Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot bunny!
A/N: Gonna let you down a little, the end of the fic is nigh... it's slowly creeping up... but for now, enjoy this! =)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Best Thing I Never Had -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"I thought you'd be happier to see me than this," Derek teased as he slipped into the booth he had left Penelope at. "Guess I wasn't that missed."
Penelope remained silent as her hands wrapped around her drink. Derek had it all wrong, he was the most missed person in her entire life. She had never felt more of a void the moment she had left than ever before. Derek was the most irreplaceable person in her life.
"You can talk to me you know, Baby. I know it's been a couple of months, but you're still my best friend," Derek told her in a calm voice. "You know nothing's changed between us. I'm always going to be here for you. There's no amount of miles that could change that, Sweet Thing."
"Kevin was cheating on me," She told him lowly and looked up slowly, "I-I left everything because he promised that I was going to get everything I have wanted for years and I got none of it. I got the wrong end of the deal here, Derek." She said and looked him dead in the eyes, "I was such a fool to ever believe that this was my big break." Penelope bit her lip and looked up to the ceiling, begging the breakdown not to happen while she was in public, "I wish I could just have some time machine and go back and get away from this- from this hell."
Derek took Penelope's hands in his then and held them tightly, "It's never too late."
"Is it not?" Penelope defied his attempts. She ignored his will to prove to her that all was forgiven and reconciliation had happened way before he was due.
Watching her hate on herself, Derek decided he needed to bite the bullet and cease the moment, "Have you ever thought that all we needed was another place, another time, bit of another life to get us to open up."
"Open up?" Penelope asked confused.
Derek smirked as he leant in, "I'm only here because I love you, Pen. If I didn't love you I wouldn't be here, believe me. If I ever thought Kevin was your absolute best then I would've left it be." Derek took her hands in his, "I can't even function without you, Penelope and that's because I never realised just how good I had it until it was gone."
Penelope saw the sorrow fill Derek's eyes. She saw how much he meant when he spoke those words.
"I'm really glad you found me then, Handsome," Penelope whispered and smiled lightly. "But I always thought Kevin was my best."
"Kevin's no one's best," Derek told her truthfully, "and if that little thing he's walking around town with think she's found her match then she's wrong. Once a cheater always a cheater. That boy will never be satisfied." He then smirked heavily, "Oh and believe me when I say that there will be a day when he will come running back to you and he would've missed out on the best thing he could've ever had."
Penelope looked down and sniffed as her tears dripped from her cheeks to the table top, "I lied to you, Derek. Why aren't you angry?"
Derek took her hand again in his, "Because I lied to you too," Derek told her genuinely. "When I saw Kevin leave that house, and a brunette kissed him goodbye, I knew that I didn't care if you got angry with me because I lied to you about seeing someone or if you'd hated me for it. I knew I had to give you my everything. I finally had the clearest opening possible and I was stealing it and making it mine forever more."
"I wanted to run to you so much in the last couple of months, but I thought you were settled back home. Without me. The more I spoke to you, the worse it hurt and I didn't want to admit that Arizona is my idea of hell. I'm so embarrassed that I upped and left and it's all falling down around me." She wiped her face clear of tears, "I mean, how did you even find me? Why are you here?"
"Well I've been in Arizona three days and I couldn't find you anywhere," Derek told her, "So I just thought I'd look around, try hot spots before ringing Hotch or Rossi for help. They gave me my ticket by the way. Told me to come and get my girl because they lost the loves of their lives and they didn't want me to end up the same." Derek told her honestly and smiled a little, shrugged his shoulders and let out a laugh, "It's been a stressful couple of days, wondering why the hell you hadn't told me about Kevin, wondering where you had gotten too, why you quit your job."
"Oh," Penelope breathed, "That."
"So why did you?" Derek asked her.
"Kevin was the worst supervisor ever," She said despondently, "My pay was under half of what it was in Quantico and I don't appreciate being told I work below standards when I made sure my perfectly manicured fingers do more than what is expected of me. How dare Kevin use this as a way for him to make it big? How dare he use me as a pawn in his life like that? Did I mean that little to him?"
"He's a selfish man, Penelope. He thought about number one and in the long run that will not get him anywhere. He will start to see his life fall apart on him and he will regret ever ruining what he had with you."
Penelope looked up at Derek fiercely then, "I was the fool that fell for it all though, Derek. The farm, the new life, my own family," She faltered again. "He used that against me. He knew I wanted to have a family, have my own children and he played on it and manipulated me." Penelope said as she started to get angry now over it all again. "I will never, ever, ever give that weasel the opportunity to destroy anything in my life again."
"Then don't let him destroy who you are," Derek told her and caught her off guard by that, "He is taking away what makes you, you, Penelope. He hurt you and you're harbouring that. You think he destroyed your life, but he hasn't. You can reclaim your life back in Quantico, and if you want to you can make his life extremely difficult with a few key strokes and he wouldn't even know."
Penelope smiled a little at him, "I knew all I needed was a little Derek Morgan down time."
"You'll be getting more than that, Baby. I have eight months to catch up on myself and boy do I plan to cherish you," Derek vowed to her with a self assured grin.
"And the fact that you're not needed in work for another three days," Penelope pointed out knowingly, "Am I right?"
"Don't you know it," Derek told her back confidently, "I will see that you're happier by the time it's up."
"Oh yeah? How you going to do that, Handsome?" Penelope asked him back. She sat there looking at him, listening to him and she realised that she couldn't see him leave her there in three days time, but she had no idea what she would have to go back to. She was stuck in a rut and she had no idea how to sort the mess out just yet.
"We'll decide that as and when, Gorgeous," He told her simply, never losing that smile.
"Okay," Penelope replied and fell silent on him. Her thoughts running rapid.
"Right," Derek broke the silence, "Where are you staying?" Derek asked her, he wasn't letting her go back there alone for another night.
"The Hilton down the road," She shrugged at him and thought back to the room that housed all of her belongings.
"Good," Derek said and slid out from his side of the booth.
"Good? Good why?" Penelope asked him confused.
Derek smirked and put his hand out for her, "That's where I'm staying too."
Penelope looked in disbelief, they had been sleeping under the same roof for days and neither had known, but somehow Penelope knew that tonight she was finally going to go to bed with a smile on her lips and not a tear on her cheek.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Best Thing I Never Had -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
