Till There Was You

Morgan and Garcia

Note- For Derek's age I always go by the fact that Reid said Derek was around 15 in 1991. That would mean that Derek was 28 when he met Penelope. (She was 27). I realize that in the same episode some paperwork showed Derek as being older but I like to use the younger birthday.

Chapter Ten

May 2010

Since the case in Los Angeles had been so exhausting the team was given three days off. Though Derek and Penelope usually spent their off time catching up on laundry, cleaning their homes, doing errands, having dinners with friends and other stuff like that but this time Derek had something else in mind for their break.

He wanted to make it super special for Penelope, since they had just started dating. And not just waste the time away doing normal things or cuddling on the couch, even though his body was still sore from getting knocked out by an unsub.

Despite that he wasn't going to let the headache he had, the body aches, or the emotional pain that clung to him stop him from enjoying a getaway with his woman. He talked her into going to Virginia Beach with him. They checked into a suite overlooking the ocean and spent the day wandering the boardwalk, eating good food and shopping, then rented a speed boat and went out on the ocean.

They shared soft kisses all day long and could barely spend a moment not touching. They asked other tourists to snap pictures of them to capture special moments during the day. Dinner was spent at an Oceanside restaurant eating fresh seafood and they finished off the meal with feeding each other bites of their desserts.

Afterwards they took a walk on the boardwalk. They stopped to stare out at the horizon- where the ocean and the sky met. Derek stood behind Penelope as her hands rested on the wooden rail.

"This might not be as beautiful as Alaska," he murmured "but it has its own something, something going on, don't you think, mama?"

"Breathtaking," she answered, looking up at him. "You're like wine. You get better with age."

He chuckled as he gave her a tender look and then told her "I don't know about all that but I do know that we get better with time."

She stared at him with a gentle look for a moment before she turned in his arms, so she was facing him with her hands resting on his chest, and teased "This from the man who swore that the seven year itch was six years and 355 days too much for him."

He laughed. "Anything I said before I hit thirty can not be used against me."

She laughed. "Oh, is that the rule?"

He waggled his head. "One of the rules."

"Too bad, so sad. I don't play by rules. I'm a rebel."

With a smile on his lips he bent closer to her and murmured "You like breaking rules, huh? So the three date rule doesn't count in your book? Because, need I remind you, this is our third date. Two dinners and tonight makes lucky number three."

His warm breath on her sent shivers racing down her spine. "That rule doesn't count for us."

He raised an eyebrow at her as his eyes held a mixture of amusement, love and lust.

She went on "You could have had me from hello."

His eyes widened a little and then his mouth took possession of hers in a heady kiss. He pressed her against the wooden railing, forgetting the rest of the tourists walking by, and kissed her throughly until his hands were roaming her body and his lungs burned for air. With mutual moans falling from their lips they broke their kiss.

Derek cleared his throat, trying to shake off the deep, gut clenching, desire that was nearly overtaking him and asked Penelope "Baby girl, what do you say to a walk on the beach? You'll have to go barefoot though cause those sexy heels are not gonna work in the sand."

She took his hand and started to walk down the boardwalk. Looking back at him, over her shoulder, her eyes teased his. "I say that sounds lovely...for our next trip."

Derek stilled. He gave her a very turned on look- burning with want for her- and then chuckled a little. "Woman, I do love the way you think!"

They couldn't stop smiling, touching, and flirting as they made their way back to their room. Their kissing started in the elevator, then down the hallway and continued as they stumbled into the room, undressed each other and fell into bed together.

As if it was the most natural thing in all the world. The time for fears, insecurities and doubts had passed. Now was the time to treasure each other with every moment they had together.

That night, as they lay together on the white hotel sheets with the moonlight filtering in through the window and over their bodies, Derek gently stroked his fingers up and down Penelope's arm as they cuddled together after making love. He reveled in the intimacy they created around them- like a bubble- a feeling stronger than he had ever known before after having sex with a woman.

He told her "Mark the date down when Ms. Penelope Garcia kissed Derek Morgan in Alaska because that day should go down in history as the start of something too...too...too...good to miss."

"Oh, sug, you kissed me," she flirted with him, cooing out the words.

He chuckled. "Damn, right I did."

Both of them laughed and they shared another kiss, her hand trailing down his chest and over his abs.

They would always tease each other about who made that first move, just to joke around, but the truth was that neither one of them knew. It just naturally had happened. Like it was meant to be.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

May 2013

"Aw, this is gonna be hard, Hot Stuff," Penelope said, her voice filled with tenderness as she sat next to Derek on the couch. Her legs were over his and he held a lap top, which they were both looking at. The site they had pulled up was for when couples wanted to adopt children.

The site went state by state. They were reading the list titled Virginia's Waiting Children.

Penelope practically teared up. "They are all so beautiful and they all need a good home."

Derek stared at the screen. She was right. There was picture after picture of beautiful smiling children who had no families to call their own. He knew that inside each one lay a tragic story and their temperaments were not all as sweet as their pictures made it look. Who could be expected to be angelic after escaping a hellish home with abusive parents? Or if their parents had died and left them alone in this big, scary world.

His heart went out to every face smiling back from that computer screen.

Derek knew he was blessed. He had a steady job that was sought after by many in law enforcement, a beautiful home, a gorgeous wife and an adorable, chubby cheeked one year old daughter. And a getting long in the tooth dog and a puppy. He had it good.

And that's why he finally felt like he was at the place in his life where he could do something he promised himself he would do when he learned that James was being abused by Buford. Derek would adopt a child so that he could give one kid in need everything that child needed to make it to becoming a responsible, well balanced adult. He'd reach out his hand and pull someone forward- by becoming their Dad.

It had taken more than five years till he was in a place where he could think about doing what he vowed back then but now the time was feeling right. His wife was completely on board with the idea. Actually Penelope was even more stoked than Derek about expanding their family.

She loved kids and she loved to bring light into the dark parts of the world. She had become an orphan at eighteen. She knew the pain of being a childless kid. Now she reveled in the idea of taking that pain away from a child out there who was just waiting on them to find him or her.

Derek rubbed his wife's leg, lazily, as they looked at the screen. "Maybe we'll just know which one is ours when we see him or her."

"Or them."

He raised his eyebrow at her and gave her a fake stern look. "Slow your roll. We barely have time for the crazy life we have going on here now. Don't push it."

"Oh," she flirted "I will push you just as far as I want and you will like it too."

He chuckled as he wagged his head at her. "Is that right, mama?" Derek leaned closer to Penelope. "And what if I don't like it? Hmmmm? What then? Can you run fast enough to escape a spanking?"

Her eyes flared with heat. "I'm a firm believer in corporal punishment for bad Goddesses."

Derek chuckled and caught her lips in a kiss. Desire spread like wildfire through him and soon he was putting the laptop on the floor and pulling his wife on his lap. They made love as if they hadn't been together three years already. So often it was like this for them. As desperate and good as the first time.

She said that was because he spent so much time away from her each week while working on the road that it always felt like they had to make the most out of the time they had together. So they gave their all as if each time was their last.

Derek thought it had a lot more to do with good chemistry between them and six years of just being friends. Those six years had pent up enough lust to last decades.

With one last kiss Derek and Penelope's bodies both hit their peaks. She threw her head back and moaned, low and deep. They couldn't be too loud and wake up Miranda. She got very cranky when her sleep was disturbed.

Breathing hard Penelope slumped against Derek and buried her face against the crook of his neck. "Ohhhhhhh, baby, that was...mmmmmm...scrumptablous."

A smile curved his lips. "Nothing but the best for my wife."

She kissed and sucked on his throat. "Your wife would love it if you clean the gutters while you're off this weekend."

Derek chuckled. She knew the right time to ask him something. Before coffee in the morning? Hell no. After sex? Hell yes.

"Anything for you, baby girl."

She smiled happily as she rested her head on his shoulder. Reaching out she took his hand and intertwined their fingers. "Ready to get back to our search for our latest love child?"

A small, happy smile came to his lips. "You do know, Garcia," he still called her that sometimes "that sex will be confined to the bedroom once are second child moves in." They wanted to adopt an older kid.

"Hogwash! What do you think Reid and JJ are for? The kids need to see their godparents and I think that, to foster a healthy bond, they better stay overnight at least once every...week."

Derek laughed and slapped her ass. "Get off me, woman."

She did so and he headed to the bathroom. Her eyes stayed on him as he strutted naked across the room. When he came back she had on his t-shirt and was looking at the website again. He sat behind her on the couch and put his head on her shoulder. "Okay, hit it. I'm all ears. Whatcha got for me?"

She started to read the biography of one child. They spent over two hours looking at the site and other adoption forums online. Derek's heart went out to every kid on there. He knew he couldn't handle going to an adoption fair, which was an open house at a social services agency where prospective parents meet the kids who are available. He would want to take every single kid home with him and leave pissed off at the injustice of it all.

He said to Penelope "I trust your gut. Just tell me which one speaks to your heart."

She looked at all the faces. She pointed to an older boy. Derek was surprised to see that she had picked a seventeen year old. "Why, mama?"

"He's about to age out of the system. If he doesn't get a family soon...he'll never have one."

Derek smiled softly and then kissed her cheek. "No way that's going down. Not for our boy."

She beamed at him. He knew he had married the right woman because he never would have been able to keep his vow to adopt without Penelope being there by his side- making him the kind of man who could be strong, sane and reliable. Who trusted himself finally.

He never knew he could do more than fake all that. Not till there was her.

(There were bells on the hill

but I never heard them ringing.

No, I never heard them at all

till there was you.

-x-x-

There were birds in the sky

but I never saw them winging.

No, I never saw them at all

till there was you.

-x-x

And there was music

and there was wonderful roses,

they tell me, in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew.

-x-

There was love all around

but I never heard it singing.

No, I never heard it all

till there was you.

Till there was you.) (Peggy Lee)

THE END