Author's Note: This is written in response to the CCOAC Christmas Fanfic Exchange.It's written especially for klcm!The prompts were: Last Christmas (by Wham!), Christmas Memory, Fairy Lights, & Mistletoe. All of them will be used in the story.

Thank you so much for the reviews for the last chapter! - Angie

Assuming that all eyes were on the bride, Derek seized the opportunity to study Penelope. She was dazzling in her bridesmaid's dress. He didn't realize she could look just as sexy in clothes as she did out of them—of course, he was thinking of peeling her out of it. Her gaze met his and he knew he was busted, but he didn't care—he lifted a single brow at her, giving her body a leisurely perusal; she reciprocated with a sultry grin and an almost imperceptible curtsy—to anyone else it would have looked like a slight shift in position. How was it this woman had captivated his attention in such a short time? She was standing right in front of him, and already thoughts of when—or if—he'd see her again were consuming him. She'd charmed the pants off him—literally, and now he was just supposed to let her go?

"Dancing with you like this is making me hot under the collar," Derek said, eyes dancing. He was officially in the clear. Desiree had told him that Payton had apparently dropped the ball as far as pairing the bridal party was concerned, but she wasn't going to say anything because she felt guilty for having been such a 'bridezilla.' Derek told her he thought that was a splendid idea.

"I know," Penelope agreed huskily. "It's the closest we've been able to be when there have been other people in the room." She looked around at the rest of the wedding party, also moving around the dance floor. She couldn't help but notice that Sarah certainly seemed to have captivated Paxton's attention.

Derek tightened his hold on her and pulled her closer.

She laughed breathlessly. "Do you have a death wish?" she asked teasingly.

Derek lifted an eyebrow at her. "Who's going to kill me? Every Garcia in this room is being charmed by a Morgan right now—no one's paying any attention to us."

She couldn't deny it. She was certainly enthralled with Derek, Payton was concentrating on his bride, and as she'd observed before, Paxton had taken a distinct liking to Sarah. "Wow. You Morgan's are a fascinating lot," she said with a grin.

"That we are," he told her. "You know what else?"

"What?" she asked.

"We're fiercely loyal."

Penelope grinned. "Payton will be glad to hear that," she assured him.

Derek studied her face as he looked down at her, trying to commit every feature to memory. "Should we try to get in one last…?"

Penelope slapped him on the shoulder as she laughed throatily. "No!" she said firmly, as if she was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince him. "We're part of the wedding party. We can't just disappear. People would notice."

"Who would notice?" Derek argued. "Weddings make everyone giddy—everyone is focused on their significant other." He leaned forward and teased the curve of her neck and shoulder with the tip of his nose.

"Derek," she said breathlessly as a shiver ran down her spine. "Don't."

"Don't what? Don't stop?" he asked hopefully.

"Don't start," she warned him weakly.

He sighed as they continued moving over the dance floor in small steps. "Did you know that the Morgan men are renowned for being fiercely loyal to their wives?" he asked her.

Penelope cleared her throat, anxious as to where he was taking this. It had taken some time on her part to convince him that exchanging numbers wasn't a good idea. But she had a life to get back to in Boston. She didn't want to give him her number, and then wait by the phone for a call that might never come. "You mentioned that," she said cautiously.

Derek nodded enthusiastically. "Mmm-hmm. We're known all around Chicago for it—quite famous, really. There's something about the thought of finding that special someone that you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with, don't you think?"

"Sure," she agreed uncomfortably.

"To know that you're gonna be with someone who's going to love you forever, who you get to love forever."

Penelope locked her eyes on his and studied them, absently moving her fingertips up and down the back of his neck. How was it that he was so completely opposite of what everyone thought? He hadn't acted like the player she'd been warned he'd was—except for the bit with the badge, but admittedly, she'd deserved that. He was a fantastic lover—not that she'd had any doubt about that, and he had been very candid with her from the moment they'd slept together. Leaving Derek Morgan wasn't going to be as easy as she'd originally thought.

Hours later, Penelope zipped up her suitcase, careful to avoid Derek's angry gaze. "This is stupid," he said, not for the first time. "We've had a fantastic time together," he reminded her.

"Yes, we have," she agreed. "But we both knew that it wasn't going to last."

"No, we assumed it wasn't," he argued. "But now that we know each other better—"

She laughed humorlessly. "Now that we know each other…what? I live in Boston, and you live in Virginia." She reminded him, then sighed. "Derek, let's take this for what it was." She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck; he stiffened. "This is going to be the best Christmas memory in history," she said, trying to coax the playfulness out of him.

"Penelope—"

"Is this how you want things to end?" she asked softly. "With us arguing?"

"I don't want them to end…period," he said angrily.

She dropped her arms and stepped back. "You know that's impossible."

"It's not."

"I know how much you love your job. Even if we did the long distance thing and it was amazing, would you want to move to Boston?" she asked.

He didn't say anything; he knew she had him. He did love his job, and it would be incredibly hard for him to leave it; it was something he couldn't even consider at this point. "Did you know that there's a serial killer called The Boston Reaper?" he asked abruptly. "And that he's never been caught?"

"I've heard all about The Reaper," she told him. "Derek, you're not going to scare me out of Boston."

"Penelope—"

"Stop. I don't want you to ruin this for me…for us. I don't know about you, but for me, so far…things have been perfect." She lifted her eyes to his, pleading. "Now tell me goodbye and kiss me like you mean it."

He just stared at her unmoving.

"Kiss me," she repeated firmly.

He looked away and she stepped forward once again. Cupping the cheek furthest from her, she pulled his face down and placed a tender kiss on the other one. "Good bye," she whispered.

If he didn't kiss her goodbye, he was going to hate himself for it. He knew he was. But he was afraid that if he got one last taste of her, he wouldn't be able to let her go. So when she turned to leave, his hand shot out and snatched hers. Pulling her against his chest, her wrapped his arms around her and hugged her forcefully, lowering his head to her hair and inhaling deeply, letting her scent soothe him. "Good bye," he said softly.

***THE END…sort of***

Author's Note: This obviously can't end here, so stay tuned for the sequel. Find out how fate throws Penelope and Derek together again as they find their happily ever after in A Valentine Rendezvous. The first chapter will be posted on Valentine's Day. (Assuming I can hold out that long…lol)

Angie