Disclaimer: I hate saying it but I do not own Criminal Minds

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So it marked him. Him grabbing me gave me a mark, one that I had kept well hidden until Derek caught a glimpse of it and that was it.

He went AWOL. Literally.

I calmed him, Doug didn't come back.

So we sorted our other problems out. We spoke to Hotch and Rossi together, Rossi frogmarched to Strauss and by some miracle the ice queen granted out relationship okay under the deal that we didn't show it up at work.

Well I wouldn't change all my Penelope ways now would I? Nicknames and shameless flirty came from day one... why disappoint with taking that away, eh?

Doug didn't come back for a least 3 weeks, Derek didn't pressurize me to talk about Doug but now, now's the time.

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Penelope was walking up the apartment, near enough wrapped around Derek's right hand, totally absorbed in him. 'So let me get this right, you nearly burnt the house down and your mom still gets Christmas cards?' She laughed.

'Yup.' He said pointedly. 'I was kid!' He then defended and saw the look in Penelope eyes. 'I love you.' He kissed her as she dug blindly for the keys.

'Mm, now are we still keeping this PG-13, or do I get to invite you in tonight?' She asked him.

'Let's go the adult route shall we?' He teased her as she opened her door and he pinched her bum, she yelped then giggled as they entered the apartment. 'Drink?' She asked as she turned lights on.

'Yeah, whatever you're having baby.' Penelope halted still when she heard a noise, frozen at the noise. 'What's up?'

'Can't you hear that?' She asked and pointed towards her bathroom. 'Someone's in there.'

That was when Derek heard singing as the sound of running water stopped and toilet flushed, the door opened and Doug wandered out. 'Oh! Penny you're home! I ordered too much take out, left it in the fridge just in case.'

'Doug!' Penelope gasped and looked at Derek worriedly.

'What's going on here?' Derek asked fuming, unknown if at Penelope or Doug. 'What are you doing here?'

'Oh Penny asked me stay with her.'

'She did what?' Derek burst out.

'The hell I did!' Penelope said in an aggressive growl. 'I chucked you out of here nearly 4 weeks ago! How did you get in this time?'

'Penny you gave me a key.'

'Stop calling me Penny! I don't want you around here! Get the hell out of here!' Penelope said forgetting Derek was there, he was slightly taken back by her anger, it was a rarity to see and it wasn't the sight you wanted when you knew Penelope as the kind light hearted loveable woman of the BAU. He watched her approach him pointing an accusatory finger at him. 'I should be in the right mind to call the police! Heck I don't need to I have an FBI agent standing behind me! If you don't get out of my apartment and out of my life in the next 30 seconds I won't be held responsible for my actions.'

Doug smirked at her. 'Much like me you mean?'

Penelope saw red in that instance. 'Yes just like you! You should've been locked up for what you did! I've seen monsters like you chucked into jail for life, you think just 'cause I didn't get the chance to send you down last time that I won't? Where there's a will there's a way Doug.'

'Look at you Penelope Garcia, sticking up for herself. It's a sight to behold really it is.'

'Yeah well living with you taught me that evil lives in close domains.' She snapped at him. 'Now get out!'

'Let me do the honours.' Derek piped out after staying quiet, anger bubbling in him at what he had just witnessed, his mind making a list to boost up Penelope's safety. He stepped in and grabbed Doug's shirt collar. 'I really don't like you and if you don't leave my girlfriend alone I'll follow through on that threat.' He opened the door and swung Doug out not caring if he got hurt, he then shut the door, locked it from the inside and turned to Penelope who stood with angry tears streaming her face. 'Baby girl...' He said touching her arm.

'Don't touch me.' She whispered. 'As much as I want you to, I just don't want to hate you like I hate him right now.'

'Talk to me Pen.' He watched her shake her head. 'Come on, I'm in this for the long haul, I want to know what's making you so angry, and why you hate him so much.' He told her concerned. 'I want to know everything Penelope, so I can help you the best I can.' It was then Penelope reached out and took his hand and led him to the couch.

'Me and Doug, we... we were engaged, my mom and dad loved him, we'd been together years but after my parents died, he, well, snapped and he used to beat me for no reason.' Now it was Derek's turn to see red. 'I couldn't leave him because as much as I wanted to, I loved him.' She was silently crying now, her perfect makeup running streaks down her face. 'The final straw came when my best friend came round to see me, she was concerned, no one had seen me for a while and she knew why when I finally opened the door.

I had bruises everywhere and just like that she came in and started packing my bags for me, she was taking me to her house so her and her husband could protect me, look after me, get me some safety.' He wiped her eyes at that time. 'Except, Doug came home just as we were leaving, he pushed me to the floor and went for Kelly, she put up a fight and then he threw her and she hit her head. I went for him but he was too fast.' She bit down hard on her lip and Derek could imagine that if she didn't have red lipstick on her lip would be white from the pressure. 'He locked the front door and dragged me to the kitchen, my hair gripped in his hands and he grabbed a knife, he hadn't seen Kelly get back up but she smashed a vase over his head and in return he swung around and sliced her throat, it wasn't deep but she was bleeding out too much, I put up a fight but he threw me down and beat me and then what felt like eternity he ran when the sirens sounded out.' She was crying more now as she remembered. 'I got to Kelly but I knew I was too late, she was dying there and all I could do was cradle her as she bled out.

She died after a couple of more minutes, just before help got there and she left a husband behind and it was my fault, if she hadn't come round she'd still be alive.'

'Baby girl.' Derek said cradling her in his arms as she sobbed. 'You do realise it wasn't your fault right?' She shook her head. 'You didn't know he'd do that.'

'No but he did and she would still be alive had she not cared so much about me. Me, it was me she came to see, me she came to help and me that let him hurt her.' Derek knew to cease all attempts to make her think differently, he'd try again another time for now he needed to give her this release.

It was after too long of her just clinging to him that she looked up. 'Don't leave me.'

'Didn't plan on it.' He whispered back with a promise in his eyes. He then took her in his arms and laid her down on her bed. Before he did anything else he just laid next to her, cuddling her as they both fell asleep

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Derek finds that night amusingly loveable. Our first night we slept together.

I guess he was right.

We slept next to one another, holding one another, clinging to the one love we had all night. Fully dressed and, you know what? Nothing felt better than waking up the next morning.

It had been the first night without a guilty nightmare.

Doug thought he was clever with his reappearances but he underestimated me, and Derek and most importantly he underestimated what my family would do.

Now was time to tell all.

I knew I couldn't get Doug done without him coming back, so now was the one time I wished he would. So I could get him for everything.

For Kelly.

For me.

For Derek.

For our future.

If Doug remained uncaught, then he would be a shadow. A haunting shadow that would live with me for eternity.

That I couldn't live with.

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