Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

Hotch went into work that day literally on fire, he didn't want to leave Penelope but he knew someone on his team needed their head sorting out. He'd sat and listened to everything Penelope had been through and he found out how she got the bruises, and broken bones, and why she was sitting in a police station under arrest and he had seen no deceit to her side of events, it was no facade to hide the truth.

'Morgan my office now.' He said and knew he'd caught him at a bad time, but what he had in his hand was either going to make it a hell of a lot worse or make it better.

'What's happened with the case?' Derek said entering, he was still beyond angry.

'We've been pulled off because I was called down to the police station today.'

'New case?'

'No, Penelope was arrested.'

'Don't talk to me about her man, she doesn't deserve the time of day.' Derek said frustrated that they'd been called off a case for Penelope.

'Shut my door Morgan and you are going to sit and listen to the truth.'

'Oh she's got the boss wrapped around her little finger.'

'Oh no you don't Morgan, just do it!' Derek listened, Hotch's done was only readable as enraged, and as he sat down he watched Hotch remain standing. 'Sam got Penelope arrested, did you know that?'

Derek's eyes widened. 'No, I told her not to, that we'd deal with it another way.'

'What way would that be?'

'I went and spoke to Garcia and set a few new groundings.'

'Yeah, from what I hear it's more like not wanting her in your life.'

'Oh come on Hotch!'

'What? What's this really about?'

'Sam was pregnant, she's not because Penelope attacked her.'

'What time was this?'

'After work.'

'In the downstairs garage?' Derek nodded uncertain. 'Well look at this Morgan.' Hotch slid some photo's over and Derek took them and looked over each one before looking up at Hotch. 'Last night when Penelope supposedly attacked her, Sam's waiting for Penelope, Penelope goes about putting her stuff in the car and if you looked at Sam's body language, who's the one yelling and being a bully?' Derek sat frozen. 'Well?'

'Sam.' Derek said aloud but didn't want to believe what he was looking at.

'Then who's walking away?'

'Sam.'

'And who looks the most hurt.'

'Garcia.'

'So you work out the maths for that yeah?' Hotch said and finally sat down. 'How could you just think Penelope was like Morgan? After everything, and you just made her out to be a villain in all of this.' Derek remained silent. 'Penelope has been going through hell the last week or so and you went around to hers all guns blazing and didn't want to hear her side of the story.'

'It was just easier...'

'What? To lash out?'

'Jesus Hotch! I love her! But she pushed me into loving Sam when all I wanted was her! And then to hear that Sam lost the baby and that Penelope was to blame I just snapped! Sam, she's been telling me all this stuff that Penelope's done and how horrible she's been to her.'

'Well I suppose if you let a manipulator into your life that's what you get but Derek, Penelope getting arrested was the last straw...'

'What do you mean?'

'She's not going to be walked over any more Derek, Penelope is not going to stand to the side while someone wrecks your life, if you'd looked closely, you'd have noticed that Penelope loves you too. She just wanted you to do right by a woman that's baring your child.'

'But I could help bring a child up with being married to that woman! We live in the 21st Century for Christ sake! Plus she can't love me, she has Lynch... the bastard he is.'

'Why is he a bastard?'

'You can't believe that she fell down the stairs last week.'

'No I don't but I think you need to look over the medical report and CCTV from that night at the restaurant and make up new claims of what happened to her.' Hotch said passing a file over to Derek. 'Me and Rossi forced her to go to the hospital, she's was up to something even then and I'm glad she did but I'm signing you off for the day, you've got to sort this mess out Morgan before it destroys not only you but your career too.'

Hotch then walked out of his office leaving Derek to procrastinate and make decisions, no longer than 10 minutes later he watched Derek bolt from the room and head straight for the stairs. Satisfied he re-entered his office and got back to sorting the mess out the best he could.