Secrets

Chapter 2

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

-Buddha

"I, Derek Morgan, solemnly swear to not beat up, chase down, stalk and/or generally terrorize any of Penelope Garcia's dates, boyfriends or friends who happen to be men unless she explicitly gives me …Baby Girl, this is ridiculous."

Derek was in the dog house and if he was honest with himself that was exactly where he belonged. For the past 20 minutes he sat on the edge of his desk as he got his ass verbally handed to him by a mini tornado decked out in pink and orange.

Penelope was scary when angry - sexy as hell too – but he had enough sense to keep that part to himself. But he was a guy, after all, and what red-blooded heterosexual male could resist the sway of those hips and the bounce of breasts as she angrily stomped around his office.

Even on calmer days when he had no reason to fear her wrath, she had a way of moving that made her body jiggle and rock that could only be described as distinctly womanly and uniquely Penelope. Not for the first time, Derek wondered just how much fun it would be to take that body for a ride.

"Uh, uh, Mr. Man, what's ridiculous is you bringing in Chuck Mutterpearl for questioning in the Chesapeake home invasions. You're the one who created the profile. You're the one who said the creeper is in his late 20s; over 6 feet tall and extremely physically fit. Chuck is pushing 50; barely 5 feet, 8; has asthma and walks with a limp."

Penelope gave Derek a not so gentle smack on the arm. "Now put your hand back up."

Since there was no sense in prolonging the pain, Derek raised his right hand and finished the oath, "Unless she explicitly gives me permission in writing."

"Good."

"Are you ever going to forgive me?"

"I don't know; I'm still mad at you."

"I'll wait but you do know that I was only looking out for you."

"D, we've been through this. I'm a grown woman; I don't need protecting."

"Too bad. I love you and I don't know how to stop doing that so you're stuck with me." The shrug of his shoulders confirmed that he was anything but remorseful.

Penelope to her shame felt herself weakening. How could anyone be so annoyingly frustrating and yet so ridiculously adorable all at the same time?

"You're really making it hard for me to stay mad."

"Then my plan's working." His laugh made his beautiful brown eyes light up.

She tried to keep a poker-face, she really did, but then he had to go and do the thing. He freakin' winked at her. A Derek Morgan wink was like kryptonite to her Supergirl, shattering her defenses and turning her into molten girly-goo. Before she could stop herself she let out a giggle.

"Morgan, be serious. I want a social life but that's never going to happen with you scaring away every guy who even dares to look at me."

"I'm not that bad."

"Two words: Chuck Mutterpearl."

"Baby Girl, looking wasn't the problem. I'm pissed he touched you. Big difference."

"You accused him of being the Chesapeake Creeper!"

"What can say, it's my job to check out every lead. It just so happens that this one came to me by an anonymous caller with a distinct Cajun accent."

"You and Will are not allowed to play together anymore."

"Will's my boy. He understands that a man needs to protect his woman."

"So now I'm your woman?" She teased.

"You've always been mine. You've just never slowed down enough to notice."

Penelope's breath caught in her throat. It wasn't so much what he said (he always said sweet things to her) but it was how he said it. There was none of his usual joking tone, no playful grin to tease a smile from her. Instead all she was left with was a statement of fact. You've always been mine. For Penelope this wasn't exactly brand new information. She'd been his for so long she couldn't remember anything different but she would have bet money that he had no idea. But if she was his, and they both knew it, then didn't that automatically make him hers?

Shiny happy champagne-like bubbles filled with promise burst from behind Penelope's heart and travelled directly to her brain. Breathe, Garcie, breathe, she reminded herself in her desperation to keep the dizziness at bay. Passing out was not an option.

Derek felt sort of lightheaded too. He hadn't planned to say what he did but a man could only lie to himself for so long. How many more years could he excuse away his confusing feelings for his best friend or pretend to be happy when she found love with someone else? Einstein said the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. It was time for him to try something new.

Half leap of faith; half the need to steady herself, Penelope took one shaky step forward and then another until the top of her thighs came to rest against Derek's knees. On impact a shot of electricity coursed between them making each hyper aware of the other. It wasn't as if they had never touched before (according to JJ they regularly came close to being indecent) but something about today felt different.

Penelope pressed herself a little closer and locked her eyes with his. What she found there shocked her. He actually looked a little scared, hopeful too, but definitely scared. There was no turning back now. Their relationship had changed and she was never more ready for change than she was at that moment.

"Well, Hot Stuff, this is as slowed down as I'm ever going to get. So what else have I been missing?"

Derek shifted his weight on the desk until his thighs formed a deep "V".

"Come a little closer and I'll show you," he spoke his voice rich with emotion.

In for an inch, in for a pound as the saying goes, Penelope didn't resist when his strong hands grasped her waist and gently drew her forward until her hips filled the empty space.

Once securely trapped between his thighs, she suddenly felt unsure as to where to put her hands. Should she wrap them around his neck? Or maybe grab his hips? Or his ass or…?

Derek couldn't help but smile at the woman he loved. The way she shifted her hands from left to right and back again told him that she was just as nervous as he was. This was new territory for them both and it would be a while before they got comfortable in their new roles. Finally taking pity on her he reached up to catch her hands in his, her softness a stark and welcome contrast against his calloused skin.

He started to speak but became distracted when Penelope began to bite her lower lip. She often did that. Mostly when she was concentrating on a difficult work problem or sometimes like now when she felt flustered. But his favorite was when she did it to torment him. Her pink tongue would sneak out and slowly glide across her lips. Her brown eyes daring him to steal a taste. To Derek, all the times were sexy as hell.

"So isn't this where one of us is supposed to say something funny and pretend that we were only kidding?" Penelope's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Pretending hasn't worked for a long time now," he answered, "at least not for me. Maybe we should ask ourselves why pretending is better than the alternative?"

"Which is?"

"Bump our friendship into something a little more satisfying for the both of us."

"But what if it doesn't work out?"

"Then we know we tried."

"I don't want to lose you, Derek."

"And you won't. Like I said before I don't know how to stop loving you."

And he said the words with such certainty, with so much conviction that it was impossible for her not to believe him. Suddenly feeling bolder than she had ever felt before Penelope did something she had only dreamed of. She leaned in and claimed his lips with hers.

"I don't know how to stop loving you; either, Derek Morgan and I don't intend to ever learn."

The End

Dear Readers,

I sincerely apologize for the wait. I kind of fell out of love with Criminal Minds for a while – okay a long while – but I recently spent some time watching reruns of the early seasons and I fell back in love with the show. My love for Derek and Penelope, however, never waned but it did get muddled in my less than glowing feelings for season 8. I mean seriously, are they ever going to get together? For cripes sake, she was feeling him up in his office; they get caught by JJ and nada. It's never mentioned again. I'm so frustrated I could turn over a table. Yeah, I know, I got issues. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the final chapter of Secrets and yes for those who care I'm working on the final or maybe next to final chapter of Mother Knows Best.

Thanks,

CRF