AUTHORS NOTE: I don't normally do dedications but this chapter is an exception. Chapter 10 is dedicated to carolineFale she suggested "trouble in paradise" and I was completely inspired :-) I am looking for possible suggestions or requests. If you would like to read a scene between two characters or you think an issue would be fun/challenging to write about, please mention it to me in a PM or review. I sincerely appreciate all of you out there who are reading this and I hope you like this chapter even more than you liked that last 9!

Thanks!

ONCE UPON A PHONE CALL:

CHAPTER 10:

4:54pm DAY THREE:

The Albuquerque Isotopes, the minor league team located in downtown Albuquerque were hosting the Omaha Storm Chasers and they were leading in the bottom of the 5th with a score of 7-2. Derek Morgan looked around the happy faces of his children and couldn't help but smile himself. Aaron caught the large smile as it crossed his friends face and reached above Ethan's head as he nudged Derek in the arm.

"What's up?" Derek questioned as he repositioned a sleeping Olivia in his arms.

"You waited a long time to be this happy. I watched the two of you struggle to get here for years and I really don't want to see anything happen to your relationship. Penelope is good for you and you are good for her." Aaron said knowingly. "Don't screw it up now." He warned and then looked at the group. "I'm going to get a snack with Jack and Noah. Anyone want anything?"

After Aaron had compiled a list of snack food and drinks to get at the concession stand, he followed after Jack and Noah as they raced up the concrete steps. Derek looked around at everyone. Spencer was explaining the history of baseball to a bored looking Dave. Henry and Ethan were eating popcorn and looking around them in wonder. Derek smiled to himself and thought I am really lucky. Maybe Baby Girl will want to go to dinner and a movie with me tonight. After settling Olivia in her carrier and pulling the sun shade down to shield the baby from the setting sun, he pulled out his phone and texted JJ to see if she would keep the kids at the hotel so he could take Pen out.

Aaron arrived back with snacks and both boys and when Derek checked his phone and smiled Aaron looked at his friend with his eyebrow raised.

"JJ's going to keep the kids tonight so Pen and I can see a movie and get dinner." Derek volunteered.

"Good for you, Derek. Em and I will help too." Aaron assured his friend as he handed him his soda.

"Thanks man." Derek replied and then after a moment, he said quietly. "I'm afraid of tainting her."

Aaron heard his friend's hushed confession and took a deep breath before starting. "Penelope loves you Derek. I think it would taint her if you walked away more than being with you ever could. You guys balance each other out and it works Derek. You have to see that."

"I know we work Hotch. It's just Pen is like this amazing light. She sees the good in life and the world and I feel like all I see is the bad and the potential dangers in the world. I don't want her to lose her light because she's with me." Derek looked down at his hands in his lap, his tone defeated.

"Penelope is only able to feel that way because she believes in the potential for love and how amazing people can be. She isn't delusional, she knows that there danger exists but for her, it's enough to know that life has the potential to be great. She doesn't have to see it every day. She has faith that life can be amazing so she chooses to encourage others to feel the same way." Aaron paused and took a sip of his drink. "Penelope's love for you makes her as bright as she is. Without you, she would be withdrawn and depressed. Without her, you would be violent and you would take way too many risks in the field because you would have nothing to lose." Aaron concluded.

It finally clicked in Derek's head. Penelope Garcia and Derek Morgan were two halves of a whole. Yin and Yang. One without the other would leave them both looking like pale comparisons to the amazing people they were together. "Thanks." Derek said. Aaron nodded to him and the baseball game continued playing on the field as the sun set on the horizon.

7:02pm DAY THREE:

Penelope eyed Derek across the hotel room. JJ and April were talking at the little table in the corner while Ethan, Grace, Lilly and Henry all played with Derek on the floor. The kids were building things with Lego pieces and Derek was making up voices for their "monsters". Penelope watched Derek play with the kids and instead of her heart warming at the sight, she was feeling an annoying tugging of her mind. Since arriving back at the hotel, Penelope had showed her hair and Lilly's 2 pink streaks to Derek. He had initially not said anything but then pasted a fake smile on his face and twirled Lilly in the air and suggested they play with Legos. Penelope checked the hotel alarm clock. She had been back for more than an hour and Derek had yet to say a single word to her. The sting of rejection made her eyes water a little and after one last glance in Derek's direction, she turned and walked out of the hotel room.

7:06pm DAY THREE:

Emily walked into the connected hotel room. She recognized JJ and April sitting at the table. Derek playing with the kids but she didn't see Penelope.

"Hey Derek, do you know where Pen is? Noah and Jack wanted to run something by her." Emily questioned passively as she scanned her cell phone for new email messages.

"No." Derek answered shortly.

Emily recognized the tone in her friend's voice immediately. Her eyes lifted from her cell phone and she raised an eyebrow in Derek's direction. "What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Can I talk to you in the hall for a minute?" Emily asked and when Derek didn't immediately agree, she pushed. "Unless you want to talk in here?" she made a big show of getting herself comfortable on the nearby bed, settling in for a long chat. Derek glared in her direction as he moved to stand up but Emily wasn't fazed. Derek Morgan didn't scare her, he was pissed off about something and she was going to get to the bottom of it. No matter what it took.

"So why are you pissed off?" Emily asked bluntly after the door was pulled shut behind them and they started to walk toward the lobby. Derek was quiet for a few seconds before he answered her.

"I'm assuming you saw Lilly's hair?" Derek asked.

"That's what you are pissed about? Seriously? She's three Derek. It's harmless all the dye they use at the salon we went to is plant based and completely natural. It doesn't damage the hair and Penelope made sure Lilly knew what she was doing before she let her get it." Emily reasoned.

"She didn't talk to me before she let her get it." Derek murmured quietly as they sat on a bench outside in the cool New Mexico hair.

Emily picked up on Derek's hurt tone and asked her next question carefully. "Are you mad at her for not asking or are you hurt she didn't ask you?"

Derek took a few minutes to process his answer and Emily patiently waited beside him. "I'm hurt. I don't think she trusts me to make these kinds of decisions with her. It feels like she's in the driver's seat with the kids and I'm just a part time babysitter." Derek wrung his hands together in his lap and ran them over his face.

"That's not true." Emily automatically said.

"It is true." Derek said and when Em went to say something else, Derek interrupted her and continued. "She picks out their breakfast, their clothes, decides when they need to have a bath, she reads the bedtime stories, she's the one who answers when they ask to go somewhere even when the question is directed towards me!" Derek rushed out and then hung his head and took a few deep breaths to calm his rapid pulse.

"You need to talk to her. I recommend not talking to her when you are angry though. If you come at PG like this, she's going to not understand any of it. She's just going to yell back and nothing will be fixed." Emily warned and stood from the bench.

"I have to go find her. I've been ignoring her since she got back from the salon." He confessed.

"Derek! I can't believe you! You better find her and make it right. You know Penelope wouldn't do anything to hurt you and for you to ignore her is really mean." Emily shook her head at her normally sane and friendly friend.

"I know Em. I'm gonna fix it." He vowed quietly and stood from the bench and entered the lobby in search of his wife.

7:32pm DAY THREE:

Penelope Garcia-Morgan's vision became blurry again and she furiously swept at the tears as they ran in streams down her cheeks. Another sob rocked her body and she was again thankful for the swimming pool to be void of guests. The room was dimly lit by the underwater lighting of the pool and the water was almost completely still. The only waves in the large pool were the ones created by Penelope's feet swishing back and forth. When Derek's actions had upset her earlier, she had sought out the clean, crisp scent of chlorine and was immensely grateful to find the pool area deserted. She slipped off her sandals near the pool stairs and slipped her feet into the cool water and had been crying quietly and trying to figure out what had happened between her and Derek to change this so drastically from lunch. Penelope ran over lunch in her head again, Derek had been perfectly happy when they had eaten at the diner downtown, he had even suggested they slip away from the crowd for some much needed alone time. Penelope remembered laughing and swatting his arm playfully and the feel of his persuasive kisses to her neck. She shivered lightly at the memory and her pulse increased marginally. Yes, things had been fine at lunch. She next thought about when they had come back to the hotel. He had been shocked at Lilly's hair but had masked it pretty fast and had doted on his daughter since but had steadfastly ignored Penelope. Is he mad that I let her get her hair dyed? Maybe he thinks I should have asked him? No. That's crazy. It's only hair dye- Penelope's thoughts were interrupted by the door to the pool area swinging open. She turned in the direction of the noise and spotted him standing there illuminated by the light in the hall.

"Can we talk?" Derek asked tentatively as he walked into the room and let the door swing shut behind him.

"You tell me Derek. I tried to talk to you twice upstairs and you ignored me." Penelope said a little harshly and quickly swiped the last of her tears off her cheeks when she turned her back to him again.

Derek silently sat next to her and kicked off his shoes. He slipped his feet into the cool water beside her before he spoke. "I'm sorry baby girl. I didn't want to say anything that I would regret later."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Penelope asked.

"I was angry and didn't want to be mean." He explained reasonably.

"So you thought it was better to ignore me and make me cry?" Penelope asked as her voice cracked and her eyes gave way to more tears. "Why Derek? Why were you so goddamn angry that you couldn't even talk to me?"

Derek tried to pull her into his arms but she shrugged him off so Derek tried to explain himself instead. "Baby girl," he began.

"Don't you baby girl me, Derek Morgan!" Penelope's eyes flashed warningly and Derek took a deep breath before trying again.

"Penelope, I'm sorry baby. I shouldn't of ignored you upstairs. I was feeling left out when you brought back Lilly with her hair like that. I felt like you made another decision without me." Derek braced his elbows on his thighs and put his head in his hands.

"You are mad that I let her get her hair dyed? Really?" Penelope asked the disbelief evident in her voice.

"No, yes, well no." Derek shook his head in an attempt to clear the indecision from his thoughts.

"Well, as long as we are all cleared up." Penelope said sarcastically as she shook her head and again swiped at the tears running down her face. "What happened to us, Derek? We were fine this morning. Everything was good, we were good, and the kids were good. What the hell happened?" Penelope wondered.

"We weren't good. You don't give me any decisions to make. You pick out their clothes, their food, make all the decisions. I feel like a part time babysitter and I want to be their dad." Derek emphasized and eyed Penelope to see if he had finally managed to convey his point.

"Derek, you are 38 years old. You've spent your entire life doing what you want, what you need. I don't want to give you too much responsibility too fast and then you, you could- Dammit Derek! I don't know what I would do if you changed your mind. I can't afford to have you freak out under the pressure of raising these kids and if it means that I do a little bit of extra decision making in the beginning to ensure that these kids don't lose a second dad, then yes, Derek. I'm going to lie out their clothes, pick out their food, answer all the questions I can, bathe them, tuck them in and read them stories. For the first time since I met you Derek, you aren't the most important thing anymore. I can't let them lose another family, I just can't do it." Penelope openly sobbed now and Derek sat next to her frozen.

"You think I would walk away?" he whispered. When Penelope continued to sob and didn't answer his question, Derek stood, grabbed his shoes and left the pool area. Penelope only sobbed more. She pulled her feet from the pool and slipped her flip flops on. She climbed the stairs back up to her room. Slipping inside silently she was immensely grateful that her room was empty. She quickly selected a new set of clothes and got into the shower. The sound of trickling water almost completely masked the sound of her crying.