Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

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'Why would he do this?'

They watched one of the brother's faces change. 'Family rule.' He looked at Penelope, who nodded as the tears built. 'But we don't blame you... it was your way of coping after mom and dad.'

'Antonio always held that grudge.' The eldest looking one said. 'Penny...' He began as he took a step forward.

'Don't... okay you don't have to be here because of this... I don't need you here through pity or guilt.' She said as she looked down in an attempt to halt all tears. 'I don't need that.'

'No you need support.' One of them said with evident concern. 'What did he do?'

'It doesn't matter.'

'Penny it does.'

'Yeah it really does.'

'No it doesn't!' She said but then felt guilty for her outburst. 'I'm sorry.' She said as the tears fell. 'You don't need to stay.'

'What if we want to?'

'Yeah what if we want to stick about?'

'Yeah and what if we want to know what happened?'

Penelope looked up at them. 'You just don't have to.' She argued back.

'No but we want to.'

'How bad is it?'

'Bad.' Penelope whispered, not knowing if they were genuine or not.

'How bad Penny?'

She looked up at them and knew at that moment they meant business. '8 broken ribs, the rest are bruised, punctured lung, fractured wrist, burns, cuts, head injuries, and bruising.'

'And she's also got pneumonia.' JJ added, she then leant forward. 'Jennifer Jareau, I'm one of 9 people who are in Chicago looking after you sister and am also, about 5th possibly 6th on the list of people after killing your brother.' She said with a sweet JJ smile.

'Joel.' The eldest stepped forward and shook her hand.

'Sam.'

'And I'm Benny, but call me Ben.' He shook her hand last and looked at Penelope. '8 others then?'

'Yeah... 3 live in Chicago.'

'The rest of us are work mates and an unconventional family.'

They nodded. 'How long have you been here Penny?'

'Over 2 weeks.' Then the room reverberated the sound of the beep as it signified the ending of giving Penelope the nutrition she needed. JJ pushed the button for Penelope.

'So let me get this right... he took you, kept you for 4 months and then let you go?'

'No I hit him and got out.'

'Hit him?'

'With a baseball bat.' The nurse then entered the room, Penelope settled back down lavishing the silence. She watched the brother's face as the gown was lifted and the nurse set about sorting the tube out. Her abdomen on show, the bruising still at its worst.

'I was just talking to the doctor Penelope, he wants to get you out of bed tonight or tomorrow... do you think you can do that?'

'I have no idea.'

'Well if you're not up to it, then he can leave it off but the sooner we do it.'

'The better, I know.'

'But you go at your pace... also, he wants you to try and eat something orally, so you start making a list of things you want.' Penelope nodded. 'Right that's that done for a couple of hours, want anything for the pain yet?' Penelope shook her head. 'Okay well you know where I am.'

'I do.'

They waited for the nurse was gone. 'Penny what did he do to you?' They asked, worried for the mass bruising, her skeletal frame, and her feeding tube.

She sighed. 'He starved me.'

'What else?'

'He just beat me.'

Joel stood up straight. 'I'm going to the police station.'

'No don't!'

'Penelope he can't hurt you and we won't let him but want to know what the fucking hell he was thinking.'

'Yeah Penny, let us do this.'

'But...'

'No buts Penny... he did this and invited us around and we couldn't save you... what type of brothers does that make us to not realise.'

Penelope was crying silently now. 'You weren't to know.' JJ closed the gap slightly or support and comfort. 'You didn't know... it's not your responsibility.'

'No but I want it to be... we're suppose to know when things aren't right and he house wasn't but we brushed it off... I want to know how he thought we would be when this came out.'

'It wasn't meant to be... I was supposed to just die in that basement.'

'You were in the basement!' The realisation hit at the words.

'Die!'

'That's why he would let us down there when there was noise.' Penelope cried a little harder. 'He told us it was creaky pipes, we offered to go down and sort it seeing as it's my job.'

'Pen you need to calm down... you know this is not helping.' JJ attempted to comfort her, she looked at the boys. 'He tried to keep her quiet, he came here and told her not to tell.' JJ saw the brother's clench their fists. 'Pen, I'm going to call Fran.'

'No... don't bother her.'

'Pen you are not leaving this to us... its Fran, Derek or Hotch.'

'Why do you need me?' Came the new voice from the door, a little put off at the three new beings but he ignored them as he heard the sharp intakes of breath as Penelope sobbed. 'Baby girl.' He rushed and sat on the bed. 'What's up?' He put a finger under her chin and lifted him head up to look at him. 'Baby girl come here.' He pulled her into his chest, letting her sob and absorb comfort. They all watched as he swayed her and attentively gave her what she needed without even knowing it.

JJ stepped towards the three brothers. 'Derek Morgan... Penelope's best friend and more.' She said with a smile as she said the sentence she had been dying to say since they had confirmed they were together. 'He's the person at the top of that list I was telling you about.'

'Oh right.'

'Baby girl... come on.' He said as she pulled away. She looked at him and smiled slightly. He reached and wiped her tears. 'What happened?'

'My brothers.' She nodded with her head to the three men.

Derek turned and looked at them. 'Derek Morgan.' He put his hand out; they all took it and introduced themselves.

'Derek what are you doing back here?' JJ asked.

'Hotch and the others don't need me but when they clock off tonight, whenever that is they're are coming here.' He looked back at Penelope and pushed some loose strands of hair back. 'You okay sweetheart?'

'Yes thank you.' She said with a meek voice. 'Sorry... I got a little overwhelmed.'

'Penny we are still going to the police station.'

'But...'

'No Penny, we need to. He had better wished he was dead because for him to do this pushes him out of this family.'

'For good.' Sam asserted some more force.

'Yeah Penny... we are so sorry we didn't push him to let us down there.'

'Don't blame yourself... you weren't to know.' Penelope said and coughed a bit more, the persistent cough weakening daily. JJ instinctively passed the cup to Penelope who shakily put the cup to her lips and drank slowly, JJ then took it and refilled it ready.

'Do you mind us coming back tonight?' Penelope shook her head.

'Right well we are going to go and see the scum and we will be back... don't push us away Penny okay?'

'Okay.'

'Promise... or I'll force you do what we did as kids... that hand shake was embarrassing.' Ben said with a smile.

'You got to get me up first to do it.' They all laughed, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and left. 'God.'

'What's up?' Derek asked.

'Lots of things.'

'Come on baby girl.' He then looked at JJ.

'I'm not saying it... Pen you need to.'

'Well they turn up, they see the tube, the bruising, everything, I tell them, they want to kill their brother, I might be getting out of bed tonight, and I need to eat proper food.' Derek was smiling like a fool. 'What?'

'Those last two things...' He said his smile growing. 'Are amazing baby girl!' Penelope laughed. 'And you have your brothers back.'

'I know.'

'So what's up?'

'Do they want to be here with worry and concern or is it guilt and pity?'

'I'm going with the first two Pen.' JJ said.

'And from what I saw I'd agree.'