AN: Thanks so much for the reviews! Here we go with the next chapter...

Chapter 2

The bustling crowd at O'Hare International Airport wasn't a huge shocker for Penelope. She'd been to Chicago before, flying in by herself to be with Derek when he had needed her most. It was then she'd met Derek's mom, Fran, who was picking her up at the airport. Derek had wanted to pick her up, but Fran had insisted on doing it, and what Derek's Momma insisted upon, Derek's Momma got. Penelope couldn't say no to the woman, either.

Derek had flown down two days earlier, taking extra time off, which was unheard of for him. No profiler on the BAU team seemed to like to take days off. Vacation was an essential for Penelope; it was good for the soul to rejuvenate and care again. She pushed for her time off.

Penelope scanned the airport for the small, redheaded woman that gave birth to the sexiest man alive. There were a lot of similarities between Morgan and his Momma: same stunningly bright smile, same sense of humor, same sparkling eyes. She was a beautiful lady, and Penelope had taken an instant liking to her when they met.

In the middle of a bunch of men holding signs for dignitaries stood Derek's mom. She was wearing a bright green scarf that accentuated her lovely hair and a long coat. The moment she saw Penelope, she began to wave excitedly.

"Penelope! Over here!"

Beaming herself, Penelope rushed over to Fran and was immediately engulfed in the smaller woman's embrace.

"Oh, sweetie! I am so glad you are here!" she gushed. "Welcome home!"

Penelope welcomed the warm hug appreciatively. "It's good to see you, too, Fran."

Mrs. Morgan tucked her arm in the crook of Penelope's elbow and leaned into her as if she couldn't stand being apart from her. "So, tell me about my little boy. Is he eating enough in Quantico? He looked skinny to me."

Chuckling, Penelope said, "He was complaining about having to take off the last ten pounds of that Chicago food when he visited before we went to London."

Fran waved a dismissive hand. "Chicago food, my hiney. It's Mom's home cooking."

"That's true," Penelope replied.

"Ooh, London!" Fran said. "Tell me about it... Did you and Derek have fun?"

"We had a wonderful time," Penelope said. "It was nice getting Emily all settled in."

Fran arched a brow—another similarity she had with her son—and asked, "Did you spend all your time with Emily? No alone time, just the two of you?"

Penelope began to blush, despite her wish not to. Fran seemed to sense her attraction to Derek, and she could be kind of pushy when it came to their friendship. She obviously didn't believe it was just friendship—and it wasn't...not on Penelope's part.

"Well, he was working a lot, and..."

Fran's sigh interrupted her. "Never mind, dear. How is everyone on your team?"

That lead into discussions about everyone and their lives. It was easy talking to Fran, almost like talking to her own mother when she was alive. There was a caring nature that was evident, and she treated Penelope just like she was one of her kids.

When they arrived at the car, there was a young man waiting behind the wheel. He was tapping the steering wheel to the beat of some hip-hop song Penelope wasn't aware of.

"Alejandro!" Mrs. Morgan called out. "Turn off the noise, and come get Penelope's bags, please."

"Sure, ma'am," the young man said, stepping his lanky frame out of the car. He was a skinny young boy, but he looked strong, too.

"Thank you," Penelope said with a smile as he took the bag.

"No problem, ma'am," he returned with a cautious smile.

"Al is part of the youth center," Fran explained as she opened the door. "He's a good boy."

"Thank you, ma'am," he said.

"Do you want to go directly to the center?" Fran asked.

Penelope pulled a face. "Actually, I was going to go to the hotel and get changed." After the long flight, she felt kind of grubby and tired. She wanted to get settled and then get to work.

"Hotel?" Fran asked, looking back at Penelope in her rearview mirror. "You were welcome to stay with us, you know. Didn't Derek tell you that?"

Again, Penelope blushed. "I know...but I like my own space, and I don't want to intrude."

Fran turned around in her seat and smiled at her. "You would never intrude, dear."

"Which hotel are you at?" Alejandro asked from behind the wheel.

"The Stay Inn."

Alejandro nodded. "We pass the center on the way there."

Penelope sighed. Things were stacking up against her, telling her to go where she was needed most and ignore her own wants. She hated being so danged altruistic!

"Okay. How about we stop at the center first, then?" she asked.

"Sure, ma'am."

The Southside Upward Youth Center was exactly what Penelope had thought it would look like. A large, older gray building dominated the space, surrounded by fences and a small field for playing sports. She pictured a young Derek, playing football with his friends and fighting for a better life in the process. She could practically see him, tossing the ball and running.

Glancing at the doorway, she saw two young men carrying a folded banquet table. They looked like they had it pretty well under control. She wondered where Derek was and what he was doing.

They parked the car outside the doors, and everyone stepped out.

"Al, man, I am glad you are here," one of the boys carrying the tables said.

Penelope could see Alejandro wince. "Anything better in there yet?"

"'Fraid not."

At that, Penelope saw Fran wince, too. "Derek has been trying..."

Penelope opened the door to what looked like a true Halloween horror story. There were half strung streamers in colors that didn't really scream "Halloween" to her, a mishmash of tables and chairs that weren't covered, and a floor that was dirty in a way that looked like it was unintentional. Boys were in one corner, trying to untangle strings of different lighted decorations and fighting as they did so.

"Okay!" she shouted above the din, causing many to look over at her and stop what they were doing. She began to smile, but softly. "I'm Penelope Garcia. I'm a friend of Derek's, and I am here to help with this party."

"Like you're going to be able to help," one younger boy said sarcastically.

"Willie!" Alejandro hissed, but Penelope put her hand on his elbow.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"In those fancy, high-heeled shoes, what can you do?"

Instinctively, she kicked off her shoes. Her tights would never be the same, but she had a point to prove. "There. Is that better?"

The young boy crossed his arms over his chest in an unimpressed, defensive gesture. "Maybe."

"Why should we listen to you?" another young man called out. "You're not Sun. She paid for this stuff."

The desire to say, Because Sun is hurt and because I said so, rolled to the surface, but Penelope knew these were teens. Troubled teens who probably had a very uneasy life and didn't trust easily. She needed to reason with them.

"Because I promised my best friend I would help him," she explained. "I promised him a spooktacular, fantastic ball the likes of which the Windy City has never seen before, and I never go back on my promises. If you give me a chance and help me out, we can throw one uberly great party."

The room was still quiet, so she added, "Hey...what does it hurt to let me try?"

There was a mumble of murmurs of acquiescence that flowed through the room.

"Good!" she said and then began shouting orders. "You and you...only one person sorting cords. That would be you. Guys with the table, back this one out with the other ones. This room needs to be clean before we can dirty it up the right way. And Willie?" She spun to face the youngest boy.

"Yeah?"

She beamed at Grumpy the Dwarf. "How would you like to make a big vat of fake blood?"

He grumbled but nodded.

Penelope turned to see Fran smiling approvingly at her. "I knew you were exactly what James and Derek needed. I'm heading home to finish making baked goods. See you tomorrow?"

Penelope nodded, and then she rolled up the sleeves of her vintage silk, irreplaceable top she was going to ruin and began filling buckets of soap and water.