DISCLAIMER: I own nothing
A/N: Okay, so a bit of a shorter chapter than I'm used to delivering, but still... I'm satisfied. FYI, my muse is mean – bare that in mind =P
Thanks as always and I hope you enjoy!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To Love and Lose -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"You know you should be doing work," Derek spoke to Penelope teasingly as he watched her check the CCTV cameras of the downstairs crèche. "Not watching the onsite nursery via camera."
"They shouldn't have built such a thing in such a building when people such as myself work here," Penelope pointed out with a serious tone. She then lost all power and allowed her shoulders to slump, "Plus I miss my baby."
"Me too," Derek told her as he came closer, "It hurts every time there's a new case. It's still fresh and now having her just downstairs is making it really hard to just run down there and hold her."
"Fatherhood's turned you to mush, Hot Stuff," Penelope told him as she spun to face him, "Let's not let the bad guys hear about that though."
Chuckling he pulled her up to his chest and kissed her before looking over her shoulder at the screen, "How is our baby doing?"
Penelope looked back at the screen, "She's done her usual and slept. After crying for too long. I'm just making sure that they feed her when I told them too. The last thing we need is her breaking routine at three months."
"You're becoming one of those over protecting mothers," Derek pointed out, it was something she had promised she wouldn't be – she wouldn't be a hounding mothers. Especially to people who she had given her utmost faith in looking after her child.
"I changed my mind," Penelope told him with a smirk, "I don't want to be back at work just yet." She then admitted softly and looked at Derek almost sadly. "I don't think I'm mentally ready."
Derek smiled at Penelope's weakness before speaking, "You're a mother. I'm pretty sure JJ went through this when she had to come back and leave Henry at home, but now it's a way of life. This is a natural progression in life. It'll get easier."
"Doesn't feel like it," Penelope almost made that sound like the beginning of a sulk. "She cried so much when I left her earlier though, Handsome. I felt so mean," Penelope told him with a guilt ridden tone. "I'm the one to stop her crying, not make her cry."
"Oh Baby, it's just transitional. You can't always be the one that calms her and you've gotta issue tough love now or you never will." He saw her doubt him and he found it sweet and even more loveable. "You're an amazing mother, Pen, and this is just a part of life. Soon her routine will be to have us in the morning, part of the time during the day and then at night again."
"What about when we're both on a case? What about then?"
That was when Derek's face lit up, "This is where I spring a surprise on you." He watched Penelope almost squint her eyes in suspicion at him and he laughed in glee. "Let's just say Quantico's getting a new resident."
Penelope didn't want to smile too prematurely. Her first reaction was to guess that his mom was moving to Quantico, but then she guessed he wouldn't have been able to retain his excitement had that been the case.
"Who?" She asked him curiously and tilted her head at him. "I mean, how do I not know?"
"Because Joel told me not to tell you until truly necessary," He spoke and watched her face illuminate with a large smile. "If I didn't need to use it as weapon, I wasn't going to until he was moved here."
"That's mean," She scolded lightly. "I don't understand why though. I mean he has a life in California an-and I don't get it." She said as she couldn't make her brain function well enough to cooperate at that influx of information. "When is he getting here?"
"Ooh, let's see," Derek said as he animatedly looked up to the ceiling, "Tomorrow at the latest."
Penelope playfully hit him, "You two are so freaking mean for keeping this from me!"
Derek scrunched his face up in disagreement. "I wouldn't call it a bad thing. I mean, think how much easier life is going to be now. Which is what I was go to get at earlier when you were worrying about cases. When we are on a case, here or away, then Joel said he will look after Sophia for us. He hates being so far away from you, from us and so he decided to uproot his life and come here. Start anew and make something of his life."
"Oh," She said as she thought of having her brother around more permanently, "Life really is perfect."
"You would be correct with that," Derek said and tapped her nose before literally jumping back to life enthusiastically, "Right get some work done, Princess and then we'll go down and see her as a break," Derek vowed and looked at his watch.
"Batteries stopped working months ago, Handsome," Penelope pointed out as the realisation dawned on her and she looked to her computer for the time. "It's quarter past one."
Derek smiled appreciatively at Penelope's awareness of the simple things like a broken watch. "Say about three, we'll go down to crèche and see our baby. She would just be going down for a nap then so we can see her, get a dose of Sophia and come back to work before we go home later."
"Oh you make life sound so simple, Hot Stuff," She told him with a little grin.
"Well you see, that's because I have wife that's losing it," Derek told her and pulled her close for a kiss. "I gotta get back to work, Gorgeous, but I will meet you down there in less than two hours. Think you can cope?"
She smiled wistfully, "I think I can."
"I know you can," Derek placed his faith into Penelope and then went and got another kiss off of her before he left her to get back to work.
Sinking down into her seat, she looked at the pile of reports that had been building up in her absence and thought optimistically. Maybe this would pass the time for her. Maybe.
Grabbing the first one she opened it and realised that she really didn't miss the gore that was thrust into her job so reverently. What she did miss was the empowerment of having the ability to track down the bad guys and make the world just that bit safer.
Now her job seemed almost more worth it with her own daughter in the world.
However much she tried to work with that aspect in mind, she couldn't say she could stop herself from clock watching, but she was finding that she was loving motherhood more than she ever loved being a technical analyst and she thought that would never happen. After all she had loved her jobless regardless.
Now she realised she reflected upon her job differently and she guessed she always would. Having Sophia made her outlook of the world change entirely.
When three o'clock stuck she literally bounced up out of her seat and put her computers onto standby and rushed out of her office.
Walking down to the crèche only moments later, Penelope felt good – amazing even. Work was going well, her separation anxiety from her daughter was yet to kill her, but she knew after a healthy dose of cuddles and kisses she would sated enough to work out the remaining hours of the day.
She entered the room and was greeted warmly. She was told that Sophia was just put down, but that someone had come down to check on her briefly. Thinking it was one of the team, after all Emily and Reid weren't in the bullpen, she expected to see them checking on their God daughter.
She geared up with a larger smile than before, ready to catch them in the act she went into the room with the cribs.
Expect what Penelope saw in front of her stopped her heart and made her blood run icy cold.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To Love and Lose -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-