A.N: please don't kill me, but Penelope is a little insensitive towards JJ in this one. I hope you still like it. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed alerted and added to favorites. You guys rock. Now on with the show.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter nine

Three days from present April 2011

The second Morgan flipped Emily's phone closed, she knew Penelope had hung up on him. Quietly making her way out of the bull pen pulling her own cell as she went and dialing the well worn numbers.

"Kitten please tell me that ass was lying?" came Penelope's strained voice.

"Hello to you to Garcia," JJ replied pacing the floor watching Rossi walk towards her. She held up a hand to stop him while speaking, "I'm sorry Pen, but you know Morgan would never lie to you no matter what has happened over the last two years."

A deep sigh pulled from her lips, as she rested her head in a hand, "I know and that's what kills me. But honestly does he think just because he goes all caveman on me that I'll drop everything and come running back. No I won't and there's nothing he can say that will make me change my mind."

"Penelope," JJ groaned, knowing this would be a loosing battle, but she had to try, "he's right though. We need you, Hotch needs you. With him back, he's not going to stop this time you know that. This is just the first in a long string of dead bodies that he will leave. All we," she paused feeling Rossi's large hand come to rest on her shoulder giving her strength. "All Morgan wants is for you to be safe."

There was a long pause as Penelope thought about her words, "I'm just as safe here, JJ as I would be there. Mac wouldn't let anything happen or have you forgotten his just as protective as Hotch was. I mean I know it's been just two years, but these guys wouldn't let anything happen to me. "

Her words were like a dagger to JJ's heart, Penelope had once thought that about them, but now she had a different family, "No I haven't Pen, but it's not the same as having you here with us. I don't want to pressure you into anything, but at least think about it."

A deep sigh left her lips, "I'll think about it Jayje, but I'm not promising anything, I left Quantico for a reason, thinking I'd never have to come back."

Another nail in the coffin, "I know Pen, but you have come back for our weekends," she paused fighting the hurt from invading her voice. "Just like I said, think about it."

"And Morgan?"

"We'll keep him off your back as long as we can, but I can't promise anything," JJ answered.

"Then I will think about it sweet heart, I'll talk to you later honey."

"Later, and Pen?"

"Yea kitten," Penelope answered.

"We miss you," JJ breathed feeling a tear slip from her eye.

"Miss you to peaches," she answered hanging up.

"She's not coming is she," David asked deep voice filled with compassion for the little woman standing next to him.

Hurt, sad eyes looked up at him, "I don't know Dave. She said, she's think about it."

"That's all we can hope for Bella, for now," David replied than a noise and load voices gained his attention.

"Damn it Prentiss I don't care. This case is to damn important, to much is resting on it catching that son of a bitch to worry about her feelings. Now let me be, I have a plane to book and packing," came Derek's deep pained voice.

He appeared, looking even more haggard than before. Rossi turned around catching his stocking form, "Halt you are not going anywhere Morgan."

"Like hell I'm not," he breathed panting from the tension and anger coursing through his veins.

"NO you're not you damn fool. If it hadn't been for you and that damn temper of yours she'd be on her way here now. But no you just had to take control, unlike last time. This is solely your fault that she's just thinking about coming home. As God and all these people are my witness you will hurt if anything should happen to her when she decided not to come home. And hell be damned if I let it slide you will pay," JJ yelled the tiny spit fire standing up to him. A surprising sight to everyone, as she turned and stocked away.

"That is no threat Morgan it's a promise one that I will personally help her back up," Rossi stated, turning on his heels and following JJ back to her office.

Eyes shocked wide, Morgan just stood, there a second taking in her words, before turning away from the elevators, Reid, Prentiss and Kristine standing there watching the display, "Don't you three have work to do."

Emily just shook her head, "She's right you push Pen anymore and she won't come, hell she may even go under ground again. Just let it and her be, Mac will look after her."

That name again, he clenched his fists beside his body, knowing deep within he didn't have any real reason, but selfish ones for wanting her to come home, for pushing it as far as he had. Worried hell yea he was, so much that he'd be willing to suffer the wrath of hurricane JJ to go and bring her back. Unfortunately, not one of more brighter ideas, but damn it to hell he missed Penelope and wanted her back, not that he'd say that out loud to anyone.

New York crime lab A/V lab

"Penelope you ok," a deep male voice asked from the glass doorway.

Her head whipped up, brown, yellow framed eyes, staring into deep blues, "Fine Mac," she returned turning away from him.

He sighed, seeing with his own eyes that she wasn't fine, "Bull shit Penelope I know something's wrong. Adam came running to my office saying that you got some call that upset you so much that you paled. He's worried that something happened and frankly, seeing you like this so am I."

"It's nothing Mac honest."

"Penelope Garcia, don't make me get Stella you know she can get anything from you that you with hold."

She sighed turning back to Mac, "Remember I told you about the team of profilers, my family, back in Quantico," seeing him nod she continues, "Emily called a few minutes ago, a man, one of the serial killers we tracked a few years ago, the one that escaped well he's back. And while Emily was telling me what happened and that I should come home, Morgan grabbed the phone, threaten to come get me himself."

"Morgan the one, who…"

"Broke my heart and part of the reason I left in the first place, yea," she answered dropping her head back into her hands. "I just don't know what to do Mac. I mean I know why they want me, but how can I face him, after all this time. Besides I'm just as safe here as I am there."

Taking a seat in front of her Mac choose his words well, "Do they think you're in danger of this man?" she nodded, "They just want you close Pen, to make sure he can't harm you. I would do the same for any member of my team that includes you, so I can see were they are coming from."

"That's just it Mac, I can stay here and work and be protected just fine. So what if he knows where I live," at Mac's gasp she knew she'd said too much.

"How do you know that?"

"Pictures, the scam bag had been taking pictures of me and the rest of the team sent them to Morgan."

"If that's the truth than we need to either get you into protective custody, having someone watch you all the time, or and I know you won't like this Pen, but you'd have to go home. I have to unfortunately agree with Morgan on this one, if he knows where you live than he won't stop at nothing to get to you. For your own protection maybe it's best if you do go home."

"So you side with him to," Penelope exploded raising from her chair so fast that it sliding half way across the titled floor.

"No I'm not siding with anyone Pen, I want what's best for you and if that means leaving then so be it. I'll even escort you back."

Sighing in defeat, she lowered her head, and in a whisper she asked, "What if I can't stand being around him?"

"Then don't be Pen, do the job your best at, and help find the sick bastard and come back. But if for any reason you feel that home is back there then take that chance. Don't pass up a life with someone you truly love over something that may not have been what you thought."

A bitter chuckle escaped her lips, "The optimist as always Mac."

She thanks God everyday for the people who after she left Virginia, helped put her life back together. Granted she had help from both Emily and JJ as well but the eight people she met and worked with had became a second family to her. one that she would miss in the long run, but that wouldn't happen no matter what she told herself Morgan had moved on or so she thought, without her and was living his life. All she had left were memories of the good times they shared, a few photos, and his wore football jersey she could bare to part with and put in that box.

Two days later

"You can do this like all the other times when you came to work," he advised a reassuring hand on her back.

"It feels so different but at the same time the same," she responded approaching the glass doorway leading to her past.

Slowly she pushed it aside feeling multiple set of eyes come to rest on her, yet it was the set of pained brown eyes, standing not three feet away that took her breath and made her heart beat fast inside her chest. He still looked so good, standing there in a dark purple dress shirt and black slacks, he'd grown a goatee and a sparse amount of hair, making him good enough to eat.

'Damn this is going to be harder than I thought,' she voiced inside her head, eyes traveling up to his face to look deep into the soul of a tortured and anger man.

End note: ok so please don't stone me for leaving it there, but I had to, and the next chapter will be what Hotch's been up to. I hoe you enjoyed let me know.