Disclaimer: I own nothing.

So I know you're all looking forward to Penelope getting to the mansion! Well, here's the beginning of her journey there :) Can't get her there all at once...where would the suspense be otherwise?

Thank you so much for your reviews and support with this story! I very much appreciate it :) I hope you all enjoy this next chapter in which we make a journey five months into the future where we meet a little Morgan self assessment and some drama for darling Penelope.

Enjoy and please READ AND REVIEW :)

Five Months Later

"Freddie, I was wondering where your spare toothbrushes are?"

Penelope came out of Freddie's bedroom, wearing nothing but one of his button downs and a her hair piled on top of her head. Since their first meeting at the bar and eventual sex on the first night, she'd been spending time with Freddie a few nights a week. Their relationship consisted of booze and sex, nothing more and Penelope was just happy with that. They'd never even gone on dates. Ashley consistently thought she could do better and was sure to tell her so, but she didn't care at the moment.

All she was interested in was no strings attached sex.

"Check the hall closet," he called from the kitchen where he was brewing a pot of coffee.

When she came out of the bathroom, hair damp from a shower and smelling like pears and teeth clean, she headed to the kitchen dressed in her skirt and blouse from the day before. She grinned cheekily at Freddie. "Hey sweet thing," she purred, pecking him on the lips. "I'm headed out."

He smiled and swatted her bottom as she walked away. "I'll catch you later," he said.

"Au revoir!" she called as she made it out the door. She left Freddie's condo building and headed for her huge orange Cadillac she'd fondly named Esther, settling in the front seat and starting to drive off in the direction of her apartment that she'd finally moved completely into. Her walls had been painted purple. She had hung beads in place of doors. Her knick knacks were all over the place. It was wonderful. Ashley even came down to help finish getting it ready. She'd missed all the girl time they used to have together. The whole week she'd been there was the best week she'd had since she'd arrived in Quantico.

The job she'd originally thought would be boring had grown downright exhausted. A whole new BAU had been established and were working hard on all sorts of cases. She was busy, but happy. She was doing what she'd set out to do: help people.

When she reached home, she found someone waiting for her in front of her door that she didn't expect.

"Brad?" she gasped.

Her over six foot tall ex-boyfriend with coal blue eyes and wispy blonde hair grinned at her. Moving forward from his place of leaning against the wall, he said, "Hey Baby. It's been a long time."

She stopped and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah," she said softly. "It has been a long time since I've seen you...in bed with a dental hygienist." She knew she should, but she couldn't stop herself from feeling the assault of hurt come all over again. The hurt from her heartbreak. The hurt from the betrayal.

His eyes closed and he exhaled deeply. "I know," he said. "And that's why I came across the country. I wanted to apologize to you, Baby. I love you, Penelope. You're the best thing that ever happened to me and I can't stand to be apart from you again."

Even after his declaration of undying, eternal love, Penelope knew it was fake. She knew he wasn't really in love with her. If he was, he wouldn't have ever treated her the way he had. He wouldn't have cheated on her. Laughing, she shook her head. "Brad," she said. "You broke my heart and you expect just a few words and a three thousand mile trip are going to make me take you back?"

He held up his hands to protest. "Pen -"

She shook her head vigorously. "No!" she said. "I didn't speak up enough about it in Seattle, so I'm going to do it now. I thought when we met that you were extremely shallow and I thought that as we dated it might change because I like to believe the best in people. But you consistently proved that you couldn't. When I found out you were cheating on me, it was all confirmed. You don't have the ability to care for me. I wanted to believe that there was more to you. You're a pig."

Brad just blinked at her. "Penelope," he said, turning on the charm. "Give me another chance. I'm begging you." He went towards her and dropped to his knees.

"Oh, please Brad," she snorted. "Get the hell up!"

He grinned up at her. "Please, Babe. One more chance. Let me take you out to dinner and show you - prove to you! - how I've changed. I'll prove it."

Biting her lip, Penelope couldn't control her nature. It wasn't like her to throw someone aside if they were begging for a chance to redeem themselves. Sighing, she nodded. "Fine," she said grudgingly. "Pick me up at eight. But don't get your hopes up."

He took both her hands and kissed them fervently. "You won't be sorry," he said confidently. "I promise you."

Somehow Penelope wasn't so sure.

XXXXX

"The roses are looking great, Hotch," Derek said, his hands in his pockets.

Currently he was walking around in the palatial surrounding grounds of the mansion. He'd taken to dressing himself in nothing but sweat pants and a zip up hoodie with the hood up to cover his face most of the time. Most of his days he spent his time outside in the gardens and the wooded trails where no one else was. It was fall now, five months into his curse. He knew he needed to find a girl to love him, but so far he hadn't gotten the courage to find his way out of his seclusion. Even his team couldn't bring him any help. There was no teasing of Reid, no laughing and joking with Rossi and Prentiss.

He was a recluse, just like Strauss said he would become.

Hotch gave him a small smile. "I don't know how these are staying alive," he said. "They should be dead."

Derek grunted. "Yeah, well we shouldn't look like this," he snapped. "Why shouldn't a load of white roses stay alive." He groaned and sat down on a stone bench. "I'm sorry, man. I shouldn't be getting all up in your face."

Hotch sighed and sat down next to him. "You know, I understand why you're so upset," he said. "I'd hate being in this situation. Being pressured to fall in love? That doesn't sound so good. I know after Haley was killed I thought I had to find someone else, but something like that can't be forced. You can't just force yourself to find love." He paused for a moment.

"I'm sensing a 'but' here," Derek said sullenly.

"I think you can find it," he murmured. "You can find someone to love you and someone you can love with all your heart. You just have to try."

A moment of silence covered the chilly grounds, the white roses, and the two men. It was almost serene as they looked up at the sunny, cloudless sky. That one moment of Hotch's confidence and faith in him actually made him feel better than he had.

And so he made his decision to get out and about. He was going to emerge for the first time in five months. He was going to try his luck.

He'd go into the city and try and find a girl. One who would hopefully find a way to look past his face.

But not before a run. Running would clear his head and give him a chance to think about himself. There were things he needed reevaluate. For sure. His boss was entirely right. He could find someone. If he looked back at himself, changed his ways from womanizing and nonchalant behavior, he could do it.

And Hotch believed he could find love.

It was time to take a shot.

Rising from his place on the bench, he clapped Hotch on the back and said, "I'm going for a run, man. Thanks for the pep talk." And then he took off onto one of the woods trails, disappearing into the trees.

XXXXX

"How's that online profile coming?" Emily demanded, rushing into the library. "Have we made Morgan sound as studly as possible?"

Rossi nodded from his laptop. "Yes," he said, raising a thumb in the air. "We are all set to launch Derek Morgan's online dating profile. No picture of course, but then again we can't really do that. Absolutely no one would request."

Emily punched his arm and sat down next to him. "Oh, come on," she muttered. Grabbing the computer from his grasp, she began to observe his handy work. Her mouth fell open. "No, no, no!" Instantly her nimble fingers started flying clumsily across the keyboard.

"What?" Rossi demanded. "What's wrong?"

"You can't say that he enjoys long walks on the beach," she snapped. "That's just stupid! Cliche, definitely not Morgan. The man rides a frickin' motorcycle, he doesn't drive a patty wagon!" She snorted. "Pfft."

Rossi glared at her. "Jesus, Prentiss," he grumbled. "Blunt much?"

"You got a better idea? Seriously? Do you think that putting long walks on the beach and..." She paused to read more before groaning audibly. "Oh my God! Rossi! You idiot! You can't put wine tasting on here! Another cliche! No wonder you have three divorces to your name!"

"I happen to be a very classy guy," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Reid looked up from the book he was reading and smirked at them. "Calm thyselves, children," he said, flipping a page.

"Reid's right," JJ said, entering the library with both the boys trailing after her. "You two have been at each other's throats for five months. Give it a rest." She led the boys to the TV in one of the smaller studies and set them up playing with the Wii. "Both of you boys, play the game, okay?"

"Yep!" they both cried excitedly.

"Good," JJ said, reemerging into the main part of the grand library. She sat down with the rest of the occupants of the library. "So, how's it going? Anything on the curse in the books?"

Reid sighed and set the book down on the table in front of him. "There's nothing," he said. "Nothing about a curse like this except in fairy tales. And they all have the same way of breaking the spell: undying, eternal, true love. And Morgan's been cooped up in his room or out running in the woods. Unless he finds a wood nymph, there's no possible way this curse is getting broken."

She groaned and Emily couldn't suppress a giggle. JJ turned her attention to her and glared. "What?" she asked. "What's so funny?"

"You just sound so funny when you groan with that new accent," she laughed.

JJ rolled her eyes. "Not so new," she grumbled. "I've sounded like this for five months now." She looked into the room where her son and Jack were playing like there was nothing wrong. The both of them had adjusted relatively quickly to their new appearances and the appearances of the rest of the team. She sighed forlornly. Was her child going to grow up for the rest of his life looking like someone he wasn't? Was the rest of team going to be unlike themselves for the rest of their lives?

Reid was completely correct; with Morgan spending all his time locked away from the rest of the world, spending his days in the gardens and woods, it seemed highly likely they would all remain someone they weren't.

For the rest of their lives.

XXXXX

Instead of his usual sweatpants, Morgan traded them in for a pair of jeans. He kept the hoodie so he could keep his face hidden, but until he reached the city, his helmet would keep his face hidden. As he slid it on and started his Ducati, he fired the engine up and sped down the long winding driveway of the mansion and onto the road, eager to find himself back in the city. He hadn't felt this alive since he'd been cursed.

As he drove at least fifteen miles over the speed limit towards the city, he relished the feel of the wind against his body, feeling like he was flying across the asphalt. Hotch's short, albeit helpful pep talk had inspired him to get off his ass and take a look around. There had to be some woman out there who could see him for something more than just the beast he had become.

A woman he could fall just as much in love with as she might with him.

XXXXX

"So he just showed up?" Ashley squeaked over Skype as Penelope was getting ready for her date. She had dialed up her best friend to get advice on what she should wear and so far the most Ashley had managed to get out was how shocked she was that Brad had showed up to Penelope's door. "He even got down on his knees?"

Penelope was sliding herself into a slinky black dress and she said, "I'm just as surprised as you are, sweetie."

"Why are you giving that substantial douche bag a second chance, Penelope?" Ashley asked, her tone turning more serious. "He doesn't deserve you. You deserve the best in the world and Brad is just...scum on the bottom of a fucking boat. He's a shit head. If he hurts my best friend again I swear to God I'll kill him."

Looking down at the computer, Penelope smiled at her compassionate best friend. "Oh, thanks, Ash," she said. "I just have to give him a second chance though. He deserves it. Everyone deserves a second chance."

"You have a heart of gold," Ashley said. "I would never be able to do that. I wish I had your capacity to believe in someone and that there's more to them."

A ring on the doorbell caused her to look up towards the door. She looked at Ashley and said, "I've got a date to get to!"

Ashley smiled softly. "Go get him girl," she said. "I hope he really has changed."

"So do I," Penelope murmured.

Can anyone guess who Brad is supposed to be? ;)

As always, please read and review! I love getting feedback from you guys :)