AN: Okay, story fairy came back with another one for me to write. Started with a Cliche my in-law suggested! Probably pretty angst for awhile, but you know the drill- I'm a HEA girl!

Derek was having a hard time hiding how nervous he felt. He sat across from Penelope at the coffee shop down the street that they would run to. He was having his favorite strong coffee drink, she had some apple cider thing that didn't appeal to him at all. Usually Penelope had him beat; the woman loved caffeine more than he did, and that was a rather amazing feat in itself.

He took another sip of his coffee, and tried to take a deep breath. It had been two months since they went anywhere together. It used to be a near daily occurrence, but that was before… before… He swallowed again.

It was the biggest, best mistake of his life. He knew he shouldn't have said it, should've never offered what he wanted so badly. They weren't ready. He knew it. She just left Lynch, for Christ sakes; what was he thinking? He wasn't thinking, something else was.

She was feeling a little down that night. She finally gave Lynch the heave-ho, but obviously felt bad about it. Lynch had begged her to stay with him, told her that he loved her no matter what, and that he'd spend his whole life showing her how much. She had looked at Derek, the saddest brown eyes that he ever saw in his life.

Derek couldn't help himself. He'd asked why she broke up with him, especially with all that love he was talking about. That whole love thing made him ill. Stupid Lynch! He wouldn't know a good thing if it bit him on his ample ass. He obviously worshiped Penelope, but did everything through the computer. The idiot even sent her email flowers! He probably downloaded sex!

"There's no magic, Derek, no zing," she had said. "None. Not the whole time we dated. He tried, he really did. But nothing." She looked at him over her chocolate martini and lowered her eyes, "I think it's me."

He leaned forward and spoke low. "Penelope, it isn't you. I know it. No one has sensuality rolling off of them like you do." He smiled a wicked grin at her, "I bet you're multi-orgasmic, aren't you?"

She smiled back, a knowing little smile. "Like you'll ever know, lover boy!" she settled down and added seriously, "Really, Kevin did all the right things. I assure you: It's me."

He leaned back and took a sip of his drink. He would always wonder what made him do it, what made him say the next thing out of his mouth. Maybe it was the images that this conversation made in his mind, maybe they teased a little much at work that day, but said it he certainly did. "You spend a night in my bed with me, and I guarantee; you will know it isn't you."

Originally she laughed, but stopped when she noticed how serious he was. She shook her head. "No thanks, Derek. I don't want to be another notch on your bedpost quite yet."

"Why not? We've been talking about it for years. Let's get it out of our system and prove my point."

"You can't be serious!" He just arched a brow at her and she actually gasped. Her perfect red lips made a circle. "Oh, God!"

"No strings, no attachments, just a hell of a lot of fun," he grinned. "Come on; you had to have thought about it." The way she blushed showed him that she did indeed think about it. Probably as much as he did.

"We are going to feel really weird after this is done. It's never going to be the same."

"Why?" he assured her. "Ever heard of 'friends with benefits'? Happens all the time."

He kissed her forehead. "Baby girl, you know I love you; I would never hurt you."

She had looked at him, very resigned and a little sad. He couldn't figure out the little sad part; he assumed it was because she was scared. Then, she nodded.

She was right, it wasn't the same. He didn't know that he was going to dream about her every night after. He didn't know that she would ruin him for other women. God, he wanted her even now! It was like every movement they did that night together was burned on his soul. That wasn't the only thing he was wrong about. He thought that it would get it out of their systems. Sex with Penelope didn't make the craving better, it made it worse.

He dated other women in that two month time since it happened, but they all paled in comparison. He promised Garcia no strings, and he meant it. She didn't want him like that. But seeing her every day, talking to her….He started thinking he needed to distance himself from her, personally and professionally, in order to move on. She seemed okay, she acted just like she always did- friendly, fun, sexy.

He never, ever should have asked her. But then he never would have known what heaven was like, either.

This brought him to where he was now, sipping his coffee across from what used to be his very best buddy. Wanting to make love to her even now as they sat there kind of nullified that. His heart was clunking like a backfiring car in his chest, and his palms were sweating. "Okay, Garcia. You called me here to talk. Let's talk," he said, as casually as he could.

He must have had blinders on when he walked in, because he just noticed how nervous she was then. She was actually shaking. Something was definitely wrong. He'd been distant, but not absent. Did he miss something? Did something terrible happen? He leaned forward, concern knitting his brow. "Baby girl?"

"Derek," she said, her eyes round and intense. "I'm pregnant."