AN: Thank you so much for the reviews! Here we go... Guess which team member they're getting next? ;)...

Chapter 8

Three days rushed by far faster than Dave had ever thought possible. He'd had the most relaxing, wonderful time, the best since before the evacuation. The Morgans were a delight to watch. They were a warm, loving family that laughed and joked often, and he knew that love stretched to include him and Erin, too.

The best part of the stay had been Erin. She was doing better every day under the watchful eye of Dr. Kincaid and Fran. Melax was the miracle drug they'd all hoped it would be. After each dose, Erin's color improved, her speech was no longer stilted, and her vitality and strength increased. So much so, if Dave squinted and looked at her sideways, he could almost see her walking the halls of the BAU, the confident and strong woman he adored.

But of course, that wasn't reality.

By the end of the day, her color dropped, words became difficult, and she was barely able to hold herself upright. There was no denying that Erin was extremely ill and her health was precarious at best. Despite Dave's best efforts, no amount of loving care would help her. She needed that drug, even more than she needed him.

With that in mind, Dave did not argue with them when Dr. Kincaid and Fran insisted on keeping Erin at the Morgan house. She was in good hands of people who truly cared about her, and she had Melax.

Still, it was very hard to leave her...

"I don't want you to go," Erin said, her face buried in his coat as he held her in his arms.

They were standing on the front porch, the idyllic setting sheltering them from the ominous world beyond the cornfields. He wanted to hold her forever, to never let her go again, but he knew he had to fight. To save the world. To save her.

He brushed his lips on her forehead and continued to shelter her in his arms. "I don't want to leave."

She was so frail, a mere shell of the woman he knew and loved. She'd lost weight, and despite Fran's home cooking, she continued to dissipate.

"Rossi," Morgan said, clasping a hand on his shoulder. The one word said it all—It was time to go.

Erin tipped her face up and kissed his cheek. "I love you."

It took everything in Dave's power not to turn his face and kiss her. But they didn't know enough about this sickness to risk such close contact. Dr. Kincaid had even advised against hugging, but that didn't stop Rossi.

He held Erin's face, the sadness in her blue eyes tearing at his heart. "I'll be back."

She smiled through her tears. "Hurry home."

"I promise." He held her in an intense, but brief embrace, and then turned to Derek. "Let's go."

That exit played in his mind constantly. It made him strong, because he'd promised. He was determined to find out what was causing this, and he was even more determined to find a cure so he could take her home.

Finished with his thoughts and his break, Dave glanced over at Morgan, who was resting against the front fender of the car, eating an apple. Derek was staring out over the horizon, looking westward, the sunlight flashing in his black aviators. They were on a stretch of highway in Indiana, a corridor surrounded by corn.

"You're awfully quiet," Dave said, the corner of his mouth up in just the slightest smirk. "I wonder what you've been thinking about..."

Rossi couldn't resist teasing. Ever since Fran brought out in the open what everyone in the BAU had thought for years about Morgan and Garcia, there wasn't anything to stop him from riding the usually private Morgan.

Derek flashed back a saucy grin. "Probably the same thing you were thinking about a few minutes ago. A-M-O-U-R." To add to his victory, Morgan removed his sunglasses and arched a brow. "Am I right?"

Rossi chuckled, knowing he'd been beat. "Well played, young man. Well played."

Derek blew on his fingernails and buffed them against his shirt. "Sometimes, the master gets schooled by the player."

"Mano a mano: it takes one to know one." Dave grinned brightly. "It was an easy guess. We can't help it, can we?"

"Especially when they're girls like ours."

Dave loved the definitive answer, as if arguing the point was illogical. He couldn't argue; the women were both spectacular, and they were theirs. Always had been, always would be. Rossi without Strauss and Morgan without Garcia was like toast without jelly. Okay alone, but so much better with them.

Morgan's smile faded to something more wistful. "At least you know yours is okay."

Dave could see the dark clouds of worry rolling into Derek's eyes. "Morgan—"

"Damn it, Rossi," Derek said, shaking his head. "I never should've left her."

Rossi shook his head. "You had no choice."

"I know that, but once I lost contact, I should've..." Morgan paused, as if the words he wanted to say just wouldn't come to him.

It didn't surprise Dave. There weren't any words Derek could say. He'd been in a lose-lose situation. They all had been.

Derek closed his eyes, his hands clenched in fists. He slammed a fist into his palm, the loud sound of the strike nearly echoing in the open plain. Dave knew what that was like, to try to beat some sense into a life that didn't make sense.

Rossi put an arm around Morgan. "Derek...son. Come on."

He opened his eyes and looked at Rossi, his eyes haunted. "I promised I would protect her. Every day of my life. I promised her."

Dave gave a soft smile of understanding and determination. "Then we'll have to keep that promise, won't we?"

"How?"

"I'm not sure," Dave said and then grinned brightly. "Maybe we should ask a genius?"