Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Some "guest stars" are based on or named after people in my life while others are totally made up, as are some places and events.

Chapter 18

Derek put his shirt on while walking up the basement stairs. He turned the lights off and closed the door behind him. The house was dark; night had completely fallen while he was downstairs working out. He turned on a few lights, enough to guide him, and looked around his house. He had moved into another one of his restored houses after he and Savannah had broken up and she had offered to buy their house from him. He sold it to her at cost, which ended up being a sound considering how much the work he had done to it had increased the property value. She argued with him about it but he refused to back down. He thought about moving back to an apartment complex but nixed it almost straightaway. He liked not having to share walls, ceilings, and floors with other people. With the crazy hours that came with the job, peace and quiet were important to him now. He was sure his old neighbors were happy that he was no longer coming and going at any hour of the day and night. He wondered more than once how he'd done it for so long before moving into a house. He also liked having all the space for guests and the home gym and the yard.

For the first time he noticed little feminine touches around: a pink and purple throw across the arm of the couch, a pair of heels next to the staircase, candles... He picked up one of the candles on the coffee table and sniffed it. It smelled like roses. He liked it. He liked having Penelope's things intermingling with his. He loved having her here all the time.

He walked up the stairs, thinking about how to begin to apologize. His behavior toward her was atrocious and he knew she didn't deserve it. Any school kid who had taken Psychology 101 would understand her reaction. She was trying to accept the news herself, the physical changes and hormone surges were difficult enough and then dealing with him acting like a teenager who knocked up his high school girlfriend, she was under an unhealthy amount of stress. He decided to do whatever she wanted; be whoever she needed. He was not going to be a deadbeat dad or boyfriend. He would do anything for his family.

Derek knocked on the yellow and purple room's door. He opened it slightly and softly called out. When she didn't answer he assumed she was still asleep. He opened the door the rest of the way and looked around. The bed was perfectly made; any wrinkles created from Penelope's nap had been smoothed out and the pillows were straightened and plumped up.

He checked the bathrooms, his bedroom, and the other rooms. No Penelope. He walked back downstairs and called out loudly. No answer. Realization dawned on him and he ran back upstairs and opened the guest room's closet. His heart jumped into his throat when he saw not only her suitcase was missing but so were all of the clothes she had had hanging up. He raced downstairs and outside. He panicked when he saw Esther was not there in her usual spot, then ran back inside and grabbed his keys, wallet, knife, and guns. He barely remembered to arm the alarm before he left. He threw the SUV into reverse, then shifted it into drive. He hammered the gas before the vehicle had even switched gears.

Penelope decided she needed a few things. She spent so much time over the past couple of months on the road with the team and living off of take-out there was very little food in her apartment and she was afraid to find out how much Penicillin was growing in her refrigerator. She was too wound-up to go home yet so she pulled into the parking lot of one of the huge get-everything-here stores that was wise enough to stay open all night for those people that didn't work the traditional 9 to 5.

Penelope walked back to Esther a little while later pushing a cart. The store had been busy and and she was glad to get away from the crowd. She put her grocery bags in the trunk and debated on opening the top for the drive home. It was unseasonably warm but she then remembered that rain was in the forecast, so she decided to keep the top closed.

Penelope drove back to her apartment and was just turning into the parking lot when she felt a bump from behind and Esther was pushed forward. She looked in the rearview mirror and saw the car behind her turned on its hazard lights. Perfect, she thought. That's all I need right now, a stupid fender bender.

She pulled into her usual space, unbuckled her seat belt, and grasped the door handle. The car that hit her pulled up directly behind her, then turned on its high beams, flooding Esther with light and blinding Penelope. She brought her free hand up to her face and shut her eyes tightly. The door was jerked from her hand and she felt someone yank her out of the car by her arm and fling her to the ground. She tried to get to her feet and cried out slightly when she felt something smash against her head. She fell back down as pain engulfed her and unconsciousness claimed her.

Derek drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and racked his brain trying to figure out where Penelope might have gone. He tried her apartment first, then the recreation center where her support group met. He drove by JJ's house, then Spencer's, then Kate's, then Hotch's. He did not spot the big orange Cadillac anywhere. He parked down the street from Rossi's, knowing he wouldn't be able to see the driveway clearly from the street and did not want to raise suspicions. He flipped through his contacts, then stared at his phone for a full minute before hitting the "call" button.

"Hey, Derek," Rossi answered his end enthusiastically.

"Hey, Rossi. Have you, uh... Penelope wouldn't happen to be with you, would she?" Derek stuttered.

Rossi paused. "No. I haven't seen her since this afternoon. You guys left before I did. What's going on?"

"We got into a fight and I went downstairs to work out. When I came back up to apologize, she was gone and so was most of her clothes and her car," Derek explained. "I can't find her anywhere and I'm worried."

"Give me five minutes."

Four minutes later the gate was opened and Rossi ran through and jumped into Derek's SUV.

"Where have you looked?" he demanded as he buckled his seat belt. He looked over at the younger man who was staring at the rear view mirror. "Derek?"

"Huh?" Derek blinked and tore his eyes away.

"Where have you looked?" Rossi repeated as he pulled out his phone, pressed a few buttons, then held it to his ear.

"Her house, the rec center, Hotch's, Kate's, JJ's, Reid's, and here..."

"Have you called anyone?"

"No, you're the first."

"Damn, her phone keeps ringing, then going to voicemail." Rossi swore.

"Same here," Derek sighed. "Wait. The first time I called it went to voicemail after two rings."

"She rejected that call," Rossi frowned when he saw Derek was staring into space again. "Derek! Where's your head at?"

Derek had reached his hand out to play with the air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. "She bought me this. We went to the mall awhile back after her car was finally fixed. She claimed it smelled like grease and oil so she went to the candle store and got some of these. She bought some for me, too. I like this one."

"I pegged you as a 'New Car' or 'Pine Tree' guy."

"You'd be right. That's what I usually choose, if I even remember. But I like this 'Salted Caramel' one. She knew I'd like it. Are you going to ask what our fight was about?"

"No."

"'No?'"

"It's none of my business. Let's just find her. Go back to everywhere you've already been. Maybe she was just driving around."

"Right." Derek shifted into drive.

The two men didn't speak the entire way to Penelope's apartment complex.

"Hey, she's here," Derek breathed as he slowed down and pulled into the parking lot.

"Has she had those dents awhile?" Rossi asked, already profiling the scene.

"No. They're new." Derek stopped behind Esther and ran out. He fished a glove from his pocket and opened the driver's side door with it while Rossi knelt down behind the car and studied the fender. He saw flecks of white paint on the ground and smudges of white in the dents. "Find anything, Morgan?" he called. "Derek?" He stood up when the younger man didn't answer. He walked over to Derek, who was sitting in the driver's seat.

"Her purse and keys are still here." Derek looked up at the senior agent in anguish. "They took her, man. They took her."

A/N: Thanks for reading!

XOXO,

PitaCake