Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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"I don't think I want this anymore"
As she drops the ring to the floor
She says to herself "You've left before
This time you will stay gone, that's for sure"

'Penny... you'll be back!'

'That's what you think.' Penelope said as she dragged her suitcase down the stairs of the apartment building.

'He'll never give you, what I can!'

'You can't give me anything but drama, and jealousy, and... and hate!'

'Hate?'

'Yes Kevin, you've done nothing but hate my life outside of you!'

'Come on Penelope, marry me and I'll love them, as the family you claim they are!'

'I don't want to marry you!'

'You will, you've tried to leave but always come back!'

Penelope carried on walking, amazed at how easy it was to just leave this time; she knew she wasn't going back.

And he shattered something as
She dragged her suitcase down the path
To the driveway
She had never gone that far
Normally this would be
The time that she
Would let him talk her out of leaving
But this time, without crying
As she got into her car
She said

She heard him hit the glass by the door and it shatter, she heard him curse but carried on, if she cared about him, she wouldn't go, she would go back to him like he said and that was not what she wanted to happen.

She made it to the car, still heard him behind her, she put her suitcases in and felt his presence behind him.

'Come back in Penny... let's talk this through.' Kevin said, holding his hand protectively. 'We can work this out.'

She sighed heavily, she had heard that line too many times before so she shut the boot of the car and carried on to the driver's side, she got in and shut the door, did the belt up and looked at him in the eyes.

'There's no happy ending here Kevin.' She said and drove the caddy out of the parking lot, leaving him there. Not once did she cry.

No..
Happily never after
That just ain't for me Because finally
I know, I deserve better, after all
I'll never let another teardrop fall
As she drove away she starts to smile
Realized she hadn't for a while
No destination, she drove for miles
Wondering' why she stayed in such denial

As she drove she didn't look back, she didn't let her eyes wander onto the middle mirror, for fear she would see a broken man and run back. She had somewhere to go; a sanctuary and she needed it more than a home with Kevin.

The further she got, the more the wind got in her hair and the more her lips curled into a smile; it was as though the wind was taking the weight of the relationship off her shoulders.

As she drove, her mind skipped out on its destination, for now she wanted to drive, she smiled more, and was shocked at how good it felt, the happiness was refilling her, like being in a relationship drained one of the best assets she had to offer.

Laughing about the way he shattered something as
She dragged her suitcase down the path
To the driveway
She had never gone that far
Normally this would be
The time that she
Would let him talk her out of leaving
But this time, without crying
As she got into her car
She said

Her mind swam as she turned the music up louder, her mind buzzing, she thought about when breaking something, by hurting himself she would turn the Penelope charm on and help him, her empathetic quality would click in and she would be altruistic and help him but instead she carried her suitcase with her down the stairs and across the parking lot. She had to laugh at how he tried to trick her and how he failed to evoke the desired reaction she wanted.


No..
Happily never after
That just aint for me Because finally
I know, I deserve better, after all
I'll never let another teardrop fall

She drove until the car stopped, she had placed herself in auto drive for the most part of the journey, the sanctuary she needed was behind her, a drive away. She felt teh ease in her body and got out of the car, locking it up she took her shoes off and stepped on the warmed sand, it was then she decided that she deserved better, she needed someone that accepted her and her life, not hate the life that revolved and thrived from her.

She watched the tide come in and wash out, taking with it a layer of sand, just like that she decided it was clean slate from here on out, no more tears would be spilt over a man like Kevin

I'm done, I'm done
Said I'm so done
So done, I'm done, I'm done
I'm free, I'm free, I'm free
Free to be me

As she watched the changing tide she smiled more, a release from Kevin, a release from suffocation. She was done with that life, done with him, done with that, she was now free, she could love what she loved most without the fear of it turning life upside down when she got home.

She inhales an air she'd never breathed before
The air of no drama, no more
She said


No..
Happily never after
That just ain't for me Because finally
I know, I deserve better, after all
I'll never let another teardrop fall

For once she stood, her feet half buried by the sand, half by the incoming and outgoing tide, her hands firmly fixed on her head, breathing in her old life, the one that makes her happy, the one that keeps her grounded.

She felt a hand run over her shoulder and smiled at the familiarity of it. A touch she longed for but hadn't felt, one she had had to pull away from to strive for a happily ever after. A touch that she hadn't known until recently would bring her the happily ever after that would fill her days with happiness and warmth.

'You finally did it baby girl.' The voice soothed, she needed to hear the affirmative from someone other than herself to believe she had finally gotten rid of the darkness and the unhappily ever after.

...another teardrop fall

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Song: Pussycat dolls - Happily Never After

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