The Replicator:
Derek was pissed off. The piece of shit who was taunting them had been in Penelope's house. It made his skin crawl. This son of a bitch was probably the worst unsub they'd ever dealt with. He was targeting them personally, and was very good at covering his tracks. If he was able to hack Penelope's system, Derek worried what else he'd do.
"Baby, I don't want you to be alone while he's still out there." Derek told her, he had called to tell her about Strauss and let her know they'd be flying home soon.
"Hot stuff, I don't plan on leaving my lair until we catch this creep." Penelope reassured him. "You worry about getting home, and getting this guy. I have Kevin with me, I'll be safe."
"Pretty momma, Lynch wouldn't scare a kitten, let alone a big scary unsub." Derek replied. Penelope laughed. "I gotta go, we're taking off soon. I'll see you in a bit?"
Truthfully, Penelope was glad the team was coming home. She did feel better knowing they would all be together. She also had to admit that Derek being there would definitely make her feel safer. She knew he would protect her.
Anytime the team was gone, Penelope found herself missing Derek. It had always been that way, but it had grown over the past few months. When JJ and Will got married, and when Emily left, the pair grew even closer. She tried not to let herself think it was more than a friendship, but sometimes, a little piece of her heart would take over her rational thinking, and she'd give herself a moment. Just one little moment to imagine what it would be like if he loved her the way she loved him.
The team got back and they made quick work of trying to find the unsub. Since her computers were still down, they were doing it old school. She was having a hard time sorting through so much stuff, but she knew they had to keep digging. The answers were all there somewhere, they just had to find them.
Things got even more intense when the team discovered that the unsub was someone on the inside. It made Penelope feel even more uneasy. The idea that somebody working so closely to them was responsible for months of this cat and mouse game was crazy, but it was the only explanation.
And, if things couldn't get any worse, the Replicator had another plan. He wanted to turn them against each other. He had drugged Rossi, and put a fake report on Rossi's desk to make it look like Morgan's prints were on the glass that was on Strauss. Rossi had pulled a gun on Morgan, but luckily Hotch had been able to stop things from escalating, and Rossi got taken to the hospital.
"Are you okay?" Penelope asked, hurrying to Derek as he entered her lair.
"I'm fine, baby girl." He assured her.
"Rossi really pulled a gun on you?" Kevin asked in surprise.
"Drugs can make a person do crazy things." Derek replied. "I just hope that's the need of that. With Rossi at the hospital, we're down an agent already."
Penelope ran her hand up and down Derek's arm to comfort him. He put his arm around her and hugged her. He wouldn't admit it, but she knew he was afraid of what the unsub might do next.
"I'm gonna get back out there. I just...We need to catch this guy." Derek sighed.
"We will, sugar." Penelope reassured him. She squeezed him one more time. "Now go be the badass Supervisory Special Agent momma loves."
He chuckled. He planted a kiss on top of her head before heading out. She watched him walk away and couldn't stop her heart from leaping in her chest. She wanted to chase all of his bad thoughts away and replace them with good ones.
"You two really are the perfect pair." Kevin said. Penelope turned to look at him in surprise. "Oh come on, Penny, don't look so shocked. We're friends, right?"
"Yes, but this is Derek Morgan we're talking about." She reminded her ex boyfriend.
"Exactly, the Derek Morgan that you are in love with." Kevin stated. "It's okay, really. I want you to be happy, Penelope, and I think I always knew that Derek was the one you wanted to be with. I was trying to force something that just wasn't meant to be. But, now you have the chance to actually get what you've always wanted, what's stopping you?"
"Uhm, maybe the completely obvious fact that Derek doesn't think of me that way?" She asked him, turning her attention to her laptop to avoid the conversation. Kevin didn't drop it though.
"Oh, right." He deadpanned. Then he chuckled. "You're just his friend. My bad...Baby Girl."
"That proves nothing." Penelope replied. "He flirts with everyone."
"Not the way he does with you." Kevin stated. Penelope turned to look at him, curiously. "Penelope, when Derek flirted with Emily, or the girls at bars, or hell even Reid, there's this joking look in his eyes. Like, he and everyone else, know that it's all just for fun. When he talks to you, though, it's like you're the only person in the world. There's never even a hint of joking because he means every word."
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Kevin's words stuck with Penelope for the rest of the day. As she helped the team find the Replicator, she had this voice in the back of her head, reminding her that Kevin thought Derek loved her. She so badly wanted to believe it, but she knew she couldn't. She would not lose her best friend. She tried to keep the thoughts at bay.
When the team went to get John Curtis, they left via helicopter. Penelope was on the phone with Hotch while they discussed the unsub and the plane of action. She heard everything when the crash happened, and began to panic.
Kevin tried to keep her calm, but she couldn't get through to her team, and that was not good. She hated being stuck in her lair and not being able to do anything to help them. They were her family, and they could be hurt.
Kevin explained to her, after making a phone call, that the team had split up. Only one helicopter went down because as a precaution, they wanted the team to land on opposite sides of the field. He told her that the override could have only happened within a 5 mile radius.
"He knew they were coming." She concluded.
"And how they were getting there." He added.
"Kevin...who was in the one that went down?" She asked.
"Hotch, Blake and Reid." He told her. "Morgan and JJ were in the other one."
A moment later, they were called again. Penelope answered this time, needing to know for herself that her team was okay. She couldn't believe they'd fallen into this trap.
"Baby, it's me." Derek said into the phone. She breathed out a sigh of relief. "We're all okay, but Curtis has Blake. We gotta go find her. I'll call you as soon as I know more. I just knew you wouldn't believe we were okay until you heard it yourself."
"Oh, my love, be safe, okay?"
"I'll do my best, momma."
It felt like a waiting game after that. This unsub was far too smart for them to just catch him. He had to have something major up his sleeve, and Penelope hoped they could figure it out before walking into another trap.
Rossi returned from the hospital a bit later. Penelope sent him to help the team out in the field. She knew they needed him there. She just hoped he wasn't too late.
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It was another close call for the BAU. They team had nearly been blown up, but luckily, Rossi had outsmarted Curtis in the very last moment. Now, the Replicator was gone. They could breathe easier now.
As soon as the team got to the office, Penelope ran to Derek. He held her close to him, assuring her that he was okay. When she was certain, she checked on everyone else, making sure none of them were injured.
"Baby, I'm gonna talk to Rossi for a moment, but I don't want to be alone tonight. What do you say, movies and chinese food?" Derek asked her.
"Sounds divine, I'll be in my lair when you're done."
Penelope headed to her office to clean up from the day. She was grateful her babies were back up and running. She never wanted to have to do things old school again. It was far too much of a headache.
As she was gathering her stuff up, she heard footsteps. She expected Derek, but it was Kevin. She smiled and welcomed him into her office. Kevin took a seat in one of the office chairs, and she sat across from him.
"You were a huge help today, Kev." Penelope told him. "Thank you."
"Always." He smiled. "You know how you can repay me?"
"You're not getting my tardis mug." She teased. He chuckled.
"You wound me." He joked. "For real, the way you can thank me is by following your heart, Pen."
"Kevin, I told you, it's not like that with Derek and I."
"You're wrong, Penelope." Kevin insisted. "If I had to lose you to anyone, I would have wanted it to be someone you really, really love. You deserve to be happy, and I know Derek can make you happier than you've ever been. You just gotta let him in."
Before she could respond, the man of the hour entered her office. He offered her his arm, and greeted Kevin. She grabbed her bag, thanked Kevin again for his help, and put her arm through Derek's.
"Think about what I said, P!" Kevin called after them.
"What is he talking about?" Derek asked her. "He wanna try again or something?"
"Nothing like that." She assured her best friend with a smile. "He just helped me with something today, and thinks I should take his advice."
"And what do you think?" Derek asked her as they got into the elevator.
"I think it's too risky."
"Baby, you can't live your life constantly worried about the risks. This job should have taught you by know that you have to go after what you want today, because tomorrow, well it's never promised."
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Penelope could not concentrate on the movie. She was too busy thinking about her conversations with Kevin and Derek. If she didn't tell Derek how she felt, she'd never be able to get past it. But, maybe these feelings were something she could deal with. Was it worth risking her relationship with Derek for? She knew if she told him, things would never be the same.
"Okay, what's wrong?" Derek asked, pausing the movie. Penelope was sitting next to him, his arm around her. He moved to face her. "I don't think you could tell me a single thing that's happened in the hour we've been watching this movie."
"It's nothing, I'm just tired." She shrugged.
"Baby, I know when you're lying." Derek replied. "I'm a profiler, remember?"
"Hey, you don't profile me, I don't hack you, remember?" She shot back.
"Wow, deflecting. Must be pretty bad." Derek replied.
She sighed. She should have known better. Even if he wasn't a profiler, Derek knew her better than anyone. He didn't need to work for the BAU to know when she was giving him a load of bull.
"I don't want to talk about it." She tried.
"Look, baby, I think I can help." Derek took a deep breath. "If I'm way off track I'm about to look like an idiot, so please just bear with me."
She watched as he struggled to form words. He looked nervous, which Derek rarely ever got. He breathed again before he finally took her hands, and began to talk.
"Penelope, you are the absolute light of my life. You're more than my best friend. You are my solace, my reason for living, you are everything to me. I never ever want to lose that, but I think we both know something has changed recently." He held her hands tightly as if she was his life perseverer. "I think there's something more here, and there always has been. The two of us, we belong together. Everyone knows it. They have just been waiting for us to finally admit to ourselves. Baby girl, I love you. I am in love with you. And I really hope you love me back because-"
She cut him off by pressing her lips to his. He pulled her to his lap, and deepened the kiss. Penelope moaned into his mouth. It was one hell of a first kiss. The years of teasing and building really paid off. Neither of them had ever experienced a kiss on this level before. Later, they'd both swear they saw fireworks.
"I hope that means you feel the same way." He smirked when they pulled back because they needed oxygen.
"I do." She confirmed with a smile. "Actually, I was thinking about whether or not I should tell you. Kevin and I were talking about it earlier. He said that everyone knows that you feel the same, and they've been waiting for us to admit it."
"Lynch said that?" Derek asked in shock. "That's surprising."
"He's not a bad guy, hot stuff." Penelope told him. "We weren't meant to be together, that's true, but Kevin did care about me. We both want each other to be happy, and he knows I'm happiest when I'm with you."
"I love you, baby girl." Derek smiled softly at her.
"I love you too, D." She replied, her heart swelling a million times.
"It's been a really long few days, and the only thing I want right now is to crawl into bed and hold you while we catch up on sleep."
"That sounds absolutely perfect."
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Penelope woke up to a half empty bed. She yawned, sitting up to find her glasses. When she could see again, she looked at the clock. It was 1:00 pm the next day. She'd slept for over twelve hours, but she felt much better. She wondered where her knight and shining armor was, but before she could get up to find him, the bedroom door opened.
Derek came in with a tray of food. She grinned when she smelt the coffee. He knew the way to her heart, that was for certain. He gently placed the tray beside her, and carefully crawled back into bed next to her.
"Figured you needed some fuel." He smiled, feeding her a strawberry off the plate. She moaned at how sweet it was. "Hey now, behave."
"I don't want to." She pouted.
"Eat your breakfast, woman." He chuckled.
She was hungry, so she listened to him. He had made her cheesy scrambled eggs, toast, and had put a bowl of fruit with her food as well. Plus, the coffee of course. She was loving the feeling of being Derek's girl. He was amazing.
After she finished her food, Derek placed the tray on the ground. He pulled her back into his arms, kissing the top of her head, lovingly. He too was just enjoying the feeling of them finally being together. After so many years of wondering what it would be like, they had a taste of how deep their love for each other went. Neither of them would ever be able to go back now. They knew, this was what they had been waiting for their entire lives.
"Derek Morgan, you sure know how to woo a girl." Penelope smiled, nuzzling deeper into his chest.
"Only you, princess." He smiled back.
She leaned up and kissed him. His kisses were quickly becoming addicting to her. He was the best lover she'd ever had, and they hadn't even gone to second base yet. She deepened the kiss, and sat up so that she could move into his lap. As she straddled him, she began to roll her hips over his.
"Baby." He groaned. "You're making it hard to take things slow."
"Ten years is slow enough." She replied, kissing his jawline.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked. He gently grabbed her face so he could look her in they eyes. "I want you to be ready."
"I'm more than ready, baby." She reassured him, appreciating how sweet and caring he was with her. "Make love to me, handsome."
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Four days later was Strauss's funeral. The whole BAU came together. Derek and Penelope gripped each other's hands the entire time. They were leaning on each other for comfort, but they had decided not to tell the team they were together. They wanted to wait until after the funeral. It seemed wrong to be celebrating something so wonderful after something so tragic.
Plus there was Rossi. He was doing okay for the most part, but they knew grief could be a tricky thing. Everyone else was trying to move forward too. It had been a rough year, but they'd gotten through the worst of it. At least they hoped. Soon, they would tell the others about their relationship, once things were less hectic.
After the service, everyone went to Rossi's mansion. He had asked them to come. They knew this was especially hard for him. He knew Erin better than they did, and unlike them, he knew what she was like under her hard exterior. It had to have been awful for him, and the whole team wanted him to know that they were there for him.
They sat around, telling stories about Erin Strauss. Most of them were comical. Derek and Penelope recanted the time that she accidentally asked the section chief to talk dirty to her. That got a good laugh out of everyone.
"That's my girl." Derek grinned with pride.
It was nice to be able to find some relief in such a trying time. Derek and Penelope were so glad they had each other during this. They smiled at one another, unable to help it. They thought they were subtle, but someone else had caught on. Rossi clinked his glass to signify he was making a toast.
"Last year, right year we had a very different celebration." The older man began. "Of life, of love, and good people. This year, while it's the other side of that because, well that's what families do. Families also remember to find the light in the world. It's the only thing that guides them out of the darkness. And I don't know about you all, but I am ready for some light in this world. I know Erin wouldn't have wanted us all to be here so sad, when there's good news to be heard. Derek, Penelope, you wanna share something with us?"
"What are you talking about, Rossi?" Blake asked in confusion.
Everyone looked over at the couple. Their hands were clasped together on the table, but that wasn't really weird. Derek and Penelope were always touchy feely. Hotch, though, had a rare smile on his face. Reid looked like he was trying to calculate something. JJ was starting to piece it together. Penelope and Derek looked like a pair of deer caught in headlights.
"Well?" Rossi pushed.
"Oh my god, you two finally did it!" JJ exclaimed. "You told each other you're in love with one another!"
"It's about time." Reid commented.
"I'd say I didn't see it coming, but that would be a lie." Hotch added.
"How-How did you know?" Penelope stuttered looking at Rossi.
"Penelope, my dear, I've been married three times. I know the look a man gives a woman, and vice versa, when he is completely in love with her." Rossi stated. "And you two are looking at each other that way even more than normal."
"We wanted to tell you." Derek said, squeezing Penelope's hand. "We just thought that with everything going on, we should wait."
"No." Rossi shook his head. "We need some good in this cruel world. I speak for everyone when I say, this is a very good thing. We've all been waiting for this day, and I am so happy for you two. I know you guys will have many, many, happy years together."
"Congratulations." Blake grinned raising her glass.
Everyone congratulated the couple, and made jokes about a betting pool. Derek and Penelope smiled at their family. They were glad they knew. Despite the horrible past few days, Rossi was right, there was still light to guide them from the darkness. And that light was the love they had for each other.
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They got married a year later. They had decided that they had spent enough time dragging their feet. The whole BAU was at their wedding of course. Rossi walked Penelope down the aisle, and made Derek promise to take good care of her.
The year they had been together had been the best of their lives. They went from best friends to lovers easily, probably because of the nature of their friendship. The team started betting, after they got together, on other things. The first bet was when they'd get married. Reid won that one by guessing the exact day and time the pair would wed.
The next betting pool was when they'd have kids. Derek and Penelope had discussed children, but they weren't rushing it. They knew it would happen when it was meant to. But, Kevin Lynch was the one who won this bet. He bet they would have a honeymoon baby, and he was mostly right.
They started betting on the gender immediately. Everyone was shocked when JJ won. She had jokingly they'd have twins, one of each gender. Penelope almost killed her when her bet was correct.
Valerie Erin Morgan and David Evan Morgan were born almost exactly two years after Derek and Penelope got together. Davey was the spitting image of his father, and had his temperament as well. Val was her own person, but she definitely was Penelope's mini me. The twins were everything Derek and Penelope could have wanted and more, but they were not the last piece to the family.
When the twins were three, Penelope got ill. She thought she caught a bug from one of the twins, but neither of them showed any symptoms. When it didn't get better a few weeks later, JJ convinced her to go to the doctor. Penelope almost hit the floor when the doctor told her she was expecting.
Of course, she and Derek were ecstatic, if a little shocked. They had thought the twins would be it for them, but they already were in love with their unborn baby. The betting pools started, but Penelope threatened to erase anyone off the map who guesses twins this time. She loved her kids more than life, but she wasn't sure she could handle two newborns and two toddlers.
Luckily, it was just one baby. A girl. They named her Gracie Sophia Morgan. She was the perfect mix of her mom and dad. They knew this was exactly what they needed to complete their family. A sweet baby girl with ten perfect fingers and ten perfect toes, who would love to chase her siblings when she got big enough.
"Okay, kiddos, remember to be careful." Derek told the twins gently.
JJ had just dropped them off to meet their new baby sister at the hospital. She was only six hours old, and they were so excited to meet her. Derek helped the twins carefully climb into the hospital bed next to their mom.
"Val, Davey, this is your baby sister." Penelope told them with a smile. She moved the blanket so the twins could see her face. "This is Gracie."
"She little!" Val exclaimed. "She ours?"
"Yes, sweetheart she's ours." Derek told his oldest daughter. "We're gonna bring her home soon."
"We help?" Davey asked looking up at his mom hopefully.
"Yes, you can help." Penelope told him. "We'll teach you ways you can help take care of your little sister."
"I love her, momma." Val smiled.
"Me too!" Davey agreed.
Derek's heart skipped a beat. He had the most perfect family. His amazing baby girl, the love of his life, his wife, the mother of his children. And the twins, who always kept him on his toes. And now his youngest daughter. He couldn't imagine a life better than this one. Penelope met his eyes and they smiled lovingly at one another. They were both thinking the same thing. That they had made the best decision ever, deciding to admit their love for one another. Because of that, they got to be each other's light for the rest of their lives.
A/N I decided to cut Kevin some slack and make him a good bean in this one. Also, I just watched this, and the hand holding at Erin's funeral...def not platonic. If I owned CM our babies would be together, but since I don't I'm going to live in the world of fan fic.
I'll post another chapter soon! :)