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Chapter 1

Finding Out The Truth

"What do you mean I have a daughter Marissa?" Derek Morgan yelled. "This isn't something you keep a secret."

Marissa stared down at the cup of coffee in her hand. It had been two weeks since she had decided to make the call to her ex. She was running out of time and decided that she needed to do at least one good thing before she died.

She had been practicing this speech for the past three months. Now it was the day of the big performance.

"Derek, I know. But at the time I did what I thought was best. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry Marissa!? I just find out that my ex-girlfriend, who I haven't seen since she literally vanished from my life five years ago without any explanation, is dying from cancer. And now you're telling me I have a four year old daughter!"

"Derek, I know it's not ideal-"

"Damn right it's not ideal! Marissa you should have told me. I would have helped you."

Marissa stared down at her coffee cup and sighed. "I know."

Derek sat back down. He was doing his best to regain his composure after his outburst. He took a deep breath and exhaled deeply.

"What's my daughter's name?"

10 years later...

"All I want is a nice long hot shower and to pass out the second I hit the pillow." Morgan laughed as Reid fumbled with the keys.

The pair were just getting back home after spending two weeks on the west coast in crime city LA. The team had been called out to assist on a case of a serial kidnapper who targeted males. The un-sub tortured the victim's families by sending them videos of their loved ones being assaulted and extorted money from these families. After receiving the money, the un-sub would deliver the victim back to the families, only the victim would be dead.

It had taken a couple of weeks and the team had been called in after the fourth kidnapping, but the case had be solved.

Reid opened the door to their home and a rush of warm air hit the two.

Morgan and Reid exchanged glances. Neither one of them remembered leaving the heat on.

"You two are home early." came a voice.

Morgan glanced over Reid's shoulder to see their daughter sitting Indian style on the couch reading a book. A cup of hot chocolate was steaming in front of her and a blue blanket was draped over her shoulders. The blanket fell to the ground as she stood up and moved to hug her dads.

"We missed you two." Morgan replied smiling. He and Reid tossed their go bags to the side and embraced the young girl.

"What's for dinner?" Courtney asked her father.

Morgan looked up from the pot of noodles he was stirring. "Spaghetti," he replied. Courtney wrinkled up her nose.

"Shouldn't daddy be helping you with that?" she laughed. "I mean, you did burn the noodles last time."

Morgan feigned hurt and punched his daughter playfully. "Whatever bug, go set the table."

Reid was sitting at the kitchen table highlighting pages of a file when Courtney walked in. "Finish your chemistry homework?" he asked.

Courtney nodded. Reid moved the file so that she could set a plate down in front of him.

"Yeah, but dad can you check my English paper later? And I need you to come with me to the school tomorrow. I have a meeting with the dean because my psychology professor thinks I plagiarized my term paper."

Reid frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

"She's a fourteen year sophomore in college." Morgan interjected. He was scooping mounds of hot spaghetti onto each plate. "Of course her professors think she plagiarized her work. Half of her stuff is better than theirs."

Reid smiled. "Sure, I don't mind. We have the rest of the week off anyway."

There was a knock at the door, then the ring of the doorbell.

"I got it," Courtney offered.

"No, you need to eat." Morgan scolded standing back up, but Reid shook his head. He was closer.

Morgan turned back to face his daughter and smiled. Biologically, she was his. Looked liked him, built like him, even athletic like him. So why was it she acted and sounded so much like Spencer? She was brilliant. It was the first thing he noticed the day he met her. She was curious about everything and never passed up an opportunity to learn something new.

She and Reid had bonded instantly. The two were inseparable and he loved her as if she was his own and Morgan loved that about him. He loved everything about that pretty boy.

He looked at Courtney she was eating her food but looking down at her lap. No doubt reading a new book. He cleared his throat. "Come on bug. I made dinner. The least you can do is tell me about your day."

Courtney looked up at her father and smiled. She was about to respond when Reid walked back in.

Morgan held his smile. "There you are. Thought you might have gotten lost. Who was at the-" he didn't finish his sentence, noticing for the first time all the color drained from Reid's face and the man behind him who was holding the shotgun aimed at the back of Reid's head.

"Daddy!" Courtney scream. Morgan managed to look in the direction of his daughter before another man holding a gun grabbed her. The man placed a hand over the girl's mouth silencing her screams.

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