Author Note – someone distracted me. I've only just found out about Morgan's new girlfriend through a few reviews. Season nine hasn't started showing in England yet, so this is pure speculation. Sometimes I think that new characters get a raw deal from fans. Don't get me wrong I am a Demily girl at heart, but I'm going to reserve my judgement till I see her on screen. But please bear in mind that I haven't seen her yet while reading this. Don't think this is what you expected AnnKa, but let me know what you think.

Disclaimer – I don't own Criminal Minds or its' characters.

The Other Woman

Two pairs of smiling brown eyes stared back at her through the glass as she picked the photo frame from Derek's night stand. Derek had his arms wrapped around a slim, beautiful brunette in a gold dress with a floral print and green wrap, and they were both laughing at something that someone had decided to capture the moment on film. That moment must have been important enough for the picture to be pride of place next to photos of his mother and sisters. Savannah's interest sparked as she placed the photo back next to the others. It wasn't that she was bothered by it, just curious. Everyone had pasts, herself included.

They had only been together a few months and she liked Derek. He was a nice guy, attractive, had a good job. Even with a heavy work schedule he was very attentive.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" Derek asked as he entered the room behind her.

"I was just wondering who this is?" She pointed at the photo and glanced over her shoulder to gage his reaction. His face lit up like it was in the photo.

"That's Emily," was all he said as he went about gathering his overalls so he could go to the house he was restoring.

'Emily?'

She had met his friends and none of them mentioned an Emily. Savannah heard the zip of his bag and turned back to him only to find him looking at her, but he offered no further explanation of the photograph. She itched to ask, but didn't want to pry. So she let it drop.

Glancing at her watch, she realised she would be running late. "I have to go, or else I'll be late." Savannah gave him a quick peck on the lips and rushed out of the door.

Over the coming weeks, Savannah did her best to ignore the photo whenever she stayed over. For the most part it worked, but there was still a niggling feeling at the back of her mind. She didn't approach the subject with Derek.

It was during the night when Savannah was woken up by Derek getting out of bed. Curious why she had been woken up, usually she was a deep sleeper, and she padded quietly to the door and peered round the corner. She saw Derek at the end of his landing looking out over his garden as he held his phone to his ear.

"Hey Emily," he whispered into the phone.

Savannah's eyebrows rose in shock. She tried to keep calm as anger flared inside of her, trying to find a reasonable explanation for him to leave her in bed to speak to another woman, whose picture was on his night stand. She continued to listen to his side of the conversation.

"So how's London?" He asked, pausing to listen to the reply that came. Savannah could hear the smile in his voice as he responded to the mystery woman. "You knew what the weather would be like before you moved there Princess. Anyway, I thought you liked the rain."

'Princess?' He had lots of pet names for Garcia, but the way he said princess told Savannah that Emily was his only princess.

"Everyone is good; they miss you and send their love." There was a pause. "I'm not trying to guilt you into coming back home; you think I would stoop so low?" He said, his deep laugh filling the hallway before he asked, "Is it working?" There was an odd familiarity to the way he said it, like he had said time and time again.

His voice was soft and he spoke in a tone which she had never heard him use before. There was an air of intimacy as his voice drifted down the hallway in the dark. Instead of feeling jealous that her boyfriend was talking to another woman in the middle of the night, Savannah felt like she intruding on their time together. She watched Derek lean against the window frame as he listened to something Emily said. They exchanged stories about daily life. There was nothing to suggest that Emily was more than a friend.

In her head, Savannah made connections. Obviously this woman had moved away and they must have been close for Derek to make the effort to keep contact by waking up in the middle of the night. 'Maybe she's the one that got away,' Savannah thought to herself.

Deciding that Emily was nothing more than a friend, Savannah quietly slipped back into bed, still listening as Derek continued to talk to Emily.

"I'll let you go to work now Princess." Pause. "I miss you Emily. Come home when you're ready," Savannah heard the croak in his voice and she wondered if she was wrong about this woman being just a friend. She tried to push the thought to the back of her mind as she heard Derek's footsteps approaching the bed. The quilt lifted and she felt the bed dip as he lay next to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. She was still mulling over their night time conversation when she heard his breathing even out, signalling that he had drifted off again.

Over the next few weeks, Savannah tried to quell her curiosity whenever Derek snuck out of bed with his phone. She stayed in bed, trying not to look at the ever present photo on the night stand, and listened to Derek as he confided in Emily, her mind racing as she wondered about their history. Derek didn't volunteer any information on their relationship.

One evening Savannah had been leaving work when she got a call from Derek. He was quite excited and was wondering if she was able to meet him and his colleagues at a bar down town. She was surprised as when he had called the other day to cancel their date, he had sounded a bit stressed.

"Why are you so happy?" she asked.

"A friend of mine is visiting for a few days," he explained. "And I really want you to meet her."

The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She knew he was referring to Emily. Briefly wondering whether or not it would be a good idea to meet the other woman, curiosity finally got the better of her. "Okay, I'll see you in about twenty minutes."

Forty minutes later she was sitting among Derek's friends. Penelope had yet to arrive and neither had the 'friend', who had yet to be confirmed as Emily. Derek passed Savannah her drink as her attention was on the table next to them, where Doctor Reid was shuffling a deck of cards while smirking at a disgruntled Dave.

"You just wait till Emily gets here. You won't be smirking after she beats you at a couple of hands," Dave told the younger man. The smirk slipped from his face.

The door opened and bell jingled from above as Penelope led the way into the bar, Emily following behind closely. Her hair was a bit longer than it was in the photograph; her smile was just as big as she approached.

"Look who I found wandering around Dulles, waiting for a ride," the perky blonde said as she gestured over her shoulder.

Savannah felt her heart begin to beat faster as the other woman started to be engulfed in hugs by Derek's friends, he himself waited behind the rest of them for his turn. She found it odd to see Alex standing a small distance away, seemingly waiting to be introduced.

After a few minutes, Emily turned expectantly to Derek and he pointed to Alex and introduced them. Emily made a comment about it being strange to meet her replacement before shaking the other agent's hand. Her smile was huge as she turned back to Derek and he almost lifted her off the ground as he hugged her. He said something into her ear that made her laugh while she was still in his arms.

They pulled back as Emily noticed Savannah at the back of the little group. Derek looked between the two women before reaching out his hand to Savannah. "Emily this is Savannah, my girlfriend." Savannah watched as Emily eyes widened momentarily, but she recovered quickly and held out her hand with a warm smile that was reflected in her eyes.

"Hi Savannah, it's nice to meet you."

Savannah returned the smile and reached out to the other woman. "You too Emily."

Author Note 2 – I am planning a second chapter, but not sure when it will be up. I REALLY need to work on another story first.