Some Burned Bridges Can Be Repaired
Chapter 5
Happy Birthday

AN: Thanks for all the reviews, I don't own anything sadly. Thanks Kathy for the help on the end of this chapter and the next chapter.

Derek was sitting in the kitchen at his sister's house. It was almost six am, but he couldn't seem to get back to sleep. Sarah and Eric were still asleep along with everybody else in the house. He'd been up for the last hour he just couldn't sleep for some reason. The team had gone out to celebrate the catching of the Unsub; Jeff had gone with them as well since he'd asked him to.

Penelope had actually wanted to dance for first time ever without him being the one to drag her to the dance floor. It had been the first time they'd all been out together in long time, usually Pen and him would just go home to the girls after a case. Few times in the last year they'd gone out for drinks, but not many.

The last two years his world had revolved around Penelope and their girls. If he wasn't at work he was with them doing something. Sometimes it would be hanging out around the house, outside playing, or just laying around in bed for most the day. He still worked on those houses he had, but now Penelope helped him. Hotch and Haley would babysit, or JJ and the two them would go and work all day. It had become their thing now, having her there made it that much better.

"There you are," Penelope said cutting the light on, "What you doing handsome?" She asked wrapping her arms around him.

"Just thinking, what you doing up?" he asked.

"I was looking for my husband, I was going to show him a good morning, but he disappeared on me," Pen said.

"Sorry, I was checking on the twins earlier, just couldn't get back to sleep," Derek said.

"Come on handsome, let's go get that mind of yours to stop thinking for few more house," Pen said taking his hand.

"What would I do without you?" he asked kissing her when he stood up.

"I don't want to ever think about that, hot stuff, now come on," she said pulling out the kiss.

It was almost noon when everybody started arriving at Jeff and Deb's house. Derek and Penelope had already been there with Britney and Harmony for the last two hours. Deb was trying to keep Derek out the kitchen since he had to taste test the food first.

"Out, Derek Morgan or I will ban you from the kitchen," Deb teased trying to hold the serious face.

"Like you could ever ban me from the kitchen," he said with smile, "however, I will go find Pen and the girls," he replied before grabbing two cookies from the plate.

"Derek," Deb called after him with laugh before going back to make the rest the food. It was always entertainment to have Derek and Penelope in the kitchen, either he'd try and get the food or Pen would try to help her, but she knew not to let them in the kitchen, the food started disappearing or something would splatter on the ceiling. However, last time they'd just started making out with each other instead, she had been beat red when she'd turned around finding them kissing the way they had been.

Penelope was in the spare bedroom upstairs, which was more of a nursery like now for when they watched the girls for them. She was sitting on the floor with them as they played.

"Hey, I knew you could steal couple those cookies," Pen said taking the one he offered her.

"Emily and JJ are down stairs, I told them we'd be down in few minutes," Derek replied picking Britney up, she had darker skin than Harmony did, and her eyes were deep brown, which matched her curly brown hair. "You want to go down and play with your aunt's?" he asked giving her kiss on the cheek as she smiled at him.

"Da," Britney said, which they had figured she was trying to day daddy, but couldn't get the rest out yet. She could babble away though, she was the more out going between the twins, she'd started walking first in the last couple weeks and she hadn't stopped since. They'd made sure the baby gates were in every room and that she couldn't get out.

"I think she's more in need of your cookie," JJ said from behind him, "Hey little girl, your daddy teasing you again?" She asked before taking her from Derek.

"Hey," he protested before picking Harmony up, "What you say we go down stairs and see if your grandpa is back yet," Derek said before leaving the room.

JJ waited till he was out ear shot then looked at Penelope, "Grandpa, so William is part their lives?" She asked.

"Yeah right," Penelope said, "I wouldn't let that man near my children if I had to, after what he did to his son, I think not," Pen said, "he was talking about Jeff," she replied before leaving the room too.

"Should have known," JJ said looking at Britney, "Maybe one day you'll get to know him, if he stops being a stubborn a hole," she said before leaving the room.

Derek was in the backyard with Rex who was Sarah's dog; he was rubbing him and holding Britney who he'd brought with him. He had needed some air, and trying to resist taking a swing at a certain person was getting harder.

"Should known I'd find you out here," Emily said coming up behind him, "She's not going to hate you if everything finally comes to blows, I think your mom might be relieved," she added before sitting down beside them.

"I'm not going to ruin her birthday, I'll just stay out here," Derek said looking at Britney.

"Sarah said this is how most her birthday's goes, you or him leaving half way through," Emily said, she was trying to get him to say something, she'd seen the frustration in his eyes before he'd walked out the house.

"Just leave it alone, we've all accepted it," Derek said standing up, "I'm going back inside, gotta gift I gotta give her," he said before getting up and going towards the house with Brit.

Emily looked over at Rex; he was a mix between German Sheppard and Golden Retriever. "Here's hoping that this all ends without somebody getting hurt," She replied before giving his head a rub after she stood up to go inside.

Fran was in the kitchen with William when Derek walked in the door. He'd never let her know how much he'd been hurt, she still loved the man, and he wouldn't destroy their marriage, couldn't do that even then when he'd only wanted him gone. He'd just buried it inside him and stayed with Jeff and Deb for the first six months, he had just needed to get away, and it was either that or leaving home for good, and he couldn't do that to his mom, no matter how much he'd been hurt. She hadn't done anything to him, only loved him more.

"I thought you could start on the gifts," he said looking at her with smile.

"Yeah, give me second and I'll be in there," Fran said, she knew that the gift she really wanted wasn't going to be possible, but it was already two hours in and neither of them had taken off yet. She just hoped they would continue to stay; it was hard having a birthday without her two favorite men.

"Okay," he said before going to the living room telling the others.

"I'll take Brit," Jeff said reaching over and taking the little girl who was already trying to get into his arms.

Harmony was safe in the arms of her mother on the floor. She looked up at her dad before squealing out at him. "I haven't forgotten about you," Derek said picking her up.

The others were smiling and laughing at the little girl. Harmony was usually the quiet one, but not today, she'd been rambunctious trying to get to everybody, that came near her.

"I see my granddaughter is ready for presents too," Fran said coming into the room with smile on her face.

Derek smiled at her, "Here, mine first," he said handing it to her before giving her a hug and whispering, "Sorry couldn't get the other one, it wasn't in any store."

Fran knew that it had been long shot, but at least he was happy with a wife and two beautiful girls. "Thank you," she said sitting down on the couch beside William and Desiree. She opened the box taking the present out.

"Hey, I want one," Sarah said behind her mom looking at the present.

"What is it?" Fran asked trying to figure out what it was.

"It's automatically starts your car from inside the house, no more cold cars in the mornings," Derek said with smile.

Fran smiled at the gift, her baby boy always too care of her, he'd always given her presents like this one. The things she wanted or had asked for. Two weeks ago she'd asked William for this, he'd replied that he warmed her car for her. "Thank you, Derek," She said, "I'll let you install it later," she added.

Nobody in the room that wasn't Derek or Fran missed the look that William had at the moment. Hotch caught his gaze staring him down daring him to say one word about his son's present. He couldn't believe he even had that look, but shouldn't surprise him after this past week.

"It's a wonderful gift," Des said beside her mom, she saw her dad's look, she just hoped he kept his mouth shut, usually he'd wait till Derek was gone before he said something, but she knew that look, it was the same one he'd always had when Derek got their mom something she'd wanted.

She still remembered the fight they'd had when her mom had wanted a house that Derek had remodeled before he'd went undercover, he'd always bought places redone them then sold them. Fran had wanted one, and their dad had planned on getting it till he found out who was selling it. However, Fran had went and got the house, she'd refused to just take it, she'd wanted to give him something for it, however, in the end Derek gave her the house.

It had been battle for months after that between Fran and William, but Derek was undercover, he couldn't exactly say anything, and it was good thing too, Des knew it would came to blows back then if he'd been around. The fact they lived in a house that he'd given them. Their marriage about fell apart, but somehow they got through it again.

The moment blew over to every body's relief and Fran continued opening presents. She got to the two that Penelope had wrapped from the girls. "Penelope, you didn't have to," she said.

"Yes I did, Derek said that I was going over board, but I couldn't resist," Penelope said.

Fran opened the first box with bitter sweet smile; it was picture of the whole family, minus William. She'd remembered the picture from when she'd came to visit with Desiree and Sarah few months ago. "Thank you," she replied before opening the next one, it was the latest picture of the twins along with Jack, Hotch and Haley's son.

"You always know how to spoil me," Fran said with smile.

"That's what having granddaughters are for," Pen said with smile.

Fran continued opening her presents after that getting one from everybody in the room. They were all laughing when Harmony and Britney tried to get into the boxes while later. Derek picked up both girls with smile. "Come on you two, let me get you some real food." He replied before he walked into the kitchen, stopping in his tracts at what he heard.

Eric had gone to get his wife something to drink, he didn't expect to have William follow him in there few minutes later. He had gotten stuck talking to the man, he'd never really liked the man, he tried to get along with him, but it was hard to do when the jackass didn't even acknowledge his son. Eric and Derek had went to high school together, grown up together, was the only guy that Derek had agreed was good enough for his big sister. Instead of asking William to marry her, he'd asked his now brother in-law.

William was pissed off, his wife didn't need some stupid automatic car warmer, she had him. He had went in the kitchen forgetting that Eric was in there but now he was venting his anger at his son in-law. "She didn't need that damn thing, but no she just had to mention it to him," William said, "Just like this house, she just had to have it, he should have known not to tell her about it."

Eric looked up at that moment seeing Derek standing there too now. "You fucking bastard, all your wife wanted was you two to make up," Eric said, "I hope he finally punches the hell out you, you deserve it," he wanted to punch the man so hard at the moment, but he thought Derek deserved that right instead. He set the cup he'd been holding down taking Britney and Harmony out the kitchen, if it was going to turn into a fight, he wasn't going to have the girls there.

Derek couldn't find his voice let alone move from where he was standing, he felt like he'd just been stabbed through the heart. He'd thought deep down somewhere inside the man he still found some way of loving him, he'd tried before, the house, that had been a peace offering, the only day he'd ever tried talked to the man, he'd tried that day, but it hadn't worked, so he'd just given his mom the house, she'd wanted it. She'd helped him work on it, and hinted that she wished she could afford it. He'd known he wouldn't be there for at least Christmas and her birthday that year, so he'd let her have it. It had been the only thing he could think of that would be the best way of being there without being there. She'd been so happy when he'd given her the keys.

However right now any thought of love was gone, he'd tried for so long not to speak to the man, he had done good job of it too, he had planned on maybe a baby step, but any thought of that was gone and all he could think about was the seventeen years of hurt, anger and rage that had built up inside of him.

Fran and Penelope had come into the kitchen, Eric had been pissed when he'd walked into the living room and they'd went to see what the problem was since he wouldn't say.

They got in the kitchen about the same time that Derek moved from his spot and for the first time in seventeen years besides that one time that nobody really knew about since William had left when he'd saw him, made any acknowledgment that he existed.

"Derek," Fran called out before she watched her son punch her husband square in the mouth sending William back into the kitchen counter.

TBC

AN: Okay there you have it, the fight is on now, continues in the next chapter.