Disclaimer: I own nothing, depressingly, absolutely nothing is mine but the plot, now that is ALL mine! ;)
A/N:Time to tie up some loose ends...
Sorry for the lack of replies! Really not had the time... but THANK YOU for the support and I appreciate beyond anything that I can ever tell you! =)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Between Two Lungs -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
It was a couple of days later that Strauss requested the entire team to report to her, issue her with an account of what had happened, find out what type of leave Penelope was going to need and in turn praise them for the their swift work. Applaud Derek for his professionalism and issue gratitude to the team for proving her wrong after years.
Penelope had made Derek take his mom home so she could get freshened up and eat something proper, and then and only then could she come back. Penelope claimed she was okay, that she was fine to be alone for a couple of hours, she was exhausted still so she knew the likelihood was that she would sleep most of it.
However, what she found she was doing was curled on her side, a pillow to her chest, helping her ignore the long white plaster stuck down over the cut, her cast bound leg belt and laying over her other leg, the tightness felt on the plaster on her thigh and she just stared out of the window at the blue sky.
Noticing a new presence in the room Penelope turned and sat up, her heart race picking up speed, she knew it wasn't Fran or any of the team and who was there shocked her more than anyone at that moment.
"Kevin?" She asked, her voice dry from lack of use and she coughed to clear it, "What are you doing here?"
He watched her struggling and stepped in closer, willing to help her.
"It's okay, I've got it," She told him and put the pillow behind her and just slumped back, placing the sheet over her but she knew he'd stood shocked at the damage. She looked up into his eyes, slightly confused at why he was here but she sighed, "I guess I owe you a thank you." She added on and looked at him, giving a small smile, "Thank you for helping them find me." Her tone dipped a bit then, her gaze dropping some, "If you hadn't then I probably wouldn't have gotten out of there alive." She then looked at him, her stare burning into him, "So thank you Kevin."
"I didn't come here for thanks, Penelope," He told her as he put a bouquet of her favourite flowers down on the table at the end of her bed. "I came to apologise for everything. For the torment I gave you, you never deserved any of that and I can tell Morgan makes you really happy. I was in no place to try and destroy that."
"I just don't understand why," Penelope started her tone showing her hurt and upset over the matter and she scratched her head, "I don't get why you turned. We both called it quits, not you, or me, but both of us."
"I was jealous." Kevin admitted shamefully, "I knew I was never going to be the man you wanted to marry and after we split you started hanging around with Morgan more and more and you had someone."
"And you had no one?" Penelope assumed, watching Kevin nod slowly she felt bad, she even felt guilty, "I'm sorry for that."
"Don't be, you've always had Morgan, it was a given and I should've never forgotten that he was a permanent in your life." Kevin then looked at her, a small smile slowly growing bigger and bigger. "But I'm glad they found you in time, Pen, really I am, I'm really happy you didn't die."
"You and me both, Kevin." Penelope told him and she shifted onto her side to get comfortable, "Wanna bust me out?"
Kevin laughed, "I'm going to say no. Morgan nearly killed me when you went missing; I'm not running the risk again by busting you out against the doctor's orders." He saw Penelope look at him in disbelief at his comment about Derek and he felt nervous. "I kinder didn't rush into work when Agent Hotchner called me first of."
"Right..."
"And well I carried on watching TV, then Morgan was at my door, then I was against a wall by my throat and then I was at BAU working double time to redeem myself. If I'd just gone in when he called you probably wouldn't be here, we would've found out what we did quicker."
"Kevin let me stop you there, please," Penelope said somewhat exasperated and just relaxed back, "I really cannot tolerate blame games right now, I barely have strength to move myself, let alone listening to you twittering on and on about what you could have done. I got out and what was in the past is well in the past."
"Why are you so forgiving?"
"You're a long time dead Kevin," Penelope told him honestly and gave him a small smile. "I got lucky that day, it might not seem like it, but I watched as two of those girls died, that's never going to leave me and I'm just thankful this is all I have." She told him as she put a hand to her chest. "Just if you go back on your apology and wreak any havoc in my life then I will delete you."
Kevin laughed, "I expect that," He admitted coyly, "I'm going to go back to work, but rest up Penelope, it's not the same without you." He then left, but he missed the small smile that crept onto her face at the new turn of events.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Between Two Lungs -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Penelope was still waiting on Derek or Fran or anyone to turn up, she'd slept, at least a little, and now she was wasting her time watching mindless TV that she only ever got to watch when there was a breather between cases or she was ill.
Yet even with the TV on she was still left with her own thoughts and nothing could save her from the moments that Owen had her paralysed and vulnerable to his need for perfection. Even she couldn't forget the discomfort of the tube being put in her throat or the IV that still sat in her neck or even the pain test or worse; no one could shift the searing pain as the scalpel ran down her chest.
That was something that was going to take time to go but she refused to let it swallow her, she refused to be a victim of Owen, not when she had a support system around her, not when she had Derek holding her life together. She refused to lose herself completely in what had happened.
She just realised she was up for a struggle in the mean time.
Sighing, she gave up on the TV, becoming slightly bored with it now; she threw the control down the bed and put her hands over her eyes, now she was lonely.
"Fancy some company?" Came a voice she hadn't heard in days and watched as Claire walked in warily, a smile on her face. "I've missed you."
Penelope smiled brightly, "I've missed you too," She said and hugged her, both issuing gentle hugs to the other. "You're finally allowed up?"
"I'm a doctor too, I fought back," She told him as she gently fell into the chair by the bed, "How you doing?" She asked warily eying up the white plaster on Penelope's chest, "Is that where..."
"He tried to make me a heartless corpse?" She asked, attempting to make light of the situation, and nodded, "Yup, that's the one." Penelope told her and smiled at Claire, "I'm so glad you're okay."
"Same for you, I was terrified when he closed the door and we could hear you telling him to not do it." Claire dropped her gaze some, as though the memory was too heavy and hurtful. "We heard that you were in pain and we just couldn't do a thing."
"It's okay, Claire, honestly..."
"Now it is," Claire replied sadly, "But it wasn't and that was the killer part of it." Claire continued and then smiled sadly, "And when they got us out, someone picked me up to get me out to an ambulance and I saw you, and I saw who I could only assume was Derek standing over you, and..." She stilled herself, her medical knowledge taking rapid control, "No one should be awake like that."
Penelope blinked away the tears, "To be honest, I was more scared with Derek there than I was when Owen started it all." She looked Claire in the eyes, "I was more scared that I couldn't really feel Derek holding my hand, the one thing I needed was the one thing I couldn't get."
Claire leant forward and took Penelope's hand, "It's going to okay now, you know that don't you?"
"I do," Penelope told her, "In my head I do know that, but occasionally my mind goes for a wonder and I wonder if it will be."
"You've got me now to help." Claire admitted to her, offering her hand a slight squeeze.
Penelope smiled, "I do, and the same goes for you too." She told her and turned her hand so she was holding it in hers, she gave it a reassuring shake before releasing it.
"Not interrupting am I?" Came Derek's deep voice from the doorway.
Penelope's mood lightened and she smiled, "Never Handsome." She told him and he came to the other side of the bed and kissed her, "Derek have you met Claire?" She asked and then introduced the pair to one another. "Why are you here?"
Derek sat on the bed, facing Penelope, "Now should I be hurt by that, Baby Girl?" He pouted at her.
Penelope laughed a little, "No, but I was thinking I would be seeing Mom before you." She persisted, "Plus you know how the sight of you brightens my day."
"Wow you two are well suited." Claire commented with a smile, "Remind me to send Craig to you for love lessons."
Penelope giggled, "Hot Stuff?"
"What's up Sweetness?" Derek asked as he brushed hair out of her face, making sure she was looked okay, worrying about her inwardly still.
"Kevin was here." She told him, "He came to apologise... for everything." She then pointed to the flowers on the table.
Derek smirked, "and all I had to do was nearly kill him."
Claire watched Derek, comparing her relationship with these two, "Should that comment worry me?"
"He's only like that when it comes to my wellbeing," Penelope told her with a smile, "I have to keep him on a leash most days." She teased and turned back to Derek, "Now, how about you go and use that charming smile and amazing sweet talk and get me some discharge papers."
"They won't let you go until the IV in your necks out," Claire told her honestly, "Need to make sure there's no damage there." She watched Penelope's defeated look and put her hands up, "Shouldn't have made friends with a doctor."
"I'll remember that next time I'm a captive to some crazy man." Penelope joked and smiled, "So when do I get to meet your man?"
"When he comes to make me get back into bed." Claire joked and then looked down, nervous all of a sudden, she cleared her throat and then looked up at Penelope. "We've been invited to the funerals you know?"
"I know," Penelope relented to tell her, "I think we need to go."
Without another work, a knock came from the door and everyone looked at a sandy blonde hair man, "Babe we need to get you back to bed," he told her with a smile, he looked at Penelope, "I'm guessing you're Penelope?" Penelope nodded and got introduced before watching Claire get helped up and lead to the door.
"One thing Penelope," She said turning to face her, "Did you tell him?"
"I'm engaged now, does that answer you?" Penelope asked her with a bright smile.
Claire laughed, "Good thing I knew I wasn't doing your dirty work really," She told her and let Craig lead her from the room.
"What promise would this be?" Derek said as he kicked his boots off, grabbing the control for the TV and got ready to lay down with her.
Once Penelope was in his arms she put her hand to his chest and looked up into his brown eyes, "To tell you how much I love you."
"Oh we sure did that," He told her and kissed her gently, kissing away some more of the bad memories for her.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Between Two Lungs -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-