At Derek's unexpected outburst, Hotch glanced at Rossi for a clue as to what this was all about, but he just shrugged his shoulders, at as much of a loss as Hotch. He turned back towards Derek. "Morgan, what is it? What's going on?"

"Call it a hunch. One I'm about to prove or disprove," Derek replied softly, almost absentmindedly, without looking directly at Hotch. His eyes remained overwhelmingly focused on Angelique, and her alone.

"I beg your pardon?" Angel couldn't help wondering what it was that he thought she did this time. Derek was looking right at her while he cursed aloud and his gaze hadn't wavered one iota since. He might be mad at her for what happened downstairs and her reaction to it, but surely he didn't have to swear at her to prove it. And just what else was he planning on proving or disproving anyway? Her face paled as he began to advance slowly, but purposefully towards her.

Taking her questioning comment as rhetorical, Derek decidedly ignored it and continued his progression around the table. When he reached her side, he took hold of her chair and spun her away from the table, until she was facing him directly. Crouching down to her eye level, he kept his hands locked tightly onto the arms of her chair, and surprise had her taking more than a moment to realize he was effectively blocking her in with his muscular arms. Still, she knew unequivocally if she wanted to leave he would let her, but that didn't stop her from physically reacting to his nearness with both fear and heated awareness. Because his face was now only inches away from hers, she took the opportunity to study his features, her eyes searching for anger, but all she found was a quiet intensity. The rest of the team and the room faded as soon as he began to speak. His rich voice like liquid honey, decadently flowed over her body like an intimate caress, and incidentally drew her eyes down to the lips that heated her own just a little while ago. Her reaction was as instinctive as it was instantaneous and her eyes darkened of their own accord.

"Angel, I need you to listen to me very carefully and please just answer my questions without asking any questions of your own. Just for now. I swear I'll answer all your questions when I'm finished. It's important and I promise you'll understand when I'm done."

His finger slipped beneath her jaw to gently lift her gaze, allowing Derek to lock eyes with her. She could see without words that he was asking her to trust him. She didn't know why, but she did, deeply, unequivocally, and without reservation. She took a steadying breath before wordlessly nodding her compliance, unable to deny him this simple request.

"Do you remember where you were before coming to Quantico?"

Angel wasn't sure where Derek was going with his query, but she already agreed to answer, no questions asked. "Of course. I came here from France... Paris, to be exact."

"When?"

"About nine months ago, give or take."

"Why?"

"Why?" She parroted back, baffled by his question."

"Why did you come to the United States."

"I... I got a job offer to work for either Homeland Security or the FBI, but after working with Homeland for the past seven months, I realized it wasn't for me and I chose the FBI instead."

"How did you get that offer?"

"In France, I worked for an high level international security firm that deals strictly in computer and database security and software. It was my job to hack undetected into the computers and databases of top notch organizations in order to find any vulnerable points of entry. Then, if I was able to get in, we'd work with them to tighten up their security. I managed to breach both Homeland Security and the FBI, not completely, but further than any one has ever gotten before without detection. As you may have already noticed, I've got mad skills." A wide smile accompanied her last comment. She was beyond good and proud of it, but her smile faltered when his face remained passive and unresponsive.

"Where exactly were you born Angel?"

"Paris. I've lived there all my life."

"Can you tell me the name of a childhood friend, any friend, prior to this last year?"

She paused, her brow furrowing before answering. "Umm... Sorry I can't seem to think of anyone right off the top of my head. You'll have to let me think about that for a minute."

He was positive it wouldn't matter how much time he gave her so rather than wait, he pushed on with more questions. "How about before you started working for your company in France? Can you tell me where you went to school, where you grew up, how you got your mad hacking skills? Anything?"

She opened her mouth to reply to the simple questions, but suddenly found she had no immediate answer. She closed her eyes trying to think, but her mind was completely blank. In panic, her eyes flew open and latched back onto his. "I... I don't know. Derek, how can I not know?"

He studied her face closely and wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms when he saw the minute she realized she couldn't answer his questions, and then he watched as her lost eyes filled with tears. He closed his eyes in a brief battle for control. When he opened them again, he partially gave into his wants by taking her chilled hands into his. As he held them securely in his warm grip, his thumbs lightly traced comforting circles on her skin. Now came the hardest part. If he was right, her world was about to come crashing down. If he was right, so would his.