Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

Come the next morning, Derek was not at all surprised that his mom was up to going to the hospital as soon as they could make it. She was still none the wiser to what had made her son look like he'd been in a fight with a boxer and why Penelope was in a hospital with nearly equally harsh bruising.

Peering through the room's window from the corridor he saw Penelope was wide awake, her gaze out the window to the outside world. He waltzed in with a smile but dropped it when he saw the tears on her face, as they mingled with the bruises coming out on her cheeks. Penelope having heard Derek looked at him and smiled the best she could, she knew she was way too late to hide the tears so didn't bother.

'What's up princess?'

She shrugged. 'Kevin.' She muttered sadly and then rolled her eyes. 'So much for not acting like this.'

'It's entitled Penelope.' He said, brushing some tears away, before Penelope saw Fran standing there and she smiled.

'Hey Fran.' She said quickly and Fran stepped into the room.

'Hello Penelope.' Fran said warmly before crossing her arms across her chest. 'Now do I get an explanation as to why you're in a hospital bed Penelope Garcia?' She asked motherly and Penelope laughed.

'Your son's not told you obviously.' She said and punched Derek's arms in a tap. 'I told on his girlfriend.'

'Said girlfriend would be the girl you were bringing home for me to meet right?' Derek nodded but refused to look up. 'I'm guessing it's a long story?'

'Definitely.' Both Derek and Penelope said in unison.

'Kevin... he's your boyfriend right?'

'Ex... my ex-boyfriend.' Penelope said and her eyes watered again.

'What did he do baby girl?'

She bit her lip and tried to compose herself, knowing full well it could become a losing battle. 'He came by; he wanted to talk things through. I had to tell him I lost the baby; he told me it was a good thing.' Penelope then rolled her eyes in an attempt to not cry more than she was about to. 'I pick all the right men.'

'I'm your right man.' Derek said and grabbed a tissue to wipe her tears away. 'You don't need Lynch, you've got me now.'

'Penelope...' Fran said sadly as she registered what happened.

'It's okay Fran, maybe it was for the better anyway.'

'Pen, you did not deserve to lose that baby, and Sam and Lynch can burn together in hell, we don't need them.'

Penelope nodded and smiled. 'What are you doing here early?' Trying her hardest to deflect her emotions onto a new topic.

'What you doing up early?' Derek retorted at her, knowing that it was a coping mechanism for Penelope until she was ready.

'Nothing was keeping me asleep.' Penelope told them truthfully.

'Need anything for the pain?'

'I don't know, my heads only just kind of cleared out of the fog I was in so my body's just catching up.' Penelope said and looked at her hand. 'I'm so not getting near work with this on am I?'

'Na-uh baby girl, nowhere near. You might be forced into early retirement too if Hotch has his way.' He teased and Penelope yawned with a laugh mixed in.

'We were told you had visitors already and we could join the party.' Hotch said coming into the room, he shot Penelope a wide grin and saw her relax. 'Me and you are having a chat soon Penelope.'

'I knew it was coming boss man.' She retorted somewhat tiredly all of a sudden but she watched the others follow suit and enter the room. 'So you gonna fill me in on what's happening before I get another hundred different meds forced into my bloodstream?'

'You don't need the stress; doctor's told us that, you need to rest up for a couple of days.' Hotch tried to be reasonable with her. 'I just want to make sure you're a hundred percent before we start loading stuff on you.'

'Why don't I get a say in this?' Penelope said exasperated, she knew what they wanted, and she knew the state that her place was in, seeing as she had a hand in making it a mess, meant that paperwork was here, there and everywhere. 'Am I allowed my laptop?'

'Penelope...'

'Just for 10 minutes tops and I'll stay away from it but I know you're gonna want everything I got and I'll put it on a pen drive and give to you and be done.'

'You know she's not going to rest Aaron and it would save us a lot of time.' Rossi bargained knowingly.

'Come on boss man, I know she killed her ex-husbands, you need that to get her, and I have all the recordings and I'm a hacker, I know how to protect my system so...'

'Fine! We'll get you it but no moving that bed.'

'I can't be kept bed ridden.'

'You can, plus Reid's already told us you don't have the strength for mass moving so it looks like you are being kept like that.' Penelope looked at Reid who shrugged nervously. 'The boy blabs when he worries, so we know a lot more than you do right now.'

'Great.' Penelope muttered and huffed only to feel the tension on the ribs gather than burst, everyone shooting worried looks at one another. As Penelope settled back down, her pained look dispersing, she took in all of the teams look. 'Vigilant.'

They all laughed at her sarcasm. 'She didn't lose her ability to joke then.' Emily joked and Penelope smiled, she didn't know if the team had worked out she was playing up a facade but she wasn't ready to sink back down and be the victim and she knew that being in a hospital bed just labelled her that so she'd joke and be playful and keep them from worrying as much as she could.

'Right, come on you lot, breakfast and then grab Penelope's laptop and then let's to what we're good at.' Hotch offered up and everyone looked at Penelope who was looking more close to sleeping than being awake. 'Fran how about you?'

'Go on ma, me and Pen need to talk some things over.'

'Right, well how can I refuse breakfast, do you want us to get anything Penelope?'

'Surprise me.'

'Morgan?'

'Same.' He responded and as they left he got up and sat on the edge of the bed. 'So come on, no charades, I want everything you're feeling out now.' He told her firmly and with that the walls dropped and she burst into tears. Unsure of what to do initially, Derek fought with himself, not knowing whether to pull Penelope into his arms or leave her and give him as much comfort he could but seeing her tears he just took her in his arms and she took it willingly, sobbing into the crook of his next. 'It's all over angel.'

'It doesn't feel over.' She sobbed miserably and just clung onto him with all her strength. 'I don't want to cry over all this.' She said as he pulled away and pushed some hair back to look her dead in the eyes.

'You're exhausted baby girl, both mentally and physically, you're in pain and you're dealing with some inner demons and so many issues that you're gonna be weak for a bit but you wait, once you're up and about, we'll prove to Lynch what he really is gonna be missing out on and as for everyone else, well we don't care. We do what we like.' He wiped the tear of her cheek with his thumb. 'You fought for yourself that night goddess, you fought for everything you believe in and went against everything else but you fought and you fought well. You even fought for me, after everything, I contributed to making your life hell but you fought for me to show me the truth and to help me.'

'Like I said, how could I not if I loved you.' He kissed her forehead and left his lips there for a couple of seconds before looking her dead in the eyes again.

'I appreciate you doing it baby girl. I pushed you away because I love you so much, I hated seeing that heartbroken look on your face that night but I was angry and I...' Derek looked away frustrated, he then looked back at her. 'Come on let's get you laying back down.' He said changing the subject, she didn't object, she just lay down before watching him walk to the window, place his hands on the sill and stare out.

'And you what?'

Derek put his head down and shook his head. 'How the hell could I do that to you? After everything and I pushed you away, I made you a target when I... I shouldn't have done that! I should never have done that to you. I should have been more forceful when I wanted to wait for you at the restaurant, and when I wanted to talk to you about what Sam was claiming.' He hit the window sill with his left hand as his frustration totalled. 'If I had I wouldn't need to look at you hurt.'

'Derek...' Penelope whispered, Derek remained staring out of the window. 'Hot stuff, look at me.' She continued gently. 'Please.' She near enough pleaded and he swung around and she noticed instantly the tears that marred his cheeks, she put her hand out somewhat pathetically but he approached and took it. 'Everything happens for a reason.'

'Pen...'

'No, listen to me.' She told him forcefully. 'I want you to look past the fact that I'm hauled up in a hospital and that we're both wounded from this in so many ways. I want you to look at this as an opportunity.' He studied her face. 'That's right profile me.' She said with a confirming smirk. 'Now, can you see us working once this is all over? Can you seriously see yourself with me when all sinks in and all normal life returns? Because I would rather be your best friend than have me telling you I love you kill us.'

'What does it mean to you when I tell you I love you?'

'I don't know, I can't process it, I honestly don't know what you mean when you tell me that.'

He settled on the bed, placing his hands either side of her, his face near hers. 'It means that I'm in love with you, means that all the time I was with Sam and you with Lynch I wanted you more, means that I'll love you from now until forever, heck I've loved you since you first smiled at me, this will not destroy us.' With that said he lent down and kissed her, pulling away when the heart monitor made noises, he laughed as her heart rate fluttered before settling down. 'It seems your heart agrees.'

'It's always agreed.' Penelope said roughly, every ebb of emotion she had had fallen into that kiss, intensifying it, all of Derek's emotions poured out with their connection and he looked at her lazily.

'Come on mamma; settle down, you need your rest.' He got up and left her only to return with a nurse, once she left he sat back down next to her. 'Now you can get completely comfortable.' He watched her smile as she fell into an easy sleep and felt better than that she was now resting, not sitting around over thinking things, but he knew if she kept having these doubts about them then he'd keep instilling them until she knew his love like the back of her hand.

Later that day, as the team used everything to get the mess that Sam had left behind Derek stood outside Penelope's room with his mom, his eyes stuck on Penelope as she slept in partial light as night took over.

'She looks exhausted.' Fran said allowed worriedly as she joined Derek back at the window, her hand going to his shoulder for support.

'We had quite a long talk earlier, she's still not processing everything properly but I'll be damned if I'm going to let her forget or doubt that I love her.'

'The way she was looking at you earlier shows that she loves you more than anyone will ever guess.' Fran told her son as he just continued stared. 'Everyone can tell you love her too, she knows it too.'

'What doesn't kill us makes us stronger eh?'

'Definitely does baby, don't you ever forget it and don't ever let her forget it either.'