Home of Derek Morgan –
Derek wasn't surprised to see Dave at the door. He let the agent in and led him to his office on the far side of the house. There were boxes lined on all of the walls; it didn't surprise Dave that the man would want to move his family from the home where his wife had been brutally murdered. It was a beautiful home that someone had restored to its historical splendor. Soon it would become someone else's home with all of its ghosts and demons.
Just as the two men got settled in the office, Fran poked her head in the door. She was beautiful and Dave couldn't take his eyes off of her. She noticed him too and Dave felt a slight sense of encouragement as her eyes seemed to linger on him.
"Can I get you two anything?" She asked.
"Coffee would be great, thank you." Dave responded quickly.
Coffee would be a great excuse to see her again.
"Coffee sounds good, Ma."
Derek watched Dave staring after his mother; he wasn't sure how to feel about the man ogling her.
"So, what can I do for you, Agent?" Derek asked.
"Director Morris Delaney was found dead in his office early this morning."
"And you think I had something to do with that, Agent?"
"Did you?"
"This is becoming a habit, Agent. First my wife and now my boss." Derek responded sarcastically.
"I never thought you killed your wife, and I don't think you killed your boss either."
"Then why are you here?"
Fran knocked and then opened the door carrying two mugs of steaming hot coffee. Dave smiled as she handed the cup to him. Derek shook his head watching his mother blush at the attention.
"Thank you, Mrs. Morgan."
"Fran; please."
"Fran."
The door closed before the conversation continued. Dave took a sip of his coffee.
"As I said before, I don't believe you killed your boss, but I do believe you know who did."
Derek took a sip of his coffee.
"I'm afraid I can't help you Agent Rossi."
"It seems we have a friend in common, Agent Morgan."
"Really, do tell."
"Elle Greenaway."
Derek leaned back in his chair with a far-away look in his eyes.
"How do you know Elle?"
"She was with the BAU about twelve years ago before she killed an unsub and then disappeared."
"I see. It looks like we both have had quite an intense history with the US government. I still can't help you agent; I'm sorry."
The fact that Morgan referred to Elle by her first name let Dave know that the two had history. She was or had been more than just another agent and he was willing to protect her at all cost. It didn't matter that Morgan refused to help them find Elle; Dave knew their paths would cross again.
After a few more minutes, Dave left the office leaving Morgan alone. Dave was glad that he was not escorted to the door because he wanted to see Fran again. Fran looked up and smiled when she saw him enter the large kitchen. Handing her the mug he took a moment to scan the kitchen; it was quite impressive.
"Thanks for the coffee, Mrs. Morgan."
"Ahhhh..."
"I mean, Fran."
"You're welcome, agent Rossi."
"Please, call me Dave."
"Dave, it is." She gushed.
"This is a beautiful kitchen, fit for a chef!"
"Yes, I never understood why my son took such care in designing it for a woman who couldn't even burn toast."
It was obvious that Fran was not fond of her late daughter-in-law.
"Well maybe you can put it to good use."
"I'd love to, but my son has decided to sell the house. We're moving as soon as he finishes one of his other properties."
"We?"
"Yes, I've decided to move here to help my son and my grandchildren."
"Oh well perhaps you'd agree to go to dinner with me sometime."
"I'd like that."
The two shared a smile and after a few more seconds, Fran walked a smitten David Rossi to the door and said goodbye.
Derek fingered the phone in his hand trying to find the courage to call Penelope. He knew she would have questions and he wasn't quite sure how to answer them without running her away. Hopefully, her life as an FBI agent would help her understand the things he'd done in the service of his country. He had feelings for her and whatever he had felt for Savannah at one time, was nothing compared to what he felt now for Penelope. It scared him; Penelope scared him because he knew there would be no secrets, and no half-way with her.
BAU Headquarters –
"Hotch, are you sure?"
"Yes, Elle Greenaway is our killer."
"What does this have to do with Derek?" Penelope asked.
"Derek and Elle know each other."
"What?"
"She's the one that helped him escape Delaney's hit squad."
"I don't believe you."
"It's true."
"Damn, Morgan has some explaining to do." Then taking a seat across the room. "Can I trust him Hotch?"
"I don't know, Garcia. Dave's on his way back, maybe he can shed some light on Morgan and Elle's relationship."
"Relationship? You mean as a couple or partners or..."
"I don't know; just be careful, you don't know this man and he may not be who you think he is." Hotch warned.
It was too late; Penelope had passed careful a long time ago. She'd fallen for Morgan who was a mystery and now that she knew he was somehow connected to Elle, she wondered what else she needed to know about him.
Robins Nest Property –
Derek pulled into the garage and killed the engine. He'd purchased this property over a year ago and was nearly finished with the restoration. He wasn't sure why he had purchased it at the time but after he'd found out about Savannah's affair, he thought about making it his new home. The house was even larger than his current home and it didn't make sense to move there but it still spoke to his spirit and each time he worked on it he could see himself there with his children.
He'd called Penelope and she had agreed to meet him there. No one had seen this property and she would be the first. Not even his family had been given an in-person view of the place. He'd just gotten his truck unloaded when she pulled into the driveway and his stomach flipped nervously.
"Wow, this is quite a place!"
"Thank you. I'm about three weeks from being finished."
He met her halfway down the driveway and pulled her into a warm hug and just as she pulled away, he planted a sweet kiss on her lips.
"Thanks for meeting me out here. My ma and sisters are taking the kids out for the day, so I thought I'd get some work done."
"Shouldn't you be resting those ribs?"
"I'll be careful, I promise."
"I'll hold you to that."
She followed him inside; it was beautiful, and she was surprised at the elegance that was rendered to the interior from such a masculine hand. It was as if he had made room for a woman to feel comfortable here. She wondered if that woman was Elle.
"Wow!"
"You like?" He asked hopeful.
"Like is an understatement. I love it!"
He looked at her longingly and waited for her to feel comfortable enough to speak again.
"We need to talk, Derek."
"Yeah, I know; I know."
He guided her further into the house where the kitchen and great room was located. It was more amazing than the front of the house.
"I'm afraid I can only offer you beer or water."
"Beer."
Derek pulled two beers from a nearby ice chest and handed her one.
"Tell me about Elle."
Derek opened his bottle and took a sip before looking away then back at her.
"Elle is number 4."
"Number 4?"
"There's five agents in our unit; The most senior, higher ranked is 5; I'm number 5 and Elle is number 4."
"Okay, I get it."
"I met her about ten years ago, one of our agents had gotten killed and Delaney recruited her. None of us were told anything about her, but that's how Delaney operated; it kept us from getting close to each other."
"And were you close to each other; you and Elle?"
"Yeah. We'd worked together on a few cases, which was rare because we normally work alone."
"So, is that when the two of you got, close?"
"We were lovers. This work we do it takes everything from you and gives nothing back, you know? We'd just finished a really bad case, we both almost got killed and it just happened. We knew that the bureau discouraged relationships of any kind especially among its agents."
"So, you kept it a secret."
"We did. We'd meet up whenever we could, but we knew it couldn't last. Secrets always betray you."
"What happened between you two?"
"She left. We met up in Istanbul, spent three days together; it was amazing. We even talked about leaving the bureau and going away together."
"And?"
"She disappeared. I woke up one morning and she was gone no note no nothing. I hadn't seen or talked to her until a couple nights ago when she saved my life."
"Hotch believes that she killed Director Delaney."
"Is that why you're here? I told Agent Rossi that I didn't know where she was."
"No, that's not why I'm here."
"Then why?"
"I'm here for you, Derek. I'm here for the truth."
"The truth?"
"Yes."
"The truth is that I'm falling in love with you. I didn't see you coming and after Savannah..."
Penelope took his hands in hers and waited until he looked into her eyes.
"I'm not Savannah."
