A/N: So…This one's been eating at me for a while now. I finally decided to put pen to paper so to speak, just to see what happens.

Disclaimer: All rights to Criminal Minds belong to its rightful owners. I'm just looking to borrow these lovely characters for entertainment only.

For a guy who survived hundreds of explosions and gunshots over the years, nothing was more deafening to Derek than the sound of a dozen blazing hospital monitors. If he wasn't so focused on Savannah's peaceful expression, his head would be ducked as he covered his ears to block out the noise. Now all he could do was sit in a damn corner while they rallied around his wife trying like hell to stop a spontaneous bleed.

My fault. There was no way this could rest on anyone but him. His work with the BAU had gotten her shot and put their baby in paralyzing danger. He'd been taken off the case for obvious reasons; emotional involvement. As much as he respected his team, his family, there was no question he would be the one to find and end this son of a bitch. Hotch had done it and aside from the odd nightmare (which each of them got from time to time anyway), he turned pretty okay. Granted, the widowed father hadn't cracked more than a dozen smiles in all the years that he knew him. But Derek could do it. He had to do it. Look this bastard in the eye and put a bullet right through his jacked up head. A successful mission in his book. Surgery went well, the baby was good. And Savannah had fallen into a much needed sleep. Everyone was fine. His entire family was safe.

Doctors invited him to sit at her bedside and wait until she woke up again. There were no words to describe how grateful he was for the outcome. After she woke, he would let her know that he was okay and quietly make his way back to the nursery. A plan that wouldn't get his ear bitten off for not being there during the birth. Or at least, he hoped so. Now though, pressed up against the opposite side of the room, head in his hands, Derek Morgan desperately prayed for his wife's survival. A fist formed around his heart when he realized how screwed up everything was. In an effort to keep them safe, there was a good chance he'd just gotten Savannah killed.

He had no idea how long he'd been sitting there, praying, screaming, and crying for someone, anyone to help her, save her. But in that time, he'd been walked out to the waiting room away from all of the failing machines. How he'd been able to comply, there was no telling. He could barely breathe let alone walk the short distance.

"Derek?" No matter how deep in his own head he was, the agent knew that voice better than his own name. No matter how consumed he'd always become, her words were as soft and tender as the hands that dared to hold him at his absolute worst. Instinctually, hs throat pulled forward a hefty snarl, the blonde seemingly unphased by such a display.

"What?" he snapped. At least that's how it sounded in his head. From where Garcia stood, the only word he'd been capable of in what could only be described as hours of silence came off as robotic and empty. The fire in his eyes and tone of his voice sounded nothing alike. The lack of comparison nearly broke the analyst's heart even further. Choosing to remain silent, she carefully took the empty seat beside him, hesitating for only a minute as she took his much larger hand in her own. Without thinking, he ripped his hand from hers refusing to make eye contact. "Go home," he grumbled.

"I'm fine right here," she whispered. Penelope knew that they were all forced into the most painful waiting game. This was nothing like sitting on their hands and hoping another twisted mind would strike again, just to ensure that he wouldn't. To this day, the logic was still so incredibly backwards. Tonight they were waiting on one of their own, sending hopes and prayers of every kind just to see her come out alive. Derek was a first time father and had only moments with his sweet boy before the unthinkable. There was no mistaking how torn he was. She didn't need to tap into her decade and a half of understanding Derek Morgan to know where he wanted to be.

Any father would be spending every waking minute with his new miracle, most likely the baby's mom at his side. Until Savannah was able to do just that, there was no moving the determined officer. Garcia knew better than to try but she wasn't going to just let him sit here either. At least not alone.

"She'll be okay," she murmured. The shaky whisper earned her a glare, the sight of it creasing further worry into her soft expression. "She will, Derek. They're doing everything they can."

"You don't know that," he muttered numbly. No, she didn't know that, not for sure. But she had to believe that it was true. She had to. "They're not doing enough. No one ever does enough!" The increase in volume startled her though she was quick to compose herself for him.

"Derek, look at me," she demanded gently. It was a full five minutes before he dared to comply knowing that the minute he did, she would see it. Garcia rolled her lip, guilt the only emotion he seemed capable of. "You didn't do anything wrong, my love." He had to fight the urge to cover his ears and find the tiled hospital floor again. Anything to keep her out. Anything to keep her from seeing what they both knew she'd already seen.

"I can't lose her, Penelope," he finally managed. "I can't…" Nodding slowly, she once again took his hand. It didn't take long for her to realize how unsteady his hold was. She'd only seen this level of fear a handful of times, each of them focused on those who were given the biggest pieces of his guarded heart. She'd been one of the lucky ones. Not even Carl Buford left him this afraid. Thought of the man who had robbed her baby boy of so much made everything inside of her rise up into her throat. A kiss across his knuckles and the soft sigh of resignation to her touch kept it from spilling over.

"You won't," she promised. "Nothing has put more fight in her than that sweet little baby boy waiting for his mama. She came in here with one of the most beautiful reasons to come out on the other side. That same strength will keep her here with us. As soon as she's able, she'll hold him so tightly there won't be a force on this earth…"

"Death doesn't care, Garcia," he mumbled, his voice thick as sandpaper. "God doesn't care either. He wants her bad enough, He'll take her…"

"Hey! Now look, I know you're scared. And I know you're at least twenty kinds of angry right now. With doctors, with yourself. You might even be pissed at Savannah." As screwed up as it was, she was even right about the last one. And even then, he knew he shouldn't be. None of this was his wife's fault. But still, it was her body that gave out on him. "You have to be able to put all of that into one of your boxes and kick it away. What we need right now is hope. We need to hope that she'll be okay. If you can't do that, I'll have Hotch take you home." Derek's eyes widened at her suggestion. Since when was Penelope Garcia the one calling all the shots.

"Excuse me?" Penelope nodded slowly. "You can't tell me what to do, Garcia. That's my wife in there and you better be damn sure I'm gonna stay until I know she's okay." Only partially true. Since the very beginning of their friendship, Garcia was somehow always right in her convictions. She was right here too, as much as Derek didn't want to admit it.

"You know she's right," Spencer muttered softly. How long had the kid been sitting there? Knowing how quiet and observant he'd always been, it was probably the three of them waiting from the minute she'd sat him down. For that, Derek was silently grateful. In an attempt to calm himself, he brought himself back to a time when it was really only the three of them. He had to admit that Reid's random little statistical rants were annoying as hell at first. Only weeks ago, one of his long winded speeches saved the agent's life. Even if it did take him what felt like hours just to find something to put on his burn.

And sweet little Penelope Garcia. He barely noticed her at first. Swift and quiet as a mouse. For weeks he couldn't figure out her name. As intrusive as it probably was, "baby girl" sounded a whole lot better than "Hey you there". From then on, the nickname came off his tongue as easily as water. To this day he couldn't quite figure out what it was about the blonde that made her so aware of the kind of person he was. He thought at first that it was something she'd pulled out about each of them. Time and thousands of phone calls later, he would come to understand that it was something specifically theirs, a level of knowledge and general understanding that fell just between them. Over the last dozen years, Penelope had been right about damn well everything. Fortunately, she didn't need a computer and finite hacking skills to figure him out. Tonight, that irritated him beyond measure.

"I need her to be okay," Reid. "I…Can't do this by myself." Spencer frowned, unsure where he was getting such an idea. The doctors were doing everything within their knowledge to make sure that they got the bleeding under control. They had probably gotten it figured out in the time they sat here talking to him.

"Who said you're going to do anything alone?" he mumbled. Despite his every belief in the power of science and medicine, whatever happened to Savannah, there was no way he would be raising his son alone. No one member on this team would let him try. Even Spencer Reid knew that. They had all been through far too much as a team, as a family to leave one of their own struggling.

"Kid, if she dies on me…"

"She won't," Garcia said confidently

"Baby girl, nobody knows that for sure. I know you're doing your whole blind optimism thing but..."

"Derek Morgan, you listen to me right now," she demanded. Though she hadn't screamed it at him, her tone made the grown man jump. "Everyone is going to be fine. Say it with me. Everyone is going to be okay. God wouldn't put her in your life only to take her away, especially after the beautiful miracle you two have just brought into this world.

Yeah…From the time he was fifteen, his relationship with God and miracles had been spotty at best. Still, he nodded, hoping like hell that Penelope Garcia would prove him wrong just one more time. So he found himself nodding, taking a grip on her hand that he'd only ever needed when discussing his terrors with Buford. The analyst barely flinched, smiling softly when she noticed that he was finally seeing it her way. In time he always did. But something about this time was different. She could see in his eyes the level of uncertainty he still held when she was so damn sure. Blind faith. Derek Morgan had come to trust her that much. For the sake of her own heart, and the sake of his uncertainty she had to be right. She had to be.

A less sure hand took hold of him on the opposite side, a notion that confused the agent. Spencer Reid had never been the one to initiate touching or contact of any kind. Over time, Derek was allowed brief moments of contact but he knew better than to prolong them. The couple of hugs he'd earned were in moments when the young agent was so lost and confused (a novelty for him they all knew) he all but clung to Derek like a lifeline. He realized that now he was doing much of the same to them; the two he'd learned to love and confide in with bigger parts of himself than he'd ever imagined. Taking his pale, trembling hand in his, he found a hold on Spencer he always hoped he would never need.

"They're taking too damn long," he muttered. Spencer nodded, Garcia's face becoming grim. They were likely still fighting, trying to find the best way to make sure it didn't happen again. "It's a bleed from a C-section. Her body wasn't blown to bits. It was a gunshot would. A hole that they fixed. They got my son outta there. And now she's…Now she's…"

"Morgan, she's not dying," Spencer mumbled. Since when had boy genius become so optimistic? The science was right there in front of him, in front of all of them. If it was as simple as sewing her up, they'd have done it by now. A doctor would be out here to give them a progress report and he'd be able to go see his son with a clear conscience. But no, they were all glued to their seats, waiting for the words Derek already knew with sickening certainty were coming.

"I would know something by now, Reid. I'd be in the nursery holding my son. I should be happy the bastard is dead. I should be singing it from the rooftop of this hospital. I saved my family. That should be enough reason to be happy. But I'm here. I'm here just waiting for the words that will leave my son without a mother. Exactly what I was trying so hard to avoid." Because of something that I did. Because I had to go play hero. "And look how that turned out," he muttered, Hotch's words echoing in his head like a soundtrack to this pending hell. He wasn't even sure which was worse; watching his boss sit over his wife's motionless body because of George Foyet or knowing that he was doing very much the same thing, because of something that he did.

"What?" Garcia and Reid uttered in unison.

"Nothing. Something Hotch said to me before I went out there." Penelope could tell by thee look on his face that the backstory to their boss's speech wasn't something meant to encourage Derek's reckless behaviour. And still, here he was, beating himself up over things he couldn't control. He had done his best, everything he could. The rest of it was up to doctors and nurses. The self-blame was something so completely Derek. No matter what he tied it to, the reasons he gave, the ache she felt when watching him as it took over never hurt any less.

"He'll be okay," she murmured. Morgan scowled when he realized her change in script. Was this her attempt at some kind of reverse psychology? Was she finally starting to feel it too? The thread he could barely hang onto was slipping out of his sweaty palms with every passing second. At least he had enough sense to realize it. Penelope hung onto hope until the very last moment. "That's all I said while you were out there alone in that cabin. Like a prayer, like a song, I didn't know any other words in that moment. I just hoped and prayed that you would come back to us…come back to me," she whispered hoarsely. Despite his own frame of mind, the single bead of emotion down her cheek placed a soft kiss where it landed. The brief contact made the blonde smile sadly. "And you're here….Your baby is here…"

"And she's in there," he finished. Garcia sighed squeezing his hand as her head came to rest on his shoulder. Taking in the sweet scent of her hair, he let out a soft breath, every tense muscle in his body loosing at least a fraction of its determination to keep him stiff. Kissing the top of her head, he let a single tear find its place among her golden strands. When Reid quietly cleared his throat, Derek froze, his entire body deliberately refusing to turn and face the doctor. The heavy cloud that surrounded the man was unmistakable. He could feel it in the physician's stance alone.

"Mr. Morgan…" Without so much as a thought to how they were doing it, Penelope and Spencer came around him like a protective shield. No matter what they heard, Derek was in no state of mind to hear any of it, no matter how much he needed to.

"We're his family," Reid mumbled. The surgeon nodded. Though he'd been behind OR doors for the last few hours, the way he found them left no secret to how little they had moved. Pushing past the two of them gently, Morgan met the doctor with cold dead eyes.

"We did absolutely everything we could. There was a lot of blood. Much of it was already gone by the time we got in there to assess the damage. I'm very sorry for your loss." Letting his face become completely blank, Derek barely managed a nod. As many times as they had been trained to deliver news like that, the tone the surgeon chose angered him. It was all just so cold. Absolutely no feeling whatsoever. Weren't they supposed to be led away privately for news like this? Finally able to sweep the room, he realized it was just them. Was it really so late at night? Had they been here that long?

Next to him, Derek could sense Garcia using her every strength to keep the flood of emotion at bay. For him. She was fighting like hell to keep from crying, for him. Much to his surprise, she was able to quietly thank the doctor before being the first of the trio to sit back down.

"I…I have to go. I gotta go be with my son…" he barely managed, ripping his grip from both of their hands in an attempt to stand. He barely growled when his own limbs seemed to take several moments to catch up to him, causing a delay that added to his frustration. So much effort and planning had gone into making sure his baby wouldn't grow up fatherless had somehow left him a single father and young widow. This whole thing was just a fucking disaster. Beautiful and miraculous, of course it was. But to lose her to get him? That was just wrong. So incredibly wrong.

Garcia and Reid both took him at either side, human crutches determined to keep him from hitting the floor. As the three made their way to the nursery, Morgan barely noticed the rest of the team gathered in a small group, concerned expressions drawn on each of their faces. As much as he knew he should offer them something, the young father was only able to avert his eyes, every ounce of his remaining energy reserved for the endless journey to where his son lie waiting for him.

When they finally approached the swinging door, Derek couldn't find it in him to step inside, simply watching his little boy from the window. The minute he went through it, the minute he found him and held him, he would fall apart. As much as he didn't want to, as much as he knew he shouldn't, the tears would come. Hank was only hours old and already he had seen so much of his mother in him.

His hands would one day grow to be as sturdy and sure as his father's. With time he would grow just as tall on legs that were just as determined to rid the world of its evils, if that was something he wished to pursue. Life had gifted him with a tiny person filled with so much promise for the greater good. But it had also robbed him of one of few things that made him feel completely full. As happy as he wanted to be for what he'd been given, he didn't see the right in it either. How could he truly let himself enjoy this when his wife wouldn't be by his side to do the same?

"I…I can't," he whispered. Garcia blinked, Reid stopped right in front of him with a hand already poised on the swinging door. "It's not right. I can't do this without her…" It seemed that with every word her friend spoke, the analyst's heart found smaller and smaller pieces to break itself up into. She knew he would be repeating those words to himself for the rest of his life. It took a lot for Derek to trust anyone. She had been one of a few rare cases that had taken the fast track. As pleased as she was to know that she was a special exception, understanding the rarity of it told her he would be feeling this cloud of responsibility for years to come.

"We'll wait," she said softly. Derek swallowed hard, more unsure of himself now than he ever had been. The overpowering confidence he displayed was enough to hide behind in the past. Now he couldn't even find it in him to pick up that blanket, let alone wear it. Instead he squeezed Garcia's hand with every bit of strength he managed to find. So focused on finding some kind of centre, he didn't realize his complete dismissal of Reid. The younger agent barely seemed to notice, quietly backing away while keeping his eyes between the two of them.

As well as he had come to understand Derek Morgan, there was something about the way he was with Garcia that opened doors to a completely different man. As many times as he'd fought to protect the innocent, to protect Spencer Reid himself, his natural instinct was to turn to Penelope when life came down around him. He watched as they both stepped forward with purpose and simply stood there. He would count a full ten minutes and watch it go by before his brother took so much as a step. When they finally managed to make it through the door, Spencer stood quietly at the abandoned window, watching from his safe distance. For the first time in his young life, science had failed him. Science left his friend with more broken pieces than even he could comprehend. It was in that moment that Reid vowed to do whatever he could for the safety and happiness of the small little boy, who unlike any of them, would have no memory of his mother's sacrifice.

The approach to Hank's incubator was robotic at best. As much as he ached to hold the last piece of Savannah to him and never let him go, there was a peace in the way he laid there the father dared not disturb. Having been taken from his mother's womb too soon, the baby was so incredibly small. Small and fragile and…breakable. In just the last few hours he'd already broken so many hearts. It would be cruel to be the cause for damage to anything else he loved too much.

"Hi there sweet boy," he heard Garcia whisper quietly. If Derek didn't know any better, he would say that his son knew exactly who his friend was talking to. Based on the smile that found its way across her face when he turned to face her, that had been Penelope's intention. "You're so beautiful, you know that? Your daddy's so proud of you…" The knot harboured in his chest nearly exploded in the older man's throat. There was an unexplainable sadness in the scene before him.

With the gentlest touch he'd ever seen, Garcia glided a single finger along his small stomach, the sensation making the little boy squeak in surprise. The young father found himself holding his breath, waiting in anticipation for rejection to the unfamiliar presence. The quiet hum that fell out of her mouth was practically instinct, the calm that quietly washed over him admiring Penelope with a new sense of awe. He'd been subject the soft melodic sound a few times, and only when he became practically inconsolable. Perhaps she knew that it was the only instance she was allowed to call on its "power" without being looked at strangely for it. But that was the magic in Penelope Garcia. She seemed capable of reading him better than anyone in his entire life. When Fran Morgan first met her, she began to joke that the blonde knew him better than his own mother.

Like she had done a hundred times before, Garcia spoke every word he couldn't find on Derek's behalf. The way she spoke to his son was a modified version of the exact way she spoke to his father. So far as he could tell, the tone was set aside just for him. Just for them. This one especially was reserved for healing unexplainable pain and anguish. Her sweet and careful words wrapped around them like the blanket he almost never needed. The one she gave him no matter how much he protested. "Daddy's been waiting a long time to come see you," she smiled. "We had to take care of some grown up stuff first. But now that it's all done and figured out, he's all yours."

Derek gulped. It was hardly "figured out" but his son wouldn't understand that for years to come. He watched as she picked up his son with the confidence and gentleness he'd always known her to have. There was something about watching Penelope with children, people in general really that made him more sure of his love and appreciation for her with each passing day. "He can't really say it right now but he loves you so much…More than you'll ever know. He doesn't say it to a lot of people, hardly anyone but I know…I know he'll show you just how much whenever he can…Sometimes, if you're lucky he'll say it too," she grinned. "But always remember that when he can't…he does. Your daddy always does."

Not a lot put so much emotion in his chest. Derek always prided himself in being very composed and put together. But this…Watching his best friend provide his son with the words he couldn't find worth anything took him almost completely over the invisible edge. Taking a shaking finger to his tiny temple, the agent pierced his lip, focused on finding his wife in Hank's tiny face.

"He has her eyes," he choked.

"Her softer complexion," Garcia smiled, placing a kiss on his forehead. The moment of contact made the little boy croon, reflex turning him into her breast. "Already starting to get comfortable," she chuckled. "Good thing too."

"He'll be spending a lot of time there," Derek whispered. Garcia simply nodded, pride shining like rays of sunshine through every pore.

"Of course. My job as his fairy godmother is to ensure that he is—"

"Hold up. I never said anything."

"You were supposed to say something?" she asked with questioning eyes. Derek shook his head, laughing more honestly than he had in hours. "Is there a ceremony I wasn't told about?"

"Nah," he laughed shaking his head.

"I thought that was implied," she muttered shyly.

"It is baby girl. It is…" he murmured. Even while she feigned confusion Penelope held the newborn even closer, practically daring him to deny her in the first place. Pressing a soft kiss to her temple, he sighed, breathing her in for a second dose of courage.

"Hank Spencer Morgan," she smiled. Morgan blinked. Choice of a middle name hadn't even passed his lips yet. There was no question boy genius' name was at the top of the list and most likely to happen but he'd kept that to himself.

"How'd you know?" he whispered.

"You're not that hard to figure out, honey," she smirked. Anyone could see how close the two men had gotten over the last few years. Knowing how hard it was for both of them to find that level of trust in anyone, the honour was practically expected.

"You think he'd be okay with that?"

"I think he'd love it," she smiled. "Being Henry's godfather sends him over the moon already. Knowing that this little one carries his name…"

"He'll never shut up about it," he grinned shaking his head.

"No. No he won't…"

"So I guess godfather round three isn't the best idea?" Garcia rolled her eyes.

"I think he's expecting it…"

"Not sure if that's supposed to comfort me or not…"

"He'll love it, Derek. It'll mean the world to him."

"You think?"

"I know," she mused. The agent quietly shook his head. He knew better than to fight that. When Penelope Garcia was sure of something, not a force on this earth could shake her.

"Of course you do," he muttered. "You know I love you, right?" She turned to him then, a subtle nod. She knew. Of course she knew. It was one of few things she was absolutely sure of. "I…I'm gonna need you, Penelope," he admitted. "She was supposed to help me…" he whispered.

"I'm right here, Derek. I'm right here…We're all right here."

"Yeah, I know you are."

A/N: Yes? No? Stay? Go? Let me know! Oh look, I rhymed! I'm very easily entertained….