Chapter 7

AN: Thanks, you glorious, beautiful, wonderful reviewers! I felt bad for the angsty feeling readers out there! If it was a book, I would have continued reading at that last point...and the last few chapters have been shorter than my usual 1000 words....

Another dark one, but hang tight ….

Derek was beyond himself. He couldn't sit still, and Hotch refused to let him drive. So he sat there, nervous as hell, cursing that they weren't going fast enough. He closed his eyes. God, I am not a praying man, but I am going to beg you for this. Please let her be alright.

"That's it on the left; Martell's storage," Prentiss said, pointing over at the locked gate. It was three am, five hours after Derek last saw her in the club. It felt like days to him. A lot could happen in five hours time.

"There's no one here to open it," Reid said at the same time Hotch said, "Hold on, everyone!" The big truck crashed through the gate.

Penelope knew she had to find a way to get him to untie her. He was still holding her tight, touching her. He smelled sweaty and unwashed; her eyes watered being near him. "Yes, Kevin," she said softly, swallowing hard to make the words come out. "He did trick me. I didn't know any better. But I see it now, I want to be with you."

He leaned back and looked at her, a shrill amount of excitement entering his face. "Oh, Penelope!" he said, covering her lips with his. He pulled away, using his knife to slice off one of the zip ties from her wrist. She tried to raise her arm, to fight, but after being corded behind her for so long, her arm hung limp.

"I said together, and I meant it. I am so glad you know too. I want to feel you, taste you, eat you. I want to be everywhere with you, Penelope," he said, holding her hand that was regaining feeling in painful tingles. "I want to pour into your body…

She shivered from the pain a bit in her wrist, and from what he was saying. He held her hand and looked at it, squeezing tighter. She saw it that time, some sort of break that made him snap, become angry. She tried to pull her arm away, but didn't have the strength. "But I can't do that, if he's inside of you. So, I'm going to let him out!" He slashed her wrist with the blade. Blood began to seep out slowly; she did the next logical thing.

She fainted.

Derek shot the padlock on the storage building. On three, he they opened the doors to the locker. There, in lantern light next to a covered couch, sat Kevin Lynch. He was drawing hearts, using his knife as the brush, and a small pool of blood as the ink.

Laying on the couch, a very pale Penelope lay motionless. She looked like a beautiful effigy. Her feet were tied, but her hands were free. One hand was rested on her chest; the other hand hung from the couch, slowly dripping more blood in the pool. Ice immediately filled Derek's veins, as he heard Lynch talk.

"You're too late," he said smiling directly at Derek. "Neither of us have her now."

A roar escaped Derek's throat as he dove across the locker, knocking Lynch on his back. The knife went flying. Derek began to punch Lynch, over and over, pulverizing the flaccid man. He quickly became unconscious, but Derek didn't care; he was going to kill him.

Hotch dragged him off, making a cage around the livid Morgan with his arms. He fought like hell to go back. "Derek; it's what he wants. Don't give it to him!"

"I don't care! I…I… motherfucker!" he swore, then sagged his shoulders, tears coming quickly to his eyes.

A voice came from behind him. "Don't swear, Derek."