Quantico Police Department – Afternoon –

He knew the routine he'd put suspects through the paces before and only once before had he been on this side of the table; he didn't like it then and he liked it even less now.

"Derek, No!"

Her pained-filled words rang incessantly in his ears. The look of shock on her face clouded his thoughts. Yet he had to maintain his composure. He wanted nothing more than to have a chance to explain to her what had happened. He didn't kill Kevin even though he'd vowed he would if he ever caught him. He needed her to believe he was innocent more than anything in the world.

He knew he was being watched from the other side of the glass window and he wasn't in the mood for the routine game of having his every move examined with a critical eye.

The door opened and Detective Brice entered followed by another man whom he hadn't met before. He could see the eager look in the younger man's face as he took the seat across from him setting a case file on the table.

"Agent Morgan, as I mentioned earlier I'm Detective Brice. The gentleman behind me is my partner, Joe Armstrong."

Morgan glanced at the man standing against the door and then back at the man in front of him. He noticed the detective looking at the bruises on his knuckles.

"Where were you last night between the hours of 9pm and midnight, Agent?"

"I was at the hospital with a friend." He answered dryly.

"At any time during those three hours did you leave?"

"Yes."

"Where did you go?"

"I had to run an errand."

Then the detective opened the file as if seeing it for the first time. Ignoring the slight chuckle from Morgan Det. Brice pulled out a picture of a bloodied and battered man, obviously dead and lying under a white sheet on a coroner's table. Waiting for just the right moment, he turned the picture and slid it toward Morgan.

"The badly beaten body of Kevin Lynch was found earlier this morning by joggers near the Potomac River."

"What's that have to do with me, Detective?"

"Want to tell me how you got those bruises on your hands, Agent Morgan?"

"I didn't kill Kevin Lynch!"

"The evidence would suggest otherwise!"

"What evidence, Detective?"

"The bruises on your hands for starters! They look like you were in a fight recently; say last night maybe while you were out, 'running an errand?'

"I didn't kill Kevin Lynch, Detective!"

"Everybody knows how you felt about him; you two weren't friends and you both seemed to have an interest in the same woman."

"That won't get you a murder conviction. You'll need to do better than that."

"Oh, I'm just getting started, Agent!"

Brice stood and began walking slowly around the room glancing at his partner who nodded confidently back at him. Morgan watched both men intently. Then the eager detective walked around the table and stood behind Morgan and leaned down next to his ear. He could feel the man's breath on his neck.

"I know what you did, Agent Morgan and I won't rest until your rotting in jail!"

Home of Derek Morgan –

JJ and Reid were failing miserably at consoling their friend. Penelope had heard the words that Kevin was dead, but she still couldn't believe it. She'd feared Derek's reaction if he found out what Kevin had done and that's why she'd tried so hard to keep it a secret. Now Kevin was dead and Derek was being questioned as a suspect; things couldn't possibly get any worse.

"Garcia, you need to calm down! We all know that Derek didn't kill Kevin!"

"I know JJ but everybody knows how Derek gets when it comes to the people he…"

JJ took Penelope's hand in hers and waited for her to look at her.

"Loves? P, Derek loves you and we all know it! We know he get's really crazy if anybody tries to hurt those he loves, especially you but he did not kill Kevin, I'm sure of it!"

Garcia stood and began pacing the floor she knew her friends were watching her not knowing what to say. If Derek had a chance to get his hands on Kevin there was no telling what he would do. She loved him and the thought of him doing something out of anger because of her broke her heart.

"But what if he did? I mean what if he went looking for Kevin and Kevin started taunting him…he's good at that he…he…knows how to push buttons to make you react…"

"Garcia, Garcia." Reid began as he stood next to her. "Morgan didn't kill Kevin! We've got to believe that and believe in him. He needs us to find the real killer before it's too late."

"Reid, I know he didn't do it! I do, I just know that it must look pretty bad if they took him in for questioning, right? I mean who else would have wanted him dead?"

"Me!"

"Me too." JJ added.

"If the police are looking for suspects then they might as well question our entire team!"

"You guys, what would I do without you?"

She hugged Reid as JJ joined them. JJ's phone rang breaking up their love fest.

"Hey Hotch."

"I'm at the police station now; a Detective Brice and his partner are questioning Morgan. From what I could gather so far, the police are building a case against him and they are treating him as their prime suspect."

"So what do we do now?"

"I've sent Dave to the Coroner's office and as soon as I can I'll talk to Morgan."

"What do you want us to do?"

"We've been ordered to stay away from the case but I'm not about to sit by and let Morgan be accused of Kevin's murder."

"I hear you."

"How's Garcia?"

"She's a wreck."

"Do you think she's up for doing some digging?"

"For Derek? Definitely!"

"Good. I need her to get everything she can on a Detective Mark Brice. I have a feeling he's trying to make his career off sending an FBI agent to jail."

"Got it. I'll have her get right on it."

"Thanks, JJ."

7th Street Motel –

Even without his glasses and with only his right eye of any use, he could tell that he'd be hard to recognize. He never could understand why women spent so much time and money changing their hair color as if it really mattered. Now as he squinted and examined his new look he realized that his newly blonde tresses would allow him to move around in public without being noticed. He had unfinished business with another blonde and couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she saw him again.

Kevin Lynch was no dummy; he knew that Penelope was just going through the motions in their relationship. He tried to pretend he didn't know and that she would one day come to her senses and realize that he was the one for her. Then he'd hear the nicknames and then he'd hear how her voice would soften whenever she spoke to Morgan. He saw the looks exchanged between them when they thought no one was watching. They hadn't had sex in months and whenever he wanted to resume what had at one time been a routine with them, she would have a million excuses to refuse him.

He ran his hands through his hair and examined the bruises on his face. His blood boiled as he remembered the beating he'd suffered at the hands of Derek Morgan.

They'd heal in time and the pain in his ribs would eventually disappear but he would have the final laugh. Penelope belonged to him and he had plans to remind her of that fact. Morgan would be in jail for murder and unable to stop him. He relished the thought of revenge planning each detail meticulously in his head. He did a mental inventory of the things he'd purchased the night before that now lay waiting on his bed; duct tape, handcuffs, taser, knife and gun. He smiled looking proudly over his kit he had everything, now all he had to do was wait for his Plum Sauce to come home.

After showering and dressing, Kevin gathered his things placing them in a brand new leather bag and quickly surveyed the small ratty hotel room. He had no idea when she would return home but it didn't matter he'd be there waiting. When he finished with her she'd regret ever rejecting him and denying him what was rightfully his.

Home of Derek Morgan – Two hours later…

With the exception of Garcia, the team had been ordered back to BAU headquarters to meet with Hotch. Rossi had spoken with the Coroner and had gotten a copy of his report. Garcia had been ordered to stay put to prevent her running into Cruz and being forced to answer questions about her and Morgan's relationship. So, she continued her searches from the comfort of his couch.

After a while she became frustrated she wanted to see Morgan; she needed to assure him that she knew he was innocent and that she was there for him. She also knew that staying focused and looking for information would help clear him and get him home to her. In order to do that she needed her tools from home, mainly another faster laptop; Derek hadn't brought hers with him when he'd gone to her apartment the night before so she was forced to use his. A quick trip to her apartment would make things a lot better and besides, it would only take her thirty minutes to get there and back.

BAU Headquarters –

The team sat around the conference table closely examining the coroner's report and the other information they'd gathered on Kevin's file. They each couldn't help noticing the gruesome nature of the pictures; no one spoke it but they all knew that Morgan had the strength and the motive to do this damage on anyone and that he wouldn't hesitate to beat Kevin to within an inch of his life if he'd harmed Garcia.

The group was overwhelmed with frustration because they hadn't much to go on except for the photos. They had no knowledge of anyone other than Morgan and themselves who would have a reason to kill Kevin Lynch.

"This was personal." Rossi began.

"Pure rage!" JJ added.

"Someone had to be in great physical condition to exact this type of beating on someone." Reid began. "Look at his face; if it weren't for his ID you'd never know it was Kevin."

"We're looking at someone who was definitely sending a message." Said Rossi.

"Yeah, you pissed me off now you're going to pay." Hotch added dryly.

Home of Penelope Garcia –

Penelope felt jittery and her hand shook as she put the key in the door. She hadn't been back since the morning of her altercation with Kevin. She took a deep breath and urged herself to go in and get what she came for and leave. She didn't want to dwell on the state of her bedroom or the blood on the rug, so she pushed the door open and stepped inside. Closing the door she leaned against it and closed her eyes to steady herself.

She suddenly heard the rattle of the wall of beads that lead to her bedroom. Surely it was just a breeze from an open window but she never left her windows open; well not since Derek had insisted she keep them closed and locked after Battle had shot her.

Then she heard the rattle again and a familiar shuffle against her carpet. Her eyes blinked open and she stared into the swollen battered face of the last person she'd ever expected to see. She felt a shiver down her spine as her mouth fell open.

"Hello Penelope."