Disclaimer: Much to my dismay, Criminal Minds is not owned by me!

A/N:I know this is REAL short, or well too short for my liking, but call it a filler chapter =) And I got it done reasonably quick this time ;) Enjoy and thank you, thank you, thank you for sticking with me and my unfaithful muse!

Excuuuse my mistakes – I accept them all as my fault and due to my sleepiness right now!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Compassion of Mortality -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Penelope sat in hers and Derek's living room and pondered on how life had dramatically changed in the past few weeks since she had gone into remission. She was no longer hooked up to oxygen, or getting intravenous drugs. She was no longer hauled up in a hospital room with the blinds down to help lessen her headache. She was no longer given a home away from home.

Life had actually resumed peace and normalcy.

Even though Fran was around and Marcus and Matthias seemed to be setting roots in this place, everyone else had gone back to life and Derek was still the loved up man she had married. That alone proved that their life together was more than about the cancer. It was about them and the love they shared.

She remembered how Derek was with her. He was always there, ready to support, ready to keep her going, ready to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way if need be. He dealt with her still ever falling energy levels and the lasting effects of the treatment her body had been poured with and every single day he showed her why he loved her and made show she kept on smiling.

Today's reason – She was ten weeks into her pregnancy today. A month after her remission news she was now well enough and strong enough to be home, like she had for the last two weeks and now was able to regain life. That meant as a wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister and soon to be a mother.

She lifted her top up and stared down at her stomach, her hands rolled over her tiny stomach. She just stared – for two reasons – She never thought she would be this skinny and she had to admit, she hated it. She missed her curves and how Derek used to run his hands over them.

Secondly, she couldn't believe she had a healthily developing baby in her stomach. The amount of awe that induced was beyond anything she could have imagined. How had she, a cancer patient heavily dosed with chemotherapy and every other drug under the sun, be pregnant? She was told to not expect to conceive naturally ever again after the chemotherapy, but she had. She well and truly had and Penelope couldn't resist the urge to smile.

"It's not going to grow by staring at it," Derek called out to her from the kitchen doorway after watching her for a few moments.

Penelope grinned and looked up at her husband, not bothering to cover up quite yet. "It amazes me," She commented and watched him approach her. "We're pregnant." It was all she could say to him, "This is all I ever wanted, Derek." She watched him sit down next to her and she shifted to look at him, "That's all I wanted for you."

"I know," Derek responded, "I knew you would work magic one day just to make me happy."

"I needed to try," Penelope replied innocently and almost meekly. "You will never know how truly, truly grateful I am for the support I was given," Penelope spoke, her tone wavering. She watched his argument begin to form even before he spoke. "Before you say it, I know you would have done it regardless, but you went above the call of any other man. You spent sleepless nights with me, and even stuck with me when I got grouchy or when I didn't want to speak. You rushed to my bedside regardless of the time. You have literally given up life for me and I will be forever grateful for that Derek."

"What else would a man in love do?" Derek asked Penelope and he watched her blush. "From the moment you told me all I wanted to do was be the one that was there for you but I respected Lynch's position until he let you down. When he started to neglect you I had to take over. I couldn't let him do that to you and you do it alone. That isn't how it works. No way. He had one fucking job to do and he fucked up good and proper."

"Oh he did," Penelope agreed and leaned in for a kiss. "Now don't get heated like that. Look how it all worked out, Handsome. You have me for life."

"Exactly how it should be, Gorgeous," Derek admitted and pulled her close to him. "I can't wait to just get you back to a hundred percent and we get to live this life to fullest. I mean we are going to leave every day like it's the last."

"I'd rather not," Penelope scrunched her face, "I've done that for so long. I want to make long term unhealthy plans and imagine you and I old. Our baby," She rubbed her stomach, "Bringing our grandbabies around and us flirting like it's illegal until our last breath."

"Well that, Princess, was a given," He told her and wanted her grin at him.

"Totally," She smiled at him, really able to take in this lease of life she had with her newest prognosis. "I need your help," Penelope suddenly commented. Her new train of thought was leading this conversation now.

"What with?" Derek asked, his brow stiffening with questions.

Penelope smiled, "Thanking Rossi."

"You knew?" Derek gasped at her. "How?"

"An anonymous donation just happened to allow us to go ahead with both surgery and treatment and it happened just after our argument?" Penelope asked, raising an eyebrow at him, "He has the money, he bought us a house. I just feel like I really owe him. He is like the dad I lost out on having. I need to appreciate that."

"Well we can do that when the team gets down time," Derek told her, knowing that was going to take Penelope a while to feel like she had given enough gratitude.

Penelope nodded and couldn't stop the ever growing smile, "Ooh, we do need to start picking out the nursery colours, and clothes and baby stuff," Penelope started to rally off. In between thanking Rossi she wanted to do just about everything she could.

"I say we just look to the future," Derek remarked with a bright smile. Oh, how their future looked now! "The rest will happen."

"On step at a time right?" Penelope asked him as she curled up into his side, her legs bending so they sat against his lap. "I'm excited for our life to begin, Derek."

"It began when you accidently let slip that you love me," Derek replied back and kissed her, pulling back yet keeping their lips near as he continued. "Hell, I'd go as far as to say that our life began when I got your name wrong."

For the first time in what felt like forever, Penelope felt aroused by the memories and without thinking she pulled him toward her, kissing him heatedly and passionately. As they parted, Penelope was breathless, but she looked to him and smiled brightly. "Call me Gomez like you mean it," She teased him quickly, hanging the memory in front of her.

Derek shook his head, "I'll call you Morgan like I mean it."

He watched her giggle, "Deal."

"Mmm, Morgan," Derek said and pushed her flush against couch.

Penelope had definitely discovered her libido again.