Savannah's parents wasted no time in trying to make Derek pay for their daughter's death. Even before leaving Boston for her funeral services, they had instructed their lawyer to explore all their options in getting custody of their grandchild. Hank was all they had of Savannah, and they wouldn't rest until the young baby was living in their home and enjoying a life that Derek could never give him.

Law Offices of Maker, Maker, and Associates – Monday Morning

Drs. Charles and Lydia Hayes waited anxiously in the prestigious law office. Their close family friend and attorney Artemis Maker instructed his assistant not to interrupt him and as he closed the door behind him, he knew that this would be a long appointment. Some of the reality that he had to share with his clients would be hard for them to hear, but he was good at what he did and accomplishing the impossible had made him a superhero in the legal community.

"Okay, let's get started. First how were the services on Friday? I'm sorry Chelsea and I weren't able to make it, but I heard the urgency in your voices, and I needed to get a head start on this if we have any chance of getting your grandson in your home before the holidays."

"Not to worry, my friend. Besides, seeing you may have tipped Derek off," Charles began.

"Yes, and we appreciate what you're doing for us," Lydia added. "If anyone can make this happen, you can."

"Well, I appreciate your confidence, but I must warn you both, we have a fight in front of us. We'll have to have a strong case against Mr. Morgan if we're going to win."

"What about the fact that he's an FBI agent? In his line of work, he makes a lot of enemies; our daughter's murder is an example of how his work followed him home and killed Savannah!" Charles insisted.

"While Savannah's death was tragic, his attorneys can argue that this was a highly unusual case. Besides, it hasn't been proven that Savannah's murderers even knew Derek."

"What can we do to get the court to rule in our favor? Our son-in-law doesn't know the first thing about raising our grandson. He's from meager means at best, raised by a working-class single mother..."

"...and despite that, Derek Morgan is a decorated former SEAL, and a highly respected federal agent who is a member of an elite division of the FBI. You're going to have a hard time swaying sympathy your way if you chose to attack him on what he's done for this country."

"There's got to be something!" Lydia chimed in.

"Let me do my job, okay? This is what you keep me on retainer for. Trust me, I'll have your grandson in your arms before you know it," then standing to show them out, "go home and start fixing up that nursery; baby Hank is going to need his own room to play in."

Temporary Home of Derek Morgan –

"You know that you and Hank can stay with Dave and me until you decide what you want to do next; there's more than enough room."

"I know Ma and thank you, both you and Dave. I just need space and time to clear my head. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to tell him about his mother."

"Baby, he's only two years old, there's not much you can tell him until he's older."

"I could have lost him too. When I think about..."

Fran pulled her son into a motherly embrace. She felt him tremble against her shoulder and for a moment she allowed him to do that thing that he hadn't done in her presence since Savannah's death; he cried.

"I know this sounds cliché, but things are going to get better, okay? Things are going to get better."

"He was in the house, Ma. He was less than a hundred feet away from where Savannah was..."

"Shh...just let it go...let it out..."

And he did. Fran held onto her son for dear life. What had happened was worse than anything he had endured in his life and there had been a lot of tragedy and sorrow. Fran wondered if she really believed her own words if things really would get better.

BAU Headquarters –

"He wants to come back to work."

Dave grabbed two glasses and the decanter of brown liquid and took the seat in front of Hotch's desk.

"No, it's too soon."

"Hotch..."

"No Dave. Besides, the bureau is insisting he take the mandatory time off for counseling."

Hotch drained his glass and refilled it. Dave did the same and pushed his glass toward Hotch for a refill.

"Does this bring back memories?"

"Yeah, it does. Even though Haley and I were separated, we loved each other, and I believe had she lived we would have reconciled."

"The love between you two was obvious even to a blind man."

The next several minutes were silent with the silence saying more than any words the two could string together.

"What do we do; how do we help him?"

"Just be there when he falls," Hotch responded, "just be there when he falls."

She'd forfeited her chance to be with him and she knew it. He'd told her he loved her three years before he'd even met Savannah, but she pretended that she was clueless as to what he meant. It didn't take a genius to understand what he meant. She saw the hurt in his eyes and heard the pain in his voice when he found out about Kevin. She'd settled into a relationship with him because it was easy and it made sense, but it didn't change the fact that she loved Derek.

Derek was still her best friend and she his, but things had changed once Savannah came into his life. Her death was brutal and violent, something that resembled the cases they'd been forced to solve every day. This wasn't a case, it was his life and his house, his home was now a crime scene; miraculously baby Hank had not been harmed and if any comfort could be taken from what happened it was that. Still, Penelope felt her friend's pain and she silently vowed to put her life on hold to be there for him and Hank, no matter what they needed.

Temporary Home of Derek Morgan –

Derek needed something fast and so he had managed to find a furnished apartment near his mother's and Dave's home. He'd turned down an invitation to stay with them and he knew they were disappointed, but he wouldn't be able to tolerate the looks of pity and the hovering for more than a day. He loved his family, and he knew they loved him, but he needed to feel as though he was doing this on his own. He wasn't sure what, this was but he needed space to breathe and to prove to himself that whoever killed Savannah, didn't kill him too.

Fran had fed, changed, and rocked Hank to sleep; the baby looked so much like Derek when he was a baby. It was incomprehensible what had happened or why life had chosen to ram the dagger in her son's chest for a third time. The sound of the doorbell prompted her back to the present as she laid Hank in his crib and headed to the front of the house to rejoin her son.

Derek wasn't expecting company, but it hadn't stopped his family and friends from coming by. Secretly he'd grown to look forward to the visits and so without looking through the peephole he opened the door. He was surprised to see the well-dressed man at the door.

"Derek Morgan?"

The man handed him a white envelope and smiled blankly.

"You've been served."