.This AU story takes place after Profiler, Profiled (Season2, Episode12) but, prior to The Company(Season&, Episode20) and before Restoration (Season 8, Episode18)

.I do not own any characters belonging to the TV series Criminal Minds.

.And a very big shout out THANK YOU to LEXIS4MORGAN! For this great/awesome prompt! Without whom I won't have a story to write! So, this story is dedicated to you, Lexis4Morgan! Thank you! ( I did make a few slight changes though, hope you don't mind.)

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From Chicago, With Love

Chapter 1

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Penelope Garcia had been Derek Morgan's friend, team mate, confidante for over 8 years and they had been through a lot…a lot; baby girl was shot and nearly died. Chocolate God was nearly suspended because he was accused of murder in Chicago, among many other cases and other …complicated …things.

And now there was Emily Prentiss.

Hmmm….where did she fit into all this? Everything!

Emily was Derek's calm and peace; she was able to hold him together his life almost came apart when his family was threatened.

Oh yeah, we didn't see that side at all but Penelope did.

It was the seventh year anniversary of Derek's cousin Cindi's disappearance, presumed dead. His Aunt Yvonne had been in a sad mood and Morgan was upset as he was unable to return to help his mom and sisters to deal with their aunt's loss.

That night when almost everyone had gone home, the bull pen was supposedly deserted, Garcia heard some noise in there, she came out to investigate.

Normally she was the last one to leave as Kevin's shift was over late in the night and they would walk out together.

So, hearing that strange noise from the bull pen, Penelope followed it, holding her trusty stapler…just in case… she needed a weapon.

She really needed to ask for a real gun but then again, she couldn't harm an ant with it much less bash one of them with the butt. Now if you talk about a spider…that was another issue; Penelope hated spiders…those icky, yucky, creepy crawly thingys! What with all those hairy legs…eight of them, hairy!

Makes you want to go home and shave your own legs! And glad that you have only two of them!

Any ways, we were deviating from our story….

Penelope was holding her Government issued trusty stapler and was moving slowly into the bullpen where the noise was and she could now hear the voices and it was none other than her Mocha Chocolate God!

Breathing a sigh of relief, Pen lowered her stapler and began to advance forward but halted when she heard a soft feminine laughter!

Feeling a smidgen of jealousy which was quickly stiffled when she heard Derek said Emily's name, Pen's grin widened even more!

"I knew it! I knew it!" She pumped her fist up in the air like a champ! "I called it first! Oh, if Jayje could see this now!" She tittered like a high school girl.

Suddenly a hand touched the back of her shoulder and Pen jumped literally as she swung around and bashed her stapler on her assailant only to realize it was her love of her life…well for the present moment but at the present moment her love was on his knees, hands in his face, his glasses on the floor as well as the incriminating weapon aka the stapler lying next to it.

"Ooh….my face…" he moaned in pain as drops of blood began pooling on the tiles of the hallway in front of the BAU glass doors.

"Oh! My Kevin! I'm so, so, sorry!" Garcia gushed as she bent down next to him, gathering him to her.

"What were you doing, my apple blossom? And what were you holding?"

Before she could answer him, the frosted doors of the BAU were flung opened and Kevin, who was bent over next to it was bumped off by the force! Now he was sprawled flat on the floor near the elevators as blood continued to trickle out of his nose.

"Lynch?" Morgan narrowed his gaze as he observed him on the floor. "What the hell are you doing on the floor? And why are you bleeding?"

Garcia glared at Derek, "You should watch what you're doing before you open the door, Derek!" She turned her attention back to Kevin as began to coo at him, "Oh, Kevin! Are you all right, can I do something for you, honeybunches?" She was wringing her hands

Derek's brows were shot sky high as he gave Emily a puzzled and confused look, "What really just happened?"

Emily shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine, Derek."

"What are YOU two still doing here?" Garcia gave them the look?"

Derek and Emily shook their heads but Pen saw their guilty expressions and grinned before she returned her attentions to Kevin whose face had puffed up like a giant marshmallow doughboy…Poor Kevin!

….

Oh yeah, Penelope began to notice Derek and Emily's growing closeness…so close that lately they had been coming to work together.

No, Penelope noticed but don't get her wrong; she was not jealous. Nope, not at all. She had Kevin Lynch; he was still adorbs…after the puffiness had subsided.

And she approved their being together; oh yeah…they were adorbs too.

Before long, the entire BAU team knew about their relationship! Of course, the wily profilers spotted them in no time no matter how they tried to hide it. Yeah, it was like trying to hide a rawhide from a blood hound!

Luckily, the team had no problem with their relationship; even the ever stoic, ever by-the-book SSAIC Aaron Hotchner. He gave them his blessings, so to speak when Morgan spoke to him about it. Hotch had explained to him that as long as their relationship did not hinder or interfere their jobs, he was fine with them.

Derek came out of the meeting smiling from ear to ear.

Emily narrowed her eyes, "I take it, it went well?"

"More than well."

"You mean 'dad' was okay with us? With our being together?"

"Just as long as we don't show too much PDA at work, he's cool with it all." He nodded.

Emily walked into the break room with him and said thoughtfully, "Let me get this straight, as long as we don't show everyone we're kissing in public like this…" She leaned over to kiss him.

"Hey!" Derek pushed her away gently, "You're going to get us in trouble, you crazy woman."

She laughed as she tweaked his nose and left the break room, "You're so cute when you panic, Mocha babe." And walked back to the bullpen and towards her desk.

"There's something wrong with you, Em, on some level, do you know that?" Derek came over to lean against her desk a moment later.

"Yeah, I know but you're so much fun." She smacked on his tight jean-clad thigh. "Ooops, is that considered PDA?" She shook her head and chuckled more.

"You should have that noggin' of yours examine." He shook his head again as he straightened and returned to his desk and his reports.

"It's called being in love, Derek." She chucked a ball of paper trash at him. "And I'm not telling you whom I'm in love with."

"I know whom and I'm honored." He smiled happily at her.

As he bent down to begin his share of report, Hotch's office door opened and he came out, "My team, pack up, we're heading to Chicago ASAP. We have two missing children."

Derek frowned, "But Hotch, since when do we pursue missing kids?"

Hotch had picked up his go-bag and turned to face Derek, Dave was standing beside him, his go-bag beside him. too. "One of the missing children is Carl Buford's grandson. CPD just called and asked for our co-operation." He turned to walk down the steps and headed out of the bull pen and out of the BAU.

Derek fell into his seat as soon as he heard his name.

"Derek?" Emily came over to stand before him, concerned. "Hey, are you okay?"

Nodding his head slowly, he said, "Yeah, Emily. It's just …I thought I'd never have to hear that name again."

Reid was standing next to Emily, "Derek, we're here with you."

He looked at the young doctor and nodded, "Thanks Reid, I appreciate it."

Garcia came out, she looked worried, "Derek! I heard, oh my god, not again!" She went over to him and hugged him hard.

Derek patted on her back, "Baby girl, I'm okay. We gotta go,"

Garcia pulled away from him and nodded. "Okay…go…go…all my love!"

Morgan leaned down and kissed the top of her head and walked away from her.

Emily began to follow him but Penelope stopped her, "Peaches," Emily gave her a questioning look. "Take care of our man, he needs our support."

Emily narrowed her gaze as she watched the back of Morgan's stiffened back and Reid's hurried scamper as he followed the older agent's long gait.

"I will, PG. I will." She reached up and patted her shoulder to reassure her friend just as JJ came out of her office. "Wish us luck!" Emily shouted as she rushed out of the bullpen when she saw Morgan and Reid stepping into the elevator and JJ running after her, go–bags bouncing on her hips.

"Hey, you better hurry, Emily. Chicago PD just called; another child is missing." JJ called after them, her cell phone on her ear.

Penelope waved at them as she walked back to her den, "Good luck my loves and please watch out for my beautiful man." She said softly

…

In the jet, as the plane took off.

Hotch stood up from his seat and turned to his team, "Let's brief, guys,"

They turned on their tablet to reveal three young boys age six to seven years old, they're all African-Americans.

"As you can see, we now have three boys missing. The first one, D'Onte Williams, reported missing by his mother yesterday evening when she went to his room and found the front door was wide opened."

"Neighbors didn't see anything?" Dave asked.

Hotch shook his head, "Nothing so far, PD is out there as we speak."

"Second child, James Allen Buford, age seven." Hotch looked at Derek to study his reaction but Derek was quiet. "Missing since last evening before dinner, grandmother reported him. He was believed taken from while riding his tricycle."

Hotch had noticed Derek had been quiet since they had boarded the jet.

Hotch continued, "Grandmother found the abandoned tricycle a block from the house.

Emily had noticed his silence as well as she sat next to him.

"Where is Carl Buford right now?" Emily asked.

Garcia's face was on the laptop screen, "Still incarcerated in Cook County." She informed them. "And get this, my lovelies, Carl Buford is now called Muhammed."

Emily frowned, "He converted to Islam?"

Garcia nodded, "Apparently 75% of CCP are Muslims, he figured he'd change his religion and became Muhammed."

"Muhammed literally means the prophet of Islam," Reid leaned forward and explained. "It is also the most popular male name in the Arabic community and believed to be …"

"Reid…Reid…"Hotch stared at him impatiently.

Reid nodded as he bobbed his head, "I know…focus…"

Hotch nodded, "Thank you. Garcia, continue please."

"Yes, my liege, Carl aka Muhammed has just been informed of his grandson's status."

"Payback's a bitch…"Dave muttered quietly as he shook his head.

"Third child, Michael Allen, age 7, missing for two hours. Mother reported him missing from the playground once she noticed he was no longer on the slide."

"You mean she was not watching him at all times?" JJ frowned. "When I take Henry to the playground, I never take my eyes off him, not for one second."

"I don't have kids and I'd probably feel just as paranoid with someone else's children." Dave said.

"Come on guys, focus please." Hotch frowned at them critically. "Reid and JJ please interview the first missing child's family and establish a victimology."

The two agents nodded.

"Prentiss, Morgan interview the Bufords…"

"No Hotch." Morgan said suddenly, "I can't do it."

"What?" Hotch frowned at him. "Why not?"

"It'll be a conflict of interest." He leaned forward and faced him.

Hotch gave Morgan a hard look, "I disagree, Morgan. I think you'll be perfect. You'll have a less than preconceived idea of this case."

Derek frowned harder, "Hotch, do you have any idea what you're asking of me?"

"Yes I do. And I expect my agents to carry out my orders to their utmost abilities without any prejudices. Is that understood?"

Derek was silent for a moment before he nodded firmly, "Yes."

Hotch nodded.

"Rossi and I will interview the third family, after we'd visited PD and detectives Gordinski and Dennison." Hotch looked at each team member who returned acknowledged him.

"Hotch," Emily began as she looked at the tablet. "The children that was missing from each area," She looked up him. "Don't you think they looked too similarly alike, their heights, facial features, eyes, everything."

Reid frowned and nodded, "Emily is right, Hotch. There are similarities."

Dave was nodding. "Yeah, I'm seeing it. I'm wondering if the kidnapper is looking for a specific child that fits these criteria."

Hotch nodded, "We can start building from here the victimology."

Garcia face popped up again, "Oh hey, guys." She said sadly. "I had to intrude the pow-wow session, CPD just called; they found D'Onte Williams' body in a dumpster, he was strangled.

Hotch stared at Derek, "A copycat killer?" Derek uttered.

…

End of Chapter 1