Federal Building- Washington, DC - Monday – Afternoon

Senator Tom Cramer had spent his life in public service. He'd entered politics shortly after law school and now twenty years later he had risen to power as a senator and the Chairman of the Committee that oversaw the actions of the country's Intelligence and Security agencies. He'd made his business to keep an especially close eye on the Behavioral Analysis Unit.

He despised them and could never understand the need for the small group that traveled across the country investigating cases by deciphering behavior. They were damn good he couldn't deny that but they were in his way. Cramer had aspirations beyond the walls of the United States Government and the BAU posed a severe problem for him and his associates.

The senate hearings a few years ago had given him hope that the days of the pampered Prima Dona agents was coming to an end. The investigation into the covert actions that led to the death of Ian Doyle was his opportunity to shut them down for good. However, things didn't work out and the ever-resilient Bastards were still in operation.

No one knew that his position with the U.S. government was merely a cover and gave him access to authority and information useful to his real cause and that was to rid the world of some of its major leaders and replace them with hand-picked men and women that he and his co-conspirators could control. Thomas Cramer loved power; loved how it made him quiver inside. He was driven and when it came to his goals he had tunnel vision. He knew that any crime that there was a mystery to local police especially in the nation's capital, it would come to the attention of the BAU; he couldn't have them trampling on his business and getting in the way. His only option was to eliminate them, period.

Cramer had stumbled upon Mateo Cruz quite by accident. He'd overheard an interesting conversation between the now Section Chief and Agent Jennifer Jarreau that made him salivate. Now, Cruz was a more than willing pawn and would do anything to save the ones he loved.

Cramer settled himself behind his desk checking his watch and leaning back readying himself for the man he'd given the important job of ending the lives of the BAU team. He'd given him everything he needed to get the job done; access, personnel and most of all a huge incentive-the lives of his family and the safety of his secrets that could destroy everything Cruz held dear.

The light knock on the door pulled Cramer from his thoughts as he looked up to see the troubled agent waiting in the doorway.

"Please come in. Have a seat."

Without saying a word, Cruz sat in one of the leather chairs in front of his boss.

"I'm disappointed in you, agent."

"I'm sorry but I did my best…"

"Your best obviously isn't good enough." Cramer interrupted.

"Please just let me see my family. It's been three months!"

"Sure you can see them." A slight smile cracked Cramer's face. "You can have a front row seat at their funeral!"

Cruz's heart stopped dead in his chest. He couldn't breathe fear gripping his insides and squeezing. The man behind the desk holding all the power watched the poor man squirm not know what to do or say to convince him from squashing him like a roach.

"I need some sign that you're still on board."

"Anything."

"Agent Morgan is still in the hospital. If I'm correct, you haven't paid him a visit since he's been there, right?"

"Yes that's correct."

"Well, good. I think you should."

"Then can I see my family?"

"You have a lot of work to do before that happens."

"But! I-I can't…"

"Are you forgetting that I have the key to your entire life? Your wife is very beautiful by the way. I wonder what she would be willing to do to protect her precious children?"

"Please don't hurt my family!"

"And, I wonder what Agent Jarreau's husband would do if he really knew what the two of you'd been doing while the two of you worked together at the state department?"

"Okay, okay…just don't hurt my family or Agent Jarreau; she doesn't deserve it."

"Then you know what to do."

Cramer leaned back in his chair satisfied that he had accomplished his goal of scaring the shit out of Cruz. Shaking and without another word Cruz stood and headed to the door.

"Oh, and Cruz…I want Agent Morgan dead before this day is over or I'll be forced to show the lovely Jennifer Jarreau the DNA report on her poor dead fetus."

Potomac General –

He missed her terribly but he was secretly happy that she was not there sitting next to his bed watching him and waiting for him to wake up. He knew that she'd want to save him from whatever this was, this place that he had landed in as a result of being silent and making choices that had not ended well for anyone. Now, Savannah was dead, guilty only of loving him. If he could will the past few months of his life back he'd erase the time even if it meant that there would be an empty black hole in his life. It didn't matter what the price he'd pay it if he could only be assured that she would breathe again and have the life she deserved.

Then there was Penelope his more than best friend; she owned his heart and didn't know it because he hadn't told her enough or clear enough for her to understand what he really meant and what she really meant to him. He knew it too and had hid behind the vagueness of his declarations and now her he lied in the wet bed of consequence. Someone else had won her heart and he was faced with living without being that man she came home to at night and gave her inner self to freely.

There was only one thing to do now and that was to save her life and afterwards find comfort in knowing that she was free of him and safe and untouched by what he would bring to her happy optimistic world.

The decision made the still coldness of the sterile room overwhelming pressing persistently on his chest; was it hard to breathe or was it just his imagination allowing reality to finally speak the new truth of his life which wasn't new at all. How could he live without her in his life? She had filled the empty place and warmed his cold, ridged heart. Now what would take the place in his heart that had always belonged to her? He didn't know but deep down he knew he deserved the pain, the despair; the ugly abyss that had now claimed him and made room for him to get comfortable.

Meanwhile…

Mateo Cruz was a desperate man running out of time with no options. He stayed holed up in his office for the last several hours and he could no longer put off what he had to do. So, he took one final look around his office. He'd worked hard for what he'd achieved. It didn't seem right that one mistake should take it all away. He loved his wife, his children and…

JJ didn't deserve to pay for his foolishness and moment of weakness. He'd used his position, his charm and in the end his prideful arrogance had reduced his life to one large house of cards teetering under the weight of his guilt and another despicable man's knowledge.

Glancing at the awards and commendations nailed neatly to the walls he felt the nausea of dread creep up through his body nearly choking him before he exhaled and gathered himself and his jacket. He headed to the door and flipped the switch turning the lights off.

He hadn't the chance to get to know SSA Derek Morgan and maybe that was a good thing; it just would have made it harder to take his life. There was so much he'd change if he had the chance but he'd already chosen the path that no question would send him first class non-stop to hell.

"Life was funny." He thought to himself. "Very seldom did it work out how you planned or imagined."

The tall illuminated light of Potomac General Hospital was in view now. He had already convinced himself that he was doing this for his wife and kids and for JJ. It sounded good for a moment but as he pulled into a parking space and turned off the engine he glanced in the rearview mirror and did not recognize the man that he had become.