BAU Headquarters – Early Morning –

Hotch stood next to the large board as each team member slowly filed in the room. It was early before the sun had risen and none of them seemed happy about being dragged from bed to return to work. All of them were surprised to see Jordan Todd standing next to the large board opposite of their boss. Garcia had a sinking feeling when she noticed the nervous brunette avoiding eye contact as they each took their seat around the table.

"Let's get started." Hotch began.

"This must be a bad one to drag us back at such an ungodly hour." Rossi started.

"As you know Morgan has been assigned to Counter Terrorism for the past few days…"

"Oh my god, please don't tell me something's happened to him!" Garcia interrupted.

"Agent Todd you can take it from here." Hotch said dryly.

Garcia shot deadly piercing darts at her nemesis as Jordan looked nervously at the team.

"Agent Morgan was helping us bring down a woman by the name of Zelda Cromley. She's believed to be the head of a very deadly terror cell that specializes in murder-for-hire."

"Why was Morgan chosen for this when you must have dozens of other agents?" JJ asked puzzled.

"Thirty-seven agents to be exact." Reid added.

"Let's worry about that later. Jordan, continue please." Hotch ordered.

"Morgan missed his last check-in last night and I haven't been able to reach him on his cell and he isn't at the apartment we had him staying in."

"Jordan, there's something you're not telling us and if something's happened to Derek I swear I'll…"

"Garcia!"

"Sorry, boss…"

Garcia was livid already dreaming up Jordan's demise in her head. This would have never happened if it hadn't been for Jordan's evil plan to win Morgan's heart now he may be in danger, or worse.

"Morgan met with Cromley earlier yesterday and was offered a spot in her organization. He was supposed to meet her at her home last night and then check in afterwards."

"Did he seem worried about anything?" Rossi asked.

"Cromley has a penchant for much younger men and he felt uneasy about their late night meeting but otherwise he felt he had made progress in infiltrating her organization."

"Did you have anyone on Morgan?" Hotch asked.

"I had Agent Cunningham on him but…"

"But what?" JJ asked.

"I haven't been able to reach him either. I sent agents to Cromley's home and there's no one there."

The team looked at each other around the table. No one had to tell them that this was not a good thing.

"Anything else?" Hotch asked.

"Cunningham met with Morgan earlier while Morgan was out for a run in the park near his apartment."

"What!?" Rossi angrily barked.

"I just wanted to know if he was okay."

"Jordan!"

"I know! I'm sorry…I messed up!"

"No, you just got Morgan killed!" Reid chimed in.

"Jordan, what do we know about this Cromley?" Hotch asked.

"She owns a very upscale bar called, 'Z's' and that's where Morgan's first contact with her took place."

"What aren't you telling us, Jordan." Garcia prodded.

"Our ruse to get Cromley's attention was a Knight-in-Shining Armor thing. I pretended to be a woman alone in a bar, Agent Cunningham comes in and begins to harass me and Morgan comes to the rescue. It worked and the rest is history."

"Garcia, find everything you can on Zelda Cromley; businesses, properties, everything!"

Garcia was staring so intensely at Jordan that she hadn't heard a word Hotch said. She was going to make the woman pay dearly for this. She didn't want to think about what he may be going through if things had gone bad and his cover was blown.

"Garcia!"

"Yes. Yes… Sorry, boss! I'm on it!"

Garcia quickly left the room running toward her office. After Garcia left Hotch insisted Jordan give the team the entire story on one Zelda Cromley.

Unknown Warehouse – Later

Morgan slowly opened his eyes. His lids felt heavy no doubt due to whatever was in the needle and syringe that had been jabbed in the back of his neck the night before. His hands were bound behind his back with what felt like duct tape and his feet were bound to each side of the chair he was seated in. The room was dark and he assumed it was still before sun up.

Slowly his eyes began to adjust to the darkness and he could see the young agent's body lying in the same position as earlier when he was dropped roughly to the floor unconscious. He strained against the blackness to see if the man was breathing but it was too dark to tell and Derek knew that he was most likely dead. He wondered where Cromley and her motley crew had gone. He struggled against the tape he had to find a way out of this place before Cromley returned. Remembering how bloody and battered the rookie's body was he knew it would be even worse for him.

He heard footsteps, several footsteps in fact and he increased his struggle. The door to the small room slung open and the light flickered on brightly momentarily blinding him. He was in trouble, big trouble; Zelda had a mean streak that made a shiver run up his spine. She watched amused from her spot behind him near the door as he fought in vain against his restraints.

"Good Morning, Agent Morgan."

She came around to face him. She looked particularly wicked this morning dressed in a bright red and gold glittery pantsuit. Her main man, Elliot stood behind him with a long narrow pipe in his hand that he lightly tapped in the palm of his hand as he smiled down on him.

"By now I'm sure whomever you're working for is no doubt looking for you, so as you can imagine we don't have a lot of time."

Morgan fought the heaviness that still had a grip over him and his vision was still blurry from the drugs in his system and the sudden bright light of the room.

"I need to know who you are. I need to know who you work for and what you've told them and I need to know now or Elliot here is going to make you wish you'd never crossed me!"

"My name is Greg Mathers I'm in town to see a friend about a job…I told… Ahhh!"

Suddenly a jolt of electricity shot through Morgan's body as Elliot held the rod against his neck and held it there for what seemed like an eternity. The pain was so sharp and severe that he couldn't think, couldn't reason. It was hard to breathe and his body felt like it was exploding and becoming a red-hot ball of fire.

Finally, Elliot pulled the rod away and watched as Morgan slumped over panting and struggling to catch his breath. He shook his head trying to gather his senses and to get ready for what was coming next.

"Let's try again. Who are you?"

"My name is Greg Mathers…AHHHHH!"

BAU Headquarters –

"Hotch! I found something!"

Garcia's voice over the laptop broke the nervous silence in the room as the team sat reviewing files on Cromley.

"There are several surveillance cameras in the area of Morgan's apartment which I'm sure is the reason the bureau chose this apartment building for their undercover operatives. Anyway, there's something I think you might want to see."

The large board in the front of the room lit up with several pictures from the night before. There was a shot of Jordan entering the building and of her leaving but the most distressing pictures of them all was of a man sitting across the street in a dark late-model sedan with a very large camera in his hands.

Hotch shot a look of rage in Jordan's direction and she cringed and looked away in fear.

"I suppose you forgot to mention your little visit to Morgan last night, right?"

"I-I-I'm sorry…"

"You blew his cover! If something happens to him before we can find him, I'll make sure you never work another day in this building!" Hotch threatened.

"And I don't even want to tell you what I'm going to do to you if even one hair on his hairless head is even slightly mussed! Garcia out!"

Jordan looked at the faces of the agents around the room; all of them looked as if they could kill her at any moment. She'd royally screwed up just to prove a point that now seemed pointless. She let her body drop in a chair and laid her head on the long conference table in front of her.

Unknown Warehouse –

"Again!" Zelda shouted.

"Boss! This isn't working! If I shock him again it might kill him! He still hasn't talked!"

Morgan sat head dangling drifting close to unconsciousness pain the only thing keeping him awake. He watched as she turned toward the small steel table against the wall. When she turned back she had a long narrow knife in her hand. Then lightly running her index finger down the blade she stepped well into his personal space.

"You are so gorgeous but I'm sure you've heard that before, am I right?"

Morgan didn't look up, didn't respond he remained still and waiting.

"I had such delicious plans for you, handsome. Maybe I'll carve my initials on your back to match all that amazing ink!"

BAU Headquarters –

"Boss! I found him!" Garcia yelled over the laptop.

"Where, Garcia?"

"Zelda owns two warehouses on the Southwest end of the Financial District. I just sent the address to your tablets."

"Good work! Let's go!"

Warehouse – Later –

Zelda felt vindicated as she again ran her finger down the blade of the knife. It was covered in blood now and so where her hands and she didn't seem to care that her closes were blotted with crimson stains. Elliot walked back into the room with a white towel in his hand. He loved her even though she was old enough to be his mother, he loved her but she didn't see him not like he wanted her too but it didn't matter. There was nothing, absolutely nothing he wouldn't do for her.

She didn't acknowledge his entrance into the room she just stood trance-like back to Morgan who had succumbed to the darkness stilled by the injuries that the wicked woman and her surly cohort had inflicted on his body. She wanted to do more but he had passed out just as she'd gotten into her brutality. No matter, she thought to herself, he'd never forget her, she'd made sure of that.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her to face him. She looked into his eyes as he wiped the blood from her hands. He'd been by her side for a long time and she knew he was her one true friend.

"Do you love me?" She asked him.

"You know I do."

She lovingly caressed his face and planted a sweet kiss on his lips.

"I can always count on you, Elliot."

"Yes, always."

"I need you to do something for me."

"Anything, you know that."

"Anything?"

"Yes. What do you want me to do?"

"Kill him!"