Game Changer

Chapter Five

2005

Day 300

His first long term, for him, fling after he met Penelope didn't go so well. It lasted two months but he was vaguely aware the whole time that Farrah was great but not....her.

Not his baby girl.

Derek ended up feeling like he had screwed up his life. He wasn't ready to settle down and yet he wasn't having as much fun with any woman but Penelope. After that he started to brood on the idea: Should I just go for it with her?

That was until the day she told him about her mother's second marriage.

Derek was in a bad mood, talking down about love, when she said "You just haven't been with the right woman, yet, sweetness. Everything happens for a reason. You have to go through the hard times to get to the good ones. That's what happened to my mom. She finally got her dream come true when she found my step father. We were the perfect family for a while there. It will probably never happen for me but I'd like to have just a sliver of the magical love she had with him....You could have that one day, too. Its not love that you hate. Its being without the one you are meant to love. Take it from me. I saw it up close and personal and it was a beautiful thing to witness."

He winced. "So you wanna get hitched then one day?"

"Oh my!" she teased "Careful how you phrase things. I could be off booking tickets to Vegas before you get the last word out."

He laughed but it was with sadness. "You wish, Garcia. Keep dreaming, gorgeous."

"Dreams come true everyday."

"Yeah right."

"It happened for my mother. I doubt it will happen for me though. I'm just not that woman."

"Baby-"

"You're that guy though. You can get all that and more anytime you want it."

"You're seeing what you want to see and not what's right in front of you. Everyone who knows me knows I'm not that guy." He headed for the door of her office. "See you later, babe."

As he walked away he knew that she deserved that fairytale she dreamt about, even if she didn't think she could have it, and that he wasn't ready to be her prince charming. He vowed to never kiss her till he could look in her eyes and say "I love you," and truly mean every syllable in a way that would promise her more than just a fling.

In a way that could give her the dreams in her heart- the ones she was afraid to even dream.

After that he was decided: I'm not going for her anytime soon.

Knowing that freed a burden weighing him down. He went back to flirting shamelessly with her and sleeping around. Life was as good as he could expect it to get considering the boundaries he put on himself: no love, no romance, no commitment, just sex and work and friends. Fun.

For now it was enough.

XXXXXXXXXX

Day 366

Penelope walked into the coffee shop with a wide smile on her lips. Derek was already there, sitting at a table, and he stood when she came over.

He motioned at a cup. "I got you one already. Want a muffin, muffin?"

"Cute! And no, I'm fine." He helped slipped her coat off her. She sat down. "So....is this a date?"

He choked on his coffee and she laughed.

Derek said "Dream on, Garcia."

"I think you are the one who dreams of being with a Goddess, any mere mortal would."

"Any man would, you're right. Any guy would dream about getting you here for coffee too. But I'm the only man who has you here right now, sweetheart, so I guess its my day to make my dreams come true."

"Is it now? Lucky you."

Their eyes were both lit up. He gave her a key chain that had Baby Girl engraved on it and a pair of earrings in her funky style.

She asked, in a knowing tone, "My oh my, whatever could this be to celebrate?"

"Hush, woman."

She reached into her purse and gave him another computer generated card. This one had a picture of them under the mistletoe that JJ took at Christmas, when Derek kissed her cheek but lingered for a long minute, whispering in her ear. Inside she wrote: Days go by but you just keep getting sweeter, sweet man of mine.

There were also tickets inside to a concert.

He smirked at it. "Man of yours, Garcia?"

"Its just a nickname."

"Sweet man of mine. Baby, I'm not sweet."

"And you're not mine."

His eyes were lit up when he asked "After just one year? Do you think I'm some kind of slut or something?"

She started laughing so loud that people looked at them. They went to the concert together a month later, as friends.

XXXXXXXXXX

May 2010

Day 2190

Penelope lay on her back in bed next to Derek, her face flushed, her chest heaving, barely able to get a full breath in.

He was panting too. His head turned and he looked at her. He brushed some hair off her sweat slicked forehead. "Hey, silly girl,......that was just as hot....as you always promised it would be."

She bolted from the bed and started to get dressed.

Derek jerked upright. "Just where do you think you're going?" he hissed out.

"We did this without thinking."

He got up and jerked on his underwear and then went over to her. "Baby girl,"he took her hands so she had to stop getting dressed "just slow down.....First off, you live here so if anyone should leave it should be me."

She looked around. "You're right. Go home. We'll talk later after I think about what the hell I'm doing by cheating on my fiancee."

"You know what you're doing. You're fixing your life."

"Derek." Her eyes searched his.

She had called him over to tell him she was engaged. She wanted to break it to him outside of work. He got tears in his eyes and she found her hands on his cheeks, trying to comfort him, as he stood there attempting to fight off all his emotions but losing the battle.

He had asked "Can you answer me one thing, baby girl? Why did you pick him over me? I just got to know. Why did I stop being enough for you? You're still everything for me."

Whispering over and over "I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry, baby," she kissed him and they started to walk backwards toward her bedroom, falling into the bed she had been with Kevin so many times.

But nothing with Kevin ever felt a fraction of what she just had with Derek.

He told her now "I'm not leaving unless you tell me you don't love me more than you love him. Tell me that and I'm gone, baby girl."

"Derek, please! I'm engaged!"

He pulled her close, wrapping her in his arms, "Not anymore, baby girl. You're mine now. I'm not telling you its okay to break my heart another time. Its not. I screwed up when we met by not kissing you that first day. You're screwing up now by thinking you can never kiss me again. Lets stop screwing up the best thing to ever come our way.....and lets make love again.....Make love to me, sweetheart. Make love to the only man you should ever think about marrying."

Tears streamed down her face. "Careful with your words, I just may think you're serious and then where would we be?"

"Right where we should be, Penelope." He leaned close, until his lips almost touched hers, "Come on now, Gomez, you know you want me so bad you can taste it."

She smiled and closed the gap. When he was right, he was right.

THE END