Home of Obie White – Morning

Earl had decided not to let Cody in on his amazing discovery and so just before his call had begun to ring, he ended the call and returned the phone to his pocket. Instead, he'd decided to use the information and the woman's identity to his advantage. Cody and his other friends had had all the fun; now it was his turn, and he was going to enjoy himself.

Earl crept down the hallway toward the woman's bedroom and let himself in. She was still asleep. He wanted her; wanted to know what it was like having her for himself. He envied Derek Morgan; men like him had all the luck. It was his turn now.

"Earl, what are you doing in here?"

His father's whispered question irritated him, but he'd shrug it off for now. He turned toward the old man and followed him out of the room.

"I just wanted to say, good morning, that's all."

"Well, I don't want you waking her. Besides, you'll get your chance, she's not going anywhere."

"Okay, well, I've got to go to work anyway. Take care, Pops."

Earl headed out the door and to his car.

"Yeah Pops, I'll get my chance and when I do there'll be nothing you can do about it."

Unknown location -

"Handsome..."

Her hand shook as she approached him. The stick in her hand held the proof that she was not seeing things or thinking wishfully. They'd been trying for so long and were wondering if it would ever happen.

He'd gotten in late from a long hard case and he was exhausted.

"Handsome..." She repeated.

He opened his eyes to see a blur that looked like his wife approaching, holding something in her hand...smiling.

"Hey Baby Girl, are you okay?"

His voice sounded like sandpaper; he rubbed his eyes so that he could see her.

"We're pregnant." Her voice was shaking with emotion.

"Are you serious?" Now his voice was shaking.

She shook her head as she drew closer; close enough for him to reach her and pull her toward him and down on the bed.

"Pregnant." He repeated. "We're pregnant, really?"

"Yes, yes!" She smiled and cried all at the same time.

And so did he. Tears poured down his face and for the next several minutes they sat wrapped in each other's arms, with so many thoughts racing through their heads and hearts. A baby, the symbol of the love they shared, a life they dreamed, a blessing neither believed would ever happen.

The door opened and closed. Derek had learned to decompartmentalize, putting things in places to protect his mind. He was good at it; enough to teach the technique to young academy cadets. He would need the skill to survive what would come next.

He opened his eyes slightly just in time to see the large gray utility bucket aimed in his direction. Then slushy ice water hit him, drenching him from head to mid-torso. It felt like daggers, the ice and the water showed no mercy; again, Derek retreated inside to a place that was safe, a place where he could hide for a moment.

It wasn't enough to keep the pain of being beaten and kicked away and so he endured, and waited until his body said, enough and allowed darkness to take him to a place where nothing could reach him.

"We're going to have a baby."

Rossi Cabin –

Fran busied herself in the kitchen preparing breakfast for the others. Her mind was numb with fear and worry; memories of losing her first husband had tortured her throughout the night, preventing her from getting rest. Dave had held her and promised to bring Derek and Penelope home, but she knew that there was only so much he could do. She loved him for the promises but if things turned out wrong, she'd never hold it against him.

As Fran set the large table, the team mulled over a long list of names that Kevin had sent to their tablets. There were nearly seventy cabins owned by people who were from all parts of the world; most who were very seldom there and most of them were nothing more than rentals for out-of-town vacationers.

"It could take weeks to serve search warrants on all these owners." JJ began.

"If we find a location, we're not waiting on search warrants." Dave promised.

"Dave is right, time is running out and we need to worry about protocol later." Hotch insisted.

"What if..." Reid began.

The conversation stopped and all eyes shifted to Fran.

"Don't worry about me. Just...just do what you need to do to find them." She insisted.

The group exchanged looks then refocused on the task at hand.

Will had spent the last hour bathing and dressing the boys. He had also come to a decision and had spoken with Sarah and Desiree to enlist their help. After leaving the boys in the downstair den, he joined the others.

"Good morning."

Will wrapped his arm around JJ and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"I think we need to talk." He whispered in her ear.

Nodding, JJ followed him out into the hallway.

"What's going on?"

"I think we should take the boys home. Jack, Henry and Michael don't need to be around this."

"I agree. I'll tell Hotch that I need to leave."

"No, Sarah and Desi volunteered to take them back to the Rossi mansion and watch after them until this is all over."

"Really?" JJ asked.

"Yes, and I know you trust them and so do I. We're family that's what we do."

"Okay, your right they don't need to be in the middle of this."

Several minutes later, JJ, Will and Hotch thanked the girls and said goodbye to their sons. More than anything they wanted the little boys safe and there was no one better to ensure that than Sarah and Desiree Morgan and to make doubly sure, Hotch sent two uniformed officers to escort them home and to stay with them until they all returned home.

Home of Obie White –

The room was quiet, and it gave Penelope a moment to think. She felt better and stronger; her head still hurt but her vision had cleared, and she was able to deal with the slight pain in her shoulder and side. She needed to find a way to convince the old man to untie her arms and to let her walk around. She was worried about Derek; her gut was telling her that something bad had happened because he would have never left her alone; never. Her friends would be worried and looking and that gave her some comfort. She had to remain positive, that things would work out and that she and Derek would be reunited, and their baby would be born healthy and safe.

"We're going to be okay; we're going to be okay."

She kept repeating those words, perhaps if she said them enough, she would believe them.

"We're going to okay; we're going to be..."