✦XO✦

Two weeks had passed since the dinner. Life for them went on as normal.

Luke's Office

"Do you think you are rushing this?" Luke asked watching Matt pacing the floor.

"No we waited this long for my parent to say yes. I don't want to wait any longer." Matt said looking at Luke like stupid questions do exist and that was one of them. He went back to pacing.

"Ok then why the hell are you burning up my carpet." Luke barked getting a headache from Matt pacing back and forth.

Matt stops and immediately sits in front of Luke. "What if she doesn't like me?"

"What?" Luke looked at him bewildered. "JJ is the girl you are marrying right?"

"Yes. Of course. Luke what's wrong with you man. Did you hit your head?" Matt said annoyed.

"Did I hit my head? Did you hit your head? You walk into my room saying you have something important to tell me. You pace back and forth for two minutes to tell me you fixed the date for the wedding. Sit here and finish a whole bottle of water. Then finally tell me it's two weeks from now. Then you start pacing again but this time for three minutes. You run to the restroom to come back and pace for another minute. So excuse me for thinking you are having second thoughts. Which you made clear you are not. But then you ask me 'What if she doesn't like me?' What does that even mean? If she didn't like you she wouldn't wait to marry you. Correction if she didn't LOVE you she wouldn't wait to marry you."

"You don't get it. Where is Prentiss when you need her? You are worthless." Matt said as he started pacing. Luke holds onto his head. He has no idea what is going on. Suddenly his phone rings. Penelope name appears on the screen.

"Hey Penelope, listen I'll call you back. I .." Luke stops talking when his phone is ripped from his hand. He looks up to find Matt had taken his phone. "Matt give it back."

"Penelope it's Matt, I need your help. Your husband is worthless." Matt puts her on speaker and begins pacing.

"Tell me about it. When is he ever useful. Work work work that is all he knows. When it come to anything else it's like you are talking to a wall." Luke raises one of his eyebrows as he looks towards his phone. "Matt?" Penelope voice echos through the speaker. "I am on speaker aren't I."

"Hello again Penelope." Luke says as he sits back waiting for an apologize. Matt stops pacing.

"Anyways. Matt whats the problem?" Penelope says as Luke raises his hands in the air and drops it back down next to him. She just got caught bad mouthing him and she doesn't even apologize. She is impossible. Matt smiled at Luke. "Matt, let him glare all he wants, he is harmless. Speak." Luke raises his eyebrow again and looks up smirking at Matt. Matt looks towards Luke worried.

"Umm Penelope, I would take that back if I was you. He could hear you." Matt said as Luke rested back in his chair arrogantly.

"Yes I know he could hear me. I am not afraid of him and you shouldn't be either. He's a big fluffy teddy bear. Harmless." Penelope voiced echoed. Luke sat there rubbing his chin and listening quietly. Matt smirked looking at Luke. Penelope was the perfect match for Luke. "Speak ohh unfortunate one."

"I am afraid she won't like me, Penelope. What if she doesn't like living with me." Matt said as he fell into the chair in front of him.

"Oh Matt, don't think like that. You know she probably is thinking the same thing." Penelope said understanding his concern.

"She is perfect, she has nothing to be afraid. I love her with every fiber of my being" Matt said truly speaking his heart. Luke sat back listening intently.

"Have you guys ever moved in together?" Penelope asked.

"No not officially. I would stay over her place here and there. But she wasn't allowed into my house initially and I fought my parents and threatened to move out. But she didn't want me fighting them and didn't want me to leave them since they only had me. My brother is in Australia with his family. Slowly they started accepting her coming over and she began attending events with us. But marriage was out of the question. Since me and Luke have been taking all these trips, she has been checking in on them and I guess they were able to see how special she is and finally accepted her."

"Matt." Penelope went quiet.

"Penelope?" Matt questioned leaning forward towards the phone. Luke doing the same.

"Matt if you ever hurt her. I will hunt you down myself and torture you so bad that you wished your great grandmother eggs never got fertilized." Luke and Matt looked up at each other and backed away from the phone. "Now back to the matter at hand. I get why you are afraid and trust me she is afraid of the same exact thing. It's not easy living with someone. You have your own habits and it could be annoying to the other person and vice versa. The initial learning curve can be tough. But you both love each other and that is what will make it so much easier. You guys already dealt with a lot and still stand strong with one another. So don't get upset if she leaves a wet towel on the bed."

"Or doesn't use a coaster." Luke smiled remembering their learning curve and they were still learning.

"Shush I am talking. Matt just talk it through and don't let your ego get in the way. Deal with the main issue not just the problem at the moment. Like take the wet towel for example, you threw it on the bed for the hundredth time. She yells at you, you grab it and you hang it up. Problem solved, no. Because you will do it again and again. Knowledge is power my friend. Communication is key. So ask her why she has a problem with it. Sometime what we feel like is common sense might not be so common to the other. It could be a whole new idea they never thought of. For example, she would tell you because it will get the comforter its laying on wet and end up leaving a bad smell when it dries. If it's night and you throw it then your feet or whatever part of the body the wet spot lands on will be cold and uncomfortable." Luke sat back understanding now why she would complain. He only hung his towel up so she would stop nagging. "But sometimes you have to do things to make the other person happy. Like the coaster our eavesdropper rudely mentioned earlier. Coaster are used to keep the condensation from drinks from leaving water marks which is understandable. But using them on every type of surface is ridiculous but out of the kindness of your heart you bend a little for their happiness." Luke chuckles making Penelope pause. "unfortunately some people are allergic to kindness and to dumb to realize it exist." Luke eyebrows raised again. What was she on today. She been insulting him left and right. "You take she gives. She takes you give. You both love each other and the struggle you both went through to get married shows you guys understand each other and are willing to do anything to keep the other happy. Not everyone is as lucky as you two are, trust me. Love like yours is hard to come by. I don't think you have anything to worry about that you won't be able to fix between the two of you. But if you can't seem to find a solution it doesn't hurt to find a mediator to help you both find a middle ground. Learn each other habits and learn to work with it. Learn each other peeves and work with it. Marriage takes work my friend, it isn't easy. Just go with the flow when a problem arises, deal with it. You can't always prevent everything. But you guys already won half the battle. I am not going to get into how to deal with her feelings because you probably already know that and as for kids.."

"She is one." Luke said without realizing he said it out loud.

"Rude and no I am not. I just don't have one." Penelope said biting her tongue.

To break the uncomfortable feeling in the air Matt spoke up. "Thanks Penelope. I understand what you mean. I feel better now. Luke was no help."

"When is he ever." Penelope said annoyed.

Luke throws his arms out. "I am still right here listening."

"Yeah yeah. Whatever. Bye Matt. See you this Friday." Penelope was going to end the call but Luke spoke.

"Penelope wait can you do me a favor and book two rooms at the hotel. One for us and one for Prentiss."

"No hi no hello. He just goes straight into his demands like I am his servant… yes sir I will do that right now.. do you want me to book a massage too for your big enormous ass." Penelope says before cutting the phone. Matt fell back laughing in his chair.

"Damn what is she on." Luke questioned no one in particular.

"It's probably that time of the month. JJ is kind of the same." Matt said after she stopped laughing.

Luke held his head. Matt was right. It was that time of the month. How could he forget. He got yelled for random things last month. He was afraid to go home. "Want to do something after work." Luke looked at Matt begging.

"No sir. Your big enormous ass have to deal with that on your own." Matt laughed. "Why are you booking a room for Prentiss."

"You know she is going through a lot with her dad being in and out of the hospital. I don't want her to worry about booking and everything. It was last minute but I got her flight booked too."

Penelope sat at her desk as she looked up the number to the hotel where Matt planned to have his engagement party this coming weekend. Penelope wonder if she spoke to much on the phone. She pushed the thought away. She was in pain and this new birth control the doctor prescribed her was making her emotions go out of wack towards the end. She will just ask her to prescribe her the old one. Luckily she will be done by Wednesday to enjoy the party on the weekend. She got on the phone with the receptionist and began the process of booking two rooms.

"Can I have the name of the two guest for the first room." The receptionist asked.

"Luke Alvez and Penelope.." Penelope paused. She had been waiting for two weeks for Luke to come clean to her but he hadn't. It wasn't like they were in love that she couldn't fight with him. She had the rights to question him as his wife but sometime it felt like she wasn't. Sometimes it felt like they were two strangers who just lived under the same roof. Maybe this was the only way to let him know without having to tell him.

"Ma'am, are you there?" The receptionist asked.

"Yes, sorry. Luke Alvez and Emily Prentiss." Penelope felt her body weaken. She didn't quite understood why her body reacted this way. She wasn't in love with him.

"And the name for the second room?" The receptionist asked.

"Penelope Alvez." She still felt odd taking his last name as her own.

"Penelope Alv.. huh?.. oh I am sorry ma'am I probably miss understood. So one room for Luke and Penelope Alvez and the second room for Emily Pre.." he stopped as Penelope cut him off.

"No. The first room is for Luke Alvez and Emily Prentiss. And the other room is to be booked under Penelope Alvez."

✦XO✦