Disclaimer: I own nothing
A/N: Just a little something that was sitting around for ages unfinished... expect sporadic updates but updates nonetheless =)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- True Love's Lie -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Penelope sat awkwardly watching him as he spoke to his mom and then she heard it, the words that were powerful enough to rip her heart from her body, and tear away her soul.
"I don't love Penelope in that way mom," Derek told his mom, "She's just Penelope, my best friend, and that's all she'll ever be." He told her and gave her a hug, "So can you please just leave it at that."
Penelope excused herself after and went up the stairs and into the bathroom. Everyone thought she was embarrassed by what Derek had just done, oh boy, she was, but not for the reasons they thought she was.
She was in love with Derek. Not just the crush kind of love, but the painstakingly obvious, I want us to be together like this forever kind. The kind of love that had her thoughts consumed and her heart racing at every given moment. Now, however, as the truth came out; it was the kind that had her heart shattering into millions of tiny little pieces.
She locked the bathroom door and put her head to the wooden frame, closing her eyes and biting her lip to keep herself from crying out loud. She felt pathetic and miserable and the last thing she needed to feel for her best friend's birthday was this.
She was going to ask his mom where Derek's favourite place used to be, she was going to take him there, give him a good time and tell him that she felt more for him, that she was done hiding it anymore because as of this morning, she couldn't live with wishful thinking and believe that Derek was just being blind and oblivious to what chemistry they made.
Now, however, she had everything and more to lose. Derek wasn't going to reciprocate, he wasn't going to kiss her passionately and knock her off of her feet. He wasn't going to take her to bed that night, hug her differently, kiss her more, say more intimate sweet nothings into her ear. He'd laugh and then watch as she tore down their friendship.
Penelope never thought she'd have this hollow feeling sit within her, she never thought she'd have such longing for a man but she knew she was going to get very familiar with it as the years rolled by because it was obvious that when Penelope said it once, she meant it for life.
Hot men just didn't cross a smoky bar for her.
Derek had excused himself for air, but when he came back he found Penelope missing from the kitchen table, he hadn't meant to embarrass her but he needed his mom to leave the conversation well alone, or at least, well alone until he had time to broach it and have a clearly defined answer to give.
He climbed the stairs slowly, trying to get some concept of words ready to apologise. He hadn't dared look at her while he was talking to his mom.
He knocked on the bedroom door, and waited, "Come in," Penelope called out and he found her laying down, seemingly reading a book.
"You okay in here, Baby Girl?" Derek asked her and watched her close the book and sit up, leaning against the headboard.
"Yeah, just a little tired really," Penelope feigned and finally looked at him and smiled, falsely but it won her a smile that seemed to show that she'd passed the Derek Morgan worry test.
"I'm sorry," he told her and looked up at her, "For back downstairs, I shouldn't have been so loud and I'm sorry for embarrassing you, it wasn't my-"
"It's fine," Penelope forgave, hoping the sound of her heart breaking wasn't audible, "really."
Derek smiled up at her, "Good, and I do love you." He told her gently, "It's hard not to love my Baby Girl."
Penelope smile a little at that, her heart clenching tightly again, her hopes had just started as he said he did love her, but more fool her. Derek didn't mean it romantically and she guessed he never would.
"I'm hard not to love me," Penelope responded, trying to regain some composure, "how's it feel to be home?" She asked, trying to deflect the topic away from what had happened, "you seem really happy."
"I am really happy," he said as he looked off at a spot on the wall, "I'm home."
Penelope's smile tightened as the tears sprung again, she knew Derek was happy to be home, and she guessed Quantico would never have such an effect on him, not like it did her. It was her home, nowhere else held such a power.
"That's good." Penelope spoke a little strained and just prayed this feeling would just numb her and she could just move on for it, "I'm glad this is turning into a super birthday, Hot Stuff, you deserve it."
Derek looked up at her, his smile immediately disappearing as he caught the look in her eyes, "everything okay?" He asked and reached up and took the tear away. "Why are you crying?"
"I'm tired." She feigned again, "we were up at the crack of dawn to take a certain someone out for surprises remember."
"Ahh so we were, but you know, I know there's something more than a little tiredness."
Penelope looked down, but Derek's hand captured her jaw line and made her look up at him, "I think it's time I started dating again," she told him.
"Sure?" He asked, knowing it'd taken him a while to get through to her after Kevin's harsh break up months earlier.
Penelope shrugged, "It's not going to happen if I spend most of my night's locked up in my room," she then leant forward and sorted his collar out on his, "Think it's time we got yourself a little mamma to bring home to momma after that display earlier."
Derek frowned, "I really am sorry."
Penelope looked straight into Derek's eyes, "Like I said, it's fine. With our relationship it's easy to assume such possibilities; we know how we roll, Handsome, no one else."
"That's what I love about you." He said and tapped the end of her nose, "you know exactly what we are and no one can ever change that."
"It's because we're the best," she said quietly and then smiled again, harder than before, trying to squash the sinking feeling in her stomach, "Maybe I should go show face."
"Yeah, mom wanted to know where you'd gone to, she wanted a word."
"Sounds ominous," Penelope quipped as she put her book away and climbed off of the bed.
Derek put his hand out, "She said you wanted a word with her anyway so maybe it's that."
Penelope clasped her hand into his and allowed him to lead her back downstairs to where the party was still in full swing, she'd hold her head high and tell Fran the rest of the story from earlier, about her intentions and she'd also let her know her new plans.
Then she'd maybe let Derek know himself why she was going to be leaving the following day.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- True Love's Lie -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-