Title: Dawn
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Morgan/Garcia
Table: Time
Prompt for 10 I love you: #10 author’s choice: Moments
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Neither the show nor the characters belong to me, they belong to CBS. Nonetheless, I love to borrow them from time to time.
Summary: Part 6/10 of the Chicago series.
warnings: none
Derek was woken up by a movement next to him. It took him a few moments to recall the events of the past evening. Smiling, he opened his eyes to see the starry sky outside his window. It must have been in the middle of the night, so Penelope had certainly just turned in her sleep.
He turned as well to wrap his arms back around his favorite girl, but he froze in the middle of the movement. Penelope was sitting at the edge of the bed, her back turned to Derek, and was just buttoning up her blouse.
“You’re not sneaking away from me, are you?” he asked softly.
Penelope froze at the sound of his voice. Derek could see her body tense. Then she sighed, and let her shoulders sink.
“Derek…” she started, but didn’t seem quite sure what she wanted to say.
He braced himself on his forearm and reached out to stroke her back. “Baby, why do you want to leave?”
She shrugged, and hesitated for a long moment, before she whispered, “I didn’t plan on this.”
He gently let his hand run up and down her back. “First, why don’t you come back to bed. It’s cold without you.”
“I can’t,” she whispered. “I understand you needed me last night, but I can’t do this.”
Derek sat up behind her, and gently put a strand of red hair behind her ear. “Do you… regret it?” he carefully questioned.
Penelope could hear the sadness in his voice. “No. No, I don’t,” she assured him.
Derek frowned. “What did last night mean to you?”
Penelope swallowed hard and looked down. “Everything,” she whispered.
“What do you think it meant to me?” he asked.
She didn’t answer, but from the slight shaking of her back, Derek could tell she was crying.
“You think this was just a one night stand for me, don’t you?” he softly asked. He couldn’t even blame her for that.
“You don’t have relationships,” she simply said.
“It’s true, I’ve never really managed to keep up a relationship with any girl,” he admitted. “I’ve never really tried. I was… I don’t know, maybe I was looking for something I couldn’t find in any of them.”
Penelope now turned her head to look at him. “Why would it be different with me?”
“Because everything is different with you,” he replied honestly, and reached out to cup her cheek with his hand. “Last night was… simply amazing. I love you, more than anything else in the world. I’ve never felt anything like this before.
“I’ve… never admitted this to anyone, but… no matter what I tried, I never entirely got rid of that feeling.” He searched her eyes with his so Penelope could see he was telling the truth. “I’ve always felt him, but since last night, all I feel is you. Your touch. I don’t want to be touched by anyone else ever again.”
She reached out to cup his cheek with her hand, and watched as Derek closed his eyes for a moment and leaned into the touch. She opened her mouth to say something, but Derek stopped her. He wasn’t done yet.
“My whole life I thought that God never answered any of my prayers,” Derek went on. “He didn’t make me forget, He didn’t take these feelings away. I thought He had abandoned me, but last night, I realized that He answered me, just not the way I expected Him to. He sent me an angel to help me cope.”
Penelope looked at him for a few moments, his words slowly sinking in. “Wait… me?” she exclaimed. “Oh, no. Honey, I might be many things, but I’m so not an angel.”
“You are,” Derek insisted. “A pretty naughty one, I admit.” He smiled when she blushed a nice shade of red. “You’re MY angel, my God-given solace. You healed me, Baby Girl.”
Smiling sadly, Penelope looked down, not sure how to answer. Oh, how she wanted this to be real, but she knew how vulnerable and broken Derek was at the moment. Would he still feel the same when this case was over?
Derek put a finger under her chin and made her look up at him again. Studying her eyes for a moment, he added, “I’m not gonna change my mind about us once this case is over. I want you, forever.”
She blushed slightly, and mumbled, “I hate profilers, you know that?”
“Yeah, and this profiler can tell that there’s something else bothering you,” Derek replied.
Penelope hesitated for a moment, but from the look on Derek’s face, she could tell he wasn’t letting this go. “What… what are people gonna say?” she whispered. Not that she cared much what they said about her, but Derek certainly had a reputation to maintain. He couldn’t present a girlfriend like her to anyone. “Your mom, the team… What are they gonna think about this… us?!”
Derek shook his head in obvious amusement. His hand came to rest at her neck, massaging it gently. He knew she didn’t care about what people said or thought about herself, so her worry was for him. “I don’t care.”
“You… you don’t?” Penelope stuttered, giving him an irritated look.
“No, not at all,” Derek affirmed, and as if to prove his words, he leaned forward to kiss her deeply.
When Derek pulled back, Penelope let her eyes close for a moment, and licked her lips. Then she smiled mischievously. “Does that mean I’m allowed to call JJ and tell her everything about last night?”
“If you don’t leave out the part where you screamed my name.” Derek waggled his eyebrows at her.
Laughing, Penelope wiped the tears off her face.
“I don’t want to keep our relationship a secret,” he assured her, “and I’m gonna shout it from the rooftop of the FBI building, if that helps you believe me.”
“I don’t think you’re allowed to go up there,” she sniffled.
“Then I’m gonna shout it from every other rooftop in the city,” he shrugged, making Penelope giggle. “Now, come back to bed, Sweetness!”
“That’s all you want from me, right?” she mock-pouted.
Derek smirked at her and pushed the blanket back a little. “Do you mind?”
“No,” Penelope grinned and crawled back under the blanket, where Derek immediately pulled her into his arms. Sighing contentedly, she wrapped her arm around his waist and lay her head on his chest.
Derek placed a kiss on the top of her head and smiled brightly. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”
“Me, neither,” Penelope whispered. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Goddess.” Derek let his hand run up and down Penelope’s back, both of them enjoying the warmth of their embrace. Only the blouse she was wearing made their cuddling much less enjoyable; it kept him from touching her wonderful, soft skin. A discontent growl escaped his throat.
Frowning, Penelope raised her head to look at him. “Is something wrong?”
“Not really,” he sighed. “It’s just… You’re way too overdressed.”
She slapped his chest and looked down so Derek couldn’t see her blush. “Don’t you think we should get some sleep?”
In the blink of an eye, Derek had turned Penelope around so she was lying on her back, and started to unbutton her blouse, revealing deliciously soft skin. “I don’t feel like sleeping,” he mumbled, and leaned down to nibble her skin.
“Me, neither,” Penelope panted. It was almost scary how Derek could make her go crazy with only one kiss. One touch. She’d never wanted anyone so badly.
“You’re so beautiful,” Derek mumbled against her skin. He still couldn’t believe she had chosen him. “So sexy.”
For the first time, Penelope really believed these words. With Derek, everything was different, in the best of all ways.
It was already close to dawn outside when they fell asleep. Neither of them heard the alarm clock that went off around six.
When Derek woke up, the sweet scent of vanilla and strawberries filled his nose, and he felt Penelope’s warm body snuggled up close against him. He knew this was the way he wanted to wake up for the rest of his life.
He wrapped his arms closer around his goddess and inhaled deeply.
“Hmmm, good morning,” she mumbled against his skin.
“Morning, Princess,” Derek replied, and kissed the top of her hair.
“We need to get up, don’t we?” she mumbled sleepily.
“I’m afraid so,” Derek smiled, “even though I’d much rather spend the rest of the day here with you.”
“No milk today, honey. You completely wore me out last night.” Penelope playfully punched him in the side, and then got up to gather her clothes.
He couldn’t help but smile as he watched her pick up her clothes from the floor of his room. “What did I do to deserve you?”
Penelope turned around and winked at him, “You’re you. That’s good enough for me.”
Derek blinked at her for a second. He hadn’t realized he’d said the words out loud. Then he smirked, “Just because you bring out the best in me, Baby Girl.” He quickly got out of bed and pulled Penelope into a deep kiss.
“Easy, stud,” she panted, “we need to show up for work.”
Suddenly, his body tensed.
All her internal alarms went off immediately. “What’s wrong?”
For a short moment, Derek didn’t want to answer, but last night, he had decided not to keep anything from her anymore. “I need to talk to Buford,” he mumbled.
“No, you’re not talking to him,” she objected.
“Baby, I have to…” Derek started, but was interrupted by Penelope’s finger covering his mouth.
“You’re not going to,” she insisted. “I am.”
Derek sighed. He couldn’t ask that of her. Besides, Buford had insisted on talking to Derek. “I doubt he’ll talk to you.”
“I will make him talk, trust me.” Penelope was determined, and it was pointless to argue with her, Derek knew that. “I’m gonna need access to the computers of the local PD, though.”
“I don’t think that’ll pose a problem,” Derek replied.
“Well then, let’s get on with it!” Penelope smiled, pecked his lips, and then headed for the bathroom.
When Derek went to leave his room, his eyes fell on a crucifix his mother had once placed in his room. He really hadn’t done anything to deserve Penelope. “Thank you,” he whispered.
He’d considered following Penelope, but he knew that if he did, they were never going to make it to work. It was almost ridiculous how he couldn’t seem to take his hands off of her. He felt like a teenager in love for the first time.
Fran was standing in the kitchen preparing breakfast, and she shrieked a little when Derek grabbed her and pressed a kiss against her cheek.
“Good morning, Ma!” He grinned at her, and looked over her shoulder at the pancakes she was preparing. “Smells delicious.”
“Good morning,” Fran replied, the surprise obvious in her voice. When she’d last seen her son, he’d been damaging his room, and now he seemed extraordinarily happy “ and his mood seemed to get better when the door opened and Penelope stepped in.
The two of them flirted without restraint during breakfast, and Fran couldn’t help but smile. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her son laugh that much.
“This was absolutely perfect,” Derek smiled at his mom when he finished breakfast, patting his stomach. He grinned at Penelope, adding, “I only know very few things that taste better than your pancakes.”
“Aren’t we gonna be late for work?” Penelope stood up to clear the table, desperately trying not to blush at his remark.
“Slave driver!” Derek sighed and shuffled out of the kitchen. Chuckling, Penelope placed their plates in the dishwasher.
For a moment, it was silent in Fran’s kitchen, which slowly became heavy. Penelope started to feel uncomfortable.
“So, you and Derek are more than just friends now, I suppose.” Fran smiled at her.
Penelope gave her a puzzled look.
“I know, it’s none of my business,” Fran tried to apologize. She’d just wanted to break the silence. “I mean, I don’t know what you did last night. I just thought…”
Penelope swallowed, not sure she liked where this conversation was going.
“This came out wrong,” Fran mumbled and bit her lip. “I just wanted to say thank you. This case was hard for Derek, and it was hard for me to see him like this and not being able to help him. There was nothing I could do for him, and it was getting worse each day.
“I didn’t know how to help him; he wouldn’t have let me anyway. There just seemed no way for me to get through to him, but you could. I really thought I had lost my son this time, but you brought him back. Thank you!”
Penelope blinked back the tears that were forming in her eyes. “I love Derek,” she whispered.
“I know,” Fran smiled, “and he loves you.”
“Hey, Baby Cakes, where are you?” Derek grinned as he stepped back into the kitchen.
Penelope quickly wiped her face.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, alarmed by her watery eyes, and looked back and forth between his mother and Penelope, clearly puzzled.
“Everything is perfect,” Penelope assured him, giving him a soft kiss. “We can go.”