Disclaimer: I own nothing but the triumph of this plot bunny!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- If It Hadn't Been For Love -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Penelope!" He yelled as he ran into the bull pen, knowing that was the only way he was getting the reaction of everyone. Those on the case bringing out their guns; "Don't shoot!" He yelled at them, "You shoot me and you won't know where Penelope is!"
Derek watched Kevin and his heart had sunk. Of course she had been with Kevin. Of course she would run to him.
"M-my brother has her," He spoke up and looked at Derek, "He's been hurting her and keeping me locked away from you lot. I didn't realise how bad it was going to get until he started using me to help him. I tried to get her out, but she's getting too weak. Please, you can have me, I hand myself in, but please do not leave her there with him any longer. Please." He begged them as he fell to his knees, showing his willingness. "He's been using Derek to break her and he's succeeding. Morgan," He said and looked back to the one man that held Penelope's heart, "She's given up because of what I did. She sees it as her fault and gave up the moment Andrew took her.
"She's not begging for freedom, she didn't even take it when I set her free. She can't live without you Derek, she never could. I knew that from day one. It's always you that keeps her going. You are Penelope's life line; it's never been anyone else." Kevin near enough shouted at him, "Don't you see it? She's in love with you and all she's ever been worried about is rejection from you. Friendly or otherwise. Losing you means she loses her life, Derek. She never hated you for breaking us up, she was thankful once the shock had gone, by then it was too late. I shot you to buy her time; I didn't expect it to get this out of hand!"
Agents swooped in then, handcuffing him.
"I needed a way to stop you from leaving, Derek!" He said as he brought up to his feet. "You never saw her after you told her you were leaving, I saw it. I've been watching. She sat in that office just crying when you told her you were leaving, that you were getting a better life away from her. You never saw that woman break and the worse thing is, is that Andrew, my brother, he's trying to break her after she broke me. The problem is, he can't break what's already broken."
Derek took then, a hand wrapping around his waist to hug himself. He was shaking, "How can I trust you?"
Kevin looked down, thankful for the blood stains on him, "That's Penelope's." He looked up at Derek, wide eyed, "She told me she had nothing to come back to, when I said you, that she had to come back to you, it was like I had to inflicted the worse piece of torture possible. It didn't matter what Andrew had done to her, however many times he had put a naked flame to her skin, or stabbed her, or even tried to drown her, it didn't matter. Using you is her biggest torture instrument."
"Me?" Derek asked as he stepped closer, trying to keep his emotions under wraps. "I don't understand, we've barely spoken to one another in coming up weeks, months even. I don't get why I have such an effect."
Kevin could see the disbelief still riddling the room, "Do you know how many times she mumbles your name in her sleep? Or how often she shouts for you when she wakes up from nightmares? How many times she cries with worry when you're on a case and nearly hurt or worse?" Kevin watched Derek shake his head, "You never saw how much you're in her veins, how far in love she is with you. You just always went with the model like women and made Penelope's self doubt tripled every time."
"But I do love her," Derek admitted, he couldn't lie anymore. He had loved Penelope since before time and the last couple of weeks had been crippling and then him getting shot just made his realisation define sharply. He just assumed she never wanted him.
"Then you need to save her," Kevin responded sadly, "It has to be you, Derek, or she isn't going to come out alive."
"Your brother," Derek asked him, "How does he come into this?"
Kevin's shoulders slumped, his back aching from his hands cuffed arms behind him, "Andrew Lynch, medieval fanatic since a young age. We assumed he'd out grown that. He got me and looked after me just after Penelope and then kept me hidden in his cabin after I shot you and then that night he turned up with Penelope. Told me to either keep quiet or I was going to the cop shop. Fear shut me up, that combined with my own hate for Penelope. He's love of medieval never left, but manifested. The basement's full of home-made replicated old torture weapons." The team took in Kevin's saddened look, "There are only so many times you can turn over and ignore the screams of pain for a woman you loved."
With that Derek had catapulted himself towards Kevin, his face in his. His anger letting loose at last.
"Where is she?"He spat, "Where is Penelope?" Kevin didn't hesitate to hand over an address, "Don't expect to see your brother in one piece after this, Lynch."
Kevin laughed bitterly, "I expect nothing less than dead, Morgan." Kevin told him, "The basement is booby trapped. There's a trip wire just in the door, you'll miss it if you charge in, you do that and several guns will go off, one will get Penelope. Don't touch anything on the wall, some are the real deal, others are fakes, they're replicas, decoys that will trigger the room to go up in flames locking the door out behind you."
"Anything else?" Derek asked, his teeth gritting together.
"Love her right," Kevin said calmly, "Love her like I never could." He stared into Derek's eyes, burning into his soul. "Don't take that job. You do that and Penelope will do anything to not see another day with the blame that she pushed you into leaving."
Derek's heart was racing in that moment. He knew he couldn't leave now, he knew it was going to be hard, and it only got harder when they found out Penelope had been taken, but now the thought of leaving was excruciating and damning and the last thing on his mind was leaving Penelope.
"She blames herself for all of this. She blames herself for you getting shot the most, but it was never her fault, never. She loves you Morgan and that's all you need to know. That woman values your life more than her own. She should never feel guilty for that."
"I wish this had turned out differently Kevin," Derek said solemnly, "I wish this hadn't gotten so out of control."
"I shot you, I deserve this, but Penelope and you deserve one another." He said and smile a little bitter sweetly. "Have a nice life Morgan." He told him, "Go to her."
"What if it's too late?" Derek fretted, "What if we wasted too much time."
"He won't kill her outright; he wants her to beg for her life, he wants her to say she loves me. He's not going to get that because her life ended the moment she saw you take the bullets from my gun." Kevin answered Derek's woes, "She doesn't have a life to beg for when it's here with you."
Derek gave Kevin a faint smile of gratitude, but he was not going to offer him more. All he owed Kevin was the address they had to go to.
"Morgan, maybe you should sit this one out," Rossi coached, worrying about Derek and his own injuries.
"You heard him, Rossi, it's me she needs." Derek said as he pushed through and followed the team, "I'm the one to save her this time."
As he stood in the elevator, he turned and saw Kevin, the now fully defeated man, being led away for his own doom.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- If It Hadn't Been For Love -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-