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Warmth and comfort by little_profiler

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He’d been sitting here for hours. The night was warm and bright, stars covering the sky above him and the moonlight was reflected by the slightly moving water of the Potomac. It would be a nice night “ if they hadn’t been too late today.

Normally, they were always too late since they were called when the murders had already happened. But this sleaze had abducted children, tortured them for about three weeks before he killed them.

It had been a tough case, for all of them. Once again they’d been on a race against time. And this time they had lost. Penelope had narrowed down the list of suspects to the number of three. They had questioned all of them. When they’d eventually tracked the UnSub down and arrested him, it had been too late for his latest victim, a girl of only seven years.

And all Penelope had said when Derek had called her for the final update had been ‘only half an hour earlier’.

It was always hard, for all of them. But when it was about children it was even harder “ and it was mostly hardest for Penelope. Way too often the time she needed to find the connection and track down a suspect decided about the life or death of the most recent victim.

And Derek knew how hard it was for her when they were too late. So when he’d arrived at Quantico the first thing he’d done was to go to her office and catch her in his arms to make it better. They’d stood in her office and held each other for what seemed like an eternity.

And then Reid had knocked at the door and told them that they were having a drink together. But Derek had declined to go with them. He wasn’t even sure he really wanted to be alone. Usually, after a very bad case, he went to her to talk and let her cheer him up. They’d hit the town or stayed at his place watching movies.

All he wanted at the moment was to hold her and comfort her “ and by that be comforted by her. But maybe it was better this way. He wasn’t sure that tonight he wouldn’t try and take advantage of her. That was the last thing he wanted to do to her. Fraternizing meant that one of them or even the two of them risked getting fired.

But it was nothing new to him that he wanted her, needed her. Maybe she wasn’t aware of how strong these feelings were “ but he was. In situations like these even more than any other time. He sometimes wondered if she really didn’t notice that his hand brushing against hers when they both reached for some popcorn while watching a movie was not at all an accident.

Did she have any idea how much he cherished these little touches? How much he was waiting for the moment she leaned against him to bury her face in his chest? How addicted he was to cuddling with her this way and how good it felt when the first thing he noticed the next morning was the sweet scent of her hair and the feeling of her body snuggled up against him? Did she know how much he missed her at the moment? How badly he wanted her to be here?

“Hey.” he suddenly heard a soft voice behind him. “You’re hard to find, handsome.”

Maybe she had an idea. After all, she was the goddess of all knowledge.

“Hey, baby girl.” he replied in a low voice. “I should have known that you would be able to.”

“I admit, it was a challenge.” she stated as she sat down next to him.

Anyone else would have asked him if he wanted or needed company at the moment. But not her. She knew him better than anyone and they didn’t need words to understand each other. For a long time they just sat there in silence staring at the water. This place, the water, the stars “ all that seemed even more comforting with her at his side.

Carefully he reached out to take her hand in his, the soft touch making his skin quiver slightly. Entwining his fingers with hers he raised her hand to his mouth and put a gentle kiss on the back of it before he placed his hands back into his lap “ this time tightly holding hers.

“I thought the others had gone for a drink.” He turned his head to look at her after what seemed like an eternity of soothing silence. “Why didn’t you join them?”

“Not in the mood.” she shrugged.

Derek just nodded and turned back to the water.

“You know, I bought ‘Live free or die hard’.” she smiled. “And I have tons of popcorn.”

“That sounds perfect.” he smiled at her.

“Well, then” she announced, stood up enthusiastically and pulled him to his feet, “let’s go.”

It wasn’t a long drive to her apartment but to Derek it seemed like an eternity. Not because they remained silent, they were chatting about his family and hers and everything else they could think of that wasn’t work-related. It was rather that the whole time he was worrying about what might happen.

Not that she was going to seduce him or even try. But Derek wasn’t sure tonight he would be able to leave it at some ‘accidental’ touches. He wanted her! He needed her touch to feel alive again and forget about that case “ and he wanted to make her forget as well.

However, the moment they entered her apartment all his worries were blown away. Penelope quickly spun round and the next second her soft lips were pressing against his.

He pulled her body close against his and when she parted her lips he didn’t hesitate to take the opportunity and deepen the kiss.

When they finally had to break the passionate kiss for air it took a while before Penelope to look up at him again her eyes filled with shock about what she’d just done.

Derek smiled and wrapped his arms tightly around her. “It shouldn’t surprise me that you know how much I need you tonight.” he whispered.

“Actually, I… need you just as much.” she replied in a low voice.

And so he leaned down for another breathtaking kiss. This night he realized what comfort and warmth really could mean.
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