Hey guys! Here's a pretty short chapter. Not a lot happens plot wise, but you get to see a good conversation between Derek and Yanik. I hope you all have a great weekend, and I will try to get another chapter posted in the next few days!

I do now own Criminal Minds.

When Emily and Roust got back to the station, she stayed five feet in front of him as they walked to the conference room where the rest of the team and Roberts were.

"Did you find anything helpful?" Hotch asked, looking up from his stack of papers.

"Maybe," Emily nodded.

"Well, we just ordered some Chinese, you can tell us while we wait for it to get here." Aaron turned to Roust, "you're welcome to join us for dinner if you'd like."

"Thank you," Roust smiled, "but I should be getting back to the office. I have to get that paperwork done or McConkey won't be happy."

Hotch smiled, "even when he was my partner, he was always making sure I had dotted my i's and crossed my t's."

"I can't imagine you needing someone to look over your shoulder like that," Roust laughed, "from what I hear you're one of the best."

"You'll be back here in the morning?" Hotch asked.

"Bright and early," Roust affirmed. As he turned to leave the conference room he leaned close to Emily's ear and hissed, "maybe by then you'll understand my place here."

Emily waited until he had left the station before she finally sat down and leaned back in her chair. She took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly.

"What was that about?" JJ raised his eyebrows.

"Let's just say he's not the charmer he appears to be," Emily muttered.

JJ was going to ask her more, but Hotch began talking about the case, and that silenced her. Emily told them what Maria had said about the man who had tried to grab her.

"It could be the UNSUB, the blitz attack is consistent with his MO," Reid said.

Hotch nodded, "also, if he lacked confidence, it makes sense that Wilkins would have scared him off."

"It's not much of a physical description to go off of though," Roberts complained, "tall with brown hair and eyes, that's over half the men in Seattle."

"I know it may not seem like much," Hotch said, "but this information could help us narrow down a suspect list."

"Yeah, a list that we don't have."

"I know this isn't easy," Aaron said simply.

Yanik looked down at the table, saying nothing.

Derek eyed him. The silence was worse than if he would have argued with Hotch. Morgan knew this man, hell, they were the same in so many ways. Fighting was what kept them going, the only way to stop from keeping it all inside. And when Derek looked at Yanik, he knew he was at the brink of giving up.

Derek stood, "come on, Yanik, let's go see if the food's here yet."

Roberts looked up and made eye contact with Derek. He didn't want to move, didn't want to stand, but he did.

When they were out of earshot from the conference room Derek finally spoke, "Hey man, don't do that."

Yanik looked ahead as they walked through the bullpen, "don't do what?"

"Don't give up. You've got to fight."

"What's the point?" Roberts turned to him, "Elle's been missing for over two days, we don't have a suspect, let alone a viable lead."

Derek put his hand on the shoulder of the man in front of him. He spoke softly, but firmly, "we haven't found a body, so that means she is still out there. Elle is out there and fighting, and we owe it to her to do the same. We might not have a lot to go on right now, but we do not stop until we find her."

"I don't know how to do this." Roberts' eyes glistened with tears.

"Come on," Morgan lead them outside to the fresh air. He sat down on a bench outside the station and Roberts followed.

"I almost lost my partner, my best friend, in the field. And I remember kneeling next to her as she bled out, begging her to take another breath. And the thing I regretted the most was not being there for her, for ever doubting who she was."

"What happened?" Yanik whispered.

Derek shook his head, "I thought she was gone and I hated myself. But she survived, because she is strong, just like Elle is." Derek locked eyes with Roberts, "Don't make the same mistake I did. Don't ever give up on your partner and don't doubt for even a moment that she is coming home. If you stop fighting now, you won't be able to live with yourself."

Roberts nodded slowly, "do you mind if I ask you... about Elle?"

"What's your question?"

"What was Elle like when she worked with you?"

Morgan smiled when he thought of Elle back when they had met, "she was a great partner, and pretty bad ass too. She would shut you down so fast the second you got cocky. She smiled a lot."

"I knew there was something behind what she lets everyone see. What happened?"

"It's not my place to say."

"So it was bad?"

"You know my partner I was telling you about?"

Yanik nodded.

"She had her own past too, something she kept from all of us. And when I found out about it, I let it change how I saw her. That was the reason I didn't do everything to fight for her the first time around. You have every right to ask her about it when she comes back, but just remember; the past is the past, and it may change us, but it doesn't define us."