Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Here's the seventh chapter! Thank you all for the reviews! I'm glad you guys are liking this. We've got some bumps ahead for the dynamic duo, but happiness will be there in the end. Enjoy!
P.S. – I haven't mentioned her at all in this, but Erin Strauss is still alive in this fic. So, another pairing: Strauss/Rossi. I'm also planning a oneshot about the two of them, so keep your eyes peeled.
1 Month Later
"How are you feeling right now?" Derek asked Penelope gently.
Penelope had essentially been living with Derek again for the past month, but the two of them had been completely platonic. He'd been nothing but supportive and kept up with everything. And she was grateful for it. She could absolutely count on his love and she knew every time she pushed him away it hurt him. And it hurt her as well. But she couldn't stand how much she had hurt him. She couldn't help but feel guilty about what she'd done to him. She'd broken his heart and that was the worst thing she could have done.
At the moment she was feeling relatively crummy on a morning before work. She was vomiting and feeling clammy. He was holding her back and had a cool towel on standby to dab at her forehead. A hand was on her back, rubbing and comforting.
"A little," she mumbled, wiping her mouth with a piece of toilet paper. Rising from the ground, she patted her shoulder and hugged him softly. "I appreciate it." Dusting off her pencil skirt, she murmured, "Let's go to work."
He looked at her with concern and said, "Are you sure? We can take you to the doctor and –"
She put a finger to his lips and shook her head. "No, Derek," she said. "I'm not going to the doctor. Let's just go to work. You've got a case and I've got to present it. So…let's go get coffee."
He looked at her reluctantly and out of the blue pulled her into his arms for an embrace. "Okay, Baby," he murmured against her hair. "But if you feel any worse can you promise me you'll go in? I just don't want to see you hurting." Keeping her in his arms, he cupped the side of her face. "Please."
His eyes were so full of love and compassion. It was as if his heart was in his eyes and he was pouring it out to her. Penelope sighed. She didn't understand how he could be so forgiving of what she did. "I promise," she whispered. And then she leaned up and kissed him. "If I feel any worse, I'll go to the doctor."
Lighting up, he grinned. The brightness entered his eyes and he said, "Good. That's good." As they started for the door, he stopped her again and murmured, "Can I tell you something, Penelope?"
"What?" she asked. "What do you want to ask me?"
"Can I tell you I love you?"
She paused like a deer in the headlights, feeling like she was put on the spot. But the truth was she was just as much in love with him as he was with her. She wanted to say it to him just as badly. So smiling, she nodded and said, "Yes. But only if I can tell you those words first." When his thousand watt grin lit up his face, she murmured, "Derek Morgan, I love you. With every fiber of my being, I love you."
Lifting her off her feet, he twirled her around in circles and rested his forehead against hers. "I love you more than anyone in the whole world," he declared. "That is the god-honest truth, Penelope."
XXXXX
JJ was pleased when she arrived at work and found Morgan escorting Penelope gently into the building. Ever since the tragic confession, no Jackie had been seen again and Morgan had been nothing less than the most caring man in the world.
"I'm so glad they're doing well," Reid said, coming up next to JJ and grinning. "It's good that they're supporting each other. I hated all those fights. They were awful. I missed those god-awful flirts they tossed back and forth. Not my favorite Morgan and Garcia moment."
"More like period," JJ said. "That was months of fighting. That was the worst thing I've ever seen in the BAU history. Outside of the cases, mind you."
"Another thing I find funny is that Jackie just quietly dropped off the face of the Earth," Reid pondered. "There's nothing about that woman that screamed 'quiet' to me. It doesn't quite fit her profile."
A laugh bubbled out of JJ's throat. "So she's an unsub now?" she giggled. "I didn't like her –"
"'Didn't like her?'" Now Reid was the one laughing. "JJ, you practically wanted to rip her throat out. And I'm not saying it's without good reason, but you didn't just dislike her. You hated her."
Rolling her eyes, she said, "Eh, let's not battle semantics. I just think trying to call her an unsub is just a little ridiculous. She's a bitch, not a psychopath." She paused a moment. "Although it would be nice to lock her ass up. There's not a Prada for her to spend oodles of money on. I'd like to see her in a nice orange jumpsuit."
"But orange is so not her color!" Reid looked at her gaping mouth and said, "What? Isn't that something I should've said?"
JJ just patted his shoulder. "Don't hurt yourself, Spence," she said.
XXXXX
Derek was in the small kitchenette area getting a cup of coffee when Rossi came in next to him. He leaned back against the counter and fixed Derek with his look when he was about to embark on a long conversation. Derek turned to look at him. "What's up, Rossi?" he asked, sipping his coffee. "Something on your mind?"
"How's Penelope doing?" Rossi asked quietly, jumping right into the conversation. He meant business. Strictly business.
He sighed. "She's hanging in there," he murmured, staring down into the steaming liquid in his mug. He felt a wave of thought coming over him and he had to struggle to keep his head level and in the moment with Rossi. "She wakes up in the middle of the night screaming a couple of times a week. "I've been sleeping on the floor outside the door so I can get there quickly."
"You're sleeping on the floor outside her door?" Rossi asked, arching an eyebrow.
"When I am sleeping," he grumbled. "I don't want to. I just – I just –"
"Want to get to her the immediate second she needs you?" Rossi finished for him.
Derek nodded numbly.
Rossi clapped him on the shoulder. "I know how you feel, kid," he said. "I would do that for Erin. She's still struggling with the drinking and the only thing that helps her when she gets really bad in the middle of the night is holding her. Not too tight, but just holding her and letting her know that she's strong and that she can fight through anything that jumps towards her. She can fight it because nothing is too powerful that she can't beat it." He looked at Derek much closer in the eye.
Looking at him curiously, Derek asked, "You think that I should try it with Penelope?"
"If she wants," Rossi returned.
Derek rubbed his face. "I just don't want her to think I'm trying to make a move on her," he said. "I don't want her to think I want to pressure her. I would never sleep with her again if that's what she wanted. I'll do whatever she wants, whatever she asks."
"And I think she knows that," Rossi said confidently. "The woman loves you too. I wouldn't worry too much about the sex…she won't be able to keep her hands off of you for the rest of her life." He gave him a wink and glanced down at his watch quickly. "Looks like we've got to get going. Hotch said we were wheels up in twenty, so you know it's going to be a messed up one."
Derek nodded mutely, following Rossi out of the kitchen to go say goodbye to Penelope before he left.
