A/N: Hello Lovelies! How are you all? Me I'm super excited to be on Chapter Thirteen! Thirteen is my favourite number! So I'm loving this chapter, I hope you all do as well! I hope you all read and review because I'm definitely needing some feed back on what you all are thinking so far! Happy Reading my darlings!
Chapter Thirteen:
Everyone was gathered around the large table out on the patio. Dinner was set on the table for everyone, they had all just prayed over their food, and were getting ready to enjoy a family meal.
"So before we eat, I'd like to make a toast!" Derek said standing up and holding out his beer. Everyone looked up, holding up their drinks, even Henry and Jack held up their cups of lemonade.
"A week ago today this amazing woman and I were locked in hotel room in Canada during a snow storm to work out our issues under threat of my mother." Derek paused as everyone laughed. They all knew what had happened, but still just hearing how Dave had locked them in there, and threatened to tell Fran on them was still so funny to them. "Dave, honestly I can't thank you enough! So hears to you, thank you for getting tired of our back and forth nonsense and locking us in that room! To Dave!" Derek said and threw back a drink of his beer.
"To Dave!" Everyone said laughing again.
"Well thank you, but like I said, name a grandbaby after me and we'll call it even." Dave said smiling and kissing Fran on the cheek.
"Soon my Italian Stallion, at least let us get married first." Penelope said causing a wide smile to spread across Derek's face. He knew that they'd talked about it, but hearing her talk about it so naturally, made it all the more real to him.
"Hey why do you get a grandbaby named after you?" Fran asked quirking an eyebrow and smiling at him.
"Fine if you have a boy, it has to be named after me, if it's a girl and it has to be named after me and your mother." Dave said causing everyone to laugh.
As dinner progressed everyone was laughing, having a good time, but Derek kept getting lost thinking about when to propose. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Reid asking him about his plans for the other two houses. He and J.J. were thinking about moving into a bigger place soon.
"Ooh J.J. the second house we looked at is maybe five minutes from here so you'd be right by us, and Hotch and Emily." Penelope said getting excited, dishing food on to her plate.
"Oh and that mean's you'd only be fifteen minutes from us too." Fran said smiling taking a bite of her potato salad.
"That would be great honestly." J.J. said thinking about how nice it would be to be out of that apartment. She looked over at Henry throwing pieces of his hot dog to Clooney.
"Well if you want I can take you by it tomorrow." Derek offered, building his hamburger.
"Yeah that should be good." J.J. said looking to Reid for confirmation.
Soon everyone broke into separate conversations. Penelope, J.J., Emily and Fran were talking about the kid's soccer games, and the t-shirts Emily had asked about in Canada. Reid was explaining to the rest of the men about how fire pits were originally created, and how they have progressed over the years to the modern one that they had built in the yard.
"Aunty Penny, can I have some more lemonade?" Jack asked shaking his cup.
"Me too! Me too!" Henry said holding his up.
"Of course my Love Bugs, you want to help Aunty, so I can bring the lemonade out here to the table?" Penelope got nods from the children and they all got up to make their way into the kitchen. Once they were out of ear shot Fran smiled at Derek.
"Okay son, I've heard you mention marriage, and earlier I heard Penelope mention marriage. So did I miss something?" Fran asked sipping on her wine.
"I'm going to ask her to marry me Mama, I have the ring and everything, I just, I don't know when." Derek said looking to the patio door to keep an eye out for Penelope, this was not how he wanted her to find out.
"Oh I'm so happy for you Baby Boy!" Fran said getting up and hugging Derek, and kissing him on the cheek. Just then Penelope Jack and Henry came walking back outside. Penelope with a pitcher of lemonade and the boys with their cups.
"Did I miss something?" Penelope asked sitting the pitcher on the table.
"No honey, I'm just so happy that you two are finally together and building a life together." Fran said moving to hug Penelope too.
"Awh I'm happy too Mama." Penelope said hugging her back before taking her seat next to Derek.
Eventually everyone finished their dinner, and helped with the cleanup process. Once everything was done everyone was slowly started making their way back outside to the fire pit that was now lit. The radio was playing in the background, Jack was sitting in Emily's lap, Henry in J.J.'s, and Reid and Hotch were roasting marsh mellows for s'mores. Fran and Penelope were inside making coffee, and hot chocolate for everyone. Dave and Derek were setting up the candles that were supposed to ward off mosquitos.
"Still haven't decided have you?" Dave asked lighting another candle.
"No." Derek said shaking his head.
"You're over thinking it. It's like I said earlier, don't think just wait for the feeling." Dave said moving to light the last candle.
"You're right." Derek said walking back to the fire pit with Dave.
"You know what made me realize Christmas morning was the perfect moment to propose to your mom?" Dave said taking a seat and grabbing a skewer with marsh mellows on it to roast.
"No what?" Derek asked picking up a skewer and adding marsh mellows on to it.
"When I looked at all of us together that morning, I realized I hadn't actually been that happy in a long time. That's how I knew it was the perfect moment, and that I didn't need some big romantic grand gesture to propose." Dave said looking up from the fire.
"Derek are you going to ask Garcie to marry you tonight?" J.J. asked smiling big.
"Yeah I think I'm going to." Derek said returning her smile.
"Oh that's so sweet. If you do it while were here I have to get a picture, PG would love having a picture of it." Emily said pulling out her phone to check the battery life.
"Well I haven't decided when. I just know I want to tonight. You know it's our first night officially in the house, it's our beginning. I want it to happen tonight." Derek said feeling the ring in his pocket.
"Be spontaneous like Spence was. He just asked mid conversation. We were talking about what to eat for dinner and he just said 'hey do you want to get married?'" J.J. said and kissed Henry on the forehead.
"Or you can do it how Aaron did." Emily said looking over to her husband.
"I don't think he wants to do that." Hotch said with a smirk on his face.
"What did you do?" Derek asked looking between the two.
"He picked a fight with me about something stupid, and when I got so mad at him I was just going to go inside and go to bed, he just smiled at me and asked me to marry him." Emily said with a slight blush.
"Really man?" Derek asked looking him with the raised eyebrow.
"It worked didn't it?" Hotch said with a slight chuckle.
Just then Penelope and Fran came walking out each holding a tray, one with coffee and cups the other with hot chocolate and cups. J.J. and Emily got up to help them start dishing out the drinks. Soon the marsh mellows were all roasted, and everyone started building s'mores. Mostly just making a mess. The kids had decided to go back to the play area and so the couples all started dancing around the fire pit to different songs. Derek turned up the radio when he heard his and Penelope's song The Only One come on. Penelope got a big smile on her face as he pulled her back into his arms to dance again. He was whispering lyrics into her ear. Just loving the feeling of her in his arms.
As song ended and the night progressed everyone was sitting around laughing about different stories from the past. The kids were sitting on the tower of the play area now, throwing pieces of graham crackers to a very happy Clooney. Derek had Penelope in his lap and looked around at his family. He loved seeing them all like this, all together, relaxed, and happy. It hadn't been like this in so long. This was how life was supposed to be Derek thought. That's when it hit him.
"Baby Girl?" Derek asked not even realizing he was interrupting her conversation with his mom.
"Yeah Hot Stuff?" Penelope said shifting to look at him, surprised by how he had just cut his mom off.
"Can I ask you a question?" Derek asked kissing her shoulder. Everyone's conversations stopped, and they all knew what was about to happen. J.J. and Emily pulled out their phones getting ready.
"Of course." Penelope said shifting a bit more in his lap so she could really see him.
"You know all night, well all day really, I've been trying to think of a way to ask you to marry. I never thought it'd be hard, but no moment seemed right all day. You and I aren't the normal couple. We never do anything the right way, and I think that's why I couldn't just pick a moment, and say 'yes this is the moment I want to ask'." Derek motioned for her to stand up, she did so without even thinking, and Derek got down on one knee in front of her.
"Derek?" Penelope asked tears coming into her eyes.
"Penelope Marie Garcia, I love you more than anything or anyone, you are my world, my life, my god given solace, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I've been thinking all day of how to do this, and I can't think of a better way than in our home, with our crazy family. Baby Girl, will you please make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?" Derek asked pulling out the ring box and opening it up for her.
"Yes! Oh my god a million times yes!" Penelope said as tears ran down her face, and she nodded. Flashes from their pones went off from their phones and everyone cheered, as Derek slipped the ring on her finger. He stood up and pulled her into his arms kissing her. Spinning them around as their family stood around them cheering. He finally stopped and stood her there in front of him. Everyone came over, hugging and congratulating them both.
They sat back in the chair, Penelope in Derek's lap. Derek wrapped his arms around Penelope and kissed her temple, as they sat there. Just holding each other. Listening to the idle chit chat of their family.
"What's going through that beautiful mind of yours my love?" Derek leaned in and whispered in Penelope's ear. Trying not to interrupt everyone else's conversations.
"Were getting married." Penelope whispered back. Derek kissed her deeply this time.