Disclaimer: I don't own a thing! *sobs*

A/N:I'm gonna issue a warning... I'm going for a tearjerker here... I can't warn much more than that =)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- This Time Won't You Save Me? -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Derek jolted awake, it was midday, his first day off in over a week and now he was worried to answer the phone, scared that it a new case, one that was going to kill his perfect weekend off.

He ran a hand over his face as he answered, "hello?"

"Derek," Penelope's tear filled voice came over the line and he was wide awake, "I really need you."

Derek was wide awake now, she sounded so scared.

"Please Derek, I didn't know who else to call."

"Shh, it's okay Baby Girl, what's wrong?" He asked as he got up and begun to get ready to run for the door and get to her.

"I-I," she struggled for the words.

"Okay, don't worry, I'll come to you, just calm down, I'm sure it's nothing." He told her calmly, he had to be the stable one or he wasn't going to help her at all.

"I've gotta go to the hospital," she told him and broke down more, "God I'm so scared."

"Right let me get to you, and I'll take you myself, you don't have to tell me why just yet, but I expect to know soon."

"Just, not on the phone." She told him and the line went dead but not before he heard her crying harder and harsher down the line.

His mind began to spin, the entire he drove, he was panicking, worrying, feeling a part of him breaking away. He had no idea why she needed the hospital; the last thing he wanted was for her to be hurt.

He didn't bother to park properly, he just parked, got out and ran for the door, getting and running for her apartment, he used his key and found her pacing the small space of her living room.

"Penelope?" He asked her and she looked at him and faltered furthermore, he just swooped in and captured her in his arms, immediately feeling her shake. "What's wrong, Baby Girl?" He asked her as he coerced her towards the couch.

He kept her in his arms as she calmed herself to talk to him.

"I-I keep on getting those migraines," she felt him nod, he knew about them, he'd looked after her at work and at home when they got too intense, "and well, t-the doctor wants me to go to the h-hospital - for tests."

Derek felt stricken by that.

"There's an abnormality with my bloods and he thinks the migraines and tension headaches could be something more severe, and with the result of the blood test, he wants me to go for a load of tests, and I-I know it's our weekend off, Handsome, but I'm so scared to be alone." She said and pushed away, "I didn't want to call, but I don't want to be alone and I have no one else I'd rather have with me."

Derek sat up then, cupped his hand onto her chin and made her look at him, "There's nowhere else I'd rather be, and whatever happens, I'll be here for you whatever." He told her and leant in, "you hear me?"

She closed her eyes as more tears fell and she nodded a little at him, "good, now come on, let's go so we can get you home, I think I'd rather be with you anyway."

"Thank you," she whispered almost inaudibly through the tears.

Penelope was quiet as they drove to the hospital, Derek just kept his attention on the road, and kept the conversation high, he knew she was worrier, and right now she was panicking at what could be wrong.

"We'll be in and out." He told her calmly, except making it to the hospital, it was a totally different ball game.

He watched her get taken to a room, have more bloods taken, a physical examination, question after question drawn from her and he slowly leant just how in pain she'd been with these headaches. He only knew that at times she was rendered motionless with them, others nausea would step up and at times a few aspirin and it'd disappear, but never had he realised that Penelope had been in blinding pain over them.

She'd always kept it well hidden, and kept her mood up throughout, never showing she was weak underneath it all.

"Right I'm going to arrange for a couple of scan to be done, just so we can solve this today and get you whatever treatment you need." The doctor told them coolly, and got up and left the room Penelope had spent most her day in.

"Why didn't you just tell me you were in that much pain, Baby? I would've done everything to make you better."

"You were doing everything." Penelope told him and looked at him, "what if this is bad news?"

"No negative thoughts okay?" He told her and rose and sat with her on the bed, "all positive thinking, we're gonna find out what's wrong and we're going to get you better and then in years to come we'll look back and laugh at how worked up you got me, sound a plan?"

Penelope nodded and smiled at him appreciatively, she felt a pang of guilt from keeping him from his weekend off, but she was so happy she had him, no one else would have looked after her this well and she needed it, she needed his strength.

He didn't even mind that later that day, as they sat in the doctor's office, out of the way of the busy hospital, his hand was slowly losing feeling bit by bit. Derek didn't once complain, because Penelope was calm and as at ease as she could be and he wanted her to remain like that for as long as possible.

"Right, we've gone over the results, Penelope, and we've definitely found the problem."

Neither knew if to take that as good or bad news. The man in front of them was completely emotionless.

He took a deep, steadying breath, "I'm really sorry Penelope, but we've found several brain tumours," he continued to tell her and watched her just stare at him blankly, "they're pressing on the main nerves in the brain which is causing the pain, and because of this we can't perform surgery to remove them. The damage it will cause will be too detrimental. We can't, and won't, run that type of risk."

Penelope was breathing short gasps, trying to apprehend the news.

"So what can be done?" Derek spoke up for her.

"Well we can offer radiotherapy and chemotherapy to prolong..."

"It's cancer?" Penelope finally asked, her eyes crying, her voice strained, "It's terminal isn't it?"

The man in front her nodded, his eyes sad, they knew that delivering such news never got easier, "like I said I can set up for you to be admitted as soon as to the oncology ward, they'll start chemo, but..."

"How long have I got?"

"From the pressure on the brain and the size of the tumour I'd say no more than a month or two."

Penelope's body shuddered and she collapsed against Derek for strength, his body just hardened with shocked.

"We can make that longer by a couple of months or so."

Penelope sat up, too shocked to break now, she was composed, scarily chilled all of a sudden, "I don't want chemo, I don't want to die like that, I just want to make the most of what I've got left." She told him resolved too quickly.

"Pen," Derek finally spoke and looked at her, "Please think about this."

"What's there to think about? I've seen what chemo does to people, Handsome; it renders them useless until it either works or finishes them. We know it's not going to work for me. I want to die with some dignity and the only way it's going to work is if I just let it run its course."

"Please..." He begged her desperately.

Penelope bit her lip; she was stuck between a hard place and a rock.

"Penelope," the doctor spoke up, "I'll understand if you want a couple of days to discuss this with your partner, so I'll give you a prescription to help with the pain, these will be strong and you'll need to rest," he looked at Derek, unsure of the relationship, "can I count on you to be the primary carer?"

"Until the end." Derek told him painfully.

This was possibly the worst day of his life.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- This Time Won't You Save Me? -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A/N:Who hates me now?