After a few minutes of him staring at the screen, she let out a loud yawn before checking the time. Realizing just how late it was, she shut the laptop and spun the chair around once more.
"Where are you staying in this fine city?" She asked her voice laced with sarcasm, her dislike for the city clear in the way that she spoke of it.
He looked up at and shrugged, not intent on telling her that he had been sleeping on the street for about a week now.
"Don't tell me you don't have anywhere to stay?" She asked her jaw-dropping slightly in shock, she had figured he would be staying at a hotel in town but could tell by the look on his face that he had not been sleeping in any hotel.
He gave his best guilty smile and shrugged his shoulders yet again, walking towards the door saying he would be back tomorrow.
"Nonsense there is no way, I'm going to let you go sleep on the street. You can stay here for a while until you find somewhere to stay, or get your next lead." She said with a smile and led him over to where the couch was, it wasn't very comfy and she felt bad, but at least it was better than the street.
"Are you sure, I don't mean to intrude." He said looking at the couch quickly realizing that he was too tall to lay on the couch.
"Oh my, I'm sorry." She said seeing that the couch was way too short for him to lay on it, "You can sleep in my room I'll take the couch." She said quickly feeling bad for offering the couch.
"No don't be silly this is your house, there is no way I'm letting you sleep on the couch." He said before trying to situate himself on the couch.
"Then I guess we're just going to have to share now aren't we." She said with a small smirk before showing him where her room was.
"Thanks, I'll take the floor," He said with as a small smile graced his lips.
"Nonsense the bed's big enough, I just have to go shut down my systems and I'll be back in in a minute." She said before leaving the room and walking back to her computer. Opening it to shut it down properly when she saw a warrant for his arrest. She gasped slightly, she wasn't angry, but she did feel kind of upset that he didn't tell her.
She walked back into the room and laid down on the other side of the bed, before looking back at him glad to find him still awake.
"There's a warrant out for your arrest?" She asked softly just in case he was kind of asleep.
"I'm sorry I didn't explain that earlier, are you angry?" He asked softly feeling bad that he had withheld that information.
"What happened?' She asked softly sleep seeping into her voice.
"I went off the grid a few months back after I got fired, and I stole information that was very important to the government so that I could prove my sister's death wasn't an accident," Derek mumbled.
"I'm not mad at you. I just think as friends that you should know that you can tell me anything." Penelope said with a small reassuring smile, knowing that it was a difficult subject to talk about.
"Plus, I know what it's like to lose a part of your family," Penelope mumbled her voice thick with sadness from the past.
"You do?" Derek asked opening his eyes to look at her.
"I-I lost my parents in a car accident when I was eighteen. They had been out looking for me because I-I stayed out past my curfew and got into a head-on collision with a drunk driver." Penelope stuttered out, it was still so very hard to talk about her parent's deaths.
"You blame yourself." The accusation was soft-spoken and calm.
"Of course I do," Penelope said it like it was the simplest thing in the world and she hated herself for it. The tone of self-loathing in her voice broke Derek's heart.
"Baby girl look at me." Derek said and when Penelope's eyes finally met his own he continued, "It is not your fault you were still a kid. There's nothing you could have done angel, it wasn't your fault." Derek soothed softly not wanting her to blame herself for something she clearly had no control over.
"I know, but it just gets so hard sometimes. To know that if I had stayed home, they might have never died." Penelope said sadness covering her voice as tears flowed down her face.
Derek sighed because he too understood and scooted close wrapping on arm around her letting her cry into his chest.
"And you can talk to me about anything you ever need to," Derek said rest his chin on her head as he held her.
"Thank you," Penelope said as she clung to him for dear life.
"What for?" Derek asked looking down to see her face, gently wiping away one of her tears.
"For being my friend," Penelope said before loosening her grip on Derek knowing now that he wasn't going to let go.
"Of course baby girl. I'll always be here for you." Derek said before resting his chin on her head once more.
She smiled once more finally content and not afraid to close her eyes, she let herself slowly drift off to sleep. Feeling safe in his arms and knowing that she had a true friend for once. He studied her features trying to fall asleep and he realized just how beautiful she was without her makeup. He smiled to himself finally feeling happy with the world for the first time since his father died. Before he too drifted off to sleep.