AN: I am sorry for the long break. And tank you to everyone that left a review!
AN: Like always I own nothing that is familiar.
Chapter 3: Hospitals
While the girls were on their elevator ride Hotch, Reid, and Rossi found out where Morgan's room was and that he could leave after one night of observation. Hotch went back out to the waiting room to gather the girls when they came back. As he waited Derek explained to Reid and Rossi what had happened to cause Pen to run out like she had, knowing that they would have found out anyway.
"Why are you dating her anyway?" asked one of the nurses from the surgery. She had come to check his IV drip and heard him telling them about what had happened.
"You don't know anything about either of us. And I love her, have for a long time so I would thank you for keeping your opinions to yourself especially around Penelope. She thinks that she is not good enough for me…"
"She is not, you are a 10, even your friends here are 8s and she is maybe a 5. No way she should go out with any of you much less you yourself." The nurse told him as she adjusted his pain medication.
"That is a highly inappropriate thing for you to say miss…" Rossi started shocked that she would say such a thing. Reid just looked at her too shocked to talk. "Morgan lay back down; you do not need to pull out your stitches. Use your words from where you are." Rossi ordered when he notice him starting to get out of bed.
"Listen to me ma'am," Derek snarled from his bed as he had lain back down as ordered. "You have no right to judge any of us, much less my woman. She is the most loving, caring, beautiful woman I have ever met. She is worth a million women like you, who think they are better then others because of their looks. Penelope is perfect for me, she is my solace during the hard times and I am hers. I can tell her anything and she would never once judge me. We have the best foundation for a relationship ever; we have been best friends for years. Did you listen to our conversation at all in there? Incase you did not catch on we were talking about us, never anyone else. The disappearing thing that she can do is not to make herself disappear it is to make someone's life a living hell. She is dangerous with a computer that is how she got her job at the FBI to begin with. Now if you are done you can leave. In the future please send anyone else in to check on me. I would like you to never be around myself or any of my friends or family, and I will not have my woman being harassed by someone like you." Derek's voice was hushed and icy his face was contorted in pent up rage. His hands clenched next to him and Rossi and Reid had stood up ready either to make Morgan lie back in the bed or to force her out of the room.
Shocked the nurse stood there a moment, until Reid started to walk towards her to make her leave the room, then she waved him off and turned to leave only to be blocked by the rest of the team in the doorway. Quickly Hotch, JJ, and Emily moved out of the way so that she could get out around Garcia. She was staring at Derek in Shock herself; he had basically just slapped this beautiful nurse in the face for her! Without knowing she was there he quieted her biggest fear about them being a couple, he loved her no matter what she looked like, even though she sided with the nurse.
"Hey Baby Girl, come lay with me. You look like you could use the rest." He called to her, trying to make sure she did not bolt again. He basically professed his love for her just now and he did not want her escaping him again when he could not chase her.
"Good idea, both of you take a nap. Reid, JJ, and Emily at least will be here when you wake up. Rossi and I have some things to handle but then we will be back." Hotch ordered, "You three should see about getting some recliners and napping as well, our late night call will ruin what semblance of a sleep schedule you do have while we are at home."
First they stopped at Penelope's apartment to check on the progress there. It was still quartered off as a crime scene as one of the charges against Kevin was breaking and entering and the whole place had to be tossed for evidence for his assault of Derek and Penelope. Both looked at the faces working the scene and were not surprised to see the very best of the best that the FBI had working hard. Hotch walked up to the agent guarding the door and flashed his badge.
"I am sorry sirs but we have orders that none of your team return to Miss Garcia's apartment until it has been gone over with a fine tooth comb." He answered not even looking at the badge, knowing that standing before him were two of the top profilers of the FBI.
"Alright then tell your tech team that last night I planted a few bugs in the apartment, mostly the bedroom to catch this little fight on the record. We were not certain he would come but Penelope was scared to stay by herself. Tell them that they may not find forced entry but that they should look at his keys as he made copies that she did not give to him, and check with the security company he did not enter the right code."
"Yes, sir. I will let them know. Have a good day sirs." He told them as they walked back to their SUV.
"Now I think it is time that we go talk to the director, we are going around Strauss this time, which is something that you are going to have to smooth over with her." Hotch said as they arrived back at headquarters.
"You aren't even going to let me try and get her to concede?" Rossi asked shocked.
"No, that would be good while they are in the BAU but what would happen if either of them were to leave the FBI, or in other departments they need to be able to tell each other everything. That is not something she can do and it is not something I want them to ever have to worry about." Hotch explained. "So come with me as back up, and then I will give you some time to handle her while I go pick up some clean clothes for Derek and Pen from Derek's place."
They walked purposefully into the FBI and went straight to the director's office knowing that he had been called in to deal with the whole fiasco between Derek, Penelope, and Kevin. There was no one in his outer office as it was still before 5am so they knocked on his door and waited to be beckoned into the room.
"You two, I should have guessed… Never mind… I assume that you are here to talk about why your two agents got into this mess?" the director asked.
"No sir, we know why. Penelope came to Derek and myself and told us that she had broken up with Kevin because he had been hurting her and now he was stalking her. He had broken in once before and she had not had time to change her locks so she asked that we help her prove that he was hitting her and that he had broken into her apartment. Derek and Penelope have been friends for years each comforting the other through are tougher cases, so it was natural for Derek to be there comforting her through her break up. They asked me to man the camera so to speak. I planted bugs through out her apartment to capture whatever Kevin did. You will see that none of my team did anything wrong."
"If this is true then why are you here? We would have come to that conclusion eventually." The director asked not liking the look that passed between the two senior agents.
"Like I said Derek and Penelope have been best friends for as long as they have known each other. Recently after both of them nearly died in one way or another they have figured out that they mean more to each other then just friends, something that my team has been seeing growing for a long time now. We had a talk not long before Penelope got shot if they would ever realize that they loved each other. They have not acted on this yet, though they have talked about their feelings, which is a huge step for both of them. I feel that they should be granted an exception, they flirted at work before they knew they were in love and it is part of what keeps my team sane they need the happiness that comes from these two. I believe that we would function at the same level if not better if they were allowed to have this exception." Hotch started.
"They do not know that we are here doing this for them though they had planned to try and talk to Strauss. I agree with Aaron that it would not change the team we function as a family it is how they survive the worst of the worst cases they talk to one another something that Pen and Derek will always need to do, it is a large part of their relationship. The reason we came to you instead of Strauss is that we feel that no matter their position in the FBI or if one of them were to leave the FBI that they would still need to be able to talk to one another and sometimes that means more details then Hotch or I could give to our ex-wives. We felt that you could have them sign something and get Derek a higher clearance level to match Penelope's so that they could talk about whatever they would need to with one another and not have to worry about all the rules." Rossi finished, both Agents watched the director for any clue about his thoughts as they waited for his response.
But he kept his face calm and unreadable as he thought it through and started responding. "Getting Derek's clearance level that high will take a lot of doing, Penelope has the highest clearance level because if she did not have access to the information she would just hack into it anyway, and we do not want it getting around that any government database is hackable. That and she works on the programs built to protect those government databases. There will be a lot of testing and a lot of paper work for them, more for him then her as she already has the clearance. There will be ground rules like she must learn to shut a gun, and she must keep one in a safe in her office and another in a safe in her home, she must take it with her when she goes on a case with the team. And keep it on her while working the only time she can put it in a safe is when she is at whatever hotel. Second there must not be any touching at work, especially kissing. They can hug we he leaves for a case but that is it nothing beyond what they would do currently. They will not flaunt their relationship to any other employees, no one but your team can know that they are dating." When he paused Rossi asked hopefully,
"So that is a yes?"
"It is an 'If they follow the rules.'" The director conceded knowing that these two were right, about the points that they had made. Hotch and Rossi stood and sock his hand. When Hotch had walked out expecting Rossi to follow Rossi said a few more things.
"Derek and Penelope are not the only ones on the team that could do with that frat rule exception. JJ and Reid could as well, now that JJ's good for nothing husband left her Reid has stepped up to help her with Henry, and I know that Reid loves JJ and JJ loves Reid but they know that they can't do anything about those feelings. Then there is Hotch and Emily, she is the only one I have seen cause him to smile since before Haley left him. With him it is a harder read but I would put money on him loving her as much as she loves him."
"I will think about that, anyone special for yourself?" the director asked sarcastically.
"I have one already, if you remember I was retired before I came back, which means my life was my own. When I came back I had to be given one as I was already married to her, I try and keep it quite though my team would not understand. It was just before your predecessor left so you may not have known." Rossi explained. "Our team apparently takes its family expression a little further the outside observers might see. Though I don't see them welcoming my wife into the fold as easily as they have with me and Emily."
"Who…?"
"You will have to look it up. I normally don't even bring that into the parking garage. We leave it at home were we kiss goodbye like any other couple leaving for work in separate cars." Rossi said as he exited the office.
Back in the SUV Hotch shot Dave a look before saying, "Thanks for that with the director. Asking for myself seems tacky." He paused before continuing as if expecting Rossi to say something, "I wondered why you did not have any pictures of your wife in your office. I knew you were married but no pictures."
"That is part of the rules no pictures that look like family portraits especially if you are rumored to not even get along with the person. You guys could probably get away with shots together as long as you have team shots up as well. Keep pictures of Jack separate from pictures of Emily and the team and no outsider would guess. Derek already has a picture of himself and Penelope on his desk as does Penelope. Reid has one of him and JJ from a football game, and JJ has the same picture. You guys already act like family and they can't take that away in your rules." He explained.
"My guess based on what you just said, and what you told the director is that your wife is Strauss, and while you are right I don't understand it is not my place if you are happy be happy I don't need to understand." Hotch guessed watching his co-worker's surprise.
"Isn't there a rule against inter-team profiling?"
"Exactly so from here on out that thought is forgotten and you will not hear another word about it. Though what are you going to do when the girls try and figure out why no pictures and why you never ring her when the team is together?"
"Explain to them that my wife likes to keep family things family and work things work, and if means I go for a beer before coming home she is okay with that."
Hotch let it go, he really could see them together but he did not see the attraction to Strauss that Rossi must. He hoped for Dave's sake that she relaxed at home. They pulled into Derek's drive and went on alert, there was a car in his driveway with the trunk open and the front door to his house was open. Neither drew their weapons but they unclipped them and walked slowly towards the house.
When Fran Morgan walked out of the door they both relaxed but she jumped nearly out of her skin.
"Dear Father in Heaven, do you have to scare an old lady?" She asked Hotch recognizing him from the time they had met in Chicago when the cops there had been trying to pin a few murders on Derek. "Do you know where my son is? He said he would pick me up at the airport."
"Yes, and he must have forgotten that you were flying in. Did you find a rental car okay?" Hotch answered.
"Yes and it will be nice to have a car while I am here instead of borrowing Derek's while he is at work. So why are you here instead of Derek?" She asked suspiciously as Hotch and Rossi helped her get the remaining groceries from the trunk of her rental car.
"I'll explain everything once we have put all the perishables away. Dave will help you while I gather what we came for." Hotch told her heading for Derek's bedroom.
"I do not like this." Fran told Rossi as she did as she was told, "I don't like it at all. Something happened to Derek didn't it?"
"Derek will be fine…" He started.
"Will be! What do you will be?" She shouted.
"It was nothing too major and he gets to leave after only a night of observation. I promise we will tell you everything on the way over there but right now Hotch is gathering some things for Derek and Penelope and I would hate to see the money you just spent on all this food going to waste so lets get it put away before Hotch is done."
By the time Hotch returned with a bag full of essentials and some clean comfortable clothes for both of them they had managed to put everything away and were waiting by the door. As soon as the car was in gear Fran asked again what had happened to her son.
By the time they reached the hospital Fran had calmed. They had reassured her that Derek was okay. She was happy that Penelope had broken up with Kevin, hopefully now Derek would get his head out of his ass and see how much she meant to him. They had not explained that Derek had already pulled his head out of his ass, the wanted to let that be a surprise.
AN: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought of the chapter or the story so far.
