Disclaimer: I own nothing but the triumph of this plot bunny!
A/N: So I gave you the prologue... now let's get you lot to that point eh?
Thanks for the reviews, alerts and favourites =)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- If It Hadn't Been For Love -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Why are you telling me this now?" Penelope asked, her tone quavering with building nerves and emotions, "Why now, when I'm happy?"
Derek laughed, "You're not happy. I know you when you're happy, Pen, and this, right here, right now, isn't happy."
"Then what is it?" Penelope asked him harshly.
"This is a compromise," He told her plainly, "He offered you a break from here, Baby Girl. A farm, freedom, a new life and you stayed here. I love you, am in love with you and I know you feel the same, so just say it."
Penelope bit her lip, "I can't love you after this." She stood then, her hands shaking with nervous energy, "I never thought you would make me choose, Derek. Every time Kevin made me choose I chose you, and it was wrong, but you were always my main choice and he stuck around. That shows he loves me. He made the compromise, not me."
Shaking his head, his stepped in closer, closing in on her personal space, intending to invade it. "You deserve someone special, someone that doesn't compromise, but fights your tenacity, your power. Someone that doesn't back down."
"Someone like you, you mean?" Penelope questioned, somewhat unimpressed.
"Yes, someone like me," He made it almost a growl of a statement than anything else. "You need a man, Penelope. Just see what's out there. See the man that's loved you for seven years and plans to always love you. The one that's always been around."
"I can't," Penelope let him down.
Derek knew she wasn't listening to him, to how his heart sang of her and the mere thought of her riled the butterfly like feeling in his stomach. How she managed to manifest emotions that he didn't know even existed, or ones that he had long ago thought he would never feel.
So he took a step in, pulled her close and running his hands up her neck and into her hair he kissed her, slowly and long, perfect and hot. After a few moments, Penelope relaxed and responded, showing him that maybe, just maybe, this was what she had wanted. He couldn't deny the chemistry and he swear there were fireworks just starting to fly.
"You don't have to worry about choices anymore," Kevin's grated voice came from the doorway, "She's all yours."
Penelope felt grief stricken as Kevin fled her office and she looked at Derek and then pushed him away from her, "Look what you've done! How could you?" She asked rhetorically as she ran after him, "Kevin, please," She said as she caught up with him. She was thankful it was a dead day, she didn't want an audience. "That wasn't what it looked like."
"You know he ruins everything. Ruins our plans, ruins my day and just ruined our relationship. I saw you give in to that kiss, Penelope. I've given you countless times to prove my worth in your life and each time you fail so count this as us done."
"B-but, he kissed me," she tried to defend herself but could feel it failing her, "I told him I was happy with you, Kevin. I told him that it was you I wanted, not him."
"I heard alright, but the moment I saw you give that kiss a little more energy that said more than you had to," Kevin told her, "Actions speak louder than words Penelope, and gee did that kiss scream volumes." He could see Penelope breaking down in front of him, but for once Kevin was feeling somewhat liberated by getting some of this off of his chest. "I am finished with feeling second best, with watching your teasing and his advances. I can't stand the casualness of your relationship with one another, like calling each other the names you do is perfectly normal. You're in a relationship, Penelope, behaviour like that should have never had continued. I should be the one that you want more."
"Kevin," Penelope began to sob.
"I'm sorry, Penelope, I really am. I'm sorry I was never man enough to show you what I want and I will forever regret not showing you that I am the man for you. Morgan always was stuff competition for me to match."
Kevin just walked away then, no more words would make this moment hurt less.
Turning back, Penelope walked towards her office, seeing Derek still there she walked passed him, grabbed the door edge and turned to him, "Leave me alone from now on yeah?"
"Penelope," Derek tried, "Baby Girl, I didn't mean that to happen."
Shaking her head to clear the tears clouding her eyes, Penelope looked at Derek, "And stop with the pet names," she told him and shut the door behind her disheartened. Her heart and mind torn in two at that moment.
Derek stared at the door for a moment before turning and going to his office, his day obviously the worst.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- If It Hadn't Been For Love -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Penelope sat looking around her apartment, Kevin's things missing, her things from his place sitting in a box on the island in the kitchen and she realised that life had never felt quite so bad.
She had no boyfriend and no best friend. Both her confidantes were gone and the one she really wanted was angrier at her. Derek wasn't even letting her calls go to voicemail on their own; he was sending them there each and every time.
In that moment she realised something, in the days of her anger she had slowly come to realise where her dependence lay more. It was never with Kevin, it was always with Derek. For everything, be it flu, migraine, bad case, bad dream, she always ran to Derek first, then to Kevin if she needed him.
Kevin was not a bad guy, he was a used guy and for that she felt bad. She had let her head rule their relationship, rather than her heart. That was why she never could accept the freedom, the new life, it was because her heart yearned to keep Derek, wanted him around forever and always.
Now though, that was all questionable.
Her heart still begged for Derek, her head no longer screamed for Kevin. It was all about Derek.
Now, in the midnight light, she realised one thing.
It was now too late to now decide she was wholeheartedly in love with Derek, and free to take the time to show him.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- If It Hadn't Been For Love -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
