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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
"Hey, baby girl." Derek greeted with a huge smile when she opened the door.
"Hey" Penelope sighed and stepped aside to let him in. She wasn't really in the mood for company, not even the company of her best friend. She'd much rather be curled up on her couch wrapped in her favorite flannel blanket watching some old black and white love movies and having some popcorn.
She shouldn't have told him about the date. In fact, she shouldn't have told anyone! This way she would at least be allowed to try and forget about it and not have Derek here reminding her that she was simply not meant to find the right guy - or at least a nice guy.
Sinking back on her couch Penelope tucked her legs into the flannel blanket, grabbed the popcorn and continued to watch ‘Wait until dark' one of her favorite Audrey Hepburn movies. She decided she could just ignore him and maybe Derek would understand the message and leave her alone.
"I thought I could... console you a little." he stated and smiled insecurely.
Sure, Derek wouldn't be Derek if he didn't at least try to make her smile. "Look!" Penelope said without taking her eyes from the screen. "You don't need to take pity on me and spend the rest of the evening with me. I'm fine."
"I didn't..." he wanted to object but reconsidered it. This wasn't the time to argue with her, she was already pissed enough after that disaster of a date - and it could only have been a disaster after everything he'd heard.
About two hours ago Derek had received a text message with the words ‘save me'. He knew she was on a date and at first he almost freaked out thinking the guy might try and hurt his baby girl. When Penelope had told him about the date his first impulse had been to beg her not to go. But he'd bitten the words back and just smiled. He hadn't wanted to fight with her again about him not thinking she was worth a man's attention.
And telling her that he just didn't like the thought of her going out with other men, that he wanted to lock her up in his apartment for the rest of their lives so that she would be his and only his... well, was for obvious reasons impossible.
"Don't you at least want to have a look at what I brought along to make you feel better?" he softly asked.
Penelope sighed again. Next time a date went wrong she would call JJ and not him. Having her around to build her up after a failed date at least wouldn't make her feel so... pathetic. Unfortunately, Derek had been the only one who knew about the date at all. And when he'd called her pretending there was another case and she was needed in the bureau she'd been really grateful. However, she'd regretted that she hadn't just endured the date when Derek had called her the second time and made her tell him about that stupid date.
She'd met the guy at a bar a couple of times and he'd asked her out at least five times before Penelope had eventually given in to him. After all, he seemed to be really nice. A little strange, maybe, but nice. That impression had changed drastically when he'd moved his chair to her right and started to grope her.
"I'm sure you'll like it." Derek insisted.
Penelope turned her head to tell him to get the hell out and leave her alone. But when her eyes fell upon the gallon of ice cream in his hands a small smile crossed her face. He'd bought her favorite ice cream - cookies and cream.
"But if you don't want it..." he shrugged.
"Don't you dare eat all of that on your own!" she scolded him.
"Then I guess I'll get two spoons." he grinned, took the flatware out of the drawer and slid down next to her on the couch handing her a spoon.
Penelope took a spoonful of the beloved ice cream in her mouth and closed her eyes happily as she let it melt on her tongue.
Derek swallowed hard when he heard her moan with pleasure at the taste of the ice cream. Although it made him feel ashamed he was glad that this date went so terribly wrong. Sure, this guy was most definitely dead once Derek had figured out how to get away with that and he didn't want his goddess to be upset or even hurt worse. But at least he was now allowed to spend the rest of the evening with her.
"I knew this would make you feel better." he grinned.
"Yeah, but I would have been fine if you'd just left it here." she grumbled.
"Hey, I'm not here to talk or anything." Derek raised both his hands. "I just wanted to have some ice cream with my favorite girl - and I'm always up for a nice Audrey Hepburn movie."
"Favorite girl my ass." she snorted. "And you hate Audrey Hepburn movies."
Derek raised his eyes at her being utterly perplexed. Penelope had been pissed before but never that much that she got in his face like that.
"I mean, how pathetic is that?" she exclaimed. "I rarely ever have any dates and if I do it turns out to be a disaster and I end up with a guy who will never be more than my best friend on my couch consoling me with ice cream."
He opened his mouth to object but Penelope was faster.
"I sometimes wish Battle had just killed me." she whispered. "At least the last thing I would have experienced would have been a nice date I really enjoyed - plus I wouldn't have had to spend the rest of my life alone."
"You won't..."
Derek was cut off when she burst into tears. So he gently pulled her into his arms, wrapped the blanket tighter around her and started to sway her.
"Why can't I simply meet a nice guy who's really interested in me?" she sobbed. "Nobody wants me."
He wanted to object, tell her that she was beautiful, smart and adorable. That she deserved to be happy and he wanted to be the only man who made her happy, that he wanted to be more than just her best friend. He didn't want to only be the one who built her up after a failed date. He wanted to show her how enjoyable a date could be.
But this was not the time for those words, she wouldn't believe him anyway now. This was the moment to hold her and comfort her as much as he could. Tonight he would just stroke her back until they both fell asleep on her couch wrapped in her favorite flannel blanket - the one he had bought her once as a birthday present.
He would tell her all that as soon as she'd forgotten about that stupid date. Then he would ask her out and make it the best date she'd ever had, a never-to-be-forgotten evening with dinner, dancing and tons of fun - ending with being kissed like she'd never been kissed before. An evening where Derek would make sure Penelope would never worry about finding the right guy again.