Chapter 35

The next week was indeed a very busy one for everybody. After all, they needed to pull together a wedding in record time. There were so many things to do. There was shopping for dresses and suits, including the boys. They had to lineup a justice of the peace, a DJ, a photographer, a limo for the happy couple to be whisked away to the honeymoon suite at the 'Grand Hotel', flowers including boutonnieres and corsages and centerpieces. Dave also pulled out the archway that he used for JJ and Will's wedding and asked his staff to decorate it with flowers. Dave had to rent some tables and chairs. Luckily, he'd kept the tent that was used for the LaMontagne's reception. So, the staff was also in charge of decorating it with strings of lights and a few white, pink and light blue balloons attached to the poles in the tent. Dave and Fran decided to have the affair catered. And, of course, Fran was in charge of the cake. Hotch and Emily agreed that it would be two tiers with beautiful baby's breath, ferns, and bride and groom on top. It was going to be a white cake with a chocolate mousse filling and frosted with white buttercream icing.

Two nights before the nuptials the bride and groom were given a bachelorette and bachelor party with the promises of no strippers. Emily's party was thrown at Casa Rossi and Hotch's was held at his house. A fun time was had by all.

Emily asked Penelope to be her maid of honor and Hotch asked Dave to be his best man. JJ was a bridesmaid and Spencer was a groomsman. Emily asked Derek to walk her down the aisle because her parents couldn't make it, there were important ambassadorship duties to attend to overseas and it was too short notice. Jack and Henry were both assigned to be ring bearers.

Emily decided because it was a garden party that she wanted a fitted, long, white lace gown without a train. It had spaghetti straps and a sweetheart neckline. There were also small pearls and small pink and light blue flowers scattered throughout the lace. It was gorgeous. In her hair, she would be wearing a beautiful wreath of small pink and light blue roses mixed in with baby's breath. Her hair was going to be put in an updo. JJ was charged with doing her hair and Penelope was asked to do her makeup.

Hotch decided that all of the men, Jack, and Henry would wear navy blue suits, white shirts, and light blue bowties to match Emily's dress and wreath. They also would be wearing light blue boutonnieres in their lapels. Will was also given a boutonniere because as JJ's husband they thought it would be appropriate.

Emily's bridal bouquet was white and pink roses sprayed. Penelope and JJ would carry bouquets of pink and light blue roses. And Fran, Sarah and Desiree would each be given a corsage to match Penelope's and JJ's bouquets.

The wedding went off without a hitch. The bride looked stunning as did the groom. Their vows were their own and from the heart. Jack was beside himself because officially Emily became his new mom. Emily and Jack had already developed a great relationship and bond.

The reception was a blast. The weather was picture perfect and it was filled with toasts, dancing, great food, and a wonderful cake. As the end neared, the happy couple said their goodbyes and were chased by everyone out to the limo while they blew bubbles at them. They were whisked away and would return the following evening because Emily's flight left early Monday morning.

Within two weeks, Emily was back as planned and moved in with Hotch and Jack immediately to start their new lives together as a family. A few days later, the remainder of her belongings arrived. Some went into the house and the rest of it went into long-term storage for a later time.

Upon Emily's return, unfortunately, it was time for Sarah and Desiree to head back to Chicago. Everyone was sad to them go but the bright spot was that Desiree would be finishing her degree in a couple of months. That meant when the school year was finished, the girls would be moving to Virginia to be with their family.

A couple of more weeks went by and Derek's first day back to work would be the following morning. It was Sunday and they all decided to have one more barbecue before they headed back to the BAU tomorrow. There was plenty of food, many laughs and good times as always.

In the meantime, Penelope was working hard on her recuperation and rehabilitation as best she could with both casts still on. Her ribs were getting better and she wasn't experiencing as much pain and discomfort. Derek had been with her every step of the way. Everyone was so proud of the work and effort Penelope was putting into her recovery. There were good days and bad days. But Derek, never let her down and kept pushing her for more each day. He wouldn't allow his girl to give up or stay down for very long.

All throughout the past month, the new lovebirds were becoming closer and closer. Each day they woke up in each other's arms and the day ended the very same way. Penelope, of course, was experiencing more and more frustration that they couldn't enjoy each other the way they both wanted to. Her doctors informed her that it would be at least two to three more months before they could sexually enjoy themselves. It wasn't going to be easy for either of them but they knew it was the safest thing to do. As time went by, her nightmares started to dissipate and only occasionally did they rear their ugly head.

The wanna-be lovers enjoyed many other activities to fill up their time. Derek took her outside every day and they enjoyed many a picnic. As her ribs improved, he'd carried her down to the small lake behind the Rossi mansion, so not only could they enjoy some time totally alone, but a few times he cradled her in his arms, high above the water while he waded through the lake. As much as she protested that she was too heavy, she really did enjoy being held and carried by her Noir Hero.

They also went to the movies a few times, as well as, to dinner or lunch several times to some of their favorite past haunts. He had a blast taking her around and showing her off as his woman. He even surprised her with a trip to the Glen Echo Park Aquarium. She loved to watch all the 'fishies' and undoubtedly her favorite exhibition was the Dolphins and the show they put on. She also got a kick out of the Sea Lions and the Penguins. Derek adored watching her face light up with such joy and amazement. He loved making her happy and all the time they spent together now, was as a couple instead of only best friends, and it was truly priceless.

So, between Derek's courting, her rehab, spending time with the family, and most especially with the boys, Penelope was kept quite busy. This way she didn't have a lot of time to dwell over the fact she was stuck at home and unable to work and unable to do things for herself. One ray of light, however, was that the doctors said once the casts were removed from her leg and arm, and when she could move more freely that she may be able to work a bit from home. That would be a big and happy step for her.

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