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A/N: I'm sorry for the MIA! My Criminal Minds muse is more than a little dead I fear! So bear with me and I will try and update as quickly as I possibly can!

Now thank you everyone and enjoy!

The Eligible Bachelor – Part 13

"You knew?" Derek asked, his tone taut and seething with fire as his aggression spread through him like wild fire. "So why the fuck is he asking for a ransom?" Derek asked, he had been at the Garcia's for nearly two hours and wasn't getting anywhere fast with Elena. "Spill it!"

"I orchestrated it to scare her into being more compliment," Elena spoke as if her sin was long forgiven. "I just want my daughter to understand her family will do anything to improve her life."

"You are a deluded sick son of a bitch! How does that mind work?" Derek asked and put his hands to his head in despair. There were police crawling everywhere but, none knew just yet of Penelope's mother's input to her disappearance and Derek wanted to know before the police took over and then he would never know. "You made her feel so insignificant and hated by this family and you think paying someone to kidnap her is going to make her realise she loves you. She does that already, it's her who loves you," Derek ground out and then practically hissed out the anger. "And Tyler hates her!"

"He won't get physical with her," Elena stepped in quickly trying to form a defence to her crime. "I paid him enough to make sure he didn't touch her."

"Paid him enough?" Derek scoffed, "Love, he's blackmailed you into giving up more money!"

"You did this?" Penelope's father asked as he stepped into the room to calm the situation. However what he heard made his blood run cold and his heart near enough shatter. He watched Elena advance towards him, mumbling her apologises and he pushed her away. "Get off me," Penelope's father scolded and faced his wife in a ferocious nature. "For weeks I have watched you bully and belittle our daughter and now this! I don't know who you are! You sent me off and I only saw the aftermath of your actions and she's now kidnapped and you don't seem to care."

"I did it for the family!" Elena argued, "To bring us together. To show Penelope that we would give up money for her wellbeing at the drop of a hat and that she was a priority. I did it to make us closer." Elena was now crying so hard her breaths were stunted and she was heaving, "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"You know I allow you to make me a weak man, Elena, but now anymore! This has gone too far now!" Penelope's father practically bellowed, "That daughter of mine, the one that rebels and runs off is the daughter I'm proud of. Not the one you're transforming her into. I'm taking charge now. The wedding you've planned is and so is the inheritance deal. She gets it whatever. She doesn't have to marry to get it."

"Oh, I will making sure she's married soon," Derek barked, "To me."

"You want her like she is?" Elena scoffed, unable to help herself for a moment. "We'll see if she wants you when she gets back shall we?"

Derek was in utter disbelief at hearing Elena and knew he had to get out of here. They were able to find Penelope, they only had a lead. He wanted to go home and be close to a part of Penelope, "I don't want to hear this!" Derek spat and on his way out he told the police just what had happened.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Eligible Bachelor -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

She didn't understand why he did, or why Tyler let her go but she wished it were all just a dream.

Alas, it wasn't and she was living with the pain of it all. She had no idea why he did it, but she could assume money was involved. Damn her family's wealth and now she was done. She wanted nothing to do with the money because she felt dirty as a result. She loved Derek, that she knew, but she could marry him just for the money. She would marry him for his side of the deal and she would make herself poor. She would refuse the money and if Derek didn't want to be married to a poor girl then so be it.

Penelope stood in front of her bathroom mirror, her breathing a heave, her head pounding and her entire body alive with hurt stimuli. She had endured rounds of beatings before the money made it and when they had what they wanted they sent her home with nothing but the minimal clothes on her back and her house key.

After hours of walking with no car taking a damn bit of notice, she had made it to the front lobby of the apartment complex her and Derek lived in. She ducked her head and walked in sharply and was quite glad to realise that it was still the middle of the night.

Now she was home, she could feel how bad the beating was and after lifting her top up as much as she could, Penelope saw the damage and it wasn't pretty. Her entire abdomen was covered in red and black marks showing how much damage was done and the fact that she couldn't breathe too well only showed her that she was damaged beyond belief to her ribs.

Get some ice, Penelope tried to soothe herself. If she could get some ice and rest then everything could be forgotten about and dealt with in the new light of day. She would feel better after resting. For being gone just over twenty four hours seem to do a lot of damage so irrationally she felt twenty four hours rest would do her a lot of good.

Clasping a hand around the door frame she tried to keep herself up right, just until she made it to the bed, but it was useless. How was she supposed to make it to the bed and then to the kitchen to get some ice if she could barely make it out of the bathroom?

Her legs grew wobblier as her body grew weaker and she dropped to the floor with a loud resounding thud. Laying there she felt her body wanting to give up on her and all she wanted was Derek. Beginning to sob, Penelope just let her tears fall against the hard wooden floor and slowly began to cave to the whispering darkness around her.

Even when she heard the front door burst open and angry voices, the lullaby of darkness was far too strong to ignore.

"I just need to be alone," Derek's voice sounded out as it got closer to her. She could hear him approaching her room and she tried to feel herself awake. "Fuck! Mom, call for an ambulance! Penelope's in here!" He screamed as came to Penelope's aid. "Penelope!" She heard break her pained haze and she fought to open her eyes again to see the owner of the voice. She heard different footsteps before the voice carried out into the air around her, "Baby Girl, what the hell?" She recognised it now as Derek's voice and she felt willing to give up now he was here.

He watched her open her eyes as much as she could and then she just started crying. Derek slowly moved her off of her front and she grabbed onto him. She didn't want to let go of finally feeling safe. He just held onto her, soothing her as much as he could right now.

"Ambulance is coming," Fran said as she came to Penelope's side.

Derek looked at his mom as Penelope's crying stopped and she closed her eyes and gave into the consuming pain, "I can't lose her, mom." He felt himself begin to cry, "I love her too much to lose her. I can't lose her now."

And for once, Fran saw Penelope as the richest thing in Derek's world.