Chapter Twenty-One

Derek was beat. The case had zapped most of his energy. Sure, they'd gotten the SOB, but not until five young boys had been killed. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw their faces, terror permanently etched onto them. The wide open eyes, glazed with death, seem to glare into his soul….blaming him…..

Derek shook his head. He couldn't let the job get into his head too much, couldn't let the horrors he saw almost every day work their way into his mind and eat away from the inside out. He needed to get home, get back to Penelope, wrap his arms around his solace and let his troubles melt away. The team were almost back to the airport outside of the FBI building in Quantico, and he had never been so happy to realize that.

"You okay?" Emily Prentiss asked as she went to sit next to him. "You seem really preoccupied. In fact, you've kinda been out of it the whole case. Anything you wanna tell me?"

"I'm fine. It's just been a long-ass case. I want to get home."

"And…..this wouldn't have anything to do with our technical analyst, now would it?" Emily teased with a smile. Derek laughed and elbowed her gently.

"You got me, Agent Emily Prentiss. Man, never try to fool a profiler," he jokingly retorted.

"Not much of a profile if you call her all the time and you always seem to be worrying or thinking about her. More like, Amor 101," Emily replied with a wink. "You're head over heels in love with her. It was hard to NOT notice."

"Good," Derek responded. "I'm not ashamed to say I am in love with my fair lady Penelope Garcia." His words came out part in fun, yet part serious. He WAS in love with her. It was only her recent experiences that had kept him from ravishing her whole body as much as he could.

The plane began to make its descent to the ground. Derek laughed as Prentiss briefly clutched her stomach as they dipped. She had never been fond of that jittery feeling that came with flying down.

"You all right there?" he asked with a tease.

"Shut up, Morgan. I guess we're even now." Secretly, she was glad that she'd gotten him to smile. She just hoped that he could find peace at home with Penelope.

Arriving home, Derek was surprised to find that no lights were on. It was only 11:00. Penelope would wait up for him until 1:00 on some occasions, so it was odd that she would be sleeping. Entering, he gasped in shock.

All of her things were gone. In the bathroom, all of her soaps, brushes, and hair things had disappeared. Their room….was completely deserted of all things Penelope. Her suitcase was missing. So was she.

"Penelope! Penelope! BABY GIRL!" he called, frantic, even though he didn't expect her to respond. He tore through every room, looking for a sign that she was still there and hadn't done what he feared she did. Dialing her cell, he was horrified to discover it wedged between their bed and the wall.

She was gone. She was gone. She had left him. But….why? Tears ran down Derek's face as he tried to comprehend the truth that was right in front of him. Had he done something wrong? Had she gotten upset with him and…..run off with someone else? No…..she had sounded completely in love with him the last time they talked. Maybe a little tired…but that was all.

Entering the bathroom, Derek was surprised to find a small white stick on the carpet. The pink plus sign seemed to punch him in the stomach. She was pregnant…..and it wasn't his. It was impossible…..even if she'd hooked up with someone while he was on a case…..she wouldn't have started to notice the signs yet. It was too early.

And then he knew. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt EXACTLY who had caused this. He realized the anguish Penelope must've felt as she looked at the test, the knowledge that she was carrying HIS baby….it must've thrown her over the edge.

Morphed and enraged, Derek Morgan headed for the state prison…..all control lost….his heart pumping angered blood through his body…..his world was black now, completely black without Penelope in it…and it was all Kevin Lynch's fault.

"For you, Baby Girl. I'm doing this for you. And then I'm going to find you. I'm going to find you and I'm going to ask you to marry me. I've only known a few minute of your disappearance…..I can't even imagine the rest of my life being spent without you being by my side." It was the one promise he would wholeheartedly intend to keep…..

Meanwhile, a young brunette woman sat alone in an airport. Tear tracks stained her face, errant locks of what looked like a bad dye job hair seemed to go every which way. Her eyes were darting left and right in a disoriented fashion. She held a plane ticket for what looked like an international flight…one way.