Savior

Chapter 14

-xx-

"Do you ever get off of your phone?" the black man jumped at the voice behind him. Jennifer Jareau was walking towards her desk and laughed at him. "You promised me pictures from this weekend!"

The giddy blonde placed her briefcase and purse on her desk before heading to Derek's desk. Derek sat up in his chair and brought his personal e-mail up on his computer screen. He had e-mailed himself copies of his personal photos from the Gala as well as the professional photos Cate sent him.

"Holy crap, you did good!" Derek turned to the voice behind the twosome. Penelope bee-lined her way to his desk and hunched over his shoulder to check out the screen. "She is gorgeous, Derek."

He could only grin. "Yes, she is, baby girl."

"Aw," she started, "you have a new lady in your life and I'm still your baby girl."

Derek shook his head. "You're the OG, Penelope," he reminded her with a rhyme.

He stopped on his favorite photo; he had an arm wrapped around Cate and only he knew that she secretly had her hand in his back pocket. They both wore matching grins. He had to continually remind himself that that was his girlfriend. She looked radiant at the Gala, but no better than any other moment he had spent with her.

"She must be special if she got you all gussied up," JJ replied as she leant against his desk to watch the slideshow.

He laughed off her comment. "You have no idea, Jayje." His longtime friend smiled at him, pleased that he finally found someone who would make him equally as happy. Derek played off the Playboy mantra too hard sometimes, and JJ was quick to point it out. "I got all the way to the office this morning before I realized she left a country station on in my truck."

"Ooooh," Garcia sang, "It's looove, JJ!" She exclaimed.

"Shush, woman," he joked. "I do have a persona to uphold."

The two blondes laughed at their co-worker. "We all know who you really are, deep down, Derek," JJ reminded him. "She's good for you." The blonde grinned at her best friend and started towards her desk as Hotch and Rossi entered the room.

Derek was not quick enough to close his browser as the two men peeked over his shoulder. "So you do know how to get dressed up," Rossi stated, "I wonder why you don't do it at work."

The black man peeked at his work attire, dark jeans and a dress shirt. He saw nothing wrong with the way he dressed for the office, and laughed in Rossi's direction. "Sometimes it's best to save it for special occasions," he quipped.

Hotch only shook his head at his team. "The plan is to stay local this week, so catch up on any paperwork that you need to."

The agents dispersed to their respective desks and offices. Derek waited until Hotch and Rossi had shut their office doors before taking off down the hall towards Garcia's 'lair'. "Baby girl," he said in a harsh whisper. The blonde turned around and raised an eyebrow in his direction. "I need your help."

She entered the pass code to her office and ushered her friend inside. "What can Her Majesty do for you?" she asked as she took a seat in front of her computer screens.

Derek grinned at her response and shut the door behind him. "I need a background check."

"Deep dive or simple check?" she replied as she fired up her computers.

"What's it gonna cost me for a deep dive?"

The blonde laughed. "For you, Chocolate Thunder?" She peeked over her shoulder at him and winked. "Nothing. What's up?"

Derek crossed his arms over his chest. "Can you check out a Cole Hanson for me?"

-xx-

"Your place sounds good," Derek replied into his cell phone. "I will see you in a bit, baby."

He grinned at Cate's response on the other end before disconnecting the call. He slid his phone back into his pocket and continued down the hall to Garcia's office. He knocked on the door and waited until he heard Penelope call him from the inside.

"How's it look, baby girl?"

She smiled at the nickname and pulled a folder out from under other paperwork. "He doesn't seem that bad," she offered as she handed the folder to him. "Public intoxication about a year ago, but his daddy had that wiped away."

Derek flipped through the pages quickly. "And who's 'Daddy'?"

Garcia turned in her chair to face him. "Some hot shot lawyer by name of Frederick Hanson. It seems Freddy treats his eldest son pretty well. During Cole's time in college, he was transferring him money every week." Derek scoffed. "And I'm not talking what most parents would send. I mean, like thousands, over the time he spent in school."

"Does Cate show up in here at all?"

Garcia frowned. "I put two and two together that they were dating." Penelope busied herself with a fuzzy pen on her desk and signed off on some paperwork she had. "Some photos and stuff from realtor magazines. Cole became a big player in the game when people realized who his father was." The blonde watched Derek's face intently, noting there was no change in his demeanor. "There's nothing scandalous about her in the slightest. But when people figured out that Law Firm Baby was dating the Police Chief's daughter, they made it into a bigger deal than it really seems like it was."

"Thanks, Penelope," Derek sighed and clutched the folder tightly. "I owe you one."

She just grinned. "No you don't, silly." She punched him softly in the arm. "What's the problem with this guy?"

Derek crossed his arms over his chest. "He came up to me at the Gala," Derek told her. "There's just something about him that I don't like."

Penelope pursed her lips. "It's not just 'cause he's Cate's ex, right?"

The black man shook his head. "It's the way he looked at her." Anger flashed briefly in Derek's eyes at the memory. "He made Cate feel uncomfortable all night. Of course she didn't tell me until after the event was over," he carried on. Garcia placed her hand to his forearm. "I just don't like him, P."

"Don't take this the wrong way, sweet cheeks," the blonde grinned, "but you sound kind of jealous."

Derek let out a deep sigh. "Pen, he told her I should have let her die." He pinched the bridge of his nose to keep his anger at bay. "He called me out by Agent." Derek ran a hand over his head and took a few steps around her office. "Cate said she was getting flowers and gifts left at her condo. What if he's been watching her?"

Garcia's eyes widened at his realization. "Then you need to stop him, Derek!"

Penelope was not sure if that was exactly what she should have said, as he hurried a thank you and took off out of her office.

-xx-