelope went back to work when Derek left her office a few minutes later. She was looking forward to lunch with him now. It was nice to know they could still hangout as friends without the added pressure of a date. She missed having time like this with Derek.
The rest of her morning seemed to be sluggish. The research for Hotch was tedious, and she'd hit multiple dead ends. She was starting to get really fed up with it. It wasn't often that her work left her frustrated this way. She was used to finding the answers she needed quickly, but today, she felt off. She hated that feeling. She was going to text Derek and tell him nevermind about lunch, but she forgot, and lost track of time.
Derek arrived just after 12:00 with her pad thai and cupcake. He could see right away that she was stressed. He sat down with their food, and came up beside her. He rubbed her shoulder, and reminded her that she was a badass tech.
"I just don't know what to look for." She groaned. "I keep hitting walls. This woman is non-existent. She must have gone into hiding after what happened to her family."
"Okay, well, what do we know about this woman?" Derek asked. "From before."
"She was a devoted teacher. She loved working with kids. Her husband and step daughter were murdered by his ex wife, at least that's what everyone thinks. Amanda found the bodies. The ex wife had stolen a vehicle, and they were able to arrest her for that but not the murders. Amadna was a key witness in the ex wife is out of jail now, and Hotch wants to make sure Amanda is safe."
"So if she went into hiding, maybe she changed her name. My guess is that it's connected to her old life somehow." Derek said. "She was close with her stepdaughter, what was her name again?"
"Opal Jayne Matthews." Penelope replied.
"Okay, and what school did she work at?"
"Lockwood middle school." Penelope answered.
"Try filtering with those." Derek suggested.
"Oh, hello, Jayne Lockwood, who are you?" Penelope asked. She clicked the name, and the photo of who used to be Amanda Johnson came up. "Derek, you are a genius!"
"That's you, baby girl." Derek replied, kissing her cheek. "I just helped."
"Thank you, you did help a lot."
"We still got it, honey. No one does it like you and me, sweetness."
"You got that right, my chocolate thunder."
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Derek and Penelope had decided to have dinner together after work. She was tired from a long day of staring at the screens, but she was glad Derek was coming over. He had really helped her out with her research, and she was grateful for that. Derek was picking up French takeout on his way to her place, and she decided to surprise him with her homemade tiramisu. It was his favorite, so while she waited for him, she made it.
"Baby, I'm here!" Derek called, letting himself in with the key he had to her place. "Sorry it took so long, Avec Nous was crazy busy tonight."
"That's okay, love bug." She replied. "I needed some extra time for your surprise. But, you can have it after dinner."
They set up their dinner at her table. She opened a bottle of wine for them to share, and they happily enjoyed their cuisine. Penelope had gotten Ratatouille and Derek had ordered Coq Au Vin. The little french restaurant was one of their favorites. Penelope had always dreamed of going to Paris, and Derek vowed they'd go someday. That had been a long time ago, but the memory of how serious he'd looked when he made the promise brought a smile to Penelope's face.
"So what's my surprise?" Derek asked after they had cleaned up from dinner. He was helping her load the dishwasher.
"Something sweet." She hinted as he placed the last glass into the washer.
She closed it and pressed start. Derek stepped closer, grabbed her hips, and pulled her to him. He kissed her fully on the lips, making her let out a little moan. Derek deepened the kiss, and she felt weak at the knees as he kissed her.
"Wait, wait." She breathed, forcing herself to pull away from his kisses. "Your surprise."
"Oh you're not the surprise?" He asked. "You said something sweet, so I just assumed.."
"Derek." She teased, swatting playful at him with the wet rag in her hand.
She sat the rag down on the counter, and walked to the fridge. She pulled out the tiramisu, and his eyes widened. She could see the happiness in his face when he realized what she'd made for him. He leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"The dessert is a thank you for your help earlier." She explained. She smiled at him. "I don't know how you always manage to know how to help me. You sometimes know me better than I know myself."
"That's what I'm here for, princess." He replied. "Always."
The pair enjoyed the dessert, and made small talk about anything and everything. Derek showed her pictures of his mom's kitchen that she renovated. She told him about her new neighbor who was convinced that Penelope was a spy. It was easy conversation, as usual. Even though they had a rocky patch not too long ago, the chemistry between them hadn't gone anywhere.
"So. what's next?" Derek asked Penelope, who had insisted he let her do the work for their evening.
"Well, my picture perfect man, I do believe it has been far too long since I thoroughly kicked your ass at Mario Kart." She challenged him with a grin.
"You're on, mama." He replied.
They got all set up on Penelope's sofa. Mario Kart tournaments sometimes included Reid and Emily as well. They found it to be a good stress reliever after tough cases. Sometimes, it would be just the two of them, betting anything from a lap dance to naked massages. Obviously, those were mostly just jokes, but tonight, who knew.
Penelope, of course, always played as Princess Peach. She was her favorite character, and Penelope loved her pink dress. Derek played as Mario for the sole reason that he was Peach's love interest. Penelope had always thought it was cute, and loved that he enjoyed playing her favorite games with her.
"Loser has to bring the other one coffee." Derek stated as they picked their cars out.
"Boring." Penelope replied with an eye roll. Derek chuckled.
"Okay, smart mouth, what did you have in mind?"
"Loser has to kiss the winner for however long the winner wants." Penelope replied. Derek looked at her, trying to decide if she was serious or not. "You game?"
"So game." Derek replied with a grin.
The rules were simple. The person to win ⅔ games was dubbed the ultimate winner. Penelope had a very competitive side, and now the stakes were even higher. Derek, despite his past history with being a star athlete, wasn't nearly as competitive as his counterpart. Sure, he liked to win, but he loved it even more to see the joy on Penelope's face when she beat him. He didn't let her win, she'd be pissed if he did, but he was never disappointed when she did.
The third game started and Penelope and Derek were tied. They had each won one game, so everything was riding on their last race. They pressed start, and raced aggressively on screen. Derek threw a banana peel at Penelope, but she came back with a bomb orb, knocking him into fifth place.
"HA!" She exclaimed as her car slid right into first. A moment later, she crossed the finish line on the last lap. "I won!"
"Alright, I'll pay up." Derek grinned, reaching for. She stopped him. "Hey, I have to kiss you for as long as I want, remember?"
"Mmhmm, I do." She replied, a wicked grin forming on her face. "What if, I don't want any kisses?"
"I won't kiss you then." He said. "Not if you don't want me too."
She pretended to ponder her options for a moment. She put her finger to her chin as if in deep thought. Finally she looked at him and sighed.
"I suppose you can kiss me." She replied.
Derek chuckled, and pulled her into her lap. She smiled down at him, and before he could reach up to kiss her, she leaaned down and attached her lips to his. This, she decided, was the best prize she could have won.
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She wasn't sure what was stopping her from making a decision. She didn't want to hurt Luke or Derek, but she knew if she kept dragging this out, that's exactly what she'd be doing. The team got called for a case the morning after her date with Derek.
In the two days since the team had left, she had let herself think about her situation. On one hand, she was still getting to know Luke. It wasn't his fault that she and Derek had so much history. On the other hand though, she was almost certain that no matter how well she got to know Luke, her relationship with him wouldn't be what hers and Derek's was. Still, she was trying to decide if what she had with Derek was more than a physical attraction. She wished there was an easy answer. The truth was, she knew what she wanted, but she wasn't sure she would let herself have it.
She was sitting at her desk, searching for information on the suspect for the team. They were close to catching the guy, and then they would be home. She would be happy when they were all back to the BAU safely, but first she had to finish the job. Her phone rang, and she answered it, expecting it to be Derek or Luke.
"You've reached the bold and the beautiful, Penelope Garcia, how can I be of service?" She said into the phone.
"Garcia, it's Reid." The young agent said.
"Oh, hello boy wonder, I am looking into what you sent me earlier but I-"
"Penelope." Reid's voice sounded very serious. "There's been an accident."
A/N I am so sorry for the way this chapter ended, but it was needed. I am surprised by how many of you are Team Luke! I also love Luke, though I haven't written Luke and Penelope fanfic before. I do have an idea for one that I want to start after this. Would people be interested in that?