Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds
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'Ready girlies?' Penelope chirped as she walked towards Emily's desk. She slid on it and watched JJ haul a bag out of the office and began to laugh as did Emily. 'JJ, kitten, it's only 4 days.'
'I know, but I'm a woman.'
'Fair do's!'
Reid looked up and smiled. 'It looks like you've packed for longer JJ.'
'You wait to see my bag.' Emily said.
'Look girls we can compare bag sizes in the car, promise.'
'You sure you're okay to drive the SUV Pen?'
'Perfectly Em. Plus this way we can alternate drivers.'
'Where are you going?' Morgan said intrigued, he didn't know they had all asked for time off together.
'Philadelphia.'
'Why there?'
'House hunting...' Penelope said quietly as she slipped off the desk and straightened her skirt. 'Come on then let's get this show on the road.' She said as she made her way out of the bull pen with Emily and JJ.
'Ladies of the B.A.U. stop and approach.' Hotch said from the landing. They turned and grinned at the stern voice. 'What no goodbyes?' Hotch said with a smile.
The ladies all walked over and gave him a kiss and a hug, Penelope planting a kiss on Reid before leaving.
'Hotch why are they house hunting in Philadelphia?' Morgan asked when they were in the elevator.
'Penelope's leaving us.' He said walking back into his office sadly.
Morgan looked at Reid. 'What? Why didn't she tell me?'
'Well maybe it's because you've done nothing but alienate her for the last 4 months Morgan.'
'Alienate her?'
'Clara... your girlfriend. Penelope understood at the beginning like we all did but you completely shut her down Morgan.' Reid stood and headed for the kitchen.
Morgan stood and walked to Hotch's office. He knocked and entered. 'Hotch, is Penelope really leaving because of me?' Hotch looked at him and nodded. 'But...'
'Morgan, Clara doesn't like Penelope. Clara has taken away the one thing that means everything to Penelope, her best friend.'
Morgan sat and thought about it. 'Morgan, when was the last time you went round to Penelope's with a pizza and watched old movies? When was the last time you called her to see how she felt after a case? When was the last time you called her baby girl?'
The last one hit him the hardest; he hadn't done any of them in nearly 4 months. 'Oh shit, what have I done?'
'Derek we all wanted to intervene but Penelope said no, that you deserved to make a go at this with Clara. So we all listened and took a step back. Clara didn't like Penelope from day one and only you didn't realise that.'
In the four months that Derek had been with his interim girlfriend he had pushed Penelope aside. At first Penelope understood, Derek deserved to make a go of things and Penelope would encourage that but the last straw was when Clara confronted Penelope on a night out. She had threatened that if Penelope didn't stop her banter, her nicknames, her friendship with Derek she would make her life a living hell that she would make sure no one in the B.A.U would want her in their 'family' once she was done.
'How did you know?'
'Oh apart from the rude comments she said when she thought none of us heard, the glares she shot Penelope when we are out, Emily heard Clara confronting Penelope about 2 weeks into your relationship.'
'Confronting?'
'She said a lot of out of line stuff Morgan... but what you seemed to forget was that you promised one another forever, that you would be there whatever. She stuck by you, changed nothing while with Lynch...'
'But I didn't do it with Clara.' He put his elbows on his knees and placed his head in his hands as reality hit him full throttle.
'You want to know how she's been?' Morgan nodded. 'Truthfully?'
'Yes, I know it won't make up for it but I need to make this right.'
'Derek she's lost something about her. So I'm not going to paint you a picture where I tell you she's okay because honestly she isn't. Did you even know she broke up with Kevin?'
'No.'
'So you don't know why then?' Morgan shook his head. 'He hurt her Derek, like physically hurt her. Not bad but bad enough for her to just end it there and then. Plus she told me her heart wasn't in it, her heart was elsewhere.'
'I've let her down.'
'Morgan there's nothing more you can do, or any of us. In all honesty she's making the right decision for herself.' Hotch looked at his watch and saw that him and Morgan had been talking about Penelope and Clara for nearly 2 hours. He went to stand when his phone rang.
'JJ, is everything okay... whoa JJ slow down and start again...you need to calm down... how bad are they?' Alarm raising in his voice at the panic in JJ's. Morgan knew something was wrong from the way Hotch became, how his body language changed. 'JJ where about's are you guys?' He paused. 'Okay we are coming, stay calm for Emily and Penelope okay?' He put his phone down. 'You may need to be there for Penelope now.'
'Why what's happened?'
'They've just been involved in a car crash.'
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To Be Continued...
A/N:So what do you think? Should I continue?