Potomac General Hospital – Evening

Once again Penelope and Fran found themselves out in the waiting room. This time it wasn't because of an emergency. The doctor had insisted they step out while he examined his patient. It had been six hours since they'd administered the antidote and he was hoping for some signs of improvement. Fran wanted to be hopeful but as a nurse herself she knew the odds and she knew that his chances were fifty-fifty at best. Still, more than that she knew her son and she knew how stubborn and strong he was; fifty-fifty odds were more than enough for him to pull through.

Penelope refused to give up and so she paced the floor of the small waiting room not because she was hopeless but because she wanted to believe that she'd be taking her husband home soon so that they could prepare for Christmas in a few weeks. She'd gotten the call that both Sam and Savannah were in custody and for that she was relieved. She had been foolish to trust the two and for that she'd always blame herself for what happened. Still she was able to grab a little satisfaction in knowing that Savannah and Sam would rot in jail where they belonged.

Hotch, Rossi, JJ and Reid arrived and joined the two just before the doctor entered the waiting room. The group surrounded the man waiting on a progress report.

"It's working!"

The gasps of the group stopped him momentarily as he smiled at the faces surrounding him.

"He's weak but that's understandable considering what he's been through. Mrs. Rossi again I must tell you that if you had not been concerned and took the steps to have those vitamins analyzed your son would be dead by now."

Dave pulled his wife to him as he wrapped a strong arm around her waist.

"Thank you doctor." She said weakly.

"You're quite welcome."

"Can we see him doctor?"

Penelope hadn't said a word since the doctor came out until now…nor had she breathed. But now she could and she felt almost light-headed and giddy as she nearly ran into the doctor before he could respond to her question, which drew a relieved chuckle from the others.

"Yes, by all means."

The doctor smiled again as he watched her breeze by. Hotch and Rossi shook the man's hand and followed quickly behind.

She wanted to run and jump on the bed with him but she decided against it. He was awake and the breathing tube had been removed. He looked tired even though he'd been in a virtual state of sleep for almost twenty-four hours. He struggled to lift his hand beckoning her to come closer and she complied willingly. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed she leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips. He brought his hands to her face lightly running them down her cheeks to wipe the tears away.

"Hello Handsome."

"Hey."

"How are you feeling?"

"Better now that you're here."

"Where else would I be, My Love?"

He smiled and looked deeply into her eyes. He saw her love for him and the worry. It broke his heart because he knew she'd worried and put her health in jeopardy by not sleeping and eating. No one had to tell him all of this; he knew her better than anyone.

"How's the little one?"

His hands moved to her stomach and she followed placing hers on his.

"Just fine. Just fine."

Then the door opened and his mother followed by his friends flooded the room. All of them even Hotch and Rossi had remnants of red eyes and tears. He pretended not to see and he silently promised himself never to mention it. JJ moved to the other side of his bed and kissed him on the forehead.

"You're looking a lot better."

"Thanks, JJ. I feel better."

"Yeah you had us worried."

"You're not getting rid of me that easy, Pretty Boy."

Reid fidgeted as a nervous smile crossed his face like always when Morgan would call him that.

"So tell me what happened."

Quantico Police Department – Later –

Both Savannah and Sam sat alone in separate cells. They'd both been booked on charges of attempted murder and were due to be arraigned in the morning. She'd been so sure of herself and in her mind her plan to kill Derek and make Penelope a widow was fool proof. She'd blackmailed a friend from medical school and he had designed a drug that would kill Derek slowly and painfully in a week. Sam her hopeless lover had agreed to join her in the twisted plan and so after a nasty breakup, months and months of pouting and planning everything was set. She had no idea what had gone wrong.

She hated orange. She despised the ugly orange jumpsuit she was forced to change into after her arrest. But here she was stripped of her designer suit, shoes and handbag. Sam no doubt was dressed in a matching one as he too sat in the men's section of the county jail. By now the doctors had given Derek the antidote thanks to her horny lover. Her only regret was that she hadn't slipped him a few of the vitamins before the Calvary burst through her door. She had nothing to look forward to now but a long life in prison. Derek and Penelope would be free to have a life together and raise their baby and…be happy. Somehow it didn't seem right and she wasn't ready to give up not yet.

A smile crept across her face. She hadn't had much to smile about since her arrest but she always had a backup plan. Her mother had taught her that as a child and she still remembered. "Never put all your eggs in one basket." Her mother was a wise woman and she'd passed down her wisdom to her only child. She wasn't done with Morgan or Garcia not yet. No matter how long it took she'd pay them both back for what they had done to her. Her life was ruined because of them and they had to pay. As a matter of fact, Sam would pay too for betraying her. After all she'd done for him…and to him, he'd turned her in like two-dollar lottery ticket. His days were numbered. She had no place in her life for a backstabbing wimp.

Savannah looked around her small dingy cell then running her hand across the thin wool blanket that covered the worn mattress she smiled again. Things could have been worse, she thought. Perhaps before it was all over it would be but for now she was ready to put her next plan into motion. By now, Derek, Penelope and the others were comfortable in believing that they'd won. But they were wrong, all of them. She still had a phone call and she knew just who to call.

"Sleep well, my love…this isn't over! No, it's not over at all! I'm just getting started!"

And with that she began to bang on her cell causing a raucous and demanding to be heard.

"I WANT MY PHONE CALL AND I WANT IT NOW!"

Potomac General Hospital – Later –

Fran, Dave and the rest of their crew had said goodnight leaving Penelope and Derek alone. He was exhausted and he was fighting to stay awake. Happy with his last set of tests, the doctors had promised to discharge him tomorrow morning. Of course he had to promise to take it easy for a few days but he was happy to know that he didn't have to stay there much longer. The room was quiet and the two lay in his bed wrapped tightly in each other's arms.

"Sleep my love. I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't want to miss a moment with you. Not after nearly…"

"Shh…"

She pulled away slightly placing her index finger on his lips.

"I don't want to talk about that, Handsome."

He pulled her tighter as she laid her head on his chest.

"Baby Girl, I'm so sorry for bringing Savannah into our lives; I should have known better than to think she'd changed and was capable of being just friends. She was good and I believed her."

"We all believed her. I believed her too and Sam! Both of them are sick!"

He kissed the top of her head as his eyes slowly began to win the battle.

"We know how to pick them don't we?" She chuckled against him.

"Yeah I guess we do. It's over now, Baby Girl and we're going to put it behind us. Can we do that?"

"We can do that. Now you, my amazingly handsome and sexy husband, get some sleep I've got plans for you when I get you home and you'll need all of your strength."

"I'm looking forward to that, Sweetness!"

With that the two fell into a deep comfortable sleep unaware that it wasn't over not by a long shot and before the New Year their lives would once again be in peril.