New York Police Department – Manhattan Division – Morning –

"Agent Hotchner! Agent Hotchner! I'm sorry I'm so sorry! They got him! They got him!"

The young woman nearly ran into Hotch's arms in hysterics. They didn't have to be told, they knew the worst had happened; far sooner than they had expected but nonetheless, they had planned for all possible scenarios all they could hope for was that there'd be no mistakes.

"Please, calm down! Tell us what happened."

"I received a call from my mother, two men were at her apartment with guns. Then one of the men got on the phone and told me they needed a favor and if wanted to save my daughter and my mother I'd do what I was told."

The woman spent the next few minutes explaining in detail what had happened after Morgan had been lured into the alley. Penelope's heart rate sped up and a sense of doom washed over her. As if on reflex she ran to her computers and began hitting keys at lightening speed. They'd gone over this time after time and he'd assured her it would work, that she and the others would be able to find him if she stuck with the plan.

She wasn't expecting her tablet to go off so soon. They'd expected Armando to strike later in the day or maybe that evening but not this early. Her eye caught sight of the late model van headed out of the alley and the beep on her tablet told her that she needed to stay close. Emily turned on the engine and fell behind vowing not to let her friend out of her sight.

Hotch's phone rang and the room went silent. He knew who it was; only he and Dave had known she was in town. He'd called her when they had gotten the request from NYPD to assist them on a case; a little more backup wouldn't hurt and if Villarreal struck, he wouldn't be expecting her.

"You're on speaker."

"I'm following a white late model van headed down Broadway. He seems to be in a bit of a hurry."

"Emily?" JJ gasped.

"What?" Penelope began momentarily taking her attention away from her computers.

"We'll explain later." Hotch promised.

Armando along with one of the men began searching Derek while he lay on the floor of the van still unconscious.

"Check everything, I'm sure he has a tracking device on him. They were expecting me, just not so soon." He chuckled.

"Found it Jefe; the watch see?"

Armando grind as his man pulled the small disc from the back of Derek's watch. Then with a sense of accomplishment, Armando tossed the device and the watch from the window.

"Hotch, I just lost one of the trackers."

"Good, now hopefully he won't find the second one." Dave added.

"Three."

The team turned toward Penelope as she turned to meet their stares."

"Three?" Reid asked.

"Yeah…I placed a third tracker that Derek doesn't even know about."

Everyone exchanged glances and smirks with each other as they shook their heads.

"What? That's my man and I'm not taking any chances when it comes to him!"

"Well, thanks Garcia. Let's go bring him home." Hotch ordered.

Abandoned Warehouse –

Armando and the others pulled into an area of warehouses that at one time had been bustling with activity but now stood quiet, worn and isolated. Most residents of the city had long forgotten his part of town existed. Perfect for what Armando had in mind.

Derek was carried into the warehouse by the two men as Armando led the way. He gloated as the men tied their prisoner to a rusty chair. Derek began to awaken and his eyes began to adjust to the dimly lit room. As Armando paced a small circle around him the dust that had laid for many years undisturbed began to fly wildly in the air. The smell of damp mildew itched as he inhaled and fought to gain his bearings.

"Welcome, Agent Morgan, glad to see you have rejoined us."

"Where am I?"

"This is where you will spend your final moments, so I guess you can call it home."

Armando and the other two laughed; the humor was lost on Derek as he struggled against the bindings around his wrist.

"Why do you hate me so much? You don't even know me, and I've never done anything to you." Derek asked calmly.

"Oh, but you did, agent. You took the one person I loved more than anything in the world."

"Savannah? I didn't know you were involved with her. So, if anything you should be mad with her."

Derek felt the sting of Armando's fist across his face at the mention of Savannah. Turning his head to spit the blood on the floor, he was met with another hit and another.

"But not to worry, I know she loves me and soon after you're dead, I will raise our son to be just like me."

"Your son?"

"Yes, my son. Hank is the son that Savannah will share between us. He won't remember you and he will be groomed to be the king of all that I have acquired."

"Hank is not your son!"

"He will be strong, not weak like…like you!"

"Hank. Is. My. Son!"

"Are you sure, agent? Are you?"

Emily made her way toward the warehouse entrance. She was surprised that Villarreal had not made any effort at securing the front of the building. Slowly she searched the perimeter to make sure there were no surprises. Checking her watch, she called the team for an update on their arrival.

"We're five minutes out, Emily."

"Good, Armando seems to be having a good time using Derek as a punching bag. I'm out numbered, and I don't want to get him killed, so I'll stay put until you all get here."

"Sounds like a plan, in fact we're parking now."

"I get it."

"What do you get?"

"It must make your flesh crawl when you think about all the nights me and Savannah spent together while you lay awake and alone in that big lonely villa, am I right?"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Think about it Armando, she could have been with you, but she chose me!"

"Shut up!"

"Damn it Derek, what are you doing? Do you want him to kill you?" Emily said to herself as she listened from the door.

"How did it feel to know that Savannah was pregnant, and it was with me? Did you think I'd let you raise my son?"

The blow to his midsection caught him off guard because it had come from one of the men who until now had stood by silently observing the two sparring against each other. Then the other man joined and began hitting Derek as well.

"Enough!"

The two men did as they were told.

"I thought by now you would have learned that I always win; ALWAYS!"

Morgan, now in pain and gasping shook his head, no. He wasn't giving up not now and not to this man. He'd promised Penelope that the plan would work and that he'd be home with her again.

Hotch and the others joined Emily at the door, and he couldn't help but see the relief on her face.

"What took you so long?"

"Traffic."

"Are you ready to die, Agent Morgan?"

Derek saw the gun that was nearly touching his forehead. He stared up at the man who was determined to prove that he was indeed the better man. Unfortunately for Armando Villarreal, he would never be the better man and he'd grown confident which was in disobedience to the first rule of business in his line of work. So, here he stood relishing in what seemed to be a sure win, a fore gone conclusion to the life of a man that had become a constant reminder that he wasn't good enough. Armando saw the truth of what everyone had ever told him, that he was nothing and that he'd never amount to anything worthwhile.

"FBI! FREEZE!"

Armando's finger pulled against the resistant trigger. He was willing to gamble that his bullet would reach his victim's head before the FBI could talk him into surrendering. It was that confidence others would say later that had actually ended his life.

Then three shots rang out and once again the old damp mildewed dust flew frantically around the room as the bodies hit the floor.