Hopeless:
She could count on one hand the amount of times Derek had made her cry. Usually, if he was snippy during a case, she knew he didn't mean it. But today, he had taken things to a whole new level. She was trying to look out for him, and he yelled at her. He'd treated her like she meant nothing to him.
"You're way out of bounds." Were the exact words he used. She felt like a child being scolded. Screw Derek Morgan. If he wanted to get involved with a victim's sister, that was his choice. Even if it hurt to watch, Penelope wasn't going to get involved with that situation again. Derek had made it clear that he didn't care what she thought anyway.
Penelope continued to work on the case for the rest of the day, avoiding Derek Morgan at all cost. Even when Reid called her out for it, she didn't care. She didn't want to see or talk to the man. She focused on doing what she did best, and decided to put her so-called best friend out of her mind.
By the end of the work day, Penelope had a pounding headache, and her neck was in pain from straining to look at her screen. On top of that, she and Kevin had gotten into a huge fight. He was pissed at her for being at work late again. She had forgotten all about their dinner plans, and he was now refusing to answer her calls or messages. She wasn't sure if she even wanted to talk to him, but she knew if she didn't, things would only get worse.
"Hold the door," Derek's voice called as Penelope got into the evaluator. "I'll ride down with you."
Penelope cursed the universe as Derek jumped into the elevator. Why couldn't he have waited another 5 seconds. She was ready for stupi day to be over so she could go home and get some much needed sleep.
"I haven't seen you much today." Derek commented as if nothing weird was going on between them.
"Didn't think you'd care much." Penelope muttered back.
"Come again?" Derek asked. She shrugged her shoulders. "Is this still about Tamara?"
"Glad to see the two of you are on a first name basis." Penelope replied.
"Oh my…will you give it up?I'm just trying to help her! Why do you have to act so jealous?"
Penelope thought that Derek should thank his lucky stars when the elevator doors opened. She wanted to shake him, and she was glad the doors opened when they did, or she just might have. Instead she stormed off, not wanting to spend another moment near Morgan.
CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM
Derek and Tamara were a thing. Not that Penelope had heard this from Derek, of course. The pair were still at war. She had heard Holly and Jill from cybercrimes gossiping about it in the ladies room. Apparently they'd gone for drinks twice now. Not that Penelope cared, of course.
She wondered if Derek had heard the rumors about her and Kevin. Everyone was talking about the break they were on. It had happened the night she and Derek fought. Kevin was demanding her to find a time to reschedule dinner, and she'd snapped at him. She told him she needed space, but they both knew they were over. Kevin just didn't want to admit to everyone he'd been dumped, so he told everyone they were taking a break. She didn't care enough to correct him.
Everyone seemed equally as invested as the seemingly friendship-ending fight between Derek and Penelope. She had heard a lot of rumors, some of which weren't far off. Everyone thought Penelope admitted her feelings for him, and that's why she took a break from Kevin. They weren't 100% wrong. Of course, she'd never get the courage to tell Derek the truth, but her feelings for him were part of the reason why she stopped trying to work things out with Kevin.
"Penelope, are you still not talking to me?" Derek asked, poking into her office. She didn't answer. "Come on, baby girl, I miss you."
"Are you dating Tamara Barnes?" She asked him point blank.
"She needs a friend right now." He stated. She didn't look at him. "Please, momma, I need my best girl by my side, always."
"It seems like you have lots of girls lined up to take my place." She responded icily. Derek stepped closer, and pulled her to her feet.
"No one will ever take your place, P. Get a drink with me and the gang tonight. Emily and JJ are going, and Reid promised to show up for a bit. You can even invited Lynch."
"Oh, didn't you hear? We broke up two weeks ago." She replied. Derek pulled her in for a hug.
"See, you need a night out. Say you'll come."
"Fine, I guess I can come for an hour."
CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM
The night started, and at first it was like nothing had changed. Derek had driven Penelope to the bar, and had held open her door, grabbed her a drink, and was acting like normal. He'd made sure everyone knew how happy it was to have his favorite girl there. She had to admit, she was enjoying herself. She wanted things to be okay with her and Derek, and she was happy to be back by his side. She was beginning to think things were looking up, until Tamara showed up.
"Tamara, w-what are you doing here?" Derek asked, clearly surprised to see her.
"You said you were getting drinks, and this is the closest place to the BAU, so I thought I'd surprise you," The woman smiled, sliding her way between him and Penelope. "Oh, hi Poppy, I didn't realize you'd be here."
"It's Penelope," The tech analyst replied coolly. "And of course I'm here, they're my team."
With that, Penelope stepped away from the table, leaving Derek with Tamara. Even if he didn't know she would show up, Penelope was upset. Clearly this was a sign that she'd rushed into things with Derek again. She hadn't been ready to start their friendship up again. She needed another drink, and she needed it now. She placed an order with the bartender and patiently waited for it.
"Hey, Garcia, you okay?" Penelope looked up from the bar. Reid was standing beside her.
"I'm okay, boy wonder." She replied, forcing a smile. Reid looked at her, and she knew she wasn't fooling him.
"It's Morgan right?" Reid asked. Penelope nodded. "I saw that Tamara lady showed up."
"She's the reason why Derek and I have been fighting the past few weeks," Penelope explained. "When I told him he was making a mistake by getting involved with a victim's family member, he told me I was out of bounds. He called me jealous, and I was mad. The truth is, he was right. I am out of my mind jealous."
"Penelope, Derek doesn't feel that way about her. I mean, come on, we all know you're the one he wants, and vice versa. You're both too stubborn to admit it, so you push it off. But then one of you starts seeing someone and the other gets upset. If you went and told him right now how you felt, he'd tell Tamara to get lost." Reid insisted. The bartender handed Penelope her rum and coke with grenadine. She took it and looked back at Reid.
"Now or never?" She asked him. Reid nodded.
Penelope took a long drink of the rum and coke before handing it to Reid to hold onto. She took a deep breath, and headed back through the crowd. She passed Emily and JJ who were chatting at another table. They gave her a knowing smile as she passed by.
She could see Derek and Tamara talking as she got closer to the table. She felt her heart rate speed up as she approached them. This was it, time to find out the truth. She was about to reach them when she froze. Tamara had leaned in and was kissing Derek. Penelope felt like someone had kicked her right in the gut. The world was spinning too fast now. She couldn't breathe.
He didn't even care that she'd walked away. He'd probably been waiting for it. As soon as she'd left, he'd moved on to kissing Tamara. All the talk about missing Penelope and wanting to spend the evening with her had been a lie. She had fallen back into the trap. She had to get out of there.
Derek had been her ride to the bar. She called a cab as soon as she got outside. She sent Reid, JJ, and Emily a quick message to tell them she wasn't feeling well. When Reid called her on her way home, she silenced her phone. She couldn't deal with it anymore then. She just wanted to be far away from Derek Morgan.
CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM
She was annoyed when the knocking on her door woke her up. She'd come home and cry herself to sleep. Now, her head hurt, and she just wanted to go back to sleep. She checked the time, surprised to see she'd only been asleep for an hour. It was just after midnight. Who the hell was at her door?
"Penelope, baby girl, open the door!" Derek's voice called.
She sighed. Of course it was him. She shouldn't have been surprised. Derek might have been kissing Tamara, but that didn't mean he didn't care about Penelope. That was the problem, though. He cared about her, and she knew he loved her, it just wasn't enough. He didn't want her the way she wanted him, and needed to put down some boundaries.
"What are you doing here?" Penelope asked as she opened her door. Derek brushed past her to get inside, not waiting for an invitation. Penelope closed the door and followed Derek to the living room.
"Why did you leave the bar, Penelope? I found out from Reid, who by the way is pissed at me for some reason. I told you I'd take you home after, why didn't you tell me you were ready to go?" He asked. She fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you were too busy playing tonsil hockey to notice me!"
"Pump your brakes, woman. Tamara kissed me, I told her I wasn't looking for that, and then I went to find you. Baby, don't you see what I've been trying to do?" He asked. Penelope shook her head, almost scared for him to continue. "I don't want Tamara, I want you."
"But…when I asked you about her, you told me I was overstepping."
"I was annoyed because you couldn't see that I wasn't interested in anyone else. I've tried so many times to make you see it, but I'm not good at these things, Pen. You know that. I am not normally a relationship guy, but you are the exception for me. Baby girl, I love you." Derek proclaimed. Her heart stopped for a moment. He stepped closer. "You are the love of my life, and I'm done dancing around each other."
Derek pulled her in and kissed her. She felt like her entire body was on fire. This kiss blew any other kiss out of the water. He was as perfect at this as she'd imagined. And yet, there was a part of her that was hesitant. She pulled out of his embrace.
"Derek, I love you too, I always have, but if I give you my heart, and you change your mind, I will never recover."
"Sweetness, I'm not going to change my mind."
"I was going to tell you how I felt tonight. Reid encouraged me, and I had enough alcohol in my system that I was feeling brave, but then I saw you with her and…"
"Tamara is nothing to me, Penelope."
"I know, and I know you wouldn't tell me these things if they weren't true. But my heart was broken after seeing you together. I just…I think I need some time to let this sink in."
"Take all the time you need, I'll be right here waiting."
CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM
Penelope was well aware that Derek was trying to woo her. Ever since he'd confessed his feelings for her, Derek had been leaving flowers, chocolates, and even a gift certificate for a massage, on her desk. She was grateful for it, but she was having a hard time thinking straight. She so badly wanted to just give in and be with him. But, she was conflicted. How long would it be before someone more of Derek's type came along and charmed him away. She couldn't take it.
"Garcia we've got a triple homicide in D.C., can you look up a partial plate number for us?" Hotch asked, popping his head into her office. She nodded. "Also, when you're finished, can you come by my office? I sent JJ and Reid to check out the scene, but in case they need us all to travel there, I want to catch you up to speed."
"Sure thing, boss man." Penelope replied.
Penelope made quick work of searching the numbers into VICAP. She had a few hits that she thought might be what the team was looking for. She printed off her list and headed to Hotch's office.
She was walking over the carpeted bridge above the bullpen when she heard the familiar voice of Tamara Barnes. Apparently that women never gave up. She paused to hear what Tamara was saying to Derek. He was looking less than pleased by her presence, and Penelope could tell he had not been expecting her.
"Come on, Derek, we'd have a lot of fun together," Tamara was practically batting her eyes as she spoke. "Come out with me tonight."
"Look, Tamara, you seem great and all, but I should have been up front from the beginning. I'm in love with someone else." Derek said.
"But you're single?" She replied in confusion. Penelope watched Tamara try and step closer, but Derek moved from her reach. "You deserve someone who will love you back. Openly."
"It's complicated, I have to prove to her that I'm serious. Penelope is worth it though, and I'll spend forever doing so if that's what it takes."
"Penelope? The girl from the bar? But she's-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there. Penelope is perfect in every way. She is everything to me. And if you want to say anything negative about her, or about us being together, then you need to leave. Actually, you need to leave anyway, because I'm not going to give you what you want."
As Tamara stormed away, Penelope felt her chest warm. Derek had really defended her. He meant it when he said he wouldn't change his mind. Maybe it was time to give him a chance.
CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM
As luck would have it, Derek had to go to D.C. for the case for the rest of the day. In the end, they realized it wasn't a serial killer, and left it to the locals after providing some advice for them. It was late by the time he got back, and Penelope didn't get a chance to talk to him before she went home. She figured they'd talk the following morning, so she started to get ready for bed.
"Baby girl, it's me. I used my key this time." Derek's voice called just as she was in the bathroom washing her face. She rinsed off the soap and met him in the kitchen.
"Hey, aren't you exhausted?" She asked.
"Yeah, but I just needed to see you. One of the victims was a computer scientist. She had blonde hairs, and blue timed glasses. Her name was Payton Grader: PG."
"Oh, honey, I'm right here." Penelope assured him, reaching out to hug him. He pulled her closer without hesitation. "It was a strange coincidence, but I'm alright," She took his hand and placed it over her heart. "See, still beating."
Derek's eyes were wet, and Penelope felt her chest twinge. He had let himself get personal with this case, and that was rare for him. Derek was good at separating the job, but this time, he couldn't. Gently, almost nervously, Derek tipped Penelope's head up, and leaned down to kiss her. She lifted her arms up and placed them around his neck. He let out a small moan, which she found very hot. After a moment, he pulled back.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I'm trying to give you space, and not push you, but I just needed-"
"I'm not complaining, Hot Stuff." Penelope smiled. She gestured toward the living room. He nodded, and accepted the hand she held out to him. She led him over to her sofa and they sat down. "I was going to ask you to lunch tomorrow so we could talk."
"Do you want to talk now?" He asked. She nodded.
"I know I've been putting you through the ringer. Even Reid said I needed to put you out of your memory," She chuckled. "I want to be with you. I just, I need you to reassure me that if something happens, and we don't work out, we'll still be in each other's lives."
"Baby, I promise you, I'll never leave you. Even if you find some smart computer savvy guy, and decide he's what you want, I'll always be here. But, sweet thing, I really believe we're it for each other."
"Derek, there would never be someone else. No computer guy or the likes could ever win my heart. It's always belonged to you." Penelope replied.
"Well if I'm never gonna leave you, and you're never going to leave me, we have nothing to worry about." Derek smiled.
Penelope grinned back. He was right. They had nothing to worry about if they had each other.
CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM
Two months later, Penelope packed up her apartment and moved into Derek's house. Some would say they moved fast, but it was either move in right then, or renew her lease and wait a whole extra year. And that seemed silly when they wanted to live together anyway. She would be playing for a place she never stayed at, so she decided to take the leap and do it.
A month after that, Derek started looking at rings. He knew she wanted a unique ring, so he took time browsing for the perfect gem. He settled on a Ruby, knowing she wanted his birthstone in it. He stocked it away, planning the perfect proposal.
Three months into living with Derek, Penelope got sick. Little did she know, he'd planned the whole night to propose to her, but she was throwing up, and he knew she wasn't up for the scavenger hunt he had planned. He wanted her to be better before asking the question. But, two weeks later, she was still not herself.
She was hesitant to see a doctor, but Derek insisted. It was a good thing they did, because they discovered they were expecting a baby. Derek proposed that night, and she happily accepted. Nothing could have made them happier.
Riley Derek Morgan was born in the middle of the night. He was a perfect 7lb 8 oz baby with curly black hair, and Derek's smile, but with Penelope's dimples. His parents were over the moon in love with him.
"He's pretty perfect, isn't he?" Penelope asked the first night home from the hospital as they watched the baby sleep.
Riley was peacefully resting in Derek's arms. Penelope had her chin on her fiance's shoulder, looking down at the life they'd created. She couldn't imagine anything more perfect than their small son.
"He's everything, and more," Derek smiled. "Have I thanked you yet today?"
"Several times, but I'll take another." She teased.
"Thank you for this amazing life, baby." Derek told her softly. She smiled at him. "Now that Riley is here, we should set a date for the wedding."
"I was thinking we could do a nice spring wedding with the cherry blossoms in bloom, it'll be beautiful."
"That sounds lovely, do you think we can plan the rest of the wedding in two months?" Derek asked her.
"With JJ helping me? Absolutely." Penelope grinned.
Riley began to stir, and Derek rocked him until he calmed back down. It was nearly feeding time, so Derek carefully passed the infant to Penelope. She began to feed their son, and Derek watched in amazement at how perfect his almost-wife and son were.
"I love you so much, Penelope soon-to-be-Morgan."
"I love you too, Derek already-Morgan." She smiled.
Derek continued to watch his little family. He was so grateful Penelope gave him a chance all those months ago. He was happier than he'd ever been. And he was so glad he didn't let Tamara Barnes get between them. He was always meant to be with Penelope.
