Penelope scooted to the edge of the bed and worked her feet under her. Now that she was less than a week from her due date, it seemed like all she did was pee and eat.
"Baby Girl, is everything all right?" Derek asked without opening his eyes lifting his head from the pillow.
"Go back to sleep my sugar plum, your son has just taken up residence on my bladder. Once I pee, I will rejoin my spot in your heavenly embrace."
"Hurry back mama, I don't like sleeping with out you."
"And I get very little sleep without you, my chocolate god of thunder." She waddled off to the bathroom. Once her business was taken care of, she opened the door and a sudden pain ran up her back. Penelope took a sharp intake of breath as she rubbed her back in a soothing motion and made her way back to their bed.
"You okay P?" Derek asked as she climbed in next to him.
"Yeah, just a little back pain, it'll be fine in the morning."
"Come here baby, I'll make it better." Derek gently tugged her towards him and went to work relieving the pressure that had built on her spine. But less than 5 minutes later, another pain hit her and this one was a little stronger than the first. Penelope didn't say anything but 3 contractions later, 4 minutes apart and they had gained in strength she had come to the conclusion that she was in labor.
"Derek?"
"Yeah, baby?"
"I don't want you to panic here or anything but, I think I'm in labor." Derek was the poster child for calm in that moment and Penelope didn't think it was possible but she fell a little deeper in love with him. "Can you go downstairs and wake your mom, get the bags from the closet and start the car? I'm just going to change out of this nightgown and put some sweats and one of your old tshirts on."
"Are you sure I can leave you by yourself? Is that safe?"
"Its fine D. I promise, you will be back to help me down the stairs. Besides, as much as I love you, I won't protect you from your mother if you don't wake her up so she misses this." Penelope smiled at Derek and pulled him close for a kiss. Soon another contraction hit and Penelope moaned a little in pain. "Better get this show on the road stud muffin, it seems like your son has already inherited your lack of patience." Derek quickly made his way out of the room and down the stairs. Penelope worked on getting dressed and found some slippers for her feet and was pulling on her coat when Derek appeared back in the doorway a little out of breath.
"You ready for this mama?"
"I better be. Your son is coming, ready or not."
"You are going to make a wonderful mom P. And I'm the luckiest guy in the world because I get to do it with you."
Penelope teared up a little at his comment and brushed the tears away almost as fast as they fell. "I love you Derek Morgan."
"And I love you too Penelope Morgan. Did I mention yet how much I love your new name?" Derek and Penelope had gotten married a week before in a small church ceremony that the team and his family attended. They had each other and they were going to have a baby, neither felt a need to wait and they wanted to be husband and wife when the baby came.
"Let's go have a baby hot stuff." Penelope said as the couple made their way to the car with an anxious Fran in tow.
10 HOURS LATER:
"Come on baby, one more push and we can say hi to our son." Derek coached.
"I'm going to show you a BABY Derek! I'd like to see you push a baby out of a hole the size of a softball!" she yelled at him and then red-faced proceeded to bear down and push all with all the strength in her body.
". . .7, 8, 9, 10 . . . Good Job! Okay now, take a breath and come right back. That's it. 5, 6, 7, 8, And Congratulations! You have a healthy baby boy!" The nurse exclaimed as she quickly cleaned the baby and got the cord ready for Derek to cut. After Derek had cut the cord and the placenta had been delivered, the staff gave the new family a few minutes to themselves.
"Look what we did handsome." Penelope whispered to Derek who sat beside her bed in an armchair holding their precious baby boy in his arms. "I think I came up with a name for him."
"Really?"
"Yeah, How about William Derek Morgan?"
"After my dad?"
"Well I know William was his middle name but I want Derek to be his middle name. What do you think?"
"I think it fits him perfect. What do you think Will?" The baby continued to sleep peacefully in his father's arms. "I think he likes it enough, clearly he's happy enough to continue sleeping."
Penelope smiled at Derek. "I'm really happy D."
"I'm really happy too baby girl."
"Derek, I never thought anything like this was possible for me and you've made every dream that I never dared to dream, come true. How do I ever repay you for that?"
"Baby, you are the answer to all of my prayers. Life isn't worth living without you beside me. Everything was dull and gray before I met you. You made me see the world as a bright, wonderful place where all sorts of things are possible. I don't think I saved you, I think you saved me."
"I think we saved each other."
"Yeah baby, let's go with that. We saved each other."
Fran knocked on the door and peeked her head in. "Can I see my grandson now?"
"Sure mom. We decided on a name for him too, William Derek Morgan."
Fran looked at Penelope and smiled. "Thank you."
"No thanks necessary. I'm sorry I never got to meet Derek's father. I'm positive that he was a great man."
"He was." The two women shared a private moment and then Derek passed the baby to his mother and turned to kiss his baby girl.
"I'm going to let the team know of this little guy's name okay baby girl. You ready for visitors yet? I'm sure Em and JJ are going to kill Dave and Hotch if they don't let them come back here soon."
"Yeah, tell Dave and Hotch they are safe. Send everyone back." Penelope and Derek shared a quick but emotion filled lip lock. "I love you hot stuff."
"Love you too Goddess."
After everyone had visited with the baby and new parents, they were left to peacefully sleep, at least until Will needed to eat.
ONE WEEK LATER:
"Hot stuff?"
"Yeah Baby girl?"
"Can you grab me a few diapers from the nursery? I forgot to bring some down."
"No problem momma."
"Thanks!"
Penelope left the bottom of the stairs and went back to the kitchen where Fran Morgan was sitting with Will in his bouncer seat as she sipped at her morning coffee. "What's your plan for the day Fran?"
"I was going to sort through a few boxes of knick knacks and set them up in my room a little. What about you?"
"I'm bringing Will for a visit to see the team. They're on stand down until I go back to work in two weeks and JJ called me last night and begged me to see him." Penelope smiled at the memory of her best friend accusing her of keeping the baby from her. "JJ said that she had a dream that Will graduated Kindergarten and JJ didn't know what he looked like."
"It sounds like your friend has missed you."
"I've missed her and Em too. I've just gotten so busy; I can't believe he's already a month old."
"The time will fly sweetie. Before you realize it, he will be joining the FBI."
"What is this I hear about the FBI?" Derek asked as he entered the kitchen. "Ah, there's my little man." Derek said and bent to kiss the baby's head.
"I'm bringing Will into the office this morning to see the team. When are you leaving? Can we ride with you?"
"Well I can't leave my goddess of a wife stranded can I?" Derek asked playfully as he tugged her close for a mind-searing kiss. "Do you need me to pack anything?"
"Pack?" Penelope looked at him with a faraway look in her eyes.
"For the baby P." Derek chuckled, his woman was completely and totally into him. He truly was the luckiest man in the world.
"No, just the diapers, the diaper bag is already packed aside from the diapers you just brought down. We can leave once I get dressed."
"I'll help you, maybe we can get undressed and then help each other find new clothes."
"Derek! You don't say things like that in front of your mom!" Penelope swatted at him and turned to look at Fran. "I'm sorry Fran. Your son seems to have forgotten his manners."
"Baby girl, my mom doesn't think Will was dropped off by a stork, and we are married."
"I hear you Derek but just don't give her details okay?"
"Am I forgiven mama?" He playfully kissed her and nipped lightly at her bottom lip eliciting a moan from his neglected wife. "If we go upstairs, we can both get a little relief before we start our day."
"What about Will?" Pen whispered.
"My mom will watch him." He said quietly back to her. "Hey mom, can you watch the baby for a little bit? I'm just going to help Penelope get something out of the closet."
"Sure honey. No problem, I'll get the little man dressed for the day. You go tend to your wife." She said with a knowing smile. Pen and Derek didn't even care that Fran knew what they were up to. They had missed each other way too much at this point to care.
After having a little bit of fun upstairs, not the main event of course because Pen wasn't completely healed from giving birth but they were both satisfied enough. The happy couple made their way toward the car with their son nestled in his seat.
EVENTUALLY:
Life continued quite blissfully for the couple. Will's baby sisters Ava and Emma were born three years later and Pen and Derek were immensely grateful that Derek had worked up the courage to tell Pen how he felt all those years ago. Imagine if he hadn't? Where would they be? I certainly can't bear to think about it!
AUTHORS NOTE:
Thanks so much for sticking with me on this journey! I appreciate all the comments and the alerts :-) Check out my other story "Once upon a phone call". It's another Derek/Pen romance story but this one has a little bit of a twist!