AN: Sorry that this is such a long chapter but I couldn't get around it. Hope you enjoy…
The team was headed back to Quantico from New York and Penelope had set her babies to searching for hidden clues as to why they had been sent out on a case that had already been solved. She knew it would take about an hour before she would see them and while she waited for her searches to run she thought it would be okay to head to the hospital to see Morgan. Her original plan was to spend the evening there until he fell asleep but now with the case mysteriously falling apart her time was spoken for and it was sure to be a long night; she could hear the irritation in Hotch's voice when he called to say they were headed back. So, off she went for a quick hello to check in on her best friend before she buckled down to solve yet another mystery.
On the Jet…
"Garcia is searching now. It's obvious that someone wanted us out of town, but why?" Hotch began.
"It doesn't make sense. Who would go through the trouble?" JJ asked.
"The first place to start is Cruz. Why did the request come to him instead of directly to us?" Rossi added.
"We need to get to the bottom of this now. We're not working any more cases until we figure this out." Hotch ordered.
The rest of the short trip was made in silence the memories of the last time the BAU was the target of a psychopath still fresh in all of their minds. The Replicator had taunted and manipulated them victimizing innocent people in his twisted act of vengeance against them. Strauss had lost her life and Rossi still grieved for her.
The silence was broken by Garcia's frantic phone call to Hotch. She had arrived at the hospital to visit Morgan to squeeze in a visit before they arrived home. She'd rushed by the busy nurses station and waved at the familiar face that had been assigned to Morgan during the evenings since his admission.
It was odd that his room was empty; She wandered back to the nurse's station to inquire on his whereabouts. Garcia panicked when the nurse had no clue that he was gone. There had been no test ordered for the evening and like last night the same nurse was assigned to his room. In fact, the shifts were in the midst of changing and Stella was receiving the report from the day nurse when Garcia had arrived.
"Hotch! Morgan is missing!" Her voice was shaky with panic.
"What do you mean, missing?"
"He's missing! I'm at the hospital right now and he's not in his room!"
"Maybe he's having tests done…"
"No Hotch! He isn't! The nurse checked and there are not tests ordered!"
"What are they doing to find him?"
"They say they'll have security look around but they think he may have left on his own."
"Garcia, unless there's been a miracle, there's no way Morgan could have left the hospital on his own." JJ said.
"We'll be landing in ten minutes we'll meet you at the hospital."
"Okay. I'll be here."
The door opened temporarily stopping Savannah's frantic efforts to break free. She was horrified to see Derek's unconscious body being dragged into the room by two large men dressed like orderlies. She had been at the hospital long enough to know them all and those two were not orderlies at Potomac General, that she was certain.
He was so still. They must have sedated him she thought as he laid near her feet.
"Let us go!" She screamed. "Please! Why are you doing this?"
Ignoring her the two turned and left the room locking the door behind them. She needed to go to him to make sure they had not further injured him but she couldn't move the bindings cutting into her wrist with each attempt to escape.
"Derek! Wake up, Baby!"
He didn't move but at least she could see that he was breathing and for that she was grateful.
Potomac General Hospital –
Garcia rushed over to the familiar faces as they stepped off of the elevator. Other law enforcement had also arrived and hospital personnel were suddenly concerned and willing to cooperate.
Hotch and the others couldn't help but think that Morgan's disappearance and the false request from NYPD were somehow connected. Too much had happened that seemed to center around them to be coincidence.
"Savannah!" Garcia shouted.
"Excuse me?" Hotch asked.
"Savannah! She's a doctor in the ER; she and Derek have been dating for the last two months. "
"Morgan's dating? As in a relationship?" Reid asked.
"Yes. Anyway, we need to call her."
"Garcia see if you can get her to come up here." Hotch ordered.
Garcia stepped away from the group and picked up the phone from the nurse's station. A million scenarios played through her head as she waited for her call to be answered.
"Who ever took him had to be a part of the hospital." Rossi began.
"What are you saying Rossi?" Hotch asked.
"Look at this room. His bed is gone, monitors were detached…all the signs of hospital personnel or someone very familiar with how things work."
"I see what you're saying. To wheel a patient out of his room without raising suspicion…"
"I'll have Garcia review security footage to see if any patients were transported out of the hospital." JJ offered.
"Thanks, JJ. Rossi you and Alex talk to the staff and see if they noticed anything out of the norm."
Before anyone walked away, Garcia joined them her panic now at a new level.
"Savannah didn't report for her shift. They've tried calling her at home but no answer."
Hotch didn't like the picture that was unfolding before him. All the years they had put in protecting strangers didn't mean a thing. Once again they were forced into a position of protecting themselves from an unknown enemy.
"Garcia, tell me about Savannah."
"What? Do you think she could have something to do with Morgan's disappearance?"
"I don't know. Could she?"
"No. No way. I mean I've only met her once but she loves him. They seem pretty close."
"Where did they meet?"
"I don't know…"
"Think Garcia! Anything! I need to know anything you know about her!"
"I don't know Hotch! He just told me about her a little while ago."
Hotch walked away in frustration. He didn't mean to yell at Garcia. This wasn't her fault but time was of the essence. Who ever was responsible had a huge head start and it was obvious that they had been planning for quite some time. For all they knew Morgan could be dead.
"I'm sorry, Garcia. I didn't mean to take this out on you."
"No worries, Boss. I can find out where she lives and maybe talk to her co-workers…"
"Thanks. We need to find out what's on the security footage."
"On it."
Morgan moaned his body reacting from the intense pain and the fact that the drug he'd been given was finally wearing off. Savannah jumped at the sounds of him waking and for the first time since the whole ordeal began she felt a twinge of hope.
"Derek! Come on wake up! Wake up!"
The voice sounded familiar but he still couldn't clear the confusion everything seemed foggy and his mind fought to clear.
"That's right, Baby, wake up! It's me, Savannah! I'm right here!"
Derek looked up his eyes focused on her bound to a chair struggling to break free. She was crying what the hell was going on? Why was she here?
"Savannah?"
Ignoring the pain he rolled over to his uninjured side and forced himself to a sitting position.
"What's going on? Are you okay?"
"Can you untie me?"
She was shaking tears rolling down her face and looking to him for rescue. He moved toward her every move sent shock waves of pain through his body. He used his good hand to untie her hands. Beads of sweat popped out on his forehead responding to the pain and the remnants of the drug in his system.
"How did you get here?" He asked as he helped her untie her feet.
"I-I don't know. I came home from the gym…he must have already been inside…"
Derek struggled to his feet and pulled her to him holding her tightly to his body as they talked trying to make sense of whatever was going on.
"We've got to get out of here before they come back. I'm going to need your help, okay?"
"Yes. Yes."
The door opened and this time three men entered the two dressed as orderlies and one other who was obviously in charge. He was a tall thin well-dressed man with cold black eyes.
"I see you've managed to free yourself." He began.
Morgan quickly placed his weak injured body in front of hers and the two of them watched as the stranger began pacing the room enjoying the fact that he was in control.
"What do you want?" Morgan growled.
The man came and stood directly in front of Morgan invading his personal space. Morgan didn't blink he kept his glare on the man anger gleaming in his eyes. He wanted to kill this man for hurting Savannah and holding them both in this small room.
"Want? I've already got what I want. You!" His voice was dripping with ice. "Someone has paid me quite well to kill you and I'm going to enjoy every second of your slow painful death."
"Let her go! She doesn't need to be here…"
"Oh but she does, agent. You see, she's going to die first and you get to watch."
"Don't do this! I don't know who you are but I'll kill you if you lay a hand on her!"
The man motioned for the other two who quickly moved and grabbed Savannah away from Derek. He tried to pull her back but was stopped by a hard kick to the left side of his body. The man's foot landed on his already injured ribs sending Morgan crashing to the floor writhing in pain.
"Derek!"
There was nothing he could do to protect her. The pain in his side held him to the floor in a fetal position. All he could do was watch the men drag her back to the chair and slam her down fresh tears falling on her terrified face.
"Derek!"
"He can't help you pretty lady."
"Don't touch her!"
Another kick silenced him.
"Please don't hurt him! I'll do anything!"
"Savannah! No! No! I'm okay!"
The man smiled at his two captives.
"How does it feel, agent to know that I can do anything I want to her. She's very beautiful you're a lucky man."
Morgan began to move against the pain moaning in anger willing himself to find strength from somewhere. The man moved behind Savannah and placed his hands on her shoulders. He seemed to enjoy the trembling his touch invoked.
"I only wish I had more time, I'd really like to get to know her better."
He leaned down and planted a soft wet kiss on her cheek as his hands wrapped around her neck. Savannah jumped and fixed her gaze on Morgan who was now facing her.
"Savannah, I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."
The man began to squeeze chuckling as Savannah stiffened under his grip. He kissed her again her gaze never left Morgan and tears continued to flow from her eyes.
"Get your hands off of her you son-of-a-bitch!"
Savannah felt her body being pulled up by her neck. It was hard to breathe. She felt light-headed as the man pulled her to her feet. She could see Morgan struggling to stand. She closed her eyes as the man tightened the grip around her throat. She prayed that Derek would find enough strength to save her.
The man glanced over his shoulder to see Morgan trying to stand he was weak and he admired the man's determination. With a toothy grin he stared down at Morgan just before slamming Savannah to the ground. The sound of her scream as she crashed face first propelled him to his feet. The two other men who had been enjoying the display until now grabbed Morgan and held him motionless. They were too strong to be affected by the struggles of his weak body.
All Morgan could do was watch as the man pulled a gun that had been hidden under his jacket. This was his fault she didn't deserve this. He had to save her somehow but there was nothing he could do but watch it all play out before him in slow motion.
"This is all your fault agent. But look at it this way at least you won't have to listen to the continual pleas of your friends trying to convince you that this wasn't your fault…because it is!"
That seemed funny to the three men who could hardly contain themselves laughing so hard that one of them even wiped a tear from his eyes.
"Don't do this!"
Morgan kept struggling as the man's finger wrapped around the trigger. He strained against the strong grip of the other men trying with all of his might to pull away and his heart stopped, his mind shut down trying to find some other explanation for what he was seeing as the bullet struck her in the chest and the bright red spring of blood confirmed that there was no other explanation as her body relaxed and her eyes closed.
The men released their hold and he sunk to his knees. He moved to her while the three men watched hot tears now on his face. She was still breathing ever so slight but he had no hope he'd seen this before in innocent victims whom they were too late to save and he had stood over countless UnSubs as they took their last breaths.
"Let's leave them alone. I'm sure they 'd like some privacy to say their final goodbyes."
Morgan didn't respond he just sat there looking at her still body. He wished it had been him that this maniac had decided to kill first but it was meant for him to watch her die for the sick entertainment of a man he didn't even know.
"Savannah…Savannah…Talk to me, Baby."
The three men moved toward the door as Morgan watched the slow movement of her breathing.
"I've got some other business to wrap up, with the rest of your team…but I'll be back."
Without looking away from Savannah Morgan uttered a promise that he fully intended to fulfill if it was the last thing he ever did.
"I'll kill you for this!"