AN: So sorry that it took so long to post an update but I got a slight case of writer's block. Also I started another Criminal Minds story called Abduction. If you have time try to check it out. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. PLZ R&R!

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Chapter 10: Issues

Derek pulled up in front of Penelope's apartment building as he saw her coming outside with her bags. He leapt out of the car and ran over to help her as Ryan stayed in the car with Clooney.

"What a gentleman," Penelope smiled as he put her things in the trunk of his car.

"Only the best for you, Baby Girl." He told her as he closed his trunk and they both climbed into the car.

Derek pulled away from the curb as Penelope glanced in the backseat where Ryan was. He had his new book that he had gotten at the zoo open on his lap as he had his new stuffed alligator on his lap keeping the book propped up. Clooney was curled up beside him fast asleep.

"I see you're enjoying your new stuff," she smiled at him.

"Yeah," Ryan mumbled.

"He's in the zone," Derek told her. "You can't interrupt him when he's reading."

"Well it'll keep him occupied on the long trip up to the cabin."

"How long until we get there?" Ryan asked.

"A few hours," Derek told him. "My mom and Dave are most likely almost there. We'll probably get there around suppertime."

"So you just need to settle in for a long ride." Penelope smiled at him. "It's a good time to catch up on some sleep."

"I'm not tired," Ryan returned to his book.

"He's fighting sleep," Derek told her softly. "I know he just wants to crash, but he refuses to fall asleep."

"He's like most kids then," she told him as she fiddled with the radio. "I get to listen to my choice in music."

"Have at it," Derek smiled at her.

Derek's phone started to ring and Penelope picked it up to see a Facetime request.

"Your sisters are calling," she told him.

"Click it on," he told her. "They probably just want to talk to Ryan anyway."

"Damn right we do," Desiree's voice came out. "Hey Penelope."

"Hey Des," she smiled at her. "How's school going?"

"Midterms are the worst,"

"What are you guys up to?" Sarah came on.

"We were at the zoo all day," Derek told them. "Now we're all driving up to the cabin."

"Is Ryan with you?"

"Ryan, do you want to talk to Sarah and Des?"

"Ok," he took the phone from Penelope and saw Derek's sisters smiling back at him. "Hi."

"So you went to the zoo? What'd you see?"

"We all went on the safari ride, and we went to the aquarium. There was a white alligator-they call it the albino alligator."

"That it the most he's talked all day," Penelope looked at Derek.

"They bring out his inner chatterbox," he told her.

"And Penelope got me this," Ryan showed them his stuffed alligator. "It's bigger than me. She said I can use it as a pillow…"

Ryan's call with Sarah and Desiree lasted for almost an hour. A little while into the trip, Derek looked over and saw that Penelope had drifted off to sleep. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Ryan's head bobbing as he tried to fight off his sleepiness.

"It's ok to sleep," Derek stated and he saw Ryan's head shoot upright.

"I'm not tired,"

"Ryan-"

"I'm fine,"

"What's really going on kid?" he saw Penelope open her eyes and listen in on their conversation. "Why don't you really want to fall asleep?"

"You'll be gone," Ryan said softly.

"What?"

"If I fall asleep now then when I wake up you'll be gone."

"Kid you're going to be with us all weekend," Derek told him. "Someone will be there when you wake up."

"Saying it doesn't make it true," Ryan mumbled.

"Then let me prove it," Derek told him. "I promise that the next time you wake up either me or Penelope or my mom or someone else will be there. So go ahead and fall asleep. We still have a bit of a drive."

It took a few minutes, but Ryan finally drifted off to sleep. He used the stuffed alligator as a pillow and Clooney was resting his head on his lap. Penelope sat up a little and looked over at Derek.

"That was interesting," she said softly.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I'm surprised that didn't happen sooner."

"We just need to prove to him that we're here to stay," she told him. "Which he is. You will be getting that call soon."

Derek looked at the time as he saw Penelope take out her phone as he heard it go off. She clicked it on and smiled at the text she just received from JJ.

"Everyone else is already there," she told him. "They're all getting settled in and Dave is starting to make supper."

"We're almost there," Derek told her as he slowed down and started up a long driveway.

He came to a stop beside everyone else's cars and he and Penelope slowly climbed out of the car. Derek opened the trunk and started unloading all of their bags. Penelope glanced in the back seat at Ryan still fast asleep.

"I hate to wake him," she said.

"Don't wake him," Derek told her. "I'll get him inside."

"I'll start taking all this stuff in," she grabbed a couple of their bags and started towards the porch.

Derek opened the back door and Clooney immediately clambored out in search of a nearby tree. He slowly unbuckled Ryan's seatbelt and carefully lifted him in his arms. He made his way to the porch and walked inside to see everyone standing around in the kitchen as Fran and Dave were preparing supper.

"Henry fell asleep on the way here too," Will spotted him.

"So did Jack," Hotch told him. "We put them on the couch while we unpacked."

"Got it," Derek took Ryan to the living room and saw Jack and Henry sound asleep on the wrap around couch.

He carefully lay Ryan down on the opposite end and pulled the blanket off the back to cover him up. He looked up as Penelope came back inside with more of their things.

"I can get the rest Baby Girl,"

"I can handle it," she told him.

"Not saying that you can't," he told her. "I just feel bad that you're doing it all."

"I don't mind, you've got Ryan."

"I'll help you get some of it in," JJ told them.

"Right behind you," Emily followed after them.

They spent the next few minutes bringing all their bags in and making a pile by the front door. Derek finally closed the trunk and locked up the car before following the girls back inside.

"So where are we staying?" Derek asked as he picked up several bags at once.

"Unfortunately since you guys were the last ones to arrive, there's only one room left." Dave told them. "There is one big bed so one of you can share with Ryan and a smaller bed for the other one to have for themselves."

"We'll manage," Penelope told them as she started upstairs.

"It's at the end of the hall, last door on the left."

"If Ryan wakes up, come get me." Derek told them. "There was a moment on the way up here."

"What kind of moment?" Fran stopped what she was doing and looked at him.

"He was refusing to go to sleep because he thought that I wouldn't be there when he woke up."

"We'll come get you," JJ assured him as he followed Penelope upstairs.

"Poor thing," Fran sighed as she went back to preparing the supper.

"You see it all the time with foster kids," Will said. "Some of my buddies from work are involved in the Big Brother Program. They say that they're very apprehensive about what they do or say."

"Nice move putting the three of them in the same room," Hotch looked at Dave.

"It's the only room available," he told them all.

"So I didn't see two other rooms that would be perfectly fine for them?"

"Ooh, are we getting them together this weekend?" Emily smiled. "It's way overdue for them to be getting together."

"Ryan and I have been working on this together," Dave told them. "The kid has some good ideas."

"That's what the movie night was about last night?" JJ asked.

"Ryan's idea," Dave said. "I don't think anything happened though because they all fell asleep."

"So what are your plans?" Reid asked.

"I vow that Derek and Penelope will be together before the weekend is through. No matter what we have to do to make it happen." Dave told them.

"I am so in," Emily stated and JJ nodded.

Suddenly from the direction of the sitting room, they heard a loud crash. They all rushed in to see Henry and Jack sitting up on the couch blearry-eyed while Ryan was nowhere to be found. They spotted pieces of a broken candy dish on the floor as they searched for Ryan. Jack pointed to an area and Fran found him in the corner squeezed between the TV stand and the wall as he sat with tears streaming down his face.

"I'll get Derek," Reid rushed up the stairs as Fran started to try to coax Ryan out.

Derek brought the last bag up and collapsed back on the bigger bed as he saw Penelope getting settled on the smaller bed.

"Ryan can always take that bed while you take this one," he told her. "I'll just sleep on the floor."

"You will absolutely do no such thing," she told him. "I'll take this one while you and Ryan share that one. No arguments."

"No arguments here," he told her as he got back up and started getting his and Ryan's things unpacked.

"Morgan," Reid rushed into them. "You need to get down here."

"What's wrong? Is it Ryan?"

"We think he accidentally broke Dave's crystal candy dish that was on the coffee table."

"He has dozens of those,"

"Well he's upset and has hidden himself in a corner. Your mom is trying to coax him out of there, but I don't think it's working."

Penelope followed after Reid as Derek bolted out of the room and rushed downstairs. Everyone else was in the kitchen with Jack and Henry as he saw his mom and Dave in the sitting room talking into a corner.

"Ryan?" Derek approached them and Fran and Dave silently got up and left the room as Derek sat in front of Ryan. "What's going on kid?"

"I did something bad," a soft voice said.

"What did you do?" Ryan remained silent except for the sound of his sniffling. "It couldn't have been that bad. Tell me what happened."

"I woke up-and I didn't know I was on the couch-I went to roll over-and fell on the coffee table-and the dish fell on the floor-and-and it broke."

"It's ok buddy," Derek managed to pull him out of the corner. "Dave has plenty of those dishes. Besides it was an accident right? You didn't mean to right?"

Ryan shook his head and hid his face in Derek's chest as he saw Dave come back into them. He knelt in front of them so that Ryan could see him and slowly took him from Derek and placed him on his own lap.

"I want you to know that I am not mad at you ok?" Ryan slowly nodded. "And even if I was, no one would ever hurt you ok?"

"Ok," Ryan said softly.

"Now I bet you're hungry. How about you help me and Fran finish supper?"

"Ok," Ryan slowly stood up.

"Thank you," Derek mouthed and Dave nodded.

"Is he ok?" Penelope came in as Derek stood back up.

"Yeah," he told her softly. "It just made me realize…he had a very unhealthy living environment. I mean I knew he probably did, but that just confirmed my suspicions."

"It'll be ok," she assured him. "Let's just try to enjoy the weekend."

"Right," he followed her to the back deck where everyone else was hanging out until supper was ready.

"How is he?" Hotch asked as they walked out.

"Better," Derek told them. "He's helping my mom and Dave finish up supper."

Ryan finished mixing up the Caesar salad as Dave brought all the plates and glasses out. He helped Ryan down off the stool by the counter and they started to set the table.

"So we all came to a mutual decision that Derek and Penelope will be together by the end of this trip," Dave looked down at him as he placed a glass by each plate.

"Really?" Ryan finally started to smile. "How will you do it?"

"I'm not sure yet,"

"I have a plan," Ryan started whispering in Dave's ear and he smiled. "That is good. So tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow," Ryan smiled as Fran went to call everyone in for supper.

They all got settled around the table with Henry and Jack immediately wanting to be by Ryan. Will sat on one side of Henry as the three boys chattered all throughout dinner. Derek smiled as Ryan slowly started to relax again. He really hoped that he would be getting some good news soon.

AN: So what'd you all think? I hope you liked it. Also, I'm looking for a Beta. PM me if you're interested. Anyway, PLZ R&R!