Approximately three months later.
"Thanks for meeting me here on such short notice. I've been crazy busy lately; sorry I haven't been in touch more," Ryan said to her friend, Corinne, as she sat down at the table.
"No problem. I enjoy getting a chance to speak with a mostly sane adult. So, how's the new man in your life?" Corinne asked with a big smile. "Your emails haven't really said much. I want details."
"He's good. It's good," Ryan said returning the smile as she looked over the menu. "I never know when he's going to be around since he can get called out to wherever, whenever; but if the worst problem we have is "scheduling" sometimes… there is no problem. You know what I mean? Hmmm, what else can I tell you? He appreciates my wicked sense of humor and I appreciate that every so often he makes me dinner."
"It's been what … three months?" Corinne laughed. "I remember what that feels like. I'm happy for you and a tad jealous. Dinner, huh, must be nice?"
"Did I mention the brownies?" Ryan said.
As they enjoyed laughing and catching up along with some delicious sandwiches, a man unknown to both women came up to the table. "Ryan Whitfield?"
"Yes. Can I help you?" Ryan said cautiously.
"I'm a friend of Derek Morgan's. He left this behind the other day. I called to tell him and he said you'd be having lunch here and I could just give it to you," the stranger explained.
"Uhmm, okay. I'll be sure he gets it," Ryan responded with uncertainty and eyed him suspiciously.
The man walked off and Ryan opened the bi-fold to see FBI credentials for SSA Derek Morgan. "Cor, I hate to cut you short but I've got to call Derek."
"Why? What's the big deal? He left his ID somewhere and his friend dropped it off," Corinne answered, looking at it. "You said handsome, but wow."
"This isn't Derek's ID. I mean, it is, but it isn't," Ryan responded seriously, trying to explain her unease. "He stayed at my place last night and I handed him his ID this morning. I know he has it with him. Plus, he doesn't know I'm here; I just called you this morning about lunch."
Ryan pulled out her phone and called Derek, "Are you at your office?"
"Yes, why?" Morgan replied, surprised. Ryan rarely called while he was working.
"I need to see you," she said quickly.
"I'm at work," he answered, not knowing if she was serious or teasing.
"It's important," she responded. "I'm coming there. Don't leave."
"Ryan, what the hell is going on?" he asked trying to get more information.
"I'd rather not try to explain on the phone. Just stay put. I'll be there as soon as traffic will let me," she said and headed out to her car.
At the entrance of the FBI offices in Quantico, Ryan saw Dr. Spencer Reid walking into the building.
"Hey, Spencer," Ryan called running to catch up as best she could in the shoes she was wearing.
"Ryan! Hi! It's been a while. What are you doing here?" Reid answered as he stopped and waited for her.
"I need to see Derek. It's important. Do you have any magic tricks that can help me clear security?" she asked.
Reid got Ryan through security and escorted her up to the BAU offices. As they walked through the etched glass doors, Morgan looked up from his desk, "What's going on?"
Ryan handed over the credentials. "Where'd you get this?" Morgan asked with concern.
"I was having lunch with a friend at Cape Blues Café; some guy came up to the table and gave it to me. Said you left it last time you saw him," she answered.
Reid and Morgan looked at each other. "And then what?" Morgan inquired.
"Nothing. He left. I called you," Ryan questioned sensing their concern. "What's going on? How did he get your ID?"
"Reid, get everyone together in the conference room," Morgan said as he showed her up the steps and into the large room. He had Ryan sit at the round table while they waited for the rest of the team to gather. She could see and feel his tension as she sat there; she wondered just how bad it was. "Okay, now tell us what happened from the time you got to the restaurant," he told her when everyone arrived.
Ryan recounted her time at the restaurant until the time she left, answering the team's questions as they came up. "Are you going to tell me what this is all about now?" she asked, looking at Derek. Everyone else around the table was silent.
Morgan stopped pacing, sat down next to her and explained how serial killer George Foyet took his credentials in Boston. "Who else knew where you were going to lunch?" he asked.
"No one," she answered.
"No one? Not your assistant? Not the receptionist?" he persisted. "Did you list it in your computer's calendar so other employees could find you?"
"Derek, no one knew and it wasn't in my calendar or listed anywhere else, online or offline. I called Corinne at 10:30 when I knew I'd be free. We decided right then where and when. I just told Chantelle I was going out for lunch with a friend," she replied.
The silence was almost deafening. "He had to follow you from work," Morgan stated, rubbing his forehead. "He found you there somehow."
"Do you think you can sit with Garcia, our tech whiz, and work on a sketch so we can see if he changed his look?" Dave Rossi asked from his chair looking at her closely.
"Sure. Whatever you need," Ryan replied wondering why he was watching her so intently. He couldn't believe that she had anything to do with the situation, could he?
As everyone left the conference room Dave Rossi held Morgan back. Seeing the look on Rossi's face Emily took Ryan to get some coffee in the small café area so the two men could talk alone. "Is that Robert Whitfield's daughter?" Rossi asked from where he sat.
"I think that's her father's name," Derek answered looking at Rossi quizzically. He knew Rossi's reputation around the FBI as a bit of a lothario. "Why? Do you know her?"
"So that is Ryan," Rossi mused and then answered noncommittally. "I went fishing with her father a few times." From across the conference table Dave Rossi looked Morgan directly in the eye and added, "Take care of her, Derek, we wouldn't want her to get hurt now, would we?"
"Are we still talking about Foyet, Rossi?" Morgan asked as Rossi watched from the other side of the conference table.
"What else would I be referring to?" Rossi answered and walked out of the room.
Morgan found Ryan having coffee with Emily and escorted her to Penelope Garcia's office almost imperceptibly shaking his head. Ryan noticed but remained silent as they walked down the hallway. She wondered what had been said between the two agents after everyone had left the room. Whatever it was, Derek was all business and not in the mood for small talk.
"Penelope Garcia ... Ryan Whitfield," Morgan introduced the women and quickly exited the small room before either could say a word, leaving them alone with the computers and each other.
"Agent Rossi called down and said to work up a computer sketch with you," Garcia said, giving Ryan an obvious head-to-toe once over. Ryan could feel the coldness in the tech's reception and wondered at its cause. Ryan was unaware that Dave Rossi had referred to her as Morgan's girlfriend when he called down. Unbeknownst to Ryan, BAU team tech expert Garcia tended to not like the women Derek Morgan chose to date. She was a bit over-protective that way and despite the close friendship she shared with Morgan, Derek had yet to tell Garcia about Ryan. Morgan didn't have a girlfriend, at least not a serious one as far as Garcia knew. Up until that moment Penelope Garcia had believed that Derek Morgan told her everything.
Ryan nodded. "I've heard a lot about you. Derek thinks you're really terrific."
Garcia eyed Ryan warily through her green cat's-eye glasses. "Hmm… he hasn't told me anything about you," she countered; not just anyone was good enough for her Derek Morgan and Ryan hadn't passed inspection yet.
"Well when Derek doesn't want to talk about something, he doesn't want to talk about it. You've got a better chance of moving Mount Everest than getting him to open up," Ryan said, noticing the slight edge in Garcia's voice. She diverted the conversation away from Derek hoping to ease the tension in the room. "Love your pens. I have one that lights up; I drive them crazy during meetings but it does lighten the mood. The coffee mug is great, too. I need to get me one of those." Ryan really did want to get along with these people, especially Garcia who Derek was particularly fond of.
"Thanks," Garcia smiled in spite of herself. "Let's get started on this sketch."
Morgan and Reid returned to Garcia's office later and found the two talking and laughing. "Are we interrupting?" Morgan asked.
"Not really, hot stuff. We're finished," Garcia replied and handed him the print of the sketch.
Hearing her reply, Morgan nervously looked over at Ryan who just smiled mischievously and asked, "Can I go back to work now?"
"No," he answered shortly, looking at the printout of the sketch.
"No?" Ryan asked. "Why not?"
"He could still be following you. And before you ask, you're not going home either. You're going to a safe house," Morgan sternly answered.
"Derek, really, a safe house?" Ryan asked, not quite believing her ears. "Is that necessary?"
"He's a killer," Derek said succinctly.
"Yes, I got that. I just sat with you and your team and heard all these horrific things that he does; how this is all some sick game for him," Ryan said trying her best to not sound sarcastic. "And where will you be while I'm at the safe house?"
"Trying to find Foyet. Why?" he answered, watching her closely. He could tell she was doing her best to control her temper and he was almost positive it had nothing to do about the safe house.
"Why? He found me through you," she replied. "How else could he know that the two of us are connected? You're the profiler. You know he had the chance to hurt me. Chances, really," Ryan said matter-of-factly. "I went into the office alone; I walked out to my car alone; I left Cape Blues alone to come here and that's just today. Derek, it's your ID he brought back. This is about you and I think you should be at the safe house, too."
"Maybe you should both be at the safe house." Reid chimed in after hearing the exchange.
"I second that," Garcia agreed.