Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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'Can you get Penelope down here?' Hotch asked slightly rushed.

'Pen... why?'

'Nick won't talk until she's listening... we think it's wise everyone got here.' He heard Derek sigh. 'You know we wouldn't usually ask...'

'I know... I'll call you back.' Derek put the phone down and walked towards Penelope. 'Baby girl... Nick won't talk unless you're there listening.'

'Me? But why?'

'No idea... but Hotch asked if we could all go, might be worth it.'

'Let's go then.'

'Pen...' Derek started.

'Handsome, I need to do this.' She looked at her brothers and Lance. 'We all need to do this, the Keaton's meant a lot to us.'

'Yeah Derek... they all helped us in more than one ways.'

'I know but are you sure you're up for this?'

'If I can be entrusted with work, I can be entrusted to do this too... plus I have you!' She said smiling and allowed him to help her stand before he took her to the bedroom to get dressed.

'Pure love.' Lance gushed.

'He has loved that woman from the moment he got her name wrong.' Fran mused contently. 'Talked about her nonstop, that's all we would hear about when there was free time.' They all laughed and waited for the pair to resurface.

'Ready to do this kiddo?' Carl asked as Penelope walked out clutching her side.

'Yep... let's do this.' Derek then joined her. No more than 15 minutes later they were all walking into the police department.

'That was quick.'

'We want to know.' Penelope said as Jimmy took her into a hug.

'You look better princess.'

'I feel a lot better.' She said smiling, although the feeling of tears had began to gather in her throat again as the emotions set off on their rollercoaster ride. Derek took her hand as they were lead through to the viewing room and looked into see Nick in the interrogation room with Rossi and Hotch. Emily then entered and whispered to Hotch before standing back.

'They're here.' Hotch said crossing his arms. 'So what do you need them to hear?'

'That I did this for them.' At that the brother's Garcia and Lance stepped closer to Penelope while Derek squeezed her hand reassuringly. 'Penny always loved that child, they all did... but why? She was broken.'

'Help us to understand why you did it Nick.' Rossi said approaching from the right. 'If you knew Penelope loved that little girl why would you kill her?'

'Because it was the only way I knew how to get her back to California... she ruined my life, I wanted her to come back and see sense.'

'And now?'

'Well she's going wrong in life.'

'And why would that be?'

'Because she was promised to me!' He said angrily.

'Was any of that her choice?'

'No.'

'Who's was it?'

'I made George believe it was the best option for her life.'

'Why?'

'Because she was 18, lost her parents, lost her brother, she needed a man like me.' He said looking up into the glass. 'Not a man like she has.'

'The man she has right now is perfect for her.' Hotch commented seeing a definite disillusioned rift in Nick's mind. 'So you manipulated George?'

'Yes.'

'So how does killing disabled children and their families come into connection?'

'They were always a reminder of Penelope, how caring she was to Victoria, how she played around with her and made her laugh like there was nothing wrong with her when in fact she was completely wrong for this world... no child should be allowed to live like that!'

'So you thought it was your choice to take her away?'

'Well... every time I saw her she wore the necklace Penelope and Ben had gotten her and one day I snapped and every disabled child seemed a prominent fault.'

Hotch then left the room and went into the viewing room. 'Everything okay?' Penelope was just silent. 'Penelope?' She just burst into tears at hearing her name from a friendly voice.

'Hey baby come here.' Derek said wrapping his arms around her in a close hug. He looked up at the brother's who watched while she cried, slightly worried.

It was when Rossi's voice broke out that they shot back to the glass. 'How long have you loved Penelope?'

'Since she was 10.'

'Okay... well... why?'

'She was always happy, always smiling, always the one to make you feel better I wanted that in my life.' Rossi recognised the attributes as a constant. 'Whatever I tried she would always push me back.'

'Everything you tried?'

'She wasn't interested in me! So when her parents died I thought making George think marriage with me was the way... I knew she went underground, I knew she then got picked up by the FBI, I knew she's lived in Quantico for 8 years, I've watched for 8 years as danced around her feelings and then she got shot and I then knew she was getting married, so I took it to a new level, the Keaton's, the family in her hometown would warrant your team to come here to solve it! And the laptops, I knew that was the only way to drag her back here and have her life thrown full throttle at her was to kill them.'

'So you were stalking her?' Emily asked.

'No...keeping an eye on her.'

'Do you know that keeping an eye on a federal agent without their knowledge is a federal crime?'

'She's your technical analyst... not a federal agent.'

Hotch then entered the room again. 'Read this.' He said throwing something across the table. George picked it up and read it. 'Out loud.'

'Behavioural Analyst Unit, Quantico, Supervisory Special Agent, Technical Analyst Penelope Morgan.' He said and halted slightly. 'Special Agent.'

'She has always been a federal employee under my watch and now she is a federal agent under my watch.' He stepped in and took the badge off Nick. 'Nick Howes you are under arrest for the murder of 36 people and for stalking federal agent Penelope Morgan, you do not need to say anything but anything you do say can and will be used against you in the court of law.'

The group of people gathered on the side of the glass watched as a man that was a supposed best friend was lead away.

'Pen... why didn't you tell me he was always all over you?'

'He was your best friend... I told Lance but silenced him.' They all looked at Lance who nodded. 'I could deal with him but then when mom and dad died he tried harder, and then you were on the band wagon of us getting together and I'd had enough.'

'Kiddo...'

'It's okay George.'

'I wished I'd listened to you.'

'I'm glad you didn't!'

'Why not?'

'I wouldn't have Derek!'