Author's Note: I forgot to let you know what my prompts were at the beginning of the last chapter. They are: Please Come Home for Christmas (Bon Jovi), roaring fire in a fire place, Christmas tree, and stringing popcorn; my story is a gift for LoveforPenandDerek, and all of the prompts will be included.
You guys blew me away with all of your reviews for last chapter! Thank you so much!
"You have got to be kidding me!" Penelope said as she snapped her phone shut.
"What?" Derek asked as he looked at her over his shoulder.
"Oooh—that one's mine!" she said, pointing to a suitcase.
Derek practically vaulted over the person in front of him. "This one?" he asked loudly.
She nodded and he pulled it off the luggage carousel, then headed back to her. "That was my last one," she told him. Derek had managed to get himself booked on the same flight Penelope had been on, and he'd proven himself to be very helpful. He was more agile than she was, and he'd gotten her luggage for her in record time, despite the throng of people in O'Hare Airport.
"What's going on?" Derek asked.
Penelope sighed. "That was a message from my brother. He and Helena are still in Maine. Apparently they're getting pounded with snow. All flights have been cancelled until further notice."
"That sucks," Derek said. "What are you going to do?"
Penelope shrugged. "I guess I'm going to have to get a hotel room," she told him.
Derek laughed. "Hotel room, my ass," he said. "You're coming home with me."
"Derek, I am not coming home with you and crashing your Christmas," she said firmly.
He grinned at her. "Sure you are. If I show up and tell my mother that you're her Christmas present, that will secure my place as her favorite child forever," he teased.
Penelope couldn't help but giggle. "Derek—"
"Penelope, do you want to spend the night alone?" he asked.
"No," she said softly.
"Then it's settled. You're coming home with me," he insisted, picking up his suitcase and one of hers.
She grabbed the other and followed him as he headed for the exit. He frowned when they'd almost reached the doors. "My mother is usually waiting inside," he said.
"Maybe you should check your messages," she muttered.
"That's a good idea," he agreed, pulling his phone from the clip at his waist. He hit one on the speed dial for his voicemail, and his expression became somber as he listened.
"What's going on?" Penelope asked when he put his phone back.
"That was my mother. They're grounded in Salt Lake City," he grumbled.
"Awww…I'm sorry," Penelope said sincerely.
Derek shrugged. "Well, that's what they get for going to Hawaii without me for Christmas," he joked, his usual smirk returning. "Looks like it's just you and me for now," he said. "What do you think about that?"
Penelope took a deep breath. "Well, we've done it before," she said.
Derek lifted an eyebrow at her. "And if I recall correctly, we were pretty good at it," he reminded her.
"Uhh…" Penelope cleared her throat. "Derek," she said in a strangled voice. "Are we still talking about Christmas?"
He grinned at her frequently, but the way he was grinning at her right now…it was different. This was a grin that Penelope hadn't seen in a long time. He always looked sexy, but this was his 'I know I'm sexy grin,' and it had always made her weak in the knees. "What else would I be talkin' about?" he asked roguishly.
"Your mother's house never changes," Penelope said as she hung her coat up in the entry way just off the kitchen.
Derek grinned as he placed his own coat on the hook next to hers. "Thank God," he said.
Even after all of these years, Penelope hadn't forgotten her way around the Morgan household. She headed to the living room and stopped just inside the doorway. Derek leaned against the doorframe to watch her and listened as she sighed in appreciation. "Your mother really has a way with decorating," she said in awe as she studied the Christmas tree in the living room.
Fran certainly hadn't carried the tree in on her own; it was over six feet tall and not a single branch was missing a decoration. Penelope walked towards the oversized tree, and one particular ornament caught her eye. 'Our first Christmas '92.' She touched the decoration, and then quickly stepped back, hoping Derek hadn't seen. The ornament had been a gift from his mother on their first Christmas as a married couple and she'd obviously hung onto it. Instead of looking at Derek, she walked over to the fireplace and grinned. "And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care…" she said softly.
Derek straightened. "There's no food here," he told her. "I need to go to the grocery store. Do you want to come with me or do you want to stay here?" he asked.
"Actually, I think I'm going to go for a walk," she said.
Derek frowned. "Really? What about your aversion to the cold?" he teased.
Penelope laughed. "I have a bigger aversion to being in Chicago and not visiting my old stomping grounds," she informed him.
"Don't go too far," he warned with concern. "It's supposed to start snowing pretty hard."
Penelope pulled her coat tighter around herself in hopes of warding off some of the cold as she headed down the block and looked around. Was she lost? She turned in circles, and a familiar deli across the street caught her eye. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that she was exactly where she'd thought she was. But nothing—except for the little deli—was as it should be.
Penelope hurried back to the house, and by the time she arrived, Derek was already back, pulling groceries out of the reusable sacs in the kitchen and putting them away. "Hey," he said.
"Hi," she said in a small voice.
He looked up, alarmed at her tone. "You OK?" he asked.
"Did you know…?" her voice trailed off as she choked back a sob.
"Did I know what?"
"Did you know that they tore our old apartment building down?"
He nodded. "Last year," he told her. "Are you…upset?" he asked.
"It's the only place we ever lived together," she said instead of answering.
Derek stopped and took a deep breath, resting his hands on the table in front of him. He was thoroughly confused. In the six months that they'd been working together, Penelope had never presented herself as anything other than his friend and coworker. But if he was reading the signals correctly… "Penelope, are you…do you…?"
"I need to unpack," she said quickly as she fled the room.
An hour and a half later, Derek knocked on the guest bedroom door, but there was no response. He opened the door anyway. "Penelope?" he called softly.
He heard the mattress move as she rolled over onto her back, and he went over to sit down next to her. The room was bathed in soft light when he turned the lamp beside the bed on. "You OK?" he asked.
She still didn't say anything and it was then that he noticed her tear-streaked cheeks.
"Talk to me, Baby Girl," he said soothingly.
She lifted her eyes to his and took a deep breath. "Do you ever think we made a mistake?" she asked despondently.
Derek took a deep breath of his own as he collected his thoughts. Of course he knew how he felt, but he'd never before had to put it into words. "Penelope, I think we made a lot of mistakes," he finally said.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"For what?" he asked, using the back of his hand to swipe away the tears on her cheeks.
"For a lot of things," she said. "But mostly I'm sorry that I tried to make you choose between your job and me."
"Hey," Derek said firmly. "You don't get to be sorry for that, Penelope. I'm the one who's sorry for that." He studied her face, locking his eyes on hers. "I'm sorry that I chose my career over you. It's the biggest mistake I've ever made, Baby Girl. I was young, and I was cocky. I thought I was invincible…I…thought I could wait you out." He shook his head. "I never thought you'd really leave."
She laughed harshly. "I was young, too. And I just…I was so scared, Derek. The first time you got shot...I'd always known it was a risk. But the second time…" She shook her head. "I just couldn't take it."
"You shouldn't have had to," he said earnestly.
A sob tore from the back of her throat. "I wish I could take it back."
Derek lowered his forehead down to hers. "Penelope," he whispered. "If you want me back…all you have to do is say the word."
