Derek finished up the paperwork that had piled up on his desk and sighed when he looked at the clock. He and the team had been back from Maryland for three hours. JJ had officially walked out of the BAU for the last time an hour after that, after saying her goodbyes and turning in her exit interview.

When Penelope had walked by his office a few minutes later, her usually happy gait was gone; in its place had been slumped shoulders, shuffling feet, and bowed head.

Derek had called out a greeting and jogged out to meet her in the hall. He'd seen the tracks from her tears on her cheeks. When he'd offered to drive her home, she'd simply given him a sad smile and told him she'd be fine. She'd patted his arm, told him to finish his paperwork, and said she would see him tomorrow. Derek had watched her walk away until she'd turned the corner and was out of sight.

He flipped the switch to turn off his light and made his way down to his truck in the garage. In the elevator on the way down, Derek decided a visit to Penelope's apartment was in order. Just as he was about to pull out of the garage, his phone rang.

"Morgan," he answered.

"Morgan, it's JJ."

"Hey," Derek said, curious as to why she was calling him now. "What's up, JJ? Everything okay?"

He heard her sigh before she said, "Have you talked to Garcie since I left earlier?"

"I talked to her for a minute on her way out, yeah. Why?"

"She was pretty upset when we said goodbye. I thought it might be a good idea if you drove by her pl-"

Derek smiled, interrupting her. "You don't even need to say it, JJ. I'm on route as we speak."

"Oh! Okay, well, good. That's good." She paused before continuing. "She needs you, Derek. Take care of her for me. Please."

"I will, I promise," Derek told her, his voice soft but sure. "She'll be fine, JJ. Try not to worry."

"Okay, tell her to call me tomorrow," JJ said softly. "And thanks, Morgan."

"No thanks necessary. Good night."

Derek waited to hear her murmured good night before hanging up his phone, clipping it back to his belt, and putting his truck in drive.

After a quick stop at the Corner Mart by Pen's apartment, Derek pulled up to the curb and parked. He grabbed the bag from the passenger seat and hopped out, quickly making his way up the sidewalk to the front door of the building.

Once inside, he made his way up to the third floor and knocked quietly on the apartment door.

~*~*~HC~*~*~

Sitting on her couch, alone, drinking her third glass of wine in just under two hours, Penelope wondered again why she hadn't taken Derek up on his offer to drive her home. She supposed it was partially a matter of pride-she was a grown woman, after all; she should be able to take care of herself. Of course, she'd known how much paperwork he still needed to fill out. That had made her decision easy. She'd known if he left when she did, he'd worry about it all night and then have to go in early to finish. So rather than have company to help pull her out of her misery, she was stuck wallowing alone.

After she'd hugged Penelope goodbye, JJ had left to turn in the paperwork she'd been carrying. Pen had stared at the empty doorway for almost a minute. Then she'd quietly closed the door and shakily made her way over to her desk chair, collapsing in tears. She'd spent ten minutes doing nothing but crying and staring off into space until Em had called.

~*~HC~*~

"Hey, Garcie," her friend said once Penelope had pulled her cell phone out of her purse and answered with a somber greeting.

"Hi, Em. What's up, my chickadee?"

"I was about to head out. You wanna grab a drink?"

Emily's voice was quiet, but clear, and Pen could tell her friend hadn't been crying like she herself had. Not that Penelope begrudged her of that fact. Emily loved JJ as much as Penelope did; she just wasn't as demonstrative with her emotions as Pen.

Penelope tried to make her voice more relaxed and happy than she knew it was. She chirped, "Not tonight, but thanks. I think a hot bath and a glass of wine on the couch are calling my name. Rain check?"

"Of course," Emily agreed. "Call if you need anything, okay?"

Penelope agreed and then said her goodbyes.

"Good night, honey," Emily said softly before hanging up.

~*~HC~*~

Penelope had waited ten minutes after that to ensure Emily would already be gone, and then she'd gathered her things and left her office.

She should've known she wouldn't make it out of the building unseen. Derek had...pounced wasn't really the right word, but that was pretty much what it had been, as soon as she'd passed his door. She knew it was only out of concern for her, and she loved him for it.

Pen took another sip of her wine and had just set the glass back on the table in front of her when she heard a quiet knock on the door. She really wasn't up for company, so she just pulled the blanket up around her tighter and ignored it.

The next knock came with a quiet, deep male voice. "P, I know you're in there. I saw Esther." It was quiet for a moment, and then he said again, "Come on, Baby Girl. Open up, or I'll use my key."

Penelope rolled her eyes, smiling slightly, set the blanket aside, and moved to the front door.

"Hey, Hot Stuff," she said once she'd opened the door to Derek's insistent knocking.

Derek smiled and held up a bag. "I come bearing gifts."

Pen raised an eyebrow. "Gifts?"

He nodded. "I thought maybe we could curl up on the couch, drink a glass of-" he peeked around her into the living room and smiled "-wine, and watch an old movie. I brought ice cream."

Penelope laughed and moved to the side so Derek could enter the apartment. "Chunky Monkey?"

"Is there any other kind?"

Derek handed her the bag, and she sighed when he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a warm embrace. For the first time since seeing JJ and Hotch sequestered in Hotch's office with Strauss, Penelope felt comforted and at ease.