Potomac General Hospital – Morning

He hadn't slept all night. How could he sleep? He felt like the victim of a sick prank pulled by the very people who should never ever want to pull a prank on him. He wanted to confront his mother and yell and scream and call her out as a lie and a fake. She'd always been the standard for honesty, integrity and everything that was pure and right in his life but now…now she seemed…human. Everyone was entitled to at least one mistake but this wasn't a mistake it was a well thought out conspiracy and he couldn't help but take it personal.

"But it's not about you, Derek."

He'd heard it too many times to count; Hotch, Garcia…both admonishing him to not take things so personal but he was pissed and he wanted to know why the fact that he had an older brother was kept from him and his sisters.

The first lesson he'd learned in school was not to get personally involved with his patients but Derek was more than just a patient. He'd been restless since his conversation with David Rossi and he wanted another opportunity to speak with Fran. It was early…much too early for his appointment with Derek but he headed toward his room, two cups of hot coffee in hand and an excuse that he was in the vicinity just in case he was asked. As he pushed the door open he suddenly wished he hadn't made the promise to Fran not to tell him who he was but he had and being the man that he was he'd kept her secret.

"Good morning!"

Derek looked up to see the man coming through the door. There was a resemblance and he wondered why he hadn't noticed it until now. Walking toward him in an unusually chipper mood, he placed one of the cups on the tray in front of him.

"It's a little early isn't it?"

Jason smiled taking a sip from his styro foam cup.

"You definitely aren't a morning person are you?"

He wasn't in the mood for smiles and good moods.

"No I guess I'm not."

He watched as the man pulled up a chair and sat down a little too close for his liking. He wanted to talk to his mother; he wanted to know why this man was here, sitting pretending that he didn't know the truth.

"Today is the day, remember?"

He'd totally forgotten that today was going to be his first attempt to walk on his own. He'd taken steps using a walker and then the stationary parallel bars but today was going to determine how far along in his recovery he'd really come.

"Yeah, I remember."

Jason noticed his foul disposition and the look of disinterest on his face. He'd worked hard and had come a long way in his recovery and the fact that he was ready to take his first steps should have at least put a small grin on his face.

"Why are you here?"

"I had to drop off some progress reports before the doctors made morning rounds so since I was here I thought I'd stop in."

Jason saw something in his eyes; something he'd only seen once before. It was the same look that he had on his face the day he'd decided to end his life by rolling into traffic nearly making an innocent driver an accomplice in his death. He'd sworn it wasn't intentional and that he wasn't trying to kill himself but that would be a subject that would always be one for debate and more likely never to be discussed again. There was something foreboding in the way he stared intently into his face not flinching, but determined and angry.

She wanted to catch him before he left for therapy she needed to see him and tell him the truth. Her nerves were getting the best of her and she was happy that she hadn't turned down Dave's offer to come along. She was tired of carrying this alone and as she neared his room she tightened her grip on his hand. It suddenly dawned on her that no one knew about the two of them… she had a lot to come clean about.

She wasn't expecting to see them both as she pushed open the door and entered the room. Jason was surprised too and jumped at the sight of her and Dave. Morgan on the other hand, looked coldly at her and she even felt a chill in the air.

"Maybe I should leave you all alone. Derek, I'll come back in an hour to get you."

He took a step toward the door.

"No. Please, stay I think you both need to be here for this."

Morgan glanced at Jason then Dave and finally back at his mother. He hadn't said a word and that hadn't gone unnoticed by Rossi. Jason nodded and stepped back while Fran approached the bed. He saw the fear in her eyes as she struggled to begin.

"I've wondered if this day would ever come." She began with a nervous chuckle. "I was sure I didn't want it to come."

She shot a quick glance at Jason.

"I need to tell you something…something I should have shared a long time ago."

Dave impulsively stepped behind her placing his hands on her shoulders. Confused, Derek looked questioningly at the two in front of him.

"Does someone want to tell me what's going on with, this?" He pointed motioning toward his mother and Dave.

"Are you two together?"

"Yeah, Morgan, we are."

He pulled her firmly against his body much to Morgan's shock.

"What? When? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to get you upset."

"Well, I'm upset! Dave, I work with you everyday and you never thought it would be a good idea to tell me you were dating my mother?"

Dave didn't have an excuse and he felt as if what he and Fran had was cheapened somehow. He searched for words but he found none.

"Morgan…I wanted to tell you…I'm sorry I should have but…"

"I didn't want him to…" She interrupted.''

"Damn, and here I thought you were here to tell me that Jason was my brother!"

Fran felt her knees buckle and if it had not been for Dave she surely would have hit the floor. Her jaw dropped, Jason was stunned and Morgan's odd mood earlier suddenly made sense. Dave still had no words all he was good for was holding Fran steady on her feet.

"What did you say?"

She felt a rush of shame overwhelm her. The fire and anger in his eyes caused her to look away needing to blame someone for taking her chance to explain away. There was Jason in the corner he hadn't spoken a word. He had promised not to tell.

"Did you tell him?" She yelled.

"NO! I didn't say a…"

"It wasn't him, mother."

"How did you find out?" Her voice trembled.

"For now let's just say a little birdy told me."

"Fran, I'm so sorry…" Jason began.

Devastated, she pulled away from Dave and turned toward the door wanting desperately to run and hide. It seemed so much easier than facing her truth and the fury of her son.

"Did you cheat on my father? Ma? Talk to me! Did you let some other man knock you up?"

"Derek!"

"No, you wanted to talk, so talk! What did you do when you found out you were pregnant with someone else's bastard? Did you throw him in the dumpster or drop him off at the church, what?"

Now Jason wanted to run but there was nowhere to run. He couldn't run from himself. Derek was saying all the things he'd believed about himself for years. He'd felt like someone's garbage, unwanted and unloved. He watched as Fran broke down and he felt for the woman who'd carried the pain of him all of her life. How could she want him? He was the evidence of evil and now he understood how she regretted his birth.

"That's not what happened!" She choked out.

"How then, Ma? Tell me how it happened that you have another child and I'm just now finding out about it? Do Sarah and Des know about this?"

"No, they don't know yet."

"Derek, please just calm down and let her explain."

"Explain what, Dave? That my mother cheated on my father and had another child? I think that pretty much explains it all, don't you?"

"Derek Morgan if I didn't think your mother would disapprove, I'd drag your sorry ass out of that bed and beat you into the middle of next week!" Dave shouted.

Fran grabbed Dave as he took a step toward the bed holding him in place.

"Stop it, both of you!"

Fran found strength from somewhere she didn't know where but she found herself moving closer to the bed returning the raging glare back on her ailing son. He flinched slightly as she stopped close enough for him to feel her breath on his face. The room was eerily silent now heavy with pain, and questions, old guilt and shame that should have never been hers to bear. Then exhaling for all the years she'd carried the memories of that night and the memories of being forced to carry a child that she never planned and the memories of pretending that none of it had ever happened, she was ready to spill her truth.

He'd gone too far he'd allowed his emotions to overcome him and he wished he could have the last few minutes back. There was more but it was too late to remain silent and his words no doubt would be held against him and no apology, no regret would make what he'd just said to his mother go away.

"You want to know what happened, Derek? Really, because I don't think you do. It would be so easy to think you were right about me. Hell, I wish you were right it would make things so much easier."

"Ma, I shouldn't have said…"

"No! You need to know because you were quick to judge me like everyone else has always been quick to judge me."

Derek looked away not knowing what was coming next but he'd never seen her like this, never heard her sound so hurt and angry before.

"I was raped."