A/N: First, a belated Happy New Year to one and all. Second, sorry for the late updates for each of my stories, but I've not only developed writer's block on each one, but can't get my mind to focus. So, I took a step back from writing and left it alone for a while. Too many things on my mind I guess. But, I'm trying to work my way through things without my muse who is still on sabbatical.

Chapter 14

Darryl Wheaton's eyes took in the drab interior of the interrogation room as he let out a deep breath. Although he would never openly admit it to anyone, he was scared. He didn't care what happened to him personally; but he was scared he would never see his daughter again. He bowed his head and slowly shook it. What scared him the most was that once the man in charge discovered he'd been arrested, he had no reason to keep Alana alive. Maybe he would first try to talk his way out of his predicament. He glanced at the shackles around his wrists with the chain running through a loop attached to the underside of the table. He had the same shackles around his ankles which were connected to the front legs of the chair in which he was seated. If that didn't work, he would then try and convince them he had no choice. Lifting his head, he stared at the one-way mirror on the wall across from him, aware he was being watched.

They're never gonna understand I had no choice. I attacked a federal agent. But I have to make them understand. I have to save my daughter, even if I go to prison. Aaron is a federal agent and they're gonna bury me. Wheaton lifted his eyes up toward the ceiling and swallowed the lump in his throat as his eyes became moist. I'm sorry, Alana. I'm so, so sorry.

On the opposite side of the one-way mirror, Reid and JJ studied the prisoner. Reid's hands were stuck in his pants pockets, while JJ's arms were folded across her chest.

JJ shook her blond hair. "He just doesn't strike me as being the Rohypnol rapist. I mean, look at him, Spence. He's a nervous wreck."

"I agree," Reid responded. "But we saw him on the surveillance tape at the bar with Hotch. He was present when the bartender tampered with Hotch's drink. And he escorted Hotch out of the bar after he'd been drugged. At best, if he isn't our Unsub, or the partner, he might be able to give us some information. And if he can tell us something, that at least makes him a person of interest, and somebody we need to question."

"You're right, Spence," the blond replied with a grim expression.

"We're also still waiting for the results of the blood test. If the sample taken matches one of the two samples taken from Hotch, maybe we can get him to roll on his partner," Reid added. He glanced at the blond for a few seconds as JJ bowed her head and shook it. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's just…" JJ sighed wearily. "Hotch is going to be devastated. I would be if I found out a friend I had known for years had assaulted me." She looked at the man she consider her little brother. "How long is he going to stay in there?"

Reid shrugged. "Rossi wants Wheaton to have time to worry about what's going to happen before they question him." He checked his watch. "He and Morgan should be here in a few minutes." Seconds after he said that, footsteps were heard. Both agents looked around to see Rossi and Morgan approaching. From their grim expressions, they suspected something had happened and that it wasn't good.

"Has something happened to Hotch?" the blond asked with trepidation in her voice.

"On the way back here," Rossi began as he and Morgan joined the others at the window. Rossi had a brown folder tucked under his arm. "We received a phone call from Hotch's doctor. Apparently Hotch had a panic attack after claiming somebody was in his room. The doctor was forced to sedate him and advised no visitors until he sees how Hotch is in the morning. He promised to call me once he examines him again tomorrow." He saw the concerned looks on their faces, and understood they were as scared as he and Morgan were at hearing the news.

Morgan stared at the prisoner. "He ask for a lawyer yet?"

"He hasn't said anything since he was brought in," JJ replied.

"Check 'im out," Rossi remarked, hands in his pockets. "He looks like he's scared of his own shadow."

Morgan glanced at the older man, anger in his eyes. "That could be just for us." He wanted to pound Wheaton into the floor for what he had done to Hotch. He ground his teeth so hard he felt his jaw would break.

"I don't think so," Rossi answered calmly. He was angry as well, but did his best to hide it. He understood none of them can afford to lose it with their suspect. It would only serve as fuel to be used by a good defense attorney. "But something is definitely off with this guy." He glanced sideways. "Derek, I understand you're angry over what this guy may have done to Hotch. So am I. But when we go in there, if you can't keep a lid on your temper, it might be best for me to question him alone. We have to do this by the book. Aaron would expect nothing less from us."

Morgan understood what his friend was telling him. He let out a deep breath and faced the older man. "I won't lie to you, Rossi. I want nothing better than to pummel this guy for what he did to Hotch. But I understand I can't. Also, this isn't about me. This is about Hotch, and making sure this guy pays for what he did to 'im. I promise I'll do my best to keep it together in there."

Rossi smiled at the agent. "That's good enough for me, Derek. Now let's try and get a confession." He glanced briefly at JJ and Reid before he turned and opened the door of the interrogation room. He walked inside with Morgan right behind him.

Wheaton looked up when he heard the door open, and his body tensed when Morgan and Rossi entered the room and closed the door. They approached and stood on the opposite side of the metal table staring at him. The agents sensed the man seemed eager to get something off his chest.

"I'm SSA David Rossi, and this is SSA Derek Morgan," Rossi announced, dropping the folder onto the table, pulling out a chair, and sitting across from the prisoner. Morgan stood to the side with arms folded across his chest glaring harshly at Wheaton who, after a glance at Morgan, turned his eyes back to Rossi. Anything to avoid the stare of the black agent who, to Wheaton, wanted to rip him to shreds. Not that he would have blamed him.

"How is AM?" he asked quietly knowing he was treading on thin ice by asking.

"You have no right to ask about Agent Hotchner after what you've done, you bastard!" Morgan hissed. A warning glance from Rossi made Morgan shut his mouth.

Rossi clasped his hands on top of the folder and studied the man across from him.

"AM? Is that how you refer to Agent Hotchner?"

Wheaton exhaled through his nose. "I've been calling him that since Georgetown. Please, I need to know. Is he all right?"

"He's alive if that's what you're worried about," Rossi added. "And the doctors say he will recover." He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "Why is whether Agent Hotchner is alive so important to you, Darryl?"

"Because I care about him despite what happened. I know what you're thinking. But he is one of my best friends. Has been since Georgetown."

"Is that where you and Agent Hotchner first met? Georgetown?"

"Yeah. We were both studying law and ended up being roommates. We hit it off the first time we met. Hung out together all the time. I guess you might say we were pretty much inseparable."

Morgan snorted in disgust. "If you were so inseparable, then how come you took off right after graduation without a word to anybody, not even your supposed best friend."

Wheaton hung his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I just needed to leave. To get away from everything." He raised his head and looked at the older man with a weak grin. "What is it the kids say? I needed to find myself?"

Rossi smirked. "And did you? Find yourself?"

"I did. Things started to get better after a while. Managed to get a job as a paralegal."

"If things were, as you said, starting to get better," Morgan began. "…then why did you quit your job as a paralegal and leave Milwaukee so suddenly?"

"I…I didn't want to stay there anymore." Wheaton looked away and stared at a spot on the wall.

"Didn't or couldn't?" Morgan hissed through gritted teeth.

Wheaton turned his head toward the agent. "What are you asking?"

Morgan leaned forward with palms flat on the table. He brought his face close to Wheaton's. "I'm asking you if you had to leave Milwaukee. It's a simple question."

"I didn't have to leave. I wanted to leave."

"You sure you didn't leave because once Agent Hotchner left Milwaukee, you had to follow him back here?" Morgan's eyes grew hard.

Wheaton's eyes narrowed as he looked at Morgan in amazement. "What are you saying? You can't possibly believe that…."

"I'll tell you what I believe, you bastard," Morgan hissed. "I believe when we were in Milwaukee you stalked Agent Hotchner with the intent of making him your next victim. But because he was never alone, you weren't able to get to him. So once he left Milwaukee and returned to Quantico, you pulled up stakes, followed him here, and attacked him."

"You've got it all wrong," Wheaton stammered. "I didn't do anything."

Rossi calmly opened the folder and removed a photo of Todd Westlake. He slid it across the table. "Recognize him?" he asked with clasped hands, eyes again on Wheaton. The two agents noticed the subtle reaction of Wheaton when he saw the photo. The man sighed and looked up at Rossi.

"Never saw him before," he said shakily. "Who is he?"

"Funny you should say that, Darryl," Rossi explained. "See, we have the surveillance footage from the Serendipity the night you and Agent Hotchner were there. After he stepped outside to use his cell phone, you were seen speaking with the man in this photo. This man then poured the contents of a vial into Agent Hotchner's drink. The same vial you were seen handing to this same bartender. According to the lab results, Agent Hotchner had Rohypnol in his bloodstream."

Wheaton shook his head. "I didn't do anything," he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Look, man," Morgan stated. He noticed Wheaton wasn't paying him any attention. So he slammed a fist on the table so hard the table shook, and caused Wheaton to jump in his seat. "Look at me when I speak to you, you son-of-a-bitch!" The man raised his head. "You say you didn't do anything? Then I want you to tell us why we found your semen in and on Agent Hotchner when he was found?"

Wheaton gave up trying to talk his way out of this mess. "I….I didn't have any choice."

Rossi arched an eyebrow. "You didn't have any choice? What does that mean?"

"I….I needed help with a problem." Wheaton bowed his head again. "With what AM does for a living, I knew he'd be able to help me. So I called him and asked him to meet me at the Serendipity."

"For what?" Morgan asked, skeptical.

Wheaton looked at Morgan. "To help save my daughter."

Rossi and Morgan exchanged confused looks before both stared at Wheaton.

"What has your daughter got to do with you attacking Agent Hotchner?" asked Rossi.

Wheaton's lower lip quivered and his eyes became moist. "I was ordered to lure AM to the Serendipity and make sure to slip him the Rohypnol. After he was under its effects, I was to escort him from the bar and bring him to him. At first I refused to do what he wanted. But then he showed me proof that he had my daughter and would kill her unless I did what he wanted. She's only ten years old. I had no choice."

Rossi's eyes narrowed. "So what you're telling us is that your daughter was kidnapped to force you to help drug and assault Agent Hotchner. Is that your story now?"

"It's not a story. He showed me a photo of my daughter being held in a room somewhere. I didn't know where it was. He never said. He said she would stay alive as long as I did what he told me to do." Wheaton swallowed the building lump in his throat.

"He said something else, didn't he?" Rossi inquired.

Wheaton nodded. "He…he said if I tried to double cross him or refuse, he would do to Alana what he did to AM. And then he would kill her. I couldn't let her pay for my mistakes."

"What mistakes are those, Darryl?" asked Rossi. The look in Wheaton's eyes told the older profiler the man was telling the truth.

"They're too many to mention. But my biggest mistake were getting involved with that bastard who got me and Alana into this mess. My other is for what I did to AM."

"And what did you do to Agent Hotchner, Darryl?" asked Morgan, his voice a bit softer this time. Like Rossi, he believed Wheaton although, in his eyes, it didn't excuse what he did to Hotch. He straightened up and crossed his arms across his chest.

Wheaton let out a deep breath, then swallowed hard. "I…that is, after he had raped, sodomized, and beaten AM. He threatened to rape Alana if…if…." He left the sentence unfinished.

"If you didn't rape and sodomize Agent Hotchner as well," Rossi finished it for him. Wheaton nodded slowly. "Anything else?"

"He…he demanded that I kill him by strangling him, but I couldn't go through with that part. So I strangled him until he had passed out. I checked his pulse, and pretended he was dead. Thinking AM was dead, he insisted I help him dump his body in an alley somewhere across town. Afterward, we went our separate ways."

"What about Alana?" asked Morgan.

"He still has her. I…I told him since I was finished doing what he wanted, he could release her. He…he told me he'll decide when I'm finished."

"We can get a sketch artist in here in a few minutes. You can give a description of this guy. He could be the Rohypnol rapist," Rossi remarked. His eyebrows knitted together watching Wheaton shake his head negatively.

"Why are you refusing to give a description?" asked Morgan. "Once we know what he looks like, it gives us our best chance of catching this guy and getting your daughter back. I'd think you'd want to help your child."

"And I want to," Wheaton looked between the two agents. "But I can't. I never saw his face."

"What do you mean?" asked Rossi.

"I mean most of our communication was by telephone. Every time we had to meet in person, he'd wear a rubber mask to hide his face from me. Even when I watched him attack AM, he was wearing that damned rubber mask."

Rossi and Morgan exchanged concerned looks.

"What are you thinkin', Rossi?"

"I'm thinkin' this case just became a whole lot more complicated," the older man replied. He focused on Wheaton. "Can you tell us anything about this guy? Anything at all?"

Wheaton shook his head no.

"Anything you can tell us could be important," Morgan added.

"He's obsessed with AM."

"What makes you say that?" asked Morgan.

"After we dumped AM in that alley, he kept talking about how much he enjoyed having a fed and it was too bad he was dead. But after the newscast, it was like...like he became invigorated. He kept saying how much he wanted to experience AM again because he liked the way he responded."

"Son of a bitch!" Morgan hissed.

"But there's something else you should know," Wheaton said.

Rossi arched his eyebrows. "Like what?"

"The last time he phoned me was after the news story broke that AM was still alive. He was furious at me for lying. I tried to convince him I really thought he was dead. Then he told me I can make it up to him."

"And how could you do that?"

"He wants to have AM again then kill him right under the noses of the FBI."

Both agents were stunned by this revolution.

"But Agent Hotchner is in the hospital under guard," Morgan explained. "How does he expect to get to him?"

"He wants me to arrange for the two of us to get into his hospital room so he can rape & sodomize him again. He's ordered me to take part or Alana will pay. He also indicated that…that he would be using a gun to sodomize him with this time, and wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger while doing it. He used a gun the last time. Afterwards, he wants me to strangle AM until he's dead this time. I can guarantee he won't hesitate to do what he's threatened to if he gets his hands on him again. Or kill my daughter if he doesn't."