Chapter 2

Wow, I was shocked at all the response I got from my last chapter- I NEVER thought this would get anyone's attention, especially not the way it did. Sorry for taking so long to update, but I had exams this past week so I've been pretty busy.



Even after he had convinced himself that everything was fine, he couldn't help but notice that she was quieter than usual, more reserved. He was almost afraid to leave her alone, as if he might miss something if he did, which was why he decided to stop on the way in for coffee, knowing that every second with her would count.

Because he had been called in this late on so many occasions, he knew all of the places that actually stayed open that late, and he also knew that she, being the caffeine addict that she was, needed coffee as well.

He couldn't help but laugh as we watched her fix her coffee the way she wanted it. "Are you going to have any coffee with that sugar?" He teased, as she poured in packet after packet of sweetener.

She smiled, but didn't respond. He raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked. "You haven't talked back to me since I picked you up."

She laughed. "It's too late, or early, however you want to look at it, to be funny."

That didn't completely convince, but he knew they would probably send a search party out looking for them if they didn't get there soon, so he let the subject drop for the moment., figuring he would have the rest of the day to try and get her to talk to him.

Turned out, he didn't. After they were briefed on the case, he found out they had to go to Boston, where a serial killer had already killed five girls in the past three months. However, they had just caught on because they were all of different races, social classes, and neighborhoods.

Before they left, Derek went to check on her one last time, hoping that she would at least be acting more normal, because if there was even something slightly off, he knew it would drive him crazy every second, and he wouldn't be able to concentrate on the case.

He knocked before he walked in, knowing that ever since she'd been shot she had been especially jumpy, and the last thing he wanted to do was scare her like he'd done that morning.

She opened the door a few seconds later, smiling when she saw that it was him. "Thanks for actually knocking." She said after he walked in. "Kevin always just comes in and scares the shit out of me, no matter how many times I tell him to knock."

That made Derek a little angry, but he tried not to show it. "Want me to get the point across to him?" He asked, half-kidding but half-serious.

She laughed. "No, it's okay. I just keep the door locked most of the time now."

"We have to go to Boston." He told her, trying not to look as unsure as he felt.

Her face fell. "Oh." She said. "You know you can call if you need anything."

"How am I supposed to call when you don't have your phone, babygirl?" He reminded her.

"I do have a phone here, remember?" She said.

"Yeah, but you're not going to stay here 24/7, are you?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I usually do when we have a case." She said.

He sighed, and shook his head. "Babygirl, you know that's not good. You need to go home and sleep every once in a while."

"I have a couch!" She protested. "You should go before they leave without you."

"Yeah." He said, putting his arms around her. "We'll be back as soon as we can." He said, knowing how lonely she got when they left.

She gripped him tighter, almost digging her nails into him. It was unusual for her, so he just held her longer, becoming more confused by the second. He kissed the top of her head lightly, almost afraid to let go. It was obvious that something was wrong, and he hated the thought of leaving her.

It just figured that Kevin chose that exact moment to walk in. She stepped away from Derek so fast it almost seemed like he had burned her. "Kevin, hey." She said nervously, and had Derek not been looking at Kevin's slightly angry expression, he would have noticed the fear in her eyes.

"I'll see you in a few days." Derek said, turning to look at her, although he was debating whether he should even go or not.

"Yeah." She said awkwardly, giving him a small forced smile, and even though he knew it was a bad idea, he went against his better judgment and walked out of the room, leaving his baby girl there to deal with God-only-knew-what, alone.


She watched Derek walk out of the office, wishes she could have stopped him, begged him to stay, let him be the hero she knew he loved to be. But when the door shut behind him, she knew there was no chance of that.

She waited as Kevin just stood there looking at her, still a safe distance away. She wondered what was going through his head. She wondered what was going to happen- what he was going to do- this time.

A few more seconds passed and he pulled something out of his pocket, sitting it on the table beside him. Her cell phone. "You left it at my apartment." Was all he said, which she knew was a lie. The last time she'd been there, she knew for a fact that she'd kept it in her purse the whole time. He had taken it from her without her knowing. The thought almost made her sick.

"Do you realize," He started. "How many damn times they called you last night?" His voice got louder with every word.

"N-no." Her voice shook, and she backed up a few steps.

"Twenty-eight! Twenty-eight fucking times at 3:00 in the morning!" He was full on yelling then, and she braced herself for what she knew was coming. "And do you know how many times Derek Morgan called you?" Of course. It was always about him. "Twelve!" He threw the phone on the ground, and she winced as the screen shattered.

"There was a case." She said quietly.

"Oh, so your job is more important than me?" He yelled. "Is that what you're saying?"

"No." She said quickly, even though she knew that it wouldn't matter. He had reached the point where nothing she said could bring him out of what ever state of mind he was in.

She knew she was right when she felt the all-too-familiar feeling of his fist on her face, and she tasted blood in her mouth immediately. She stumbled backwards, tripped, and fell, hitting her head against the table behind her.

She was shocked. He had never hurt her at work before, but should she be surprised? The team was gone. There was no one there to save her now.

As always, he realized what he'd done, he helped her up off the floor, apologizing over and over, told her it was the "last time" as he always had before. It didn't mean anything to her now. She believed that he meant it, that he wanted it to be the last time just as much as she did, but she wasn't naïve enough to fall for it as she did in the beginning.

He left her office, leaving her there to cry, wishing she had just let Derek step in and be her hero when she had the chance.


Oh jeez, sorry that it was so….depressing. But it always has to get worse before it gets better :). And sorry it was so short, and that it took me so long to update. I've been trying like crazy, especially over the weekend, but the creative juices decided to remove themselves from my veins. I'll try to be faster, promise :)