Before, part three

"I hope you know that at least three of the nurses here have crushes on you," Penelope told Derek, another day when he was hanging around her hospital room.

He gave her a flirty look that was also filled with tenderness. "I only got eyes for you right now and only care about getting you healthy again and keeping you safe."

The smallest thing could set off her fear and what he said had done just that. She asked "How can I be safe when we can't even figure out his name?"

"We will. I promise you." He touched her arm and stared in her eyes. "This guy is finished. I will track him down and make this be over for you."

"Let Hotch lead this investigation-"

"He is but I'm not going to back away from it. Hey, sweetheart, this is you we're talking about here and I won't let anybody get away with doing this to you."

In a small voice she said "I truly believed he liked me. Pathetic, right?"

"Baby, no, its not. He wanted you to believe that."

"That's how desperate I am to find a boyfriend. I'll go off with anyone."

"I go off with anyone all the time but that doesn't mean I should be shot for it."

"I was an idiot. He played me so bad."

"Sweetheart, he's a monster. He's not human. No one who is human could look in your eyes and do what he did. He's garbage and I'll never let him near you again."

"You and the team can't keep baby sitting me for the rest of my life, Morgan."

"I'm not baby sitting. I'm hanging out with my friend and, yeah, I can do whatever it takes to keep you safe. You'll have to pry me away kicking and screaming if you think you're going without a gaurd for even one second till this is over. Someone from the team will be with you at all times, and also some uniforms."

"I hate that you're hurting over this. That our family is hurting."

"Hey, please, don't blame yourself. If one of us was in trouble you would be the first one there to help and that's all we want to do for you." He covered her hand with his. "I won't let you down again, baby girl."

"You never have and never could."

He just shook her head, knowing she was very wrong on that account.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The last day she was stuck in ICU he told her. "Want to know where I was when I found out you were hurt?"

"With the legs of some gorgeous woman wrapped around your Chocolate God body?"

"Baby, no." His eyes filled with anguish.

"Sorry. Go ahead."

"I was in church. Remember the last case? We were looking into if it was a satanic cult. Well that had me thinking about God and when I basically turned my back on him...after I felt he turned His on me when I was a teenager. And so that night I was in a church that I happened to pass on my way home from work. The doors were opened and there was a janitor around but no one else. I walked in there, the first time I really spoke to God in twenty years, and I asked for some guidance...for answers...for the way home...that you would forgive me and talk to me again...and then I left there, turned on my phone, and there was at least one message from everyone on the team. I only listened to the first few seconds of the first one. It was Hotch. He said you'd been hurt and were here. I guess I couldn't risk hearing more...you know? So I just came here."

"I'm so very, very sorry, my love, that you went through that."

"I was praying for answers at the same time you were in surgery."

"I flat lined, did you know that? The doctors told me they almost didn't get me back."

"I was praying for you and I didn't even know you needed my prayers. Doesn't that mean something?"

"So now you have faith again?"

"I don't know. How can I? Look at this. You're here."

"I'm here,"she said, squeezing his hand. "That's how you can believe that everything happens for a reason."

XXXXXXXXXX

She leaned heavily on him as he helped her from the wheelchair, outside the hospital, and into his SUV. A lot of the nurses and orderlies there thought they were married because of Derek's devotion to her, including the one who had wheeled her out.

He was black guy in his early twenties who took a liking to Penelope. He told Derek "Take good care of that wifey of yours." Then he told Penelope "You keep on staying sexy."

She gave him a small and amused smile. He was a kid to her, younger than Reid, and she found it cute that he liked her.

Derek was keeping his eye on that guy for sure. You could never be too careful these days.

Derek buckled Penelope into his car and looked in her eyes. "You'll be home in no time now."

"I don't know if I can go back there."

"Don't let him take your home, baby girl. That's your sanctuary and nothing he did should change that."

She looked unconvinced.

Derek asked her "You know what you need to do?"

"What's that, sweetness?"

"Make new good memories there."

She smiled at him. "Well you are coming there for the first time tonight so if you get the urge to seduce me please do not resist it."

He chuckled and gave her a tender smile before he walked around to his side of the SUV and got in.