Disclaimer: I don't own any of Criminal Minds. It's sad. I know.

Thanks for the reviews guys! I'm getting around to wrapping this story up. I don't know if I could really call this one fun to write. It's a pretty sad story for the majority of it. I'm brainstorming my next M/G story right now and it'll be coming up later. Hope this chapter is alright!

Warning: This chapter is rated M.

6 Months Later

"Mom, I'm going to hang out with Aunt JJ," Tala said. "She invited me and the girls to go and get ice cream with her and Uncle Will." She smiled at Penelope as her mother was sitting on the couch with a book in her hands. "They're picking us up. Is that okay?" she asked hopefully.

Penelope nodded. It was six months after Tala had reluctantly opened up to her mother and things were going better and better with each day that passed. She could not have been more happy. Dr. Janson told her to begin keeping a journal of her feelings regarding the memories and how she was reacting towards her physical appearance. She was still cutting her hair so that it was short and like Ginnifer Goodwin. But she was gradually telling Penelope more about how she was feeling. She even was telling Derek a few things. But most of the time it was just Penelope. It amazed everyone how she was to getting her to speak. It was minimal of course, but it was worlds better than it had been after she had first gotten home.

Penelope opened the door to her house after bringing Lindy and Soraya home from their piano lessons. Her younger daughters started for the living room where they were going to start their homework. Lindy had said something that Soraya thought was hysterical as the two of them headed for the couches. She couldn't help but smile softly. They had healed relatively quickly. Occasionally they became antsy, but for now they were returning to their normal behavior.

It was Tala she was more than a little concerned about. She was more concerned about her than she had been in her entire life.

"Girls, finish your homework and then you can watch some TV," she called to Lindy and Soraya. "Got it?"

"Got it!" they called simultaneously.

Penelope started heading up the stairs and towards her room to change into sweatpants and a tank top. She had spent the whole day in her usual tight clothing for work. At the moment she just wanted relaxation. Derek would be home in about an hour. His suspension had been lifted, but he still wasn't able to return to cases for another week. It was all paper work until she allowed him back in.

But as she got to the top of the stairs, she heard the sound of barely covered sobs from behind the bathroom door. Immediately she hurried to the door and knocked softly. "Tala? Tala, answer me!"

"Don't come in, Mom!" she begged.

Penelope turned the knob and was surprised when she was able to get in. The door was unlocked, and based on what Tala was doing, it came as an extreme shock. Her gut dropped and she gasped. "Oh my God! Tala!"

On the floor, her back leaning against the glass door to the shower, was her daughter, both her arms covered in gushing cuts. Penelope knelt down in front of her and grasped her by the wrists, blood dripping down into her hands. A razor blade was on the tile floor and it was splattered with deep crimson blood droplets. Tears filled Penelope's eyes and she murmured, "Baby, we need to get you to the hospital! There's way too much blood coming out." She tried to pull Tala up to her feet by taking her gently by the shoulders.

Weeping, Tala shook her head weakly. Her face was pale and her movements were slow. Clearly she was losing too much blood. "No, no," she gasped breathlessly. "Just let me go! Keith still hasn't left me...he still won't get out of my head!"

"No!" Penelope cried, reaching into her sweater pocket to pull out her phone. She hurriedly dialed 911 and called for an ambulance. When they arrived five minutes later because they had been in the area, she watched them strap her now unconscious daughter into a stretcher. Lindy and Soraya stared at the scene, absolutely petrified. Penelope had told them to call JJ to keep an eye on them.

"Mrs. Morgan, you can ride in the ambulance with us," one of the paramedics said. "Just be sure to us do our jobs."

Tearfully, Penelope nodded. "Of course."

When they reached the hospital and the doctors started to work on saving Tala, Penelope put her phone to her ear and called her husband.

"Hey Baby Girl," he answered cheerfully. "I'm heading home now and -"

She cut him off. "Derek, don't go home," she wept.

"Penelope!" he said frantically. "What is it? What's wrong?"

She covered a gut wrenching sob with her mouth before continuing. "It's Tala," she choked out through her tears. "She tried to kill herself."

After her daughter had tried to commit suicide, she had been placed under strict supervision in the psychiatric ward. The psychiatrist had allowed her to go home afterwards, so long as her therapy scheduler was increased dramatically and she was put on medication to help stabilize her moods. It was also made clear that her diagnosis was severe PTSD.

"The only person she is interested in harming is herself," Dr. Janson explained. "She won't harm anyone. Lindy, Soraya, and the both of you will be perfectly safe. It's Tala who won't be able to keep herself safe from herself."

At present the only two people Tala was truly speaking to were Penelope and Dr. Janson. Occasionally she would open up to Derek, but it was a rare occurrence.

Essentially, everyone had to be extremely wary of Tala. The drinking had stopped because there was no possible way she could get any alcohol and the self-harm was down dramatically due knives and razors being locked up. She still would try to find ways around it, but lately her treatment had been working. One way she was able stay in control without hurting herself was a multitude of rubber bands on her wrist that she could snap if she needed. And she did need it...frequently.

The only people Penelope trusted her daughter with were her husband, the BAU team, and Dr. Janson. No exceptions.

She went to stand in front of Tala and put both hands on her shoulders. Kissing her forehead, she murmured, "You be careful. Stay with JJ, okay?"

Tala nodded, her face blank. "I will," she assured her. "And Lindy and Raya will be safe too."

Penelope knew about Tala fierce protectiveness she displayed for her sisters after their experience of being snatched off the street. If they were somewhere other than home, she never allowed them out of her sight. And if anyone so much as glanced their way, she was sure to keep them at her side, her arms around both their shoulders.

A brief knock sounded from the door and JJ opened it, poking her head in. "Hey girls," she said. "Are you ready to go?" She smiled softly. "Oh! And Derek just pulled up. He's talking with Will right now."

Tala nodded and looked over at Penelope, her eyes flashing fearfully for a moment as if leaving her would be unthinkable. However, JJ put a hand on her shoulder and turned around to look at her. She smiled at her. "Ready to go, Aunt JJ," she said.

"Okay then," she said, motioning for them to head towards the door. She looked back at Penelope before closing it. "We'll be back soon, Garcie."

Penelope nodded. She trusted JJ with her children's lives. She had no doubt she would return with them when she said she would. The two of them disappeared out the door and she went to the kitchen window to look as her daughters got into the LaMangtane's car. Derek waved as the car pulled out of the driveway and he started for the door to come inside.

"Baby Girl?" she called. "I'm home." He came into the kitchen and she looked over at him from the window. He crossed the floor to her and pulled her forward to kiss her forehead. "You okay?" He knew well how much it hurt Penelope to let the girls out of the house. However, she knew they had to learn to reintegrate themselves into the world. It was Dr. Janson's recommendation and Penelope trusted her. And because she trusted her, she would listen.

She swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah," she croaked. "I'm okay. I know JJ will take care of them."

He nodded. "She will."

Looking him directly in the eye, she grasped both of his cheeks and pulled him into a kiss. He closed his a moment, but when he opened them again, he pulled her tightly into his arms and deepened the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she held on for dear life. The kiss was fiery and passionate and both of them poured their pain into it, hoping that maybe the other would heal the wounds. His hands reached down and gripped her bottom, lifting her up so that she was sitting on the kitchen counter. Their lips broke apart and he began to trail hot, wet kisses down her neck. She tilted her head backwards, closing her eyes as she relished the feeling of his lips against her skin. A sigh escaped her lips and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He pulled her away from the counter, carrying her towards the stairs. He set her on her feet so that they could walk up the stairs. It was a slow process; both of them kept falling back against the walls.

They reached the top of the stairs, their arms still wrapped around each other. Crashing into their bedroom door, they fell against their bed. Penelope slid backwards so that she was flat on her back. She sighed pleasurably as he slid her loose skirt, baring her panties and luscious thighs to him. Leaning up so she could pull her shirt off, she moaned as his fingers slid under underwear, his index finger circling around her clit. Her nipples raised even higher and her hands clutched at the sheets.

"Oh, God!" she moaned. "Derek, don't you dare stop!" Her whole body was on fire, burning with passion. It was as if her pain was dissolving for the moment. It was being pushed to the back of her mind with each powerful, pleasurable touch her husband bestowed upon her.

"I wasn't planning on it," he panted. He shucked his shirt off, tossing it across the room. She sat up and reached for his belt buckle pulling it roughly off of him and slinging it to the ground. He leaned down and kissed her softly before dropping his pants and boxers, kicking them off his feet. "Oh, God Penelope," he said hoarsely. "Do you know how much I love you?"

She nodded, pulling him close to her body, allowing him to unhook her bra and latch his teeth onto one of her nipples, tugging it gently. "Yes," she said breathlessly. "I love you, too. I can't even express it with words." She let him tear her panties off of her and added, "So let me show you right now."

He crawled on top of her and kissed her lovingly. "I love you," he said, stroking her a few times again before sliding into her tight heat. Both of them gasped at the same time, Penelope digging her nails into the skin on his shoulders. He increased the speed of his thrusts and she moaned loudly. It was as if their spirits were connecting and their hearts beat together in unison. He rolled over so that she was on top of him, riding him slowly. He filled her so completely that she couldn't help but gasp with the friction it created. She increased her speed and leaned down to suckle on his neck. Her lips met his again and the tingling of the beginning of her climax started to creep up her body, filling her with an unbelievable feeling of pleasure. She opened her eyes to look down into his and saw his glittering orbs, now completely dark with passion.

All at once, the feeling became too much to contain and a loud moan filled the room. The very next moment his release spilled inside of her and she fell against his chest, completely satisfied and panting uncontrollably. She stroked his sweaty chest and let him hold her around the waist. "I love you so much," he whispered in her ear, stroking some of her hair behind her ear. Tears filled her eyes and spilled on his skin. "What's wrong, angel?"

She looked at him again and murmured, "We're back together and our family is mending, but it feels like we're still separated. I just want Tala back, but it feels like we've lost her."

He shook his head. "We'll get her back," he said firmly. "She'll get better. I know she will. You help her more than anyone else could."

"We almost lost her for good," she cried softly. "I would never survive if we lost one of our girls."

He shook his head. "We won't. Not ever."

Even though their lovemaking had made her feelings melt to the back of her brain momentarily, everything was crashing down on her again. But instead of going it alone, she had Derek to lean against. She took his hand and kissed him. "I'm so glad I have you back again," she murmured. "I could never do any of this with Tala on my own. I could never be able to help Lindy and Soraya without you. We're better as a team. We can take on the whole world together, just as long as we have each other. And you're right. One day Tala will be herself again and we'll have our baby girl back. I can only hope soon." She let him use his free hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. "I hate that she feels the only way she can get rid of Keith's hold over her is by hurting herself. The medication helps, but it never takes her away from him."

"She may never escape him," he said softly. "Buford has never truly left me. He's always there, dwelling in the farthest corner of my mind. I barely think about him, but he's always there. It may very well be the same thing for Tala."

She leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes, letting him hold her in his arms. "We've got one job now," she whispered. "Healing our girls."

"No job will ever be more important to me," he said in earnest.

Okay, so this one was REALLY tough. But I can pretty much assure you it will be over soon and Tala will be healed. Yet, like Derek and Buford, she'll never recover from Keith completely. Considering I mentioned it in this chapter, I figure I can say that as it's not a spoiler. PLEASE REVIEW!