There was a faint despondent knock on the door. "Can I come home?" came a soft sniffle as Derek opened the door a crack to see who it was.
His grip on the handle slackened, the door swinging open as he blinked repeatedly, making sure he wasn't dreaming. "You're home..." he whispered happily, pulling his wife into his arms and hugging her as if his life depended on it.
With another quiet sob, she repeated, muffled by his shoulder, "I want to come home..."
Nodding, he lead her into the house, quickly locking the doors behind them. "What happened, baby?" he asked, gently wiping away her tears, "Did they get Doyle already?"
"I met with him tonight after work," she choked out, turning away, crossing her arms over her chest, knowing that he'd be upset.
"What!?" He moved to stand in front of her, forcing her to look at him. "Why would you do that? He's not a friend, Emily, he's out to get you and you met up with him!?"
"He's not just some petty thug I just locked up," she tried to explain, "He's...it's a long story, but I used to be closer to him than you think. I had to know what he wants, why he's here..."
He closed his eyes, taking several deep calming breaths. "What does he want? Why is he here?" he asked, despite the fact that he really wasn't keen on knowing.
Emily shook her head. "I don't want to say... Please, don't make me."
"I need to know, Emily," he said reluctantly, "You need to tell me what he wants, so I know how to protect you."
She sobbed, "You don't understand... You don't want to know."
Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he let her cry against his chest. "I know, baby...I don't want to know, but I need to know. You said it yourself, he's not some petty thug. He escaped out of jail and came all the way here without anyone detecting...we can't just sit here and do nothing. Please tell me, Em."
"He wants revenge, he wants me..." She pulled away, moving to adjust the blankets in the bassinet waiting at the side of the living room. "He wants to take away the things that mean the most to me."
"Hey, look at me," he murmured, turning her to face him. "He won't get what he wants. I won't let him, baby."
She snatched her arm out of his grasp, suddenly inexplicably annoyed. "You don't know that! You don't know him! You can't stop him – no one can!"
Stubbornly reaching out for her again, he pulled her into his chest. "I will stop him. I will keep you and the girls safe, Emily. I won't let him tear us apart – that's what he wants, isn't it? He wants to destroy you...I won't let him do that."
"He doesn't care about our marriage, he wants to watch me suffer! He wants to kill me!" she snapped. "He crossed the entire fucking world and Interpol can't do a damn thing to stop him! He waltzed right into the middle of Washington fucking DC to meet me for coffee! What makes you think you can do anything?"
"I have to try!" he said stubbornly, "What am I supposed to do? Pretend that everything is rainbows and sunshine when a wanted man is out to get my wife? I have to try...I have to do something to keep you safe, Emily. Do you really want the girls to grow up without their Mommy? I know I don't..."
She shot him a severe look. "Doyle isn't like the other unsubs we work and you're not going to find him if he doesn't want you to. He's been watching you – the entire team – without anyone noticing. I know, I played house with him for three years!"
"I don't care what you did with him; all I know is that he's after my wife now and I have to protect you. I don't care how dangerous he is, I have to protect my family." He kissed her softly, almost a silent plea. "I just want to protect you, Em. I don't want to be without you again..."