Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Baby's here, but we've still got a little more to go. A new POV for this chapter, as well. Thank you very much to all who have reviewed, followed, or favorited :)

"Hold her," Penelope murmured, looking up from Emilia at Derek. She gave him a gentle smile, encouraging him to take their daughter.

Derek was shellshocked. He stared Penelope like she was a lunatic. What if he did something wrong? What if he dropped her? What if —

"You won't break her," Penelope giggled, holding the squirming bundle that was their daughter out to him.

Hesitantly, he held trembling arms out. His quivering fingers touched the soft blanket. The material was soft as sheep's wool and wrapped up in it was his daughter. Her skin was a light caramel color, only slightly lighter than his own. Her small eyes, the same shape as Penelope's, were identical to his. They were flicking around the room, her small pink tongue poking out of her mouth and stuck between her lips that were only the size of the pad of his index finger.

"Derek, you're not going to drop her if that's what you're freaking out about," Renee laughed as she leaned down to kiss Penelope on the forehead.

Gulping past the tight lump in his throat, Derek met Penelope's eyes. She smiled at him, warming his heart and giving him the shot of confidence he needed. He took the baby more securely in his arms and looked down at his daughter straight on for the first time.

He didn't even feel his mouth fall open. Stone still, he gazed down at the face of his daughter and let the feelings of unbridled emotion pour over him like a waterfall. For that moment he wasn't going to let the difficulties that were to come worry him. He cradled Emilia close to his chest, dazzled at how much like Penelope she looked.

"Hi there," he choked out, smiling at the blinking baby. "I'm your daddy. We're gonna be seeing a lot of each other from now on. 'Cause I'm never leaving your side. You're my Baby Doll." He had no idea words like those could be inside him, but here they were, pouring out of his mouth like they were being freed from a cage. His finger pushed a curl back from her face. The texture of her hair was the same as Penelope's.

He looked down back up at Penelope and bit his lip, trying to keep his composure. "She looks just like you, Penelope," he whispered. "Just like you."

Emily frowned. "She's an infant," she stated. "How can you tell? They all look alike."

Penelope shot her best friend a look. "Shush, Prentiss," she scolded. "She looks like me, so knock it off."

Renee put a hand on Emily's back and smiled. Tears floated on the surface of her eyes. "Hush, silly," she said. "She's gorgeous."

"Oh, no doubt," Emily agreed, craning her neck to get a better look at Emilia in Derek's arms. "She's got a name similar to her auntie. Fabulous name if you ask me." A smug smile was resting on her face.

Derek smirked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and watching his daughter. "Don't let it get to your head, Prentiss," he laughed. He leaned his face down and kissed Emilia's forehead. Glancing back at Penelope, he noticed her staring at him and the baby. Her lips were lifted in a smile, and there was a loving light in her eyes. Hidden behind it was a hint of doubt, an indication she was still afraid. He understood, but he was going to help her see they would survive.

Them and Emilia.

He shifted his weight and handed the wriggling bundle back to Penelope. The glint of doubt in her eyes disappeared entirely as soon as Emilia was placed in her arms. She smiled down at the baby, holding her snuggly to her chest. Love was radiating from her eyes; it was written all over her face. He scooted up so he could wrap an arm around her shoulder. Dropping a kiss on the top of her head, he looked down at their daughter and smiled.

"Perfect shot, Mrs. G," Emily said.

Both Derek and Penelope looked up briefly to see Renee and Emily grinning at them. In Renee's hand was her cellphone. They'd taken a picture of them.

"Beautiful," Renee murmured, slipping her phone back in her pocket.

Derek kissed Penelope's head once more. "Yes, they are," he whispered, stroking a lock of Emilia's hair back.

XXXXX

Several hours after they'd left the delivery room and Fran and Derek's sisters had gotten to meet Emilia, Derek was in the hallway with all of them.

"You have to be back for a final at when tomorrow?" Sarah asked incredulously.

"It's at eleven," he said, rubbing his face. He looked at his watch and sighed. It was almost eight o'clock, and it was a three hour drive back to campus. No part of him wanted to leave the hospital, though. He didn't want to leave town, but he had to finish his finals if he wanted to keep his scholarship. "Luckily tomorrow is my last day for them. I've got the one at eleven, then another at three. I move out the day after tomorrow, then I'm done." He sighed and rubbed his temples. "I didn't say anything about this earlier because I didn't want to worry Penelope and she needs rest, but we've got an issue. Problem is family housing isn't letting us move in 'til the week before the semester starts." He was silent. "With our house being too small, and Miguel at your house, Renee, we've got nowhere to go. I don't have enough money to pay rent anywhere and pay for the things for Em."

Renee's expression formed into a vicious glare, one unlike Derek had ever seen on her face before. "My husband will deal with it, or he can leave. You three will have somewhere to go," she seethed. Her anger at her husband was surfacing, and Derek was shocked at how strong it actually was.

Emily shook her head and interrupted him before he could speak. "Stay in my guest house," she offered. "My mom is never home, so we never get visitors. It'll be more than enough room, and it'll give you some privacy."

"Oh, God," Derek said, shaking his head. "Emily, that's nice to offer, but we can't —"

She shook her head. "No 'buts'," she said, sticking her chin out. "I want access to my goddaughter, so that's the perfect place." She grinned.

Fran nodded in Emily's direction. "If your mother is okay with it, then that's the best option," she said. "Really, Emily. That's very kind of you."

Emily nodded. "Not a problem," she said.

Renee looked at her watch. Blowing out a sigh, she said, "Well, I'm going to run home and take a shower. I should be back in less than an hour. You're going to stay with her until you have to go back?" She directed her eyes back to Derek.

He nodded eagerly. "Yeah," he said. "I was gonna head back there now."

Sarah pointed to the waiting room. "Well, I'll wait out here so you guys can have some privacy," she said. "You're lucky I don't have work tomorrow. I can cart your ass all over kingdom come for now."

Derek grinned at her and went to hug his mother and Desiree. "Thanks for being here, guys," he murmured.

Fran smiled. "I wouldn't have missed it," she assured him, pushing some of his hair out of his face. "She's a beautiful baby, Derek. Treasure her." She took his hand and squeezed it.

"Always," Derek murmured.

After bidding his mother, Desiree, Renee, and Emily farewell, Derek returned to Penelope's recovery room. She was sound asleep on the bed, looking peaceful and serene after her long day. He smiled. Maybe he wouldn't get to talk to her before he left. That was fine with him, considering the fact she'd had to endure giving birth without any pain medications to help her.

At the end of the bed was the crib containing Emilia. He walked to stand in front of it and looked down at his sleeping daughter. Sighing, he sat in the chair where Desiree had been sitting to take pictures of her new niece. He moved the chair closer, careful to not scrape it along the floor and wake Penelope. He gazed, unmoving, at his daughter.

He couldn't believe how beautiful she was. The sonogram photo from her at seven months that he treasured and had on his bedside table where he could always find it couldn't compare to seeing her tangible and in the flesh. When his little girl grew up, she was going to look just like Penelope.

"Hey, sweetie," he murmured, using his index finger to stroke her cheek as she slept on. "I'm so happy to finally see you. I won't lie…I was really scared when your mama told me you were gonna be coming. I'm still scared. I don't know the first thing about babies." He sighed, lifting her into his arms. Emilia slept on. "But I'm gonna do everything I can to be the best daddy I can be. Don't know if I'll be any good at it, but I'm gonna try. And someday, when I've got enough money, I'm gonna get your mama a ring and ask her to marry me." He smiled, thinking about when he would be able to marry Penelope. Sighing, he kissed his daughter's forehead. "I'll always love you both."

"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that."

Derek looked up at the sound of Penelope's voice. Her head was leaning back against the pillows of her bed, and a light smile was playing on her lips.

Grinning, Derek rose to his feet and kissed Emilia's forehead once more before setting her back in the crib. He went to her side and was about to sit on the edge of the bed, but she shifted her weight and motioned for him to sit beside her. Without a word, he squeezed in with her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. In turn, she snuggled into him and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"I meant every word of what I told Emilia," he whispered, touching his lips to her hair. "Soon as I have the money, I'm buying you a ring. I mean, I know she can't understand me, but still…"

She giggled. "She will someday." Sighing, she added, "What are we going to do now, Derek? I still have to graduate, we'll have to find a babysitter who can watch Emmy while I go to work or class —"

"Well, for class Northwestern has a daycare," he interjected. "It's just the summer we need one."

He could sense her eye-roll. "Derek, you know what I mean," she muttered. "I may not look like a house anymore —"

"You didn't look like a house," he said. "If we're going to be talking about what you looked like, you gotta listen to me: you were incredibly sexy. I couldn't get enough of you." Wiggling his brows suggestively, he added, "And the sex we were having? Holy hell!"

She swatted his arm. "I'm being serious," she said softly. An extended silence covered the space between them. "Are we going to be okay?"

"Hey…" He tilted her chin up so they were looking directly at one another. Stroking her velvet soft cheek with the pad of his thumb, he kissed her softly, his lips lingering on hers to convey his torrent of feelings. "We've gotten this far, crazy girl. We can go a little further." He smiled. "And since we're living in Emily's guest house this summer — long story behind that — we've got all the time in the world to prove it."

She smiled and kissed him again, nibbling on his lower lip. Resting her head against his chest, she sighed. "I love you, Mocha Thor."

Derek smiled and rested his cheek against the top of her head. He rubbed her arm and held her close, willing time to stop so he could savor the moment.

XXXXX

"Did you get my text?"

Miguel looked up from his desk and saw his wife standing in the doorway to his study. He arched a brow. "What text?" he asked, playing dumb. He knew exactly what Renee was talking about. But he didn't want to hear anything about Penelope or Derek Morgan. His eyes returned to his paperwork.

She saw straight through it, though. Her eyes narrowed, piercing through him straight to the core. "You know damn well what text I'm talking about," she snapped, her voice sharp enough to crack iron.

Miguel didn't answer.

Moments later, she exploded with a cloud of fury. She stormed to the front of his desk and slammed her palms onto the hard wood. "Goddammit, Miguel!" she hollered. "Look at me!" His eyes lifted to hers, but he made no noise. "Did you even look at it? Did you even want to see your granddaughter?" She snorted with a bitter laugh. "No, of course you didn't, you jackass! You couldn't even support our daughter through the toughest period of her life, so why would you want to see your grandchild?"

"We raised her better than this," he growled. "We taught her to be smart. I wasn't an idiot. I knew when that boy came into her life she was going to be sexually active, and there's nothing about that that I was thrilled about; I also knew there was no way to stop it. But she knew there were ways to prevent this from happening. Her life is going to unravel because of this. She'll try, but that baby will tie her down, and everything we hoped for her is going to crash in a burning pile."

Renee was quaking with anger. "That baby has a name," she hissed. "Emilia Parker. And she looks just like Penelope." She bowed her head and wiped tears from her face. "You know our daughter. She works harder than anyone, and she will have everything we hoped she would. The only thing that's different is she has a baby."

As much as he wanted to deny it, a small tingling sense sparked up in the back of his mind. He couldn't quite describe it, but it was there, likely to stay until he figured out what it was.

"Miguel…honey," Renee whispered. "You're my husband, and I love you. But this last year, you have been nothing but a monster to Penelope. She needed you more than ever, and you turned your back on her." She paused to bite her bottom lip as she pondered her next words. "If you don't fix this with Penelope, you will slowly lose her. But if you reject Emilia, you will lose her immediately. And you will never, ever get her back after that."

She sniffled and wiped her eyes again. "I'm going to shower, then I'm going back to the hospital. We'll talk more later, unless you decide to get your act together, come with me, and go see your daughter."

Renee left the room, leaving Miguel alone in the silence of his study. He stared at the desk, his eyes flicking to his phone. Despite being furious with his daughter over getting pregnant, he missed her; she wasn't his blood, but he'd raised her as the only father she'd known. His pride and his anger were obstructing his way to rebuilding their relationship, and he didn't know how to get past them.

He'd always been a proud man, it was something he'd worked on fixing all his life.

Currently he was failing miserably.

As he sat in the dimly lit silence, he felt his curiosity building like a rapidly growing fire. What had Renee's text said?

With fingers that felt like they were being weight down by boulders, Miguel lifted his hand and pulled his phone towards him. He opened his one new message and stared at the image Renee had sent him. His expression was blank, but inside a storm of emotions was brewing and raging violently.

Heavy-hearted, he kept his eyes glued on the photo of Penelope, Derek, and the newborn they were both gazing at lovingly. Looking more closely, he tried to see the baby better, to see just how much she looked like Penelope, but most of her face was concealed by the blanket she was wrapped in. He couldn't see her well enough.

So instead he focussed on Penelope and Derek.

His past thoughts of Derek Morgan running out on his daughter and Penelope dissolved. The look on the boy's face was one of complete devotion. He wasn't going anywhere. Penelope beside him was smiling down at her daughter with the same glow of love and affection Derek's held. For once in nine months, his daughter's face wasn't stricken with fear. It was content and happy The sight made Miguel's heart clench in his chest. He didn't understand the flood of emotion that was coursing through him, and it made him panic.

Derek was one thing he was wrong about so far. But what was more important to him at that moment was what more was he wrong about?

A little insight into Miguel's head for you guys…lemme know what you think is gonna happen with him in the comments :)