Note-

Their 'arguement' in this chapter is not meant to seriously reflect their thoughts and feelings to the full extent on this subject. Penelope is just trying to prove a point to make herself feel better. Derek is playing Devil's advocate and teasing her to get her worked up. Its supposed to read as playful and I hope that comes across.

This fic takes place during the hiatus between season five and season six.

Hot Summer Nights

Chapter One

August 2010

They could talk for hours about almost anything but their favorite subject, by far, was sex.

On this day though it wasn't the usual flirty banter that helped to make their days fly by quicker. Instead it was the other kind of sex talk that they sometimes found themselves having: the battle of the sexes type talk where what Derek thought didn't gel at all with Penelope's take on things.

She blamed his male brain. There was no other explanation for it. Sometimes this man just did not get it.

Penelope was sitting with her feet dangling in Derek's in-ground pool at his new house. He had the team over for a cook out earlier that day and, of course as usual, she was the last one there. It was getting on ten pm and they were just sitting talking, looking at the stars and enjoying the night. They easily fell in and out of different conversations about all types of subjects.

Only the current topic had them at odds.

Penelope stuck with her point. "Just because their sex life has taken a hit lately-"

He snorted. She shook her head at that. If he wouldn't be mature about this then she knew he would never get it and for some reason she really wanted to win this point.

She went on "Isn't a reason to walk out. Relationships are about more than sex."

"Who in their right mind would stay with someone when the sex sucks? Sorry but I'm with JJ on this one. If its not happening in the bedroom anymore then its time to move on."

"There are plenty of reasons to stay even if nothing at all is going on between the sheets or if what is going on uber sucks," she insisted stubbornly, not liking the smirk on Derek's lips that said he thought she was dead wrong.

"Baby girl, that's just crazy talk. Yeah, maybe, and I mean maybe, that logic would work if they were eighty years old or something but it don't fly at their age. You said they haven't done in how long?"

"Almost a year."

"That's insane! What the hell is she doing with him still?"

"They have a child together or do you think that isn't a good enough reason either?" She knew she was being combative but she didn't give a damn. Life was about more than sex and sexy sex God Derek Morgan was gonna admit that- tonight- so help her God.

"Kids are happy when their parents are happy and ain't no way JJ can be happy living the rest of her life like a nun." His eyes challenged her to beat that latest arguement, in a playful way that said he loved getting her ire raised as they went back and forth about this.

"People can be happy without sex and relationships can work even when a couples sex life is not smoking!" Penelope snapped at Derek.

"Maybe but I wouldn't stand for it and I don't blame JJ for bailing either. If she don't even wanna get with him then what's the use in sticking in out? The best perk of being locked down for life with just one person is having someone to fuck whenever you're in the mood. Without that marriage is just two roommates sharing rent. And if she don't like her roommate anymore....game, set, match. Its done." The twinkle in his eye said he knew he won their mini battle.

But Penelope was no where near ready to concede. This felt personal to her now. "A self confirmed life long bachelor like yourself wouldn't get it. You just trade your latest piece of eye candy in for a different flavor when the sex isn't up to par."

"Damn right I do and with a quickness."

"Long term relationships are about more than just getting off. What about companionship?"

"That's what puppies are for."

This was far from their first men versus women way of thinking conversation. In the end they always laughed off their differences. But Penelope wasn't feeling like laughing quite yet. She very much wanted Derek to say that it was all right to be with someone who didn't rock your world anymore. Maybe it was because her last boyfriend hadn't been able to find her G-spot and thought that erogenous zones were a myth but she stuck it out with him for almost two years anyway.

She asked "So you would walk out if you were married and the sex fell off?"

"They aren't married and that, baby girl, says a hell of a lot. Don't you think?"

"Evading, handsome. Answer the question, if you dare."

"The sex wouldn't fall off."

Now she snorted.

Derek grinned. "What? You doubt that? I wouldn't let that go down in my marriage. I have too much pride, woman."

She chuckled. "Why do I bother? You know nothing about being in a long term relationship. It is perfectly normal to go through peaks and valleys-"

"A year long valley? Again I ask, what's the use of being together then?"

She ignored his question. "And its normal to not always mesh in the sack with your partner but if you have other things in common outside of the bedroom it can still work."

"Okay, you got me there, sweetheart."

She smiled widely feeling victory within her grasp.

Derek went on "It could work if you wanna settle."

Ugh! Smug, cocky ass! she thought as she watched him make a big production of stretching, showing off all his muscles and silently telling her that even if he had conceded he still had won their verbal contest.

"What do you know anyway? You've probably never had bad sex in your life. Let alone been with someone long enough for the sex to fall off. I speak from experience. Take mama's word for it. When I want a profile then you're the authority. When it comes to sticking it out in messed up relationships for the sake of hopefully making it last forever....that's my domain," she declared in a tone that said: I win! Take that!

"You dumped Lynch so I'm gonna take that to mean you agree with me but are too hard headed to admit it."

She narrowed her eyes at him and shot him a look that said he was about to get bitched out majorly.

Derek threw up his hands "Whoa, baby girl, cease fire. Lets just say that for some people sticking it out when the sex sucks or ain't happening can work but for others its not an option. And I'm proud member of the latter category." To soothe her he pressed a kiss to her head and then he stood up. "Want another beer?"

"Better not since I got to drive home soon. In fact, I should probably get out of here, handsome."

Time to head home to her vibrator. Maybe that is what had her so damn cranky lately. The fact she needed more than a toy between her legs.

Yet she knew it was more than just her recent lack of sex that was getting to her. At first when she broke it off with Lynch she was happy, confident and flying high but six months had now gone by without her getting laid. Penelope was seriously stuck with sex on her brain. Her body was always in a state of want and getting herself off wasn't easing the ache enough.

Plus, these days, she was also hurting over JJ being in pain and hurting because everyone in the BAU family couldn't keep a romantic relationship going for nothing- which made Penelope sad and made it hard to be hopeful that she'd one day find what she was looking for out there.

Kevin should have been her perfect other half. But he wasn't that at all. She tried for way too long to turn their sweet friendship into a smoking love affair but, in the end, it couldn't be morphed into something it was never meant to be in the first place. She finally had to admit to herself that it was time to call it quits. That had sucked. She hated to walk away when the biggest problem was that she wasn't turned on by him anymore. Tonight she had argued with Derek just so he might come around to her way of thinking and back her up on the fact that it had been okay to stay with Kevin for all that time if they had an otherwise happy partnership.

But she knew she was simply fooling herself. Though, sex was not everything in a relationship, it was a part of it. And that part that had to be good for things outside of the bedroom to be right too. It might not always be good but it couldn't be steadily and always bad for things to work out between a couple.

Of course Derek never had to worry about such problems.

Penelope hated how it seemed that Derek always had great sex with people he barely knew or liked- if his bragging was to be believed and she totally did believe it- while she, and half of the free world, could be in love with someone and still have lousy, lackluster lovemaking.

It was so unfair. Of course Derek would never put up with bad sex in his marriage, should he ever have one, because he wouldn't have to. Sex for him always rocked and that was all there was to it.

As he walked toward his house she looked at him, dressed in only swim trucks, and felt her gut clench with desire. She nibbled her bottom lip. Even after all these years he still could get her so horny. If only the rules of friendship allowed a person to fuck their best friend and it not mess up the friendship.

Having life work that way would be her idea of heaven on earth.

"Just stay the night, baby girl," Derek called over his shoulder as he headed in to grab two more beers. "That way you don't gotta worry about driving home so late."

"Mmm-kay," she called back in a tone that was more than a little oozing with lust.

Stay the night? Sure. That will really help when it comes to how damn horny she is right now. Sitting there with his gorgeous body, that was barely clothed, shoulder- to-shoulder with her shouldn't make her hot, wet and primed for sex at all.

Yeah, right.