Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Hey, all! Sorry it has taken me so long to update anything. I've just started my senior year of college, so it's been a crazy couple of weeks. I really, really appreciate all of you being so patient with me!

Penelope strode into the BAU in a huff. Derek had asked if he could take Damaris to school, and Penelope was happy to oblige him if it meant she could have a chance to corner Hotch. JJ and Lewis smiled up at her as she strode past their desks, but she paid them no mind. She was too angry.

Without bothering to knock, she burst into Hotch's office. He didn't even appear stunned, just arched an eyebrow at her.

"Sir, I know that you are my boss, but I really do not appreciate being lied to!" she snapped, setting her bag down in the chair facing him. She put both hands on her hips and glared at him. "How could you not tell me Derek was the new agent? I needed time to prepare for this. To prepare my daughter for it! What on earth were you thinking?"

Pausing for a few moments, she stopped to catch her breath. Hotch merely blinked at her. "Are you done, Garcia?" he asked.

"I shouldn't be," she snapped, "but I am for now." She waited expectantly for an answer, still fuming angry, but wanting answers.

Rising from behind his desk, Hotch crossed his arms over his chest. "Garcia, I didn't tell you because I didn't want this being a distraction while we worked. I need you at your best at all times. The only way I could ensure that was if you didn't know he was the new agent."

She rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Hotch," she said. It was uncharacteristic of her to use his name, but right now the irritation was too great to ignore. "Why did you approve this? There are plenty of qualified agents out there."

None more qualified than Derek, though…she thought to herself.

"Penelope," Hotch said, also using her first name. "I don't understand the problem. You've always appeared to be on good, I would say excellent, terms with him. And I figured you would be fine with Damaris being able to see her father more often." He arched a brow, waiting for her reply in the negative that would never come. It was useless to try lying to a profiler, especially one as skilled as Hotch. He knew she wasn't as adamantly opposed to Derek being there as she tried to make it seem.

"Was I wrong?" he asked.

With a heavy sigh, she rubbed her forehead. "No," she said in a small voice. "I have a great relationship with Derek. I just…I just wish I'd known so I could have gotten Damaris ready for it. Now that he's here, he can't leave. She'll be heartbroken if he has to be transferred again. I won't let that happen."

Hotch let loose a rare smile. "I'm sure you won't," he said. Gesturing for the door, he added, "I'll be meeting him here. Why don't you go get a cup of coffee while we wait for him to get here? Then we can introduce him to the rest of the team.

XXXXX

"Mom's happy you're here," Damaris said as she and Derek walked down the street towards her high school. She glanced at her father and smiled.

Derek met Damaris' glance and laughed. He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Yeah," he said. "I know."

"She's just a little surprised, that's all," Damaris said.

Derek knew she was right. Penelope was always happy to see him, as he was her. They would always be best friends, forever connected by the fact they shared a child who they'd had at such a young age. However, his baby mama liked being in the loop on things, and a surprise like this was not something she enjoyed. Setting up surprises, sure; being on the receiving end was not her favorite thing.

"Nah, I know," he said. "It's just going to take some adjusting for her I think." He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "You know your mama and I are always gonna be okay, right? We may not be together, but I think that's probably why we've done so well with you."

Shrugging her shoulders, Damaris said, "Maybe. I guess we won't really know, though."

As he laughed, they arrived at Damaris' school. Other students mingled around, waiting for the day to begin. Damaris stopped and gave Derek a tight hug. "I'm glad you're here, Dad," she said. Holding out her hand for a fist bump, she nodded and grinned. "Dinner tonight at your new place?"

He grinned right back. "Absolutely."

Then his daughter was gone, heading inside and leaving him alone on the sidewalk. Sighing, Derek turned to head back to Penelope's apartment building where he could retrieve his car and head to Quantico to begin his first day of profiling with the Behavioral Analysis Unit.

XXXXX

"Agent Morgan, pleasure to meet you," Agent Aaron Hotchner greeted as Derek was led into his office. "Anderson, thank you for bringing him to my office."

Anderson, the mousy agent who had escorted Derek from the bullpen to the boss' office nodded. "Of course," he said. Smiling awkwardly, he added, "Glad to have you aboard, Agent Morgan. We've heard a lot about you from Penelope."

Derek shot Anderson a friendly grin. "All good I hope." He shot a glance at Hotch, too. He hoped his new boss didn't have any preconceived notions of him as nothing more than a goofball who had knocked Penelope up. She may have had great affection for him and their friendship, but that didn't change that she still thought he was the same kid he'd been in high school.

"More or less," Penelope said. Her voice came from behind Anderson, and she slithered by to enter. Giving a wry smile to Derek, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "But instead of gossiping about what I've told my team about you, I say we get on with the meeting and getting acquainted with the rest of the team. Sound good?"

Hotch nodded in assent. "Just what I was thinking," he said. "If you'll follow Garcia and I this way, we'll take you to the round table room. It's where we have all our briefings before cases."

Penelope and Derek hung back as Hotch started for the round table room. "How'd she get off to school?" she asked, her tone all business with him. She was clearly still pissed about being surprised with his announcement.

"Great," Derek said. Before they got to the door, though, he touched her arm. "Hey, hey." Her sharp look took him back slightly, but he wanted to get through to her briefly. "What's going on?"

She sighed heavily. "What?" she asked. "We have a meeting to get to."

"I just want to know what you're so bent out of shape about," he said.

Penelope didn't say a word; she just blinked at him. He had a hard time trying to read her face; it was blank. What was going on in her head that caused her to look at him as if they were strangers? He knew what the problem was: it was exactly what Damaris had said. She was still surprised that he'd shown up. But he couldn't figure out where that happiness his daughter saw was. Penelope just seemed…annoyed with his presence.

He searched her eyes still, but found nothing. "Derek, we have to get in there to meet the rest of the team," she said finally.

XXXXX

Later That Evening

Derek looked around his office after spending the majority of his day getting himself familiarized with the BAU. The agents he'd met this morning seemed to already have an idea of who he was, particularly Agent Jareau. The knowing gleam in her eyes when they'd met alerted Derek immediately to the fact Penelope had spilled all about how their lives had been entangled since childhood.

As he finished up reading yet another file of one of the BAU's most notorious killers, the Boston Reaper, his eyes found the photo of his daughter. He smiled, thinking of how in a mere few moments he would be free to leave and get dinner with her. Rising from his desk, he started packing his briefcase.

"Headed home?" a voice asked from the door.

Derek looked up to find none other than David Rossi standing in his office's doorway. Flashing the older agent a grin, Derek gave him a wave. "Yup," he said. "My daughter is supposed to be coming over for dinner at my new apartment."

Rossi nodded. "Damaris is a sweet girl," he said. "She talks about you an awful lot."

"I'm glad I live out here now so I can be closer to her," Derek said. He met Rossi at the doorway before closing the door behind them. "After her mom and I split up and they moved, it was hard to be able to see her."

"But now you've remedied that," Rossi noted as they strode toward the elevators. "I'm sure Hotch told you about all the traveling we do, though."

Derek shrugged. "Yeah, but I'm still getting to spend more time with her now than I would be living in Chicago."

Rossi clapped him on the back. "Well, I'm glad you're here, too," he said. "It'll be nice to see Garcia smile a bit more." He shot Derek a charming wink, one Derek was sure made ladies of all ages swoon when they saw it.

"What's going to make me smile?"

Both men turned to find Penelope coming towards them, her bag slung over her shoulder. She cocked her head to the side to observe them both. Derek grinned at her, recalling what Rossi had just said about him making Penelope smile. Right now she looked like she wanted to smile, but was holding it back.

"The fact you and Damaris are coming to my place for dinner," he improvised. True, he and his daughter hadn't discussed Penelope being there, but he was on a mission.

Penelope arched a perfect brow. "Oh?" She put one hand on her hip. "What makes you say that?"

"Damaris and I planned it when I dropped her off at school," he said. "We thought it'd be fun. We didn't plan on what we'd make, but if there's a woman who can take care of – "

Silencing him with a look, Penelope turned to Rossi and sighed. "Rossi, we'll see you later," she said, not making a move to go anywhere. She was clearly dismissing him.

Rossi, understanding exactly how Penelope operated, took the hint and waved to them. "I'll see you later, the both of you," he said, retreating from where they stood.

When they stood alone, Penelope narrowed her eyes and fixed Derek with a look that made him hesitate. "What is it now?" he asked. He tweaked her nose, feeling downtrodden when she flinched backward. "Baby Girl, I know I surprised you by coming here like this, but you've been acting weird all day around me. What's going on?"

"Derek, the flirting, the surprise, the attempt at taking me to lunch and calling me your baby mama in front of our boss…it's all a bit much," she said. "We're working. You can't act like a kid here. It's serious."

Rolling his eyes, Derek pulled his hand back. A flash of irritation coursed through him, even though he could see she was conflicted with her words. He knew her. Flirting like this, even with the platonic state of their relationship, was part of who they were together. There was clearly something more at play here. "Penelope, I know I've always been a bit, well, lax in my professionalism and maturity around you, but I got to where I am today because I'm good at my job. If I pulled practical jokes all the time or acted like a player at work who used the FBI to pick up women, I wouldn't have this job." He rubbed his forehead. "I'm here to be the best agent I can be and the best father I can be. I want a more permanent place in her life."

Penelope stared at him for a moment, blinking as she bit her lower lip. He searched her face for any emotion in the wake of his declaration. Then her lips quirked into a smile. She saw the sincerity and he knew she believed him.

"Okay," she said quietly. "I believe you."

If life could continue on like this, with the same feeling of happiness he had right now at the sound of her faith in him, he would have enough sustenance to make it through life without even air to breathe. With a wide smile filled with joy, Derek offered his arm to Penelope and punched elevator button.

"Shall we?" he asked.

She linked her arm through his. "We shall," she said.