Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Wow! Thank you guys so much for the reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far :) This one will be pretty angsty, so buckle down for the ride. Never fear though. My obsession with happy endings is still very strong :) So I hope you enjoy!
Hotch didn't know which one to start with, Derek or Penelope. His choice was made infinitely easier when he saw that Jackie still had not left Derek's office. Currently the woman was dabbing at his cheek with a napkin and Derek was laughing at something she'd said.
Guess I'm starting with Garcia, Hotch thought to himself as he kept walking past Morgan's office towards Garcia's.
He knocked on the door to Penelope's office and heard her call out a sniffly, "Come in."
Hesitantly he entered and sat down in her spare chair.
"Hey Garcia," he said softly.
"Sir, I'm sorry about that fight," she said, turning around to face him. Her eyes were red and bloodshot. "I didn't mean for it to get out of hand and I certainly didn't mean to throw things."
He tilted his head in concern. "Garcia, I don't mean to pry by any means, but this thing going on between you and Morgan is starting to get in the way of your work. If something is going on, you can tell me. I know that you haven't said anything to JJ, so I know you probably won't want to tell me, but I just thought you should know."
Her eyes went blank and she looked like she was lost in thought about something.
XXXXX
"Morning Baby Girl," Derek said, wrapping his arms around Penelope from behind and kissing her neck. "How are you this fine morning?"
Penelope giggled. She was sitting up in Derek's bed, a sheet wrapped around her upper half. He'd just woken up and the warmth of his arms around her felt warm and comforting. "I'm feeling wonderfully…sore." She laughed the last word. Once Derek had returned home from the team's latest case the previous night, he'd come straight to her apartment and proceeded to make love to her the entire night.
He purred against her neck. "Hmm," he said. "Hopefully you're a little satisfied too."
"I'm very satisfied, mon cher," she said, leaning her head back against his shoulder. Sighing, she took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze, holding it tightly. "Hot Stuff?"
"What's up, Baby?" he asked. "You okay?"
She nodded. "Oh, yeah Baby Boy," she murmured. "I'm fine. I was just wondering…when are we going to tell the team about us? This has been going on for six months now and I wonder when we can tell them. We've done all sorts of the normal things couples do; we've gone to a romantic beach weekend, we've gone to dinner at fancy places, we've had makeup sex."
He grinned shamelessly. "Yeah, we have had all that stuff," he growled, nibbling at her earlobe. "When do you want to tell them, sweetheart?"
Turning to face him, she smiled coyly and proceeded to straddle his waist. Kissing his face all over, she nipped at his bottom lip and said, "I do suppose it can wait. I'm in the mood for a morning romp."
Laughing, he kissed her deeply. "Let's do this thing."
XXXXX
"Garcia, you still in there?" Hotch asked, waving his hand around in front of her.
Penelope snapped out of her daze and met Hotch's eyes again. "Sorry sir," she mumbled tiredly. "I don't know what's going on with me. But I promise I'll think about your offer and not fight with Morgan anymore."
He looked at her with concern and said, "Garcia, you've been fighting with Morgan for months now and we're all really worried about you both. I think if you just tell us what you two are fighting about and let us help fix it –"
She cut him off. "Sir, there's nothing that you or anyone else can do to fix this," she said, rather coldly. He was shocked at how harsh her eyes were. Penelope Garcia was one of the kindest women he knew. Whatever had happened between her and Morgan had given her a new edge. "I've almost finished the search you wanted done," she added, turning around to face her computers once more.
Hotch rose with a sigh. He supposed the conversation was over. As he made his way out of her office, his ears caught the sound of her dry sob that escaped her throat. He bowed his head and shook his head, hoping there would be something to help her cheer up.
Next he had to go to Morgan's office and talk to him. Hopefully Jackie would be gone. And even if she wasn't, he'd probably kick her out. No one in the BAU liked her, particularly JJ who made sure her opinion was known. He sighed, wanting to get to the bottom of the problem, more for Penelope's sake as she seemed the most miserable. Derek just seemed to be lapping up enjoyment from his bitchy girlfriend. Striding towards his office, he knocked swiftly on the door, noticing that Jackie was still in the room, but not caring.
"Morgan, do you have a minute?" he asked hardly.
Morgan nodded. "Sure thing Hotch," he said.
"It needs to be in private," Hotch added, flicking his eyes to Jackie.
"Well, I need to use the restroom anyway," Jackie said obliviously, rising and heading out the office door with a smile on her face. "I'll let you boys talk."
Hotch shut the door behind him and turned to glare at him. "Morgan, what did you do to Garcia?" he demanded. "Don't try and say the two of you weren't in a relationship together. I didn't know while it was going on, but the behavior you two are exhibiting is clear enough. And the display of emotion I just saw in Penelope's office tells me even more. Now, what the hell did you do to her?"
Morgan's eyebrows shot up and his jaw instantly hardened. "Is that what she told you? That I ended our relationship? What else did she tell you? That I cheated on her with Jackie while we were still together? I've got news for you Hotch: I met Jackie after the fact. I loved Penelope! I still love Penelope and she is the only woman I have ever loved! It was her who ended our relationship, it was her who told me that we were over! So don't you dare come in here and insinuate that I left her. I wanted to marry her; I bought the ring and was ready to propose when she dropped the bomb. So don't you dare come in here and insinuate that I left her. She broke my heart, not the other way around."
Hotch's eyes were still wide well several moments after Morgan's confession. He was not lying. There was no way in Hell he was lying. But the emotion behind Penelope's actions showed devastation. True, unadulterated heartbreak.
So what had happened that caused them to go over the edge?
XXXXX
Derek was fidgeting when he entered the door to Penelope's apartment. In his jacket pocket, he had the little velvet box containing the diamond ring he'd just bought for Penelope. They still hadn't told the team, but he couldn't wait for this. He loved this woman with all his heart and he couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life without her.
He smiled the moment he saw the lovely woman who'd stolen his heart. She was still in her work clothing, minus the three inch heels she'd been wearing.
"Hey Baby Girl," he said nervously. The blood was roaring in his ears and his heart was pounding in his chest. He'd never been more nervous in his entire life.
When she looked at him there were tears in her eyes and immediately he was by her side, his nervousness forgotten. He put his hands on her cheeks and tilted her face to look up at his. "Penelope, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
She took both his hands in hers and kissed both his palms. Her tears hit his hands and he became even more concerned. Finally she gave a shaky sigh and murmured, "Derek, we need to talk."
He assumed it was bad news. Maybe he would wait until she'd delivered it to him so that his proposal would cheer her up.
Moving them over to the couch, he gently helped her sit down and said, "Okay, Baby. Let's talk."
She took a deep breath and was silent several moments before continuing. "Derek, we need to break up," she whispered hoarsely. She wasn't even looking him in the eye. Her head was bent so far down he couldn't even see her face.
All the blood drained from Derek's face and if his skin had been lighter he would've looked ashen. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His whole world started to crumble immediately, along with his heart which was dissolving to ash in his chest. Stammering, he said, "Wh – what?"
She finally looked up at him. Her eyes were glazed over with tears and he almost couldn't believe it was real. "Derek, I'm sorry," she murmured. "I – I fell in love with someone else. I can't – I can't keep lying about it to me…or to you. You deserve the best in the world and I can't give that to you."
He still hadn't spoken. Was it because he couldn't believe what she had said? Was it because what she said might be true? Looking her directly in the eye, he finally said, "You don't love me?"
She nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Then why are you crying?"
"Because I hurt you," she said. "I – I never cheated on you, but I worry that if I stay any longer I might. And I would never be able to live with myself if that happened."
He glared at her. "So our whole relationship was just a lie?" he growled. "The entire time you just lied to me? Every single time?"
She bowed her head again. "I'm so sorry," she said.
Rising from the sofa, he shook his head and started for the door. "Goodbye Penelope," he grunted, his heart completely broken. As he closed the door, he heard the beginnings of her sobbing.
As he made his way back to his car, he fingered the box in his pocket and took it out. He opened the box and stared at the ring that sparkled beneath the street light. Rubbing his devastated face, he shut the box and threw it into the bushes.
Sorry about the angst :( More surprises in the next ones which I'm trying to punch out really quick to not keep you guys waiting!
