Disclaimer you meanie! I don't own a thing!

A/N: Woops! Was meant to post this yesterday but I got taken out for celebratory drinks because BOOYA three of us have passed our first year at Uni! So yeah I forgot this needed to go up! =P

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Chapter Ten-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Lucy stirred her drink, she hadn't even clocked that Derek was around; she was consumed with her thoughts and Penelope. "What sob story you gonna feed me?"

"None, I'm giving you the truth." Penelope said as she picked her drink up and took a drink. "First I want to know how you're doing Lucy. I wasn't the only one that was taken."

"You came out worse though." Lucy mumbled. "I'm doing just fine."

"And for one second there I can't even believe you." Penelope told her back and relaxed back into her side of the dimly lit booth they were in.

"You're not here to talk about me and how I'm doing Penelope so get it over with. What the hell brought you such a decent guy? One that you feel you don't have to deceive or paint a pretty picture too."

"I got shot." Penelope told her point blank and without a single hesitation. "Jason Clark Battle. Alias James Colby Baylor. Took me on a date, shot me on my apartment steps the same night." Penelope flashed her eyes up to Lucy's as she just stared at her. She'd never had to tell this story really but now she felt ready to. "That's what happened to me and Derek. That was the point of no return for us. He couldn't live without me; I couldn't survive any longer without him. Years of flirting and being each other's pillar of support finally paid off."

"You were shot?" Lucy asked completely shock.

Penelope nodded. "Right in the chest. I was lucky, I shouldn't have survived and I nearly didn't. That's why this is all too much right now. That one piece of metal made me realise what the team are to me. They're my family and I don't take kindly to anyone coming in and trying to break us up. Whether or not one of them is in love with said person."

"I'm that said person." Lucy pointed out and Penelope nodded slightly.

"You need to realise that Reid has gone through so much shit in his life that even he has a breaking point and he found it. Both of us, not one or the other, had been taken that day. It might have taken me a lot of talks and sleepless night to realise that, but that boy was lost when they came into save us the other day. Did he pick the woman he loved or the woman that provided him with a family? How is that fair to make him pick?" Penelope was going right off her path she wanted to but she was going with what was natural. "He loves you Lucy, without the lies and backstabbing. You should've just let it all go, high school was so 16 years ago, we're 34 year old women now. That behaviour should be behind us."

Lucy looked down at her drink, disinterested in it now. "You got the good guys Penelope. Even with Derek."

"And you don't think you do with Reid?" Penelope asked exasperated. "The boys been besotted with you. I loved the woman that had him confident and happy. I loved the woman that released in Spencer what we've been waiting to see. Reid deserved someone like that to love him but you came along and felt you needed to come and tear us apart. I don't get it."

"I'm the jealous type Penelope. I've always been jealous of you. The perfect family, the perfect grades, the perfect future, the perfect happiness. I didn't understand why you got it all and I had the most dysfunctional family." She heard Penelope laughed and she looked up. "What?"

"I was the out of place geek Lucy or had you not noticed that? You made me your friend, got me all content with your gang and then threw it in my face but I kept coming back. I was your fool."

"You still had the perfect life. I was jealous of it all Penelope can you not get that?"

"Lucy I had 4 stepbrother's that avoided me, ignored me in school, that didn't care much for me. Not long after graduation my parents died, I lost my brother's with my parents just not in the same way. I haven't spoken to them in 16 years. I ended up going on the run and got myself arrested for doing stuff I shouldn't have and ended up in a job that was far away from what I even had in store for myself. Dropping out of college and losing my parents was not my intention. So tell me how I lived the good life."

"You got Derek and the others."

"But I wasn't meant to. They came with the job and I sing God's praises that I had them come into my life because I can't live without them at all and Reid being like he is with me is actually killing me more than anyone truly realises."

"Then makes amends."

"If you make me a promise." Lucy looked up at her, intent to know what she was going on about. "You promise to be Lucy, not the high school bully or bitch, but Lucy the mature adult that loves her man." Lucy nodded her head at that idea. "One foot out of line and I will make him choose Lucy because that boy deserves so much better than anyone realises. He's been through too much to be messed with and I will make sure nothing bad happens."

"Even after what he did, what he said."

"Forgiving is so much easier than you'll ever know Lucy. I can forgive because that's a part of me. I love Reid like the little brother I never got and I will make sure I have him back and not feeling like an outcast."

"I don't deserve you Penelope Garcia." Lucy said a little louder, more settled than she was.

"It's Morgan now." Penelope said and finished her job. "Me and Derek tied the knot in Chicago the other day. I felt I could never ever forgive you for what you did. For how you made my life hell again but life's thrown me a lot of shit and I know that people like you as easily stepped over Lucy. You need to prove to me you're genuine and then I'll let you in completely but for now I think that's enough said." Penelope grabbed her bag and slid out of the booth gingerly. "I'll see you around. I'll drop you a text when I've spoken to Reid." Lucy then watched Derek appear and the pair walked out together. Lucy knew then she'd have to buck up her idea's.

Derek took Penelope to Reid's after that, it wasn't late but they knew he was home. Derek waited in the car, he'd go up in 10 minutes but he knew Penelope needed to sort this out at her rate not what everyone else thought she needed to.

Reid went the door nonchalantly and opened it with intent to tell whoever it was he wasn't interested and to leave. "I'm not..." He stopped mid sentence as he saw Penelope in the half light outside. "Penelope?"

"Hey sweetie, gonna let me in?" He just moved when she added a smile and let her in. He made her sit down and then he looked over her features, still cut and grazed from what had happened but healing.

"Erm..."

"We need to talk Reid." Penelope said and grabbed a pillow to hug around her sore ribs. "I want you to know that I don't blame you for anything that's happened." She told him truthfully and she could see the disbelief in his face. "You hurt me that day I'll admit it, but I know that if I was in that position, I'd probably believe Derek over anyone. I trust him that much not to lie to me and I guess you're like it with Lucy..."

"Was like it." Reid responded nonchalantly and ran his hands over his head and leant forward. "I know nearly everything there is to know about everything but when it comes to love, I'm completely blind." Penelope tilted her head at that and her heart broke to hear his sadness. "I never thought she'd lie to me like that, I never anticipated her to get to me like that. It's when that happens you know why Unsubs flip, what changes them, stuff in their lives are so detrimental to them. Lucy was detrimental to me, she was almost precious and I loved her too much."

"Never too much kiddo." Penelope told him and leant forward and took his hand. "Love makes everyone blind. No one ever knows it, they learn it. Like we learnt to love one another as a family. When you find your one, you lose sight of everything else to strive to make the one most important thing in your life work."

"But I lost you."

"I'm here aren't I sweetie?" Penelope asked and Reid looked up into her smiling face. "I'm fine, you're fine, everything's going to be fine."

"It took you being kidnapped and nearly losing your baby to realise that though."

"But we got here in the end." Penelope added honestly and forcefully. "I know you might not see it but I do. Lucy loves you kid, well and truly loves you. I spoke with her earlier; I've got your back whatever. She's a jealous type, but now I think she gets it that just because me and Derek are happy and everything's perfect doesn't mean that she can't have the same. Her problem with me results back to High School but I do think she gets it now sweets."

Reid smiled a little but it dropped and faltered. "How did I deserve you?"

"Everyone deserves a guardian honey. Yours came in the form of me." She teased him and he smiled more. "It's gonna take some time to get everything back to how it was but I'm willing if you are?"

"Thank you Garcia." He said and wrapped his arms around her. "I need you above everyone else."

"That's because even you genius need a kick up that royal bum of yours." Penelope told him and settled back and she watched Reid relax at last and look at peace. "Give it a couple of seconds and my hubby will be a knocking." Reid cocked an eyebrow at her and Penelope grinned. "Got hitched last week sweetie, and I want you two to kiss and make up."

"Hypothetically speaking right?"

"Right." Penelope responded and the doorbell went. "Now go let my fine man in." She watched Reid get up and go to the door. She had a good feeling.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Chapter Ten -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

A/N: I've so lost momentum with this story! Not sure it's gonna be going for much longer guys!