Disclaimer: I still own nothing.
Penelope's Apartment
As they pulled up to her house, Jackson was there waiting for her outside. He walked over to the car and greeted them.
"How are you?" Jackson asked
"Oh my" he said when he saw her in the light.
"Not as bad as it looks darling." She said as if she's been saying it all night - which she has.
"Thank you for dropping her off, Aaron."
He put his arm around her shoulder and said "I made you dinner mac-n-cheese with broccoli" as they walked to her apartment.
"You didn't have to do that—but thank you because it is my favorite"
You shouldn't be alone tonight was the last thing Hotch heard as he pulled off.
As they entered her, apartment he told her to go take a shower and I'll set up the table.
When she got into the shower, she sat in the tub and let the water wash over her. She sat there for a while before she scrubbed the places where Bill touched her. When she closed her eyes, she could see him gasping for air. This made her scrub harder.
Jackson knocked on the door—"are you ok in there?"
"Yes, be right down."
She headed down wearing her favorite jersey tank dress, in a peach/orange color, which also double has her favorite nightgown since she never wore it outside.
The dinner he made was great and they discussed the compound.
Jackson ordered her to relax on the couch as he cleaned up. She sat on the couch and watched him clean up and wondered why was she pushing him away. He loved me and I loved him. He is what she prayed for and Derek had moved on. She was ready to move on too. He was seeing someone, but I don't think it is serious she thought. When he was all done, he sat next to her on the couch and said, you should go to bed, as he played with her bangs.
She thought about how bad she must look with the bruises and cut lip and it was as if he was reading her mind- because he said – "it weird even with the bruises you're still the most beautiful woman in the world."
"Jackson can you please stay with me tonight," she asked.
"I wasn't planning to go anywhere," he said "You need to get some rest….. Scoot" he said poking her off the couch with his pointer finger—"Scoot."
She looked at him and felt over come with emotions. She leaned in and kissed him. The kiss took him by surprise; it was a hungry passionate kiss. She straddled him and he was surround by her smell, soft creamy skin and love. He pulled her closer and they deepened the kiss. He could feel her hard nipples on his chest - he ran his fingers through her hair drawing her closer. She caressed his body as if, it was the first time they touched each other. She made her way to his belt buckle and he stopped her.
"This is a bad idea, Sweet P," he said as he got from under her and stood up. He closed his belt buckle and put his hands in his pockets.
"You've been through a lot today and you aren't in your right mind- go to bed."
"Come with me" she said walking over to him.
"If you want me to stay here you will go to bed. NOW, Penelope " he said as authoritative as he could.
"But" she said.
"Now," he whispered.
As she headed up stairs, he laid on the couch and thought; maybe someone else should have stayed with her tonight. She was too raw emotionally. He knew he was always going to love her in a way that straddled the fence – but he also knew that she was always going to love Derek – the door was closed for them romantically, and that's the way it had to be. He fell asleep on the couch pondering his future when he heard the screams.
He woke up to her screams for Derek and Reid. It was a bone-chilling scream and he ran upstairs. He woke her from her nightmare and she was crying so hard she couldn't catch her breath. Once she woke up, she continued to cry on his shoulder and he fell asleep holding her like a child.
The next morning he got up early and carefully left Garcia's bed trying not to disturb her. He went down to the fridge and saw that she had what he expected - nothing for breakfast. As he headed out the door, Derek was knocking on the door.
They were surprised to see each other.
"Sorry,"Jackson said
"I didn't realize that she—," Derek said
They said the same time.
Jackson looked at him and said, "Well this is kind of awkward, isn't it? Her ex-fiancé and the love of her life officially meeting on her doorstep"
Did he just call him the love of her life? Derek thought as he looked at the scruffy Jackson.
"She's sleeping" Jackson added as he stepped out of the door.
"I just wanted to check on her and see how she's holding up." Derek said.
"She's ok considering – she had a nightmare, though."
"That is normal for what she's been through." Derek replied thoughtfully.
"So." he said looking at Jackson, he knew he shouldn't have come but "I check in on her, later."
Jackson interrupted him and said "Was on my way to the market—to get some breakfast food—she"
"Never has any," Derek said finishing his sentence with a smile.
"I should head to the office – "
"Wanna come?" He asked Derek
The question surprised Jackson as soon as it came out of his mouth and Derek was equally surprised to hear it, however what surprised him more was his response "Sure" Derek said.
They walked down the first couple of blocks in silence.
Derek broke the silence with "the one thing that sucks about DC is the Nationals. Worse team in the league."
"I know they can't give the tickets away" Jackson replied
They continued to banter, like most men do—not discussing the elephant in the room. They grabbed breakfast foods while discussing, soccer, football, and the jazz fest line-up. As they walked back towards her house, Jackson invited him to stay for breakfast. Derek hesitated but Jackson said "don't worry—I'm not an unsub, and if I was according to Penelope I can't take out the Noir Hero, anyways" he chuckled.
In the house, Derek called Hotch to inform him that he would be late. He noticed her coat closet was just a frame painted with bright splotchy colors.
"What happened here – did you celebrate holi day with the closet door?" he said taking in the state of the door.
"I mistook the door for my enemy - I offered to replace it but you know Penelope she drags her feet"
"Enemy?" Derek asked
"It was the night she told me about you" he said sheepishly, "I lost my cool and took it out on the door." He continued "She says the door will never forgive me and so we painted it – as a penance."
"I'll make the bacon," Derek offered. "That will get her up," he said as he looked at the door again.
In the middle of making the pancakes—Jackson said, "you know this is all she wanted right?"
"What?" Derek asked
"For us to be friends"
"Really" he said perplexed "it seems so simple now -I love her, but I just got this notion in my mind that she was not being honest - I had a theory and the evidence fit. I made the profile fit the suspect—the one thing we don't do at work." He continued "Last night my boss said something to me—that stuck – he said maybe she had enough faith, trust, and love in you to know that you would stand by her. But if she did believe in me I let her down."
"Yes you did—but the story doesn't have to end there." Jackson said as he put more pancakes in the pan. He continued, "You can fix it, you know"
"How?" He wondered aloud
"Get her back" Jackson stated as a fact
"She hates me—I mean I would hate me too-I don't even know where to start," Derek admitted.
"Well her defenses are up but I'm sure –" Jackson stopped himself—he couldn't believe he was about to give Derek Morgan advice on how to get Penelope back—
"Do you love her? He asked or is this some 'you almost got killed so I want to protect you'—reflex."
"No, I love her more than anything I just got confused for a bit—you confused me" he confessed. "You're so important to her and I didn't know about you and that made me doubt everything including myself."
"Ok, because she is going to think this is guilt at first and she is going to become all rulesy on you."
Derek looked perplexed by that statement so Jackson went on to says,
"Rulesy- you know make up lines that can't and shouldn't be crossed – but she does that because she needs that to be in control and you are going to have to show her that there are no lines."
"Basically, you need to get her alone and seduce her."
"Yeah, like hit her over the head and take her to my cave—she would love that."
They laughed and she entered the kitchen
"Hey, Jax what are you making?"
She assumed Jax was talking to Reid and was taken a back to see Derek Morgan sitting in her kitchen shooting the shit with Jackson.
"What's going on?" she asked, closing her robe and double tying it.
"Uhm, Derek stopped by to check in on you and I invited him to stay for breakfast." Jackson replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
She tightens her robe,
"How are you?" Derek asked
"I am good – well, better. My face not so much"
"No you look gorgeous"
"You look Beautiful," they said simultaneously.
"I should carry you guys around in my pocket" she said blushing.
Derek got up to really take in her face in the light of day and asked what hurts beside your lip.
"My face," she replied.
He laughed as he said "No, baby girl – can I?" He asked gesturing towards her face.
She nodded and he touched what might be tender
"Did the medic look at you eye?"
"Yes, he said it was fine."
He lifted her bang and saw a gash. "Did you clean this?"
"No but I will – Dr. Morgan" she said like a smart ass.
"Breakfast is almost ready P." Jackson told her.
"Ok, I'll hurry up and get dressed," she said as she hustled up stairs.
"Don't rush—we'll, wait for you, baby girl"
"Garcia," she said correcting Derek.
"Garcia," he said with a smile as he watched her go up the stairs.
Jackson smiled at her sassing Morgan "You do have an uphill battle upon reflection"
"But it's worth it," Derek said laughing at himself.
Thank you so much for reading—we have a few more chapters left (2 or 3), but sharing this story with you has been a great experience for me – since I haven't written creatively since high school. I love the feedback – many thanks