Morgan Home – Chicago, IL – Morning –

Morgan pulled his tired body from the bed and headed downstairs to start the coffee brewing. He'd gotten in town late last night and he was exhausted. The team's last case had earned them all two weeks off and he thought it would be a good idea to head to Chicago to take care of a task he'd been dreading for years. His childhood home had been vacant since his mother married Dave four years ago and moved to Quantico. He'd urged her to sell the house, but she insisted on holding onto it. Now, four years later, she realized that her life was no longer here and no matter what happened between her and Dave, her life was in Quantico, even the girls had made the move there; that was home now.

Derek knew he had a daunting task ahead; years of childhood memories for himself and his family awaited him upstairs in the attic. He was grateful that the bedrooms had been emptied when his mother and sisters had moved but the attic was going to take some time and some heavy lifting. He was having second thoughts for turning down Garcia's offer to come with him and help but he knew that this was a trip he needed to make alone. Filling his mug with hot black coffee, he headed upstairs.

Rossi Mansion – Quantico, VA

"I should have gone with him."

"He's a big boy, Bella; he'll be fine. Derek restores homes and packing up the attic will be a piece of cake."

"Yeah, I hope you're right," she sighed, "it's just..."

Dave pulled her against his chest and held her tight. The last four years had gone by so fast and the thought of his life before she stepped into it was almost a blur; almost.

"Who would have thought that the two of us would have ended up here together," she chuckled lightly."

He chuckled too; a lot had happened over the years; more than he cared to revisit.

"Who indeed, who indeed."

Fran kissed her husband on the lips and pulled out of his arms. Dave followed her into the kitchen and took a seat at the large island. He loved watching her work as she pulled the pots and pans from their places and began preparing breakfast.

"Do you have any regrets?" She asked.

"Regrets?"

"Yes, do you wish you'd done things differently?"

"About us?"

"About everything; you and me, our families?"

"I did what had to be done..." he began.

"We did, we did what had to be done," she corrected him.

"Then to answer your question, I have no regrets, none at all."

Fran smiled at her husband and turned back to the task of making breakfast.

"I love you David Rossi," she said with her back to him.

"I love you too, Francesca Rossi."

Home of Penelope Garcia –

She wasn't sure if she was upset that he had not invited her to join him or that she still hadn't told him how she felt about him. She felt uneasy about this trip as if something or someone would take him away from her; someone in Chicago. The city held so many demons, so many bad memories for him and she wanted to be there to do what, she didn't know, protect him but nobody was ever allowed to protect Derek Morgan, he wouldn't allow it, ever.

Still, she'd felt a sense of dread ever since he'd announced that he was going back home to Chicago while the team was on stand down. She couldn't shake it and it was all she could do not to defy his wishes and book a flight to Chicago anyway. He'd been her best friend for thirteen years and she his and he would understand if she unexpectedly showed up on the doorstep of his childhood home; or would he?

Instead of acting on her impulses to head to Chicago, Penelope decided to busy herself with a trip to the mall, then the spa and perhaps a girl's night on the town with JJ as her wing woman. Besides, maybe the fact that Derek wanted to make the trip to Chicago alone was a sign that she needed to move on and drop her little girl fantasy of being with Derek as more than just his best friend.

Chicago –

The small filing cabinet in the far corner of the room had caught Derek's eye early into his attic chores but he'd decided to leave it to the end. He dreaded sifting through other people's personal papers and wondering why it was so important to hold on to papers that had long outlived their importance. Still, he knew it was necessary for his peace of mind and especially for his mother's. She'd forgotten about the file cabinet because she hadn't mentioned it in her long list of instructions. His mother was nothing if not thorough, detailed to a fault but there was no mention of the file cabinet.

The older man pulled his car in front of the house and killed the engine. He wasn't sure why he was here or what he hoped to accomplish. He and the man inside had unfinished business; Derek had managed to dodge his calls in previous visits. It made sense why Derek wanted nothing to do with him, but he had to try one last time.

Derek wasn't expecting company. In fact, he hadn't told anyone that he would be in town. Still, the doorbell was ringing and after three rings, he realized that his visitor wasn't leaving. Looking through the peephole, Derek was surprised to see the older man standing on the porch.

"Gordinski?"

"Derek..."

"What are you doing here?"

"Can we talk?"

"We don't have anything to talk about."

"Maybe not but..."

"But what? How'd you even know I was in town?"

"Let's just say I have my ways."

"What crime are you going to accuse me of this time?"

"Please Derek, er...agent Morgan."

"Wow it must be serious; you've never acknowledged the fact that I'm an FBI agent before."

"Well, I was wrong and I'm sorry."

Derek eyed the man for a few seconds before allowing him inside. With his head down, Gordinski walked past the man who he'd harassed for so long over the years.

"Looks like you're packing."

"No one ever accused you of being a scholar now have they, Gordinsk?"

"I deserve that I guess."

"Look, I have a lot to do and a little bit of time, why are you here?"

"I wanted to apologize to you, I mean really apologize to you for everything."

"Look Gordinski I don't want to talk about this. I've moved on."

"I was wrong and after Carl was arrested, I never got a chance to..."

"Twelve years, Stan, it's been twelve years and it's a little late don't you think?"

"Maybe for you but not for me. I haven't moved on, and I can't let it go until I make things right."

"That's just it, Gordinski, you can't make it right; nobody can. Every time I come back here, there's something or someone ready to remind me of my past. I just want to pack up my mother's house and get back to Quantico."

Stan nodded his understanding and began to walk around the room.

"How is your mom?"

"She's just fine," Derek knew there was more; he wasn't sure if he cared to know what it was. "Look Gordinski if it helps you to sleep at night, I'm fine, okay? I've moved on with sone help and I'm good."

The next few minutes were awkward as Stan turned to face Derek.

"Why do I have a feeling that this visit is about more than an apology?"

"Because it is."

Derek chuckled and shook his head.

"Okay, you have my attention."

"I need your help."

"Excuse me?"

"I need your help and it's a matter of life or death."