"Aw look how cute they are." JJ whispered as she and Spencer walked into the hospital room and saw Penelope and Derek all cuddled up to each other, sound asleep.

"Let's go grab some coffee and come back later, they look so calm and Pen really needs her rest, I don't want to wake them." JJ said and Spencer agreed.

JJ quickly took a picture of the sleeping pair before her and Spencer quietly left the room.

———

Derek was first to wake up, he couldn't help but smile as he gently brushed a few strands of hair out of Penelope's face.

She's so beautiful, and perfect. How could anyone ever want to hurt her? He thought to himself.

A few minutes later Penelope began to thrash around in her sleep and the steady beeping sound of her heart monitor started to quicken. Derek realized she was having a nightmare.

Derek put his hand on the side of her face softly "it's ok sweetie, wake up, you're safe." Derek said as he gently tried to coax her awake.

Penelope then woke up with a start as she quickly sat up causing pain to shoot through her ribcage. She looked around and took in her surroundings, once she realized where she was and that Derek was beside her she shakily took a deep breath and tears started to form in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She said to Derek as her voice shook.

Derek looked into her eyes "no baby, you don't ever need to apologize to me."

"We really need to talk about this, goddess." Derek told her.

They hadn't actually talked about what happened to her yet.

When the rest of the team had gone out to arrest Nelson Penelope had given JJ her statement but that was the only time that she actually talked about it.

Penelope knew that she would have to talk to Derek eventually but she was scared, talking about it makes it real and and would much rather just pretend that it didn't happen. There was also a part of her that felt guilty for what happened she felt as through she should have fought harder, like she didn't do enough to stop it, she hated the fact that she let herself become a victim again.

Just as Penelope was about to say something JJ and Spencer walked in.

"Sorry did we interrupt something?" JJ asked as she saw the tears in Penelope's eyes.

"No, no sweetie it's ok, I just had a bad dream." Penelope said forcing a smile.

"Ok, we just wanted to see how you were doing, and Henry wanted me to give this to you." JJ said as she handed Penelope a card that her son had made. "He really missed his fairy godmother. he was so excited when I told him that we found you, he keeps asking me how you're doing."

"I miss him too. You'll have to bring him over to the house once I get out of here." Penelope said with a smile as she thought about her godson.

"We have some stuff to do at the office, and I think you two need some time to talk so we're going to go." JJ said then she gave Pen a hug and left with Spencer.

Derek looked at Penelope.

"I know, I know, we need to talk." Penelope said knowing that she couldn't avoid the conversation any longer.

Derek sat down at the end of the bed and took Penelope's hands into his. Penelope took a deep breath and asked "what do you want to know?"

"I want to know everything."

So Penelope told him everything from the moment she got off of the phone with him that night to the moment when she was lying in the road in excruciating pain with Derek holding her hand. She told him how Nelson would beat her until she couldn't move, how he would whip her until she had blood running down her back, how he would choke her until she was barely conscious, how she tried to escape and how bad she was punished for it, how he would hit her, and tase her, and stab her. She told him everything.

"I thought I was going to die." Penelope said with tears streaming down her face. "I thought I was going to die, alone and scared in that room in the basement. I didn't think that i would ever see the sun again. I didn't think I would ever not be in pain. I didn't think that I would ever see you again."

"I am so, so proud of you baby girl. You are so strong and you survived and you got your beautiful self back to me. I love you more than anything else, you are my whole world and I promise that I will always protect you and keep you safe so you will never have to feel scared or alone or in pain ever again." Derek said as he stared into her eyes lovingly and they held onto each other, never wanting to be apart from each other again.