It's been 2 months since Derek was found and was 100% cast free. He was off of his medication and no longer had any withdrawals. He was working harder with his physical therapist and regained almost all of his muscle tone. He was scheduled to partake in the physical exam to go back to work in a couple of days. He was also still doing emotional therapy and was only having nightmares about once or twice a week, which Penelope's loyalty helped go away.

Penelope, Derek, and the rest of the team had met at their favorite Chinese restaurant. They were filling Derek in on how the last few cases went and he got to fill them in on his healing. Toward the end of their meal, David picked up a fork and tapped it against his glass, getting the attention of the table.

"I think I can speak for all of us when I say we are overjoyed to have Morgan back in our lives. It is incredible the recovery you've made, Derek, and I can't wait to have you back at work with us. Or as Penelope would say, fighting the baddies with us," David said.

"Yes," Penelope said, lifting her glass. The others followed suit and clinked their glasses together.

"Thank you, Rossi," Derek said. "But, I couldn't have gotten this far without this Angel by my side every step of the way," Derek said, looking at Penelope who sat next to him.

"Awww," Penelope expressed, planting a kiss on Derek's cheek.

"Salud!" Dave shouted, initiating another round of glass clinking

A few days later, Derek found out that he had passed his physical test to go back to work. Now, all that was left was a psych evaluation by the department. He and Penelope were sitting outside of the director's office, waiting for his appointment. He held Penelope's hand as his leg bounced with nervous anxiety. Penelope placed a hand on Derek's leg to steady him.

"Hey," Penelope said softly. "You'll do great, Hot Stuff."

"I don't know, Baby Girl," Derek said.

"Well, I do. You will pass and get your sexy badge and gun back," Penelope said with a smirk.

Derek laughed at her witty remark. He held her hand closer.

"You know I love you, Princess, right?"

"Get in line," Penelope said.

Her witty comments were always her strong suit. She had a way of making people feel better with them, which helped Derek tremendously through his healing.

"Agent Morgan?" The director said, stepping out of his office. Derek and Penelope stood up.

"This is you," Penelope said, quickly fixing Derek's tie, though it was only an excuse to give him a bit more encouragement. She kissed his lips. "You've got this, Angelfish."

"Thanks, Sweetness," Derek said. He turned to the director's door.

"Good to see you, Agent Morgan," The director said, shaking Derek's hand. They disappeared into his office and Penelope sat back down outside of the door. As much as she knew that Derek had this one in the bag, she was still nervous for him. She was so proud of how far he'd come, but she knew that he still had battles to work through. They were minimal, but still there in spirit.

After about 30 minutes, Derek came out of the director's office.

"How'd it go?" Penelope said, quickly standing up. Derek walked up to her holding his badge in his hand.

"My name is Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan I'm with the FBI, I'd like to ask you a couple of questions," Derek said with a smile.

"Oh, yay!" Penelope giddily cheered. "So you get to come back to work?"

"Yes I do, Sweetness."

"That's fantastic! I'm so proud of you, Derek," Penelope said, pulling Derek into a hug.

"You know, I couldn't have done it without you, right?" Derek asked.

"I know," Penelope said with a smile. Derek leaned down for a kiss.

"We should go out to eat. To celebrate."

"I'm up for that," Penelope said and the two walked off to dinner.

The next day, Derek and Penelope both came into work together. This was the first time Penelope was working in her office since finding Derek, and the first time that Derek was back at work at all.

"Hey, you guys," JJ greeted them as they walked into the bullpen. She met both of them with a hug.

"How are you feeling, Derek?" Spencer asked, joining them.

"I'm feeling good, Pretty Boy. Ready to get back to work," Derek said. Aaron, Emily, and Dave came up to them next and greeted them.

"Glad to have you back, Derek," Dave said, shaking Derek's hand.

"Are you happy to be back in your office, Pg?" Emily asked, embracing her friend.

"Absolutely. I've missed my babies," Penelope responded.

"I'm happy both of you are back in here with us. It hasn't been the same without you, Derek," Aaron said.

Everyone got to work right away. There was a case already lined up for them in Oklahoma City and they wasted no time getting debriefed on the case.

While Penelope presented the case, she remained solid. As her superhero friends started walking out of the round table room, she could feel the emotions build in her throat. Derek could see this though Penelope kept a straight face. He made sure he was the last one out. He walked over to Penelope and took her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head as she let a few tears escape her eyes.

"What's wrong, Baby Girl?" Derek asked softly.

"Before you were taken, I didn't have this much trouble with you going halfway across the country to get the baddies. But this is the first time since that you haven't been right here with me. And things are different now. While you've always meant the world to me, I have more to lose now," Penelope said, holding on tighter to Derek's chest.

"I'll be right back in your arms before you know it, Sweetness," Derek whispered.

"I know," Penelope tearfully whispered back. They pulled away from each other just far enough for Derek to look down into her eyes. He knew this would bring back hard memories and difficult feelings. Derek brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumb.

"You can call me every fifteen minutes if you need to," Derek said honestly, though it got Penelope to crack a smile.

"Don't tempt me, Sugar," Penelope said with a chuckle, wiping the last of her tears from her face.

"Hey," Derek whispered to her. Penelope stared up into Derek's eyes. He pushed a lock of her hair back behind her ear. "I love you."

"I love you too," She whispered back, fighting back more tears. Derek leaned down and kissed her lips. They parted and looked at each other for a quick minute before Aaron popped his head in the room.

"Wheels up in five, Morgan," Aaron said.

"Be right there, Hotch," Derek said, quickly turning to his boss as Aaron darted back out just as fast as he darted in. Derek looked back at Penelope.

"I'll be okay," Penelope ensured, lovingly rubbing his arms which sat on her shoulders.

"I know you will," Derek said with another sweet smile. He kissed her once more before letting go of her and picking up his go-bag from the floor.

"Bye, Baby Girl," Derek said.

"Bye, Hot Stuff," Penelope said, wiping one last tear from her cheek as Derek disappeared around the doorway.