Chapter 1

Derek Morgan sat at his desk in the Behavioral Analysis Unit at FBI headquarters, methodically thumping his fingers on the smooth desk table top. His other hand supported his head, massaging his temple with the tips of his fingers. His dark eyes stared intently at the screen of his computer, scanning over the lines of an email he'd just opened;

I miss being at the BAU with all of you; things are so different here in Honduras, than in the US; everything is so much simpler and the people are so welcoming and accepting. I'm actually thrilled with finding an immense supply of deep-down good-hearted people…who are true and honest with no other motives accept genuine kindness and goodness.

A light smile touched Darrek's mouth. The email was dated May twenty-three; emails took nearly two weeks to reach the US from Honduras because of the primitive technology but Derek looked anxiously forward to them. Once they arrived, he'd sit as his desk for hours-putting the rest of his work aside-and read over them over and over again, catching every word and phrase;

I'll miss it here; after a year of living amongst these people-even though most of my time here has been spent on more research work than a pleasure vacation, it's been an incredible experience and I will miss all of my new friends here…but in a week's time, when I'm headed back, I have a feeling that once my feet are once again planted on US soil, I'll virtually jump up and down with excitement!

Derek laughed to himself. Elle, who was Darrek's partner, passed by his desk and hearing his snickers, she paused behind his chair. "What you reading?"

Derek glanced up. "Oh Just reading this email from Penelope."Elle smiled. "When did she send it?"

"Well she wrote it three weeks ago but I just got it this morning."

Elle glanced at her watch; it was exactly 1AM. "You got here before I did and I was here at seven…"

Derek shrugged, attempting to look nonchalant.

"Have you been reading it this whole time?" She settled herself on the desk next to him.

"Well emails take awhile to get here and by the time they do, she's probably already had two weeks worth of all new experiences that she's writing about; I like to try and keep updated."

Elle grinned. "You miss her don't you."

He glanced up. "We all do…"

"Yeah but I think we all know who misses her the most; you two have always been pretty close."

"Yeah…she's always had a way with me I guess…"

"She has a way with you that no one else does, Derek; not even me…she knows you like no one else."

"She just has that natural intuition about people, you know how she is."

"Hmm yeah…especially with you."

Derek laughed, and glanced over his shoulder at Elle. The sly smile playing on her face was no secret. "What are you thinking in that head of yours, Girl?"

"Derek, Pen has always had a bit of a thing for you… even you have to know that…"

"A thing? For me? Are you sure we're talking about the same Penelope?" He finished with a boyish laugh.

Elle rolled her eyes. "Oh com'on Derek, don't act so blasé; you miss her, you've been checking your email every five minutes since she left, checking your machine for any voicemails she might have left; calling the Honduras BAU headquarters to see how she's doing…you're strung out…you practically don't know what to do with yourself without her."

Derek laughed. "Look, I miss her, yeah…she's my girl but I'm not lost."

Elle nudged him. "Yeah…we'll see when she gets back…"

The next week, The BAU was a buzz of business and excitement. There'd been news of a violent murder of a BAU Liaison in Honduras. Agent Jason Gideon and his BAU team are called unexpectedly to assist in the investigation. Gideon, Agent Hotchner, along with Agents J.J., Elle, Derek and Reid, head to the airport for their late evening flight. It was a long flight and as the private jet took off, the team settled in for the night.

By 2AM, they were resting quietly…all that is except Derek. He sat up in his chair with his laptop resting on the turn table, clicking on a file labeled "The Team" it pulled up a window of pictures. Clicking on the first, Derek went through them slowly. They were taken on a kind of R&R/staff trip that the BAU team had taken in Bermuda two years ago. It had been an awesome trip for all of them and it was a time where they all drew very close as a team and to each other. He came to a picture of him and Penelope… it was taken on the beach during a game of beach volley ball. Penelope was wearing a knee-length halter-top red sundress, her hair was pulled up in a sloppy ponytail and she was preparing to serve the ball. Derek had snuck up and grabbed her from behind. The picture was of her squealing in surprise, with Darrek's arm around her waist, laughing. He smiled.

"You miss her, don't you."

He turned to see Hotchner propped up on the couch where he'd been sleeping.

"Don't tell me you too."

"Don't worry; despite what you may think, Elle didn't tell me anything…I've observed for myself."

"You been profiling me, Hotch?"

"Only observing, Morgan. We've all missed her…"

Morgan nodded slowly but didn't look at him.

Hotchner stood up and walking to where Derek sat, he placed a hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with being worried."

Derek was silent for awhile. His eyes darkened as his thoughts turned to the present purpose of their flight. "What if she was hurt, Hotch. All the BAU liaisons work in groups and I'm sure they stay close…something could've happened to her…"

"It was reported that it was one of the male liaisons from the Manhattan unit; there's no official news as to who else might have been involved…"

Derek cut him off. "I should've been there, Hotch; she shouldn't haven been sent out there alone…someone should've been sent with her…she's smart but she's so naïve; she trusts too much."

"Derek, you can't blame yourself for any of this. I'm sure Penelope's been more than capable of taking care of herself…and she's been surrounded by agents who've become her friends; she's had plenty of protection."

Derek shook his head, a frustrated sigh forced from his lips. "No one there knows Garcia like we do. They don't know what she needs…"

"And you do…"

Derek fell silent, looking at Hotchner's penetrating eyes. He looked away and shaking his head, his dark eyes a mix of frustration and sadness, "I should've been there."

"Well you're coming now…and Garcia will be happy for that; it's been a year since we last saw her and I know we're all looking forward to being united again."

"I wonder if she's changed at all."

Hotchner laughed. "Oh, she's changed alright."

"How do you know?"

"Well in her last email to J.J. …well she sent a picture of herself with some of the kids from down there…"

"Why didn't J.J. show me the picture? I told her that if Garcia sent any that…"

"Garcia told J.J. specifically not to show you any pictures of herself that she might have sent…I think she's got it in her mind to surprise you…maybe even impress you a little bit. Oh you can definitely tell it's Penelope in the pictures; that contagious smile of hers is unmistakable."

Derek waited, hoping that Hotch would drop some other clue as to how Penelope had changed. The thought of it made him excited and nervous all at once…he didn't know why.

"But she's definitely changed in her physical appearance…but that's all I can say; you'll find out soon enough, Morgan."

"You guys are all cruel to me, you know that?"

Hotchner only laughed. "Trust me, I think once you see her, all the hard time we've been giving you…will be well worth it."

The plane landed in Honduras at 11PM, Central American time. The team disembarked, exhausted but relieved to finally have arrived. A delegate from the Honduras FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit met them. "Hello, I'm agent Antonio Carlos, I'm glad that you all are here."

"Agent Jason Gideon, Quantico BAU, good to meet you… although I wish it was under better circumstances."

"I couldn't agree with you more, Senor Gideon but just the same, at a time like this, couldn't think of anyone better to assist us in the present challenge than you."

"Can you tell us anything that happened?"

"Unfortunately I cannot tell you much, I'm a liaison from another unit but I do know that the victim, Juan Iglesia was discovered in his home last night. Stabbed. It looked like he'd been there for maybe twelve hours, but we can't be sure."

"Who found him?"

"One of the Liaisons from Washington D.C. … she was meeting with Juan to go over some files; they were working together on a cold case and met regularly at his home, once every week…"

"Wait, who was this Liaison?" Derek moved to the front of the group and addressed Antonio.

"Her name is Penelope Garcia… I believe she's actually one of yours?"

Darrek's face twisted in anguish. He looked at Gideon and the older man's expression mirrored his own. "Penelope was the one that found him?"

"Yes… they had planned to meet at around noon yesterday and when he never called, she went to his house at around… oh I'd say it was about 8:30 to check on him…"

"She went to Juan's house… alone?" It was Derek again who spoke but this time, his voice was raised and tense.

Gideon placed a hand on his arm. "Derek, calm down, we don't know what happened."

"No! we don't! and that's why I need you to tell me exactly what happened? Why was she alone!"

Antonio tried to answer but Derek turned to Gideon. "Hotch told me that all the Liaisons were kept in groups and under protection; why would Penelope be going to Juan's house at night and alone?"

"I assure you Senor Derek, that we take every precaution to ensure the safety of our people…but your Garcia was a bit more difficult; she was very insistent about her privacy and didn't take kindly to a protection detail though ours were minor and consisted of only one other fellow agent; we believe it is best to travel in pairs…especially with the unrest that's been going on. These are good people but there are those who are desperate and do not feel that the authorities are doing their jobs… and some chose to take justice into their own hands."

"Derek, you know how Penelope is…she never liked to be made a fuss over."

"I know exactly how she is and that's why I'm upset! You shouldn't have allowed her to blow you off; someone should've been kept with her at all times, I don't care what she said."

Just then, Hotch came to Darrek's side. The younger man was infuriated and was inches from decking Antonio on the spot. Hotch laid a hand on Darrek's arm. "Derek, I understand your anger…but right now, the best thing for us to do is help these people find the unsub that killed one of their own… heated tempers flying out of control won't help and neither will casting blame. Let's just focus on the task at hand. We need to get to the motel and settled in for the night."

"Senor Hotchner is right. I don't wish to fight with any of you and all I care about is keeping the rest of my people and yours safe. I have set up a place for you in the Hotel Hacienda; it is the best we have and also, it is closest to the BAU; easy access. Your agent has been housed there as well and a protection detail has been placed outside her room at all times." He looked pointedly at Derek. "Regardless of what you may think of me Senor, I do not take any chances with any people placed under my responsibility."

As the team arrived at the Hotel, they made their way through the extravagant lobby to the front desk to check in. Darrek's eyes took a brief sweep of the room. The walls were a smooth polished marble, matching the marbled floors. The color of the wall was a tinted bronze where the floor tiles were a clear transparent marble with flecks of bronze accents. The furniture was lavish but comfortable and the white carpeted black marbled spiraled staircase was equally impressive. The walls were lavished with paintings of exotic tropical landscape and the ceiling was a mural of crashing ocean waves, tropical plants and animals. The overall feel of the Hotel Hacienda was indeed inviting and gave a calming affect to its inhabitants. Derek had always loved Central America and most of the tropical islands… but this was his first time in Honduras; already he felt a natural pulling attraction the this country and its culture. But he pulled himself from his revelry when he heard the beautiful receptionist say in her milky smooth accent, "Enjoy your stay."

Gideon nodded and smiled and one by one, they took up their luggage and followed Gideon up the stairs.

"Damn, what happened to the good old elevators?" Elle grunted as she struggled with her suitcase.

Derek and Hotchner both snickered. "It wouldn't be so hard… if you didn't pack so much stuff, Elle." Derek teased.

"Hey, a girl's got to have her barest necessities; its usually the girls that you boys run to when you forgot to pack something."

"I've got everything I need; bath soap, shampoo, shaver, shave gel and two changes of pants and shirt; plus my three pairs of socks and my shoes. Not including my gun and badge, that's all I need."

Elle rolled her eyes. "Well I guess that's why us women always look better than you men; we put more effort into our appearance and hygiene."

"Actually, did you know that on average, men are becoming more conscientious about their physical appearance than women?" Reid interjected in his university professor tone. "Also, it's a known fact that while women may be more attentive to their outward appearance, women generally suffer more from low self-esteem issues; they don't have nearly as much self-confidence as men do in fact they greatly struggle and most of them turn to eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia in order to make themselves seem more appealing to those of the opposite gender. But this only makes them feel worse about themselves so it causes them to degrade themselves and abuse their bodies even more in an attempt to heighten self-esteem and its just a vicious cycle until eventually…"

"Ok, ok Reid, I got it…I didn't really need to hear all of that." Elle waved off Reid's explanation warily.

Derek laughed. "Hey, better listen to what the man has to say Elle, it just might save you from descending to that vicious cycle of 'self-loathing.'" The group laughed; Darrek's eyes only sparkled as Elle turned the death glare on him.

When they reached the top, Antonio directed them to their rooms.

"Where's Garcia's room?"

"It's down the hall, fifth door on the left; room 227."

Turning, Derek headed down the other hall, without a word. Hotch caught up to him. "Derek, she may be sleeping; we should just get some rest tonight…you can see her in the morning."

Derek shook his head. "Hotch… she could've died."

"But she didn't."

"I'm not gonna sleep tonight until I know and see with my own eyes that she's really ok."

Hotch looked at his friend. He knew he couldn't change Darrek's mind. Nodding, he bid him a quiet goodnight and turning, walked down to the other end of the hall to his own room.

"The rooms are small but they are comfortable; I hope they are suitable to your needs." Antonio watched Derek as he halted at Penelope's door.

"Thanks, man, I appreciate it."

"You know…she often spoke of you."

Derek paused, glancing at Antonio; his eyes were questioning.

"She always talked of all of you but…you in particular; she always mentioned how out of everyone on the team, you were the most protective…she talked of that one time when she got shot…and you stayed with her every night until her killer was found…she talked of how you were always making sure she was ok… and when something was wrong, even when no one else knew…you could always tell when she was hurting…and you wouldn't let up until she opened up and told you."

"That's what a team should be, Antonio; they're family and we look out for each other…that's how it is."

Antonio nodded. "I know…but I also know when I see something more than that."

He looked at Derek, then smiling, bid him goodnight, turned and left. Derek was left alone in the empty hallway. He pondered Antonio's last words and tried to decipher what they meant. Then glancing at one of the agents posted opposite Penelope's room, he nodded. "Thanks for keeping an eye on her."

The other man nodded back; and with a playful twinkle in his eye said, "It's nothing really…I've gotten used to her death glares every time she enters and leaves…and the occasional crumbled up piece of paper…or mango peel that she throws out the door isn't so bad anymore."

Derek laughed. "Yeah, she's never been one for a protection detail; thinks she can take care of herself."

"I wouldn't mess with her; she's tough has hell…and a spitfire to boot."

Just then, the two men were interrupted by a loud crash and before either could react, the door flew open and a flustered Penelope stood before them; face red and eyes flaming. Derek froze. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Penelope?"