He looked away; it was only for a second to look at the woman next to him whom he loved more than life itself. She'd made him happier than he could ever imagine being and she had no clue that she had saved his life too many times to count. She was his wife, his life, and the mother of his future children; children that he hoped would look like their mother and have her heart and passion for life. Derek Morgan loved Penelope Garcia Morgan and no matter what it cost, he would honor the vows made to her two years ago, to love and honor, in good times and bad...in sickness and...

He didn't see the patch of ice hidden behind a thick layer of fog. It was too late to adjust or stop or steer around it. He tried; he gave it his all; he promised to protect her and get her to the Rossi cabin safely but he failed.

Then it was the matter of the tree.

Rossi Cabin – Afternoon –

Dave loved watching his wife flutter around the large kitchen. He had designed the kitchen to be the largest room in the cabin just for her. The large family dining table was oversized to accommodate their increasing family. The smells of Fran's homemade dishes filled every room and his stomach growled anxious to eat and share a glass of wine with the others.

With Christmas over the group had decided to gather at the mountain retreat, a mansion even larger than his home in Quantico. It had been a hard year and Dave knew all of them needed to get away before starting the new year again chasing evil. He'd stocked the cellar with the finest wines and the kitchen with everything on his wife's wish list; enough to feed an army battalion for weeks.

Fran smiled as she turned to see him standing in the doorway. His smile drew her toward him which made his smile even bigger. He gobbled her up in his arms and kissed her again and again. She was exhausted but happy, Dave had been that missing piece in her life that she didn't realize was missing. Her life had been consumed raising her children after the death of her first husband, Hank. Secretly, she believed that she didn't deserve to find love again. But she did and Dave had made her happier than she had been in a long time.

"How long have you been standing here, David Rossi?"

"Long enough to be reminded of how much I love you, Fran Rossi."

She kissed him this time, again and again for good measure.

"Well, the kids will be here any moment now and I still have a lot to do."

"It will all get done, Bella and I don't want you too tired to enjoy our family and friends when they get here."

"I know, I know, it's just that you all need this, I need it for you and..."

He kissed her interrupting her explanation as to why it was okay to work herself to exhaustion.

"You don't have to do it all by yourself. This is a vacation for all of us."

"Okay, my husband if you say so."

"I say so."

Unknown Location –

Derek's hand touched the side of his face, momentarily stopping the light wet trickle running down his cheek. He was lying face down on a cold cement floor, that was all he knew. The room was dark, and he had no idea where he was nor how he had gotten there.

The last thing he remembered was the truck sliding out of control. He'd tried to correct its direction, but it was too late, and he'd been going too fast. The fog blinded him making it impossible to see the tree that brought them to a hard, brutal halt. Then the pain, and Penelope's screams next to him. That's all he remembered until now.

"Penelope?"

"Derek? Derek! DEREK!"

Penelope looked to her left; the driver's side door was open, and the cold winter air was the only thing in the truck's cab with her. She tried to move but the seat belt restrained her holding her in place. Looking at the condition of the windshield, she determined that the seat belt had saved her life.

The tree, the tree, it had come out of nowhere; too late for her to do anything but scream. She could still see the look in Derek's eyes as he realized the same thing a split second before everything went black.

"Oh my god!" She moaned.

The pain was excruciating but she had to get help, but where was Derek? The last thing she remembered was him teasing her and laughing at her all too familiar question,

"Are we there yet?"

He glanced at her brandishing that Morgan smile that always melted her heart.

"Not yet Baby Girl; almost."

They had been running late, it was her fault as usual insisting on packing more than she needed and making him wait. She'd planned but they still managed to leave the house thirty minutes late which meant they would most likely be the last to arrive at the cabin.

"It's so cold...so, so, cold."

The snow was so beautiful as it hit the shattered windshield, melting moments later. They were going to be late...Fran had warned them to be on time and to leave before the weather got bad.

As usual, they didn't listen.

"DEREK!"

CABIN –

One by one the others arrived; Reid had ridden with Hotch and Jack, followed by JJ, Will and their two sons, Henry, and Michael. Sarah and Desiree had arrived the day before with Dave and Fran to help get things set up. The only ones left were Derek and Penelope. Fran checked her watch and with a frown shook her head.

"Where are those two?"

"They'll be here, Bella, they'll be here."

Unknown Location –

It was time to greet his guest; if he'd learned anything from his childhood, it was to never keep guests waiting. This reunion was a long time coming; finally, he would get the revenge he'd dreamed of. The man that had ruined his life was locked in the basement two floors down. Standing he nodded to the three men sitting across the room and headed out of the room toward the elevator down the hall. Two of the three men followed leaving one to keep an eye on the bank of monitors in front of him.

It was time to make Derek Morgan suffer for what he had done. Pushing the down button, he inhaled and smiled confidently.

"I'm going to enjoy taking your family away from you, Derek...just like you took mine so many years ago!"