Disclaimer: I own nothing.

So this will be our last chapter of this story before the epilogue. I appreciate the reviews very much, and I hope these last few chapters give you a satisfying end to this story :)

As for my next big story, we'll be focussing on both the Morgan and Garcia and Hotch and Emily pairings, so keep an eye on your inboxes for that one as soon as Gone is finished. And if you liked my Criminal Minds/Law and Order: SVU crossover, The Violator, a sequel to that is being outlined with the first chapter hopefully coming sometime in December.

1 Year Later

"I'm glad you finally got a day off from work," Kyle sighed, sprawling out beside Elia on the blanket they'd set up in the park. Sunlight shone through the fire red and flame orange leaves, filtering down on them as they lay side by side. He tilted his head just right so Elia could see the shine in his golden hair. "You deserve it after all the hours you're at that damn store."

Elia smiled and wrapped an arm around his broad chest, resting her head against him. "It's worth it, though," she murmured. "I get to be home with you and my parents, and I can still go to Georgetown next year." After getting Penelope back and Derek taking a desk job, Elia made the executive decision that she would take a year off from college to be with her mother. She had no regrets about her decision.

Kyle kissed the top of her head. "How's your mom doing?" he asked. "Any big episodes since that one…what was it? Three months ago?"

Tensing in his arms, Elia swallowed hard and curled into her boyfriend more. She sucked in a breath at the memory of the episode Kyle was talking about.

The sounds of smashed glass assaulted Elia's ears as she entered her home after a date with Kyle. "Mom?" she called, panicked. She threw her bag down with her keys on the counter and ran through the kitchen. "Dad?" She knew both her parents were home since Derek's car was in the garage. They were around somewhere.

"Get away from me!" Penelope screamed. The sound of crashing furniture filled her ears, and Elia felt the blood drain from her face. Her mother was in the midst of a flashback. By the sound of it, a fierce one. These ones were harder to pull her back from, but it was possible.

Sprinting up the steps two at a time, Elia dashed toward the sound of Penelope's screams, and the shattering of glass, possibly a lamp.

"I said stay away from me!" Penelope screeched.

Elia burst in the doorway as Derek opened his mouth to speak. "Penelope," he tried desperately. "Baby, it's me. It's Derek. You're having a flashback. You're safe."

Penelope stood in the corner of the room, her face full of fear and her hair wild. In front of her she wielded a large kitchen knife. She'd never raised a weapon to them in her flashbacks. Her limbs were trembling uncontrollably. "Do whatever you want to me!" she screamed. "But don't use my husband against me!"

Elia stepped into the room hesitantly, tears burning in the backs of her eyes. "Mom?" she whispered shakily, holding out her hand. Penelope's eyes shot to Elia's, and she whirled around to point the knife at Elia. "Mom, it's me. It's Elia. Don't you recognize me? It's us…it's Dad and I."

"You're not my daughter!" Penelope cried suddenly. She shook the knife in front of her body. "Stay the hell away from me!"

Derek slowly approached his wife, hands up. Elia knew he was trying to touch her; he had a better chance of drawing her back from the flashback if he had physical contact. "Baby Girl, it's me," he said gently. "You know me. Listen to my voice."

She stared at him and shook her head viciously. "You're not him," she sputtered. "You're…you're…"

Derek placed his hand on her cheek, the other on her wrist containing the knife. "It is me," he whispered. "Feel my hands? It's me. You know them." He stroked his thumb over her cheekbone and slowly inched his fingers to the knife's hilt.

Elia watched as her mother turned her head to face Derek. Penelope continued to shake, but her eyes gazed into Derek's. Her face broke, eyes lighting up in recognition. The knife dropped to the floor, clattering against the wood floor. Choking on a sob, she fell against Derek's chest, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she wept into his shirt.

"I'm so sorry," she wept. "I —"

"Shh," Derek murmured against the top of her head. "It's over now. You're safe. You're at home with Elia and I."

With tears in her eyes, Elia wiped her eyes and watched as Derek held her mother tightly, rocking her back and forth. Slowly, she backed out of the room. Her mother needed Derek right now and no one but Derek. Going into the bathroom, she shut the door. Breathing heavily, she leaned against the door and slid down to the floor. She just wanted this to be over for Penelope.

Since she'd been home, Elia made it her sole mission to get to know Penelope. And she had. Her mother was more special than any woman Elia had ever met. When Penelope wasn't caught up in flashbacks, flickers of who she once was started showing through. With Derek at home every night, Elia felt like she was complete, like she was whole.

Penelope didn't deserve to be frightened and scared of every shadow, shot back into the horrible past she'd endured.

Pulling her knees up to her chin, Elia felt the scar on her arm tingle. She lifted her arm to stare at the long white strip of flesh. Lilith's face swam behind her eyelids, and she felt anger course through her veins like a flash flood. Wiping her nose with her sleeve, Elia forced the woman who'd tortured her and her mother from her mind. She allowed herself to weep into her knees, hoping and praying her mother's tormentors would stop haunting her.

"El?"

Kyle's voice snapped her back to reality, and her head tilted upwards so she was looking him straight in the eye. She smiled unsteadily. "Yeah?" she murmured.

He arched a brow. "You alright?"

Swallowing hard, Elia nodded. "Yeah…couldn't be better," she lied.

"I know when you're lying," he said, pecking her lips. "And I know you're thinking about your mom."

Sighing, Elia sat up on her elbow and arched a brow. "Okay, wise guy," she challenged. "I'll tell the truth." She looked down at the wrist of her sweater. "Yeah. I'm worried about my mom. She hasn't had an episode since…since that one. But she still has the nightmares. She doesn't deserve any of those. What those…" She was going to say people,but she couldn't find it in her heart to call them that. They didn't deserve to be called human beings. "What those monsters did to her…it killed something in her. She's trying to find it, but she doesn't know if she will."

"The important thing is that you're here for her," Kyle said. "And your dad — the guy who toted a gun all over the freakin' country! — gave up his job to be there for her, which tells me he loves her a helluva a lot." He laughed and sat up. "She'll find whatever it is she's looking for again. She's got you two, after all."

Leaning into him, Elia butted her head against his and kissed him. "I love you," she murmured.

He grinned. "I love you, too," he replied, cupping her cheek to kiss her longer. Elia smiled against his lips and hugged him to her, allowing herself to sink into the sweetness of his mouth.

XXXXX

"You mentioned you had something specific you wanted to talk about today," Dr. Kelly said as she and Penelope sat down in her office. "Does it have to do with you wanting to travel again? I remember you've said you wanted to see everything you've missed over the years."

"No…no not that," Penelope murmured. She was seeing Dr. Kelly twice a week to move along in her treatment. She still didn't completely trust the doctor — she still had trouble even trusting her family at the BAU — but she forced herself to talk in an effort to get better. And today was important. She had something she desperately wanted to get out.

Gulping, Penelope began wringing her hands together and picked at her nails. "I, uh…" she began. "Well, it's been a few months since my last real episode…other than the nightmares…" She looked down at her hands as she tried to contemplate her words carefully. "Umm, and the thing I wanted to talk about today was…"

"It's alright, Penelope," Dr. Kelly said calmly. "Take your time."

Looking up abruptly, Penelope gulped, but she couldn't contain the words. "I want to have sex with Derek," she blurted out.

Dr. Kelly's face remained neutral. "You think you're ready for this after all the trauma you went through?" she asked.

"I've been back a whole year," Penelope said. "Up until I came back, Derek was sleeping with prostitutes. And I want to be intimate with him again so he doesn't feel guilty anymore. Because no matter how many times I tell him I wanted him to find comfort somehow, he doesn't believe me. So I want to have sex with him."

The psychologist frowned. "I'm not quite sure I understand," she said. "You want to have sex to make Derek happy?"

Penelope shook her head. "No," she protested. "Well, okay yes. But not just to make him happy. I wantthis. It's been almost twenty years since I've had sex that wasn't forced on me. Derek and I used to have lots of sex. It was…" Her voice trailed off as she tried to recall what sex with Derek had been.

"Why don't you tell me what sex was like with him," the doctor urged.

Penelope smiled fondly, her mind drifting backwards in time as she tried to find the memory of making love to her husband. "It was…it was magical." She laughed softly. "I know that sounds sappy and ridiculous, but…that's what it was. He's my best friend and my lover. He's always been able to make me feel better, make me feel more alive, just by touching me. I want to feel that way again. I want to get rid of the feeling of all those men who hurt me."

"And I think you could," Dr. Kelly said. "But I will warn you, having sex could trigger a flashback. The trauma you endured was severe."

"No," Penelope said firmly with a swift shake of her head. "It won't happen. Not with Derek." She sighed. "You taught me that a way to get out of the flashbacks is to stay present in the moment. If I'm with him, I won't be in any moment but that one."

"It'll be very intense," Dr. Kelly warned. "But if you believe it will help, then you should do it."

"I know it will help," Penelope declared, raising her head up high. "I'm not going to be afraid of this."

For the first time in a year, Penelope believed her own words. She would never be the same person she was before she was taken, but at least she could rebuild herself to a place of strength. She owed it to herself, and more importantly, to her family.

XXXXX

"And you're sure you want to do this?" Hotch asked as Morgan sat across from him in his office. The day was quiet, all of the BAU team having the day off. Derek wanted to be sure to do this when no one would be around; he wanted to keep it from being a shock.

Derek nodded decisively. "Positive, Hotch," he said, placing his gun and his badge on the desk in front of him. "I had to think about it a little bit, but I'm doing this for her. She needs it, and I need her to know I'm committed to getting —"

Hotch held up his hand, one of his rare smiles crossing his face. "I understand, Morgan." Folding his hands in front of him, Hotch arched a brow. "Of all the agents in the BAU, I thought for sure you would be the one to work here until you dropped dead."

Looking at his badge momentarily, Derek leaned back in his chair. Once it would have frightened him to be giving up his job, but now, he didn't give a damn. "I used to think so, too. I used to think this job was the most important thing in my life…until I met Penelope, and we had Elia. They're more important to me than any job."

"And they should be," Hotch agreed. He, too, leaned back in his chair. "What are you planning on doing with retirement?"

Derek smiled, rubbing the top of his head in the process. "I'm taking Penelope anywhere she wants to go. She keeps talking about Greece." Leaning forward, he dug into his pocket and produced a small velvet box. Flipping it open, he showed Hotch the set of silver bands inside of it.

"You're renewing your vows," Hotch remarked.

Nodding, Derek closed the box again and pocketed it once more. "El helped me pick them out," he said. "I asked her to come with us, but she said no. That we should do this just the two of us." He smiled. "So that's what we're going to do."

Rising to his feet, Derek stuck his hand out to shake Hotch's. Hotch stood up and went around the desk to grip Derek's hand. After a solid shake, he pulled Derek into a rare hug. "Good luck, Morgan," he said, pulling back to pat his shoulder. "I would tell you to take care of her, but I already know you will…that you have." He arched a brow. "We'll get pictures until we see you when you get back?"

"Sure," Derek said, turning to go. At the door though, he turned to look back at his former boss. He paused. "Actually, there's one more thing."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Hotch arched a brow. "What is it?"

Clearing his throat, Derek clenched and unclenched his fist. "I know it's going to be years before it happens, but I want to know when Lilith Todd's execution is. I'm going to go." It had been nearly a year since Lilith's name left his lips, but the woman and her obsession with blood was never far from his mind. He hadn't forgotten his promise to her that he'd be there, smirking at the sight of her death.

"I'll let you know the moment I know anything," Hotch promised.

Nodding once, Derek made his way out the door and through the empty bullpen. He glanced up at the windows of the round table room, memories rushing back to him of all the cases they'd been briefed on in there. As his eyes drifted around the bullpen, he recalled the first time he called Penelope "Baby Girl."

It was strange how the place where he'd seen so many of the darkest human horrors was also the place he'd met the person who'd brightened his life and carried his child.

But all they were were memories, the past. He didn't need them; not when he had the future with Penelope and Elia to look forward to.

End of an era, he thought, sticking his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. Time to move on.

As soon as he arrived home, he took off his jacket and hung it up. Elia's car was gone from the garage, and Derek rolled his eyes. His daughter was probably off with Kyle. At least she'd stopped spending time with Sarah, though. Kyle treated his daughter with respect and genuinely loved her, despite the fact Derek gave him a hard time as often as he possibly could. He couldn't say the same for her other friends, though.

"Baby Girl?" he called. He frowned when he heard no response. Maybe she was sleeping. Taking the stairs two at a time, he headed down the hall to their bedroom. He knocked softly on the door and entered. Laying on her side, her eyes unblinking, was Penelope. As soon as he entered, she sat up and blinked at him. His heart stopped at the sight of her, dressed in nothing but a skimpy red negligee.

His throat dried up, and all of the sudden he began to sweat. He wanted to wait until she was ready, and if that moment was never, he wouldn't have cared.

"Penelope?" he croaked.

Rising so she could slide off the bed, she crossed the short distance to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his and kissed him deeply. He couldn't resist pulling her flush against him, and instantly he felt himself grow hard. His hands tangled in the red silk of her lingerie, and his lips moved from hers down to her jaw. Her nails dug into his shoulder blades, making it impossible to suppress the tickle of excitement that raced up his spine.

"Do you want this?" he whispered in her ear. "We can stop if —"

She grasped his face and shook her head. "No," she whispered. "We're not stopping this at all. I don't want my only memories to be of the horrible things that happened. I want them to be of us. Of this." She kissed him more softly this time. "So make love to me."

Nodding, he pulled her close once more and used his foot to kick the door shut behind them. "Anything for you."

XXXXX

The moment Derek stepped into the room and drank in the sight of her body like she was the glass of the richest wine made Penelope feel unbelievably warm. She couldn't believe what she was feeling. Dr. Kelly cautioned her that she might feel nervous or even scared at first, but all Penelope felt right then was burning, fiery passion.

Both of them backed up so her thighs hit the back of their bed. That moment did cause her to tense; she'd been backed into a surface far too many times. But Derek's hands kept her grounded and in the present. With his skin against hers, she was able to fight the flashback. Falling onto the mattress, she slid backwards and gazed at her husband hungrily as he ripped his shirt off. She drank in the sight of him, and for the first time in almost two decades she felt herself grow aroused.

The feeling was so beautiful and earth-shattering that she felt like weeping.

Derek shucked his pants and edged closer to the bed and leaned forward, pushing the sheer material of her negligee up and baring her lily white stomach. She almost shrank backwards, fearful that the scars that covered her body would disgust him. But instead, he dropped his lips to her skin and kissed each and every scar, the tenderness bringing tears to her eyes. His lips made a trail down her belly, dropping below her navel and to the band of her panties.

Her breathing increased, and she traced circles on his head. Leaning up on her elbows, she looked at Derek and murmured, "Take them off."

He nodded and slowly slid down the underwear so that she could pull it down her thighs. Kissing the inside of her thigh, Derek moved his face upwards toward her pussy. For a moment, when she felt his mouth so close, she tensed her muscles unconsciously. He immediately raised his head, worry filling his face.

"I can stop—"

She shook her head frantically. "No!" she cried. "No, you're not stopping." Tears filled her eyes. "Please, don't. I want this, and I want you to be the only one in my head." She nodded and cupped his cheek. "You're the only one who can fix this."

Still unsure, Derek kissed her palm and returned to what she wanted. The moment she felt his lips on her center, she tossed her head back against the sheets, feelings she thought she'd lost came rushing back. Moaning, she grasped his head, urging him to continue. His tongue flicked back and forth, lapping up every piece of her essence that spilled out of her.

"Derek…" she gasped as she started to come in waves that took her higher than the clouds.

He raised his head up and smiled at her. "I love you," he murmured as he rose to his feet to step out of his boxers. Penelope watched as he climbed on top of the bed and slid the straps of her negligee down she her breasts were bared to him. His mouth descended on her hardened nipple, eliciting yet another hiss from her lips.

"Please," she crooned. She was dripping now, desperate to relieve herself of the burn of pleasure she was reacquainting herself with. She had been right when she told Dr. Kelly she had nothing to fear from Derek. He made her feel safe, wrapping her in a cocoon of warmth that she never wanted to burst out of.

Kissing up her breasts, he began to suckle on her neck. Her hands wrapped around his shoulders as he sucked on her pulse point. Sparks of pure pleasure erupted on her skin, and she released a breathy sigh. He remembered exactly what she liked, every last detail. As he kissed her, his hands cupped her breasts, massaging the soft flesh.

Derek played her like a cello, her sighs and moans filling the room with a rich sound she didn't think she still had within her. He went slowly, taking his time as he reexplored her body and all its crevices and pleasure spots. In turn, her own hands roamed his body. Her fingers traced the lines of his sculpted abdomen, moving between their bodies to circle around his erection.

He groaned and closed his eyes. "You ready, Baby?" he gasped as she continued circling his rock-hard length.

"I've been ready for twenty years," she rasped, her voice drawing out in breathy syllables.

"I love you," he grunted, positioning himself between her thighs.

Slowly, he began to inch inside her, and her eyes rolled back in her head. He kissed her and began moving gently within her. Penelope grasped at his shoulders and pulled his head down to kiss him. Their tongues tangled together, and she moaned. Her fingers traced lines up the smooth expanse of his back, and her hips began moving up to meet his thrusts.

Heaven and earth collided for Penelope, and all she felt was the warmth of Derek's body. His labored breathing filled her ears, and she soaked in every last sound. No one had held her this gently in so long, and tears of happiness filled her eyes. She kissed his throat and whispered in his ear, "I love you."

"Derek," she pleaded. She was so close to climaxing, and she more than ready to be with Derek to ride it out.

He suckled on her neck and slid his hand between their bodies to stroke her pleasure centered. "Come with me, Baby Girl," he whispered as he thrust into her twice more. Her tight walls clenched around him at the same moment as he spilled his release into her in thick pulses. Both of them groaned in unison, and Derek collapsed beside her, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly. She hugged him to her and kissed his neck.

"I missed this," she murmured, sniffling. She felt beautiful and sated, her whole body limp and gooey. For the first time since she returned home, she felt like she belonged, like she wouldn't be haunted by flashbacks, like she could be around her husband and daughter without fear of hurting them.

Stroking her cheek, Derek kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Don't cry, sweetheart."

"They're because I'm happy, Handsome," she said, resting her chin on his chest. Brightening, she grinned at him and added, "When do you wanna go again?"

He chuckled and kissed her tenderly. "That's my girl." Holding her tighter, he added, "Before we do any more though, there's something I wanted to tell you."

She arched a brow at him. "Oh?" she asked. "What?"

"While I was out, I went to go see Hotch," he began with a smile. "I handed in my resignation."

Sitting up abruptly, Penelope's mouth dropped. "You - you what?" she asked. "What are you talking about? Why would you do that? I thought you were going to go back to the field soon."

He sat up and cupped her cheek. "I decided not to. There's something more important that I want to do," he explained, rising off the bed. He went to his pants on the ground and dug around in the pocket where he produced a velvet box from. Going back to her side, he opened it and showed her the silver bands inside it.

Tears filled her eyes, and she gasped. Looking back up at him, she traced the smooth bands of the rings. "Derek…" she breathed.

"Elia helped me pick them out," he said. "I retired from the bureau, and I'm taking you all over the world. You've been talking about how much you've missed, so I'm taking you wherever you want to go. And I think our first stop should be in Greece, and we'll renew our vows there."

"You're doing all this for me," she whispered. "I can't believe it." Looking back up at him, she set the rings aside and pulled him into a kiss, her breasts crushing against his chest. She buried her face against his neck. "I love you so much, Derek."

Kissing the top of her head, he murmured, "I love you too, Baby Girl."