A/N: Ever wrote a story that made you feel like it was not supposed to ever get finished? Well, that's what happened with this one. Intended and planned as a oneshot, this one took quickly on a life of its own and took more than 5 months to get finished. In between I had twice decided to just dismiss the story and delete it, but thanks to both KricketWilliams and emzypemzy I found myself again – though the second time it took a month to come back to me. It's AU, it'll be angstier than my usual stuff and more unusual – but there will be HEA. Promise. It just takes a long while to get there. LOL

She had been working for the BAU now for two years, and it was a great job. She actually loved to come to work and get things done, get the bad guys behind bars and hopefully do as best as she could to leave them there. She got along with the team fabulously. Well, apart from one person.

She and Derek Morgan tried to avoid each other as often as possible. During briefings they sat the furthest apart from each other, when one of them got a refill of coffee the other one would certainly wait far, far away to do the same later. They didn't talk, unless absolutely necessary and when they spoke, mainly via phone when the team was out on a case it was kept very short and quick and professional.

He was the kind of guy girls like her learned pretty early to make an effort to not cross their ways. Shallow, vain, in love with themselves, self-centered and attention seeking, egomaniac and obsessed with their own and their encounters looks. Every week he had

a new girl. Each one had a name more obnoxious than the last such as Honey, Candy and Star – like they all appeared at some point in an adult film. Their names were only topped by the size of their busts and their waists that practically didn't exist. He was more into looks, while she certainly found way more appeal in intelligence and humor. So, in other words they wouldn't even have been on each other's radars if it wasn't for work.

Derek Morgan was certainly something she could have done without in her life. But other than that her job was great. Until a few days ago that is, when a second factor was added. Kevin Lynch, a tech, who was working for all sorts of other departments. They had been dating since shortly after she started with the FBI. A few days ago she found out that her dear boyfriend had managed to knock up some other chick, while he was still very much with Penelope. Some chick that – according to the rumor mill – was not the brightest crayon in the box and was just barely legal. To add to humiliation Penelope had wanted nothing more from Kevin for the past half year or so than to become pregnant. She wasn't the youngest chick around anymore and time was ticking away. She wanted to become a Mom and experience all the amazement that parenthood brought along with it. But Kevin always had been postponing, telling her he didn't feel like becoming a dad, and that maybe he never would. Penelope stuck with him nevertheless, hoping he would change his mind at some stage. And now he had knocked up some other chick. Some pratical child that he hadn't known longer than a few months.

To say Penelope had been hurt would have been an understatement.

Emily and JJ had been telling her for years she could do better than Lynch, but Penelope never listened. She knew she wasn't the sort of model type guys were looking for nowadays and she knew having a boyfriend like Lynch, who wasn't a total loser – well at least until now – was something she should be grateful for. She didn't have much choice when it came to qualified candidates. Not like Emily or JJ had anyways.

A few days passed by, Penelope having managed to avoid Kevin so far rather well, and Morgan was nowhere around either, being sick or something. Not that she really cared. As long as her day didn't involve either man it was a good one in her books. That was of course, until JJ and Emily strolled in her office, getting her for their lunch.

"Have you decided what you're going to wear tonight?" Emily asked JJ.

"Probably just some black skirt and a white blouse or something like that. Something formal, but not too formal, you know?" she answered and Emily nodded agreeing.

"What is tonight? Something I should know about?" Penelope asked curiously, wondering whether she had missed something.

Both her friends looked at her for a moment, with questioning expressions on their faces.

"Pen, have you forgotten? The wedding of Deputy Director Anderson. He sent out the invites to like … half the FBI…"

Just then she remembered again. About half a year ago the invites were sent out and she had planned on going there with Kevin, which now obviously wasn't an option any longer. Was there anything worse than going to a wedding all on your own?

"So what will you wear?" Emily asked finally after a few moments of silence.

"I … um … probably won't go. Going there all on your own is not really appealing, especially when everyone else will show up with their significant other."

"Oh come on, Penelope. You have us. We will be there, too. And neither of us will be there with someone else. Let's make it a girl thing and just go, have a good time, maybe catch a bit of gossip and then leave again. What do you say? How often are you invited to the wedding of the Deputy Director of the FBI?"

Penelope thought about it for a moment, looking in the pleading faces of her two friends and then nodded her head. "Okay, I guess there is no harm in showing up, right?" she asked.

"No, there isn't any harm and maybe we can find you a handsome guy, like the Best Man or something…" Emily laughed, infecting JJ with it.

There was no harm, right? Oh, was she wrong.