Cruz felt his entire body tremble at the terrified voice of his young son. He hadn't seen his family for three months; nobody knew he'd promised their captors that he would not say a word and that he'd proceed with his life as if everything was normal. They had assured him that he was being watched and even sent him proof to that fact. The pictures of him in his office and home were unsettling enough but the pictures and video of his wife and children chilled him to his core. His family was defenseless and innocent and he was powerless to save them unless he did as he was ordered.

He had begun planning for three months to meet the demands and to get his family back. Now it seemed that all of his careful planning was falling apart. Cruz prided himself in being strong, self-assured and confident in his abilities but this was different and all that he thought he was capable of meant nothing.

"Is everything okay?" A familiar voice rang out from behind him.

Cruz quickly attempted to compose himself before turning around to face Hotch.

"Yeah. Yeah…Just some family issues…"

Hotch looked at the man seeing far more than family issues. He'd never seen the normally composed and cool leader on the brink of losing it. He watched how he avoided eye contact as he struggled to seem calm and collected.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Thanks, but I'll work it out." He began, walking back toward the conference room. "It's funny just when you think you have your problems under control you find out they are worse than you think."

"Yeah. I hear you."

The two men walked the rest of the way to the conference room in silence joining the rest of the team seated around the table. Cruz stood next to Hotch as the briefing began.

"Let's review the last few days' events…."

"Do you think they all may be connected, Hotch?" Rossi asked interrupting.

"I'm not sure but that's what we need to find out and quick."

On the surface none of the events of the past few days seemed to be connected. There was no evidence, no explanation except that it appeared that the team had come upon a patch of bad luck. Being profilers, they knew from experience that luck had very little to do with most things. Fate was as improbable as luck and evil was motivated by broken twisted minds and egos looking for justification for their actions.

The car accident that left Morgan seriously injured in the hospital could have been just as it appeared…an accident. The driver who had barreled into him and the others was drunk and now being held in county lock up pending a hearing. The wild goose chase to help solve an already solved case was something that Hotch couldn't quite shake as just a mix up. Why did the request go to Cruz and why would someone go to the trouble to make sure they were out of town? One thing that was certain was that Morgan and maybe all of them were being targeted for some reason. Whatever it was He knew it was time to get ahead of it before another tragedy hit their team.

Potomac General Hospital-

His lungs screamed for air and rest but he kept running…running…as fast as he could; her life depended on him getting to her in time. She was innocent…not a part of the world that was demented, wretched and dark…his world and even though he was not of it he had become familiar with it and it with him. So much so that it had allowed him to move around virtually unharmed while everyone around him burned, singed with the touch of its fingertips. No matter how far he ran, how fast he feared he would be too late. He called out her name but her head never turned to meet his gaze.

She meant everything to him. He didn't want to be late he'd promised her over and over that he would be on time. Even in the distance he saw her beauty, the tears glistening in her eyes anticipating his arrival…on time. Everyone else expected his punctuality…he'd waited so long to make her his still puzzled as to how he had become so blessed.

It was almost time and he had indeed made it in time to meet her at the altar to join their lives together amongst their family and friends. As he approached the minister who had been standing with the others lifted his head and glanced in his direction nodding and then motioning for her to turn and look at her groom. And she did…looking at the man who she'd loved forever it seemed.

Then he saw the blood…everywhere…her satin ivory gown smeared with the bright crimson thickness; she'd tried to wipe it away but now her hands were wet with the red that had intruded upon the purity of their day. The minister laughed at the two shocked lovers and it was then that he noticed the bloody knife in his hands.

He caught her as she fell limp in his arms and lowered her to the floor…the minister still laughing licked the blood from his fingers then licked his lips as he swallowed the goo.

"Penelope! I'm sorry! I tried!"

"You promised you'd be on time."

"But I am on time!" He pleaded tearfully.

"I'm dying, Derek and it's all your fault." She whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

"Pen…e-l…ope!" It was so hard to speak to get the words to fall from his lips and make sense. He had to convince her…she was his life…

"Pen…Pen… don't leave me!"

"Derek! Baby, wake up! I'm right here!"

Derek fought against the drugs as they slowly began to wear off enough to allow him to wake up. Her face loomed over him in a hazy fog his eyes struggling to clear and focus.

"Pen…I'm…sorry…" He slurred.

"It's just a dream. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

She fought her own tears as she gently caressed his face with one hand while placing the other on his chest. His breathing gradually slowed as he again drifted off to sleep. How would he ever survive what had happened? Haunted by so many nightmares how could his mind and heart handle another? She had no answers, no words of wisdom for her best friend who had become so much more. As she watched him sleep restlessly she felt helpless and selfish for the times that she'd secretly wished that there were no Savannah, no woman except her in his life. Had she known the pain and agony it would cause…foolishness she knew her private thoughts had no baring on the tragedy of the night before.

Nothing made sense except that she loved him and she'd do anything in her power to pull him out of the abyss and the dark place that he had fallen into; covered in the bloody muck of evil and death but most of all by guilt that he would hold onto with his life's breath. She knew him he carried the weight of all that he could not prevent, powerless to let it go and to admit he wasn't strong enough to do what only God could do. She like the others would try to convince him in vain that it wasn't his fault and that he was a victim like Savannah.

She continued to caress his face planting light kisses on his forehead. Her tears fell on the sheets that covered him and she couldn't help but think how much easier it would be if she didn't love this man but she did and that was that…it was all she knew for sure…it was all she needed to know.